1. The Start of a Story that's One of a Myriad or Where She Landed in a Trope

“Haaah...”

The woman slowly exhales to prevent further humiliation from the panting breath already fogging her clunky, but necessary, glasses. Wiping the rainwater dripping down her chin see looks up to see how far she was from her goal.

Still way far up. Freakin’ inclines and weak-ass bodies.

Using the instrument’s metal pole as a walking stick, please don’t do this at work, protocol is there for a reason, she stabs the pointed end into the soil and hauls herself forward. Just...maybe an hour. Just an hour more and she’d be on top of the hill and she can sit down as she waits for the instrument in all its slow-calibrating glory.

Energized by the thought of sitting still while the old-ass satellite receiver does its thing, she ignores her body’s condition. She’s achy and it’s raining hard and she’s muddy and it’s so unfair her teammates get to stay dry as they interview the natives. And she hurried up.

In her haste, her foot slips on a muddy root and she tries to regain balance by grabbing a nearby sapling. Except said sapling has thorny rattan hugging the bejangles out of it and things got worse, it freakin’ hurts.

She immediately releases her hold on the thorn-studded trunk and flails—which is, one has to say, a very bad idea for a person with below average balancing abilities. She leans out and steps back into...nothing. Her foot slides back and the angle took her tumbling back. And rolling.

And rolling some more.

At some point, she felt the heavy metal pole hit her leg with a bone-echoing slam and she spares a thought to the money that’s gonna get docked from her pay with the instrument getting battered to the ground in this weather. But mostly she’s worried.

Because she keeps rolling and hitting things and then... she might have blacked out for a bit before the rain chilled her back awake.

Still rolling, hurting, falling. Ouch.

Everything is hurting. And her legs felt cold, did my pants got torn off?

Do I still have legs?

The pain is too real though. Calm. Must steady breathing. No use getting an asthma attack right now. Okay. Stop tensing, let it roll. Me, rolling. Flop, flop, flop. Ouch.

Rainfall and water splashing and foliage breaking. She can finally hear something other than her own heartbeat. Unfortunately she landed face down which meant watery mud to her face. And like any young-ish, introverted woman with little to no life outside her house and for work, she can’t swim or drive or ride a bike, but that’s beside the point. So, hello drowning panic.

She flailed to get her face out of the puddle she’s landed on and had to whimper, scream at the pain each twitch brought. As any respectable clumsy lady have, she’d had broken and sprained body parts before. But never this many all at once! Who knew rolling down a staircase and rolling down what felt like a cliff has such a vast difference.

She splayed out in what she imagines to be a starfish shape, trying to breathe through the pain of protesting ribs and whatever else is broken somewhere. She blinked as she let the rain wash chilly water down her face.

“Where?”

Of course, a quick thought told her that she’s not at the base of the hill she was climbing just minutes ago. And from the feel of the humidity in the air and the type of flora that surrounded her spot on the ground, she’s faaaar from that hill. Like a whole different latitude away. More temperate, not tropical. Foliage more western than eastern. Hmmmm...

Teleport?

The water sluicing around her helped her get her thoughts running. Not logical. Did I die and moved elsewhere? Heaven? Hell? Rebirth? Not a newborn. What...

Noooo...? Can’t be?

She weakly raised a hand enough to let her turned head get her palm in sight. Small, soft, muddy. Like really small. Like kid-sized small.

Heck?!

She rolled her eyes down and tried to raise a chilled leg to see. Short, barely covered by a skirt tattered from her tumbling and a soft boot that seemed like leather. Never had soft leather boots before. But still. My long legs, my suitably thick thighs. My kinda boat-big feet! Ah. Okay, they get points for making the feet small. Also...

Patting herself and sighing. No use thinking about things that stayed small and flat. Bummer. But hope, maybe?

She grinned at the thought of further growth, proud of the way she easily accepted her heavenly horsecrap of a situation, but spluttered and closed her mouth at the dirty water that tried to drown her again. She forced herself to sit up and gritted her teeth at the pain of bracing her maybe broken arms on her thighs, looking around.

Forest floor, wooded trees on one side, more trees and a towering cliff on the other. Water level increasing as it flowed around her from the cliff-side and elsewhere.

“Gotta move.”

It took a lot of careful, snail-slow moving to get unto a standing position, sorta. She tried to take a step and had to muffle a squeaky scream. It hurts! Okaaaay. Calm. One step at a time. Keep to the cliff face, there should be an overhang somewhere. Maybe a cave. No jinx, no jinx, no jinx. Sincere requests must be repeated. No jinx, find shelter. Don’t die.

The sky had already been dark when she started walking around, though she relegated her passable vision to the lightning that sometimes struck high up and her own adjustment. The now young girl did not realize that a dark stormy day is exaggerated with the thick canopy that covered everything in the forest she’s in.

She followed the foot of the cliff, detouring around steep portions as her aching legs can’t seem to carry any more strain if she even tried any more incline-walking. She’s a rational person who wouldn’t seek more pain when she’s already dealing with so much. This extra walking on flatter parts is okay versus sharper, further pain just to stay on-course. Trust her, she’s a geographer, she knows mapping and stuff.

“Hoooh? Is it a score? Haha. That’s a score for me~” she mumbled under her breath in mocking joy as she found a sufficiently large crevice she can walk into. If she wasn’t following the cliff wall she couldn’t have seen it as it was sort of hidden among the thick growth.

She estimated the entrance to be about man-wide and tall enough for one too. She hobbled inside and found that it was a little bigger than the crevice she thought it was.

She squinted to look at what should be have been the back wall. Complete black nothingness. Okay, way bigger than a crevice.

But dark is dark and she’s a coward, usually. So the girl sat herself down near the cave wall and cupped her hand to a steady drip of water to catch some rainwater. She sniffed at it and it seemed clean enough so she sipped at it, belatedly realizing that she’s limped for hours and was thirsty.

This is why I don’t go to wild places for fun. Everything makes me forget I should be doing things. Like hydrating and stuff.

She shook her head at her own silliness. Usually her younger brother or her mother or a teammate would remind her of the things she needed to do to stay alive or something. Nah...should be thinking about what to do now.

One can only use one’s injuries as an excuse for so long. She’s stuck until either she can find a way back to civilization without killing herself via her current injuries or she was found, Which, honestly, looking at the surroundings, the chances are low. Ooooor she wakes up and realize that she got pulled away from her slow crawl uphill for a dang satellite signal and into a highly-detailed, highly-realistic, and sense-rich nightmare.

Fortunately she didn’t feel scared. Oh? She feels a resigned awareness, a cold feeling just under her own thoughts. She thought inward and tried to catalog what she knew. As recommended by numerous MCs from the transmigration novels she’s read...

And she knew a bit more than she formerly did?! Who?

Memories and feelings, sharp and invading, flooded her self-inquiry. As a person who lived in her own mind more often than not, the new things are disorienting. She slapped a small muddy hand to her aching head. Tapping hard a few times, in her usual attempt to distract from pain, she mentally stomped on the burgeoning panic.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Calm. Must calm.

She slowly digested the new information the same way she arranges timelines in her mind when reading novels. Okay. That’s sufficient. Can organize more at a later time.

Now... what a poor child?! But also yay? I’m the youngest of a family!

As an elder sister as well as the eldest of her friend group and yes, internet friends count thank you, she rarely—never—experienced being the youngest anywhere.

Hoooh—Until I can get home if possible that’s still possible, this is a good enough place... I think. Just gotta get back to that house.

She ignored the issues that caused her situation of rolling butt over feetsies down a cliff in favor of getting to her apparently caring brothers. Whatever those issues mean, she can deal with it later. Not that the former owner of her body understood much to offer insight of those memories after all. One thing at a time.

The little girl raised bruised hands to her body and started kneading aching muscles. Taking stock of her injuries, she rolls through the original soul’s memories so she could make sense of her new and maybe temporary identity.

Morwenna. Her name is now Morwenna Malcolm.

“I am Mora.”

In the quiet of the cave softened with the rhythmic rain, her voice was clear and loud. Though the words in her mouth felt both strange and familiar. Strange as her throat felt like she doesn’t speak often. Familiar, as such a feeling is as per usual to her introverted old/real self.

She has a good voice, a bit more volume that she ever had before but kids right, pleasing her a bit. She was contemplating the differences between her old and new voice so she didn’t expect someone to respond. She jumped and grimaced at the pain the sudden movement caused.

“Merry meet, Mora.”

The words echoed around the stone walls around her, confusing which direction it came from. Mora narrowed her eyes as she still attempted to look for a person around despite that fact. The voice was deep and sonorous. A guy voice. Like...a liquor commercial guy voice.

“Um. Merry meet.”

That’s Wiccan right? Or just Old World.? Her thoughts are racing as her head turned and tilted trying to see the person/creature/thing that spoke.

She tensed her legs, slowly getting up, bracing a hand on the cave wall to support herself. In case of wild animal encounters, move slowly but don’t show fear—maybe. She waited a few dragging moments to see if that someone would speak again. She’s not that patient, honestly.

“Hello?”

“You are injured.” No shit, Sherlock.

“If I say yes, are you gonna attack me?”

A pause. Mora took a step ouch towards the entrance. The rain is still pounding the dirt into mud.

“No.”

She stopped to lean on the cold stone wall, her injuries throbbing.

“Then, yes. I am injured. Where are you?”

“In the cave. You should leave.”

Haha. “I can’t see you. And it’s raining. I just got out of that downpour.”

“Hmm... Then go deeper.”

“It’s dark.”

“Obviously. Are you not scared?”

She took a few tentative steps deeper into the cave, making sure she’s still reached by the dim light coming from outside.

“You said you won’t attack me. Can’t you just come here? As you’ve noticed, I’m injured. Also... it’s reeaaally dark.”

A deep chuckle rumbled around and a shiver shot up her spine. Fear or excitement? She’ll never confess to such a thing officer, what do you mean? I am ten years old, I am ten years old. I am TEN years old now!!!

“This one is also injured.” Eh? It’s not an undead right? Could there be undead in this world?

“Oh? You don’t sound hurt.”

A snort. “You do not sound hurt.”

“I’ve gotten used to it. I’ve been walking for hours with these.”

There’s a sound of thoughtful assent and then, “This lord have also gone used to these.”

“Are you a guy?”

Mora absently asked as she tried to be truly careful as she kept going forward, her eyes adjusting a bit, detecting rocky shapes in the shadows. Enough to walk on and not die falling again.

“A guy?” She should really try to act more old timey or whatever. She might get burned at a stake like this. But a question was asked and she wanted to answer. Just in case.

“A man, a hombre, a mister, a male, a person without a womb, but one with balls and a dong. A guy.”

A bark of loud laughter punched into the air and made her smile. Can she be proud of herself now? Probably not, she made a ten year old’s mouth say such a thing. But it’s close, haha.

“Yes. Maybe. What do you think?” A teasing lilt to the voice made her shiver again. Damn my preferences. Damn me.

“Your voice sounds so good. Like dark chocolate with caramel. Also very much a man. I think.”

She flushed at the words that just came out unbidden, heat spreading over her face and down her neck. Well, at least she’s not cold anymore.

“Come closer, Mora.”

Her head snapped towards the definite command. The voice didn’t echo around anymore and she could directly point out where the sound was coming from. A pair of eerie violet eyes glowed from somewhere forward or is it backward, as she should certainly be running away now...but she’s still going there, umm.

“That’s what people say and then they chop you up into pieces and offer you to the old gods as a virgin sacrifice.”

The glowing eyes narrowed. In amusement or disdain, who knows?

“Is that what your parents told you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe the servants? My parents don’t do the ‘talk’ that much.” Or at all. Poor girl.

She carefully made her way onward, stopping a distance away. Estimating how far it would be to be safe if that person lunged. New sounds entered her senses, something clanging... like metal? Shit. Is the glowy-eyed guy in chains? She froze where she stood, trying not to hyperventilate from the implication of that.

“Come closer.” The eyes are staring, letting her breathe only when she confirmed that person do blink. She didn’t move.

“Are you scared?” There’s mocking amusement coloring the question and if she wasn’t getting shaky from fear, she’d whap him a good one. “Why do you not come here, so you can see?”

“I’m getting scared, yes. Your eyes are glowing. And... are you in chains?” She still didn’t move.

“Look for yourself.” Another snort. “There is a light pearl somewhere near my feet. It rolled away when this lord dropped it. If you touch it, we can have some light.”

Something moved, the guy/person moved a bit and she could clearly hear the sound of chains dragging across the ground and against rock.

“Don’t attack me. I’m coming closer...” she tried to sound stern as she forced her feet to move. It is seriously dark and she wants that pearl which maybe stupid, but she dislikes the dark when she’s not distracted by damned yummy voices.

“Yes, yes. This one had already said so.”

Mora moved forward, stopping every so often to check if her injuries would still let her run if need be. She’s close enough to the glowing eyes that she could see eyelashes shadowing the violet light when the person spoke again.

“Stop there, see if you can find the pearl by your feet. And do not step on me. This lord does not wish to move.”

She slid her foot forward a bit and bumped lightly against what she could only assume was his leg. She slowly knelt and placed her hand lightly on the ground. Mora frowned.

“There’s so many rocks, pebbles here...how?”

She looked up to the face again and the eyes are narrowed in mirth again. Disdain, still?

“Obviously, the pearl is round.” She made an irritated sound that only curved the laughing eyes more. “And it will light up once you touch it. This one cannot see from this angle, otherwise this lord would direct you exactly where it is.”

“Fine.” Hmph.

She slid her palms across the pebbly rocks, hoping to quickly find the pearl. Hopefully it’s not small enough to get in between the coin-sized smooth rocks. And if her luck was bad, she just managed to jinx herself with that thought.

It took a bit of doing and groping around, but somehow she felt calmer with another maybe person in front of her.

“Oh.” She was about to call out about the definitely round thing her sliding palm came across when she was instead surprised by the sudden light that grew glowing from the thing that the guy called a ‘light pearl’.

She smiled, finally able to see the light-colored pebbles she had been fondling this entire time. She raised her head to comment about the pretty rocks to the person in front of her when her breath was choked by the words she was going to say.

He is freaking beautiful. But also...sharp teeth displayed by a wide smile. Scary.

“There you are.” A chilly shiver worked its way through her crouched body. “Greetings, Mora.”

[[Chapter End]]