~ Jasper ~

His consciousness was swimming.

What had been on solid ground was no longer held up by a concrete force. Instead, his mind fluidly transferred from one thought to another, with none remaining in his mind for long. However, despite this, one common thread connected all of them.

I failed to save them.

Despite his best planning, he was unable to follow through on his promise to save the girls, and in the heat of the moment, he was distracted by the piercing gaze of the person he didn’t want to see. Not only did he let down the two people who mattered most, but he had lost his ability to try again.

“Hello?”

Time had been moving in slow motion in his mind. He saw the twins make their move toward the lifeboat he had found, before escalating measures to keep the rest of the ship’s crew occupied. While the sequence of events likely took no more than three seconds, it felt like three minutes passed in that time as his emotions quickly shifted from relief, to worry, to determination.

“Are you okay?”

However, no moment felt slower than the recognition of his failure. He locked eyes with his sister, who sent him an unreadable expression of pain, one he could only read as a plead for mercy, and for help. At times like these, one could only wish for a superpower to unveil itself, to change the tides of the battle. But he had already been losing the fight badly, and any chance he had to save them would have come from giving up and fighting another day. But because of his negligence…

“Hey! Can you hear me?”

A shaking feeling rolled over him, and he regained control of his body. He tried to talk, but all that came out was a groan.

“There, there, take it slowly. I’ll wait.”

The voice that was talking was unmistakably male, and likely older. It lacked the energy characteristic of youth, and the words it spoke betrayed years of experience.

After around a minute longer, Jasper finally opened his eyes, only to immediately regret doing so. The light from the sun burned into his retinas in a way he hadn’t felt in quite a long time. He squinted his eyes shut and attempted to sit up before trying to open them again.

While his muscles were still weak from his previous struggles, he felt a hand prop up his back, assisting him in his effort. Finally, he managed to open his eyes and take a look around.

The first thing he noticed was that he was on a long, flat beach. White sand that appeared untouched by feet spread for miles, contrasting with the deep blue of the calm ocean that bordered it on his left. On the right, he could see what looked like a sparse forest, with trees well spread out and plenty of room to maneuver. With such a pretty sight before him, and what seemed like a lack of difficulty in getting here, he wondered why the beach seemed so untouched by mankind. Back home, beaches were tourist destinations that would attract crowds of people, even when the trek was difficult.

He turned his head to see the person who helped him up sitting next to him with a smile on his face.

“Feeling a little better, son?” he asked.

Jasper observed the man. He seemed to be in his fifties, with dark hair that was beginning to gray and plenty of untrimmed whiskers that hadn’t yet regrown into a full beard. The man seemed strong; his body was well built and he seemed to have good posture, at least as far as Jasper could tell while he was sitting, and his clothing was well-worn but clean. However, what stood out most was his smile. It was kind and warm, but simultaneously carried what seemed like the weight of many lives, with a hint of resignation or regret reflecting in his eyes.

“Sorry if this sounds rude, but who are you?” Jasper inquired.

The man shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it. I understand you must be very confused,” he assured, “My name is Lingzhi, and I’m a hermit living around these parts.”

“Lingzhi?” Jasper asked, “Like the mushroom?”

“Mushroom?” Lingzhi repeated, “What do you mean?”

Jasper shook his head, recognizing more important matters at hand.

“Never mind. I’m Jasper.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, young Jasper. Can you stand?” Lingzhi asked.

Jasper shrugged, and attempted to stand up. He immediately winced in pain.

“Don’t push yourself,” Lingzhi warned.

Jasper shook his head.

“I’ll be fine,” he declared.

After a few more attempts, he managed to stay standing. Despite what appeared to be a significant bout of unconsciousness, his legs had still not recovered at all from the day’s events, with his lower legs in particular feeling like they could snap in half at any point.

“So, where are we?” Jasper questioned, “I’ve never seen a beach quite like this before.”

“We’re on the coast on the east side of Aurumian territory,” Lingzhi explained, “Of course, this is part of the neutral zone in the war, so there’s no worry of a battle nearby or anything.”

“What do you mean, war?” Jasper asked, his legs still shaking a little, “I don’t know of any wars happening right now.”

Lingzhi fell silent and started thinking. After a minute, he seemed to come to a conclusion.

“It seems like you’re not from around here. Let’s go back to my cabin, and I can explain what’s going on.”

“Is it far?” Jasper asked.

Lingzhi turned and pointed to the top of a cliff that backed the ocean.

“Just up there. I can help you if you have any trouble.”

Jasper nodded, then followed Lingzhi into the forest. As it turned out, it really wasn’t far, nor was it a difficult walk at all. There was a gentle slope that led there just in the forest, leading to an overlook where a small cabin was situated. Since the forest wasn’t very thick, traversing it was about as easy as walking down a hiking trail.

The cabin itself was about as large as a typical suburban home. Jasper assumed from the outside that it probably had four or five unique rooms, and that didn’t include the conspicuous outhouse around twenty feet away from the house. Both buildings were made of what appeared to be logs that were cut down into more rectangular shapes, all standing upright to create a relatively well sealed building. It had both a front door that faced the bottom of the hill, and a back door that faced the cliff. Between the back door and the cliff sat a fire pit, which Jasper noticed had recently been used.

“Let’s get you inside and resting,” Lingzhi offered.

Jasper nodded and followed him inside. He immediately noticed how much comfier it seemed than on the outside. It was clearly insulated, as the main room was much smaller than it appeared on the outside. Several chairs with seating cushions were set up around the room, though Jasper was wondering how often people actually used them, given Lingzhi was the only sign of humanity he had seen since falling off the ship. Before Lingzhi could say anything else, he practically fell onto one of the chairs, his legs immediately feeling relief from the pressure they had been dealing with before.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Sorry to intrude, I just really need to rest my legs.”

Lingzhi chuckled at Jasper’s apology.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s clear you need some real rest. I’m not sure what you went through before you washed up, but I know it must be quite heavy, whatever it is.”

“It doesn’t help that I’m only fifteen,” Jasper muttered, “Pretty sure kids my age are supposed to be in school rather than washing up on a remote beach.”

Lingzhi also took the opportunity to sit down in one of the chairs, ready to finish the explanation he started earlier.

“So, just to confirm,” Lingzhi started, “You’re not from Aurem or Argentis, right?”

Jasper shook his head.

“I honestly have never heard of either,” he admitted, “I’m not exactly a geography nut, though, so maybe that’s on me.”

“I see…” Lingzhi muttered, “Then where on Natril are you from?”

“Natril?” Jasper repeated, “I’m from America. I’ve never even heard of Natril.”

Lingzhi scratched the back of his head, exasperated.

“Well, I can say the same of America, never heard of it,” he replied, “That tells me that one of three things is true: one, you’re lying, which I find unlikely given current circumstances, two, you have amnesia, which seems the most plausible but doesn’t explain what you claim to remember, or three, you are from a real place called America that I’ve never heard of.”

Jasper fidgeted in place.

What is going on? He thought, Natril? I’ve never heard of such a place. And how has he not heard of America? It’s the most powerful nation in the world.

“Well, I’ll assume you’re not lying, at least,” Lingzhi conceded, “So I’ll indulge any questions you have. First, though, about Aurem. Aurem is a kingdom on the south side of Natril, which is a large continent that features a number of different major powers. Effectively, Aurem’s borders stretch from the Golden Peaks on the north border to the ocean to the south, east, and west. We’re on the eastern coast, which is considered neutral territory.”

“You mentioned a war earlier,” Jasper mentioned, “What’s going on?”

“Aurem is in the middle of a civil war with its eastern region, who call themselves the Argentis Colony. This is considered neutral territory in the war due for reasons you probably don’t care about right now. What matters is that it is neutral, so we won’t be getting caught up in the war unnecessarily.”

Jasper nodded. He wasn’t particularly interested in the geopolitical situation behind the kingdom, just where on Earth he was. Still, knowing that Natril was a full continent made things even more confusing for him. He knew the seven continents on Earth, and none were known in any language as Natril.

“Okay, I think I understand the basis of what you’re saying,” Jasper confirmed, “Effectively, I’m on this continent named Natril, in a southern kingdom called Aurem, correct?”

Lingzhi nodded.

“That’s about the gist of it.”

“Then what about you?” Jasper asked, “Can you tell me about yourself?”

“What is there to say?” Lingzhi shrugged, “I’m just an old hermit.”

“That’s nonsense,” Jasper objected, “If I know anything about hermits, it’s that none of them were born as such. On the contrary, hermits often have the most interesting stories.”

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Lingzhi chuckled, “But I’m just a retired Aurumian knight. Nobody special.”

“Well let’s start there,” Jasper pointed, “That’s pretty cool. You were a knight?”

Lingzhi laughed.

“I’m glad to hear you still have the enthusiasm of youth, young Jasper. Yes, I was a knight with the army in the Kingdom.”

Before Jasper could press the point, Lingzhi asked a question of his own.

“Now would you mind telling me how you wound up on the beach near my home? If it’s too difficult, I won’t force you, but I am awfully curious.”

Jasper fell silent for a moment, and broke eye contact. How was he supposed to explain a situation like this? Not even he knew what was going on.

“I’m not sure what to say,” he admitted, “I’m not even sure I know what happened.”

Lingzhi looked up, putting his hand to his chin in deep thought.

“Well, something I’ve learned in my life is that whenever you don’t know what to say, you start from the beginning. Sometimes that’s the key to the locked vault of the truth.”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Jasper commented, “But I suppose I can do that.”

Jasper proceeded to explain the whirlwind of events that had led him to the beach. Despite many of the bizarre twists the story took, Lingzhi appeared to take it all in stride, never interrupting or showing any hint of surprise.

“Well, that’s quite the story. I’m not entirely sure what to make of it,” the old man admitted.

“Yeah, it’s surreal to me too,” Jasper agreed, “I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t believe me.”

Lingzhi shook his head.

“I don’t see any reason not to trust you,” he reassured Jasper, “Everything you’ve done since I found you has seemed genuine, and while your story seems more than fantastical at points, it’s incredibly consistent with everything you’ve done here.”

He walked toward the other end of the room, still in deep thought.

“Still,” he commented, “Who would have thought humanity would develop flying machines? It seems so surreal. Not even the elves have managed to create anything close to what you described.”

Jasper looked up, confused.

“Elves?” he repeated, “You mean there are elves here?”

“Well, not here,” Lingzhi explained, “They live up to the far north, even beyond the reaches of the Empire. I know there are small populations scattered throughout the continent, but I don’t know of any in Aurumian territory.”

“I didn’t think elves even existed,” Jasper admitted, “They were considered fantasy creatures where I come from.”

“In all honesty, Jasper, that’s a puzzle I’m still trying to figure out. From what you said, nobody other than your sisters seemed to recognize any geographical landmarks of where you came from. Not ‘America’ or anywhere else. Elves apparently didn’t exist, and flying machines, these ‘airplanes’, do. And you’ve never heard of Natril before, despite it being the only landmass we’ve ever seen.”

“It can’t be an issue of distance or awareness either,” Jasper noted, “Our society has created maps and established communication with the entire world. We’ve even gone to outer space, and no signs of life have been found beyond the sky.”

Neither spoke for a few minutes following Jasper’s comment. Nothing was making any sense to either of them. It seemed like there was no possible way that the other society could exist, and yet they were both here as proof. It was like there was a giant gap in knowledge that there was no bridge across.

Wait, Jasper thought, A giant gap?

“Could I be in a different dimension?” he mumbled.

Lingzhi looked to him in confusion.

“Did you say something?”

Jasper nodded.

“There’s a concept where I come from. The idea is that two worlds can exist at the same time, unknown to each other, and unable to affect one another. It’s a popular concept in science-fiction novels, called ‘dimensions.’”

“And you think that you may have moved from one of these ‘dimensions’ to another? And that’s why you’re here?” Lingzhi clarified.

“Yes,” Jasper affirmed, “Even though there’s no proof that other dimensions exist, it would perfectly explain the difference in memories between the two of us, and the difference in technology between our civilizations.”

“It’s not a bad theory,” Lingzhi noted, “But is it possible to confirm this?”

Jasper shook his head.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think so. But it may be a good idea to assume that’s what happened until I get a better idea of what this place is.”

“That seems wise. So, what are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean?”

Lingzhi cleared his throat before continuing.

“Well, Jasper, it seems like for the time being you’re stuck in Natril. So, until you find a way to go back, what do you want to do?”

Jasper’s eyes widened. He had been so busy attempting to figure out what was going on that he had completely forgotten about the more important question.

“The truth is,” Jasper started, taking a deep breath, “I want to save my sisters.”

“That’s right, you did say they were captured by slave traders, didn’t you?”

“They were counting on me, and I failed to save them when we were on the boat. I can’t let that happen again. They’re more important to me than anything.”

“Even yourself?” Lingzhi challenged.

Without missing a beat, Jasper nodded.

“I took it upon myself to be their protector when we were little, and to this day I would give my life for either of them.”

“I’m impressed with your conviction, young man. But your declaration is naïve.”

Jasper winced at Lingzhi’s sharp response.

“What do you mean by that? Is it so wrong to have someone you care about?”

“Of course it isn’t, Jasper,” Lingzhi sighed, “I used to have people I cared about, too. But the time I spent in war taught me something invaluable.”

“And that was?”

“Jasper, let me ask you something,” Lingzhi proposed, “What use are you to them dead?”

A foreboding pain welled up in Jasper’s chest. He wasn’t liking where this conversation was going.

“If I died saving them,” Jasper started, but Lingzhi held his hand up.

“Are you sure? What if you saved them on Friday, and by Sunday they needed to be protected again? Or, what if you died attempting to save them and failed? Wouldn’t your sacrifice have been for nothing?”

Jasper leaned back, squinting his eyes shut.

“Then what am I supposed to do?” he demanded, his voice rising almost to a yell, “If I’m not there, I can’t save them! I don’t know what to do?”

Tears began to spill from his eyes as thoughts of their potential suffering began to flood his mind. The more he tried to push them out, the more they became the only thing he could think about.

“What do I do?” Jasper whimpered.

Jasper felt a hand on his shoulder. Upon opening his eyes, he saw Lingzhi standing over him.

“That’s your decision, Jasper. You can do what you think is right.”

“That’s the problem, Lingzhi,” Jasper murmured, “I don’t know what is right.”

Lingzhi smiled down at him.

“I don’t expect you to figure it out immediately. Many people search their entire lives for answers, and others never find them at all.”

For a moment, Jasper saw a faraway look in Lingzhi’s eyes, one filled with complex emotions beyond what he could comprehend.

“For now,” Lingzhi continued, “You’re free to stay here until you come to an answer.”

“Are you sure?” Jasper asked, “I don’t want to intrude.”

“The forests around here are dangerous. If you don’t know where you’re going, you could easily find yourself the food of a local troll, and I can’t in good conscience do that to you.”

After a moment, Jasper reluctantly nodded.

“Thank you,” Jasper replied, “I’ll try not to stay longer than I need to.”

And, just like that, Jasper had a place to stay for the foreseeable future. He could only hope that Amber and Ruby could stay reasonably safe until he could find them, and that when he did, that they would forgive him.