Doppelgänger… a normally unseeable replica of every man, bird, or beast that stalks them from birth to death, a double of their soul, a wraith that stares back at you in the mirror.

To meet one’s double is a sign that one’s death is imminent.

I had readied my heart to see a new face in the mirror, one I couldn’t recognise. I was prepared to feel like I had really become a different person.

But I couldn’t be prepared for this, not to see ‘myself’ when I looked in the mirror.

An uncanny copy of myself that was just… wrong. It felt like I was looking at my double in the mirror. This body’s appearance didn’t change when I took over, Solly wouldn’t have recognised it if it had. So Millar looked like me from the start. He was basically my doppelgänger… no, that’s wrong. I am the doppelgänger.

I was fatally injured after the earthquake, I died in the OR… and I showed up here. I was a wraith. And I met my double, and Millar met his doppelgänger…

To meet one’s double is a sign that one’s death is imminent.

Was I really put into an already dead corpse, or did Millar die because I replaced him?

I pushed back these thoughts for a bit as I focused on the present first.

The room had a medium sized bed that looked… alright. I’ve seen worse. It also had a chair and a table. There was a tiny bathroom attached, and I was shocked to see a toilet with a flush, a little sink, and a tap with a bucket.

Honestly, it was miles above what I expected, and once again I wondered how they could have such advanced technology but still use swords and leather armour, it made no sense!

I opened the tap to fill the bucket, I desperately needed to clean up before anything else… and the tap didn’t work. Turning one way or the other did nothing, and I thought it was broken, which was odd because it all looked pretty clean. (I took off my shoes at the room door, just for information.)

Taking a step back to check the sink, water suddenly started flowing from the tap.

I reached out for the tap again and it stopped, but started working again when I got far enough away. Of course! Magic! So they replicated some technology with magic, that’s interesting. How did it work?

Jesus, I didn’t even know the first thing about magic in this world and I was already distracted by the minutiae of how they used it in plumbing…

Letting out a sigh, I double checked the floor and walls, it looked like polished stone, rather than ceramic tiles. It was waterproof enough.

There was a bucket, a mug, some soap, and a picture of a frog wearing a nun's habit hanging behind the bathroom door… everything I needed for a basic bath.

…

Finally clean, I stepped into the main room with nothing but a towel. I felt like a new man after that… Well, I felt like I wasn’t dying at least. It felt great to wash out my injuries without fearing running out of water or anything!

Staring at myself in the half-length mirror, I took a moment to finally look at my new body… Millar’s body, in proper lighting. I made sure the window was closed before fully inspecting myself.

The wound on my upper right arm was already substantially healed, and the wound on my left thigh was properly closed and there wasn’t too much risk of it reopening. That was some remarkable recovery rate.

And then the smaller differences… I was about 173 cm (5’9”), which was a little shorter than I used to be, at 180 cm (6ft). I wasn’t particularly muscular, but I was definitely in shape, with no excess fat. I didn’t have the scars I had on my old body, but I had new scars… as well as a substantial one on my back. I couldn’t see it too well but it didn’t seem recent.

My shoulders were a bit narrower too, now that I thought about it, and I still had the exact same mole under my mouth to the right that my old body had… huh.

That was it. Once I learned everything I could, I laid down in the bed and just enjoyed the comfort.

I mentioned it earlier, but it wasn’t the best bed. However, I slept on the ground last night, so this was a big step up.

So, this was it, wasn’t it?

I lost everything… It was just a repeat of all the questions I asked myself barely a day ago when Milvarr died.

Why did any of this have to happen?

My mind felt like a sludge of doubt and confusion. I didn’t know what to do… so I just focused on my current goals.

I wanted to give Milvarr and Millar their rites, and I already told Solly, so she would help with that.

I wanted to return the staff and bag of holding to Oromar Witechere’s family.

I wanted to learn more about Millar and find his routes and return his sword to his family.

I wanted to return home.

Returning home wasn’t likely a short term thing, if it was possible in the first place.

I needed to learn more for that, I needed income to sustain me and fund my search… Being alone would make living a secluded scholar easier, but I wasn’t the loner type. It would be nice to find friends who I could rely on for help. Important information tends to be hidden behind big people and needs connections to reach… so I needed to head out and talk to people.

Step 1, talk to the guards about Oromar’s death and the items.

Step 2, find a feasible way to make a living in this world.

Step 3, learn about the merchant nation Lariatne. It’s where Millar’s from.

Step 4, start learning about magic.

Step 5, find people I can trust.

And hanging over all of this right now, I needed to make sure I avoided the Priest of law, Soliaras. It was the monk who attacked Millar and Milvarr, but she was there too and suspect number two in my eyes.

Milvarr claimed she wanted the sword, and given how sharp she was, I’m inclined to believe her. Coming across the priest now could lead to my death. Antimagic might have saved my life quite a few times, but all it takes is a competent fighter with a sharp stick to kill me.

And there was the small point of if I could avoid being recognized as Millar… as far as I knew, I still looked like him, and there wasn’t anything I could do unless I just covered my face with a hood, which wasn’t practical.

I considered leaving the sword behind if it was important to the priest, but I wasn’t sure I could trust a random inn’s security or ethos, especially if this sword was valuable enough to kill two people over.

Well, there was no point in wasting more time, so I threw on a beige shirt, blue pants, took a brown cloth and wore it like a bandana to cover some of my hair. Then I wrapped Millar’s sword up with a cloth and headed out. I no longer had any spare clothing.

After crossing paths with the angry cat lady who glared at me on my way out, I beelined towards the guard house.

I drew a lot fewer eyes as I made my way through the streets, though the fancy staff did draw some interest… there was nothing I could do about it, I just didn’t have the material to hide it.

Looking around, the people here seemed to have a fairly muted sense of colours, both for clothing and buildings. I’ve heard that bright colours attract wild animals, so that does make sense. Not many people would like to get shanked by a double snake everytime they leave their house.

And one person who stood out to me amongst all of these mostly regularly dressed people was someone wearing a worn grey hooded cloak. It was drawn forward to cover their face, make them ‘inconspicuous’... but it really did make them stand out like a sore thumb.

This person looked suspicious. I need to reiterate, they look like some stereotypical thief with how conspicuously they’re covered up. And that hood.

I decided to ignore them as they stood there staring at some shop… *grumble* but I could clearly hear their stomach growl in hunger as I walked past them.

My mind went back to that old man I couldn’t help… I’ve been a fervent believer in charity since then, and it just wasn’t in my nature to leave someone to suffer when I had a chance to help.

I glanced at the shop she was standing in front of, and it was a bakery.

“Are you alright? Do you need help?” I asked, and the hooded person jumped a bit at that before turning to look at me.

Despite the shadows, I could see bluish green skin and red eyes staring up at me under the hood. This person was about 152 cm (5’1”), and I’m about 80% sure it was a girl.

“Ah, n-no, don’t worry, I was just moving on…” she stuttered out, awkwardly turning to step away. Being wary of strangers is good. “You’re hungry, right? Do you want to sit down for lunch with me?”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

I didn’t know this woman’s situation, but I can sympathise with how difficult it can be when you can’t afford food. I’ve seen it plenty when I volunteer at the Franziskustreff.

I understood I wasn’t in the best situation to hand out money without having an income myself, but if putting emotions first makes you stupid, that’s what I am and I accept that.

“A-are you sure?” the figure stopped and asked back. “Yeah, don’t worry about it. I’m horribly lost and need to hear about this place too.” Not coming off as a dominant figure was important to ease her nerves, but I couldn’t let myself look like an easy target. Some people can’t help themselves if they see an opportunity.

It took a few moments to calm her down, but before long we were sitting on a bench in an alley with a few meat buns between us. The total cost was about 6 marks.

So far, I spent 16 marks for 2 meals and a night stay at an inn.he cost of living was more or less on par with the 15 marks Solly mentioned. It seemed she gave me the estimate for a traveller and not a townsperson who’d have a place to stay and cook a few meals themselves.

“I’m Armin Fischer. What’s your name?” I asked the hooded girl who was already scarfing down a meat bun. Wow, she ate it with so much enthusiasm that it made me hungry.

“Awh, shovy.” she gulped, nearly choking. “I’m… K-kanako. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Kanako… that’s a nice name.” I said. It sounded japanese, but I didn’t have any context for what people were called here. Millar, Milvarr and Soliaras seemed like western names, but none of them were local, and I never heard Solly’s proper name.

“T-thanks. My mother named me… and are you really okay with this?” she asks, having a half eaten bun in her gloved hands. I nodded, and she took another bite of the bun, then just sat there staring at it in silence for a few seconds. “Thank you… um… are you an adventurer or a mercenary?” she asked, glancing at the staff and the cloth-covered sword.

“Well, I’m on a bit of an adventure,” I couldn’t help but chuckle, “but no, not exactly. I’m a doctor, and I’m a long way from home now. I found this staff on a corpse and I’m taking it to the guards so it can get to the next of kin.”

“O-oh I see!” she replied, though she sounded a bit hesitant. It felt like she was about to ask something, but eventually dropped that thought. “So, you’re new around here? I am too! I just reached the island three days ago, but getting here was such a pain. You weren’t on the same boat, were you? I think I’d recognise you because you have such pretty eyes.”

Well, wasn’t she the chatty sort? This did bring up the question of if I was going to keep the same story as I told Solly or not. Weighing my options, I could dress things up to make conversation easier.

“No, I wasn’t on the boat.” I replied. “I don’t honestly remember how I got here, I just woke up in some ruins. It’s not the weirdest story I’ve heard involving magic, but it is a bit inconvenient.”

“Oh, so you… were you kidnapped? Or was it a scroll of teleportation? I’ve heard of people using them by accident and ending up on the other side of the world! Are you alright? Do you know how far from home you are?” She asked a dozen questions a minute, but it was refreshing to talk to someone like this again. She reminded me a lot of Anneliese… ah, Anneliese… my girlfriend, soon to be fiance, and another person I might never see again.

“A-are you alright? I’m sorry, I’m asking too many questions, aren’t I?” she asked awkwardly. “I just haven’t had a chance to talk to someone so much in a while…”

“No no, it’s fine.” I replied, waving a hand as if to brush off her worry. “You just reminded me of home for a moment… Honestly, I’m not too sure right now, it’s all a bit of a haze. But don’t worry about that, I’m sure I’ll figure something out.” I laughed. Honestly, it was a big issue, but I didn’t need to trauma dump on someone I just met.

“Right now, my first goal is to find a new job. Once I have a bit of security I can look for information on how to get home.” I explained. “What about you?” I asked.

“I…” she hesitated a bit, “I’m looking for a new place to call home. I had some trouble back where I’m from so I’m here now. I’m looking for a job too… my dream is to become an adventurer, but I can’t do that without money, and I don’t have much left so I’m trying to be careful with spending it… ” she was being vague, but I couldn’t entirely blame her. I wasn’t being very truthful or any less vague either.

She didn’t seem to let her guard down even a bit while we were talking, regardless of how emotive she was being. Being vague wasn’t much of a problem, but I felt uncomfortable with how she acted and the dissonance between that and her very suspicious attire.

‘Adventurer’… I’ve been saying it pretty casually so far because it was a very common term in many fantasy stories, but they exist here, don’t they? This basically is a fantasy world. There are people who dive into dungeons that could be filled with traps and monsters, where there are dangers I couldn’t even imagine with what little I knew…

Osomar was an adventurer. Milvarr as well. Millar might have been one too… and all three of them met their end in that filthy temple.

That was something this woman aspired to be?

“Adventurers… there weren’t any of those where I’m from. I’ve only heard stories, but what are they exactly?” I asked. I wasn’t keen on risking my life for money, but it was an option I needed to look into if it helped me earn money and travel to different places while studying about magic.

“They don’t have many adventurers in my country yet, but… how do I explain this?” she asked, tapping the bench with a finger as she continued eating. “Okay, so there’s this big organisation called the Adventure’s Association. They get a lot of jobs from a lot of places. And then there are guilds that come together to distribute these jobs, and guilds are just permanent groups of adventurers.” She explained.

Concise and easy to understand. So Adventurers form guilds and do work for the Association.

“I’ve heard stories of adventurers hunting monsters and going into dangerous ruins… is that all they do?” I asked. This was important, because if it was, then I had no interest in being one.

“No, they do all sorts of things. They do work like gathering various materials and ingredients, exploring areas, hunting criminals, doing guard duty, investigating things the guards don’t… basically anything. Some adventure guilds also double as mercenary guilds, and there are plenty of adventurers who just get the minimum qualifications and learn other trades with the connections they get.” Kanako excitedly explained. “Unless you get tied to a big guild, adventurers can go anywhere!”

“Interesting… I should look into that if I get the chance then.” It sounded like it could be ideal. Being a doctor somewhere would tie me down and make it harder to gather information, but being a doctor in a guild would give me a lot more options… ah, but if healing magic exists, then there’s not much use for a doctor, is there?

“How common is healing magic, by the way? There was almost none of it back home.” I asked. “If it’s not someone from a church or temple, it’s pretty rare. Most adventurers just rely on guild doctors. Healing potions are great too, but they aren’t perfect.” she replied.

That was good news for me. I just had to get qualifications, however that was done here, and I’d have a chance. I could also learn more about alchemy and making potions, which could prove very useful.

“I see, thanks for the information.” I finally said, “I was feeling a bit lost, but you’ve given me some direction.”

Kanako turned to look at me and hesitated a bit, before just giving me a smile. “I’m glad I could help somehow… Where are you going from here?” she asked.

I wasn’t sure, honestly… but it was probably… “Lariatne, the merchant nation… I think that’s where I need to go.” I answered. There was probably something where Millar came from that could help me. That was my gut feeling, and a gut feeling was better than nothing.

“That’s where I’m planning on going too!” Kanako exclaimed, almost jumping from the bench. What a coincidence… I might have found an interesting travel friend…

As soon as I thought that, my mind flashed back to Milvarr. Her life had come to such a sudden end, just like that, all because of my mistake… if I had another companion, could I even be useful? Could I even be sure that I wouldn’t fuck up so royally!?

My mind was just filled with these murky thoughts like I was drowning in a swamp.

In this murky torrent, Kanako’s enthusiasm seemed like a distant glimmer. I genuinely wanted to trust her, she just had that sincerity in her words, but I didn’t want to rush to a decision… I couldn’t.

“Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to get excited like that…” she said, sitting back down. I didn’t get too good a look at her because of the hood, but I’m fairly sure she’s close to twenty? She’s a pretty cute kid.

Despite being curious, I decided to not pry much more, because that would draw more questions in return. I’m sure she wanted me to ask questions or bring up travel plans, but I left the topic and just quietly ate alongside her.

When we finally finished, I stood up, ignoring my aching thigh and arm. “Well, it’s been nice meeting you Kanako.” I simply said, ready to leave. “E-excuse me… Fischer… ah, no, I mean Armin. D-do you need someone to travel with? I’m a really good scout.”

A scout… silent movement, information gathering, possible trapping skills… interesting, but they weren’t exactly subtle so far.

And besides that… “I’m not really much of a fighter, so that doesn’t mean much to me, sorry.” I have no context for what that even means.

“T-that’s fair…” she replied, deflating a bit. I genuinely felt bad about pushing back like this… I guess I’m a bit of a sucker that way. However, I didn’t want to rush to a decision.

Unlike sympathy, you can’t be quick to throw around trust. It’s something that has to be earnt.

“I’m pretty suspicious… aren’t I?” she asked, letting out a sigh as she looked down at herself.

“I won’t lie, you are.” I answered. I didn’t want to pry, but if she had a reason to cover up like that, I would like to know. “Y-yeah… there’s a reason. I just can’t tell you… yet… sorry.”

*Sigh* She seemed like a good kid from what little I talked to her, but she was too suspicious.

“Listen, I understand that you want a travel companion, but I don’t even know you yet.” I decided to stop being subtle and say what I wanted to say outright.

“We’re two strangers who just met and have no reason to trust each other. While I would be grateful to have a travel companion, I can’t trust my back so someone I just met. Maybe we could decide on this matter at a later time, if we come to understand each other to some extent?”

“Y-yeah, you’re really trustworthy though…” she replied after a few seconds.

Excuse me? I just told her not to trust me? I mean, I did lie a bit to her about where I’m from and my circumstances.

“A liar doesn’t tell people to not trust them.” she pointed out. While that was true, the logic was… underbaked. “Sorry, I’ve not met a person as nice as you in a while… alright, if you can’t decide on if you want to travel with me yet… can you help me do some work to get money?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” I didn’t get the sudden twist. Was this a scam she was trying to get me in?

“I… I’m really suspicious, so I can’t just walk up to people and ask for work. But I’ve been listening around, and the local apothecary wants someone to help find some herbs, but the people she usually hires are up north in the town right now. I want to do the job, b-but I can’t just walk up and talk to them…” she replied, awkwardly shifting.

Ah, so she was scared to talk to strangers… but that wasn’t just it. There must have been a reason she couldn’t remove her hood. Either some disfigurement, branding, or unique features that people don’t like. Those were my guesses. I didn’t believe she was a wanted criminal… no, she could have been, but I decided to discount that possibility.

“I see…” I could use the money as well, and learning more about herbs would be very helpful if I wanted to pick up alchemy. When I glanced at the potion recipe earlier, it did strike me as very similar to chemistry, which figures, and I learnt quite a bit about pharmacology in the course of my studies and practice, so it shouldn’t be impossible to learn.

“Alright, that sounds good.” I replied. It would also be a good way to learn more about Kanako and if I could trust her. “Really!?” she asked, grabbing my hand with both of hers, surprising me. She moved incredibly fast.

“Thank you so much! I can’t wait, let’s go immediately and-” I had to cut her off, “Please wait. Let me drop this off first and finish a few other things. I’ll meet you back here in… an hour, maybe? Or is there a better place to find you?” I replied, gesturing at the staff.

“Ah, sorry. Here’s good. I don’t really have anything I can do around here right now..,” she replied. *Sigh* I didn’t think I’d have to deal with a kid so soon after waking up in another world.

This long day was going to get longer…