“What are you anyway?” I asked, curious as to the nature of this strange being.

“I already told you. Anyway, we need to do something about that wolf.” The guide said, insisting that we focus on the problem at hand. I agreed with it. For now.

”Alright, I like that idea. What do we do?” I asked, my voice growing quieter as I caught wind of a howl in the distance.

“First, sit down. Get comfortable.” The guide insisted.

“Get comfortable? Aren’t we about to fight a wolf?” I said, exasperated.

“Just follow my instructions. In your world, did you have a weapon? One that you are familiar with?” The guide asked urgently, leaving no room for protest.

“Yes, I did.” I responded quickly, remembering my trusty revolver. It had already been too long without it by my side.

“Picture that revolver and focus on it. Calm yourself and take steady, practiced breaths, and think of that weapon alone.” The guide insisted.

“Easy.” I said, and it was. I knew that weapon inside and out, polishing and cleaning every crevice, knowing everything I needed to know even in the heat of battle as I calmed myself with deep breaths. This was something I did often, and I had no issues calling on my past experience with it now.

“Good, you’re fast. That energy of yours…” The guide paused for a moment, but I held my focus, now willing to break away because of his failures. Not when death might be so close. “Sorry, focus on your energy. Grasp it. Use it to form that image you have, the weapon you hold so dear.” The guide said, not sparing a moment more for the urgency of the situation.

I did as the guide said, thoroughly imagining my hand running over the embellishing of the weapon, before solidly gripping the familiar wooden and bronze handle. Glancing down, I found the weapon in my hand, exactly as I remembered it. I nearly gasped, its sudden appearance as shocking as it was comforting.

“That’s… a weapon?” The guide asked dubiously, clearly unconvinced by my very powerful weapon.

“One of the best. My revolver, my justice, my…. heart. Is there a problem?” I fought back, defensive of the gun that had saved my life many times, the gift that had always kept giving.

“Nothing, I’m sorry. Can you prepare yourself? The wolf is pretty much here.” The guide urged, and I did not need him to repeat it. The wolf had indeed arrived.

Sure enough the wolf’s growling quickly became audible, and I glanced over to the bushes behind me to find it stalking out, its large and imposing body even more grandiose in the sunlight.

“Now might be a good time to use that weapon of yours.” The guide said, no longer able to contain its patience.

I knew the guide was right, but something was missing. I felt it before it hit me, though I should have realized sooner.

“No ammo.” I murmured.

“What do you mean no ammo?” The guide said helplessly.

“I mean, if I want to use this revolver, I need to load it.” I explained as the wolf recreated its circling ritual from our first meeting, this time I joined it. I was stalling for time, but the wolf was uncertain, its golden gaze watching my hand as it held the weapon I so dearly believed in.

“Like a cannon?” The guide asked cluelessly, vying for a way to solve my predicament.

“Kind of.” I answered sharply, not willing or able to dive into the specifics in such a difficult situation.

“Then envision the ammo.” The guide instructed, or snapped. It was difficult to tell.

Following the guide's steps I repeated the process of imagining the gun in its entirety, but this time on a single cartridge, and grabbed it with my left hand. With no time to waste I flicked my right wrist down, the barrel separating from the base of the gun as intended, before slamming the cartridge into the chamber with my left hand and pulling the barrel into place with a flick of the wrist back upwards. Loaded.

The beast was ready now, its tail lowered in anticipation, but so was I and without a moment's hesitation I aimed the barrel right between those big, narrow golden eyes, and pulled the trigger.

Click

BOOM

My eardrums practically shattered as the wind itself parted before me, billowing against my clothes as my entire body rotated to the right, the force of the gun practically shattering my arm. Immediately I felt drained of life, as though I had just run two five kilometer marathons back to back with no breaks. Barely standing as I took a look at my opponent, only to find two pairs of legs and half a torso left I let out a strange strangled gasp in surprise.

“Wh- What?” The guide managed to blurt out, right before I collapsed on the ground.

Slowly I regained my senses, and was surprised to feel something light and warm covering me, chest to toe. Perhaps I had finally woken up from that weird dream? The comforting thought shattered as I took in my surroundings.

The comforting feeling was, in fact, a blanket. It was not, however, a modern blanket. Instead the comfortable covering was almost entirely sheeps wool, quite a luxury all things considered. The roof was bland and vibrant, almost orange brown, clearly a wood I had never seen before. Though it had qualities reminiscent of chestnut. The floor wasn’t much either, plain and mostly stone, which would make the place unimaginably cold during winter. Then again, there were the sheep wool covers.

“What were you thinking? Dragging another poor soul to this place?” A particularly angry girl shouted from my left. Glancing towards her I was able to take in her chestnut colored eyes, and her beautiful hazel hair, despite her slim and young figure she was incredibly enchanting. More importantly, or perhaps peculiarly, was her pointed ears, which made for an immediate eyebrow raise.

“I have done nothing but what the council has asked of all Fae. I have no choice in the matter, and you know it. Besides, this one is different!” The furious shaking of hands dragged my attention to the right, where I spotted a young man who practically glowed with yellow light. On second thought, he was glowing. His eyes were a bright and shallow yellow, and his golden hair flowed as though it were in the wind. There was no wind. Was he showing off intentionally?

“I can’t believe you’re spouting that nonsense!” The girl, or lady I supposed, shook her head and sighed in defeat.

“I supposed we don’t have much of a choice now that he’s here though.” She finished, clearly not impressed with the man’s behavior.

“Don’t be like that El-” The man began, but the lady snapped in indignation at the use of her name. Or nickname.

“Do not call me that, Sullivan! It has been too long since we have ever recognised each other in such a way. I do not want to play a role in this any longer!” With a furious snort the girl spun on her heel and stomped angrily all the way to the door, slamming it behind her. It was not difficult to hear her steps as she walked further through the house, though it became lighter until they faded to silence as she left.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Silence enveloped the room, but my slight shifting and movements had not gone unnoticed, and it was not long before the man, who I assumed was Sullivan, turned to face me.

“I am sorry for that, it was not my intention to drag you into such a predicament. Elivia is not… fond of my occupation.” The man said, wincing as he mentioned the lady, Elivia, by her full name. I realized his voice was familiar, and quickly the connection came to me.

“You’re the guide?” I questioned, raising my brow. The man standing before me was most certainly not inside me. I shivered at such a thought, what if he had been?

“I am. My name is Sullivan, and I am Fae. This form is not my true self, but it once was.” He explained haphazardly, but it only served to further my confusion. What was a Fae? What was a true self? Was he not always a Fae?

Noticing the frown that had begun to line my face he held up a hand and shook his head in order to stop me before I could start questioning him.

“I know you must have many questions, but I hope you understand that I cannot answer all of them right now. Instead let’s focus on our first steps, namely your recovery. You may have had plenty of rest in bed, but I am certain that such an intense usage of energy will mean you are quite hungry.” As though in a queue, my stomach growled. It was not quiet. I had been trained in the army, and I could last days without food, but as I was now it felt like I had gone days without eating. Curious.

“Come on, I will show you around the residency.” The man said before opening the door, and making a small gesture for me to go through. Refraining from asking questions I was not sure I was ready to hear the answers for I did as he requested and stepped through the door.

The main lounge of the house did not differ in style nor build from the bedroom I had just been in, but the furnishings were sparser. Apart from a rather sizable cow skin rug the floor was bare, and the stone… bench was rather plain. Inside the bench were a few cabinets, and I was surprised at how clean the place looked, not just of dust, but the entire construct looked smooth and even polished. A strange thing, considering that I had not seen a blip of modern technology. But perhaps I was quick to judge?

“We don’t really have much,” the man said as he walked out from behind me, gesturing to the room around us. “But we make do. We have ample storage for food, and the place is mostly well furbished. I do not know what world you come from, but this is what many might consider of a higher than average quality.” He explained, ensuring that I understood that my accommodations were… well inhabited. Noticing the lack of appliances I doubled down on my earlier conclusion, there was likely no modern technology here.

“May I ask a question?” I said, eager to get some answers. Sullivan shook his head, but he did not refuse, instead he took a cross legged position on the floor and patted the cow skin, a gesture for me to do the same.

“You may ask three questions.” He said, before looking longingly to the kitchen. If I could wait a minute for some food, he could too.

“First, what is a Fae?” I asked, eager to know the truth behind the man that sat before me, and his ever flowing golden hair. It was somewhat infuriating.

“A Fae is a chosen one, we are chosen to take warriors and give them a second chance, to guide them in the new land and prepare them for the inevitable battle.” The Fae explained, his hands making grandiose movements as though he was beholding something greater than himself. Perhaps he was. Or maybe he wasn’t.

“What is your relationship with the… girl? Elivia.” I asked, wanting to understand more about the reason I was here, and what was going on between the Fae’s… partner.

“We are husband and wife. We tend to disagree over things pertaining to my… calling though.” The Fae did not dive deeper, and I did not ask him to. I understood that whatever those disagreements were, it was likely better to not disturb him over such a personal matter.

I mulled over my final question carefully. “Where am I?” I asked finally, the one that seemed most pertinent to my current situation. The Fae frowned, and I swore I saw his hand move towards his belly before moving back to his thigh.

“Short answer, we are in my wife’s lodgings. Long answer? We are in the world of Etelopia, specifically the Elven lands of Garnendor, but that is enough questions. I will explain further while I prepare our breakfast.” The Fae said, practically jumping from his spot on the floor before vanishing and then reappearing by the stone bench. I raised my brow but did my best not to question it, as he had asked.

Sullivan reached down into a cupboard, procuring a bowl and some other ingredients, including a meat I was not familiar with. “Etelopia is different from wherever you were once from.” The Fae began as he held out his hand, and a knife shone into existence. Once again shoving down my surprise I did my best to pay attention. “Etelopia is a land of magic. Perhaps the only one of its kind, as far as we can tell.” He continued, each slice of meat and onion practiced and refined with an almost deadly ease.

“Etelopia is a planet. It is not a flat surface, you will not fall off the edge, and like all other worlds, we have rules. Laws as some call them, and they are familiar to most, if not all. With the exception of magic.” I tried my best to follow his dialouge, but it was quite drawn out. Melodramatic almost, though I am unsure how he managed to make it seem so while making a breakfast.

“Magic is something all inhabitants of this world know of, and learn from. It is a way of life, and although it is separate from the world’s laws, it has its own. I cannot teach you such things, not now. It is too soon. Instead, I will teach you where we live. I will train you. Over time, I will make you one who can appear before the council.” He declared, his words holding a certain weight to them. I did not like it.

His assertion that he would train me, my presence at the said council, was as though it had already happened. My frown deepened. The Fae did not notice, or did not care to notice as he continued his thorough work, manifesting a small ‘pan’ to place the contents on the bench into.

“Garnendor is home to the elves, or one of them anyway. The council has been searching for someone who can help with the recent conflicts and escalations throughout the lands.” The Fae said, his tone dropping harshly as his monologue reached its conclusion.

“There has been a rise in magic density as of late, and as a result there have been more magical beasts, like the wolf you fought earlier this morning. Of course, as such, there have also been heightened challenges for areas of resources, mostly from the neighboring lands.” The Fae slowed his pan flipping and wiggling.

“Which is why we need you.” He finished, placing the cooked meat down on the stone bench. I hoped the bench was clean, but my stomach growled louder as the aroma of the meat flowed through my nostrils. Certainly, it was appetizing.

“I am not fond of being taken from my death bed, summoned into another world, and then enslaved to do another's bidding.” I spoke finally, doing my best to antagonize the man. I knew he meant no harm, and that his intentions were light, but I had no interest in doing whatever it was he wanted to drag me into.

Sullivan frowned as I began appraising the meat with my hands. “You are not enslaved, nor am I forcing you to do my bidding. I will add also, that the only reason you are here is to deal with the growing threat across the land. Should you not interfere, the world will collapse, and you will die as well. Do you wish to die again?” He argued, unwilling to let me go.

“I died a long time ago.” The threat in my voice was low but clear, and I stared the Fae down. As the Fae glared back my gaze hardened, and for just a moment terror crossed his face before he shook himself and steadied. He coughed lightly.

“Very well. I will not force you to stay, but I encourage you to follow my teachings. After all, once a Fae has been attached to a soul, they cannot leave it. I am afraid that I have no choice but to follow you. Whether or not you decide to do as I say, I am going to be with you. There is nothing you can do about that.” He said, tapping the left side of my chest lightly.

I wanted to take the invasion of my space as a threat, but before I could retort the Fae glowed brightly and shrank into a small ball, one that darted inside my chest. It was a warm feeling, but I was filled with alarm at the sudden intrusion.

“What did you do to me?” I demanded, dropping the meat that I had been eyeing just moments earlier. “Where did you go?” I asked, unrelenting for an answer.

“As I told you earlier, I am inside you. I am anchored to you, and I cannot leave you. I may have neglected to mention that you would have to die before I am able to leave you, so I am as stuck with you as you are with me.” The Fae proclaimed, once more the disembodied voice that had haunted me in the woods.

I took a moment to process his words, before sighing. If what he said was true, then there really was probably nothing I could do. My thoughts took a back seat however as I took a bite into the prepared meal before me. It was delicious, the flavor melting into my mouth, and the juices practically dripping down the sides of my face, though I made no quick efforts to clean it up. The singular bite had been strangely filling.

“It is always amusing watching you summons take your first bite of magical beast meat.” The Fae said, his voice laced with amusement at my momentary loss for words, or actions. Or anything really. The taste was unlike anything I’d had before, though it would be wrong to say I had ever eaten much better than MRE’s ration packs and a single apple.

I found myself full after five more bites, though they were rather rapid. I placed the meat onto the stone bench and stepped towards the larger wooden door. I took a calm breath, turned the knob, and walked outside.