The wind blew viciously, howling in Melina's ears and sending sand grains flying all over the place. Her weathered cloak protected most of her body, but she still had to shield her eyes from the incoming onslaught. She lifted her hand up and called out in a hoarse voice, "B-Barrier."
[Insufficient mana.]
What did I expect? That mana would suddenly reappear just because I want it to.
Melina lowered her hand and kept moving forward, barely able to see two steps ahead of her. The hunger was gnawing at her stomach—it had been a few days since she last ate, and her body was getting too weak. If she wouldn't be able to find any food, then her chances of completing her journey would be close to zero.
If only there was something to eat… Anything. I'd even eat a strip of bark.
But if she stumbled upon a dead tree, then it had been long since stripped of its bark, only dry branches remaining. There wasn't even dry grass left on the ground, only sand and dry cracked land. For a moment, the wind relented its onslaught, and Melina noticed something far in the distance as she peered through her fingers. Something that looked vaguely like a silhouette of a town. She changed her course towards it, in hopes of finding something to eat. Slowly but surely the silhouette came closer and closer until her suspicions were confirmed—it was a remnant of a city.
Perhaps it would be better if I went around? But I'm so hungry…
She approached the city cautiously, looking for signs of other humans, and noticed a few footprints leading inside. They must have been fresh because any older prints would have been long since erased by the wind. Although most houses were broken beyond repair, there were still signs of life.
Melina turned on her heel, ready to circle around the town when a pleasant smell hit her nostrils—something she hadn't smelled in a long, long time. Something that didn't belong in this dying world. The smell of freshly baked bread.
Melina's stomach rumbled incessantly at the smell, saliva already pooling in her mouth at the possibility of having something to eat. The cautious part of her was telling her to leave. She wasn't alone, it was too dangerous. She could get attacked. However, Melina also knew that she would not make it for long without food and this might be the last chance of obtaining anything.
I'll search for some food and leave as soon as I find it or as soon as somebody tries to attack me. I need to take this risk, otherwise I might not make it.
Melina cautiously followed the scent of food through the empty streets while unseen gazes followed her with their eyes. She could feel them assessing her, following her every step. Her hand slid to the dagger which was hidden underneath her cloak, and she picked up her pace, hurrying through the suspiciously empty streets. The scent got stronger and she was about to start running, when she came across a sight she never expected to see in such a remote place.
A line of people standing by one of the old shops, patiently waiting despite the howling wind. There were people of all sorts lined up, young, and old, but all of them looked just as hungry as Melina. For a moment, she wondered if she should approach. They could attack her. But her stomach rumbled and the people didn't pay any attention to her. So she tugged her hood further over her face and slowly approached the line.
An old man standing at the end of the line met her gaze. Her heartbeat increased as they looked at each other for a long moment. Then the man snorted and looked away.
"We even get scum like this in our town. The world truly is coming to an end," he muttered to himself but made no attempts to chase Melina away. A few more people from the line looked at her, their gazes piercing her like knives. But in the end, nobody moved to do anything.
Melina didn't delude herself with thoughts that they were alright with her presence—that they forgave her for what she had done. These people were simply too exhausted to care. So she stood at the end of the line and waited.
The doorbell of the shop rang as the door opened, and a woman together with two children came out, each clutching a bundle in their arms. As they passed by Melina, the smell of fresh bread became unmistakable.
No, that can't be true. How could anyone have actual bread in this god-forsaken place? The land is dried up and dead. Even with some underground water sources, the conditions here are just too harsh for wheat to grow.
But the smell of bread was here—there was no denying it. Melina would have called it magic, except that it didn't exist in this world anymore. So she waited as one by one, people went inside the shop and came out clutching wonderfully smelling bundles. She was on the edge the whole time, expecting somebody to attack her, but in the end, everything remained peaceful.
Finally, it was Melina's turn and she went inside the tiny shop. Her breath caught in her throat as an overwhelming scent of fresh bread overtook her senses, almost sending her starving body into a frenzy.
"Hello!" An older woman greeted her with a wave as she swept some bread crumbs off the counter with her other hand. "Here for some fresh bread, dear?"
"H-Hello," she croaked in return, taken aback by her cheerful attitude. Her mouth began to water as the wonderful aroma engulfed her, and Melina dared to take a few cautious steps closer to the counter. There was a moment of silence until she managed to find her voice again, "I-I have nothing to pay with."
"That's alright. You can pay me back later," the woman waved dismissively with her hand and went into the adjacent room, her red headscarf fluttering gently over her graying hair. After a moment she came out carrying a loaf of bread in her arms.
Melina's mouth salivated at the sight, and her legs moved her to the counter. Even if her rational mind was screaming at her to be cautious, her body would not obey. She was too hungry. It took all of her willpower to think about the situation rationally. The woman said, "Besides, nobody out here has even a single copper coin left."
"Later?" Melina asked, her mind seizing control of her body.
"Of course. Don't think you're getting this for free. Even Archmages have to repay their debts," the older woman joked.
"You… You know who I am?" Melina took a step back, alarm bells going off in her mind.
"So you really are the Archmage?"
Melina took another step back, realizing her mistake, and fumbled in return, "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Relax, Melina. Everyone knows who you are," the woman laughed and began carefully wrapping paper around the bread. "Although calling you Melina doesn't feel quite right. Archmage Melina has a better ring to it."
"Just call me Melina," she said, giving up her meager attempts at bluffing. "I'm not an Archmage. Not after what I did. I think it's better that I leave—"
But before Melina could act, the woman offered the wrapped up bundle out to her, "Go on—take it!"
"No, I cannot. I'm not part of this town," Melina averted her gaze.
"You'll need it. It'll take a lot of energy to get to the peak of the World Mountain."
"H-How did y-you know?"
"It's not really hard to figure out. We're the last town on the way to the mountain. And where else would an Archmage even go?" The woman said with a smile and then offered the bundle to Melina again. "I trust you to do the right thing."
"But I—"
"What you did in the past is history. It's what you do now that matters. You could say that it was all your fault but reality is much more complicated than that. It was what all of us desired. We made our choices and the only thing we can do now is our best. I help this town and you do what you have to do," the woman argued. "Now take it. Treat it as a loan if you must."
Melina stared at the bread for a moment, then reached out trembling hands and took it. Her hand brushed against the woman's, and she was surprised by how warm it was. Comforting.
"Thank you. I will repay my debt," Melina said, not daring to meet the woman's warm gaze. "I'm sorry, I never asked your name."
"I'm Elenor," the woman replied with a smile.
"I will not forget your kindness, Elenor," Melina said and for the first time in years she felt a tiny warmth somewhere deep within her. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Melina," Elenor's lips curled up, warmth radiating from her eyes.
Melina hurried out of the shop and left the city behind while clutching the warm bundle in her hands. The winds continued howling but she could not feel their harshness anymore. She reached her hand inside the bundle and broke off a small piece of the bread, being careful not to expose it to the sand flying all around her. The smell was so wonderful, so fresh and so… heartwarming.
She put it into her mouth and stopped. As the long forgotten flavor hit her tongue, tears welled up in her eyes. Melina was sure that there were none left in her anymore, and yet the beautiful, delicious flavor that exploded in her mouth filled her with emotion. This simple bread so basic in its nature was the most delicious thing Melina had ever eaten. It was the very essence of life, the small, yet crucial turning cog of this world.
Melina could feel strength returning to her body with each bite that she took. How long had it been since she had eaten proper food? She couldn't remember anymore. Her body had already forgotten how it felt to be sated. But she didn't eat the whole bread at once, instead she ate it in small bites, taking some only when her strength was beginning to fail.
The climb up the World Mountain was the most grueling thing she had ever had to do. Her feet screamed at her from exhaustion, and it often felt like they would just collapse under her weight. Occasionally, they did and Melina fell down, scraping her legs and hands against the sharp rocks. But she picked herself up each time. When it felt like she couldn't go on any longer, she would take a bite from the bread and keep going.
Her legs trembled from the strain, and her knees and hands were scraped bloody from all the times she had stumbled. But no matter how many times she fell, no matter how much the freezing wind threatened to blow her off the mountain, she kept climbing. Just when she felt that her body would pass out from exhaustion, she finally made it. The very peak of the World Mountain.
"I did it… I did it…" she said through gasps of air while looking down the mountain. Once this had been the richest place in the world—the cradle of all life. Lush forests stretched as far as the eye could see, and a large river flowed down from the mountain carrying the freshwater while the animals and monsters alike feasted on the berries, fish, and other bounties of nature. But all of that was gone—only dry wasteland remained.
I am going to repay my debt to you, Elenor, as well as to all other people who suffered because of my decisions.
Melina looked up at the sky checking the position of the sun. It was almost at its peak—she had made it just in the nick of time.
Without a second thought, she sliced mercilessly into the flesh of her finger with a dagger. Before her blood could drip, she pressed her bloodied finger against the ground and began drawing lines with her blood. She had practiced drawing this specific circle so many times already in anticipation of this day, that her hands didn't hesitate anymore. She knew precisely where each of the runes sat.
This has to work. There's no other way. This is the only way to restore magic in this world.
Melina connected the outer lines of the circle and saw a small shimmer appear above them for a split second. Her heart beat with excitement as she recognized it for what it truly was—magic. Or rather the last lingering remnants of it. It gave her hope that she was doing the right thing.
Taking careful steps with her bare feet, so as to not touch or smudge any of the lines drawn, Melina made her way to the center of the circle and waited. Waited until the moon would block out the sun and cast its dark shadow onto the land.
It didn't take long as soon the darkness took over the day, turning a bright spring day into dusk. The eclipse was almost at its peak. Melina retrieved a small dagger from her belt and stared at it for a moment. She'd have to sacrifice all of her blood and all magic for the ritual to activate. Even if by some miracle she'd survive the loss of blood, she would never be able to use magic again. But if that was the price of fixing her mistake, she would pay it.
With a steady hand, she slashed both of her wrists open letting her rich blood fuel the ritual circle. As the land turned completely dark, she pressed her palm down right in the middle of the runic circle thus activating the magic.
[Warning! Your health has reached a critically low level.]
Her vision was beginning to blur from the loss of blood, but the lines started glowing bright red, signifying that [Circle of Time] was working. She felt how it took hold of the magic within her and began tearing it away from her body. The feeling was agonizing, but Melina did not scream. No. She smiled even as the pain coursed through her whole body, tearing it apart bit by bit.
I did it. With this, the time in this world will be reversed. Everything will go back to the way it was.
Melina closed her eyes and allowed darkness to take her into its blissful embrace. But instead of falling into peaceful oblivion, she felt a strong pull on her being. As if she was being dragged somewhere. The feeling was almost nauseating, and she couldn't understand what was happening.
With great confusion, she blinked her eyes open and stared at the gray, dusty ceiling above her. There were a dozen other beds like that around her with scrawny-looking young girls either getting up or still sleeping in them. The pain in her body was gone as was the exhaustion. Only hunger remained.
She blinked her eyes in confusion, wondering if perhaps this was the moment when her life would flash before her eyes. But the ceiling remained where it was, unchanging and very much real. As if to mock her further, a translucent, purple screen appeared before her.
[Congratulations! You have been chosen by the System. You will gain access to most of the perks and benefits that it offers. Would you like to receive a short overview of what the System can do for you?]
Wait? I'm alive?!
Melina sat up straight in her bed, barely managing to contain herself from screaming out in shock. She looked at her hands, much younger than before without any scars on them.
"Everyone get up! If you're late for breakfast, there will be no bread for you!" A loud voice hollered behind the rows of beds, waking up anyone who was still in bed.
Bread… Elenor…
The System window hung in front of her like a bitter reminder of her past.
No. Disappear. Enough of destruction and death. It's time I create something and repay my debt to Elenor and to the people of Alemahria.