Sitting there observing them Wyatt was able to make many discoveries about this family. It became very clear that regardless of any blood relation this was a family. There was if he was labeling them the father, the one he had spoken with. There was a boy who behaved, and looked like he was most likely in his late teens or may even be considered as an adult here. As he considered that he realized he didn’t really see himself as a teenager anymore. He knew objectively he was, but he just didn’t feel like the same person who walked through the gate back on earth. There was also a woman who didn’t appear to be doing very well from what he could tell who the mother may be. He was going to offer to try and help, but he knew nothing about their anatomy. After he had a chance to ask some questions, perhaps he would try to determine what was wrong with her, and if he did have any way he could help. Who knew what this world's medical knowledge looked like in comparison to earth. There were also the 2 smallest children, a boy and a girl if he wasn’t mistaken.

As he lost himself in pointless comparisons, he didn’t see the man when he came back with a bowl of what appeared to be something similar to oatmeal or cream of wheat. Wyatt got a little irritated that they had not had introductions earlier but the rather tense way they met was a good reason that was missed. As he accepted the bowl, he decided it was time to introduce himself. “My name is Wyatt Malikan. May I have your name?”

The man seemed to freeze up while examining Wyatt with a more critical eye before he finally responded “my name is Ugrand. As it is clear you are interested in all of us, I shall make introductions. This is my brother’s son Nukral.” he said with a motion towards the one that appeared to be a late teen. “This” he said with a motion toward the woman, “is my lovely wife Argana. Those 2 rapscallions are Ugrand the second, and Su.” Wyatt had to fight down a laugh when the little girl's name didn’t seem to conform with the others at all. He also thought it was interesting that whatever magical translation was happening made it Ugrand the 2nd and not junior.

“Well, it is nice to meet you all.” Wyatt responded. “I have so many questions, and I don’t even know where to begin. I don’t know if there is a taboo about this sort of thing or if it is something that happens all the time, but I haven’t met any people in a long time, so I am going to lay it out for you. I came from another planet. I traveled through a tear in space on my world and ended up in the middle of a big field by a decrepit stone archway in the middle of a field of dying grass. Since then, I have spent months being attacked constantly by jackalopes and hyenas. I have also been bathing as little as possible once I became aware of the murderfish that live in the water. I have got a ton of other little questions, but I kind of want to know what you have to say about what I just said.”

What happened next was not even remotely in the realm of what Wyatt expected. “Hahaha you are a world traveler? You don’t quite fit the image of a larger-than-life hero that the stories always make out travelers to be. In fact, if it wasn’t for where we are, what you look like, and what you called the creatures you were likely referring to I wouldn’t believe you. This is so disappointing.”

After saying all of that and looking up to see Wyatt staring at him in shock he quickly added “I am sorry I didn’t mean that. It’s just like meeting a childhood hero and having them be an overweight drunkard. Not that you are an overweight drunkard. Actually, I am going to stop now.”

Wyatt took a minute to process before he responded. “Well, it’s good to know that world travelers as you called me are a known quantity. As far as the rest of what you said, well sorry to disappoint, I guess. Although I would point out that I am pretty sure I rescued you from death or slavery. I did that without knowing anything about any of you, and without even having to fight. Pretty sure that is something a hero would do.”

As Wyatt finished talking Argana started laughing. When Wyatt looked at her, she just smiled back at him before she winced clearly in pain. It reminded Wyatt that he had seen something was clearly wrong with her, and seeing her wince in pain from a laugh confirmed his previous theory.

“Are you ok? You seem to be in pain.” Wyatt said. Argana seemed to be looking more closely at him before she finally responded. “I am sorry for your loss.” Wyatt knew unequivocally she was talking about his parents. He had no idea how she could possibly know, but he was beyond a doubt certain that she did.

“How could you possibly know?” He asked her while fighting down the flood of memories that he still hadn’t quite worked his way through. She just smiled the saddest smile he had ever seen, and he knew instinctively that she was as intimate with loss as he was. “How... I... I don’t understand.” Wyatt tripped over the words as he tried to get them out. She seemed lost in her own memories, and he knew better than to interrupt. A minute later she responded. “Pain can feel pain.” Wyatt guessed that was all she was going to say about it. He realized he never acknowledged her pain and felt a little bad, so he said “I am sorry for your loss as well. If pain can feel pain, then I am truly sorry.”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Her sad smile that threatened to break his heart returned. It was clear she did truly understand what losing your family meant. Which confused him given he didn’t feel the same sense of grief from Ugrand. A moment later it became clear he needed to learn to hide his emotions a little better because Argana responded without him asking. “Families come in all shapes and sizes. As does loss. Death is not the only way to lose someone you care about although I believe you already know that as well. What a painful life you must have lived for someone so young. Although I think that’s enough of an exploration into our grief. What other questions do you have?”

Wyatt was about to ask about cultivation, and what cultivation slaves meant but then he realized he had never gotten an answer as to why she seemed to be physically ill. He understood emotionally being in a bad place, but it was clear something was physically wrong with her as well. “We can get into that in a moment, but I am not sure you truly answered my question. Are you alright? Is there something physically wrong? I might be able to help.”

“I am afraid there is nothing that can be done for me. I experienced a Qi deviation that has damaged me in a way that is slowly killing me. As long as I don’t cultivate, I should be ok for another few years, but eventually it will be fatal. We are aware of the Nooku using cultivation slaves because I was one until I managed to escape. In my case they forced me to test unproven cultivation methods to see if they were safe for their children. Eventually one of those methods caused irreparable damage to my core. It’s not something you need to worry about. I have made my peace with it.”

Wyatt filed away that the orc elf hybrids were apparently the Nooku, and he absolutely hated them for what they did to this sweet woman. It felt like the equivalent of testing radiation on humans to see what levels were safe until they eventually ended up with terminal cancer. It was atrocious. Anger surged through him at the injustice. He felt agreement from that hyena spirit that still seemed to be with him. That was definitely on his list of questions to make sure he got answered, but he also just felt worn down by finally meeting people only for it to not be quite the happy experience he had hoped for. That lasted for all of a few seconds before he felt compelled to say something. "No. I am going to fix this. You say travelers are meant to be heroes? Well, I am not sure what is more heroic than finding a way to save a dying mother who has already experienced such tremendous pain in her life.”

“You poor sweet child. This is not your burden to bear, and while I appreciate the sentiment when my time comes, I will welcome it. Families are created in all kinds of ways, and although they sometimes are separated, they always find a way back. My family is waiting for me to find my way to them. Wyatt hadn’t even realized she had moved or that he had started crying until she hugged him. Part of him felt comforted, and another part of him was in shock at how far from the ideal hero he had pictured himself to be when he read stories as a kid. For some reason he started laughing at the absurdity of this whole experience so far. He seemed to be destined to fall short of his expectations for himself. Again, she seemed to be able to read him like a book. Someone who wasn’t a good person wouldn’t have swum across that water and confronted an unknown enemy. More importantly to you I think someone who wasn’t destined for something more wouldn’t have come here in the first place, and they definitely wouldn’t have been able to navigate the situation you came across without bloodshed. I will tell you something my father said to me when I was little. I had asked him how he was never scared. He said to me ‘I am terrified on a daily basis. I would worry about someone who never felt fear. It is necessary to keep us alive, and I think more importantly it helps us connect with others in ways that other emotions are not always able to. You think I am not afraid because when bad things happen you see me doing things, but that was not always the case. Being able to act decisively despite being afraid is quite possibly the most important skill I have learned in my life.’ Heroes are not heroic in every moment of their life since inception. If that is who you want to be then I believe you will be. Perhaps you already are and just don’t know it yet. Now that’s enough for now. I am exhausted, and you look worse than me. You can sleep in our runic circle tonight. We will talk more tomorrow.”

With that emotional overload Wyatt barely thought to jot some of his questions down in his sketchbook so he would remember them the next day. As he was flipping to an empty page Su saw his sketches and said “pretty.” It was a rather random sketch he had drawn one night when he couldn’t sleep. It was a partial of an arm, and hand holding a carrot out to a jackalope that was nibbling on it. Everyone stopped, and Wyatt worried he had done something wrong as there was a strange tension that had come over everyone, but him and Su. Tears started flowing down Ugrand’s face as he looked at his daughter, and he said, “Su you talked!” She looked at him and shook her head yes. Wyatt wasn’t prepared for any more emotional stories, so he took the blanket he had in his pack out, and positioned himself on the ground inside the circle that Argana was continuing to set up as Ugrand just kept staring at Su. “In the morning I will show you some more of my sketches if you want Su.” Wyatt added, trying to cut through what felt like an awkward silence. Su looked at him, and after a minute she spoke again “Ok.” She then turned away and seemed to prepare to sleep as well.

Wyatt didn’t have the emotional bandwidth to deal with anything else, and just turned away from everyone. It felt very strange sleeping on the ground after months of sleeping in a tree, but they were still alive so this runic circle thing must work. He would find out all about that tomorrow, but for now he needed to sleep to get away from all the conflicting emotions roaring through him. Getting back the full spectrum of emotion was both a blessing, and a curse. Right now, he almost wished he could go back to that numb place where most emotions could be ignored. With that thought he slipped into a dreamless sleep.