People take a lot of things for granted. Some of the more obvious ones would be stuff like phones, cars, well-paying jobs, and good housing. A few less obvious things would be steady access to food, clean water, and basic clothing. Still, there are fewer people than that who would look at themselves and be grateful for the simple ability to run, jump, play, or even walk for extended periods of time.
Yes, not many people would consider basic biology to be a blessing, yet from the perspective of someone who was born without such a luxury, it was highly desirable. That was what the young lady sitting in a hospital bed thought as she looked out the window. The world was passing her by, uncaring about her predicament as not a single person out there even gave a second thought to the hospital and the people that were within it.
This had been her life from the moment she was born, but that didn’t make it any easier. She had a weak heart, the muscles that formed this most vital organ had been underdeveloped by the time she was born, a freak genetic anomaly. It was rather touch and go when she was a baby, no one knew if she would be able to survive. Against the odds she did live, but that was only the start of her trials.
She was bedridden quite frequently, unable to live a normal childhood lest her own body betray her. No running, no strenuous activity, and certainly no sports. There were even instances where she simply got too excited and ended up passing out, hitting her head, and waking up either in the nurse's office or on the way to the hospital. It was far from what regular kids would call a day-to-day schedule, but that didn’t sink in for her until she was eight.
One day she got tired of her parents keeping her inside all the time and telling her she couldn’t go play with her friends from school that lived in the neighborhood. She snuck out and went to her friend’s house. All it took was a little lie to convince the other kids that she could play with them so long as she was careful.
Things were going great! She was running around their backyard, playing tag, using their jungle gym, all the things she wanted to do but was never allowed to. It was the best day of her life, that was, up until her chest started to hurt. Soon it became hard to breathe, her body started shaking, her vision was going black, she could vaguely remember seeing her friend look at her with concern before running back into the house yelling something. Everything else faded away into blackness.
She later woke up to the familiar sight of the local hospital, a building she had been in a hundred times before. As soon as a nurse realized she was awake again, her parents came into the room. The expectation was for them to be angry at her, but they were crying instead. It confused her quite a lot as they continued to say scary things like ‘far too close’ ‘asphyxiation’ and ‘potential brain damage.’ Admittedly she didn’t understand everything, but she did know enough to realize that what she did was very dangerous.
Her parents were mostly glad that she was okay, but she still got grounded. She didn’t see her friends again until after she was released from the hospital and allowed to attend school. Being in the hospital was always boring, so she was excited to have the opportunity to play with them again, albeit with much more reserved games.
The moment she got to the playground at recess she sought out her usual group, a handful of kids, but more than enough for a child to have fun with. She spied them making their way towards the large jungle gym area. Speed walking up to them, she waved and called out.
“Hey guys, I’m back!”
They all turned towards the sound of her voice, and their looks made her pause. She didn’t know why, but she felt like they were looking at her like she was an interruption. Dilan, the boy she had been playing with when the incident happened, took it upon himself to talk with her.
“Oh, hey, are you feeling better?”
The looks momentarily forgotten, she smiled at her friend. “Yep! Doctors said I should be more careful, but I can come back to school and hang out with you all again.”
“That’s good, but...” His gaze failed to meet hers, and he started to fidget kind of like when a kid doesn’t want to admit something. Her smile dropped a little when she saw this. “We were planning to go play around the jungle gym today.”
“Oh, okay, well I can walk around with you guys then.”
“We, uhm, we wanted to play tag right now, and we were told we couldn’t let you play that with us because of your heart.”
It felt like something heavy sunk into her stomach. “I... Right, yeah. Maybe I can play with you later then?”
“Later, definitely.”
She watched as the group walked away from her, slowly at first, but then they took off running to play their game of tag. That was the start of it, being left behind, left alone, left out, and the start of a pain in her chest that had nothing to do with her condition. They tried to keep their word and hang out with her every now and then, but those moments steadily became fewer and farther between, until one day they just stopped entirely.
It was the natural consequence of things. She had been able to maintain her relationship with the group because she could get away with a little bit of running around before needing to have a break. Now, after the most recent scare, all the parents had instructed the kids not to let her exert herself in any way. They couldn’t play with her anymore, she became boring, and that was the worst thing that any child could be.
The parents probably didn’t intend it to happen like that, they just wanted her to be safe. No matter the intention, the results felt like she was being punished for something she couldn’t control. She walked alone, ate alone, played alone. She was, alone.
This didn’t improve much with age. Sure, people understood her situation and weren’t always looking to spend time doing physical activities, but she lost out on the early years of socialization, and thus did not have a circle that she belonged to. It was always difficult to try and enter a group from the outside. You don’t know what they like or dislike, their sense of humor, their inside jokes, what they are okay with, and sometimes these divides are wide enough to cause them to forcefully eject you from their lives. It hurt, being rejected, and the pain in her chest grew every time it happened.
She just didn’t see the point of trying to continue tormenting herself with fruitless attempts at socializing. In the end she just resigned herself to being content with a collection of acquaintances that might give her the time of day and say hi every now and then. It was an acceptable existence, but not at all what one would describe as happy. In fact, she had on and off cases of depression that always seemed to flare up at the most inconvenient time.
Going through high school like that was a challenge, and there were many days where she wondered if anyone would even realize if she just disappeared. Her life was a sheltered bubble devoid of challenge and satisfaction. All she wanted was to be able do even the simplest tasks without feeling like her chest was going to cave in. Even with medication, she could barely jog on a treadmill for twenty minutes.
That didn’t stop her from trying though, and whether it was frustration or stubbornness, she refused to accept that her life would always be like this. She pushed herself as far as her body would go, despite the objections of both her doctor and her parents. She didn’t care, she just didn’t want to be weak anymore.
It was this attitude that recently landed her in the hospital again. She lost consciousness while trying to push out an extra mile on the treadmill and gave herself a mild concussion. After receiving yet another scolding from those that sought to regulate every aspect of her life, she was left alone to recover.
Even after graduating high school, in those quiet moments, when she was trapped both in a room and in her own body, she felt the overwhelming sensation of self-loathing. Why did she have to be weak? Why was she born this way? What could she have possibly done to have deserved all this?
All those questions and more raged in her head as her frustration brought her to the brink of tears. She would do anything to be rid of this body that had caused her nothing but grief. Little did she know, however, that someone had heard her thoughts and had chosen that private moment to make themselves known.
Suddenly a light filled the enclosed room which caused her eyes to widen in surprise. It originated from the floor, so she looked over the edge of her bed to see a circle of glowing glyphs, intricately woven together in complex patterns, surrounding her. The light grew in intensity until it was blinding. She ended up shielding her eyes to prevent them from being damaged, but after a moment, a strange sense of weightlessness took over.
Daring to open her eyes, she now realized that she was no longer in the hospital room, or anywhere that seemed like it was on earth. It looked like she was floating in a black expanse of stars that shimmered and flashed as they flew by her. She couldn’t help but think it was beautiful, but then a distraction came in the form of a voice.
“Speak the greatest wish that you hold in your heart.”
“What? Who are you?”
“I am someone who can give you another chance at the life you missed out on. So, speak your wish.”
She didn’t know if this was a dream, if the doctors slipped her something funny, or if she finally cracked under the pressure of her life. Frankly, it didn’t matter if it was all three, she had nothing to lose at this point. Gathering herself, she spoke to the voice in the dark.
“I just want to be healthy and strong, so I can live my life to the fullest.”
“I have heard your heart, and your wish is true to it. May you experience all that this life has to offer.”
The light came back with a vengeance, forcing her to cover her eyes again. Weight returned to her, and when next she opened her eyes, she was sitting in the middle of a glade, looking over a vast expanse of forest.
Damn, whoever spiked my orange juice used the good stuff.
Despite everything feeling and looking real, she still wasn’t fully convinced that this wasn’t just a hallucination. Standing up, she got the lay of the land around her. Forest, a lot of forest, anywhere she looked. Pausing for a moment, she noticed her hands looked different. They weren’t the same pale sickly sheen that she was used to. They looked alive, full of color, and healthy. Before she could get too lost in considering what that meant, she shook her head and started to focus on her situation. If she couldn’t find other people, then she might just end up lost out here.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
She was about to be concerned before she noticed a small wispy bit of smoke rising up from between a patch of trees. Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and where there’s fire, there’s a good chance that there’s people.
With no better idea, she started to move in that direction, taking a well-practiced and measured pace that was designed not to aggravate her condition. It took some time, and she was not at all used to walking through the woods, but eventually she could smell the fire in the air as she got close. The plan was to ask about where she was and maybe get some directions. She had been starting to abandon the idea of drug-induced psychosis the further she went into the forest as things were just too clear to be anything like that.
As she was formulating her plan, a scream pierced the air that made her immediately snap to attention. It was coming from the direction of the smoke, so she picked up the pace to make it there quickly. She came upon a small clearing with a little wooden house sitting in the middle. It looked like a woodcutter's hut, or maybe a hunter's shack, but that wasn’t important because there was currently a large hairy beast hacking away at the comparatively small door with a giant double headed axe.
It had the head of a bull with short fur covering the rest of its body that resembled that of a giant of a man. She could only stare in shock at the monstrous being from the edge of the clearing as it continued to whittle away at the door. With one more swing, it chopped off a sizable chunk of the barrier before ripping the whole thing off its hinges. Another scream came from inside the building, and it sounded decidedly like that of a little girl.
The sound of the child in distress knocked her out of her stupor. If nothing was done, then whoever was inside would be in mortal danger. Despite the terror of the situation, she knew she had to act. Looking around for anything she could use; she spied a splitting axe resting against a stump.
Dashing for the improvised weapon, she grabbed hold of the haft and then charged at the beast as it was bending down to enter the home and presumably kill the inhabitants. It stopped halfway inside as it heard her running approach and tried to back out and face her but got stuck in the smaller doorway. Taking the opportunity, she swung as hard as she could with her axe in a downward strike. The attack hit the beast’s arm, and her eyes widened as the blade was driven almost completely through the appendage, nearly severing it in a single blow.
The monster roared in pain, thrashing about, and throwing blood everywhere. She did not expect that in the slightest and was so surprised that she nearly missed the wind up of a rage filled swing of the beast's large axe aimed directly at her head. With panic-filled eyes she ducked, just narrowly letting the blade of the axe miss the top of her head.
Adrenaline exploded in her system that drove her to fight. She immediately countered the wild swing with one of her own, aimed at the large torso in front of her. The head of her axe sunk deep into the gut of the monster, causing it to double over with a guttural groan. Now that she had access to it, she wrenched out the axe from its gut and swung once again at its head. There was a crunch and a sickening squelching sound as the blade was lodged into its skull.
Now the hairy monster fell limp to the ground with a flop, dead and gone. She stood over the beast panting as she tried to catch her breath. Her heart was racing, adrenaline coursed through her veins, and her hands were shaking.
Wait, my heart!
She clutched at her chest, expecting pain to explode in her at any moment. Only, it didn’t come. Her heart was certainly beating very fast, but it felt different than she was used to. It felt strong, assured... good. This sensation that she was feeling was like nothing she had ever experienced in her whole life. For the first time in her life, she felt alive.
Laughter. She started laughing while listening to her heart work, actually work! Not pretend to only to give up on her halfway and force her into unconsciousness. There was such a feeling of ecstasy that she nearly overlooked the two figures that were now staring at her from the doorway of the house in her revelry.
It was a father daughter duo, with the little girl hiding behind her dad’s leg and staring at the strange women who was covered in monster blood and laughing. Immediately she became much more self-conscious, trying, and failing, to straighten her clothes out a little bit. Still, the steady beating of her heart as it naturally slowed down kept a small smile on her face.
“Uhm, sorry, are you two alright?”
The father spoke first. “Err, we are fine, thanks to you, my lady.”
‘My lady’ huh? I like the sound of that.
He continued. “I am surprised, though. You took down a beastkin by yourself, and with such apparent ease. That is no small feat. Might we have the honor of knowing the name of our savior?”
She smiled at the pair. “Sure, it’s Lily. Nice to meet you. I would shake your hand, but...” She gestured to her general situation with the blood.
“Of course.” He said with an understanding nod. “I’ve not seen you around these parts before Lady Lily. Where do you hail from?”
“Oh, I was...” She stopped herself for a moment as she considered the whole situation. She just killed a gigantic monster, which she was still shocked about, was covered in blood, and probably didn’t have the best first impression with her laughing fit she just had. This didn’t seem like the world she knew, or the people she was familiar with. If Lily told them about where she was from, maybe they would think she was crazy, or call her a witch. Either of those options would probably not be good for her long-term prospects here, so she decided to keep that information a secret.
She needed a new excuse though, and quickly. Looking back at the way she came; she noticed some mountains off in that direction. “I came from over the mountains.”
The man cast his gaze that way in consideration. For a moment, Lily was worried that he didn’t believe her, but then he shot her an amused smile. “I always heard that mountain folk were hardy, but I never imagined it would be like this.” He chuckled at the situation, which prompted a slightly awkward, yet relieved, chuckle from Lily as well.
They thanked her for her assistance and led her to a river where she could wash herself. Once she was clean enough to not freak out everyone who crossed her path, she asked for directions to the nearest town. There was a village, the one those two belonged to, about a mile down the trail leading away from them. Once she got there, she would find access to the main road that would lead her to the city.
Before she left the two, she looked to the remains of the large beastkin that she had slain. The man said that he would have the butcher in the village help him dispose of the monster, but he didn’t say what they would do with the oversized weapon. Just for the hell of it, she decided to test just how heavy it was.
Getting into a good position and bracing herself, she pulled as hard as she could and nearly ended up falling on her butt as the axe flew off the ground. Her eyes were wide as she held the weapon aloft. It barely felt like it weighed anything. She was certain that it would have been impossible for her to lift it like this, but even giving it a few practice swings, it was like she was playing around with a large stick and not a deadly weapon.
“Hey, is it okay if I take this?” She asked the man.
“It was your kill my lady, you would be entitled to anything of the beast that you wished.”
That was good enough for her. If she ran into another monster like that now she would at least have something to defend herself with. Her reward for slaying the beastkin was some supplies from the family, enough for her to last a few days and get set up in the city. With another round of thanks, she strode off down the road with her new axe resting on her shoulder.
True to his word, she found the village and was able to quickly locate the main road that would take her to the city. Not wasting any time, she began her trek towards the next patch of civilization. Again, she recognized how long she had been walking and how little stress it put on her body.
A smile grew on her face, and she started to jog, then run, then sprint down the road laughing and howling out as she enjoyed the absolute freedom of being able to move any way she wanted. Eventually, she did get tired, but even so it felt infinitely better than before, and she enjoyed the feeling of her heart beating so hard as she calmly walked down the road.
Everything was peaceful on her stroll, up until something shifted in the brush. She turned her gaze in the direction of the noise and was shocked to see several small green figures with pointed ears and very angled features emerging. She took a step back when she noticed they had weapons in their hands.
“Uhm, you wouldn’t happen to be friendly, would you?” They continued to stalk towards her, making many strange noises. “I guess that’s a no.”
Immediately recognizing that she was in danger, the fear kicked in and adrenaline was once more dumped into her system. That jolt of energy she got, the feeling of her heart pushing itself beyond its limits and not failing, it was the same when she fought with the beastkin. Despite the fear, she ended up smiling at the monsters approaching her, gripping her axe with two hands, and feeling like she was more alive now than ever before.
Five minutes later, she was skipping down the road, a stupid grin on her face. Her axe was covered in blood, and small splatters dotted her body here and there. Lily hummed a happy tune to herself as she did her best to hold onto that feeling of euphoria that was slowly coming down to more manageable levels. She wanted to feel that way all the time and wondered if perhaps there was a job that involved fighting all these monsters. That was a question she would have to ask when she got to the city.
The city, what a place it was. It looked like it was plucked right from a fantasy movie. The guards didn’t give her much trouble, just wanting to know her name and the reason for her visit. She decided to ask the questions to them and was directed towards the self-proclaimed adventurer’s guild. Very fantasy!
People gave her a few odd looks as she lugged her large weapon through the lobby, but she ignored them and focused on signing up. There was a test involved, to see if she had the talent for the job, she guessed. Once she stated that she fought with weapons, an instructor was called in to administer it. A sparing session was what they decided upon, and she was game for that. It certainly didn’t raise the same feeling as fighting monsters did, but it still got her heart beating.
She used a staff, and he a wooden sword. He was obviously underestimating her by the look on his face and relaxed posture. He never expected that her first strike would not only knock the weapon from his hands, but also send him tumbling across the training room before landing in a heap. Lily was rather disappointed that the fight didn’t last longer.
Needless to say, she passed the test and was given the highest starting rank they could give. She would take her first job tomorrow, but for now she was taking advantage of the free lodging they had at the guild for members of a certain rank. Nothing fancy, but better than sleeping in the cold.
The next morning, Lily was rested and ready to go. She had breakfast and then went down to the main lobby to try and make sense of the job board and pick out which creature she should hunt first. While she was contemplating this, a young man approached her and struck up a conversation.
At first, she thought he was going to try and lord his experience over her, intimidate and possibly pressgang her into working for him in whatever sleezy party he was a part of. Turns out she had the wrong idea. Sure, he seemed a bit sketchy, but she quickly figured out that it was because he was nervous, and apparently interested in her if the slight redness to his ears was any indication.
He wasn’t half bad looking. Black hair, solid features with just the right amount of firmness for her tastes, and a very nice-looking set of robes that gave him an almost regal appearance. Apparently, his name was Arc, and he had been a recent addition to the guild as well, though with a few months of experience over her. He offered to help pick out good jobs that pay well for the work they required. She wasn’t really interested much in the pay, but she decided to let him help anyway.
The way his eyes lit up when she agreed was adorable, even more so when it was obvious he was trying to hide his excitement. He seemed nice after they had a few minutes to talk, so perhaps it was time to get back into the social circles she had been deprived of. New world, new life after all, and giving Arc another once over, she found a small scheming smile on her face. Perhaps he could help get her heart racing in another way.
Despite their mutual attraction, she found a nagging part of her persistently urging caution in her head. She didn’t want to lose her first real friend in years, or even access to all these wonderfully stimulating job offers. Both might very well vanish if it was ever found out she was not native to this land, or perhaps even this reality.
He could never find out that she was from another world.