“…and then, the creator, Azulai cut open his palm. His dripping blood created the rivers and the seas. Not satisfied yet, He shed his hair upon the void, creating valleys and mountains. Pleased with his creation, Azulai flew over the lands and seas. Azulai’s dripping seed fell upon the earth, and sprang forth his greatest creation yet, mankind…at least that is what the humans believe. Of course, we the Elves know it to be a pile of rhistal shit. We all know that Riliadvael sang the world into existence…” - The World According To The Elves, Caelwyn Silentleaf, 11287 A.C.

A sword was pointed at my face. A guy of about 18 stared down the length of the blade with his hand on the grip in a one-handed stance. Needless to say, he looked like he wanted to gut me. Not being to able to understand what he was saying didn’t exactly help my cause either.

“Err…” I raised my hands up. He should understand surrender, right?

That seemed to incense him. He sprang back and tried an overhanded chop at my head.

Wtf? No Miranda Rights? is everyone in this world so murderous?

I tried to spring and crawl back on my ass at the same time. Failing both, I ended up sprawling on my back in an awkward manner.

A sharp metallic sound rang out dangerously close to my face. Another blade had lightly parried the incoming sword accompanied with a sharp shout. I couldn’t see the wielder of the second blade, but I could assume it was someone who did not want me dead. Yet.

I couldn’t turn my head as I was fully sprawled on the ground and frankly, too afraid to move. The person walked around me and asked me something. The owner of the second blade was a burly, well-built man in his middle ages. His weather-worn face with a few days worth of auburn beard spoke of good humour. He wore dark coloured leather jerkins and pants, along with metal gauntlets and a shoulder guard on a single shoulder. Both the gauntlets and the shoulder guard were too small to have any effect. In other words, he was showing off.

Heh? How do I know the pieces of armour were ineffectual?

The person spoke to me for a second time, his eyebrows scrunched. By his tone, I guessed he asked me if I was okay. Either that or he asked me if I like baked pig intestines. I mean, It could be any goddamn thing!

I tried to thank him in six different languages but none of them worked; probably because they were from Earth. I thought I was given the gift of Knowledge, so where is my instant language comprehension? Those bastard gods!

The man stretched his hand, and I pulled myself up holding it. I dusted my ass with whatever little dignity I could still muster and tried to walk off. The kid was still glaring at me with murderous hostility. The eyes of a killer…or your best friends eyes when you tell him in no uncertain terms that his waifu is shit. Oh yeah, I crack jokes at life-threatening situations. Sue me.

The man took a stern tone towards the guy and probably scolded him. I just stood there trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. I had learnt my lesson with Zain and Astria. Don't stand out. Don't antagonise!

The man continued lecturing the guy while the latter's eyes darted towards me from time to time.

Shit! aren’t you making things worse by scolding him? I mentally yelled at my saviour. Wouldn't the impulsive guy just take this as a disgraceful insult and try to chop me up in secret?

Not like I was any better. I grit my teeth at the stupidly impulsive behavior that made two gods almost kill me, twice.

The guy gave me a last hateful look and left as the older man finished up his piece. He then motioned me to follow him. I obliged. If the last couple of hours has shown me anything...was that this world doesn't spare the ones who didn't catch up.

I just hope this wasn’t a pickup attempt, I chuckled at myself. You know how the stories go about saving the damsel in distress. My mirth soon turned into a sigh as I realised what I was doing. Forced jokes, huh? I guess that's the only way I know how to cope when nothing made sense anymore.

I had always felt isolated from the rest of the world. It wasn’t as if there had been some great tragedy or betrayal, even so I always felt disconcerted from the world in general. Before long I isolated myself from people and started to talk to myself. Often, when I went hiking or camping alone, I would talk to myself to fend off the growing sense of loneliness. I wonder why I would do that if I didn’t even like people? I wonder why was I thinking about this after such a long while?

But first, information. The old guy walked in front of me while I followed him behind, taking in the scenery. We walked across a wide, artificially leveled ground. There were a few guys sparring with each other using wooden or blunt metal swords. Knights? Can't be. Wasn't that too expensive back on earth? Does that rule even apply here?

Enthusiastic shouts mixed with the din of weapon on weapon. Sloppy swordplay. Wasted movements. Wait what? How do I know that?

By bewilderment didn't last long as the people practicing on the ground looked at me with curious expressions while stopping their bouts.

So I am the new animal in the zoo, eh?

The middle-aged man who was guiding me gestured at them to continue. Walking across the field, we came up to a long, two storied wooden building with a slanted roof. The small room we entered was thrown into a kaleidoscope of tinted light as sunlight filtered through the various glass jars filled with curious and unknown things inside.

Sitting on a chair in the room was…the bipedal hippo I had seen when I had woken up earlier. Having got tired of lying down, I had walked out of the room when I had been left alone for a long while. I had been eager to look around and take stock of the situation. I wasn't going to do the same mistakes again. Instead of letting my mouth run, I needed to listen and see more. I hated to do what that damned Astria suggested, but she was right.

The old guy talked with the Hippo for a bit.

Is she mad at me because I left? Annoyed? My acute lack of knowledge in proper hippo expressions made me regretful.

The hippo looked at me and smiled.

Am I off the hook?

Her lips curled up in a feral grin and those pillar like teeth flashed in what she probably thought was a charming smile.

Holy...that was simply ghastly. Ever seen a Hippo smile? I wish you never have to.

She then talked for a little while with the old guy and nodded. She made a weird gesture at me with her fingers. I didn’t know what to do, so I gave her a thumbs up.

The old guy motioned me to follow him again, and walked out of the room. I followed while turning back to look at the hippo for the last time. She was engrossed trying to make a thumbs up with her strangely anthropomorphic fingers and examining it closely.

Outside the compound, a small dirt road led to a wide settlement that looked like a village.

Oho, so it’s this template huh? The starting village setting. So that's what Astria meant by sending me somewhere away from a war zone! I was still trying to tackle this world like a JRPG.

There were many one or two storied wooden houses on both sides of the road. Children played around, chasing each other . Some came near us, the older guy ruffled the hair of a child while the rest looked at me and tried to pull at my sleeves and pants.

Come to think of it...I looked down to find myself still wearing the denims and Tee from earth. Well, no wonder they are staring.

I clicked my tongue. Thank you, gods, for making me stick out in this world, even more than I already do. Then again, the ones I know would most likely select something black-green and robe-like. Praise The Sun that I was transported in these and not clothes that screamed nastiness.

The village looked like one of those idyllic old Balkan villages. The women wore simple but colourful clothes, sort of long hemmed robes with wide sleeves. The men's clothing mainly consisted of loose homespun shirts and pants in dull and dark colours. The people had a whole bunch of hair colours, blond, brown, black...you name it. The village looked prosperous and cheerful, if the smiles and good health were anything to go by.

Everything was fine. But there was that. Yeah.

The people were all looking at me, pointing fingers. Some young girls giggled. Well, that can’t really be helped since I was new in town.

The old man looked back at me with an apologetic expression as the giggles became even more conspicuous.

We kept walking till we reached what was probably the outskirts of the village. The houses and people were few and far between here. I could see a few waddling ducks here and there, except that they were scaled and had long lizard-ish tails. Trees and bushes grew along the road. The trees were both of evergreen conifers and deciduous varieties. Some even had fruits. Flowers bloomed in bunches along the wayside, red and blue, they looked like lilies back on earth, and were borne on bushes and thickets.

An average village, except for the lizard-ducks. And triple horned pygmy cows. Yes, that was a real thing.

I was led up to a two-storied wooden house much like the ones in the village. The house looked old and a bit worn down. Warm sunlight fell on its porch. I could see colourful glass bottles hung on a row from the roof along the porch , accentuated here and there with dreamcatchers. Long-stalked flowers the colour of fire bloomed all over the house’s modest garden. There were a pair of blue-tinged fir-like trees standing like sentries on the road leading up to the house.

Why am I here? My arms shook as I asked myself a question again and again. What now? What will happen now?

The old swordsman hailed for someone loudly. After a while, a quiet sound of wood striking wood rang out as a figure shuffled closer to the doors. The oval doors opened and an old lady came out. She stood at the door for a moment and looked at my face closely. Turning towards my guide, she pointed at me and asked something. He barked an answer while scratching his head. The old lady sighed and beckoned me closer.

I walked up to her timidly. Don't act out. Don't run your mouth, I reminded myself. Can’t keep making mistakes like with the gods and that kid earlier.

The lady looked into my eyes as if searching for something. Her eyebrows scrunched up, doubt writ clear on her wizened face. But then at a moments notice the doubt on her face cleared like dark clouds. The old lady grasped my shoulder with her feeble and shaking fingers and kissed my forehead.

Heh? The way they greet each other here? Or was it a sign of affection?

The old wrinkly face was interspersed with smile lines and a crooked nose. A kind face, the kind of face that has known happiness and sorrows both and decided that the latter was irrelevant. She reminded of my grandma who passed way when I was little. My face and body which had beean tensed till now relaxed. Her height barely came up to my chest. I bent and kissed her forehead in return, despite of my earlier misgivings. I will call her Granny, because you can’t help but trust and love a person with such a kind and genial smile. And...she while she wasn't the first person who showed me kindness in this world...she was the first who haddn't decided I was an anomaly.

The granny was surprised and drew back. Did I make a mistake by returning her gesture?

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, she broke out in a missing toothed grin and embraced me. Her grey hair shook with laughter. She even smelled like my granny when I was small. The old lady said something while she smiled.

Even if I didn’t understand what she was saying...I knew that tone. The tone grandmothers around the world use when comforting their grandkids. I...I didn't know what to say. I really wish I understood the language. But...it felt safe. It felt home.

Hearing a loud bark behind me, I turned around and saw the middle-aged man make the same gesture the Hippo-nurse had made; a sort of bringing all the fingers in a fist, with the palm outwards and then rapidly stretching them to their full lengths.

Probably the equivalent of a bye here? I did it back at him. He smiled genially and started walking back the way we had come.

The granny led me back into the house while calling someone. She seemed to be asking for someone to come down.

Huh? how did I realise that? could it be that the language comprehension is getting better? Astria did say I would ‘easily learn’. So it does mean I won’t have the capabilities at first. Gotta learn it, but it will be faster than learning from scratch?

I sighed in my mind. Isn't this like immersion method of learning language anyway? If I stayed with the locals for some time, I'll pick up bits and pieces of language anyway, won't I? There has got to be more than that to the Gift of Knowledge when it came to languages.

My train of throught was interrupted...no brought to a complete, grinding halt as accompaniying the sounds of rushing feet came down the prettiest girl I had even laid my eyes on. And when she moved, it’s was if river gushed forth.

Flowery diction? Nope. She had some ornaments in her hair. I later came to know that it was something call Riversong Shells, magic shells found in rivers that imitated the tinkling of a flowing mountain river. Poets in this land must have had a hard time serenading their women what with all these magic items murdering all romantic metaphors and similes.

The girl seemed to be called Arin, or that's what my very patchy, very unreliable language comprehension told me.

The thing that you noticed first when you saw her were her eyes. The eyes spoke of starlight reflected on the depths of the river. Mischief created ripples in those eyes. I didn’t know it yet, but Arin meant ‘Dreamcatcher’ in their tongue. She had caught my attention alright.

The black haired girl cocked her head as she saw me, her eyes wide in evident surprise. She kept staring at me and started talking in a rapid-fire burst of words.

I just looked at her sheepishly, overwhelmed by the sheer torrent. Am I being scolded? questioned? lectured? Does she even breathe?

I sent the grandma a look that I needed help. Or at least I hope she takes it that way.

She said something to Arin while her eyes danced with a barely restrained laughter.

Arin scrunched up her nose and looked disappointed. She shook her head in apparent disapproval.

The laughter that the grandma was holding back burst forth, annoying Arin furthur.

It was at this point that I decided that pretty girls could wait. First things first. I pointed my fingers towards my mouth in what I assume would be an universal language. You can’t blame me, I got killed once and almost killed multiple times all without dinner. I was hungry.

I was led to a low table. Not low like those Japanese tables but just lower than normal. I was given a couple of thin, circular bread like food with a side dish of … What is this? Potato? Atleast the parallel world had potatoes. I ate a bit of the circular bread. The wheat grains were coarse. And the potatoes didn’t taste like potatoes. Dammit.

Someone snapped their fingers. Looking up, I saw Arin reach her hand towards by bowl. She picked up a bit of the bread, used it to wrap some of the not-potato dish and ate it.

Oh. So that’s how you eat it.

She then proceeded to pick up another piece, then another. Before she could take any more, I shielded the bowl and glared at her. She returned my glare, then widened her eyes before breaking into a breezy laughter. Her hair sang the song of flowing waters with her laughter. I unintentionally smiled while digging into my food. After the bullying of the new guy was done, she left.

While eating, I looked around me. The interior looked like a normal log cabin like those in Canada or States except the absence of modern appliances. There was a bookshelf, but very few books. The house was fairly large, with bottles hung all over. What’s with those fucking bottles? There were a lot of earthenware and cheap China on the wooden shelves. An open space adorned the centre of the room, not covered by the wood floor. I could see soil beneath.

I sat and thought of what was needed to be done. I needed information first and foremost. For that language comprehension was needed. I could understand the broad nuances now, but it was nowhere even near rudimentary comprehension. What do I even need to do to learn it sooner?

Those fucking gods could have made this easier.

After I was done eating, I went to find granny. I saw her making stick latticework for supporting plants in the garden. I tried to help her. Might be that listening to someone talk would help me understand the language better. Probably? I sighed. Clueless. I'm completely clueless.

The granny was surprised to see me try to help, but after I botched up a few times, she sternly took the tools from my hand and called Arin. She asked her something while pointing at me. Arin looked at me compassionately. Then she pulled me up from my crouching position and pulled me towards the gate.

Wait what? They were kicking me out for this? Shiiiiit.

I wiped away the sweat that trickled down my temple as I picked clovers with Arin on the vale beyond the village outskirts. I say clovers..but all of them were 4 leaved and the size of my palms.

I gave a sigh of relief. They didn't kick me out after all. Most likely the granny had asked Arin to take me along so I didn’t meddle with her gardening. But...this doesn't solve the problem, I pondered while Arin kept talking to me the whole while. Of course, I didn’t understand a single word of it. I did try to gesture that I didn’t understand, but she just laughed and kept talking. The weirdness of this chick aside...I need to find ways to understand the language faster. This can't go on.

I was startled out of my thoughts as Arin pointed at something near my feet.

What now? There was a clump of very beautiful white magnolia like flowers near my feet.

She wants those flowers?

I plucked them and gave them to Arin. She looked at me incredulously. Then she hit my foot with all her might. What the fuck?! What did I do now??

I plopped down on the grass in sharp pain while holding my feet when I noticed something. A sixth finger on my feet. It was a leech like insect sucking up my blood. Arin had tried to warn me about it by pointing. When I didn’t understand, she drove her feet down to squash it. She failed though.

Couldn't you have just been more gentle?! A chuckle bubbled up my throat. This girl...she keeps talking to me, helping me even when we can't even communicate, can't even relate.

I pulled the leech apart from my feet. This sucker had sharp suckers. When I looked up, Arin was smiling at me holding the flowers.

Flowers never hurt, I thought to myself.

We rested under the shade of a huge tree. Arin’s basket was full; our collection done for the day. I laid back against the tree trunk, looking up at the sky. The unfamiliar sky was the same azure as on earth. A broken belt of rocks stretched from one horizon to the other in a narrow slanted belt. Two moons were visible in the sky apart from a blazing sun.

Arin was still looking at the flowers. I picked up one white flower and planted it on her hair, black as midnight. She looked up startled and touched the flower in her hair. Then her eyes widened. Arin’s face broke into a shy smile and she told me something. I didn’t need to know the language to know what it meant.

I looked up at the sky again , it really was as azure as the one back home.