“We are all strangers in a strange land, longing for home, but not quite knowing what or where home is.”

Madeleine L’Engle, American Writer

“I… what…?” stammered Milly as she stared at the Oriane with the peppered white hair. The other Orianes turned towards her, and their laughter became tense silence.

A glass shattered against the marble tiles as it fell from Hydel’s hand, its liquid spilling across the floor.

The liquid touched Milly’s shoe, and she tapped her foot against it, watching the ripples in the tiny puddle.

I can interact with the projections? They can interact with me? Wait, that light… it can’t be…

Milly knelt in front of the peppered hair woman and stared at her chest intently.

“Miss… Miss, this is highly inappropriate,” the woman protested, folding her arms across her chest. She tried to back away, but Milly grabbed the woman’s arm and held her fast. Her skin was silky smooth, and her wrist narrow and fragile.

The woman tried to pull away but couldn’t break free of Milly’s strength. “Let me go! Please, Miss.”

Milly didn’t notice the woman’s reaction or hear her protests. Her eyes were fixed on the tiny, almost imperceptible golden thread that connected the woman’s heart with the black orb. The thread pulsed gently as energy flowed from the orb into the woman, giving her physical form.

No, it’s more than just granting physical form. It’s injecting her with life energy! Transforming a projection into a living being. She’s still weak, and it could be months before she could live independent of the orb. But, if the process continues uninterrupted, these projections – these memories – will become truly alive.

Milly’s eyes shifted to the black orb, and a sense of foreboding washed over her.

But who built the orb, and where is it siphoning the life-giving energy from? And why give life to these people in particular? Project Rebirth… what is going on here?

A massive muscular hand came to rest on Milly’s shoulder. She glanced up to see the ten-foot-tall Oriane staring down at her, a menacing look upon his face. It drew Milly from her internal contemplations, and she finally noticed her tight grip on the woman’s wrist.

“I… I’m so sorry,” Milly stammered apologetically, releasing the woman’s wrist. The woman held her wrist tightly and quickly backed away. “I just… I didn’t know you were…”

Alive? I suppose they are, though each of them are literally connected to life support.

Milly rose to her feet. The giant man pressed down on her shoulder, trying to keep her on her knees, but Milly’s strength overwhelmed him. It was like a small child trying to hold back a bodybuilder, only Milly was the bodybuilder.

“Are you hurt, Geta?” the giant man asked the peppered hair woman with affection. He was trying to hide his shock at Milly’ strength, but Milly could see it in his eyes. He wasn’t used to being the weak one.

“I… no, I’ll be alright, Apoi. Just a little sore,” Geta replied, her eyes fixed warily on the stranger in the midst. “Hydel, go get the Administrator. He…”

A crash emerged from the courtyard entrance as Coco burst into the complex, a small child clinging to her back as if Coco were a horse. The child – Enzel, Milly surmised – was laughing with maniacal joy as she held onto Coco’s ears tightly and enjoyed the ride.

Coco, on the other hand, released a series of upset barks and whistles as she bolted straight for Milly, knocking over glassware and anything else along her path.

“Coco, calm down. She’s just a child,” Milly soothed, as the scared capybara barreled straight into Milly’s arms. She patted the capybara’s barrel chest to calm her. “There, there. You’re safe now, silly thing.”

“Enzel, get away from that creature,” came a bellow from the courtyard. Administrator Bestian strode into the complex, his face the measure of calm authority, though Milly saw a mix of both concern and curiosity in his bright orange eyes. “And I need everyone to take a breath and calm down.”

The complex grew quiet, though Milly heard secretive whispers not meant for her ears.

“She overpowered Apoi like he wasn’t even there.”

“Is she the one we’ve been waiting for? The biochemist from Core Station?”

“What’s wrong with her? She’s… malformed. Her eyes… and her face… they’re out of proportion.”

“Her eyes are so… dull. Is she sick?”

“Fascinating…”

The last whisper came from Hydel, who moved away from his workstation and was now inspecting Milly as if she were a prized farm animal.

Milly gently pried Enzel’s grip from off Coco’s ears and gingerly lifted her to the ground. The child pouted, the only one unperturbed by Milly’s appearance.

Administrator Bestian strolled over to Milly, avoiding the shattered glass left in Coco’s wake. He frowned when he saw the spilled liquid on the floor and gave Hydel a disappointed gaze. Hydel weakly coughed and left to grab a rag.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The man was a hair shorter than Apoi and had the lean appearance of a man who regularly forgot to eat because he was engrossed in his work.

Bestian glanced down at Coco, and Coco backpedaled until she stood at Milly’s side. She gave a tiny warning bark, which came across as adorable more than threatening. The man chuckled at the protective display.

“I’m afraid we don’t allow animals in this part of the station, miss…?” Bestian let the question hang there, expecting the silence to be filled with an answer.

“Ummm… Milly,” Milly answered, still trying to puzzle everything out.

Whatever it happening, these Orianes don’t seem to be aware of it. They probably think I just appeared out of nowhere during their perfectly normal afternoon, rather than the other way around.

“Well, Milly. Why don’t you and I head out to the courtyard? Where your creature can relax, and we can be away from… prying eyes. You can explain to me how you found yourself in the middle of our laboratory without anyone noticing.”

Bestian strode towards the courtyard, not bothering to wait for Milly’s response.

“He’s going to speak with her… alone?”

“That face - she could be a monster in disguise. He’ll be in danger.”

“Bestian is so incredible!”

That last whisper came from Hydel again, sounding like an excited fanboy fawning over a celebrity.

“I’m… ah… sorry about hurting your wrist,” Milly apologized again to Geta, whose stare had shifted from fear to concern.

That’s an improvement, I guess…

Milly followed the Administrator outside, keeping Coco close by. Enzel tried to follow with her – desperate for another ride on Coco – but Apoi picked the rambunctious child up with one hand and placed her upon his shoulders. She squealed in delight as the big man took her on a piggyback ride around the complex.

When she arrived in the courtyard, Bestian was already kneeling in the garden. It was no longer filled with long-dead floral remains. It had blossomed to life with dozens of different colored flowers and vegetables. Bestian plucked a tuber from the earth and squeezed it in his fist, collecting the released liquid in a vial pulled from his pocket.

Bestian patted the soil next to him. Milly walked over, smoothing out her gown before gently kneeling in the earth.

Despite his size, she wasn’t afraid of him. She doubted anyone here posed a much of a threat to her, even with her depleted magic reserves. Yet anxiety tugged at the back of her mind.

I need answers from him. The Waypoint Pillar. How to get home. Whatever they are – projection or people – I need them to return to Cally, Passi, and Rain.

“Now that it’s just the two of us,” Bestian began, before sternly raising his voice as he looked towards the entrance to the complex. “without the interruption of prying eyes …”

The eavesdropping Orianes huddled by the door scattered, and the Administrator chuckled. “Why don’t you tell me why you are here?”

“I’m…,”

Milly hesitated.

What can I say? Hey there, I’m a creature from another world, hurled into a death game by some mad gods. I rode on the back of a massive dragon and found myself washed up on this island filled with nightmare beasts. Oh, and by the way, you’re not real. You’re a memory. Though you might become real if that orb keeps pumping you full of life energy. Somehow, I don’t think the truth is going to get me very far.

“I’m… the new biochemist… from Core Station,” Milly lied, repeating the whisper she’d heard inside.

“Are you now?” Bestian asked quizzicality. “And the monster at your side?”

Coco gave a tiny chirp of protest at the characterization, and Bestian looked genuinely apologetic.

Milly scratched behind Coco’s ears, where she knew Coco liked it, and Coco plopped herself down next to Milly.

“This is Coco. She’s harmless,” Milly assured him. “She’s not a monster. She’s… a family pet. My companion on the road.”

Bestian reached over and stroked Coco’s back gently. Coco tensed for a moment, but quickly leaned into his touch, and the combination of pets and scritches made her whistle with pleasure.

“Quite a journey from Core Station,” he pried. “We were not notified of your arrival, nor did we spot your balloon on the horizon. How did you make it up here?”

“I climbed,” Milly answered.

I haven’t seen any of them use magic, so best not open that can of worms unless I have to.

Bestian barked a laugh. “You climbed Delver’s Mount? Navigated its treacherous slope and toxic fumes, as you avoided the packs of hybrids that roam the skies and lands below?”

“Y… yes?” Milly answered reluctantly. She felt her lie already falling apart at the seams.

“In a dress?”

“It’s very comfortable, and I’m very strong,” Milly assured him, and tried to turn the tide of questions. “How long has this research station been here?”

“Was that not part of your instruction at Core Station Academy?” inquired Bestian. “I know the biochemistry stream still has Archipelago History as a first-year prerequisite. It covers Delver’s Mount and the attributes of its core compound, so you should’ve known better than to climb its slopes.”

Milly shrugged. “I… was never very good at history.”

“I’m surprised. Professor Syune may be young, but she’s one of the best there is. Students don’t tend to forget the lessons she imparts upon them. Not given her… rather unorthodox methods.”

“Maybe you could remind me?” Milly prompted, as she cringed at her complete inability to act the spy.

“Very well,” Bestian humored her. “Research Station Omega was founded twenty-six years ago to study the compound from the depths of the volcano. Its mutative impacts on local wildlife are quite fascinating, you see. I was a member of the advanced research team who first discovered the compound, though our little team has grown significantly in the years since. The island was incorporated into the Archipelago Research Alliance ten years ago, and its funding let us take our research to new heights. But, of course, you know all about that research, being our new biochemist...”

Bestian gave her a curious, sidelong glance and a subtle grin as he squeezed another tuber’s juices into the vial.

Milly felt a ping in the back of her mind as her Ceaseless Skepticism triggered.

He knows I’m not their new biochemist. I didn’t fool him for a second. I need to find out about that orb and find a way home, before he decides to end this game.

“You must have taken very good care of your facility,” Milly gently challenged. “There isn’t a scratch on it. Anywhere. As if it were built yesterday.

Bestian paused and stared across the courtyard, as if seeing its perfection for the first time. Milly saw uncertainty creep into his confident casualness. He noticed the untouched walls and the dormant bronze pipes and frowned.

“I’ve… got an exceptional maintenance team,” he explained, though his voice carried doubt at his own words.

“Oh?” Milly pressed. “Where are they?”

The silence around them became heavy – the silence of an empty village that once held over five hundred Orianes. The only murmurs came from the dozen researchers back in the main complex. The only ones given form – given life – by the black orb with its limited available life energy.

Bestian turned back to Milly, his eyes no longer playful.

“It was my brother who first discovered the compound, you know. We were part of the same research expedition and built this place together. A brilliant scientist, his talent was eclipsed by only one other in the entire Archipelago Research Alliance – his son… my nephew. The man who was to be our new biochemist.

Milly knew their short conversational dance was at an end.

“Who are you really, girl? Because you are clearly not my nephew.”

Bestian’s next words chilled Milly to her very core.

“You are not Dr. Taydon Cizen.”