Chapter 7: Eoma’s Bakery

Two hours had passed since the strange disappearance of the grand wyvern. The people of Sigsug returned to their normal lives.

Well… some of them.

Molly’s eyes swept across the market square, lingering on the empty stalls whose owners had yet to return, still gripped by the fear that the grand wyvern might reappear after vanishing in such an inexplicable manner.

Her gaze shifted away from the vacant stalls, settling now on the vendors who had already rearranged their wares and were selling to customers as if what had happened was just another ordinary Tuesday.

In a way, it was.

Two years ago, this part of the world had become known as the new habitat for wyverns of all kinds and levels, which in turn had been causing frequent incidents of wyverns encroaching into human territory and leading to a few casualties—casualties that would have been far greater had it not been for the steady increase of heroes stationed around the infested areas.

Molly sighed as she calmly walked past a cluster of townsfolk, but she couldn’t help slowing her pace when she caught fragments of their conversation. Her steps came to a halt soon after, her ears perked as she listened.

“You should have seen how terrifying that grand wyvern was. I thought I was going to die when I saw its maw open wide.” A young man with raven-black hair whispered as he and his friends stopped beside a stall.

“That isn’t even the terrifying part.” The one with a scar across his cheek spoke up, glancing at his companions with a mixture of awe and lingering fear. “Didn’t you see the vast formula that appeared in the sky? Didn’t you catch it from where you hid?”

The leanest of the group snapped his fingers. “Ah. Yes, I did see a vast formula in the sky.” His brow furrowed in thought. “Wasn’t it one of the heroes who cast the spell?”

The scarred man shook his head. “Even they were baffled. I tried to press for answers, but the only response I got was that none of them could currently create a high-level formula like that.” His gaze locked onto his friends as he delivered the conclusion. “If they could, they’d already bear the title of archmage.”

The young man with the raven-black hair felt his eyes widen as realization struck. “Wait… so you mean to tell me that an archmage is in this village?” He breathed out the question.

The scarred man gave a short nod. “It seems so. Based on the last words they told me, only an archmage could perform that.” He turned back to the stall, collecting a basket of fresh blue potatoes from the seller as his friends began drifting away.

He opened his mouth and concluded, “A great and knowledgeable one.”

Molly watched the departing group, a warm smile playing on her lips. She returned her attention to the path ahead, her eyes scanning the stalls until she found one that sold the next item on her list.

A bright smile lit up her face.

Time to continue her shopping.

*********

Molly walked enthusiastically through the market square, her eyes flitting across the ever-busy stalls that lined each side of the cobblestone street.

Her pale white hair shifted gently with every step. Resting on her right arm, a neatly woven basket hung from the crook of her elbow like a handbag, inside of which sat an assortment of ingredients she had just purchased: two lion fish, a bunch of red lettuce, four tubers of red potatoes, a kilogram’s worth of blue snow pepper, and a handful of glowing gold seeds, which weren’t part of the ingredients but were meant for something else she had to do in just a few seconds from now.

A sigh escaped Molly’s lips as she paused mid-step. Her eyes lifted to the magical sun that washed over Sigsug with its warm, golden glow. A small smile touched her face before she placed her left hand to her mouth and blew.

A clear whistling note rang through the air.

A beat of silence swept past.

Then she heard it. A flapping sound… wings.

Molly lifted her head, and high above, birds descended from the sky, their forms both familiar and otherworldly. They resembled white doves, yet their entire bodies seemed almost glossy, as if sculpted from glass, while at the same time carrying a faint luminescence like the first light of dawn.

Molly giggled as they danced around her, five of them weaving through the air, their wings beating softly as they brushed their sleek bodies against her green robe. They tweeted beautifully around her for two full minutes before finally settling down onto the cobblestone path.

Molly watched the five Jigeen birds settle, patiently awaiting their frequent treats. Each of their three eyes blinked up at her with interest and warmth.

A smile crossed her face as she recalled what she had read about this species.

The Jigeen birds were not naturally born of the this world. They were an extraterrestrial species that had come to Gaia through a tower connecting to their former home, Desjut, a world that had teetered on the verge of collapse at the time.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Molly retrieved the glowing gold seeds from her basket and, with a bright smile, fed the waiting Jigeen birds.

With happy tweets, the five of them pecked at the glowing golden seeds Molly had kindly offered. They ate until not a single grain remained.

Molly gave each of the five Jigeen birds a warm petting on their heads. They twittered while lifting off into the sky, circling happily around her one last time, bidding her farewell.

For yet another time.

Molly stared upward, watching the Jigeen birds chirp merrily as they flew away, a warm smile spreading across her face. After a long moment, she sighed and drew in a breath of air. A sweet scent of honeyed wheat drifted into her nose. Her crimson eyes turned toward a stall that stood neatly apart from the others, its structure larger than any she had passed on her way here.

The store also felt older, more ancient than the stalls surrounding it, though a closer look revealed that it was, in truth, even newer than its neighbors.

Molly’s eyes landed on the wooden sign hanging above the store’s entrance: Eoma’s Bakery.

A bright smile bloomed on her face as she gazed at her last stop for the day, and with that sweet scent curling into her nose, it seemed Eoma’s bread today was going to be wonderful.