Sariel

I think this might be the first time that I’d ever seen the president out of his combat fatigues. Only eighteen years old, with caramel blond hair and hazel eyes, he always looked ridiculously young to be on the front lines with us. I had to hand it to him though, he wasn’t half bad. Rumor has it that he had undergone a milder, safer version of the EL Process. With time and experience, he could become a really good warrior.

Elsa, on the other hand, looked like nothing more than a stereotypical rich man’s girlfriend. Dressed in a tight black cocktail dress, five-inch heels, and diamonds, she looked coldly elegant, but I’d heard that she was no slouch on the battlefield.

“Good evening,” said the president.

There were handshakes and greetings all around, and the hotel staff left after taking our dinner orders. Once we were alone, Asteria took out a sketchpad.

“Did you draw something for us?” asked my double. He rolled his eyes dramatically.

Asteria and the others ignored him. “Now that everyone’s here, I’ll explain my mission.”

Just when I was wondering if Asteria was a lot smarter than I gave her credit for, she showed us a bunch of childishly scrawled stick figure drawings to explain everything.

“Let me get this straight,” I said once she had finished her explanation. “The four of you are from another world, and you’ve been sent here to heal the world of the Iah virus. You’re not here to stop the war, eliminate poverty, and rule over the world as an enlightened despot?’

“No, no, that’s not what I said! I’m here to train Elsa. She’s the one who’s going to cleanse the world of the virus, not me!” said Asteria.

“What about the war?” asked Kraej.

“What about it? The goddess didn’t say anything about a war. All I know from being here a few days is that there’s some sort of conflict between this continent and the Eatuheans,” said Asteria. “I don’t plan to get involved since we’re not even from this world.”

“I hoped the goddess would help us,” said Kraej. He shook his head and glanced at Elsa for confirmation. She shrugged.

Asteria said, “Have you tried praying to the goddess for help? Maybe, you know, just a thought here… not demolishing her biggest temple in Kraej City to make way for a new bus route?”

“That wasn’t me,” said Kraej. “The temple failed to pay taxes for hundreds of years. It was the city government that seized the property.”

“I really don’t want to get involved. I’m a healer, not a fighter. Besides, I would have thought you would personally welcome a cure,” said Asteria.

President Kraej frowned. “True, but I was hoping for more.”

“It’s enough,” said Elsa. She put a hand on his knee and squeezed it.

Uriel had refused to discuss his illness in detail, but Asteria’s explanation about the Iah virus made it very clear that the EL Process was flawed. Seeing as Magnus Kraej was still limping weeks after an injury, it must mean that he was already suffering the side effects of the modified EL treatments he’d undergone since one of the major benefits of the EL Process was enhanced healing time.

“I’m afraid that Elsa’s training will take some time. For starters, I’d prefer to move somewhere more isolated for a few months,” said Asteria.

“Months? How long will this take?” asked Kraej.

“It took me ten years to master the skills I needed,” said Asteria.

I found that hard to believe. Did she start training when she was five years old?

“Ten years!” said Elsa. She looked horrified. “I can’t go off to train for ten years. I’m needed in the war.”

“Please don’t be ridiculous,” said Asteria. “I’m sure there are combat medics who can fight and heal as well as you can, but you’re the only one who’s able to eradicate the virus before a worldwide plague kills off millions of people again.”

The two of them kept arguing for half an hour, but Elsa eventually agreed to be trained by Asteria for two months. She refused to budge on the timeframe and reserved the right to leave if there was an emergency.

Asteria clutched her forehead with one hand and leaned back on the sofa she was sitting on. “For goodness’ sake, don’t you realize this is more important than literally everything else in the world?”

Elsa pursed her lips. “I might be needed elsewhere, and it’s not like we’re in a rush. The Iah virus will wait. The war won’t.”

Kraej coughed. “Since that’s settled, I’ll find a quiet, safe place for you to stay while you train.”

“Alright. Don’t forget that I still need to heal you, Sariel, and Seraph. I’d also like to check on all of you at least once a week since reinfection is a possibility,” said Asteria.

“I feel fine,” said Seraph.

“There’s no need to wait. By the time you feel the side effects, it might be too late,” said Asteria. “I’ll heal all of you when we move to the new place.”

“You mentioned payment,” said Uriel.

“Yes, I need you guys to do a few things for me since I’ll be in hiding for a month. And I’ll expect a small favor for each time I examine you for reinfection or side effects,” said Asteria.

“What things?” I asked. She was crazy if she thought we’d agree to do limitless favors or errands.

Asteria took out a piece of paper from her pocket and tried to hand it to Uriel, but Seraphiel intercepted it.

“Hey!” said Asteria as she tried to get it back.

Seraphiel held it up out of her reach while he fended her off his other hand. The other Uriel shook his head disapprovingly, and my double said, “Cut it out! Do your lovey-dovey stuff elsewhere.”

“Hmph, fine! Read it if you’re so curious!” said Asteria to Seraphiel. She folded her arms on her chest and turned her head away from him.

“...” Seraphiel unfolded the piece of paper and frowned.

“Ha!” said Asteria. She triumphantly snatched the piece of paper from him then gave it to Elsa who passed it on for the rest of us to read.

We all smiled when we saw the words Asteria had written.

Mind your own business, you big poop face!

“Suits him right,” murmured Elsa to Kraej. “Don’t even think of trying any of that nonsense on me.”

“You know I’m smarter than that,” said Kraej.

“You mean sneakier,” said Elsa.

Asteria was pinching Seraphiel’s face and saying “Bad Ely!” to him as though he was a toddler who’d made a mess, which pretty much destroyed his image as a cold and aloof EL.

“Does that mean you don’t actually need anything?” asked Uriel.

“No. Oh, it’s quite simple, really. Magnus will pay me for my services by seeing to our basic needs - a safe house with staff, transportation, clothes, and so forth.” Asteria paused to look at President Kraej who nodded his agreement. “But we’ll need more than just the daily necessities. These guys-” she waved a hand to indicate her EL companions “-are professional monster hunters and they would get bored if they had to stay in the house all the time. So the rest of you can pay me back by taking us on monster hunting trips.”

“Wait, wait a minute.” I raised my hand to stop her from saying more. “What do you mean they’re monster hunters? Why would they hunt monsters, of all things?”

The four otherworlders exchanged glances, baffled by my questions.

“Why wouldn’t we be?” asked the alternate world Sariel.

“Because of the war, of course!” I said.

“Oh, there’s no war where we come from,” said Asteria.

“No war…” said Kraej. His brows drew together in confusion.

“Why don’t we discuss it over dinner? It’s a long story and I’m hungry,” said Asteria.

“Just tell me one thing first, please,” I said. “Did you win or did the Eatuheans?”

“There are no Eatuheans in my world,” said Asteria. With that, she got up and the rest of us followed to troop to the dining room.

I couldn’t wait to hear how they had wiped out the Eatuheans.

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