By the time they returned home, the sun had already passed the sky's midpoint. The others had set up lunch already, and the other girls sat down. Myrra put her stuff back near her sleeping spot, and joined her sisters. After eating, she played with the twins again before one of her older sisters called her over. She took the small girl to a nearby area with a few others.

     “Where are we going?” She asked.

     “To take a bath, especially you. You’re covered in dirt."

     Myrra froze for a second. She didn't think the game would go this far. She wondered if body smell was a thing in this game. Her priority upon reaching a town was finding a scented soap and, barring that, maybe perfume.

     It had just crossed her mind that her sisters would also be bathing when she arrived at a pond. It wasn’t small, but it wasn't too big either. A brook fed it with fresh water and carried away the old. There were a couple of girls already bathing. She kept reminding herself this was just a game, and there was no reason to get flustered.

     When she got to the water, her older sister began to disrobe. “What are you waiting for? Get your clothes off and come here.”

     Hesitantly, she looked at her sister for a moment before it looked like she would take them off for her. She removed her clothes and carefully laid them on a large rock near the pond. She didn't remember the rating on the game, but the other girls were nude, their private parts on display, as were her own at this point. Despite her earlier insistence on this being a game, her face was beet red. 

     “Myrra, you’re so cute, don’t worry, you’ll get used to bathing with us,” her sister said. With a deep sense of embarrassment, she slipped into the water, which was refreshingly lukewarm. She didn't like hot baths, but cold ones were far worse. Her sister sat down behind her and began to run her hands through Myrra’s hair, splashing water on it. Surprisingly, the dirt drifted away down the brook.

     Some of her sisters were splashing each other and giggling. Phyrris and Neyti were sitting not too far away. Enthusiastically talking about something, but she couldn't hear what. This whole thing didn't feel like a game. It felt strangely real and natural. Once again, she found herself realizing why the game hyped as much as it was hated.

     After washing her hair, her sister began to clean her own. Leaving Myrra to soak, one of the younger girls, though still far older than Myrra, at least by the games' lore, came over and splashed her. She sputtered, then jumped up.

     “How dare,” she chided mockingly, a giant smile on her face as she splashed back. One of her other sisters came behind Myrra and started to tickle her. In a fit of laughter, she fell back, taking the other girl and splashing into the water together. Thankfully, it wasn't too deep. Even seated, they were above the surface. After roughly a half hour of soaking, she got out and followed her sisters to the tree. They sat on the moss carpet under the shade of the tree, where their mother sat on one of the upper branches, gazing out across the land.

     “Myrra, come over here. I’ll braid your hair for you,” called the sister who had tickled her in the bath. “My name is Lynn,” she added.

     “Nice to meet you, big sis Lynn.” She went from one sister to many and a mother. This may just be a game, but she felt happy. Even though it had been two days in the game, she knew it couldn’t have been that long since she started. Maybe the devs had this extended tutorial to allow people to practice before the game went live. This tech was a little scary, especially if it could mess with someone's sense of time like this. 

     While she was lost in thought, her sister finished braiding her hair. “Thank you, big sis,” she giggled. “I don’t know how to braid, or else I’d do yours.”

     “I can teach you if you want?”

     “I’d love that,” she exclaimed. Her sister then spent the next hour teaching her, and before long, the two of them curled up on their moss bed and fell asleep. 

     She woke the following day feeling refreshed and full of energy. Despite sleeping outside on the ground for two nights, she wasn't cold, stiff, or sore. It had been some of the best sleep in her life. She went to where the table was usually set up and found some food left for her. She ate light, savoring the taste of some honey-slathered fruit. Last night's dinner of roast vegetables was good, but the fruit was much better.

     “Morning, sweetie, how’d you sleep?”

     “I slept great, Mommy,” she beamed. Her mom smiled at her, but something was off, it didn't reach her eyes, and her eyes had a sadness to them. “What's wrong?”

     “Oh, it's just that your time with us grows short. You’ll be venturing out soon. The Great Goddess gave us as much time as she could,” she huffed sadly. 

     She had forgotten that this was a game and was playing for adventure. “Even if I leave, it doesn't mean I can't return and visit. Plus, it’ll give me cool things to talk to all my sisters and you about.”

     “I couldn’t trouble you, sweetie.”

     “It wouldn’t be any trouble. I think I’d miss you all too much to stay away for too long,” she mewled, she had meant her words. It had only been a few days, but she had fallen in love with this place, her sisters, and her mother. Part of her wanted to stay here, but a more significant piece wished to explore. 

     “I’d like that, and I know your sisters would too. Still, you have a bit more time to be here with us. We still have some basic things to teach you,” she noted, walking back to the small stone clearing. 

     “What am I learning today?”

     “Mana control, as well as some more plant and nature magic. Now you have a couple of spells already, Growth and Seed Bullet. You have a couple more you can use, and when you level your skills, you will gain access to new spells. I'm sure you have felt them already. Though you don’t exactly know what they do.”

     “Mhmm, I felt them yesterday.” It was still weird just knowing magic, let alone feeling it deep inside.

     “My baby girl is so talented,” she gushed. “Your plant magic is Healing Nectar. You can grow a small flower with sweet, healing nectar in it. It isn't the strongest, but enough to close wounds and heal minor damage. And your nature magic is Camouflage. It will make you blend in with the surrounding plants. Though it can be seen through with the right skills, but as you get better, you can largely escape notice.”

     With the explanation out of the way, she was instructed to try them out. Like the Seed bullet, she struggled to use her new spells at first. At some point, it became easier to feel her magic. Though it still took her a couple of hours to fully grasp it. She was still twice as fast as yesterday. It was intuitive once you understood the underlying feelings. With that, she had two new spells in her arsenal by lunch.

     She excitedly danced around, several of her sisters smiling and laughing at her antics. Her mother smiled at her, making her blush as she walked over to the table.

     “That was adorable, sweetie,” her mom exclaimed, kissing her forehead.

     “Mom,” she muttered, her face red. “I love you,” she added.

     “Love you too.” Those three simple words filled Myrra with so much joy that they brought tears to her eyes. Her mother held her close, rubbing her back soothingly.

     After she recovered, she ate her lunch and ended up taking a short nap. Waking up an hour later to one of her younger, older sisters poking her gently.

     “Sissy, we’re playing hide and seek. Come play with us.” 

     “Ok,” she agreed with a smile. She allowed herself to be led to where they were playing, joining her sisters, six other girls were gathered around, and she, being the newest, was declared it. Her sisters scattered after she covered her eyes.

     After counting to thirty, she began to look for them. She began to search, finding one of her sisters immediately behind a small bush. The girl went to sit in the tagged areas by the table. Another one of her sisters was hiding behind a large root. The others had hidden better, forcing her to leave the clearing. She had kept within sight of the clearing to not get lost. Despite her best efforts, she managed to get turned around.

     “It’s just a game,” she reassured herself, trying to keep her nerves steady. Yet it still felt too real to her. She wandered around, hoping to find her way back. The sun was getting lower in the sky, which scared her more. She didn't want to be lost in the forest after dark. A low grunting startled her, causing her to yelp in fright as a large shadow turned to face her. 

     She was looking at the largest, and only, boar she had ever seen. The thing stood at least half a meter taller than her. Taking slow steps backward, she slowly started to retreat. It let out a shrill squeal and began to charge her. Lifting her arm, she shot several seed bullets into it. They didn't appear to do much damage to the thing, but they did break its stride enough for her to run.

     Covering herself in moss, she jumped down in an attempt to hide. Hoping her camouflage spell would be enough to fool it. However, it still knew where she was. The monster gored her with its tusks, throwing her into a tree. She cast her healing nectar spell and drank from the tiny flower cup she willed into existence. Immediate relief flooded through her body, it wasn't enough to fully heal her, but it took the painful edge off.

     She fired off a few more bullets and jumped to the side. The boar struck the tree, leaving a large gouge on its surface. She darted to a nearby tree intending to climb it, but the monster caught her, throwing her to the ground. It lowered its head and began to charge again. Taking the opportunity, she fired a few more seeds and then cast plant growth. Tangling the beast's legs in a mass of vines. It quickly broke free, but the vines held long enough for her to climb into the tree. It ran straight into the trunk, shaking the whole thing and momentarily making her lose her grip. Letting out a squeal, she scrambled to regain her grip. 

     Clinging to the branch, she frantically fired several more bullets, her mana beginning to drain now that the sun had set. Instead of firing more, she used growth to make herself a small wooden sword. Crafting it from the hardest wood she knew of and hoping it would be enough. It rammed her tree again, trying to make her fall. She took the sword in hand, and without thinking, she dropped from the tree. Her weapon pointed straight down. She landed heavily on the monster's head and drove the sword straight through its skull. Pinning its head to the ground. 

     Just before her vision went dark, she heard a small chime.