The weight of guilt removed, Senna felt she could move forward with her new life. Although Celica’s response surprised her, she realized at that moment that they were both trying to make the most of an otherwise preposterous situation. Leaving behind the baggage of her past life wasn’t going to be easy, but she promised herself not to squander this new lease on life.

After the final tears were wrung from both their eyes, Celica insisted on hearing about Earth and the life Senna had lived there. Her awe of the technological advancements was only outdone by the shock she expressed that magic and monsters didn’t exist.

“How can you say that magic isn’t real!? You have handheld devices that let you access every archive that’s ever existed! You get news from every corner of the planet in seconds! You have these ‘booms’ that can destroy a city overnight!”

“I mean…” Awkwardly chuckling, Senna nonchalantly put a hand to her chin. “I could see how those things can be seen as a sort of ‘magic’, but it’s all science. Those things aren’t innate to a person like this world, they took thousands of years of inherited knowledge and development to reach. Even in the last hundred and twenty years we’ve seen things progress faster than the ten-thousand before it.”

“I cannot imagine cities where every building disappears into the sky or that ten million or more people have crowded comfortably into a single space.” A look of wonder filled Celica’s eyes and she pondered such a world existing.

“We’ve even been to space and sent machines beyond the solar system that send us pictures of distant planets and stars.” Senna remarked casually.

It was dawning on Senna how impressive the accomplishments of Earth were in comparison to a society that was probably nearing its first industrial age. In turn, Celica spoke of the accomplishments of magic, and that it almost always held hands with science, albeit sciences that simply do not exist on her home planet.

Things like running water, sewage, and magically powered lighting had been spreading to all but the most rural villages. Primitive forms of heating and air conditioning using stones made from condensed mana had even begun to appear in the houses of the wealthy. Senna internally fist pumped over the prospect of indoor plumbing, recalling an unfortunate incident while camping in her past life.

Before they knew it, the sun had nearly set as Celica grabbed a small lamp to place on Senna’s nightstand. Through the window, homes across the neighborhood were beginning to light up, the city slowly coming to life. The embers in her soul flickered, a nearly foreign sensation was filling her chest that hadn’t been there since she was a teenager.

“Did you need more food, angel? It’s getting late.”

No matter how amazing the food had been, not only was she not particularly hungry, she knew better than to push her luck with a freshly awoken body.

“No, I’m still full from what you made,” she said, shaking her head, before eagerly adding, “Plus, I just wanna keep talking to you all night!”

Beaming at her daughter, Celica laughed and shook her head as well.

“I know you’re eager to learn more, but you’re a kid again and recovering from an illness. You

need sleep.”

“That’s true… Can I have Mister Floppit at least? He’s amazing…” She turned her head away in embarrassment as a sheepish smile spread across her face.

Snagging the rabbit plush from off the end of the bed, Celica placed a hand over his chest. Sigils of light appeared in front of her hand as she whispered an incantation, energy flowing outward from her palm into his body. With the wave of a hand, the sigils vanished, as she extended the rabbit towards Senna.

“The enchantment has grown weak, so I poured some of my own mana into the core to revitalize the spell. It should be a lot stronger now.”

Taking the plush from her mother’s hands, Senna clutched it to her chest. It had grown warm to the touch due to the exchange of mana, the enchantment much stronger now as drowsiness began to overtake her.

“Good…night…” Her eyelids drooped, as Celica leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

“Goodnight, darling, and welcome home…”

The incoming tide of sleep was inescapable as the room faded away; darkness was drawn over her eyes like the blanket of night.

--

Her dreams were pleasant affairs, running through meadows under the summer sun, eating watermelon and meat skewers on the shore of a lake, all the while surrounded by loved ones, even if their faces weren’t familiar yet.

Turning away to look down the beach of the unfamiliar shore, she peered at an unknown dark-haired woman sitting alone in the distance beneath a parasol. Curious about the stranger on the beach, some invisible force compelling her to investigate, Senna rose to her feet and quietly slipped away.

Walking down the shore, warm sands met her bare feet. Gulls could be heard nearby, calling out to one another, ready to fight over the scraps that her group would inevitably give them. Trees met the shoreline on all sides, their branches swaying slightly in a gentle, southern breeze. In the distance, small boats with fishermen casually skated across the surface of the lake.

She approached the mysterious woman and sat down in the sand about ten feet away. The woman’s hair was up in a tall ponytail, the color a rich chocolate that complimented her pale skin. She had a casual summer outfit of a tank top and shorts, her hands occupied by a tablet.

“No Wi-Fi at all! Imagine choosing a planet without any internet!” She tossed the tablet over her shoulder into some bushes, not even giving it a second glance.

“Why would there be internet Sayko!? This isn’t Earth anymore!” Senna responded, holding her sides as she laughed.

“I ‘unno, but now I can’t watch the Finite Fantasy dev stream!”

Her dark eyes narrowed, trying her best to pout despite the ridiculous nature of the scene. It was a surreal experience, knowing that she was speaking to an echo of her former self, physically juxtaposed across from her.

“Couldn’t you just… I don’t know, manifest it? You’re just a memory and this is a dream, isn’t

anything possible?”

“That’s the thing, babes! It is just a dream, but it’s your dream. I’m just a memory of you, minus the cute blue hair. I can’t believe there are worlds where you can just have BLUE hair!”

She hadn’t really acknowledged it before, but her appearance had changed dramatically since arriving. Gingerly grasping a lock of hair, Senna admired the navy-blue hue.

“You look just like your momma!” Sayko grinned, already having long forgotten the pouting or about missing a video game dev stream.

Senna closed the gap between herself and her past self, taking a seat beside Sayko.

“I’m sorry I let you down. I should’ve aimed higher with my life…”

“None. Of. That.” Sayko gently ‘bopped’ the top of Senna’s head with a light karate chop. “This is the final time I’ll let you acknowledge me. Besides, they’re waiting for you, and when you wake up, you get to start your path to rehabilitation.”

Tilting her head to look up the beach, Senna watched as the group of people waved and called her name. Knowing it was time to return and wake up, she rose to her feet and brushed the hair out of her eyes.

“Learn some cool spells for me! And kill some monsters!” Sayko shouted as her transformed

self, Senna, ran off.

“I will!!” Senna shouted back, an expression of joy on her face.

--

The chorus of morning met Senna’s ears through an open window, as the sounds of people and birds filled the air outside. Sunlight shone through the room, illuminating the space as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

Scanning the room, she noticed a bell on her nightstand with a small note that said “ring when you’re awake! (Or if your arms are too weak, just yell!)”

Chuckling, Senna clasped the handle of the bell and feebly shook it, a surprisingly crisp note to the clapper as it rang out against the body. About thirty or so seconds passed before Celica could be heard coming upstairs and into the room. She was wearing a tan apron with a pair of gardening gloves in the front pocket, her hair pulled up in a messy bun.

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“Morning sleepy head! How’d you sleep? Did Mister Floppit do the trick?”

“That’s probably the best sleep I’ve ever had, he’s a miracle wo-“ Just then, an enormous yawn caught Senna off guard.

“I thought recharging him would do the trick!” Celica responded, a giggle following her words.

“It really did,” fighting off another yawn, Senna eyed Celica’s outfit and raised an eyebrow.

“Doing some early morning gardening?”

“Yes! Breakfast is almost ready, I wanted to pick a few fresh herbs for it. It’ll be eggs, potatoes, and some toast. After, once your food settles, an acquaintance is coming by to help get us going with your physical therapy!”

“Were we gonna have me start by balancing on crutches or something?”

“We’ll do basic exercises like that, yes, but there are magics that can stimulate the muscles to help with strengthening them. Court healers use magics like this on Aporis Abjection victims so their muscles don’t turn to dust while sleeping.”

“I just hope it doesn’t hurt…”

A small grimace arose on Celica’s face.

“Unfortunately, it’s not a particularly pleasant experience. My arm was badly injured after a

battle with a gang of bandits, once upon a time. I wanted to get back to my guild duties, so I went through the same kind of therapy for my arm. It’s not the worst thing I’ve experienced, but it certainly wasn’t enjoyable.”

An involuntary gulp swept down Senna’s throat as she pondered her mother’s words. Yet, she also didn’t want to spend the next year trying to get back into shape while also juggling her education. Not wanting the apprehension to consume her decision making, she shook her head.

“That’s fine, I’ll do whatever it takes. Plus, I have to go to school eventually, right? I don’t wanna tackle both school and physical therapy.”

“Darling, I wouldn’t ask that of you regardless. First and foremost is getting you healthy and walking again. I can teach you to read and write in your downtime, so that’s not too much of a concern. Besides, school will depend on what you want to do with your life, so we can worry about that later.”

This comment hit Senna like a ton of bricks. She’d have to rethink her life path all over again, and in a developing world like this one, that could be any numerous trades or careers.

As long as I’m not stuck in a cubicle again or as a bored housewife.

“Is being an adventurer out of the question?” She responded, quite sincerely.

“No, not at all,” Celica replied, mildly taken aback. “I won’t ever romanticize it, it’s an extremely difficult life, depending on the path you take. It’s also dangerous in many regards. Although…” She trailed off, the tops of her cheeks turning slightly red. “It makes me happy that both my daughters have an interest in their parents’ line of work.”

“After spending my former adult life stuck inside at a desk all day crunching numbers so that my manager could get a raise and have a nicer life than me, I think I want to take more risks this time around.”

Wandering over to the window, Celica peered out at the neighborhood below.

“I can appreciate that feeling… I love our little home, but with your father, Petrus, missing and your sister, Phaedra, on the frontier, I’ve had to be close to home and I can’t lie, sometimes I miss the wind on my face and seeing where commissions took me...”

Turning back to face Senna, she revealed a look of joy. “But now that you’re awake, my days will be busy again! Speaking of, I don’t want breakfast to burn, so I’ll be right back!”

Darting out of the room, Celica’s footsteps echoed down the stairs. Meanwhile, Senna pulled herself up in bed to sit upright against her pillows. She was still wearing the hospital gown from yesterday and couldn’t wait to get out of it and into some real clothing. Likewise, she was hoping to wash her face and tie up her hair, as the warm breeze flittered into the room.

Celica returned several minutes later with a plate of fried potatoes, eggs, and a slice of buttered toast in one hand, and a small bowl and washcloth in the other. As if she had read Senna’s mind, she set down the breakfast on the nightstand first, setting the small basin and cloth in the girl’s lap.

“I assumed you’d want to clean up with a washcloth first. After breakfast, we can get you out of that ugly gown and into something comfortable.”

The pair made small talk after Senna cleaned herself off and ate breakfast.

As before, the food was incredible, leaving her mouth and eyes a watering mess. The eggs were fluffy, a perfect midway point of neither dry nor wet, seasoned with salt, garlic, and a touch of butter. The potatoes had been lightly crisped, giving them a delightful crunch to every bite, while the toast was made on the best wheat bread that had ever graced her taste buds. It took the strength and restraint of a dragon to not ask for seconds, still not wanting to tempt fate with a case of violent illness.

“Before we get you changed, there is something I would like to say…” Celica had a somewhat serious note to her voice.

Senna carefully set aside the plate on the nightstand, curious as to what spurred the shift in

tone.

“I would be careful mentioning the life you led while asleep to others. Although most would shrug it off as either a novel concept or a quaint dream, there are those who would want to probe your brain for secrets and answers,” she paused, before finishing her thought, “worlds with weapons like yours that anyone can master or use… that is deadly information.”

Not doubting her words for a moment, Senna nodded in agreement.

“I’ll keep quiet about it unless you tell me it’s safe.”

Afterwards, Celica brought a cup of tea and helped her out of the gown. Moments later, she found herself wearing a forest green tunic top with a simple pair of sandy brown shorts, with some rather plain black socks.

“I can’t lie, I love this outfit!” Senna proclaimed, marveling at the outfit. “This isn’t really that

much different than something I’d wear in the past when I wanted to get comfortable!” She extended her arms, her hands not quite reaching the end of the sleeves.

Celica sipped her own tea, saying nothing but the warmth in her eyes spoke louder than words. However, the moment was short lived as a knock at the door downstairs could be heard.

“Oh, stars! That’s probably Cyrrus!”

Carefully setting her tea down, she set off downstairs to answer the door. Not knowing what to

expect, butterflies suddenly filled Senna’s stomach and lungs.

What is physical therapy like for a world that has magic? Is this going to be painful!?

Moments later, Celica reemerged in the room followed by a slender man wearing a simple gray cloak over his ashy colored tunic shirt.

“Take a seat, Cy.” She motioned towards the chair she had just been occupying. “This is my daughter Senna. She just woke up yesterday from the sleeping sickness.”

Shifting her body to face the man, she was immediately greeted by tall, fox like ears on his head. He had a rich reddish sepia tone to his hair, which was pulled back into a short ponytail. His skin was a warm bronze color that matched his hazel eyes. He seemed somewhat athletic in build as well, making Senna wonder if he had been a field cleric unlike Artemis.

“Hello child, my name is Cyrrus, but you can call me Cy if you’d like.” He had a warm tone to his voice, seemingly a touch soft spoken.

“Hello, I’m Senna Lorenz, nice to meet you!”

“I don’t know how much your mother told you, but I am a former field medic that has taken up house calls and physical therapy for disabled folk around Enzen. Although it’s no surprise at all that you can’t walk, my magic should vastly speed up the process of getting you back on your feet and your muscles recovered.”

Her nerves getting the better of her, Senna had to ask.

“Forgive my ignorance, but… What will you be doing?”

Pulling the chair closer to her bed, he began to explain.

“As a cleric, most of my magic is based around healing, calming, and curing maladies. The spell I’ll be using is known as ‘laciel’. With most magic, it’s a balancing act of picturing the result you want and channeling the mana into that desired shape or purpose. In this case, I’ll be channeling healing mana into your legs to jump start the process of muscle regrowth.”

Nodding along, Senna raised a hand.

“I’m assuming this isn’t going to be an overnight treatment?”

Chuckling, Cy shook his head. “Not by any means. Ordinarily, it could be three to twelve months of daily physical therapy to get someone back to functioning normally. With this, it’ll cut it down to one to three months.”

Hesitating for a moment, he continued.

“It’ll be painful to jolt the muscles back into recovery. After the next session, we can start having you practice with crutches, but for this first session, it’ll be bed rest all day, you hear me?”

Nodding once again, Senna gritted her teeth and smiled awkwardly at Celica.

“Am I too old to hold your hand for this?” A mildly pitiful tone left her mouth.

“You’ll never be too old for that.” Celica responded, striding over to intertwine her fingers with

Senna’s.

“Give me a couple minutes to establish a mana channel. Afterwards, we can begin.” Cy said, rising from the chair and walking to the end of the bed.

Downing some tea to help quench a suddenly parched throat, Senna began to mentally prepare herself. Watching Cy prepare his magic kept her mind off what was about to come, as three overlapping sigils appeared in front of his hands. Unlike many sigils that had been white so far, this particular sigil was gold, fading into a reddish copper towards the ends.

As he finished mumbling an incantation, the overlapping sigils floated motionless in the air a couple feet above the bed. Cy shifted to the side of the sigils, and watched as several tethers of light emerged from the sigils, seamlessly embedding into the back of his hands. Once the tethers seemed secure, he extended hands forward, and a pair of gold symbols with intricate patterns in the center appeared over each hand.

“Okay Senna… Take a deep breath and let me know when you’re ready.”

Celica silently watched as Senna slowly inhaled, holding the breath for several seconds, before sharply exhaling.

“I’m ready, doc.”

“Wonderful! Let’s begin.”

Pencil thin rays of light sprung forward from his palms and cascaded light around her legs that seemed to absorb into her body like water into a sponge. At first Senna merely felt warmth spreading up her legs. Then, the moment she started to relax, that’s when it struck.

Muscle spasms began racing up and down her legs and into her waist. The spell was forcing the muscles to contract and relax, repeatedly. Clenching her teeth, fists balled, she

cried out in pain.

“FUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-“