The voice echoed through the massive realm of woodland and the figure standing in front of Snow would bow down at her, demanding to fulfil her request. Seheda Linas – her client had invited Snow out in the forest outskirts to develop her combat skills and be her mentor for the day although the reasons were left unknown to her. With long olive green hair, Seheda was a gorgeous young lady who appeared to be around the same age as the fellow Blue Pegasus mage, perhaps even younger. From the first glance, she could tell that Seheda was a timid girl with very little confidence in herself: the way her shoulders were guarded up closely and how she would nervously fiddle with her fingers every now and then.

”I was rejected from a combat academy repeatedly and I don’t feel like I might be able to get in anymore.” She hesitated, averting her eyes away from her intense gaze. ”But, I want to try again! I don’t wish to fail anymore which is why I need your help.” The girl pleaded although Snow had made her decision the moment she laid eyes on her. She was not going to throw away the little hope Seheda had left for her ambition and somehow, she did not like how the girl was so insecure about herself. Her arms folded, she nodded in agreement, promising that she would help her develop her skills even if it was just a little bit.

Snow stared ahead at the dense forest in front of her, not knowing what kind of existence lies beyond the woods. ”Alright, pick up your bags and follow me.” Snow commanded before setting out into the forest herself while Seheda collected her bag from the ground. The trees were large and tall, towering their heights as Snow glanced up to see where it ended. It almost seemed that the tip of the trunks reached through the sky, over white cushions of clouds that floated around the heavens above. She could feel locks of sapphire hair sliding over her shoulder and then, rolled down her back. The sunlight poured down onto the forest, seeping through the gaps between the leaves which made it easier for them to see the path in front of them.  

The ground was spongy, like walking on foam and as she placed her full weight down on the ground, the earth seemed to hug her heels and gently release them with each step. Dry leaves and twigs covered the floor of the forest. ”Master! Master! You haven’t told me your name.” Seheda called out for her as she skipped towards Snow. The blue haired mage would cease in her tracks before turning around in a slight angle and spoke, ”Snow. Just address me as Snow.” The forest was hushed, as if the trees had fallen asleep. The only sounds audible were the soft whistle of the wind and the birds chirping on the branches of the trees – the language that only their kind could understand.

The two girls meandered into the forest for a couple of hours and once Snow was content of how far they are inside the woods, she turned around and faced the direction they had entered before. Snow rested both her hands on her waist and heaved out a sigh. ”What are we doing, Snow?” Seheda questioned, walking up behind up.
”We’re going to dash around the forest.” The girl nodded with her lips grim and drawn into a thin line. ”The first one to exit the forest wins.” With that, Snow started to jog and by each passing second, her pace had increased before she finally broke into a run. The girl would look over her shoulder every now and then to see if Seheda was behind her and if she was out of view, Snow would slow down her pace for a while before dashing at full speed once again. Snow was faster than most people, at least the humans who were not a mage and they would find it difficult to catch up to her.

The youth travelled so fast that she could almost feel her feet off the hard ground beneath her. Branches of neighbouring trees entwined and interlocked from every height and angle, and conspired to divert her direct route harrowing her every step, pulling at her skirt and her bolero jacket, scratching at every exposed part of her body and drawing drops of blood. Claw marks were carved into the trunk of the trees, indicating that daring escapes and dread quests had been witnessed by the silent trees. Foul creatures, mighty monsters had all been fought and vanquished from the forest.

Beads of perspiration collected on her forehead and there was a wave of colour on her cheeks from the heat that radiated from the sun hung up in the heavens above. She could hear the rustle of dry leaves and branches snapping underneath her heels while the wind carried her body, as fast as she went. Her thoughts wandered off and she almost forgot about Seheda until she immediately slowed down on her tracks and glanced over her shoulder once again. It was obvious that Seheda was already at her limit, albeit she tried hard to catch up to Snow. The youth stopped running and turned to face Seheda. ”We’ll take a short break here and we’ll continue before dusk breaks.”

Snow could feel her heartbeat rising high and low so fast against her chest. Her clothes clung onto her sweaty back like a child to a mother as a cool breeze blew through the woods. Seheda would finally drop down on her knees and immediately rummaged into her bag, in search of a water bottle. She handed one to the fellow mage and Snow would retrieve it from her hands with a nod in gratitude as a response. ”You know, I may not be good in combat and might not be smart, but I do really want to become a mercenary.” She looked up at Snow and there was only one thing she could see in her eyes – dedication and persistence.

”Then, let’s continue the run.” Snow stated and closed the cap of her water bottle. ”Come on, you don’t want to fall behind again, do you?” She joked while she was already on her tracks. A loud thud brought her attention and Snow would turn around to see Seheda’s face buried in the ground after she tripped over a huge wooden log. Snow could not help but smile at the view before her as she went to help her up.