Three more days have passed since Serena learned Ignis. Since then, she has been learning the basic water magic, Aqua.
"Endless source, sprout! Touch of life, sealed in my soul! Flow, Aqua!"
A small stream of water came out from the tip of Serena's index finger.
"Look, I did it!"
"That was after flooding the whole place with uncontrolled jets. I thought you were a genius. You are just an idiot."
Serena said happily, while the Codex seemed tired.
"Hey, at least I got all the attempts right."
"The first one looked like your hands were sweating. In the second, water came out from your nose. The third, well…"
Serena blushed upon hearing this and put both hands between her legs, closing them.
"Please, never mention that again!"
"But now, you can already call yourself a mage."
Serena smiled slightly. She was ready to continue her journey.
"Aren't you going to gather more supplies? You will need them for the journey."
"I have already taken too much advantage of your former master's good will. Besides that, these supplies could be useful to lost travelers. I will buy supplies in the city to the east, just before the barrier."
"Will it not also be abandoned?"
"It's a strategic city, guarded by capable warriors. It is meant for the chosen ones, like me, to equip themselves. I don't want to waste their work. Besides, I need to leave the Storm in a safe place."
"You are indeed strange... So let us proceed."
In 2 days, Serena arrived at the city. From afar, its great and imposing wall, Valde, was on sight.
The last frontier before the abyss.
It was said to have been the capital of an ancient kingdom — which had stood alone against the advance of the Demon King. Serena didn't know if it was true. What she knew was that it was a fortified city with warriors ready to combat the hordes of demons. Even if they couldn't kill them, they were perfectly equipped to scare them away and weaken them.
Serena approached the bridge at the entrance. Presenting her mark and the map she had received, she was allowed to enter. She did not look directly into anyone's face, covering herself with her hood and merely waving.
The guards' reaction was also apathetic, as if the presence of the chosen one in their city was just a routine event.
The city was almost empty, and few people were walking the streets.
Her first stop was the stables. Her travel companion had to be sold, and she would now continue on foot. Hesitantly saying goodbye to her horse, Serena took the money and left.
She had also received some gold coins to buy provisions. Everything she needed was in her mind. When she went to the fair stand, she saw a beautiful apple but couldn't buy it. For some reason, she felt paralyzed and was unable to speak to the vendor, leaving without buying anything.
"Older girl, what's that weird thing on your back?"
A child approached her. Serena didn't respond. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out at all. She stood there, staring at the little girl's feet, saying nothing.
"Wow, you weird."
When she heard this, an arrow pierced her heart. She couldn't interact even with a child.
After a few minutes, Serena wrote something on a piece of paper.
"Oh, so you're not illiterate."
"Shut up, I never said I was."
Serena replied to her grimoire, embarrassed, as the other people couldn't hear it. She felt judged, like a crazy person talking to herself.
Despite that, she took the written piece of paper and walked over to the vendor, handing it to him without looking at him.
"Ahh, so the beautiful young lady wants an apple. One copper coin."
She paid the apple seller and thanked him with a nod, without looking.
She stayed near the entrance, in a simple inn. She didn't say a single word, but she was warmly welcomed and received everything she needed. That night, she slept deeply, as she hadn't in a long time.
The next day, she got ready to head towards the barrier.