“So…” The boy rapped his fingers against the wooden surface of the table. “You’re telling me… that I’m in a magical world called Soul-hey-mir, with spirits, and demons, and talking animals, and fairies, tiny dragons, man-eating wolves, and whatever the hell else you said?!” He vehemently slapped the table. “How are you calm saying all this shit if you are also someone from Earth?! Am I supposed to believe all of this?!”

“Bro, I think you should calm––”

“––calm down?” He twitched his head and raised an eyebrow at Akari seated on the table. “Calm down as a fox is talking to me?” His restrained voice was low, bordering on almost laughing.

“Darren.” Essairyn sternly called out his name. “I understand it’s unbelievable, especially when except for Akari, all of those are only words. But you’ve seen the town and heard the language of Sol instantly translating. And if you saw the marketplace––!”

“You don’t understand,” he interrupted while holding his head. “It’s not about this whole place that looks like a wildly intricate movie set of some high-budget fantasy flick replete with live special magical effects, it’s the fact–– that I got brought into this whole situation in the first place. Despite all the sci-fi talk of black holes transporting us to another dimension…” He thew his hands in the air dramatically. “I actually got teleported here from Earth with no way to return while everyone I know lives on as per usual? You’ve got to be kidding me!”

Essairyn could see that Darren was earnestly struggling to withhold his temper, a defensive mechanism toward the ridiculous situation that stripped him of his thriving life and bright future on Earth. In spite of her belief that she understood what he was feeling having experienced the same fate, she realized that neither perspective nor emotion in the same circumstance could ever truly be the same.

“Maybe…” Essairyn slowly surmised. “I accepted the situation so quickly because I was thrown into the Spirit and Demon Forest and had to immediately fight for my life. But…” She gripped her hands, staring indistinctly down at her boots.

“I also cried to sleep every night. Most nights, it was silent; the first night, I was too scared and exhausted to even shed tears. But, I’m plagued with dreams of my past. Even during the day, I’m always searching for something familiar to hold onto, something that reminds me of home, on Earth. ...It's why I grabbed your hand without a moment's hesitation. So, it might seem like I’m calm on the outside…” She peered at Darren with heartbreakingly desolate eyes.

“But that’s because I’m doing whatever I can to not break down and––” She choked back the remaining words, unable to utter them for the sake of her mental stability and belief in possibly creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. No more going the easy way out, no more giving up on her stifled desires, she told herself repeatedly. She would bravely hold onto the reins of her new life and fight against the past endeavoring to drag her back into that impassive, comfortable abyss.

As Darren held her gradually steading gaze, torment began clouding his vision. A lump formed in his throat, and he weakly gulped it down. Torrenting emotions jumping from lingering bewilderment to stabbing sorrow to rash anger mobbed both heart and mind. He hardly knew how to respond in such a ludicrous situation. All actions were driven purely by reactive sentiment, sometimes accompanied by bouts of blank composure which stopped Darren from doing anything foolhardy.

Everyone was silent around the table as Essairyn’s self-disclosure sunk heavily inside the multi-purpose room of the small school. A middle-aged man with graying brown hair, sharp hazel eyes, and pale skin quietly sighed and rose from his seat.

“What both of you are feeling is not unusual. All travelers experience a period of shock, denial, anger, and grief at their arrival. Every person handles it differently, sometimes affected by the environment they appeared in, but it’s not a process that can rushed. So, take your time and think things over. Luckily, you survived in the Spirit-Demon forest and made it here.” He gestured toward Essairyn before motioning toward Darren. “And you appeared in one of the best possible locations, a human town just outside of the Academy. Not to mention, you immediately encountered a friendly ally.”

Jerking his head toward the office door to K, he signaled for the mercenary to follow him and leave the travelers to discuss amongst themselves. Despite the girl’s best intentions, revealing the truth of the matter all at once to Darren was mentally as significant of a shock as fighting for survival directly after arrival in Sol’h’meyr.

“…Thank you, Lachlan.” Essairyn softly spoke, addressing the current professor stationed at the Reisparte Regional School.

Lachlan nodded and withdrew inside the office with K following close behind. As the mercenary closed the door, he bowed sympathetically at the travelers and excused himself. Once the door shut, Lachlan aimed an austere stare at the other man.

“What took you so long?”

The hooded man chuckled contritely. “I got a bit distracted on the way.”

“…Three hours is a bit distracted? Goodness, if I hadn’t known better, I would’ve thought the Hyd hooligans had gotten to you.”

“I understand. We’re in a delicate time right before when a rebellion outbreaks. So, it’s important to get intel and keep our wits about us. But, you know I wouldn’t have wasted time helping a random person. Like we told her, she might be targeted as a mage. And being a new traveler on top of that is asking for trouble. Who knows what might've happened?”

Lachlan huffed amusedly, swiping dust from his long, cobalt coat with double-striped gold trim. “That, I do. Though, I think Essairyn is hardly a damsel in distress. She has a good head on her and already figured out that the Academy is the best place to go, even if she got that recommendation from some merchants." He paused, recalling the story she had shared.

Essairyn definitely had withheld some aspects, especially regarding the particulars of her unusual friendship with the inhabitants of the Spirit-Demon Forest. But her cautiousness was understandable. He reckoned that if he weren't a teacher at a school that helped new travelers assimilate, and Darren wasn't there as another traveler himself, she would not have been comfortable enough to relay her experiences.

"That aside, you don't have to take this assignment upon yourself. This is As'pyze's issue alone to bear. I'm not happy with the elementals sticking their noses where they don't belong." Lachlan shook his head, sighing in commiseration at K’s unfortunate fate. All that the wandering mercenary saw was the inconstant light at the dubious end of the tunnel promised to him by some two-faced elders. “Are you even living your life, K? I’m still surprised to this day that you would willingly shackle yourself to the whims of the Fellowship.”

The mercenary was tight-lipped. “…You know I have no other choice.”

“No.” Lachlan sat in his revolving chair. “You do have a choice. And you threw your freedom away instead of fighting harder for it. Uh–!” He put up a hand to silence K’s incoming protests.

“I’m not about to get into another argument about your parents on this. It is neither here nor there.” He took off his coat, revealing a slate blue vest worn over a charcoal shirt, and clasped his hands together on his desk. “We must deliberate our next move. Scout and secure the city; another group will set out to help you capture them. If we organize accordingly, we can make sure that this time will be success…”

While the two men conferred, two young adults in the other room stared at one another, holding a wordless conversation. Though, to Darren, it felt like Essairyn was delivering an unspoken challenge. Are you strong enough to accept your new reality? Or will you spurn it, and fall into despair?

Transfixed on the girl’s eyes, which he had first thought to be a light sienna mixed with gray-blue, he discovered in this staring contest that they in fact had purple irises. From this unnatural detail alone, it seemed to rebut her claim that she was also from Earth. Although, her looks were nothing as strikingly disparate as Lachlan’s curious blend of preppy, wizard businessman. And he had no opinion on K's outfit covered almost entirely by his hooded cape.

“Do you want me to hit you?” Essairyn broke the silence first.

“…What?” Darren was taken aback by her sudden suggestion. “Wait…you don’t mean to slap me like pinching myself wasn’t enough?” He still couldn't believe he had actually resorted to the silly act to check if he were dreaming.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’ll help. When I interacted with other creatures and people and felt how alive they were, I came to the conclusion that I wasn’t dreaming.” Essairyn stood up and approached Darren who reflexively shrunk back in his chair.

“Wait, you don’t have to––”

Thwack! Essairyn smoothly smacked both palms onto his stunned face. As the stark sting ebbed away, replaced by a pleasant warmth on his cheeks and growing awareness of her closeness, he bolted straight up from his seat.

“That’s enough.” He removed the girl’s hands and turned away, feeling as if he had been unwittingly seduced. Regaining his senses over the baffling pounding of his erratic heart, he exhaled indistinctly before facing Essairyn nonchalantly.

“What’s your plan?”

“Hm?” Essairyn didn’t follow.

“Like your plan in this world. You came to this school with a purpose, so what now?” Darren repeated.

She furrowed her brows, mulling over his question. Indeed, she hadn’t thought that far ahead. Essairyn had presumed the professor would provide advice on what travelers ought to do to settle into Sol’h’meyr. But, Darren’s arrival had cast aside that discussion in place of enlightening him about the world.

“Travel to the next town, maybe? Lachlan had mentioned that a bigger school facility which actually has more than…” She looked at the modest interior with wooden walls lined with bookshelves, writing boards, and paper diagrams. A few empty tables laid scattered about the so-called ‘regional campus’ while a single mahogany door led to a teacher’s office. “…more than two rooms existed in the neighboring town of Byar’non. That regional Academy has plenty of classrooms, dorm space, and extracurriculars. So, because we were both college students, living in a familiar setting might be best.”

“Well,” Darren murmured, holding his chin in thought. “I don’t disagree with that judgement. And I honestly can’t think of anything better, especially considering that my magic is worse than yours––just my luck, seriously. So, trying to scrape out an unstable forest life where everything is free is both beyond my ability and interest.”

“Then, it’s settled?” Essairyn was secretly hoping Darren would join her as another person, notably a human this time, in the same boat. That fact alone was comforting, because despite hearing travelers were relatively common, she had yet to come across another. Then again, it was likely difficult to distinguish among humans, and she had met no ‘adventurers’ besides K, who was a native.

“I guess so. Not like I can do much about it.” He held his head in defeat, sighing. “Two travelers together is better than a traveler alone. After hearing about your experience being nearly scammed and Lachlan cautioning us on magic exploitation, I’d rather stick with someone else like me.”

Buoying by his response, Essairyn bobbled her head eagerly. “Yes! And with Akari by our side, we should be aware of any impending dangers or dishonest people!”

“True…” He reluctantly conceded, giving the smirking fox a tentative smile.

“Smart boy, this one.” Akari pointed a paw toward him approvingly. “See how he admits my greatness so easily?”

“Wait, I wasn’t agreeing to that––”

“––A good boy, unlike a certain girl who rejected me on multiple occasions.”

Essairyn scoffed in amusement at Akari's teasing. “What multiple occasions? Besides, you know that I did the smart thing, miss notoriety. Lachlan even recognized you immediately.”

The fox harrumphed. “W-well, I’m not sure how he did. Not many know about this form unless they somehow captured it in the history books.” She tipped her head back, chortling loudly. “Of course I wouldn’t have expected any less, detailing all my feats and appearances, haha!”

“Uhh…” Darren looked at Essairyn. “Is she like this all the time?”

Essairyn nodded severely, inducing sniggers to erupt between them as Akari looked between the humans in confusion.

“Anyway.” Darren wiped an figurative tear from the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry for suddenly lashing out at you two. I’m still not over it, honestly, being in…Sol’h’meyr. But, rather than wallowing in misery, better to tackle it head on, huh?”

He turned to the window, gazing off into the distance. “Not like I have much of a choice. But who knows? Maybe we’ll find a way yet to return. There’s got to be a portal somewhere connecting our universes. No matter how absurd this world is, it still has to have some logic to it, right?”

Essairyn bit her bottom lip. A way to return…? Prickling guilt flailed their nauseating spores inside the ambivalent girl. In truth, I don’t want to return. No, she simply wished it weren’t possible. Because only then, she would be absolved from her ugly, selfish desires to escape her monotonous cycle and lackluster future.

In truth, she did want to ‘return,’ return to her family and friends, even her mere acquaintances, to see the organized chaos of her bedroom, and front step of her home. She wanted both––a world that had her loved ones in a familiar environment, and the magical splendors that illuminated Sol’h’meyr. But if given a option between the two worlds, her heart writhed wickedly upon the certain choice that would most selfishly thrust her from the compassionate clutches of her past life.

“Are you done?”

Essairyn jerked toward the office door as leather loafers, which matched an umber belt holding stone chinos, emerged.

“Yes, thank you for your patience and understanding with us.” Darren belatedly expressed his gratitude to Lachlan once he fully stepped into the larger room. “We talked about where to go from here and decided on attending Byar’non’s regional Academy.”

Lachlan inclined his head, showing his support. “A wise decision. You’ll be safe there and can hone your skills while ascertaining your choice of profession. I was going to propose studying at that school anyway as travelers, so I already wrote a letter of recommendation for you two. Here.”

“Thank you!” They said simultaneously as Essairyn accepted the envelope sealed with a wax stamp.

“Like I said,” Lachlan reminded upon seeing Darren’s envious gaze as the girl stored the letter in her cache, “you have different strengths. So don’t worry, Darren. You’ll be able to develop your magic cache soon enough. But, don’t lose sight of your knight-leaning abilities.”

Darren nodded, recalling that knights internalized their magic to physically strengthen them while mages externalized mana mainly through spells. “I’ll keep that in mind, sir.”

“Lachlan?” Essairyn stepped side to side, trying to peek inside the office. “Where’s K?”

“He already left out the back.”

Bummed, Essairyn wondered why he had left without saying goodbye. Did the time we spend together mean nothing? I suppose he’s just a mercenary after all…even if a kind one.

“By the way.” She narrowed her eyes briefly. “K isn’t his real name, is it?”

A corner of Lachlan’s mouth tilted up faintly. “Yes and no. K is his mercenary name.”

Getting the hint that he would say no more on the matter, Essairyn knew that only K could tell her if they crossed paths again. Though, whether he would willingly tell her, was a separate issue, and one that she was determined to resolve.

“You may see him in Byar’non.” Lachlan smiled knowingly. “It’s where the next part of his mission continues.”

Gesturing around them, he added, “Feel free to peruse the books here as you wish. The pamphlets by the door are free to take, too. The school closes at eight, so you have plenty of time. But, it’s already almost one o’clock. If you hitch a ride, you’ll need to leave Reisparte by two if you wish to make it to Byar’non before dark. However, there is a farmstead on the way, so you can make it there departing at five, too.”

“Will do. I appreciate everything you taught us today, Mr. Paleaux, and for listening to our stories.” Essairyn bowed, and Darren likewise offered his thanks to Lachlan.

As the travelers settled down to read informational books and familiarize themselves with Sol'h'meyr's geography from a gently worn map, Lachlan returned to his office, occasionally exiting to clarify subjects they requested from the other room.

“This Elemental War…” Essairyn flipped through a slim booklet from a glass box offered by the indigo-painted, front door. “I’ve heard about it before. So, if I read and understood this correctly, the other elemental gods were scared of a power imbalance caused by the rain goddess’s birth and tried to kill her? But since Water and Light left ancient Sol’h’meyr, the other elemental gods now needed her to restore the elemental void her parents had caused.”

“That is correct,” said Lachlan.

“But then if she’s so strong, why didn’t she get revenge?” No matter how she looked at it, the rain goddess known as Cyrienne was odd. Her final actions leading up to her self-imposed exile from the world didn’t add up––the official account was unconvincing when it also said in the same breath that she acted more human than divine. And thus, she loved and took care of human refugees, helping them establish As’pyze. It was a weak argument to insinuate that she left for Earth's greater multitude of humans over her own chosen people.

A fleeting shadow passed over Lachlan’s mien while looking at the pamphlet entitled, “A brief history of Sol’h’meyr.” Seeing this, Essairyn’s mind flashed back to Akari. What exactly happened in this war that caused both of them to react like this? Considering that the world was created with elemental magic, this Great Elemental War appeared quite monumental in Sol'h'meyr's history.

She flipped through the booklet, which only spanned four small sheets, and landed on a paragraph referencing the war while Lachlan pensively answered, “I guess you could say that this is the propagated account given by the reigning elemental royals. The exact details of events have been missing since the end of the Great Elemental War… It would make sense if she gave the other elemental gods a hard time, especially when they had been weakened after warring and banishing her parents.

“But, she was still the young rain goddess who was stowed away in a castle. Her parents had restrained her powers so that she could be successfully hidden while growing. When the other gods found the castle and sealed her power with the Water and Light sword, they redirected the power to fuel the land while they rested. She didn’t even realize she was a god until much later when the limitations fettering Cyrienne broke her human form.”

Lachlan’s reasoning plaintively settled in Essairyn’s gut as she mumbled, “I guess that makes sense…”

“Along with founding As’pyze and As’rien,” Darren interposed, “It also said that she created the Knight Mage Academy, this very institution of schools we’re in, with the original Knight-Mages. So why are there so many details missing from history and the time after she left for Earth? And who were the Knight-Mages?”

Lachlan’s face hardened slightly. “The details were destroyed of course. The elemental royals descended from the gods would never allow their history to be marred. They have too much pride for that. The original Knight-Mages were human and directly blessed by Cyrienne. They were just as powerful if not more than the royals. But now, they’ve been reduced as mere legend.”

“So what about now? Where are they?” Darren nearly jumped to the edge of his seat as his voice hitched. Even if Cyrienne was no longer here, considering that she was able to transport to Earth through the portal, then it must also be possible for them to travel in reverse. The Knight-Mages were her closest aides, so maybe they would know and could help them go back too.

Knowing where Darren was leading to, Lachlan’s answer was direct in order to stamp down any painful, false hope like he had done for many a traveler. “The Knight-Mages were still only human, so they didn’t live as long as the elementals, even with prolonged lifespans. Although their descendants were strong, their power weakened over many generations. Not even they could find the portal since she left. And it’s likely that it was sealed almost completely because the influx of humans greatly diminished after her departure.

“However, even if you could find it and travel successfully, there’s no way to ensure that you would return where and when you had left Earth. Space-time itself would likely prevent you from ever setting foot within millenniums of your original time.”

Instantly, the boy deflated. Darren half sighed, half scoffed. He leaned back in his chair and and looked up at the ceiling. The remaining trace of floundering hope in his heart drowned in the somber, swelling reality. Now, it was truly clear that there was no way back. Despondent, Darren vacantly stared down at the booklet in his hands.

Essairyn looked over at him sympathetically while inwardly battling her conscience crying out in self-condemnation. She squeezed her eyes shut in order to put an end to the gnawing remorse that bubbled up again at his visible grief. You’re stuck here, so it’s okay to live as you want. You don’t have to try looking for a way back to Earth. It’s okay. You’re okay. She opened her eyes and released her subconsciously clenched fists. She determined that this would be the last time she would agonize over this.

As Essairyn closed the booklet, she paused at the first line. Tymlune, the timeless one, forged Earth… A droll smile plastered her lips. Tymlune was the name of the creator god of this world. And various parts of Sol’h’meyr’s ancient history shared parallels with other cultures’ and religions’ creation stories from Earth. A savior, a flood, a new kingdom… If only the people back home knew about this…

However, a world that was only eight millennia old seemed like an infant to Essairyn. It wasn’t possible that Earth could exist for billions of years while Sol’h’meyr was barely even a speck in the bucket of the blue planet’s time of existence. But since Sol’h’meyr was a relatively advanced civilization, perhaps the capricious elemental gods had taken inspiration from the modern age of rapid human development on Earth.

Sighing, Essairyn peered out the window, noticing the setting light. “It’s about time to go, isn’t it.”

Darren followed her gaze and nodded. “Yes, we better find a ride now before it becomes too late for departing traders.” He stood up and turned to Lachlan, bowing his head.

“Although I know the Academy regularly helps travelers, I can’t thank you enough for your time putting up with all our questions and arguments.” He tousled his hair and smiled ruefully. “I hope I can better express my gratitude in some other way one day."

Essairyn agreed as she walked to the door with Akari tagging behind, adding, “Hopefully, we didn’t take too much time away from your meeting with K today. And we’ll keep an eye out for that shady group of mage-nappers you guys mentioned. Goodbye, see you, Mr. Paleaux!”

As the trio enthusiastically waved and left the school, Lachlan stood quietly in place, musing on the fateful encounters. In particular, the girl’s rain powers perturbed him. Every so often, a traveler would exhibit rain powers, but few had strong enough abilities to upset the common knowledge that humans could not wield elemental magic. And those few who did, never met a good end. A shiver in his heart and nagging intuition in his gut stirred his mind tempestuously. He felt a new storm rising.