Winter 2045 ~ Underworld

Lucas Adair

It was as simple as that—to take a mechanical designation and to make it his own. It was a reclamation that he was proud of. Something he could break down and humanize, He chose it and he could shorten it—he could do whatever he wanted with the name as it was his name. His surname, of course, was the biggest change of them all. He had thought hard on the subject, but came to the decision that if he wanted to forge his name from his own hands, he had to shed the ties that came before.

Gray was so often how he felt—so torn between his ideals and the ideals of those programmed into him, but now, now he could be the shield for those he cared about. He could be the spear necessary to fight back against the dark beings that would seek control of life no matter where it flowed. At the end of the day all of these reasons were nice—and definitely true—but the cleanest and easiest answer was that it was his decision and he could make it divorced from any external bias or responsibility. He could make a choice that he would live by and the world would have to accept it—past creators or wishes be damned.

He sat on the sidelines of the training session with a grin so large Laven had noticed it from halfway across the room. He had been watching the others as they each had challenged Tomorrow—much in the same way as he had, and the results had gone similarly for all of them. Even Laven—who Lucas had believed to handle the blade the best out of them, still had difficulty in adjusting to the weight of the blade.

She did get used to it faster than he had, and was able to land a hit on Tomorrow before their session was over, but it was obvious that it was more than a challenge for her to get used to it, and her success only came out at the very end of her session.

The worst of them had been Windsor—he had complained loudly about the weight of the blade from the very start and his frustration got the better of him until he lashed out and Tomorrow ended the sparring session early. Lucas found it very awkward to be standing on the side and witnessing the equivalent of a tantrum from a man who seemed so much older than he was.

“I’ll need to have one of the others paired with you to begin with. I think you need alternate training,” Tomorrow said, and then looked to Roderick. “You two, how about you pick up where we left off?”

Roderick nodded, it was a simple enough request. He had handled his session pretty average. There wasn’t anything he did well or not, Lucas likened it to his own experience. It was a starting point with which to build off of, but it was surprising considering the size difference between the two of them. Lucas could see that Roderick had been pushed to a sweat when he had finished his session—the jacket he was wearing had been tossed aside and the stains were prevalent on his undershirt.

“Yeah, I can,” Roderick said. “Toss me the stick.”

Tomorrow walked the dull blade up to him and Roderick watched him slowly approach and delicately hand off the sword. “I’m not about to needlessly cut you up by mishandling a thrown weapon.”

Lucas heard Amber behind him whisper some comment. He couldn’t hear exactly what was said but he figured he got the gist of it. Interestingly she has a lot to say when her attempt went about as well as anyone else’s. You would think she flung herself around like a character from a story.

Roderick accepted the blade and turned to Windsor who had been breathing heavy. It was clear the frustration had only grown as his face looked taut. It must have been embarrassing to feel like the tutor needed to give you extra work.

“Ready?” Roderick asked, assuming a defensive stance.

Windsor let out a grunt and dashed to close the gap between the two. He raised the sword with both hands grasping the hilt and was working to swing it down. Roderick smiled small as he sidestepped as the blade coursed right next to him. Windsor screamed as he realized he had missed. “I’M GOING TO END YOU!” He sounded feral—his normally higher pitched voice was scratchy and full of hate. He swiped out an arm to try to catch Roderick, but he missed as Roderick stepped back.

“You’re going to need to slow down,” Tomorrow said. “If you continue flying into a rage you’re never going to make contact.”

“If I go slow then he’ll move out of the way!” Windsor argued. “I got him!” He swung the sword like an axe twice, missing both times. Even with a dull blade something with that kind of power would do serious damage.

Windsor swung again in an upward slice and he connected with Roderick’s blade, but it was only the tip so he fell forward and tripped over his own feet. He stumbled and hit the ground, dropping the sword. It was hard to watch, especially when Lucas could see the sweat dripping from his face.

“I’m done,” he cried out, slamming his fist against the ground. “I wasn’t built for this…” he spat out and slammed his fist down again. He brought his head up slowly to Tomorrow. “I can’t do it...I can’t.”

Tomorrow stared at him with a contemplative look across his face. “I wish circumstances were different, but I’m afraid you’re going to have to. We don’t have any other use for extra hands in any other contexts.”

“There has to be something!” Windsor was crying now, he gasped deeply and rested his weight on his arm. “There has to be something else I can do.”

Tomorrow’s look darkened and he sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t have that authority,” he started to shake his head. “If you cannot oblige then I’d have to report it, then Tidmas would surely vote for...an unpleasant end.”

“What?” Lucas asked. “Why would that need to escalate so far?”

Tomorrow turned to Lucas. “He would vote it as treason, and then we’d each have to make our cases to the King—us councilors, I mean. I could do my best, but I would be questioned, and the truth of the matter is plain. It wouldn’t be an emotional decision, but one of facts, and the end result would be simple execution.”

Windsor’s eyes went wide and his breathing became more scattered. He began to hyperventilate and Roderick knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“There must be some other course of action,” Laven said. “Something must be in place for those who cannot physically fight?”

Tomorrow closed his eyes and slowly nodded, “That is what the other squadrons are for. We’ve set up numerous teams that are set up for the most optimal performance based on internal studies of each individual within.”

“Internal studies?” Roderick asked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means we have methods secret to you to judge your physical, mental, and elemental capabilities without needing to ask you. I can’t explain more than that as it is a secret, but it is from those studies that the squadrons were made. Each team was constructed with each unique skill set in mind based around your abilities, so we cannot shift them around without redoing the entire system, then polling everyone to ensure that is what they want...we and you would be here for eternity finding the ideal solution for everyone, as that is hardly likely to exist.”

“Isn’t it odd that you guys don’t have a system that allows for change without upending the entire deal?”Amber asked.

Tomorrow turned to Amber, “Our system is not normally used for this task. If you remember, these squadrons are a direct result of your entrance in this world. We have nary the time or power to spend more resources on the system when we barely got the system going in the first place.”

Amber looked deflated from the answer, she knew it to be true logically. That didn’t help Windsor who seemed to sag and let his head fall to the ground.

“You are more than you say, soldier,” Tomorrow turned back to Windsor. “Your words may ascribe low combat experience, but you fool nobody but the naive.”

“Soldier?” Lucas asked, his focus turning to Windsor. “What do you mean?”

“We are able to ascertain based on various scarring across his body that Windsor has seen combat and long years of it. The types of scars match with puncture wounds by way of gunfire. That, and his muscle density heavily implies a strict training regiment. Finally, traces of your emotions have been leaking ever since you’ve arrived—us councilors are trained in noticing these leaks and preparing ourselves for resistance against others who have similar abilities as our own—councilors of opposing kingdoms, mainly. But as such, there is a noticeable fear of your wounds being discovered as the connection to your previous combat experience may be linked.”

“So what you’re saying is this fool’s got more combat experience than the lot of us, but he’s been hiding that and throwing his training purposefully?” Tabula signed. Laven repeated her question for Tomorrow’s sake, and he nodded firmly.

“Yes, it seems the most likely option.”

“What the fuck…” Windsor spoke out. All eyes were now on him. “Well so what of it? I don’t care anymore. I did my time in the service. I got shot for hell’s sake! I was supposed to be out of the fighting, out of the battlefield. Is that really such an evil thing? Am I to be vilified for wanting to live in peace for once?”

Tomorrow clasped his hands. “I understand the difficulty of your situation, unfortunately times require us to work together to accomplish our goals. If you wish to return home, then it is in everyone’s best interest you work for the greater good.”

Windsor’s eyes went wide and something in him had started to click. “I won’t go home…” he said quietly. His eyes darted to Amber and then back to the group.

Lucas turned to him and asked him to repeat what he said.

“I won’t go home...that’s the only solution.” He looked up to Tomorrow. “I am not going to go back. I no longer identify with the world I originated from. Therefore, I am no longer fit to partake in this squadron.”

His eyes looked greedy, there was a desperation to his voice that Lucas couldn’t wholly turn down. There was a part of him that could understand the motivation on wanting to avoid combat—especially having experience himself in the field. There brought forward the thought of his own feelings on the matter. Of course if he had to choose he would forgo fighting altogether, but of course he doesn’t have the option to give up. If he does, there’s no telling what would happen to those he conspires against.

In that context, he could not feel as much empathy toward Windsor in this state. He looked down to the man and in the instant felt a sort of jealousy bubble up that formed into irritation. That irritation congested in his chest and he had felt no choice but to speak up.

“Nobody’s forcing you to be here,” he said. His voice sounded different to how it normally did. He felt like he was speaking from more of a wisened authority. There was a strength there he hadn’t normally noticed. “You came to this castle because it offered food to eat and an opportunity to go home. If you don’t want to help, you can go elsewhere.”

Tomorrow seemed the most surprised at his outburst, but he kept quiet, letting Lucas continue. All eyes were on him at this point, and he didn’t let the opportunity go to waste.

“Some of us don’t have the option of not fighting. I have my own thoughts and feelings on going back into combat, especially because I lost a lot of my ability to fight in our world, but look at you. Throwing yours away because it is more comfortable. Everyone here wants a life without fighting. Everyone here would give it up if they could, but we’re not getting that chance, because there’s more important than what we individually want.”

Windsor flinched at this and turned to Tomorrow. There was a mix of hurt and anger splayed on his face—he was breathing hard as the energy held close to him and he yearned to let it out—to scream it out.

Lucas could feel the sting in his face and knew his words had hit deep. His adrenaline had begun to fade, and it was clear that he had said all he was going to on the situation. Windsor got to his feet and tore off the two shirts he’d been wearing—revealing that his torso was covered in scarred flesh, and Lucas could see that a few of them were from gunshots. The scarring was pooled to smaller more noticeable marks that signified where his flesh was torn after being shot. It was clear that there were others made from both sharp and blunt objects.

He tossed the shirts to the side and then turned to Tomorrow, the sweat glistening off his chest. It explained why he desired to cover up more than anything else. “Your information is scarily close to home. It doesn’t change my wishes. I’m done here.”

“Very well,” Tomorrow sighed. “I have to say, I agree with Lucas on this matter. I’m very disappointed, and the kingdom shall offer you no more comfort. I’ll have to report this to the King and you’ll be considered wanted if you’re found in these grounds again. If you so desire to remain in this world, you’ve done a poor job at starting off fresh.”

Windsor looked at the man in front of him with a tinge of annoyance. He scoffed, all humor of his previous demeanor shed to the floor. He dropped the sword and it clanged loudly as the metal made contact with the cold stone floor. He brushed past Tomorrow and those remaining felt the tension melt as he left them in their training quarters.

~...~

Two weeks of unparalleled training passed within the blink of an eye. Lucas felt the habits sink in and as Tomorrow had said—broken and reforged. He felt surer of himself and it helped his self confidence blossom into a strength he could keep close to his chest. At least, it was a start.

Each day had given them something different until they had cycled back around come the beginning of the second week. They had done weight training, agility tests, reflex and adaptability training. Lucas had felt like he had been enrolled in some military summer camp.

He woke with a sore back and had to motivate him to sit up from the cot he was provided. Each of them was given a cell of their own—the doors had been removed from these cells to help divorce it from an actual prison cell—and it wasn’t like there were actual prisoners in this corner of the dungeon anyway. But it certainly didn’t help to make it feel like their own space, but it was better than nothing, if only barely.

If pattern were to hold, today was going to be focused on their cardio and team building efforts. They were nearing the end of the lengths Tidmas was willing to spend on their efforts before they were let loose on their mission. Tomorrow had estimated this would be their final rotation, and the last two expeditions of their cardio training brought them outside the bounds of the castle for the first time since arriving.

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There had been a path they had traveled and they had to work together to explore and utilize each other to ensure the survival and timely return from the path. At first Lucas hadn’t felt like it was as worth it as the other exercises, as the path they had taken had been pretty linear and without much difficulty other than the expenditure of energy getting to and from.

He should have figured Tomorrow would challenge them further. But of course, expectation was the enemy of the Omegas. At least, that was what Tomorrow had intended to set in deeply.

“You ready for our morning jog?” Laven was standing in the doorway to his cell. He was sitting upright on his cot with his legs swung out over the edge. He was thankful that the sides of the cell were solid concrete, as he felt a bit embarrassed about how sore his body had felt from their training—he had sat in the fetal position just letting his new muscles sit and be for longer than he would have liked anybody knowing, least of all her.

The accelerant particles that existed to hasten their training was in full effect, but Lucas felt like the increasing soreness on his body was equally amplified at a proportionate rate. He looked up to Laven, in awe. He was continuously amazed at how effortlessly she seemed to be adapting to this new world. She was consistently at the top of performance in their training. Even adjusting to the weight of a sword as a simple transition for her. The minuscule part of him that felt jealous was easily stamped out by his admiration.

“I will be, I just need a few minutes to collect myself.”

She noticed his tone and she cocked her head, her grin fading into a more contemplative look. “I understand this has been hard on you—and I know we haven’t really had a good moment to sit down and talk about it.”

It was true—since they had met back up they had been so busy or around other people that they haven’t had a quiet moment alone together. He definitely felt like that contributed to his more down-trodden morning.

He nodded, “It’s been tough. Don’t get me wrong, I love having you hear and you’ve inspired me to keep pushing, keep getting stronger, keep learning more about my new self, but I have missed the times when we used to just talk until you fell asleep.”

She leaned against the wall of the cell, an amused grin crossing her face. He saw a glimmer in her gray eyes. It was the look that he liked most on her. She offered a small chuckle—one ready to offer a counterpoint, but then she transitioned into a softer smile. “Yeah, I get what you mean. I want you to know that even though I don’t know how it feels to switch bodies like you have—to transition from something cybernetic to something organic. There’s a million things I’m sure you haven’t needed to think about that are now required to live...I get that confusion. But I want you to know that you’ve been doing a really good job considering all of everything that’s gone on,” she made a gesture with her hands, waving to emphasize the incredulity of their situation.

He looked at her with a warm feeling in his chest. He recognized this feeling as endearment, and it felt good to feel such. Back before he could understand the feeling—and if asked he would say he felt endearment, but that feeling of warmth inside his chest is something he could only ever emulate—play off of feelings he had data for based on his father’s life. Based on the information he knew about Cain...how strange he would consider him an uncle, but an uncle in the sense all the same—had felt about Sophie. At least, at the start before things went wrong.

Endearment had the potential to become dangerous if left unchecked. Thankfully, he thinks the lessons Cain imparted onto him were just as important as the ones Abel had—he had the gift of learning from the mistakes of those before him.

“I’ve kept a very close eye on you during our bouts—not to be weird or anything like that,” she nervously trailed off. “I just liked seeing you find yourself in something. Of course, I feel very close to you, but I admit outside of our journey together it’s been rare that we’ve had a chance to explore ourselves together.”

“Yeah...I feel responsibile and my sticking to it has introduced some complications in our...whatever it is we have,” Lucas said. “And I guess my unsureness of that is evidence enough of that.”

“It’s not an entirely you problem, I’m just as responsible for everything that is put in or not into our relationship,” she said, making sure to stress the last word. “I have no conflict in calling a spade a spade, but I agree that just before we got sucked into this strange world we did have some tension that was building based off that very idea—responsibility to our mission versus the responsibility we owe to each other.”

Lucas was nodding. “I apologize it took an inter-dimensional world shift for us to be able to talk about it—for me to realize how much of a one-track mind I had about the whole thing. That’s actually why I wanted to bring something important up.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“Well, I shouldn’t have treated you the way I did. I wanted to be very clear about that. Like you said, tensions got high and I spoke out of turn. That is not the message I want to send and not the kind of relationship I want to have. I want to have a relationship,” Lucas clarified. “And in doing so, I’ve been thinking a lot of my own personal responsibility. I am obviously in a new body, but that shouldn’t be the excuse for me to act more like a person—I’ve had my own consciousness since waking up, and it shouldn’t have taken to this point to understand this. I want that to change, and in doing so, I wanted to reclaim my name—to make that effort to be the best I can be.”

“That sounds very nice,” she started. “I am thankful to hear you say that. It eases a weight off of my chest, but I do have to admit I am curious to what you mean by reclaiming your name?”

“You know how LUCAS is an acronym, right? Well, I’m removing that. I’m not an android here, so there’s no need to use that name. I like Lucas, though. And you know me as Lucas, so I don’t see any reason to change that for change’s sake, but I wanted a surname. Something to make my own.”

“I see, and what surname were you thinking of?” She asked. Her eyes were studying him, as if to come up with a name of her own to test against the name he had come up with.

“Well, my knowledge of language is unfortunately limited to English as that was my default programming, back when I had my old body I did have the ability to research things on the fly in my head. I wanted to honor that memory in some way as to not totally erase my past, so I thought of something foreign. Of course, I wanted it to be something that meant a lot to me, and the last thing I wanted was to be insensitive.”

“Enough preamble,” she chuckled. “You may have lost the database connection but you are still a lexicon of your own.” She smiled saying it, and the smile made him return one in kind.

“Sorry,” he chuckled. “I was thinking of the words I could pull to my brain from what I remembered—what existed on the edge of my thought from my old processes. I settled on Adair.”

“Adair?” Laven asked.

“It is German for happy spear. It symbolizes what I want to be...happy of course is my personal responsibility. It is what I want from my relationship with you. I want to be happy, and I want to make you happy. Spear is my responsibility to our world...and now, this world, if I can. I want to be something that can help others. Something that can lessen the hurt of others and prevent the continuance of evil.”

“That seems like a worthy goal to sacrifice yourself for,” she said. “But I am happy to hear that you have more than one priority to focus on.”

“Sacrifice, I think I understand where that is coming from,” Lucas said. “I promise you, Natara, that I would only sacrifice if it were in your benefit.”

She blushed, staring at him, silent. She stared at him over the use of her old name—the name she had discarded since coming to the new world, and something inside her felt that warmth flooding through at his remembering of such a detail. “It sounds nice coming from you,” she said.

“I understand what you mean,” Lucas smiled. “And yes,” he continued. “I am ready for that jog.”

She smiled and they headed out together.

~...~

They had met up with the others at the castle’s front gates. Tabula and Roderick greeted them with smiles and waves. Amber gave them a silent head nod—Lucas had learned early on that she was not a morning person in the slightest. The most one could expect out of her was a grunt and a head nod.

The sun had just started to crest over the hills in the distance. Lucas had stopped to stare at the indigo sky. He wondered what kind of existence sat outside the bounds of space in this world.

Tomorrow had joined them last, it was clear he was in a rush as his robes looked a mess and were haphazardly strung about him. His face was a haggard remnant and it inspired little confidence in their day’s activities.

“Today is going to be a bit different,” Tomorrow began. “The councilors are being summoned to discuss emerging concerns at the border, so your training is going to be self lead. I hope I don’t have to say it, but just because you are not being guided I would hope that you do not use this opportunity to stray from the paths we’ve carved out the last few weeks. I say this for your safety, as shade presences have been increased as of late. While your ultimate goal will be to take them down, you are ill prepared to handle them.”

“If you’re going to be out, why send us out at all? We could just adjust our training to not be out on our own,” Lucas asked.

“It’s your choice,” Tomorrow shook his head. “You are at the end of the day responsible for your own bodies. My regiment is untested and only theoretical. If you feel skipping it entirely is the better option, but I’m unsure how your bodies will adjust to repeated training of the same parts of your body consecutively.”

Lucas felt the phantom pain in his arms and shoulder blades. He surely knew that if he picked up a sword again today he would be in turmoil—he doubted he would be able to even complete it. He looked to the others around them and he could see similar looks cross their faces—even Laven’s.

“We’ll continue, today,” Lucas said. “I think we’re all in agreement that we couldn’t handle another inside.”

“If I lift another thing today I feel my arms would fall off,” Tabula signed.

Laven had translated for Tomorrow.

He nodded, “Excellent. If you notice any shades—which you’ll find are close when your bodies start growing cold and numb—evacuate immediately and regroup at the castle. If you are followed, alert the guardsmen,” Tomorrow pointed toward two guards who were standing on shift. “They’ll alert us and we can send in our imperial reserves. At worst we can come out and dispatch the threat if they’re more than the reserves can handle.”

“By increased activity,” Roderick chimed in. “How much increase are we talking? What’s the likelihood we come across them?”

Tomorrow shook his head, concern forming on his face. “I only know reports of sightings on the border and in Whitewing being normal, and more reports closer to the edge of our borders and some deepwood sightings. I couldn’t begin to imagine how many are truly out there.”

Roderick seemed crestfallen from his response. “I see...I was just hoping we could eke out without encountering any, but I guess we’ll just have to be careful.”

“If you reach that fork we went to last time,” Tomorrow stated. “Head down the right path. It leads down through the rockbluffs. The ground is uneven so it will be more tiring of a trip for you, but the uneven ground will be to your benefit. Shades tend to avoid uneven ground if they can avoid it—their existence is tied to their connection to the ground. The flatter the land the easier they can travel, and the faster, too. Bumps and cliffs deter their travel, but don’t fully impede it. If you are chased, they will not stop for bluffs.”

“It’s not foolproof, just a good thing to watch out for,” Laven summarized.

“Exactly,” Laven nodded in her direction and offered a small smile. “With that, I must take my leave. I am already late from being here to assist with questions.”

Lucas nodded in his general direction, “Thank you for assisting us, Tomorrow. I know this is a weird transition for everyone. We’ll do our best to be safe in our travels.”

Tomorrow nodded and then turned on his heels, walking at the same frantic pace as when he had first seen the man back to the castle.

Lucas turned to the others, they looked at him each with a differing level of amusement. “Well,” he took in a deep breath. The air tasted of salt—he could imagine the winds picking up as they headed closer toward what he assumed were the coasts of this great landmass. “I guess we should get going, no?”

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Amber said, shaking her head. “I’m going...but I’m just in awe how much we’ve accepted this.”

“I think it’s because we know there’s no other good choice,” Laven said.

“I’m sure if we urged to take a day off, that Tidmas guy would move to see us expelled from the grounds and considered as much of an exile as that Windsor guy.”

Laven translated for Amber, who made a face at hearing his name. “That ass wipe is a good for nothing lout…” she looked off to the ground. “An inconsiderate fool who cares for nothing but himself.”

“Did you happen to know him before coming here?” LUCAS asked.

Talk on Windsor had been at a minimum since the day he left—it was an unspoken rule that they would not think on what would happen to him out in the wilderness alone, that meant bringing him up in conversation as it would clearly lead to said end result.

Amber’s reaction to the question was as much of an answer as an answer itself, and she nodded. She looked to him and then her eyes darted to the others, and then returned to the ground below. “It’s a long story, but if we want to get moving...I can talk about it.”

~...~

Amber sat across from Windsor—then named James Kante—but he was facing away from her. They were sitting in a local eatery named Cansas’ Eats that was one of two in the small encampment they lived in on what used to be the United Kingdom of the old world. He had just finished with a rather large outburst and she had returned much of the same.

The world around them had changed greatly over the past two decades, but as they were only in their late twenties, they knew very little of the world before. Decanton was the name of their small village—it had built up over the decade, but there were ever present threats of territorial conflict that had sunk villages nearby to looting and arson.

More threatening of pressure on the two of them were their own inner turmoils. Amber and James had been together for several years, but the tension between them was palpable sitting there opposing one another, like two commanders of opposing armies—just when the treaty is burned and the command for total annihilation is called. That deafening silence was only broken by the occasional clinking of silverware against plates as they ate their meals in sullen silence. On the table were the remnants of their last row—Amber had confronted James about his recent disregard for their financial situation.

James had the bills next to his plate, scattered haphazardly as Amber had just gone through laying them all out. Among them were lists of expenses and notes from local lenders who had been approaching her more often—lenders that had given the both of them money so James could continue his construction work for other villagers and their neighbors. He was supposed to have gotten enough payment from these jobs to be able to repay the lenders, but James has had a penchant for offering his work for credit instead of actual liquid currency.

This, plus James’ recent overspending of convenience items leaving him to rely on Amber to cover his other necessaries had instigated this most recent fight. They had been discussing their finances for what felt like hours, and the conversation had grown increasingly heated as the night went on.

"I don't understand why you can't stick to a budget," Amber said, her voice was strained. "We've talked about this so many times and yet here we are, still in the same hole."

"I'm trying," James shot back, his own frustration clear in his voice. "But you don't understand how expensive it is to work in construction. I need to pay to have the tools made or else I can’t do what I need to do to make the money I do."

"That's no excuse," Amber retorted, “when that money you say you’re earning just doesn’t exist until you need a favor from someone, and that favor is something you can ask of them normally.”

“I feel bad about asking people for help. Not unless I’m helping them first!” James said.

“James, the problem is that you are asking people for help. Morty’s guys have been coming around when you’re out working.” She made it clear to put the word in air quotes as she said it. “An’ I can’t handle being harassed by those guys every day because you decided you can’t ask Frank for help in actually paying you for the work you’re doing.”

“Frank’s going through a hard time!” James’ anger was now present, again.

“We’re going through a hard time!” Amber shouted back. “Frank’s been widowed for two months now. It’s not long, but he needs emotional therapy, not an addition onto his house. Or if he does need that, he can bloody pay you for it. You need to learn to control your job instead of letting it control you. Otherwise it’s not a job. It’s a hobby, and we can’t survive off of a hobby.”

James’ face flushed with anger. "I don't need you to bail me out," he said, her voice trembling with emotion. "I'm a grown man and I can take care of myself. I don't need you to control every aspect of my life. I get by."

The argument continued, each of them growing more and more agitated. They said things they didn't mean, and the hurt and anger in the room was palpable. By the time they went to bed that night, the rift between them felt wider than ever.

She had decided she wasn’t going to stay in the same room as him—much too often when they fought and they tried to go to sleep he had tried to pretend things were better by buttering her up. Just because he got thoughts in his head and he saw the opportunity, he would try to tend to his needs at the cost of her comfort and emotional stability.

Things were not good.

Amber’s eyes fluttered shut and she fell into the world of the unconscious—a falling that felt so real as deep dreams oft tend to do, but it wasn’t until her eyes opened in haste that she realized she was falling for real.

The world around her was a cosmic slurry of blues and purples smearing across her vision. The colors shone brilliantly and rose in intensity. She tried to scream, but couldn’t find the air to take in. Her head felt light and her consciousness waned until physical sensation returned to her body—she was rolling along the ground and she gasped for air as the world filled in around her.

The ground was hard and tall grass stalks rose up—hiding her in the depths. They irritated her skin and she sat staring at the ground as she lay on her stomach for a few minutes until she looked up and her eyes widened—the sky was blue. It had been said that the older residents of her village had lived in a time when the sky was blue—but she never had even imagined what that could feel like. It felt so foreign...and she knew immediately that she wasn’t in the same world anymore.

She scanned her surroundings and saw something a few feet off in the distance hidden by the grass. She made her way to her feet—slowly taking her time as to not overwhelm her senses. When she was able to stand without feeling like she was going to fall over she worked her way over toward the other figure in the grass.

“Oh my god, James,” she let out an exasperated sigh and bent down to check him over. He let out a pained groan and groggily opened his eyes.

“Wh-what the hell happened?” he asked, coming back to himself. “Where are we?”

“I don’t know,” Amber said, looking around their surroundings once more. In the distance stood a grand castle.