Taking shaky steps out of a surprisingly Earth-like bathroom, my legs are still trying to fight off the lethargy that comes with being unresponsive for two weeks straight. Seeing me falter Tarain rushes to my side, propping me up with ease despite her small frame.

“Really now, you just wake up and you insist on going by yourself!” Tarain chastises, as she all but drags me down the hall back to my room.

“I told you I’m fine”, I groan in frustration. “If you were fine you wouldn’t have almost fallen three steps out the door,” she replies in kind. Embarrassed, I quiet down as we approach my room.

Gaz opens the door allowing us inside, squeezing his formidable bulk into the room after us. Sitting back onto the bed, I collect myself as I look up at my two new acquaintances, they are kind but they also serve as a constant reminder of the anxiety roiling in my stomach. Tarain really is a jaw-dropping beauty, but in a way that unsettles me. Her eyes are slightly farther apart, larger, and more expressive than anyone I have ever seen. The light seems to play off of her golden eyes, and her hair is even brighter, almost glowing with a pleasant warmth. Both are accented beautifully by a green form-fitting robe, she takes my breath away. Even her voice has a melodic quality that soothes the soul if you let yourself fall into it. Every piece of her seems too perfect, an artist’s rendition blessed into reality. On the other side of the room sits Gaz, and he is honestly easier for me to look at, less piercing to my senses. While he is massive, has an impeccable jawline, and his two horns radiate a dangerous air, Gaz more or less approaches my idea of the bruiser in any fantasy series. It’s the familiarity of everything that really hurts the most. It struck me awhile back when we were first talking, that it’s all gone. Everything I have seen so far just about approaches the world I knew, and I’m having a hard time really believing that Earth is gone. I truly don’t want to think about it, and when I do it terrifies me. That I will never see my old home again, I also can’t help but think about the few friends I had, Oliver, Logan, what happened to them? All I really have going for me are the words of two strangers saying that my family is safe at least, but what if they are lying? “No…” I reprimand myself for that line of thinking. They haven’t done anything to harm me, not counting that small electroshock session, I honestly deserved that. If they wanted me dead I would have never woken up. Mia being ripped away would have been the last thing I ever saw. I owe them enough to listen, and while I don’t really trust them nothing says I have to. Whatever the case If I just keep running things over again in my head I’m sure that this anxiety will grow into full-fledged terror. I don’t want to wallow in that, not again, so instead I steel myself to press forward. Worry fills Tarain’s expression as she waits for me to speak. Realizing how long I have been lost in my own thoughts I let out a nervous laughter.

“I’m sorry, just a lot to process” I try to explain to her. Shaking her head, she places a hand on my shoulder with a gentle smile, “No need to apologize, you have been through a lot, so take your time, I’ll be here for you.” My thoughts blur, “Hot damn, she is gorgeous” I can’t help myself as I turn away sheepishly. “ I have never been more afraid, yet more tempted by a smile. The promise of safety and warmth, inviting me in to…” “Fuck!” Eyes widening as I realize my mind is moving dangerously into the zap zone again. Sliding away from her touch, the warmth still lingers on my shoulder. I ask the important question, “ Okay so what’s next ?” She pouts like I just took her candy, but answers. “ If you're feeling up to it, we will take you to our Lady, she can explain most of the questions you have better than me. Your body is stable so you should be fine, but if you're too tired...” “I’m ready” I quickly reply. Surprised with my answer, she scrunches her nose, “Are you sure?” “Yes”, I put more resolution into my voice “let’s get going then,” I start to stand. Stopping me, she wags a finger, “You can’t meet her like that” Tarain says, pointing at the loose-fitting pants and shirt that cover my thin body. Looking down, I have to admit she is right, who sets out towards life in another world in pajamas? “Okay, then what am I supposed to where?” Motioning to the drawer beside my bed, Tarain opens it to reveal a grey robe with a matching shirt and pants besides it. Only they look like they were fitted to a doll, not a full-sized person. “And, I’m supposed to put these on?” I say hesitantly, raising my eyebrow. “Of course,” Just hit the button you find on the inside of the clothes and you’ll see.” She giggles, mischievously. “The Shoes are in the next drawer down, and work the same way.” Motioning to Gaz, they both turn to exit the room, leaving me surprised and relieved that she didn’t insist on trying to dress me herself. “We will be right outside your room, let us know if you need anything.” Tarain cheerfully calls from outside my door. I sit up onto the side of the bed and push myself up. Thankfully my legs feel ready to support me this time, and I don’t feel nearly as dizzy. Stripping off my shirt and pants I’m left standing naked in the room, apparently underwear isn’t considered important for unconscious patients. Fortunately for me, after taking out the robe, shirt, and pants, I find a miniature pair of what looks like boxer briefs and socks underneath. Delicately laying them onto the bed, I pick up the boxers with two fingers and search for this magical button. What I find is a small red dot on the hem of the boxers, I'm just glad that it actually existed, and wasn’t some cruel joke. I’ve already experienced first hand that floating holographic screens exist, and small blue women shoot lightning out of their fingers, so I can easily accept magical size-changing clothing. Holding out the boxers I press the button confidently. I then scream like a little girl when the boxers writhe in my hand and shoot towards my crotch like a major league fastball. The demon undies wrap around my body molding itself back into the shape of boxers, settling onto my ass with a *snap*. I’m left in stunned silence as Tarain asks if I’m okay, stifling a giggle outside the door. “Holy shit… this is awesome!”, is the only reply that echoes through the empty hall. With equal parts excitement and trepidation I pick up the miniature black socks and repeat the process. They slide down my legs and onto my feet without a sound. The whole process is eerie but also fucking awesome, I just equipped clothing at the press of a button. I’m half convinced this place is a video game by the time the robe fits itself to my body barely noticeable against the black shirt and pants, everything feels like a second skin stretching to match my body perfectly. The shoes fit a similar design shaping to my feet as I walk around my room. While the whole robe fashion trend is a little strange, I’m not going to complain about free magic clothes. Opening the door, I’m by greeted by Tarain, Gaz is still silent as ever. The carpeted hall is empty except for us three, something I noticed when I went to the bathroom before. In fact this whole floor screams manor house more than a hospital, but who am I to judge. Another quirk of this place I noticed is that I haven't seen a single window, tons of carvings, the odd statue or plant, but no windows. I just have to add it as one of the many questions I am saving up for when I meet this mysterious Lady Tarain mentioned. At the end of the hallway an imposing wooden door lies before me, a dark cherry color, covered by a carving of a large tree. Gaz reaches out and pushes onto the center carving, a bird nestled into the heart of the tree. The bird sinks into the door at his touch and a variety of mechanisms sound from behind the door. Instead of opening in some majestic display the door simply slides up into the ceiling revealing a square room, an elevator I realize as we step in. A display sits on the inner wall of the elevator lined with symbols I have never seen before, yet can somehow read all the same. The screen says that we are on Basement floor 77, I can barely hold my tongue from the numerous questions flood my mind. "How can I even understand them? Are we still speaking English? How deep does this place go?" While my mind races, Gaz quickly types in a destination of floor B88 before the door closes and the elevator begins to move. As we descend downwards my attention turns away from questions as I notice a shift on how Tarain carries herself. She straightens to attention, and her face settles into that of a stern professional. I look to Gaz and he shows no change, probably because he has been carrying himself like that from the start. Either way, I can tell that whoever this lady is that we are going to meet, she is definitely important. As if the anxiety in the pit of my stomach wasn’t bad enough, now I feel a new nervousness creep in, like I’m going to meet the president or something. “Oh fuck, what if I am meeting the president, or whatever passes for one in this place, Empress I guess?” I start to worry as we get closer. The elevator gently slows before settling at our floor, my heart is pounding now, my most stressful moment before this was college interviews, I’m not ready. Without caring for my imminent panic attack the door swings open again revealing a myriad of lights. As my eyes struggle to adjust I make out the details. Tables line the walls with, various equipment set onto them. The walls themselves are noticeably bare of any carvings, clean paneling replacing them. The flashing lights turn out to be a dizzying amount of displays at the far end of the room, they float in the place, flickering with different forms of data and text. At the center of all of them stands a lone woman in a white robe, pitch black hair cascading down her back, but It isn’t her hair that I spot first. The two large branch like appendages that run from her back into the wall she faces catch my attention. In shock I'm to busy gawking to notice that Tarain and Gaz have already been bowing for some time, until Gaz’s massive hand pushes me down to match them.

I’m left staring at the floor, jolting back to reality as I hear the snap and twisting of wood, the branches retreating from the walls to recede into the woman’s back as she turns to face us. “This humble maid greets her Lady” Tarain says, her voice formal, lacking the more excited melody it usually carries. Several moments of agony pass as the woman looks me over, I feel like a piece on display, her eyes dissecting me, seeing my every flaw. “You may speak” the woman replies cooly. “My Lady, I present to you Jaxon of house Ward.” Tarain then signals for me to rise, continuing her announcement. “Jaxon of house Ward, this is Lady Raven of house Yggdrasil, your benefactor.”