Val POV (First-Person Point of View)

  "VAL!! LET’S GO HERE!!" Eclipsara shouted excitedly, jumping up and down as she pointed to a store filled with dresses.

  I sighed but couldn’t help smiling. "Yes, yes, I’m coming." I walked toward her, my hands trapped under the weight of the many clothes I was already carrying as we continued exploring the store.

  As I had promised Eclipsara, we were having a makeup birthday for her. I had taken her out to shop for clothes she liked, as well as some books and board games for the house we were living in due to Sylvaris kindness.

  The moment we entered the store, Eclipsara excitedly began rummaging through the racks. She paused for a moment at the men’s section, then pulled out a hoodie. Her ruby eye sparkled with delight as her other eye hid undernath her bangs. The hoodie was mostly bck, with sleek orange stripes giving it a clean, stylish look.

  "VAL! Look! This would look good on you!" Eclipsara beamed, holding the hoodie up to me as if trying to gauge whether it was the right size. "Come on, Val! Try it on!"

  I sighed again, though with amusement. "Fine, fine. I thought this was your makeup birthday?" I raised an eyebrow, smiling.

  Eclipsara ughed. "Oh, silly Val! On my makeup birthday, I want you to have fun too! And since I’m the birthday girl, you have to listen to me." Then, with a mischievous grin(filled with absolute gremlin energy), she added, "You said it yourself-I get to do anything I want today."

  I chuckled. "You got me there, birthday girl. Fine, I’ll try it on. In the meantime, you hold onto these clothes for me, will you?"

  Eclipsara eagerly took the clothes and sat on a nearby couch while I stepped into the fitting room.

  I put on the bck and orange hoodie, and to my surprise, it was perfect. Somehow, Eclipsara had coincidentally picked my favorite color scheme. The fit was comfortable, and as I zipped it up, I had to admit, I liked it. In my st life I remember I wore hoodies nearly every day, so having a hoodie in this world, felt more like me.

  Stepping out of the fitting room, I found Eclipsara sitting on the couch, inspecting the clothes she had picked out. When she looked up and saw me in the hoodie, her eyes sparkled again. She jumped to her feet and quickly came over to inspect me.

  "I knew it would look awesome on you! You have to buy it now, Val!" she grinned mischievously.

  I nodded, smiling. "Alright, alright. I’ll take your choice. Besides, I’m already liking it." I gnced down at the hoodie, appreciating how comfortable and homely it felt to me.

  Eclipsara grinned triumphantly, then suddenly cpped her hands. "Hey, Val, let’s go to a bookstore now!"

  "Sure, let’s go."

  As we walked toward a nearby bookstore, we took our time, enjoying the peaceful and colorful surroundings of Velmoria, where lush greenery thrived alongside the city’s vibrant streets.

  Passing by, we saw many different races conversing and greeting each other warmly, further emphasizing how peaceful and respectful this nation was.

  Eventually, we arrived at a well-known bookstore. Both of us stopped in front of it, taking a moment to process just how massive it was.

  "Val… for a bookstore, it's quite big, huh?"

  "Yeah… really big."

  The bookstore was massive-I’d dare say it was the size of a mansion. As we stepped inside, we were met with an oddly quiet yet harmonious atmosphere. There was even a café counter inside, which was unexpected, but considering the sheer size of the store, it does make sense.

  "Val, I’m going to check out some books over there." Eclipsara pointed toward the magic and novels section on the far right side of the bookstore.

  "Sure. I’ll head to the novels section. Oh, wait… since I’m going to be studying under a doctor, I should probably get some science books, huh?"

  Eclipsara thought for a moment before replying, "I think you can get those books ter, after you meet Dr. Trauss’s former teacher. He can tell you what kind of books you actually need to study under him."

  "Good point. Looks like I’ll just join you in reading some novels, then."

  With that, Eclipsara and I made our way to the novels section, picking up books that caught our interest.

  An hour passed before we suddenly heard a loud crash.

  Eclipsara and I quickly turned toward the source of the noise. There, we saw a woman whose face was obscured by a rge hat, wearing flowing purple robes. She was buried under a pile of fallen books.

  "Ah… it seems luck’s not on my side today, huh?" the woman muttered, struggling to free herself from the avanche of books.

  Eclipsara and I hurried over to help, pulling the books off her and helping her to her feet. We gathered the scattered books and handed them back to her.

  "Ah… thank you," she said before pausing. "Pardon me, but what are your names, kind sir and miss?"

  Eclipsara introduced us. "Ah, my name is Eclipsara, and-" she gestured toward me, "-this is Val. Pleasure to meet you."

  The woman nodded. "Once again, let me express my gratitude, Eclipsara and Val, for helping me with the books." She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Excuse me, but may I thank you by inviting you somewhere?"

  Eclipsara and I exchanged surprised gnces. Eclipsara voiced my thoughts. "Oh! You don’t have to… we were merely—"

  Before she could finish, the woman frantically shook her head. "No, no, I insist. I can tell you two aren’t from around here—I know most of the people in this city."

  I silently noted how perceptive and observant she was, having deduced our unfamiliarity with the area at a single gnce. Eclipsara too thought the same.

  "The pce I’d like to invite you to is where I do my work—divination and fortune-telling."

  Eclipsara and I blinked in unison. Once again, she spoke first, her voice filled with awe.

  "Wait… you’re a fortune teller?"

  The woman smiled and nodded. "Yes, I am. Ah, how rude of me-I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Letacia."

  "Once again, I’d like to invite you both. Come by whenever you’re free today for a fortune-reading session. Since you helped me, it’ll be free of charge. I’d be happy to have you."

  Eclipsara turned to look at me. I already knew what she wanted to ask.

  "Val—"

  "No need, Eclipsara. Let’s do it."

  Eclipsara grinned widely. And with that, the next part of her birthday was set in motion.

  But what I didnt know...was how impactful it would be.