John

I’m distracted by everything new around me, atleast everything seems new to me all over again. At first I was worrying I was going crazy with all the sudden insights into things I had absolutely no business knowing about. I can’t stop looking at things, seeing them and understanding them in ways I have never understood before. It’s like I know quantum physics mixed with chemistry but my senses are all the testing apparatus and my brain the Central Processor.

That tree is at least 200 years old judging by the pattern in the bark, the venation and shape of the leaf blades not to mention the phyllotaxy taking into account limiting factors and the metaphysics of this fucked up world. I can tell what temperature it is outside both on the Celsius scale and the scale they use here on this planet from how it feels on my skin. I can tell that the sea spray is corrosive and long time exposure to it will result in malignant tumours and a blood disease that could result in permanent configuration because the information is flowing through me into a database and analysed somehow in a way I understand.

I’ve been asking myself how I know things and what if I’m finally completely out of my mind from the stress of living here so I asked a few people a few questions. First I got Michael to admit he can do weird things with his body and confirmed the sudden ‘guess’ I had that he had some sort of body manipulation ability. Then I tested out a few experiments on objects, was inquisitive about people’s ages and specialities and somehow ended up always being right with me ‘guesses’.

I think I’ve figured out what’s happened to me though I imagined it would be different. I think I've Awakened. In fact I know I’ve Awakened but for a while there I was sceptical and had to do a lot of verifying in order to believe my own mind with this ‘knowledge’. I have mana now I know this, but I still want to confirm everything I’m feeling and intuitively knowing to be true.

‘’Soo... Mira,’’ I says sidling up to her clumsily. I look around to make sure no one is in ear shot, Soal is a-ways away covering our backs so its safe to ask, ‘’is this mana?’’ I push metaphysical weight out of me in an invisible field around me enhancing all my senses x10 what they have ever been-

....then I’m over loaded and find myself shivering on the ground contorting in pain.

Shit, what the hell just happened?

I’m trembling as a blurry Mirabilis is trying to talk to me, she sounds so far away; aargh, my head is pounding.

I instinctively open my mouth when I feel on my lip the tell tale mouth of a potion bottle. I swallow and suck whatever is inside then I curl up, moaning involuntarily before I sigh as whatever I drank starts cooling my burning insides.

‘’You need to stow all that until I can teach you something you hear!?’’ Mirabalis is saying hashly pulling me to my feet. ‘’Don’t play with your mana like that, you don’t even know what its doing inside you and you’re expelling it out. If you die because of mana drawn so help me I will whip your ass!You hear!?’’

‘’Okay okay calm down woman I got my answer anways,’’ I say leaning forward trying to catch my breath as I pass her the empty vial of the bland mana recovery potion now numbing my tongue.

‘’Are you two fools done kissing each other better?’’ The cynical man Soal asks, he’s keeping his back to the tree and his eyes swivelling constantly. The man is completely paranoid, he has a strange affinity for dusk I notice absently, then again he is alive when many others die here before they reach his age so maybe paranoia isn’t so bad.

*

We walk around with all the other confused and lost people lumbering around last nights camp site where apparently a village used to be. Looking at the tall trees, feeling the sand deep enough to weasel my foot to the ankle in I have a hard time believing it. Very little evidence of a settlement here exist but then again I’ve seen stranger things in my years on planet.

I take my time looking at the dead bodies of the ambushers, they are clearly amphibious humanoids of some sort but none here has ever seen or heard of them. There are now ‘patrols’ that go into the water for as long as they can stand it scouting for trouble, not many can stay in for very long with the acidic content. A few seem to thrive in the still foaming waters though in a strange rapid mutation.

How are we getting off this pile of sand? That's the question that has everyone stressed even more than where we go, anywhere is better than here.

No boats are in working order, at least none that can carry more than 4 people on board. Apparently one of the bigger isle that should be visible from here isn’t where it should be, a fact that has these strange people more unsettled than anything else that’s happened so far.

They are a quere people these undine with their otherly body language, quiet but expressive in their rolling hissing tongue. They look humanoid even in their water-forms but they communicate by body language gestures, hisses, grows and other beastly sounds as easily as words and phrases.

There is no food, no fresh water, no way off this sandpile and we're outnumbered amongst these strangers. They'll eat us first obviously, I bet the dwarf is tough meat, always looks angry that one but laughs easily. A dwarf, whoever thought I'd know an actual dwarf and elves.

[Sigh], I'm wool gathering.

There is no hope of rescue and that’s what these people smell like, hopelessness, and it makes me uncomfortable.

I look around; Mirabalis asks questions in her new guise. Tired, hungry, hopeless eyes look at me as I pass people by, no one thinks to challenge me as no one has claim to anything here anymore. I appease my curiosity then I go towards where Soal should be and wait for Mirabalis to finish her part.

She’s with us within 20 minutes.

‘’You left too soon I was still collecting information,’’ she hisses, the stress seems to have been getting to her.

I'm confident in my theory about my abilities, I think I've figured my mana superpower out.

‘’I know how those creatures subdued us,’’ I say over her chiding.

‘’What?’’ she asks surprised, Soal giving me a sideways glance as we move back towards the others.

‘’They had a devices that disrupts mana use. You said you couldn’t cast illusions earlier and you weren’t the only one that couldn’t do anything. I mean I haven’t even had mana long and I woke up confused and groggy, its because of the devices the raiders had.’’

‘’How do you know this?’’ Soal asks not slowing his pace.

‘’I saw the devices and figured out what they do.’’ I say with a little smile, I’m actually proud of myself.

‘’I trust you well enough but we are gonna need more than speculations to convince the others...’’ her words trail off and she comes to a stop as the illusion she has around herself starts coming undone like a loose thread being pulled.

We all gawk even me that is causing the phenomenon with the tennis ball sized stone held in my left fist.

Once the illusion is completely gone Mira groans and wobbles losing focus in her eyes and her face slacking. Quickly I deactivate the thing, she shakes her head and they both look at me like I’m an aberration that came out of nowhere.

‘’What? Of course I took one with me.’’

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

We continue on our way with both of them interrogating me excessively, even about the things I can do but for some reason I keep my responses vague on my ability. I’m starting to get why people don’t like disclosing their abilities to other people, it feels kinda like they are prying.

‘’Why don’t these work on Sachihiro, I saw him use his water in the fight while I couldn’t use my lightning at all.’’ Old man Zhen asks staring at me pointedly.

We are standing in conference with the others listening to me seriously for the first time since I got to this planet, I keep my warriors posture as I give my report. ‘’Sachihiro has some sort of encryption on his mana that makes his harder to jam while Mr Damage and ahh.. the other tribes people," I gesture to get my point across, "have internal mana enhancing them physically."

"And this doesn’t seem to be able to work on internal mana, which is probably why they could fight while most couldn’t."

"So you're saying it disables casting but not enhancing?" Zhen affirms playing with the magnetic looking circular rock before tossing it back at me.

"Yes." Easiest way to explain it I guess. Casting, I should learn how to cast spells, I feel I'd be good at it.

Zhen scowls but just walks away to go sit on a rock cross legged and lights a pipe. Ava grunts and indicates for Mirabalis to make her report, which she does.

I’ve figured some of the dynamics and politics of the leadership here finally. Damage or Sachihiro seem to take turns being in charge during movement, Ava seems to be the one that keeps all the information from all departments and sometimes assigns guard rotations. Divina is in charge when new people are met that need talking to, Dewan and maybe Andrew are in charge of the perimeter while Cicilia and Ursula do the wards around the camps and the fire.

The other roles are mostly miscellaneous but its mostly Kiera in charge of the cooking, Nikita, Shea and Isis the wounded. Vahe and Sirimiri did most of the scouting with Thandeka shadowing most of the time, with Soal the main scout in human settlements.

I wonder if Thandeka'll be the main scout now. Not to take anything from her but the woman is too pretty not to be noticed, though with her complexion and dark clothes maybe at night she’d make a hell of a scout.

Mirabilis finishes her report and Scary Mira, Mike's mother in law pulls me away from the main group to where old man Zhen and curious looking Nikita joins. ‘’Show us how these work,’’ Scary Mira says indicating the stone in my hand.

‘’Sure, its a like a mana stone-‘’

‘’Like or is a mana stone?’’ Old man Zhen asks with piercing eyes on me.

‘’Ahh.. right, its a mana stone but it has these runes on it. See here,’’ I point out the small marking etched onto the stone for the others. ‘’These direct-‘’

‘’Hold on,’’ Scary Mira interrupts sending to someone. I am able to follow the invisible tread to Cicilia, who doesn’t get up from where she sits for a moment before getting up to join us.

‘’Please continue,’’ Scary Mira says once Cicilia with Ursula have joined us. I nod and start again explaining what I think I know about how we were disabled and ambushed.

After the others report we eventually build a large pyre from the fallen trees around us, a large stack on top of which lie Stacey and Sirimiri side by side in pale death.

The wood burns with a black acrid smoke but it burns none the less, I didn’t know either of them well but you can’t travel and struggle with people so long and not feel a connection to them. Their passing saddens me, Simiriri, an actual young elf with pointed ears who set out to find his fortune. Or make his own path or run away from his problems, I never really spoke to him now that I think about it. Stacey I've known since the days at the Conclave Compound, that seems like ages ago now.

I'm saddened to realise I don't know much about her personally either. I look through the soath at the sombre faces around me. My connection with some of these people before today was tenuous but we've been struggling together so long. I have been observing, almost like from the periphery but I haven't been cultivating relationships with the Tribesman.

In my time people weren't as social as they are here, we didn't really talk much to people outside a select few and I guess I got comfortable with the few friends I do have here. I need to do better.

The occasion becomes much more sombre when Cicilia starts singing one of the tribal funeral dire.

The others that know it join in, it’s a mournful song that that pulls harshly on my heart strings. The big muscular barbarian men have visible tears on their faces, so I let mine fall as well. Lavender and Dewan speak for Stacey, Esuas speaks for the elf, and Ikigai speaks for her sister. Others say a word here and there and some flammable things are thrown into the fire. A solemn silence hangs over everyone and everything until the fire dies down after an hour of continuous burning.

Then we feast and talk and tell stories, strange people these but I think I’m finally finding my place amongst them.

*

Michael

‘’He never told you the story of how we met?’’ the woman introduced as Shravanthi asks Niki, Iki and Aura sitting in the middle of our little group around the blue warding flames.

‘’No, not a word as far as I know.’’ Nikita responds studying the woman before her.

Shravanthi from Earth smiles fondly at Niki who seems distracted by the woman.

‘’I found myself in a strange new place as weak as a lamb but more clear that I’d ever been in my old life, more clear than I knew was possible. After the euphoria bombarding me from all my senses started to wear off I realised I was in a forest in a little glade undisturbed by any human or wildlife. I was scared at that point, finding myself naked and alone in a strange place with no idea how I got there. I’m sure you don’t have to imagine,’’ she says indicating to Max, John and I. I nod my ascent.

‘’I stayed the whole day there, longest day of my life with the strange sun’s slow track across the sky alternating between blissful serenity from all I was feeling and abject terror at the strangeness of it all. I got thirsty and drank from the small pond not far from where I shelted and suddenly like a light switched on in my head I knew. I knew I was on another world, I knew what it was called, I knew I had been reincarnated here after my death-‘’

‘’Wait, you died?’’ John asks fear and surprise written on his face.

‘’of course I died, didn’t you?’’ she asks rhetorically as though it’s a question with an obvious answer.

‘’I-I don’t know,’’ he says softly turning his head with a thoughtful look on his face.

Shravanthi raises an eyebrow turning her gaze on Max who just shrugs then me, I shake my head, ‘’I just disappeared.’’

‘’I was in a coma,’’ John says for the first time in my hearing. I give him a look, he says nothing else. We all have our secrets and I don’t begrudge him his. ‘’A part of me still thinks this whole thing is a figment of my imagination and one day I’ll wake up in a hospital bed.’’ He whispers to himself but we all hear, we enjoy the silence a while. I pray to God that Saya is safe, that our baby is okay.

‘’How did you know you were in a coma?’’ Nikita eventually asks.

‘’I – felt it, and it was the next stage of my illness...’’ John says with a weak smile sheepishly fidgeting his legs.

‘’So how you met my dad,’’ Iki probes the beauty with the matronly aura who smile at her whilst placing a comforting hand on John’s arm having somehow gotten closer without me noticing the movement.

‘’Hunger curiosity and I guess instinct made me leave my little glad to be assaulted by all the other sounds and life that was to be found in the forest outside the bubble of protection the glade provided. I discovered a new addictive world of colour, scent, sound, taste and sight, everything was so magical as I’m sure you remember your first times experiencing the world,’’ she says and we nod. I smile even thinking about it, my time on the mountain, how utterly alive I felt with every breath I took an experience.

‘’I ate berries and drank from the pond but after a few days my glade disappeared, or I got lost I don’t really know but I couldn’t find my way back. Then it got dangerous as night fell and I was chased by some of the animals, that was scary but I survived, barely but I survived. Then I was found by beastmen who at the time I found to be utterly terrifying, but clearly they were intelligent with tools, clothes and a language. To cut that one short I now know they were going to eat me before being ambushed by slavers who killed the males, tied us all up and violated us.

‘’Thankful I didn’t stay long in their captivity as your father fell upon them like death incarnate. I had never seen such savage destructive beauty in my life, the way he killed those men...’’ she shivers then sighs. ‘’I was angry with them, angry at the gods for bringing me here, angry at what was done to me every time that caravan stopped for a break and when Sachi came not asking any questions but just killing like that...’’ she doesn’t finish the thought.

‘’He looted the place, unlocked the cages and just left, I knew I had to follow. I had nowhere else to go, I knew no-one, didn’t understand a word anyone said and some of my fellow captive were also my abductors before the slavers found us.’’

‘’And da took you in,’’ Niki says with a look towards the man in the distance quietly having a conversation with Kuyoki, Cicilia and Ingwe.

Shravanthi snorts with amusement, ‘’no. Sachi completely ignored me while I tried to follow him for days. Of course now I know he could have left me far behind but I had grabbed some clothes a knife and followed as best I could. He was miles ahead of me in any open track or left a clear trail in forested areas but every night I’d catch up to him before eating his leftovers and silently passing out.’’

‘’Sounds like something he’d do,’’ Iki says with a nod. ‘’Da doesn’t like to be deemed ‘nice’ nor would he have helped you had you been completely useless, you must have proven yourself somehow.’’

‘’ I don’t know if I proved myself but he led me to a small village and tried to abandon me there, the ass that he is. They’ve never heard of Stockholm syndrome here you know but I probably had it bad, didn’t even know his name but as soon as he left that village I followed him into the wilderness again. Crazy right?’’ She asks me with a fond smile on her face.

‘’Following him was all I knew at the time, all I was sure off, that’s when he started talking to me and discovered I had no idea what I was saying which is probably why he let me follow him from then onwards.’’

‘’Why is that?’’ I ask.

‘’He was fascinated by Hindi. I taught him Hindi and English he taught me Common, the rest is history.’’ She says happily throwing her hands.