[Sanity Level: 100%]

Eyes wide, the prince opens and shuts his mouth. Then he opens it again. “Are you, um, quite sure you’re not here to kill me?”

His voice is quaky and ridiculously posh. I laugh, but the sound that comes out of my mouth is foreign, with a slightly crazed edge. I snap my mouth shut just as quick, amusement turning into alarm. The mental fog that had been clouding my mind is lifting rapidly now, and everything that had happened—everything I did—hits me like a truck.

“Oh my god.” I sit heavily back. “What just happened? What did I do?”

“Ah, was it a Bloodlust, perhaps?” the prince hesitantly suggests.

He hasn’t tried to get up yet, but I suspect he’s too scared of me to run. I’m scared of me.

“Those people,” I croak. “The Umbral Blades.” Memories that don’t feel like they should be mine flash through my head. Blood. Body parts. All the screaming. “God. I think I killed them.” I run my hands down my face, but my skin feels sticky and the gesture uncomfortable when it should have been soothing. I stop, looking down at my hands. They’re dark with a dusty mixture of blood and dirt.

“So, you’re not with them? You’re not from Moonfall?” the prince ventures, his voice soft and hesitant. Like someone approaching a feral dog, unsure if it will snap.

I shake my head, trying to process it all. Shouldn’t I feel sick? Horrified? Sad? I feel a little bit of all those things, but mostly I’m just numb. Maybe shock. Maybe my mind doesn’t want me to process it yet.

“Of course not,” I say. “Why would I kill…” I stumble over the word. “Why would I attack my own allies?”

“Bloodlusts can make things like that hazy,” the prince says. “But if you’re not with them, why are you wearing their armor?”

“What?” I look down at myself. The dual crescent moon symbol is carved into my chest plate. And those people were from the Moonfall Dynasty, Echo had said. I frown. “I don’t know. I don’t know how I got here. Or in these clothes. I just want to find my brother.” I look up at him sharply. “Have you seen him? His name is Álvaro. A nineteen-year-old boy, brown skin, black hair—well, that’s what he looked like last time I saw him. He was a human.” I look at my hands, ashen-gray beneath the blood. “I was human.”

The prince sits there quietly for a moment. When he shifts, my attention snaps back to him, and he freezes. Holding up one placating hand, he slowly reaches the other into a pocket to withdraw a pristine, silk cloth.

“Here,” he hesitantly offers, holding it out at arm’s length. “Your face is still… well, all of you, I mean…”

The blood. I deflate, taking the offered cloth. “Thanks.” When I wipe it over my face, it comes away dark and stained. My stomach clenches, and I keep scrubbing.

“Is this your first time suffering from Bloodlust?” the prince hesitantly asks. “It can be very disorienting, I’m told. A battlefield is a terrible place for someone like you to be.”

“It’s not the Bloodlust,” I growl, and he cringes back. I collect myself and let out a breath. “Sorry. I’m just a little overwhelmed with everything that’s going on.”

I finish cleaning up by wiping my hands with the now-dark cloth and hold it back out to the prince.

He eyes it dubiously. “Ah, you can keep it. And by everything going on, you mean…”

I absently tuck it in a pocket, looking up at the moons. “This whole world,” I say. “And then becoming a dhampyr, and the shield, and the Role Requirement, and—and those people.” I drag a hand through my hair, scraping my pointed nails along my sandy scalp. “At least I have my Sanity back.”

The prince nods empathically, but is still regarding me with a look of extreme caution. But I can’t blame the guy—I do sound like I’ve lost it.

I sigh, closing my eyes as I pinch the bridge of my nose.

“So,” the prince ventures. “If you’re not with Moonfall…”

“Can you just give me a minute?” I say. “I could really use a breather.”

“Completely understandable,” the prince agrees quickly. “However, there is a battle going on, I just survived being abducted, and my soldiers are almost certainly tearing the dunes apart trying to find me. I really should get back to them.”

I take a few, steadying, deep breaths. Even without the prince babbling on, I don’t think I’ll be able to process everything right this moment. There are too many things running through my head. Too many unanswered questions, and too much weight to all my actions to carry. Right now, at this moment, I just need to pull myself together. Which means doing what any reasonable person would do in a situation such as this: I gather up all the trauma, pack it nicely away, and shove it way, way down.

Wearily, I look up at the prince. “Abducted?” I ask.

He raises a skeptical eyebrow. “The rope and gag didn’t clue you in?”

“I just knew you were in danger,” I admit. “Protect the Prince. That’s what Echo said.” But who is this person, really? Who was trying to abduct him? Why?

[Check,] Echo says as I look the young man over. [Prince Quell of the Duneshade Kingdom. Level 22 human verso illusionist. Third in line to the Sterling throne.]

“Echo?” Prince Quell repeats. “How did you know I needed protecting?”

I shrug. “It’s my ‘Role Requirement’ I guess. And I think Echo is like my magical personal assistant?” I tip my head. “Doesn’t everyone have one here?”

“I think you need to get some rest,” Quell says. “Maybe save the interrogation for when you’ve had a chance to recover.”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

I snort. “This is an interrogation?”

“I’m sure the Captain will have questions at any rate.” He hesitates. “So, I’m free to go?”

“I already told you I’m not going to hurt you.” I grimace. “Well. Not intentionally. I’m supposed to be your Knight. Though if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather we go our separate ways and never speak of this again.” After all, I found the prince and protected him. Echo stopped shouting in my head. My Sanity Stat has recovered. This quest is complete, right?

“That sounds like an excellent proposal,” Quell agrees. He shifts his feet back, still watching me as he prepares to stand. “Erm. Once you’re feeling yourself again—”

“I am feeling myself.”

“Right, of course,” he hurriedly says. “Well, if you are perchance with Moonfall. I just want you all to know—we can end this. We don’t have to drag this conflict out any longer. Please. I’m sure we could reach an armistice if both sides were willing. You saved my life; I owe you a great deal. I’m sure my parents would listen if your people wanted to treat.”

“Er, right,” I say. I push myself to my feet, and Quell stands as well—quickly, and retreating a few steps. “Well, like I said, I’m not from Moonfall, and frankly I have no idea who any of you guys are, or how I even got on this planet, for that matter. But, uh, I guess good luck with all the fighting. I’m going to go look for my brother.” Too bad the arrow that’s still persisting in the corner of my vision—that’s still pointing at Quell—can’t be rewired to point to Álvaro instead.

Quell watches me with suspicion at first, then bafflement, as I dust off my clothes and start to head back in the direction I’d come.

Now that I have some space, I check myself over. I sustained a lot of injuries in that fight. Yet, while there’s blood and gashes in my clothes, my skin is smooth and scarless beneath. I can’t have healed that fast, could I? Or was it because of the Bloodlust? I Check myself to be sure.

[Name: Nye]

[Species: Dhampyr]

[Class: Guardian]

[Level: 16]

[HP: 130/130]

[Mana: 50/50]

[Role: The Knight]

Oh, I leveled up again. I guess that makes sense, given all the… well, given all the fighting. I must have missed it with all the other mental stuff going on. It’s nice that a level-up tops off my HP and Mana. Being at full health will help my trek through this desert.

I should also check in on Hans while I’m at it. He seems to be in the same position I am, so at least I won’t sound crazy talking to him. Plus, two heads are better than one; maybe he can help me search for my brother, once we get out of this battlefield.

“Ah…”

I glance behind me to find Quell trailing at a safe distance.

“Sorry,” he says. “I didn’t want it to seem like I was following you. But it looks like we’re both headed in the same direction.”

I shrug. “Okay.” He’s not exactly a threat, so I keep walking.

The silence lasts for about a minute. “Uh, the fight is still ongoing, so far as I’m aware,” Quell says.

“It was when I started heading this way.”

“Right.” I hear his footsteps thump faster against the sand as he jogs to catch up. “We might look more, ah, formidable if we aren’t alone.”

I glance at him with a snort. He’s several inches taller than me, but lacking any muscle, he looks more like a scarecrow dressed up in armor than an actual soldier. “No offense, but you’re not really the picture of intimidation.”

The prince deflates. “I know. I’ve never been much suited for the battlefield. Tactics are more of my thing—safely, from the war room back in the castle. Or better yet, the library. Today wasn’t supposed to go like this. Moonfall troops weren’t supposed to be anywhere around here. We were just supposed to investigate a rumor—visit the Oasis—get our feet wet.” He chuckles darky. “On the bright side, I doubt Mother and Father will be sending me out here again anytime soon.”

I roll my eyes. Poor little prince, forced to get a taste of the actual danger his soldiers probably face every day. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be able to scurry back to your books soon.”

He frowns. “That’s a bit rude. What have you got against books?”

“Nothing,” I say. “But reading about something and doing it are two very different things.” No amount of How-To books and kung-fu movies kept my ass from being bullied. That only stopped when Old Pap next door taught me how to throw a punch. And after a few more years of working out and bulking up, people finally started leaving me alone on-sight.

“I’d never disagree with that,” he says. “But sometimes you can learn about things in books that you would never otherwise have an opportunity to encounter.”

“Sure.” I’m already bored with this conversation. The sooner I can ditch this guy, the better. But while he’s here and somewhat not convinced I’m about to rip his throat out and drink all his blood, I might as well try to get some answers about what the hell is going on.

“So, look,” I venture. “I know these questions sound weird, but just humor me. This planet really isn’t Earth, right?”

Quell’s eyebrows shoot up.

“Humor me!” I repeat.

“Uh, right,” he says. “This world is Lusio. You’re in Dunmora South.”

“Dunmora South?” I repeat.

“It’s the south side of the Dunmora continent,” Quell says. “And you’re in the Duneshade Kingdom. Well, contested land between the Duneshade Kingdom and Moonfall Dynasty, to be exact.”

“Right, okay,” I say. “That’s a lot of names I won’t remember.” Maybe I should have started with something more practical. “How does this magic system work? These levels and classes?”

Quell’s skepticism turns into a frown. “What do you mean?”

“You know,” I say. “The words and numbers in my vision. The stat screen. You’re a level 22 verso illusionist and I’m a level 16 guardian and… you have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”

He shakes his head. “If you’re referencing a field of magic, it’s like none I’ve ever read about. Verso illusionist?”

I ignore his question. “What about Role Requirements? Is that a thing?”

“No, sorry.”

“A magical voice that calls itself Echo?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Okay. Huh.” What does that mean? Hans could see the stats. He mentioned Echo’s voice. Are we the only ones? Is it because we’re from a different world? “This is crazy.”

“It certainly sounds outlandish,” Quell agrees. “But the more you speak, the more I think you’re sane.”

“Gee, thanks,” I say flatly.

He shakes his head. “What I mean to say is, I suspect there’s truth to what you’re describing, it’s just that what you’re experiencing is something entirely outside my knowledge base.” There’s a hungry look in his eyes when he looks at me next. “That’s fascinating.”

“Glad I can satisfy your academic curiosity,” I grumble.

“These questions about worlds,” Quell ventures, apparently unwilling to let the conversation go now that I’ve started it. “Are you really suggesting that you’re from a different one?”

“Yeah,” I say. “Not that I expect you to believe me. But I’m from a planet called Earth. I was in the sea there when… well, I’m not entirely sure what happened. It’s all kind of muddled. There was a dark place. Filled with… a monster, or something. And other people. My brother was there, too. There was a fight of some kind, and I think the monster lost—then I woke up here, on the battlefield.”

“And the rest is history,” Quell murmurs.

“Well, I met Hans, got attacked by a sentient cactus, and nearly had my blood drained by a cursed shield. But yeah, after that, the rest is history.”

Quell is back to looking at me like I’m crazy again.

“At any rate,” I say, “I’ve still got questions about how magic here works. Like, is it all blood and evil shields, or—”

I hit the sand, skip over the surface, and slam into a rock before I even realize what hit me.

[17 points of Bludgeoning damage sustained.]

Quell lets out a shout, and other raised voices join his, but my mind is spinning too hard to make sense of it. I cough, rolling onto my back, and wait for the moons to stop spinning around my vision. Several dark shapes appear in my peripheral, and I try to push myself upright, despite the pounding in my head and the vertigo that threatens to tip me right back over.

“Don’t move,” a voice snaps, and a blade swims into focus in front of my nose. “If you value your life, I suggest you don’t attempt to fight back.”