Chapter 3: The Herbalist
Far from the castle where the royal birthing home was located, Rin’s tiny body reappeared in the middle of a glowing teleportation circle, nestled within a deep forest just beyond the outskirts of a remote village in the kingdom of Austerra.
The said kingdom is ruled by King Aurelus Goldflame, which stretched far and wide but only few ventured this deep into its isolated side of the land.
The blinding light of the teleportation spell gradually faded from Rin’s eyes, revealing the filtered green sunlight of the forest canopy above. The thick scent of pine and wildflowers mixed with the distant chirping of birds, offered him a peaceful offering from his chaotic birth.
As his vision cleared, a strange realization hit him: he was safe. Or at least, safer than he had been.
Unbeknownst to him, Jhorton had spent his final breath activating the teleportation spell, sending Rin away from the blood-drenched chaos that had engulfed the castle. The unfortuanate mage had paid the ultimate price—sacrificing himself so the child might live.
Now alone, settled awkwardly inside a broken laundry basket placed atop the smooth, rune-covered teleportation stone, Rin took a moment to absorb his surroundings. The base circle itself was composed of bluish-gray rock etched with golden inscriptions that shimmered faintly in the light.
Despite its magical purpose, the stone blended seamlessly with the mossy ground, as if nature herself had chosen to hide it. In fact, part of the purpose of the golden inscription is to hide the teleportation circle from unwanted eyes. Unfornately, it is a one way teleportation circle and it could not be used to go back since that kind of circle would be extremely expensive.
The said teleportation stone is actually one of Jorthon’s secret personal tool that only he and a few of his trusted friends new. After all, such important tool is extremely expensive and only people like Jorthon who had been working closely with the royalty for a long time is able to afford such for his own personal use.
"Thank you, magic man. I owe you my life," Rin thought solemnly after recalling the people that were about to take him out.
Though he couldn’t speak aloud, Rin wasn’t naive. He had always been able to read people—even in his past life. And despite the language barrier, it had been obvious to him that the serious-looking mage who kept waving his hands was fighting on his behalf - or so he hoped.
As the ambient sounds of the forest wrapped around him—rustling leaves, creaking branches, the buzz of unseen insects—Rin mulled over the events that had just unfolded. The stench of blood, the screams, the clash of steel. He blamed himself for being so helpless.