In the end, Ake decided to not care.

Well, especially when he didn’t know how to react to her overly friendly presence. The girl had stuck so close to him as if he would suddenly run away. She made him unnecessarily worry that the other girl was spying on them somehow.

It might be his imagination, but it felt like she was overcompensating for something she did wrong but he couldn’t figure out what. It was not her fault that he was caught in this. She saved his life and even taught him how to magic for free.

Experience taught him that thinking too much about something he did not have enough information about would be a waste of time. Besides, the existence of a tall white wall screamed that there was something more important than a slice-of-life drama.

He had taken a good look at himself and didn’t like what he saw. What he felt from the slow walk out of the place was enough to confirm his suspicion.

The boy was probably in the same boat as he didn’t know how many days the boy was surviving without any nutrition. How he was not ravenously hungry right now was a mystery in itself. Perhaps something was done to him magically or not during the time he was still unconscious.

Or maybe the magical shards had something to do with it. He could still feel them buried under the skin on his chest even without touching them with his hand.

It was odd when his memory was pretty sharp except for the most important things. He could not remember a thing about his name, family, or any details about his previous life. He knew he had not experienced the very best of upbringing but the details were just missing.

“So, how many like me who ended up here?” He asked the small lady who insisted that she had to tag along while he took a walk.

It was not like he could run away or something. Also moving his body around was the best way to clear up his head.

“Well, there are not many like you, exactly. It had taken the kingdom some time, but ever since the cult’s activities were sniffed out, probably more than a few hundred souls have already been abducted from different realms or worlds, if that is what you are meaning to ask,” Liara answered while she looked at him curiously.

He shrugged at her not-question.

Ake took note that she hadn’t mentioned the capture of the crime head. That was probably a very bad sign. Whoever they were, they probably could start again somewhere else or could be searching for their victims for an experiment or something.

Well, even after what had happened, it was still none of his business.

He was just a plain old boring victim.

‘And boring is good,’ he mused with a tiny smile.

“And what do you mean by ‘like me’?”

Liara smiled as if she was expecting the question.

“Well, not all abducted souls are able to survive the ritual fully intact and only the strongest souls do. Most of the victims stayed pretty much the same person they were other than their complaints of odd memories and weird nightmares which can be treated. Many others, however, have unfortunately lost their minds, and like I’ve said, there are a very small number like you whose souls stay mostly unblemished.”

She was saying that he got really lucky.

He couldn’t agree more.

Ake nodded and continued to walk towards the sky scraping walls. The sight was so unbelievable until he had to confirm it was not a mirage of some kind.

“Do you know what happens to those like me?” Ake continued to ask.

The woman softly cleared her throat for some reason before she replied.

“They find their respectful place in society, many even find new loved ones-” she paused for a moment as if she had misspoken. “They are able to continue on living their lives after they accept their fates, but unlike you, most took the fact harder than others.”

He nodded again. Unlike him, those people had never hoped for their old world to end because they loved it so much. All of them should have families and loved ones they rather not separated from. Ake might not be able to recall every detail, but unlike those people, he could tell he had no one significant he would miss.

“So did I have just robbed the life this tribal boy could have?”

Ake threw the elephant in the room at her as his destination got closer.

Liara let out a tiny gasp while visibly taken aback by the simple question. She deflated out a long breath before she answered.

“First of all, what has happened is not your fault, Ake, just please remember that,” Liara began. “No one would blame you, at least.”

“Good to know that, but how so?” Ake stopped on his feet.

“Well, extensive research had been done, and based on how the ritual worked, the body in which your soul resided was practically your other self or a twin in this world,” Liara sighed softly and continued. “And for you to be this dominant means the other you at that time is already on the verge of dying. That is as far as we know at this moment.”

A warm hand landed on his back as if to comfort him. Her touch had reminded him of how comfortable to be in her arms, but he reminded himself that whatever she did was out of her sense of duty and pity.

Only naive fools would believe it was out of compassion.

“Thank you,” Ake said to her and probably his other self in this world.

Finally, it was time to learn why her partner had nothing to do with him. He had a bad feeling but it was best he confirmed the fact with her.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Tell me what it means to be a white,” Ake said deadpan.

“You heard that, didn’t you?” Liara sighed. “I had hoped that you didn’t as being a white is the last thing anyone wanted to be.”

“It is that bad, huh?”

“Yes, it is that bad,” Liara paused and her gorgeous green eyes looked at him with pity. “You see, most people will have at least a little bit of color in their Astral attunement. A tiny stroke of red means you won’t be able to cast a [Spell] but at least you can absorb the [Flame] shard and use its rawest form. A white means-”

“I know, I can tell,” Ake cut her off before she could spell it to his face.

He looked up as his hand was on the walls and sighed. The fact that throwing any kind of fireball was beyond his reach felt miserable.

In everybody's eyes, he was literally a cripple in the magical sense. Who would want a cripple in their lives when surviving was hard enough? This was the only explanation why the other woman thought Liara should just leave him be.

And to be honest, he was still struggling to wrap his head around the fact magic was real in this world. He could understand how cheated one would feel if he learned that he was white.

But the fact was, he couldn’t live in denial, not for very long, at least. It might be unfortunate for other victims, but honestly, what had happened was a huge break for him personally, as a white or whatever.

And at least he was not crazy.

It also felt like a wish coming true, well, after he had jumped a few very horrible hoops, of course. He recalled that he had wanted to get out of his old life even if it meant the end of the world, and being abducted into another world should be the next best thing.

And even if he was given a choice and knew it in advance, he would still pick this over continuing to live in his old world. A white or even a mundane would be the icing on top.

Ake chuckled inside.

How desperate could he have been to even think like that?

“Anyway, do I have any family members or somebody?” Ake said before he resumed walking and Liara followed.

“Ah, yes, a tribal lady had come looking for you, how she knew is anyone’s guess. She said something about tribe inheritance she must pass on. I don’t know who she was to you, but she is probably too young to be your mother. Nobody knows much about how the tribal nomads lived, so I’m not sure.”

A flash of memory came to him. A dark-skinned but gorgeous young lady came to his mind as she kissed him on the lips before roughing his hair. She felt both motherly and somewhat very intimate to him.

He took it as some odd otherworld tribal tradition or something.

“Taluna,” his mouth spoke before he realized it. He just knew the lady must be her. “Where can I find this lady or the tribe?”

Another tiny gasp escaped her.

“I’m sorry to say this, Ake,” Liara said and paused. “I don’t know what it means to you, but the tribe you belonged to was probably wiped out by the same cult. You are among the few lucky ones who survived. For now, the few survivors are living in temporary wall-quarters before they can assimilate into society, just like every other victim.”

Ake sighed. He was hoping for a clean slate start in this magical world. Being tied down to someone, or other tribe members, was not the best feeling in the world, but he guessed, beggars couldn’t be choosers.

As the woman had said, it was not his fault, but the guilt of taking over somebody else’s body still gnawed at his guts. It felt like he had stolen him from his happy loving tribal family and something in him wouldn’t let him just walk away from them.

He had to meet them, at least, one last time. How it would go after they learned the truth wasn’t even the question. He got to do what was right or it would really feel like he had robbed the boy of his life.

“Thanks again, Liara,” Ake said. “I hope I don’t cause any inconvenience to you.”

“No, it is okay, I’m actually excited to do this,” she admitted almost bashfully. “It is too bad that you are white, but this is the first time I’ve personally met a soul from another world. I’ve only heard of them as it is not every day someone can know one, you know.”

“But what about your girlfriend? Don’t you want to spend some time with her?”

“You mean, Sila?” Liara sighed.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“No, it is not that,” Liara paused and looked upwards at the tall white walls. “Sila is kindhearted and she means well, but I can’t see myself staying in town all the time. There is nothing wrong with the idea of staying safe but it just feels not right to me. I want to be out there exploring or doing quests even if it is not the safest.”

“Well, I’ve learned that being truthful is the best even when it hurts,” Ake said with a noncommittal shrug.

“Yes, I guess you’re right,” Liara chuckled and shook her head. “I don’t know what will happen if I tell her, but I guess cutting out a wound is better than letting it rot.”

‘I don’t know where that comes from but hiding issues will only make things worse,’ Ake mused and recalled his old Earth memories.

They were not the best memories but they taught him a useful lesson. His life was much better and more enjoyable after he understood what had happened. The one he thought was the love of his life was simply not meant to be. He just learned it way too late.

“I would rather learn the ugly truth as early as possible,” he said to her.

“Even if you don't like it?” She asked.

“Especially if I don’t like it,” he smiled almost bitterly.

Liara paused for a long moment. Obviously, she was thinking about something.

“Well, if that is what you believe in, then I guess that is the best way to keep this thing between us as amiable as possible,” Liara said and paused as if she was trying to arrange her words carefully.

Liara began after she softly cleared her throat, “The truth is, whether you like it or not, we’ll be seeing each other a lot. I’ll be around even if you don’t see me until it is decided that you are not a potential threat.”

He turned towards her in disbelief.

She smiled and shrugged. The petite redhead had just nonchalantly revealed the real reason she tagged along insistently.

“Orders from above?”

“I’m sorry for you, but yes, every able abducted soul is kept in very close watchful eyes. You are the only one this time but these observations and tests can also be very, let’s just say, very personal and unpleasant.”

Ake chuckled and shook his head. Of course, they would.

Anyone with authority would do the same. It would be foolish to let completely unknown foreigners run around without any supervision, let alone an abducted soul from another world. Obviously, the test had to be personal and unpleasant simply to ensure some measure of guarantee that he wasn’t going to flip or go nuts under pressure.

“I guess, I’ll look forward to working with you,” Ake said as this arrangement also had its benefits.

“Me too,” Liara said with a warm smile that reached her eyes.

Any honest person would react the same way in her place. The truth was, everything would feel a lot easier when there was no need to try to keep it a secret.

She also mentioned that she was excited to have the unique chance of a lifetime nobody else had. He had no doubt as he could hear the sincerity in her words.

Ake had to count his blessings in this kind of situation. In a way, he had just got a personal guide and bodyguard for free.

It was a win-win situation, but during the walk, he wondered why there were not many kids running around. He was expecting to see tiny beggars everywhere but he couldn’t find any of them. Perhaps this world was better than he expected after all.