The morning sun shone brightly as Helios, Lea, and Isa left the diner, making their way through the winding streets of Radiant Garden. The city felt alive with people bustling about, greeting each other with friendly waves and smiles. To Helios, it was strange and refreshing to see people living peacefully, unbothered by dark threats that had beco too familiar in his recent life. Radiant Garden's vibrant atmosphere was both uplifting and grounding.
As they neared a small plaza, Lea pointed excitedly to a shop tucked between two larger buildings. Its sign, a glimring emblem with a tiny Moogle face, sparkled in the sunlight. The little creature on the sign was the epito of a Moogle, its white fur, small red pom-pom, and tiny wings making it seem almost comically cute.
"There it is! Moogle Central, the best place in town to set up your card and browse a bunch of random stuff you never knew you wanted!" Lea said with a grin, practically bouncing on his feet.
Isa rolled his eyes but smiled. "Lea's right—once you have a card, managing munny becos easier. And don't let him fool you; he's only excited because he loves window shopping for things he can't afford."
Lea waved him off with a laugh. "Hey, a guy's gotta have dreams, right?"
They entered the shop, the warm, spicy scent of incense imdiately filling the air. Rows of shelves lined with all sorts of trinkets, potions, and odds and ends filled the small space.
Behind the counter stood a Moogle with a small pair of round glasses perched on its nose. It looked up and waved a tiny paw, greeting them in its squeaky voice. "Kupo! Welco to Moogle Central! How can I help you, kupo?"
Helios approached the counter, feeling a bit out of place. "Hi. I'm new here and was hoping to set up a munny card?"
The Moogle's eyes lit up. "Oh, a new custor! You're in luck, kupo. We just updated our card designs! Follow , kupo!" It flitted over to a side counter where several cards, each adorned with different symbols and colors, were displayed.
Lea leaned in, pretending to look deeply interested. "Oooh, pick the one with the cool flas on it! That's the one I'd choose."
Isa nudged him with a smirk. "You'd pick it because it matches your red hair."
Helios stifled a laugh and instead focused on the cards. One design caught his eye: a sleek, black card embossed with silver constellations that shimred when tilted in the light. It reminded him of the night sky he saw in Nightfall, and sothing about it felt… right. He pointed to it.
"I'll take this one," he said with a slight smile.
The Moogle bead, picking up the card and handing it to him with a flourish. "Excellent choice, kupo! Just hand over a few pieces of munny to load it up, and you'll be good to go!"
Lea passed Helios a small pouch of munny, and Helios added the currency to his new card. With the transaction complete, he slipped the card into his pocket, feeling strangely satisfied.
As they exited the shop, Lea clapped Helios on the back. "Now you're all set, ready to conquer Radiant Garden!"
Isa nodded, his gaze thoughtful. "Having a card might seem small, but it's one more step toward feeling like you belong here."
Helios looked at them, his eyes softening. "Thank you, both of you. You've made feel… welcod. And Lea don't worry I'll pay you back."
"As for the money don't worry about it. Aw, shucks," Lea replied, feigning bashfulness. "Don't get all mushy on us."
The three of them walked through the town, Lea leading the way with enthusiasm, pointing out various landmarks and spots he claid as "hidden gems." Isa would interject now and then, correcting so of Lea's more exaggerated tales and adding his own insights about the city. Helios felt his spirits lifting as they road through Radiant Garden, laughing and joking together. He hadn't laughed since the incident and he could feel his chest lighten slightly.
As they approached the large fountain at the city center, a familiar figure caught Helios's eye. Standing at the fountain's edge, engrossed in a book, was rlin. He looked up, as if sensing their presence, and waved them over.
"Ah, there you are, Helios!" rlin's eyes twinkled behind his spectacles. "And in good company, I see!"
Lea puffed up with pride. "Yup! We're showing him around, making sure he doesn't get lost."
Isa gave a more polite nod. "We figured it'd be good for him to see the city and et a few people."
rlin's smile widened as he closed his book. "Excellent, excellent! It's important to find a sense of place, especially for one who is new. How has the morning treated you, Helios?"
"It's been great, thank you for asking Sir," Helios replied, smiling. "They've shown a lot, and I even got my munny card set up."
rlin clapped his hands together. "Splendid! Sorry for forgetting to get one for you. However, I'm glad to see you settling in. However," he said, his tone growing slightly more serious, "I do need a mont of your ti, Helios, if you don't mind?"
Helios nodded, sensing the shift in rlin's deanor. He turned to Lea and Isa. "Thank you for everything this morning. I'll catch up with you guys later?"
Lea gave him a casual salute. "You bet! We'll be around. If you need us, just holler. Got it morized?"
Isa nodded, giving Helios a slight wave. "Yeah, I do. Take care."
As they walked off, rlin gestured for Helios to sit with him on the edge of the fountain. The wizard looked thoughtful, as if considering his words carefully. After a mont, he spoke.
"Helios, I wanted to speak with you about your training. I've sensed great magical potential within you, particularly when it cos to wielding healing magic. I've noticed you've made great strides in that but almost none with the wind. Focusing on it and pushing yourself too much will just slow your progress even more so I'll teach you another two spells."
Waving his hand, magic dust enveloped Helios, "That was the essence of Esuna and Slow spells. Esuna works similarly to Cure except rather than heal wounds it heals conditions. Slow is a beginner ti spell that does as its na states. Sothing doesn't feel right so I'm teaching you this. If you see anything of note inform right away. Oh, and Cid wanted to inform you to co see him post haste."
With that said rlin then stood up and walked away. As he turned the corner Helios felt a small ting of magic coming from that area most likely rlin teleporting away. That was a spell he'd really like to learn since dark corridors tend to be quite visually negatively looked upon. It'd be best to have another mode of transport that allowed him to lay low.
Getting up Helios stood up getting ready to head to Cid's place and then realized he didn't know where the man lived. Last ti he t him outside rlin's house. rlin had forgotten to ntion where he should go before leaving. With no idea on where to go the best thing would be to find Isa and Lea again and ask them to show him the way. The only problem was that they just left too and he had no idea where to start looking.
As he was deep in his thoughts a voice disturbed his thing, "Why hello there young man. It seems we t yet again. A curious touch of fate we find ourselves in."
Helios turned to find Even walking toward him.
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