I feel the sun’s rays beaming down on me and I open my eyes. I can’t hear any immediate threats nearby, so I get up off my cloak and sling it back over my shoulder. I was no longer a thirteen year old boy who was scared of being in this new world. I was now a seventeen year old mercenary with a chinese styled broadsword at my hip.I stretch and look around my hidden campsite. Just a fire and the bones and skin of the rabbit I shot last night for dinner.

I sigh and say to myself,” Things were a lot happier when I was with the King’s Shadow. A lot less lonely too.”

I take in my surroundings with my enhanced senses and can feel the breeze as it hits my face. I breath in through my nose and the very familiar smell of leaves, dirt and animals fill my nose. I look at the oak tree I slept under and took in the beauty of its green branches.

I stand there remembering my days apart of the disbanded group. I’ve went through so much since first coming here and found myself waking up in the middle of the night with night terrors. I was no longer that innocent preteen anymore, I was now a battle scarred man with all the happiness sucked out of him.

I hear that familiar, annoying buzzing sound that was drilled into my head for the last four years. A magic message, strangely similar to emails, appears before me.

It reads:” Kyle, I apologize about calling upon you when we left on such bad terms, but I am afraid I need your assistance with regards to my daughter. It seems a mysterious group has their eyes set on her and she needs a trustworthy protector. I have watched you ever since my wife, Susan, kicked you out of our house and marveled at how strong you’ve become. Please accept this contract. Sincerely, Arthur.”

I sigh again and think back to my first year here, I was alone and afraid when Claire found me. It was two weeks after being dumped on Terra when I came down with a very high fever. I wandered onto her property and she found me while playing with her father, Arthur. They took me in and nursed me back to health and I owe those two my life. Susan, however, hated the sight of me and was the one who cast me out. A feeling of nostalgia hits me in the chest and I lift my hand and sign my name.

The text glows and leaves. I whistle and my current companion runs out of the bushes with a rabbit in his mouth.

“Good boy” I say petting Smokey’s head. He drops breakfast and I prepare the fire. I sit next to an old oak tree and eat the rabbit right off the bone. Smokey watches with his big puppy eyes and i give the rest to him. For being a fantasy world, Terra is a lot like Earth. Human society is a lot like the medieval era kings and dukes. Wars being fought over land or over women. What makes this place more magical and unique are the other races.

I pull out my map from my back pocket and study the continent Aclierea and its countries. Thankfully the most common language is that of english so I didn’t have to learn a whole new language, and most of the names weren’t complex fantasy names. The countries’ names were all simple ones, Banrir, Humanity, and Dragonic. The continent is a lot like a very enlarged Australia and is split into four sections, one for Humanity, one for Dragonic, and two for the biggest country of Banrir. Right now I am on the western border of North Banrir and Humanity.

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I stuff that map back into my pocket and find the more local one. I am very close to where I first set foot in this world and it gives me the feeling of uneasiness. This brings back the days of being a street rat and a slave. I get up and make my way to the border. Unlike on Earth, Terra has open borders without any checkpoints or guards. This is due to peace between countries and a many years of past bloodshed put into that pact.

I arrive at the first town I ever lived in and remember all of it, all of the stealing, hunger and enjoyment of playing Knight and Princess with Claire. I pass the by my old hiding hole and notice a new residence occupies it. I kneel down and whistle down the hole at whoever took my old home. A Banrir boy pops his head out and I get a good look at the boy and his canine features. Banrir look mostly human with very distinct animal features, like for instance a brown tail and dog ears on this boy. Their full form is magically taxing on them so they choose to be in this mostly human state.

I smile at the boy who cowers in fear thinking that I am a guard wanting to kick him out of his den. I throw him a piece of dried meat I carried incase of emergencies. He picks up the slab of meat and devours it. I stand up and walk away from the poor boy and Smokey gives him a big kiss then follows suit.

I go to the fountain where Arthur took me all those years ago and remember falling into the fountain playing with Claire. The memories with those two are some of my most happy memories in the past four years. Even though Claire bossed me around and would often tease me, she always did so in a joking matter, never the seriousness of people back on Earth. Arthur was the closest thing to my old father that I had came across. A kind man who devotes himself to the betterment of his child and her friends, the only problem was with his wife.

I shake my head and keep moving on. I pass the many stores I stole from and make my way to the edge of town and see a very familiar sight of the Winston mansion. Out front is Arthur, a plump and balding man, who rushes to me and even though the distance is small, is out of breath by the time he gets to me.

“I see the high class life has spoiled you” I say

He gets out a mild snort and I let him catch his breath. “I need you to watch my daughter for reasons I have to keep secret.”

I had heard this speech many times,” kill this person for secret reasons” or “escort these two siblings with secret identities.” I no longer cared for reasoning or who the contract involved. I was in it to survive, nothing more.

“I already signed the contract Arthur.” I say impatiently.” Just give me the details of what I need to do.”

“I kept my private eye on you over the years. I hope you learned a lot on your travels about how this world works, because I’m sending you to Claire’s school in two weeks.” He says with great joy.

“School?” I say confused and he nods. I haven’t been to school in a very long time and had forgotten what being a student was like. I sigh and say,” At least now it may be like that anime I used to watch.”