Canaan: My World To Live

Today's NEW (to WN) Chapter is:

Chapter Seven - 8 || Bad Blood

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Copy and pasted explanation from the previous chapter:

If you are confused by this chapter, then please read the new auxiliary chapter titled "[New!] IMPORTANT Notice before you read..." which explains what happened and why I'm re-uploading updated chapters.

I strongly encourage old readers to read the new version of the rewritten chapters before reading the completely new to chapters. Additionally, it's a good way to refresh the memories of the story as well as gain new insight.

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DON'T read the below. :P Don't say I didn't warn you! I just cut and pasted to rearrange the order of the words. xD You can never be too careful with these sly bots! O_O

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Mrs. Welfort smiled jovially. It was a long time since her children had grown up and left, and she missed the laughter and excitement that used to ring throughout the house. Even though they had welcomed many adventurers and merchants traveling to Byar'non, it wasn't often that their visitors were this young. The two youths reminded her of their youngest a few years before she had gotten married. It seemed like it had all passed by so fast, but the memories of those days were still vivid and alive.

"Suzanne!!"

The sound of her husband's distressed voice brought Mrs. Welfort out of her reminiscence. With her ladle still in hand, she rushed over to the door as it burst open to an apprehensive Mr. Welfort.

"The wolves are back," he shouted as he pointed toward the woods, "They look like the same ones from the other night, but there's something off about these. They're are emitting a strange aura, and there're even more of them than from before."

But even right now, he wasn't as miserable as he ought to be. He wondered if she was rubbing off on him. Perhaps the reason why he was still sane was because of her. After all, it still felt like a dream—the way he fell from the sky without breaking a bone; a beautiful girl suddenly taking his hand and running; a glowing, magical sphere of lavender light; a man dressed like a rich, modern wizard; a talking Pomeranian with short fur, a sassy mouth, and twin tails; and an antiquated, cobblestone town encircled by a labyrinth of a market.

From the moment she took his hand, he had been engaged every second without a chance to really stop and ponder his forsaken existence in a foreign universe. And perhaps, one day, all the emotion would rush out when this realization hit them.

"Aand we're done!" Essairyn announced as she placed her hands on her h.i.p.s and examined their work.

It had only taken them an hour to repair the seven meter stretch of fence. Essairyn had cut down and transported a tree from the nearby forest with magic, and then they tested their enhanced physical strength by chopping the wood with the Welfort's axe. Needless to say, they and the Welforts were thoroughly impressed. By now, however, it was well past six. So, Mrs. Welfort called them inside for dinner.

The farmhouse was cozy and rustic inside with pastel painted wooden furniture and iron utensils. Several handmade toys and a picture frame rested atop the fireplace mantle. They both suggested that a family of five used to live here.

"Beef or chicken?" Mrs. Welfort asked as she stirred a pot of hearty stew.

"Beef!" Essairyn immediately answered with her eyes shining in anticipation.

Darren gave a small laugh and agreed, "Beef sounds good."

Mrs. Welfort furrowed her brows in unease. Essairyn and Darren exchanged alarmed glances while Akari narrowed her eyes. They looked past Mr. Welfort's arm and spied the horde of wolves racing erratically toward the farm. Their eyes glowed red, and dark shadows like grainy smoke hung over their bodies.

"I couldn't get all the animals inside in time, so I had to close the barn doors. Hopefully the wolves will just run past like last night and won't harm them. However, I'm concerned about the crazed look in their eyes.." Mr. Welfort voiced tensely as he reached to close the front door.

"Wait, you're just going to leave them out there?" Essairyn blurted out as she impeded the door from closing.

The manic wolves reminded her of the previous beast demons she had come across.

"Unfortunately yes, I have to protect as many as I'm can," the man replied regrettably.

Essairyn's eyes shot back and forth between the quickly approaching wolves and remaining animals. A plan of action to save them was already forming in her mind.

"Bloodl.u.s.t."

Everyone turned at Akari's abrupt words.

"I wouldn't go out there. Those wolves are demonically possessed and out to kill. There's a lot of them to handle, and you'll have to deal with any escaping demons."

"Possessed?" Essairyn echoed.

Akari nodded gravely. "First tier demons aren't very dangerous on their own, but they're capable of possessing other creatures. Unless the demon leaves the body on its own, you'll have to killed the creature being possessed. Also, ordinary wolves are intelligent, born predators. Possession grants them magical abilities, making them more formidable."

Essairyn frowned. This was now the third demon disturbance since entering this world. And in all three cases, it seemed that the occurrences were out of the ordinary. Could they be connected somehow?

She turned to Mr. Welfort. "I'll stop them, so can you herd the rest of the animals back inside?"

The man gaped at her in shock for even bringing up the idea to fight against them. "You heard what she just said; you shouldn't go out there! Even though you have strong magical abilities, you're still only a human!" he protested.

"Yeah, but camping out is not so bad either," she grinned.

He could only shake his head in amus.e.m.e.nt. "You're really taking this adventure thing to a whole other level, aren't you? Remind me why I followed you?"

Essairyn tilted her head up in a thoughtful pose. "Because I'm awesome?"

Darren snorted, and she laughed. "You didn't have to come with me, but I'm glad you did. It's nice having another person from Earth."

"Hah, it's not like I had any other place to go. And it is comforting having someone in the same boat. Although.." He raised an eyebrow at her. "You seem much more relaxed about this whole situation."

"Hmm," Essairyn hummed. "I suppose it would seem that way. I think I'm just much more excited than upset about the prospects of living in a magical world than a mundane one. Of course, I'll miss my family and friends, and I'll probably get homesick later, but for now.. I'm okay." She nodded to herself and looked over at Darren with a small smile.

He looked back with mixed emotions. Her blasé attitude was visibly apparent, but he noticed a trace of sadness in her voice at the end. Even if her magical abilities warranted her some security in a strange world, they had both lost everything and everyone they had ever known and loved. Surely, she was suffering on the inside.

The two laughed and ran carefree on the road for some time. Then they walked and talked while Akari merely listened with feigned indifference. Darren shared that he played basketball recreationally, but he used to be in his high school team. He enjoyed video games, alternative music, and action movies. He had a younger brother and sister, and a golden retriever. Their family lived in the suburbs, and he attended college to study business a few hours away in the city. Essairyn enjoyed many of the same recreations and also had a family dog, a little terrier mutt from the rescue. However, she was an only child and commuted to a college close from home. She also majored in business, but she loved the arts and dreamed of a job that could satisfy her restless imagination.

Before long, they reached a little farmhouse with fenced animals in the back. It was now the evening. They decided to stop here and ask the owners if they could stay for the night. The farm owners were the Welforts, a hospitable, somewhat elderly couple. They had been repairing a section of the fence where a pack of wolves had broken it the night before. Thankfully, all the animals had been safe inside the shed. However, it was unheard of for wolves to leave the forest much less run into human habitation. The travelers offered to help fix the fence in return for letting them sleep overnight. The Welforts gratefully agreed as they still had their daily chores to do.

While they were fixing, Darren asked Essairyn, "By the way, did you know there would be a farm here?"

She shrugged and replied, "No, I just guessed we'll hit something along the way."

Darren gave her a look of mock exasperation. "Seriously?"