My feet sank into the familiar grass of the cottage my parents had rented when I was a kid.

I must’ve been eight, maybe nine. The sky stretched out above me, a deepening blue as the sun started to set, casting long shadows across the yard. And there I was, standing on the edge of the woods with my little brother, Danny. He was just six back then, small for his age, with wild, curly hair and a fresh scrape on his knee from playing too rough earlier in the day.

Danny was scared. I could see it in the way he held his breath, his wide eyes locked on the darkening trees in front of us. Our ball had flown into the woods—the part where our parents always told us not to explore. But there it was, a small red dot through several rows of trees.

I wasn’t any less scared. I could feel my heart racing, that tight, dry feeling building in my throat. The woods seemed so much bigger when the sun started to disappear, and the quiet… it was too quiet. Every twig snapping felt like the first step of some unseen monster. We had heard stories of bears and wild animals nearby every time we came here.

Danny’s voice trembled, pulling me out of my thoughts. “I-I don’t think we should go in there…”

I hesitated. My palms were sweaty, and every instinct screamed at me to turn around, to tell Danny it was just a ball, we could always get another one. Or that Dad would get it in the morning. But then I looked at him—those wide eyes, full of faith that I always had the answers, that I wasn’t afraid of anything.

The truth was, I was terrified. But something inside flickered, like a quiet reminder that being brave wasn’t about not being scared. It was about doing something anyway. It was about being bold.

Taking a deep breath, I forced a smile. “I’ll go get it. You stay here, okay?”

Danny nodded, biting his lip. I turned back toward the trees, legs shaking as I took the first step into the shadows. The second I crossed the treeline, it was like I’d stepped into a different world. The air felt heavier, cooler. Every rustle of leaves or snap of a twig made my pulse race, but I kept going, eyes locked on that red ball just a few feet away. The trees seemed to warp around me as if I was in some kind of cartoon.

Each step felt like wading through a fog of fear, thick and pressing down on me. But I couldn’t stop—I had to get that ball. I thought about Danny, his worried face. The ball was right in front of me now, half-buried in the grass. I bent down to grab it, my hands trembling as I touched the rubbery surface.

Just as I stood back up, I heard it—something moving behind me. I froze, my breath catching in my throat. All those stupid stories came rushing back—glowing eyes, a shadow, a bear roaring. But I didn’t run. I spun around to see what it was, feeling myself about to burst into tears.

A deer. Just a deer. It stared at me, big calm eyes blinking in the dusk before it bounded off deeper into the woods. I let out a shaky laugh, still feeling the adrenaline in my chest, but the fear—it was gone.

I walked back to the edge of the woods, holding the ball up in victory. Danny’s face lit up, and for that moment, I wasn’t just his big brother. I was his hero.

----------------------------------------

I jolted awake, adrenaline pumping as I sat up on one of the benches.

“Goddamn it, am I not allowed to be drowsy?”

When had I fallen asleep? That memory… I… I remembered that. My brother talked about it all the time growing up. He used to say I’d grow up to be Tony Stark. Obviously that didn’t happen. When was the last time we saw each other? Maybe a couple Christmases ago? He was a big deal and always busy on projects for his work. In fact, he was much closer to the dream of Stark Industries than I was.

Someone cleared their throat, and I tensed up, instantly swinging my feet off the bench and standing up. My body ached from the movement, my head throbbing. The tense danger-sense coiled up in my chest, ready to act.

“Graceful Gods, you stink of bravado,” the woman said with an unmistakably British accent as she entered. She was Floran, I thought, but she was… much older. Her skin was bronze like Felix’s but more resembled bark instead of metal. Her hair, dried grass whiter than the marble floors, was tied neatly in a bun. A small yellow bird perched proudly on her head while her flowing brown and gold dress hung lazily on her body.

“Are you… The Headmistress?” I asked, cautiously but trying to be respectful. She snorted, her demeanor definitely not matching my expectation.

“Absolutely not, no,” her smile melted through my defenses. “I brought some clothes… and a washing kit since you look like you’ve had a bit of a rough day.”

I felt my head again, long-dried blood in my hair. Oh yeah.

“Gods…” I said. “You mentioned Gods?”

“I did, in vain even, as in a curse word if you’re not familiar,” She set her cargo onto a table and sat gracefully on a bench across from me. “If you’d prefer I could swear more traditionally. But I get scolded so,” Her gaze rested on me. It was neutral, not as if she was judging me. The bird chirped on her head almost in response.

“Watch your mouth, Stanley,” she said in a scolding tone, looking up towards her forehead. “What would your mother say?”

“I’m Ben, Ben Crawford,” I said suddenly.

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“I know.” The woman responded with a grin. “Call me Diana, darling,” The bird chirped furiously again, indicating frustration. “And this is Stanley.”

She leaned over the table and poured two cups of tea. Wait. Was there a tea set there before? I didn’t… Diana smiled again at me and motioned to the bench.

“Are Gods… real?” I asked, sitting down across from her, not sure I was ready to hear the answer.

“That’s your first question? Do you really think you’re ready for the answer?” She asked bluntly.

My eyebrows raised.

“Well, are you?”

“Probably not,” I replied. Stanley chirped in affirmation.

“Let’s start with something else,” She said. This all seemed so animated compared to everything up to this point. It seemed so… “Can you do me a favor and release your spell?”

“My what?” I said abruptly.

“Just simply accept that something might happen you won’t see coming. Trust the people who have been helping you so far,” Diana seemed so light-hearted. “My Grandson Felix seems to think you’re a good person. No one here is going to hurt you. In fact, we want to help you.”

My body ached, hurt. My head was throbbing even harder now. Spell?

I blinked. She said Felix was her Grandson?

The world shifted slightly as the tension in my chest seemed to disappear. Goosebumps prickled across my skin, and I felt like I had just run a marathon. My heart raced in my chest, and I was shaking. I took a few deep, shaky breaths trying to calm down.

“That’s better,” Diana said. “You might as well have been branding the Gods-damned rune onto your soul. A spell should be a tool, not a crutch to use all the time.”

My soul? Runes? A spell? Oh God, what was going on. It was like I wasn’t myself since I came out of the portal. All the fear, all the unease and confusion slammed into me. My body shook as I took shaking breaths to try and calm down.

Stanley chirped brightly. I felt like it was scolding Diana.

“I know, I know,” Diana seemed to be talking to us both. “Here, drink some tea, Ben. I promise it will help." She slid the cup towards me, and I took it from the table in shaking hands. It was blue. Blue tea.

It smelled wonderful. It reminded me of fall, pumpkin spice, with dried fruits and berries. My mom would always fill the house with similar smells during the cold weather—almost like a witch brewing a cauldron of delicious smells.

I tasted the tea. Hot and pleasantly sweet. Before I knew it, I had drunk the whole cup. I did, in fact, feel better. It seemed to warm my body, and it was incredibly familiar.

“It… reminds me of fall,” I said quietly.

“Fall?” Diana asked.

“Autumn? On… On my… uh… world? The season before winter, the leaves from the trees fall and prepare for cold weather,” I replied, and Diana’s face shifted from calm to curious.

“You’re definitely not a Gaian, then.” She said. “They can’t smell a damned thing. Florans have an extremely keen sense of smell. Well, most of us. It seems like your people do too. We’re almost kindred. Humans, you said?”

Did I tell her I was human? I nodded, remembering my thoughts earlier. I had to ask questions, so…

“Are… Are Florans plants?” I asked abruptly. Stanley let out a loud chirp. He seemed amused.

“I thought that was obvious,” Diana said and then suddenly looked thoughtful. “Oh. Fuck. Your world doesn’t have mana.” Stanley chirped in loud frustration. “Oh, shut up, Stanley.”

Diana poured me another cup of tea, and I took it greedily, enjoying the smell more than the taste.

“We’re closer to seeds,” she started. “We fall from world-trees and take form. Seeds for our world to interact with the people on it. Many here are from the Aldertree. You can tell by our bronze skin. We’re almost metal, but not quite. Pretty sturdy people. Felix is from the same branch of the tree as I am, so he’s my Grandson. Does that help?”

“No,” I said with a sip of the tea. Diana laughed genuinely.

“I didn’t think it would. But we have some time before your meeting with Elara—that’s Headmistress of the Hunters, by the way—so why don’t we indulge some curiosity, and you can make yourself look presentable.”

I stood up, feeling a lot more stable on my feet. I hadn’t realized how shaky I had become. Looking back on the journey through the jungle, I could see my gaze darting around nervously, on high alert. I was wound tightly and ready for anything. It’s no wonder Felix and Cassie bailed the first opportunity they could. I was basically a ball of stress. But was it a spell? It definitely felt strange, but I hadn’t done anything.

The clothes on the table weren’t fancy, but they were nice. Some nice khaki-colored pants made of some kind of linen material, a shirt, a vest with the Monster Hunter emblem on it, and some plain leather shoes.

“I suppose it’s my turn to ask a question,” Diana said from the bench, sipping at her tea and watching me. “Your world, your people know that it’s a planet? One of many?”

I nodded. “Yes, we do. We…” I thought for a second. I mean, Diana had been pretty open so far. “We’ve even gone so far as finding out a way to capture images of it from space.”

“From space? Space.” She was trying the word out within the context, I guessed. “The nothing that exists beyond a planet—Space. I like it. Ahem. And what was the name of your world?”

“Earth,” I replied promptly, intrigued for her reaction. I felt more animated, grounded.

“Earth? Like… dirt… or fertile soil?” Diana giggled. I had to think about it for a moment.

“Yeah. I guess?” I said. “I thought dirt was named for the planet, not the planet for the dirt.”

“Spoken words can mean a lot of things, their origins not always clear in a place as big as the Multiverse.” Diana said, leaving a silence in the air. The Multiverse. Yeesh.

“Ark,” she said bluntly—motioning to the world around her. “Well, out there, not in here. The tower is… confusing.”

“Ark,” I said. “Like… a big boat? Or… an ancient relic?”

“You learn fast.” Diana smiled.

“How are we using words that mean the same thing?” I asked, frustrated.

“Do you really want to waste a question for a lecture on statistics and mouth shape?” Diana smiled. Stanley chirped at me as if that was a stupid question. Why was the bird so damn expressive? She sighed. “There are trillions of languages in the multiverse, but this one and two others are always the most common. Now ask a good one.”

I grabbed the clothes from the table, determined to get changed. Diana was mostly turned away from me. And besides, the torn clothes Chas had given me didn’t leave much to the imagination.

“You’re not just an employee here, are you?” I asked.

“They wish,” She replied with an actual chortle. “But I assure you, I’m not trespassing. Simply visiting.”

I discarded my clothes quickly and was halfway into my pants when I heard a familiar voice.

“That’s not a Gaian ass,” Cassie said from behind me. “It looks like yours, Felix. Boney.”

Without thinking, I whirled around, pants slipping from my grasp and falling to my ankles. I saw Cassie and Felix in the same Monster Hunter outfit, staring at the now-naked me.

“Oh, I agree, dear, that’s a very small ass. It can’t be Floran either. I’m not even sure how he stays balanced,” Diana said from behind me. Cassie grinned and looked me up and down.

“Maybe after a few drinks,” She said and continued into the room to one of the seats.

Felix put a hand on my shoulder on his way past, "couldn’t find a curtain?”

Stanley whistled what was distinctly a cat-call. Even the bird?

“Shut up, Stanley!” I said through my teeth.