‘What was I supposed to do? Just sit back and watch!?’

I hid in a corner, watching a man wearing a black cowboy hat argue with the panel of people that were assembled in front of him. A semicircle of large desks and tall chairs surrounded the man, each one occupied by different men and women that were hidden by the strategically placed shadows filling the dark room.

‘You were supposed to enter a report, and let us deal with it. You shouldn’t have gone against the system.’

‘System my ass, you know nothing would have happened! The system can’t stop a fist or cushion a fall, all it does is punish after the fact!’

Clenching his fist, the man angrily shouted back at the executive that had responded, unable to make out his face through the curtain of shadows that hung over him, but able to tell the general direction of his voice. A booming sound echoed through the room as the man behind the desk brought his fist down angrily on his desk, expressing his frustration with the one before him.

‘No, it prevents the fist from ever being raised in the first place! Do not question the law, it isn’t your place!’

The voice reverberated off the walls, and I watched as the lone figure fell silent in an attempt to control his building rage, his teeth barely audible as they ground together. The room became calmer, and the man behind the desk shifted in his seat, likely making himself more comfortable before continuing.

‘We can’t stop every bad thing from happening, but we do take care of a good portion by using the system. You can’t save everyone, it’s not possible, so you have to be able to let some things go for the greater good.’

Silence filled the room, and I thought the man in front of me was about to explode as he trembled, a thin strand of self-control the only thing restraining him from climbing over the desk to where the executive was sitting. I clung to the wall I was hiding behind and kept my breath even, and silent as I remembered the things my father had taught me during our afternoon and weekend lessons.

‘You’re saying I should ignore someone that I can help simply because I can’t help everyone? How is that right?’

Sweat was dripping down his neck, and his eyes had become misty as he reflected on a dark memory from not long ago. A creaking noise sounded as the executive leaned forward in his chair, his hands becoming visible as they folded, and rested on his desk.

‘Our job isn’t to do what’s right, it’s to do what’s just. The law says everyone should be processed fairly before having any punishment, and our job is to reinforce it with our lives. You should be careful about what you say next, because it is that same legal system that gives you the freedom to walk out of here right now thanks to your previous years of service.’

The man with the black hat stared for a moment in the direction of the executive, who was clearly the leader of the group, with anger burning in his eyes.

‘You know just as well as me that being unemployed in this town is a sentence worse than death. You also know I have a child I have to take care of, one that is innocent of any triable crime, but will still have to suffer for the rest of his life. Your family will sit in comfort while more people will commit crimes to feed themselves and their families, but will only succeed in putting more money in your pocket when they get caught. This system is constantly expanding the difference between the rich and poor, some dying of starvation a mere walking distance from food, meanwhile others will be vomiting so they can enjoy the next course of a meal.’

Intrigued by the conversation, and starting to become worried, I slid closer the edge to improve the quality of the sound. I made a slight shuffling noise as I moved, but luckily for me, no one noticed it and the conversation continued on.

‘I know your mad, but please refrain from exaggera-‘

‘I am not exaggerating!’

The man cut the executive off with a loud exclamation, but closed his mouth and calming himself down before resuming his response.

‘I know this because I’ve seen it. There are kind rich people just like there are cruel, but very few have ever experienced real hardship. Money is power, and the powerful don’t want to see the suffering of others, so they either ignore it or justify it. I have seen murderers and rapists that were raised in the bowels of this hell, then called out by judges and juries, making them the unwilling representatives of their people, and dehumanizing them to preserve the others’ conscience. I know this because I was one of those people, and instead of “fair process”, you saw my skill and took the opportunity to make me work for you as a legal hitman. This isn’t justice... it’s a facade used to further the goals of those in power.’

‘You will leave now! If you do not, then both you and your miserable son will rot under the deepest prison that I have jurisdiction over!’

The last sentence was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and the fed up executive ordered the man’s immediate departure under penalty of incarceration. Hearing this, the man turned, sliding the hat across the brim of his hat in an attempt to calm himself, then walked off at a decent speed and I retracted back into the shadows, and left that place.

***

I jerked awake from my sleep drenched in sweat and breathing hard from the sudden revelation of my past life. I looked around at my surroundings, frantically preparing for a fight that would not happen as the dark room revealed no threat. My heart beat wildly in my chest, and my brain throbbed in response to each pulse, forcing me to stop and calm myself. I focused on my breath, and was able to calm myself after a few seconds, coaxing my mind back to reality.

Looking around the room from my position on the floor, I saw Ella and Brook on the bed to my left, their heads opposite mine as they rested peacefully. I had placed myself between them and the door to avoid any accidental or intentional break-ins from a member of the drunk crowd below, which was comprised mostly of large men that had probably noticed the beautiful girls that were in here. The floor was oddly comfortable, and kept my body nice and cool despite Ella’s magic which was passively heating the room as the elf-girl slept.

Letting out a sigh, I recounted the events of what happened earlier with, ah... what was her name again? Oh right, Grace. The bunny-girl-hero-wizard with the I-am-the-chosen-one-and-you-will-show-me-respect attitude and I-have-come-four-your-soul eyes gave me some advice before dashing away at a ridiculous speed. I’m pretty sure it was something about the price of greed followed by a small speech on how I should treat others better. I wish I could remember more, but I was a bit distracted at the time by the two massive bunny ears poking out of her head, hypnotically twitching as it picked up slight noises from out surroundings. Namely Ella and Brook who had returned after the hero’s speech had ended, looking suspiciously at the rabbit.

Unfortunately, the girls had completely missed the hero’s speech, since it took them a while to notice that I had stopped due to the fact that my body doesn’t affect the magic enough for them to sense me. Afterward, we cleaned up via Ella’s magic, which was a purple flame that only burned the grime off our bodies, leaving us and our clothes clean and completely unharmed. After that, we went out to a local store, which still happened to be open, and bought a couple sets of cheap clothing to sleep in, and change into tomorrow.

Moonlight shone through the window on the far wall, bright enough illuminate the room with an eerie glow that made the room seem more like a painting and less like reality. Nothing in this world made much sense to me, but I am starting to understand some of it’s rules and customs thanks to Ella and Brook’s brief explanations about the basics of life here. I closed my eyes, and recalled what they told me, organizing it in my mind in hopes of preserving as many details as I could, but eventually decided to write it down on a piece of paper that I borrowed from the bartender downstairs.

The paper read:

Currency: there are two currencies, the surface currency which uses coins called “pieces” and the sky currency that is made up of balls called “Daours”. The metals for the surface’s currency is harvested from the ground, while the sky’s is taken from large, floating islands that have a much larger supply of the valuable metals, therefore making the metal itself slightly less valuable to them. I compared them to get an estimate of how it converts into my old world’s currency, which wasn’t completely accurate, but gave me a general understanding.

This is how they are organized:

Surface Dweller’s

1 small copper coin = 1 dollar

1 copper = 10 dollars

1 steel coin = 100 dollars

1 silver coin = 1,000 dollars

1 small gold coin = 10,000

1 gold coin = 100,000 dollars

1 large gold coin = 1,000,000 dollars

Sky dweller’s

1 copper daour (Day-O-Or) (small ball currency) = 1 dollar

1 steel daour = 10 dollars

1 silver daour = 100 dollars

1 gold daour = 1,000 dollars

1 platinum daour = 10,000 dollars

1 disenchanted mithril daour = 100,000 dollars

1 disenchanted Orichalcum daour = 1,000,000 dollars

I didn’t recognize the last two, but I asked and got a brief summary of each from Ella, who was the more knowledgable about money of the two, and wrote down the important stuff.

Metals:

Mithril: when activated, it negates nearby magic, but is usually monopolized by sky-dwellers due to the largest source of the rare metal being exclusive to one of the floating islands called Talos which orbits around the largest island known as Titan. It is highly coveted among warriors that don’t use magic, and is often made into amulets, talismans, and sometimes even small weapons. It is activated when exposed to large quantities of magic, though sometimes the mithril is unresponsive, or takes too much magic to activate, and is considered disenchanted before being made into currencies or jewelry.

Orichalcum: a brilliant yellow-gold metal that enhances and directs any magic sent through it, and is most often used in gear made for wizards, such as wands, staffs, rings, amulets, talismans, etc. This is usually used by both sky- and surface-dwellers since the only supply of it in the entire world is found on a massive mountain that is named Mount Othrys, which rises up directly beneath Titan. The even on the mountain, the metal is incredibly rare, and the amount used in the actual craft of items is usually no larger than a child’s fingernail. Because of this, it is often crafted into alloys, which are later made into things known as artifacts that usually enhance a certain type of magic or (the more powerful ones) can wield magic of their own. Like mithril, the inefficient or inactive Orichalcum is considered disenchanted, and made into currencies or jewelry.

Cities: most of the cities are theocracies, and are ruled by one of the four different religious groups, each one claiming to serve one of the four gods. This city was governed by a combination of all four religions, and were divided into different districts in order to maintain peace among them. However, there are a few that run off of monarchies, dictatorships, or aristocracies, but those are usually ignored by the theocracies, and are considered heretics for their agonistic or atheistic points of view.

Thanatos: the religion known for following the goddess of death, who was called Raven. Despite how they sound, they are the most peaceful of the four, and believe that the goddess of death is actually kind and compassionate. Death is celebrated in their culture, but only when someone dies of natural causes, which is how Raven had supposedly intended them to die. Many of the Thanatians use the saying “death is a release” when trying to describe it, claiming that the eternal life that people crave is actually torture on one’s soul.

Zoi: The religion that follows Moria, the god of life. The Zoi believe in “fate” and “chosen ones”, believing the purpose of life is to serve Moria. They are typically the most violent of the four, and have most surface cities under their command as they strive for a world unified under one religion.

Epistimi: the religion that follows Lilah, the goddess of science, who created the most fundamental rules of life. The followers are usually called Druids, who specialize in the old world’s languages and customs, and are constantly trying to find where magic ends and science begins. They are usually the most knowledgeable and level-headed of the four, but often clash with the worshippers of Mystic, the god of magic, who say that the ways of science are dead. In their ancient tales, Lilah is said to have a rivalry with Mystic, and when they had an all-out battle, many worlds were destroyed while nothing was accomplished. From then on the two gods use their creations as chess pieces to gamble and wager on who’s beings are superior.

Mageia: religion that follows Mystic, the god of magic. Most of the followers of Mystic are considered very unintelligent by the others, and are often looked down upon. This being the case, they are generally the most well-trained in magical development, including elemental, body enhancement, summoning, etc. Most Mageians, or Mages, are sky-dwellers, who use their superior magical knowledge to create flying ships. Some, like the ogres, will kidnap true sky-dwellers and force them to make magical instruments of war for them before sending them to one of their various arenas to die, or survive a worse fate.

I had run out of room on that side of the paper, and had to flip it over to continue to read what was written on it.

Magic:

Elemental: Most basic and powerful form of magic, specializing in one of the elements. The elements are fire, water, gaian (earth), wind, and space. Fire focuses on power, water on flow and skill, gaian on illusion, wind on speed, and space on travel and storage. Fire mages, being by far the strongest, are exceptionally rare and highly coveted during wars, and are known for wiping out entire armies. Water mages are often known for their skillful ways of fighting, and are often separated into exclusive guilds. Gaian mages usually specialize in disguise, illusion, and fabricated minions while carrying out complicated tasks, and usually become revered strategists. Wind mages are incredibly fast, using their magic to travel short distances in an instant, and land many weak blows on their opponent to weaken them before going in for the killing blow. And finally, space magic, which is usually focused on enchanting things to hold more than seems possible, or traveling via teleportation (for example, the white rooms on Ella’s ship, or her Mary Poppins pockets).

Body Enhancement: as the name suggests, it enhances your body by injecting magic into what you want to improve (Strength = bones, muscles. Speed = nerves, neurons, muscles, etc.). Healing magic is also included under body enhancement magic, so this trait is valuable for healers during wars, giving them the ability to get to the injured quickly, and heal them. Body enhancement is easy and does not require much magic to use, and is often taught to grunt soldiers, but those that use it skillfully can become powerful opponents.

Summoning: the ability to summon magical creatures from the aether world, which is a world made solely of magic and pretty much the polar opposite of earth. Beings of magic usually take on the form of animals or mythological beast, usually according to the will of the summoner, though some have been know to take a humanoid shape.

Life Magic: Life magic specializes in enchanting runes and body enhancements that increase one’s ability to perform various tasks, and it’s users are almost always loyal Zoi members. They have certain special abilities that

My notes end there as Ella nods off to sleep mid-sentence, and Brook rubs her eyes lazily. I decided not to press for more information, mostly because I thought it would be cruel, and partly because I was running out of paper. I suppose I’ll learn the rest on my own as the need arises. I have a little bit of adventurous spirit in me despite my introverted tendencies, and I was getting a little bit excited at all the new knowledge I gained about this world. However, I was ready to get some sleep, since it was getting really late and the moon was already high in the sky.

‘Exhaustion is the enemy of adventure.’

I think to myself as my reflection ended, holding my notes in my hand while skimming over it for a quick review.

‘And fear is the enemy of happiness.’

Not sure why I went so deep... I got an odd feeling of discomfort after meeting that bunny girl, almost as if I could feel a weight coming off her. Ah, well... it’s probably just my imagination. I laid my head back down on the wooden floor, and pulled the blanket up to my shoulders as I prepared to go back to sleep.

***

I stood, staring out the window of a large building not far away from where Ash was sleeping while thinking about my future. I saw wealth, fame, power, and a handsome husband awaiting me with open arms, seemingly a dream come true, but I wasn’t satisfied. Why do I have to be this way? There are millions of women that would sacrifice just about anything to be in my shoes, so why am I so miserable?

I turned away from the window, the light of the moon no longer holding any interest for me, and looked at my surroundings.

A well-furnished room lay stretched out before me, tables, chairs, desks, wardrobes, and a massive bed that I could never hope to fill greeted me. I was wearing a white nightgown that hung down to my knees, and a cold breeze carried my warmth away, causing me to shiver slightly.

“Now now, that won’t do... My future bride will have every comfort money can buy. And, of course, money can buy everything, so you shall not want of anything.”

Oh... my fiancé. He makes me kind of sad, his ego won’t let him see just how unromantic what he just said really was. He took off the red and black coat he was wearing, and dramatically flung it over my shoulders with a gesture that would have been more grand if the theme song playing in his head could be heard by more than just him. It’s not so much his denseness that gets to me, it’s more his superiority complex which comes to him naturally. He doesn’t do it on purpose, it’s just a side-effect of being told that you are practically a god every single day of your life from everyone around you, so I don’t really blame him. In fact, the only strong emotion I feel when he is around is the one telling me to be the very first person in his entire life to tell him no.

In any case, I can’t go against him. He is right when he says you can buy anything with money, I’ve seen proof of it time and time again without fail, every single person would sell their souls just to get a taste of his wealth. Hell, he bought me as his bride, bribing the Zoi church head into giving me up for marriage with only a few small pieces of metal. I suppose it could be worse... he could be old, ugly, and abusive, but he is only about ten years older than me, not really ugly, and hasn’t tried to force me into anything yet, so I guess that’s a plus.

Ah, I wasn’t listening. He has been rambling on while I was thinking to myself about how grand his life was, and how lucky I was to catch his eye, then have the honor to be chosen as his bride. If I was half as honored to marry him as he thinks I am, then I would be one happy bride of the richest man in Balm’ak. Of course, I’m not happy... but I suppose my happiness doesn’t really matter in the real world. Chosen one or not, I am still nothing more than a puppet of the church, and a tool to win over this... ugh... I think he just started praying to himself.

I sighed quietly to myself as my fiancé cried out enthusiastically to the heavens in an attempt to hear his own voice in a new way, and sat down heavily in a nearby chair. It’s not like I was planning on doing anything else with my life anyway, and I suppose opportunities like this only come around once in a lifetime. I guess I could somehow deceive myself into caring about him eventually, so I’m sure I’ll be happy again soon.

Until then, I’ll just deal with it. After all, if this is the life I live, then it’s my duty as the Chosen one to fulfill the will of the gods.