Thud! Clatter! Scrape!
The sounds of construction activity could be heard from a distance as Rinoa and Jeren approached the site of Nira's destroyed house. The sun had already risen quite high, and the sight that greeted them left Rinoa almost in disbelief.
Amazing...
Dozens of villagers had already gathered at the location—adult men hauling wood and stone with simple carts, women preparing food and drinks in clay basins, children helping to collect iron nails and small tools in woven baskets. This wasn't just simple assistance, but a mobilization of the entire community.
"Jeren! Rinoa!" called Martha while waving her flour-dusted hand. "We started at dawn!"
Willem was measuring the foundation with hemp rope and wooden stakes, wearing thick cloth pants and a linen shirt already damp with sweat. Meanwhile, several other men were sorting wood by size and quality with trained expertise.
Measure... mark... align...
"The foundation must be perfectly straight," said Gareth while holding the end of the rope with his calloused hands. "If not, the entire house will be crooked."
Nira stood in the middle of all this activity with teary eyes, her hands pressed to her chest while wearing a dark brown work dress and cotton apron. "All of you... thank you. I don't know what to say."
"Don't thank us yet," said Joren with a smile, his white shirt already stained with dirt and sweat. "Wait until the house is finished. Who knows, it might turn out ugly!"
HAHAHA!
Cheerful laughter echoed, creating a warm atmosphere despite the hard work in progress.
"Rinoa," Jeren called out, "this is a good opportunity for you to practice your Aether Sense in a practical situation."
"What do you mean?"
"Help them choose the strongest wood. With your ability, you can sense the structural integrity—which wood is still healthy, which has rotted inside even though it looks good on the outside."
'That makes sense,' Rinoa thought. 'Aether Sense can be used for practical things too.'
She approached the sorted pile of wood and closed her eyes briefly, activating her new ability. With concentration, she could feel the energy flow within each piece of wood. Healthy wood had a stable Aether flow, while rotted wood felt like there were disturbances or voids in its energy.
Scan... assess...
"This one," Rinoa said while pointing to a beam that looked ordinary from the outside. "The inside is starting to deteriorate. There's a disturbance in the energy flow at its center." She then pointed to another beam, "But that one is still very strong. Its energy flows perfectly."
Willem examined the wood Rinoa pointed out with a small iron-headed hammer.
TAP-TAP-TAP...
The tapping sound on the first wood sounded hollow, while the second sounded dense and solid.
"Incredible," Willem murmured with widened eyes, wiping sweat with his shirt sleeve. "How did you know? From the outside they look the same."
"Sharp intuition," Rinoa answered with a thin smile, not wanting to explain her true ability in too much detail. 'Better I don't get too specific about discussing Aether Sense. They might wonder why my ability is developing so quickly.'
With Aether Sense's help, the material selection process became far more efficient. They only used the best wood, ensuring the new house would last longer than the previous one.
DING!
[Skill Aether Sense - Practical Application]
[EXP +50 - Supporting community development]
[Total EXP: 120/500]
Thud! Hammer! Strike!
The work proceeded with a steady rhythm. Rinoa helped carry wood, and she was surprised to find that her body felt much stronger than before, though she still had to be careful with her dress that could get caught or torn.
Rinoa carefully lifted a wooden beam, making sure her dress didn't snag. 'But with that level up earlier, my strength has increased quite significantly.'
"Wow, Sister Rinoa is strong too!" exclaimed Luno who was helping collect nails in an old tin can. "Like you've done construction work before!"
"Maybe because of this morning's training," Rinoa answered with a smile. 'Maybe the stat increases are more noticeable than I thought.'
Mii ran around helping to gather small tools while occasionally playing with Kirubbit who was hopping among the wood, wearing a light blue cotton dress that had gotten somewhat dirty from playing.
Hop! Hop! Squeak!
"Miss Nira," said Sarah while distributing water in clay cups to the workers, her white cloth headscarf fluttering in the wind, "this gotong royong tradition has existed since this village was founded. My grandmother said, 'One tree cannot become a forest, one person cannot build a house.'"
"Very wise," Nira replied while wiping sweat from her forehead with the edge of her apron. "In my hometown..." she paused momentarily, "I mean, I've never experienced togetherness like this before."
'Wait,' Rinoa thought with widened eyes. 'Miss Nira said "in my hometown"? Does that mean Miss Nira isn't originally from this village either?'
But before she could ask further, the sound of hammers and saws had already dominated the atmosphere again.
Scrape-scrape-scrape... Tap-tap-tap...
When lunchtime arrived, they all sat together under the shade of a large, lush oak tree. Martha and several other women had prepared simple but abundant dishes in clay pots and wooden bowls—fluffy rice still steaming, vegetable curry with coconut milk, fragrant grilled river fish, and warm soup with fresh vegetable pieces.
Steaming... aroma...
"Food tastes better when eaten together," said Gareth while scooping rice with a wooden spoon, his work shirt already wrinkled and dusty.
"And after hard work," added Joren while laughing, his calloused hands holding a bowl of soup.
Rinoa sat between Luno and Mii on a woven mat, trying to sit politely in her dress that needed to be kept from opening. 'Sitting on the floor in a dress is really troublesome,' she thought while continuously adjusting the fabric.
'This is what it feels like to be family,' she thought while observing the faces eating and laughing around her. 'Not just blood relations, but chosen family.'
"Sister Rinoa," Mii whispered while tugging the edge of her green dress, "I'm happy our house is being built together. So later if there are monsters again, the house will be stronger!"
Mii's innocence touched Rinoa's heart while also saddening her. 'A child that small already has to think about monster threats.'
'I must become stronger,' Rinoa resolved in her heart. 'Not just for myself, but to protect the people around me that I care about.'
.
.
By late afternoon, the house was almost complete. All that remained were the finishing touches—installing wooden windows with iron hinges, applying wood oil to some parts for protection, and cleaning the surrounding area of debris and sawdust.
Final touches... almost done...
"I can't believe it," Nira whispered while standing in front of her new house, her dark brown dress billowing in the evening breeze. "This morning it was still rubble, now it's a complete house."
Martha patted her shoulder gently, her calloused hand warm and comforting. "That's the power of gotong royong. Together, nothing is impossible."
.
.
Crackle... Pop... Warm Light...
That night, a small fire in the stone hearth of the new house danced, radiating warm light that filled the simple but comfortable room. The house wasn't large—just two rooms with straw mattresses, a central room with a wooden table and chairs, a small kitchen with a stone stove and wooden shelves, and a small storage shed—but it felt like a palace to their small family.
Home...
Rinoa sat in a simple wooden chair with a cotton cloth cushion, observing the interior of their new house. Its walls were made of carefully selected wood, its floor of smooth, even planks, its roof high and sturdy with strong support beams. Though simple, there was a warmth that couldn't be explained with words.
"First dinner in the new house," Nira said with a voice trembling with emotion, wearing a clean linen nightgown and a freshly washed apron. "It feels like a dream."
Luno and Mii sat on the floor near the hearth on a rough woven carpet, playing with Kirubbit who was hopping around chasing fire shadows on the new wooden walls.
Hop! Chase-shadows! Squeak!
Jeren sat in the chair across from Rinoa, a cup of herbal tea in a clay earthenware steaming in his calloused hands. His gray eyes looked at Rinoa with an expression that was hard to read.
"You learned very quickly today," Jeren said slowly while sipping his tea. "The Aether Sense you possess is not only strong, but also... unique."
"Unique how?" Rinoa asked curiously while adjusting her green dress that had gotten somewhat wrinkled.
"Most people need months of training to be able to use Aether Sense practically like you did earlier. But you..." Jeren paused momentarily, rotating the clay cup in his hands. "You seem to already have a natural connection with Aether energy. Like it's already been part of you since birth."
'Since birth?' Rinoa thought anxiously. 'If he knew that I was actually just "born" into this world a few days ago...'
"But what makes me curious," Jeren continued while looking directly into Rinoa's eyes, "your Aether pattern... is too pure. Too harmonious. Like it has no traces of conflict or trauma that usually shape a person's energy pattern." He paused briefly. "As if you... were just born into this world."
'Oh, God, his observation is too sharp,' Rinoa thought in panic while trying to keep her facial expression calm.
"Maybe because of the memory loss?" Rinoa asked carefully, her high-pitched voice slightly trembling. "Maybe the trauma that made me forget also... cleansed my energy pattern?"
Jeren nodded slowly, but Rinoa could see he wasn't entirely convinced by that explanation. "Perhaps. Amnesia can indeed have strange effects on someone's Aether."
'He's suspicious, but willing to accept that explanation for now,' Rinoa thought with relief.
"What's certain," Jeren continued while standing and placing his empty cup on the wooden table, "whoever you were before, whoever you are now, you are part of this family. And I will make sure you have the power to protect this family."
Those words made Rinoa's eyes slightly teary. "Thank you, Mr. Jeren. For everything."
"Tomorrow we start the next phase," Jeren continued. "More intense combat basics and how to use Aether for self-protection, not just for sensing."
"More intense?" Rinoa felt her stomach slightly queasy remembering today's training which had already been very exhausting.
"This world won't wait until you're ready," Jeren answered. "Better to prepare before danger comes than to regret later."
Nira looked worried while embroidering white cloth with small flower patterns. "Jeren, isn't it too soon? Rinoa just started learning today."
"Precisely because she's learning so quickly, we can't waste time," Jeren answered. "The attack a few days ago proved that danger can come at any time."
'He's right,' Rinoa thought. 'Last night's attack proved that danger can come at any time.'
"I want to learn," Rinoa said with a firm voice though still high-pitched. "I don't want to feel helpless again when the people I care about are in danger."
'Even if the training is hard and torturous,' she added in her heart while remembering today's exhaustion.
Jeren nodded with a satisfied expression. "Good mentality. But remember, power without wisdom is a disaster. I will teach you not only how to fight, but also when to fight and when to retreat."
Mii suddenly left her play and ran to Rinoa's lap with her light blue dress that had gotten somewhat dirty. "Sister Rinoa, will you become strong like Mr. Jeren?"
"I'll try my best," Rinoa answered while stroking Mii's blonde hair with movements that had become more natural. "But most importantly, I'll try to protect all of you."
DING!
[Character Development - Determination]
[EXP +25 - Personal growth and commitment]
[Total EXP: 145/500]
Luno also came closer while wearing a simple sleep tunic. "I want to learn too! I'm almost thirteen years old, old enough!"
Jeren looked at the boy with considering eyes. "Maybe later, when Rinoa has mastered it. Someone has to teach you, and Rinoa could be a good teacher someday."
'Me? A teacher?!' Rinoa felt surprised by that idea, but there was something appealing about the possibility of teaching what she learned.
.
.
The night grew later, and one by one they began preparing for bed. Luno and Mii slept in the room they shared with a soft straw mattress, while Nira slept in the main bedroom. Rinoa got a small mattress in the central room, near the hearth that still glowed dimly.
Comfortable... safe... warm...
After everyone was asleep, Rinoa lay on her soft mattress while staring at the new wooden ceiling, wearing a loose white linen nightgown. Kirubbit curled up beside her, purring softly and soothingly.
Purr... Purr...
She compared this moment to her life as Rio. Before, she always felt alone despite being surrounded by people. Now, in this strange world, she experienced the warmth of true family.
'I've been given a second chance,' she thought while feeling the gentle flow of Aether around her. 'And I won't waste it. I will become strong enough to protect this precious family I've found.'
'Even though this body still feels strange sometimes,' she continued while touching her long hair. 'The way I have to sit more carefully, the higher voice, the movements that must be gentler... but slowly I'm getting used to it.'
DING!
[Night Reflection - Family Bonds]
[EXP +50 - Emotional growth and sense of belonging]
[Total EXP: 195/500]
Outside the wooden window, the night wind blew gently through the leaves. The village of Lirinvale appeared peaceful in the moonlight, with no signs of threats or danger. But Rinoa knew this calm could change at any time.
'Tomorrow I start more intense combat training,' she thought with strengthening determination. 'I will learn to fight, not just survive. I will become someone who can stand between danger and the people I love.'
Her Danger Sense ability didn't detect any threats around the village tonight, but she still felt something awaited her in the future—challenges, adventures, or perhaps dangers she couldn't yet imagine.
What was certain, she would no longer be the helpless girl who could only run and hide. She would become a strong Rinoa, who could protect her loved ones.
'And maybe,' she thought while slowly falling asleep, 'I will finally understand why I was brought to this world. What my true purpose is here.'
'But for now,' she added while feeling her body, tired from today's hard training, begin to relax, 'what's important is that I'm no longer alone. I have a family. I have a home. And I have a purpose.'
Until she fell soundly asleep with a thin smile on her face, feeling the warmth of her new family and a strong determination to protect them all, though this body still sometimes surprised her with its differences from her former self.
----
📃 RINOA'S CURRENT STATUS
Name: Rinoa
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Level: 4 (195/500)
Affinity: Aether (Awakening)
Titles: Reincarnated Soul
HP: 300 / 300
AP: 180 / 180
STR: 14
AGI: 18
VIT: 14
INT: 19
LUK: 16
Skills:
•Instinctive Pulse (Passive - Level 2) - Body responds to threats automatically with high accuracy + reacts automatically when attacked
•Danger Sense (Passive - Level 1) - Can detect the presence of dangerous creatures within a 100-meter radius
•Aether Sense (Passive - Level 1) - Can sense the flow of Aether energy in the body and surrounding environment within a 10-meter radius
•Survival Instinct (Passive - Level 1) - Automatic activation when facing high-level threats [+3 STR, +3 AGI, +2 VIT for 3 minutes]
•Combat Reflexes (Passive - Level 1) - Increases reaction speed to physical attacks [+2 AGI when in close combat]
??? (Locked)
Items: None