Sofie really hoped that Elenise and Harper didn’t hate her after how many questions she had asked. The more she learned, the more questions that came to her mind. After a time, she had finally stopped asking, not because she had run out of questions but because her head was spinning with so much new information. So, instead of asking more, she decided to put what she had learned in order and figure all that out first.

First, and most obvious, was that this was not Earth. She was on Evra now, a planet with three moons, one of which she could currently make out in the sky even with the sun up. They were currently on a continent known as Euriea, made up of four large countries each joined together with a city at the point where they all met. It was astonishing that the city hadn’t been torn apart by war of some kind or another.

Next were the six recognized civilized races of the world, one of which was humans. Apparently they were most common here in the country of Ellio, though that didn’t mean that other countries didn’t give a home to mankind. Next were the dwarves, who called the mountain-riddled country of Eradon’s Majesty their home. Among the many warriors and blacksmiths and miners that many of the race had dotted through its history, they were also well known for having some of the best enchanteres and jewelry crafters in the land.

The next two her mind had put together, the elven and faefolk. She noticed a grimmace on Elenise’s face at the mentioned of the fae, something she learned stemmed from her people once being slaves to the “winged monsters” as she called them. Both called the country of Manark home, though it was still recovering from a horrible civil war that had left a power vacuum. At the moment, the elves and fea shared power, but Elenise was not happy to simply share power with those that had once been their masters.

Orcs were next in her mind, though she found there wasn’t too much to talk about when it came to them. They were simpler people, preferring a lifestyle related to the mongols. A people who believed in strength above all else, who called themselves the master of their home of Obsidia. Other than that, Harper hadn’t said much about the Orcs, and he said even less about the helyans, dismissing them in a similar tone as Elenise had to the fae.

Clearly there were some issues between the races, but overall things were far more peaceful here than it was on Earth. She couldn’t help but feel jealous of this world for, at least on the surface, seeming so much better put together than that of her home. There was hatred, sure, but as far as she could tell from their words things were improving. Perhaps, one day, her home could be more like this one.

Outside of that, most of what she learned ended up being smaller or more miscellaneous. That city where each of the countries met was the seat of the Council of Peace which sounded a lot like what the League of Nations was supposed to be, except broken up by race instead of country. They dealt with any and all issues regarding the state of the countries and the people within them.

Hopefully they were better at their job then the League of Nations was.

Of course, information wasn’t gonna just go one way, and Elenise made sure of that. The elf was incredibly interested in the higher technological level of her world, and it became clear more and more that she believed Sofie when she said she was not of Evra. Harper, on the other hand, took everything she said with either little interest or caution. That was closer to what Sofie expected people to react like.

Didn’t make her trust either of them any more than she already did though. An elf all too eager to learn everything about her home, and a human who more than likely didn’t believe a thing she said. Somehow, both of them seem insincere in their own way. Elenise seemed all too eager to get every detail she could out of Sofie, as if waiting for the girl to slip up on something. Harper seemed to not like her in general, probably thinking she was waiting to take advantage of them in some way.

Either way she was careful, more than prepared to be tossed to the side if her worries were proven right. Until then she would be friendly.

“So magic is something you need to be adept at, like any other talent?” Sofie asked, not entirely remembering how she had gotten to the point she had in her and Elenise’s current conversation. “So, very likely, I’m gonna be horrible at it.”

“Whether you are or not, magic is still something that has to be taught,” Elenise told her. “No one learns magic on their own, it takes practice and training like anything else,” She gave the human girl a sincere smile, though Sofie couldn’t help but feel it was hiding sinister intent. “How are you so sure you would be bad at it?”

“Earth is a magicless place, in more ways than one,” Sofie reminded Elenise. She couldn’t help but wonder how many times she would have to tell the elf such a thing before it finally got through. “That's why we have guns and grenades. Where magic is absent, invention has to take over innovation. That is what I’m guessing at least.”

“Hearing that, I would be surprised if you did have a talent for it,” Harper told her. His harsh tone drew a stern glare from Sofie. “I don’t mean any ill will with my statement. I am speaking as someone who has zero aptitude myself. If there's a lack of magic in your world, then said world must have no mana,” He turned back towards the map that he had been perusing as they walked. “Speaking of which, do you plan on trying to find a way back or not.”

That was the billion hryvnia question to Sofie, and for the life of her she was not sure what her answer was. A part of her wished for home, to see the city she had grown up in and the neighbors around her. Except, said neighbors had sold her out to the Nazi’s for supporting the Soviet army. That was to say nothing about whether she would just be met with the end of a bullet from the soldiers that had tried to shoot her, as if her arrival in Evra had locked time on Earth.

As much as she hated to say it, this was the best thing that could have possibly happened. She was in a different world, far away from the war that plagued her own, and perhaps one day she could go back when that war had ended. Until then she would take the relative safety of being in a place unknown to her, with the knowledge in her head to not tell people where she is truly from.

With her mind decided, she relayed her answer.

“One day, I shall return home,” She told the merchant and his wife. “Today won’t be that day, and it won’t be tomorrow. I’m safe here, which is far more than can be said of where I come from,” She looked up to the sky. “All I can do is hope my mom is still alive, though given how terrible the Nazi’s were that feels unlikely in my mind.”

“I’m sure she will be okay,” Elenise assured the girl. Harper looked away as he mumbled a reply.

“They are probably more safe than you are.”

“You’ve mentioned a war happening in your homeland. What happened?”

In hindsight, Sofie felt lucky that she had gone as long as she had without that question being thrown at her. The fact it was Harper who threw it at her just made it even worse, as he was no doubt looking for more evidence to try and destroy what he no doubt saw as lies. She didn’t want to talk about it, but she guessed she didn’t have much say in it at this point. At the end of it all, she hoped that they didn’t ask for in depth detail, knowing she couldn’t give that to them.

“From what I know, the country of Germany was looking to get rid of all people of the world besides their own,” She explained. “We had sided with them, something I hoped meant that they saw us as too much of a threat to want to take out. Ukraine is part of the Soviet Union after all, and that meant we had Russia’s back,” She looked to the ground, doing her best to not look at her right hand as she did. “My mother is sick, my brother left us for the army, and our father disappeared when I was young, so I was the one out there working. Imagine my surprise then when our city is suddenly attacked by Nazi forces without warning.”

She was so focused on the ground she didn’t notice the gloomy look Harper had obtained. He no longer thought that her mother and brother were the luckier of them, even if his theory about why Sofie was on Evra proved to be correct. More than likely, her brother and mother were gone already, and he felt horrible for bringing up such a topic.

“My home city, Kiev, was surrounded on all sides. My mother was too sick to leave so I stayed and did my best to keep us both hidden,” Sofie continued her explanation with her arms close to her breasts, eyes welling up with tears. “I went out to try and find us food and met another Ukrainian. They were an old neighbor who also wasn’t able to get out before the Nazis encircled the city. Nazi soldiers noticed us, and he told them he was on their side and that I support the Soviets,” She clutched her right hand hard with her left, a tear trail starting to form from under both eyes. “They raised their rifles, aimed at me and… next thing I know I’m here.”

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Elenise stepped in front of her, wiping away the tears with her hand, and a somber smile on the elves face. Something about that, the way Elenise immediately went to her aid like a worried mother, made something click in Sofie. The elf… they truly believed her word for word. There wasn’t any hidden intent, no faking, no distrust, but pure belief bordering on naivety. The more Elenise wiped away Sofie’s tears, the more she saw of her mother.

“Such is the way of the world when survival is the first thing on people's mind,” Elenise replied. Sofie likened her tone to a mother bird. “Listen, you are safe now. Those people can’t hurt you here.”

Sofie did her best to wipe the tears from her eyes herself, though it did nothing about the water welling within them. Elenise was right, she was safe on Evra. It was better than hoping that the red army had pushed Germany back, something she more than doubted with how useless they had been in defending her home.

“You are right, and I’m alive aren’t I?” She asked the elf. Elenise gave a nod in reply. “Then I guess I’ll just have to use this second chance for all it is worth.”

“Not so fast, girl.”

The addition of a newer, much more villainous voice took the attention of all three of them as three men suddenly blocked the road. Sofie turned around, seeing another keeping them from going back the way they had come. A mumbled swearing left Harper’s mouth, Sofie and Elenise back to each other with the latter drawing a blade that she had kept at her side.

“Now now, no need to draw blades,” Said the leading man, no doubt a highwayman. “Look, I have no idea what the girl’s deal is, but I’m feeling kind today. I was thinking of taking her, but give us a hundred percent discount on the goods you have or…” He ran his hand along a dagger, Sofie looking back towards them as the man continued to speak. “... I’m sure you can guess.”

“Sorry to tell you, but I don’t do things like that,” Harper replied, taking out a blade of his own, though it was far shorter than the one Elenis had. “We were told that there had been highwaymen in the region. We were more than prepared for it.”

“Aw, cute,” The highwayman spoke. Sofie looked back to the bandit blocking their exit just in time to see him make his way into the back of the wagon. “So you bought a blade, but I’m guessing you don’t know how to truly–”

Sofie tuned the man out, taking off her shoes and making her way quickly and quietly towards the back of the wagon. The moment she turned to see what the lone highwayman was up to, she watched as the thief opened up a crate of what she realized was jewelry. Time felt as if it slowed as she watched the man slowly turn to look at her, stopping herself from taking a step as he unsheathed a knife and placed it right in front of her throat.

She had no idea that her pupils had completely engulfed both the irises and whites of her eyes. She did, however, hear the strange voice that had played in her moments after the thieves’ warning strike had ended.

“Replication found, awaiting further data.”

Sofie blinked. “Wh-who–”

“I would suggest not moving if you value your life,” The highwayman holding the knife to her throat said. It was at that moment that Sofie realized there was something off about her vision, as if she didn’t need to turn her eyes to see everything in her field of vision. “I’m just getting my own share before those idiots get theirs.”

“Those idiots?” Sofie asked.

“Yeah, the three who are trying to negotiate instead of just taking things with force, like I’m doing,” The highwayman answered, his rough voice betraying his attempts to be quiet. “Let me tell you something, kid. If someone gives you the opportunity to take advantage of them, use it for all it’s worth.”

Sofie gave him a very displeased look. “That is horrible advice.”

“Glad you know it when you see it. That means you won’t make the same dumb mistak–”

With Sofie getting him talking, she managed to leap away from the knife’s blade before he had a chance to strike her. When it did, she felt like a flood of information entered her brain, telling her bits and pieces about how to use the knife. That sat in the back of her mind, however, as she turned and ran to Elenise and Harper. Knowing that the highwayman was no doubt after her, she made sure to get what she needed out before he could hurt her.

“They’re in the wagon!”

Those four simple words were all Elenise needed to turn around and see Sofie running from the highwayman. The man gaining on the young girl quickly, Elenise sprinted past Sofie and gave little hesitation as she gave a firm blow to the man's chest. Before he had time to yell, she turned the blade and struck his neck, blood dirtying it in the process. The man fell down moments afterwards, body lifeless.

“Replication found, awaiting further data.”

Sofie turned around as she heard the voice again, small bits and pieces entering her brain with each strike that Elenise had made. She had no idea what was going on, what the data was, or what the voice referred to as a replication. All she knew was that she was the only one reacting to it.

“Okay, seems we are doing this the bloody way,” The leader of the highwayman said, his sword held in front of him as his two colleagues drew knives. “Careful of the elf, she knows what she is doing.”

Elenise turned back around as she heard those words, both her and Harper stepping in front of Sofie. Turning back, she noticed how Sofie’s pupils had enveloped her eyes, a plan forming in her head in case everything went south. There was a part of her upset that it had confirmed everything that she and Harper expected, but it was something they could deal with later.

“Sofie, grab the knife the bandit was using,” Elenise told her. “Hopefully, you won’t have to use it, but better to be armed.”

Sofie took a few steps back, refusing to look directly at the dead body that lay beneath her as she took the knife. As she did, her brain tried to grab at those pieces of info that had entered it moments earlier, though they were too fragmented to make sense. Instead, she held it up in front of her with both hands, hoping that she would not be forced to fight for her own life.

Without warning, the highwayman leader swung his sword down towards Elenise, his motion so heavily telegraphed it was blocked with ease. He brought his sword back to his body, blocking an attempted body blow by the elf, raising it a bit higher and guarding another seconds after. There was a clear difference in the skill between the two, Elenise striking more like a natural soldier while the highwayman acted as if he was performing.

Harper, compared to his wife, was far less fluid in his motions, staying more on the defensive as he was beset by the two men with knives. Neither of them were better trained than their leader, but the combined strikes of them both gave Harper zero window to strike back. He was getting easily overwhelmed, something made more clear as one of them managed to slash a piece of the merchant’s shirt, a clean cut on his upper arm following.

Sofie took a step forward at that, part of her afraid to enter the fray but unwilling to let Harper get overwhelmed. Before she could change her mind, she charged at one of the men. She didn’t notice as the leader called out to her target, one of them turning to face her. With his arms longer than her own, he was able to easily grab her arm and bring her to the ground. Holding her by the neck with his free hand, he raised his dagger up into the air, allowing Sofie a good look at it. He then froze, noticing her eyes, but was too late to stop himself from thrusting down.

If Sofie hadn’t been able to turn her head just a little to the left, he may have had her. If he had aimed for her neck, her heart, or any other place he may have also been hailed as a hero for what he just found out he was facing. That wasn’t the case, for that miss couldn’t have come at a worse time, something clicking in Sofie’s brain as the knife hit the dirt.

“Replication complete.”

She wasn’t sure if it was a rush of adrenaline or if her body was acting on its own, but Sofie watched as a dark energy started to engulf her hands. Not questioning it, she grabbed the man and, despite knowing she shoudn’t have been able to, pushed him off effortlessly. She got to her feet moments later and grabbed the knife, waiting for retaliation as her body continued to pulse dark energy.

Retaliation never came, her mind finally catching up as she looked to that energy covering her. It erupted from her back, enveloping it in a pitch black glow. It then made its way to her hands, the energy so thick on them that it was impossible to tell where her fingers were as she clenched the knife. She let go of that same knife moments later as she stumbled backwards in fear at what was happening to her.

“What… what the hell is this?” She said. Wiggling her fingers, she saw she still very much had control of her digits. She then started to flail her arm. She did it slowly at first, but then she did it faster, faster, and faster still as she tried desperately to get rid of it. “Get it off! Please someone get it off me!”

As much as she tried, though, it refused to go away. The energy stuck to her body like a tick; whatever she had to do to pry them off was unknown. So, arms tired, she returned to staring at herself with fear. She had no idea it was the cause of the increased strength she used to throw the highwayman off her, she was just terrified of what was happening to her.

She wasn’t the only one.

Realizing the sounds of blades no longer rang, she looked to see all faces looking at her. Most of them were terrified, Elenise refusing to make eye contact, and the leader of the highwaymen smiling. He chuckled, pushing past the elf and looking at Sofie with crazed eyes. The Ukrainian saw the manic-looking man approaching her, grabbing the knife once again and stepping further back. She only stopped when he did, no distance gained between either of them.

“We came for a royal jewel and seem to have stumbled upon their crown,” He said, raising his blade towards Sofie in challenge. “A clever disguise, you beast, but one that you could not keep hidden. I challenge you, Lord of Terror, to a duel!”