I hate waking up with the sun in my eyes. I must have forgotten to close the curtains all the way again. Did I get distracted after… after what? What was I doing last night? How strange, I can’t seem to remember. Can’t have been anything crazy, and I suppose when I repeat something enough times I’ll forget bits and pieces.
I turn away from the window and try to pull my covers up, only to feel around and realise they’re not on me. In fact, as I feel around, my pyjamas feel oddly similar to my school jumper. Has my bed always been this lumpy? And since when would I leave my window open to let in this awful draft?! Anything could come crawling in!
As though responding to my concerns, something gently grazes my nose.
I jump, or at least I would have if it were not for the Dilation which I can feel myself having sunk into. No, no, no, no, what was that? A spider? A moth?! Damn, damn, damn this is why I need to make sure the window is closed. Why did I open it? Why can’t I remember? Anyway, before I forget, what do I do here? Well, it’s obvious. I need to undo the Dilation, open my eyes, and immediately start it again. That’s it. If I don’t do it fast enough, whatever it was may run away. Oh God, my mouth is closed, right? Okay, I need to close my mouth, too. Alright, okay, let’s do this. 3, 2, 1…
Undoing the Dilation with my eyes closed can be strange – after all, it’s more useful if I can see the motion return to the world. But every moment I will myself to open my eyes and shut my mouth, and suddenly in one fluid motion I do.
What? What am I seeing here? Blobs of red and blues and greens and yellow and… what? There’s no motion of course, but what am I seeing? I don’t think it’s my pillow or bedsheets, I don’t recognise any pattern here. What’s strange is the difference between strands of colour and blobs of colour, almost like winding multicolour fantasy plants-
All the recent events crash through my brain like a truck – waking up in a room with the fierce-looking blue boy who can teleport, spending a while reading on a tablet on the bed, the old-fashioned girl holding the sandy, red-haired girl, the insane, nonsensical world just outside the door, and that terrifying purple man with the gloves. Why am I here? As in, on the floor, having just woken up? The last thing I remember… God, there was an explosion. Why? Why would… oh yeah, the old-fashioned girl threw the unconscious one at me, to look after. I can’t remember, how did that compel me to so readily whip out that knife that… what was his name again? The boy gave me that knife and a few minutes later I’m squeezing it tight in my pocket, planning the perfect moment to slash with it? What had come over me? I know I was scared, and I didn’t want anything to happen to the girl on the floor, but…
But how did I actually get knocked out? There was a flash, but even through the dilation I couldn’t see much except for the last moment when… I got hit in the head with his elbow?
That’s the wrong question! Adrenaline shoots through me – well, probably not given that I’m only sped up my thoughts, it’s not like my heart is beating faster to compensate or anything but whatever – what’s the situation?! Is the girl okay? Am I okay? Am I going to be okay?! For all I know he’s standing over me right now!! I need to quickly move. But where? I can’t see anything, my head it sunk too deep into the flowers. I’ll need to quickly get up to look around. Once I see where he is… then what? He was way too fast, there’s no way I could outpace him. But if I stay playing dead, he might come over and kill me to demonstrate –
Oh yes, I had forgotten: remember what you heard and read! The man was clear: all that chaos erupted to demonstrate the rebirth system in this planet. I remember reading about it: apparently, when you die, your soul begins to disappear. But the planet has some technology in it to sustain and redirect the souls to specific locations, and reconstitutes the body based on the soul’s memory. As a newcomer, my rebirth location is situated at the bed I woke up in, so if I had been killed I would be there right now. And if the blue boy – wait, he was holding the knife that exploded! Is he okay? Is it possible the elbow that knocked me out had been disconnected from his body, perhaps?
So, is he dead? He wasn’t in the best shape beforehand – the man had said something about his lungs. That was a lot of sapphire blood, but I remember something else: the ability to heal. That tablet was clearly the best thing I could have gotten my hands on – not only does it somehow translate what I think, but there were introductions and tutorials galore pre-downloaded and separated from this planet’s internet. The introductory slides and texts were very simple, describing the nature of the world, the purpose for us being here. There was no fat to the content, which I liked.
Part of the narrative was to convince the reader of their various abilities. It described how anyone would know their Characteristic as innately as they know how to move their arms, but the Body magic acts to keep the soul’s host safe, bestowing a healing ability, natural resistance to damage, and greater strength. But the text was also very clear – Body magic is affected by your mental state. For example, the text said that you can prioritise repairing a specific bit of damage by focussing. The flipside of this is that, if this concept is not introduced, you are likely to only heal how you expect to heal. Many examples were given, no doubt to help the reader pick out anything relatable.
With respect to the body taking life-endangering amounts of damage, usually the Body magic is controlled by an individual’s natural survival instinct and disbelief in their own death to trigger rapid regeneration, which might tip off some novice mages to the existence of such magic. However, under special circumstances it has been known to work in reverse: one who believes to have suffered great damage may trigger the Body magic to stop working. Absolutely fascinating stuff.
Wait, why was I thinking about this again? Oh yes, the blue boy! Based on what happened, it’s more likely than not that he’ll inadvertently disable his own regenerative abilities, so it’s quite likely he died. Perhaps he’ll come back soon, and attack the man again? Teleporting should be an instant win technique in a fight, right? Even without a knife, a swift kick to the head might… would it? With all this magic stuff? I don’t know…
But would the boy even try? He seemed really friendly and protective of me, but I don’t know why but something is strange about him. I remember after I left the room and saw the inverted nature of the world for myself, I found myself wondering ‘How far away did he teleport for him to come back with snow on his feet?’. But he did come back, and even stepped in to introduce both of us to the girl who started panicking at us.
I contemplate a bit longer, but ultimately I don’t think I can just wait around. I dropped the knife somewhere near me – if I can get it, maybe, just maybe, I can defend myself. I’ve always contemplated how I could use Dilation to fight, but of course I’ve never actually had to. Even better, if I can get it to the blue boy, he could probably teleport behind the man and stab him without having to wind up for a punch.
And the most important thing to remember – even if I die, it doesn’t matter… according to the introductory passages. Not that I don’t believe them, it’s just I’m too scared to test it.
Okay, okay, okay. I can’t stay inside my own head for too long, it’ll just freak me out more.
Plan: get up, look around, determine where the man is, if possible get the knife.
3, 2, 1…
I snap up looking forward into the blue boy and the girl in the tunic squatting just a couple of feet away. As I subconsciously trigger the Dilation again, a high pitch scream quickly deepens as the Dilation decreases its pitch.
Why are they so close!? Why are they watching me? Were they watching me sleep for a while? What’s left of the blue boy’s previously pink hoodie shirt is ragged and soaked in blood – of what I can see of the light scarring on his chest he must be nearly healed. This also implies he didn’t die and get brought back. The girl’s previously pristine white tunic is stained with a rainbow’s worth of irregular smears from when she leaped through the air stupidly far that time. What was that scream just now? Was that the girl getting killed by the man? Surely not, I don’t think these two would just be sitting over here if that were the case. Why are they so close?!
I don’t like it, I’ve clearly missed something important. They’re both staring straight at me – I think the blue boy is concerned, whereas the girl is giving a friendly smile. It looks natural enough, I think. But what am I to do? They’re going to ask me questions, want to get to know me. Oh God I have to do this well, the 4 of us are going to be stuck together for a while, and I can’t have them hating me for not saying things right. But that’s 3 people! How on earth can I remember the information of all those people? In my head I start replaying the countless times I must have come off as an idiot of uncaring because I ask a question about something I’ve already asked. What could I do? Write it down in a book? But what if they found it?! Then they’d clearly laugh at it, and I wouldn’t know what to do. Where can I even get a book from anyway, I didn’t get that far before the blu- LISLE! He called himself Lisle! Yes, okay, okay, that’s a start. I don’t need to worry about that small thing…
Okay, Igelet, don’t worry. You were cursed with an inability to connect with people, but you were blessed with a tool to circumvent this. It will be mind-numbing, but I can flog through short enough conversations with Dilation to help me. And maybe the tablet I picked up has a notes section I can keep track of things. Speaking of the tablet, I really should transfer the conversation starter list mum helped me make to the tablet, if possible, before my phone runs out of charge.
Okay, that’s the future, but what about now? This interaction, right here. I’m lucky, in a sense – after all, I just got knocked out. I can feign grogginess, pretend it’s affecting my memory. Yes! Maybe that could last the whole day? I’m a newcomer mage, who in theory has no understanding of Body magic, so it could work.
So, what do I do? Wait for them to speak? That might be okay, because then I can be more passive in the conversation. Then again, there was that scream just now, so surely it would be weird if I didn’t reference it? Who do I look at? I know Lisle more, but what if the girl thinks I’m ignoring her? And what if I look at her too much and she thinks I’m into her or something? Okay, remember, I could just keep count in my head of when to change who I look at, though it makes sense to look at whoever talks first… or, I could bring him hand to my head and look down, as though I’m in serious pain? No, I don’t want to lay it on too thick, or they might get too concerned and I’ll have to backtrack and they’ll call me a liar.
Okay, plan: talk ask what the noise in, but try to sound tired, and just a little hurt.
Slowly motion returns to the world: a gentle breeze gently starts catching the swaying plants and the girl’s tunic. A deep bellow rises into a sharp scream.
“Wh-what,” I ask as I bring my hand to my head, but Lisle cuts me off.
“Sorry Igelet, but I need to ask a favour, okay?” His voice is calm, and the world’s motion wavers as I just catch myself from starting a full Dilation. He brings his hands together and closes one eye, as though to look apologetic. “We need you to not use your ability any more, okay? It’s really important.”
Without my express permission, the world grinds to a halt.
What. What? What?! How could be ask me that? Why would he ask me that?
The answer is “No”. I… I cannot function without Dilation. It’s not even up to me most of the time, it just happens. May as well tell me not to blink when I sneeze. It’s a reflex. An important one! How else would I be able to work things and people out? Like this situation here!
Maybe… could he be joking? I’ve overanalysed enough people only for them to say they were joking, but could this be the case? He looks sincere, but what would I know? The girl, what about her? She’s looking a lot kinder now she’s not yelling at us to run away. What was that about? Did she think we were the ones who brought her here? Anyway, if Lisle and her are getting on well, that’s all and good. It’s better if they’re getting along. But what about the other girl? Is she better?
There’s no point staying like this, I’m just getting more and more confused.
The breeze begins to blow again, and another yelp rings out in the distance. This time I decide to try and find the source – there, to my immediate left several dozen metres away! She’s standing now – well, hobbling really, holding her head and pulling her long red hair. And right behind her, laughing – it’s that purple man! With the shock of recognition the Dilation triggers again.
Do they know? Probably, he doesn’t look as though he’s sneaking up – his hands are on his hips, laughing raucously into the sky at the sight of that suffering girl. Does that mean he succeeded in his goal to kill her, and she did in fact get better?
Okay, I think it must be safe. After all, this set-up implies that whatever happened happened, and now… what was his name?... LISLE! Lisle and the girl are trying to fill me in. So, I don’t need to be shocked, just go with the flow. As the wind begins to pick up, the girl spasms wickedly, her hair tracing chaotic paths in the air as she almost falls to her knees. The purple man laughs again, going as far to point at her to nobody in particular.
“Igelet, I’m sorry but you’re the one doing that to her. Please, please don’t do it again, okay? Let us explain.” I look at Lisle, and his hands are together as though pleading. I catch direct eye contact, and for a moment the panic swirls but I clench my fist to suppress it. There has to be a reason, I’m sure.
“What is it?” I ask, bringing my hand to me head. Now it serves double duty – I can look injured, but I can also squeeze my head to help focus. Sometimes that helps. Lisle drops from a kneel into crossing his legs – I do the same.
“So, that girl over there – she has the power to read minds, or something like that. She can’t turn it off, or at least she hasn’t figured out how to. It turns out when you use your power, all those thoughts you have at once really do a number on her. So you have to go easy from here on, okay?”
Almost every word I tug more on my hair to best try and stop the Dilation from starting. It keeps trying to surge, causing a wavy effect on the sounds. I’m looking at the flowers – shouldn’t I look at him? But I don’t know what to say? How could I? I haven’t had time to think.
So let me get this right… she can read minds, but when I use Dilation I speed up my thinking such that it hurts her? Is it like -
“Are you injured?” the girl asks, and as I look up I feel her hand on my head NO.
The world is still again, but the sight before me is odd. I’m further away from them – ah, yes, I kicked myself back I’m sure. The girl is leaning forward, her expression I think a mix of shock and fear as she looks at her hand at the end of her outstretched arm. I slapped it away, didn’t I? That’s why it’s off to an angle away from where my head had been. Lisle has his own hand extended, but to her arm. His eyes are wide – it is shock?
Oh no, oh no. I’ve done it no this is bad. I feel sick, a warm knot of fear roiling in my stomach. Is this a nightmare? The one time I need to be able to get along with people, and I’ve slapped one before I could say anything to her. I don’t even remember. Just that horrible moment of a stranger touching me, and that disgusting feeling of pressure and heat through me. But that doesn’t make it okay, I understand that much. I take the precautions I can: long shirts, always wear trousers. Normally I wouldn’t have let someone get close enough to touch my head or hand, but because of that stupid act…
Will she forgive me? I don’t know. Probably – she was the sort to ask if I were okay. But look at her, that’s the confusion of a person who wanted to help and got slapped for it. There’s no reason she’d ever want to extend help again, surely. As for Lisle, how could he not get angry? I slapped a girl after all.
Damn, and the mind reading girl! I’m hurting her again, right now. Every thought, every instant of my Dilation is hurting her. God, this sucks. This is surely a nightmare.
I… I don’t want to undo this Dilation. The instant I do, I’ll have 3 people yelling at me, all validly so. I feel hot, feel itchy, I want to be able to squeeze and scratch my hands, but in my Dilation I cannot.
What can I do? I need to apologise, apologise as hard and as sincerely as I can look. Is this a case where I should bow? She looks old-worldy, so she might appreciate that. At the very least, in doing that I won’t have to look at them. And I don’t think I’ll be able to keep tears out of my eyes at this point.
I need to do this, especially if I’m currently hurting the other girl. Okay, 3, 2, 1…
As soon as I am able I try to move myself into a face-down bow, but two noises catch me off-guard.
“No, don’t touch him,” is the first I register, and I see Lisle reaching out as though having tried to bat her hand away. And then a screech off to the side,
“DON’T TOUCH ME!” screams the girl, and in the corner of my eye I catch her fall to the ground, sending a puff of petals in the air as the purple man laughs again.
I bury my face into the flowers. My fear for hurting that girl even more didn’t give me time to plan exactly what to say, so I’ll have to speak off the cuff. Oh no.
“I’m so, so sorry! I shouldn’t have slapped you. And I used my ability again, I apologise. Please forgive me, I didn’t mean to do that.”
God, that sounds awful. Dreadful, nobody in their right mind would take that as sincere. I hear a subtle snap as the stems collapsed in my bunched hands.
“N-No, the mistake is mine,” she girl before me says, and even I can pick up some confusion in her voice. “I didn’t realise your head hurt that much. It could be fractured. But apparently you ought to heal from it soon, so please keep your head still for some time. Don’t smash it into the ground like that, I beg of you.”
“No,” Lisle says, “I don’t think he’s the sort who likes to be touched. Igelet, sit up, nobody’s upset here. Just keep calm and try not to do the thinking thing. At the very least to shut up that bitch giggling like an animal.”
I assume ‘that bitch’ refers to the purple man? Slowly I get up, but again I can’t look into their eyes. Every time I try the Dilation threatens to wash over me. The girl is still kneeling, but with her hand I slapped held tenderly by the other against her chest. So it did hurt her? Damn.
“What do you mean, doesn’t like to be touched? Is it a disease of some sort? Igelet, are you possessed by some demon or shade? I shall pray with you and dispel your affliction!”
She makes a move to lean towards me, and as I feel myself recoiling back Lisle reaches out and grips her shoulder.
“It’s not like that. There are just some people who really dislike being touched. Nothing demonic about it. Aren’t there people like that where you’re from?”
They look at each other for a moment, with the girl clearly trying to wrap her head around that. Eventually she sits back, and looks to me.
“Well, Igelet, it appears I have much to learn. I apologise for my actions, and will try my best to not let it happen again. Though, speaking of unwarranted touching: Sy, you may remove your hand from my shoulder now.”
Quickly Lis- wait, did she say Sy? Oh yes! He did say that Lisle was a fake name, didn’t he? Thank God I didn’t actually use that, he would have assumed I hadn’t been paying attention.
“Sorry,” Sy half-laughed, without a hint of embarrassment.
“So, I hope in our adventure to come we can learn more about each other, Igelet. Speaking of which, how rude I have been to not introduce myself yet!” She seems to sit up taller now, and I note that she’s actually a fair bit taller than Sy. “My name is Light-Reflected-From-A-Clear-Stream, Eldest Daughter of The Church. I hope you can accept my transgression towards you, and we can work together to pass this test.”
No, no, this is worse, I think, than them actually being angry. In a sense. I mean, it’s nice not to be yelled at, I think I would have cried. But this scrunching feeling in my chest. Don’t apologise, please. It is my fault, not yours. I am definitely in the wrong. I can’t control it, but only because I haven’t tried hard enough. It’s true that I was being asked to suppress my Dilation – if I wasn’t, perhaps I would have let her get that close, or reacted less strongly.
Before I can find a way to structure these words, Sy starts.
“Well, it’s nice we’re all introduced. By the way, you’re doing really well, Igelet! I understand how hard it is – remember when I felt like I couldn’t use my ability earlier? It’s like being told not to blink, isn’t it? But until we find a workaround with… oh wait, I forgot to introduce her,” He brings his palm to his head with a smile. There something calming when Sy talk, as I remember from our room. I’m slightly jealous of his ability to know exactly what to say.
“She has lost her memory it seems, so Light here took the liberty of naming her ‘Angel’.”
“I didn’t name her that on purpose!” Light – her name is Light, it seems: it seems like a sensible contraction from that long name she gave – says. “I thought she was an angel.”
“Anyway, as I said before, she’s able to read minds, and it happens all the time. Try not to think anything you wouldn’t want anyone to hear you thinking, okay?”
MONSTER!
Obviously a hundred inappropriate, evil, awful things spring to mind, and it takes everything in my power to stem the flow of this Dilation. Fortunately, trying to hold it off provides me with enough distraction. But I need more? Now many flowers can I count? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…
Light bats Sy’s chest with the back of her hand, and I realise her faint blush.
“I told you not to do that again,” she said flatly, as Sy’s face creases into an impish grin.
“I refuse to be the only one to worry about this. See, now we all look like seedy degenerates.”
17, 18, 19, 20, 21…
“Anyway, long story short, after you got knocked out Angel was able to move around, and we were able to beat the mega-bitch with the power of teamwork, but mostly Light’s quick thinking.”
“I only followed the path the Lord set before me.”
“As she keeps saying. So, after she blew herself up, mega-bitch came back after a while and agreed to hold off giving us more details until you woke up. Apparently she gives half a crap about us now, and will bless us with a little information before we set off. It’s a pride thing, because of how completely and utterly we wiped the floor with-”
“You what?” calls a voice that somehow rings very friendly but very menacing at the same time. I jump as I look and see purple man- or purple woman, as Sy seems to imply – looking straight at us. Sy doesn’t finish his sentence, thank God.
“Well,” says Light as she gracefully moves to stand. “Let us go! I am looking forward to learning of our adventure – especially exploring this wondrous world!” She leans over and extends her hand to me. It takes everything to not trigger a Dilation, and I think that must have read upon my face because she suddenly jerks it back. “Ah, yes, sorry.”
After we’re all up, we make our way slowly to the duo a few dozen meters away. Walking slowly, the world does look wondrous. I remember reading up on it: a world hollowed out from a universe of pure mass. I think I understood the general explanation of how that caused the gravity to exert outwards, but the details are diminishing – I had to read quickly so I could learn as much as possible before Sy had woken up. As we walk I notice remnants of the battle: sections of flattened flowers, the impact crater of Light crashing into the ground after sailing that massive distance through the air – can she fly? – and, most perplexingly, a large crater devoid of anything but soil, petals, and a blackened mound of flesh barely recognisable as humanoid. Dark red, almost black blood has pooled in all the crevices of the soil.
I want to ask. Clearly Sy gave me the contracted story, but I want to phrase my questions correctly. Normally I would Dilate for a while to figure out what to say, and then it’d be fine. But I can feel myself thinking, trying to come up with the most sensible way to put it to avoid misinterpretation but it’s like my mind is jostled with every step. Now we’re past the crater – it doesn’t make sense to ask now, does it?
And now we’re here. Angel sits on the floor massaging her head, and smiles as soon as I begin to worry about it being my fault. Oh god, she really can read minds. I’m so sorry if I think anything inapprop- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
She smiles and waves her hand dismissively, but I can still feel a warmth in my cheeks.
The purple woman stands imposingly a few meters away, hands on hips and chest puffed out. It’s bizarre seeing her alive and well here, with her corpse just behind me. The brown leather of her suit is even fully replicated – if memory serves, that means the clothes weren’t magical. As only non-magical items can be replicated in the soul-catch system. But those weird fractal gloves are neither on her hands or hips – if they weren’t reproduced, there must have been something magical about them. Perhaps the fine structure of the gloves were maintained through magical means, or maybe there was something in them to repair them if they broke?
As I think I note the wind has died down to a crawl – damn, the Dilation has been starting. Before it can fully speed me up, I stop it. Angel sighs to my side. Sorry.
“Well, I admit, you runts have surprised me! I haven’t been done over by a bunch of newbies like that since… well, since ever!” she tilts her head up and barks a laugh. I look over to Sy: he’s changed slightly, back to that scary way he was when he first met her. Those eyes completely fixed on her, the stillness in his stance, and his hand firmly planted in his hoodie pocket. I wonder if he got his knife back.
“Not gonna lie, the aim was to explain the whole ‘death’ concept with you guys as examples. Goes a lot smoother like that, you know? Wakes people up from thinking it’s all just a dream, lets me have a bit of fun giving people their first fight. The noobs I get handed usually end up pretty good mages in their own right.”
“Tell us what we need to do so we can get out of here,” Sy practically spits, and even though I don’t look directly at his face I can feel the heat of his glare unwavering. My heart plunges into ice water: don’t Dilate don’t Dilate don’t Dilate. How can he talk like this?! She’s crazy, she’ll attack again… and I don’t have a knife. The relief that washes through me when she laughs is indescribable.
“Sure thing. So, magic. Every now and then, once a universe maybe, a living thing is born with Magic. It consists of a Characteristic, Body Magic, yada yada yada, look, I’ll just give the bare minimum – just use the phones from your rooms if you want anything else, you’ll get better info on there. Uh, then thing was the resurrection after death, then – oh yeah, I think you’ve got a sense now for how you can heal? Search up along with ‘Body Magic’ for more details. So last thing - you’re going to be guided to a few teachers who will properly fill you in on the ways of the world, and offer guidance to you. They’re all a lot better at the whole ‘teaching’ stuff than me – they actually volunteered for this. You should all be close enough now: could all of you check the back of your hands?”
I look down and see it immediately – on the back of my left hand is a thin, black arrow that points directly to the purple woman. I rotate so my fingers go from pointing right to pointing forward, and the arrow maintains its direction towards her. I look over to Sy – he’s also got his hand out, but he’s gone straight back to staring down the purple woman.
“It’s the most basic, least expensive tattoo available. It only activates when you are in close proximity as a group. You know, just in case somebody feels like ditching.” She briefly looks towards Sy with a grin on her lips, but his glare only tightens.
“How do I remove this?” Light demands, frantically rubbing at the arrow. Despite her skin clearly wrinkling under her touch, the arrow remains unchanged. “I cannot permit such defilement!”
“Sorry princess, you’ll have to finish this up before it’s removed. Besides, it requires 4 parts to work – if you removed it, you’d have no idea where to go.”
Light gives the arrow another experimental scratch, but resigns herself.
“Anyway, so that’s the long and short of it. When I sign off on them, the arrows will point to your next destination, and you’ll be free to toddle off. I’ll see you when you die, any questions? No? Then get lost.”
She taps her fingers on the back of her hand, and I look down to see the arrow now points behind me. Is that it? Is that all we needed to do? This is good, we can go! I didn’t realise how nervous being in her presence made me – at any given moment I can’t tell when she’s going to laugh or punch through someone’s chest. Normally I’d be desperate for more information, but I’m 100% fine to search anything else rather than stay here a moment longer than we need to be.
I nearly jump when Light suddenly drops into a bow. Should I do that too?
“Thank you for your wisdom. I see now that you are a kind and thoughtful spirit. I sincerely apologise for-”
“Say another word and I will unscrew your torso,” the purple woman says in a way that’s halfway between a growl and a laugh. Is she serious? Probably. “By the way, if I hear any rumours going around saying that you beat me in a proper fight, there is no force that will stop me from hunting you all down. You hear me?”
Light rises – she looks relatively unperturbed… I hope I look as calm.
“Mrs Break Punch, I didn’t mean any offence. May God bless-”
“Bullshit,” Sy growls, and Light audibly gasps. “We’d be well within our rights to tell whoever we want. We did kill you, after all.”
My heart does a double flip and for a moment I worry the Dilation was back. But no, the world seems to be holding its own breath – if it weren’t for… what was her name… Angel? Her incredibly long hair waves in the breeze a bit, keeping me aware that I’m not too much in my own head. Light’s jaw is half agape, as I realise mine is too. Adrenaline is starting to pump – I look tentatively toward the purple woman, but I can’t decide exactly what’s she’s thinking. Then, she bursts out into another overly-loud barking laugh.
“True. And I just will kill you if you mention it. It’s a promise, not a threat.”
What will Sy say now??? Thankfully he’s keeping his mouth closed.
“Miss Break Punch, just before we go, if I may,” says… damn, er the one who isn’t the mind-reader. She stands a bit taller. “Is there anything we should watch out for on the way to our destination?”
There’s a pause, when suddenly the purple woman bends over and grabs a handful of petals.
“GET LOST!” she roars as the petals start to glow. My heart jumps to my throat and the Dilation grinds the world to a halt. In the corner of my eye I notice Sy has disappears, while both the girls have made their half turn to run away. What just happened? Is this a fight? The girl didn’t say anything wrong, did she? It didn’t sound offensive… and I can’t ask, because that would make me look stupid, wouldn’t it? Anyway! I need to start running. I’m the only one who hasn’t turned to run yet, so- DAMN! The mind reader girl! For every moment I’m thinking, am I making it worse? Then I need to stop soon, or she’ll get knocked out again. It’s so unfair!
Okay, stop Dilation, turn and run. In the direction of the arrow, away from the purple woman. If I see Sy, I’ll go to him. 3…2…1…
As soon as I feel control return to my muscles I pivot, just as the mind reader girl screams and spasms mid-step. Fortunately, as I start to run I see that the other girl has somehow lifted her limp body in a fireman’s lift while running… ahead of me. She did that effortlessly! Is that her ‘Characteristic’, or some form of ‘Body Magic’? There’s Sy, far ahead. I don’t get the feeling he’s afraid, per se, but I don’t know why.
We run and run and I risk a look behind me in case she’s planning something – no, the purple woman is now just standing there reading something on her phone. I look back forward and slow as I reach Sy and Light waiting for me, both looking at the limp body of the mind-reader. Dread immediately pulls on my stomach – what are they going to say? They’d been so nice telling me not to do that, and I did anyway. Oh course I feel guilty about actually hurting her, but I can’t find it in me to beat myself up too much.
“It’s just not fair, why can’t she control her Characteristic?” the mind reader groans with her eyes still closed, and it takes all I have to not trigger Dilation. That was my exact thought, actual spoken words and all. My dirty selfishness, aired out for everyone to hear. I risk a look to Light and Sy, but they’re both still looking down at the mind-reader. Should I say something?
“She’s so beautiful, no mortal artist could do her justice,” she groans, this time in another voice. That wasn’t my thought. She twitches ever so slightly – or was it Light’s arms that twitched instead? The barely conscious girl giggles, and says in yet another tone of language, “Haha, she’s reading their- no, not me! Don’t think anything embarrassing! Like how cool you found that Break Punch woman.”
With that, the mind reader seems to fall into a slightly deeper sleep, her head rolling back a bit further. We stand quietly for a moment. Thankfully, Sy speaks.
“Can we all agree,” he says slowly, as he turns into the direction we need to walk, “that we will disregard anything she says when that happens.”
“Agreed,” Light says quickly as she follows. “It would be wrong for us to judge each other by our idle thoughts. That’s the Lord’s domain.”
Ah, now it’s my turn to say something. Even though she’s unconscious, I can’t Dilate again. But I need to say something! Something witty, conversational. It’s no good, the seconds are ticking on. Something! Anything!
“I agree too,” I say as confidently as I can, acutely aware there was nothing of substance there. I walk after them.
“Great,” Sy says, clapping his hands together. “So, looks like we’re heading towards that forest, right?”
I look up: what’s he looking at? Before us is a field of flowers, followed by another massive field of… desert? It looks like orange sand up ahead, except for some short clumps of grass blowing in the gentle breeze. And up, beyond that is a trio of snow-tipped mountains, nestled tightly between them is a massive blue tuft of… trees? His eyes are good, I wouldn’t have guessed they were trees. I look down to the back of my hand – yes, it appears to be pointing straight there.
How strange the geography is here. I focus on the boundary ahead of flowers to desert. Why is the line so clean? That can’t possibly be natural. I can’t actually see the entire boundary, given the gentle rolling of hills off to the sides. Actually, I suppose it’s more accurate to say this garden must be unnatural – no two flowers I have seen even remotely resemble each other, how on earth could they breed to sustain themselves? Oh wait, we’re not on my Earth.
I look back – the purple woman has made her way to the bench and is sitting reading now.
“It seems so,” Light says. “Though I suggest we crest that hill and wait for Angel to wake up out of Miss Break Punch’s view.”
“Just a moment,” Sy says, and then he’s gone. Again I feel slightly nauseous seeing a body disappear before my eyes, just as I did in the bedroom. And then he’s back – in a way, that’s even worse. “Yeah, it’s safe either way, but there’s a better place to sit on the other side of the left hill. Then we can see what it was that Angel saw that wound up that old bitch so much.”
What does he - OH! Oh I see it now! So, when Light had asked that question, she hadn’t expected an answer? She just knew that Break Punch would think of it, then Angel would pick up on it… and Sy figured that out straight away? Oh god, I am an idiot. Maybe if I had been allowed to Dilate, but… I really shouldn’t think so bitterly with a mind reader present.
“We shouldn’t speak in such a way!” Light says as we adjust course a little bit. “She was trying to help us.” She tilts her head. “In her own way.”
“In a remarkably bitchy way,” Sy says with a laugh in his tone, and I find myself chuckle too. There’s just something in the way he said it.
“Anyway,” Light says in the sort of way a teacher would, “Igelet, Sy told me earlier you have read upon that glowing tablet the reason for us being here. Please could you shower me with greater understanding, I am afraid I didn’t feel Miss Break Punch would have obliged.”
“Yeah, run it by me again, too,” Sy says.
Ah. Ah ah aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. My world slows and speeds up like a glitched video player, as I try to stop the sickness in my stomach and the Dilation trying to unfold. And there Angel exposes me, shaking her head in time with the rolling mini-Dilations. I… I can’t. It’s on the phone, I haven’t memorised it. And if I go to look, they’ll realise I’ve forgotten, and that I have even less use than I already demonstrate. I had this idea that I could at least be the expositor, that tertiary character who dispenses plot-relevant information in TV shows without actually having to do much to push the plot along. But this will prove it’s the phone that can do that. And Sy is aware of what a phone is, so at any point he can take that role. So what am I left with?! And damn damn damn I’m not even Dilating, I’m still walking, silent, not saying anything as we reach the crest of this bloody hill. My heart feels like it will beat out of my chest. Stupid Igelet, why is a tear welling in your eye!?
“Hey Igelet, I guess that was a bit unfair to ask, huh?” Sy says. I don’t want to look at him lest he spots the shine to my eye. If I speak, will my voice crack? Why does it have to be like this? “Look, why don’t you search it up again? I’m sure you just need a quick refresher – you learned it then got knocked out for god’s sake!”
I nod, and dig the phone out of my pocket as quickly as I can, and bring it close to my eyes to hide my expression. As I search, looking for the exact right article that can describe the whole thing, I hear the conversation progress.
“So, Sy, you can teleport? What is that like?” Light asks.
“It’s natural. To me, at least.” Yes, I remember reading that. Characteristic magic – the magic unique to each individual, is as natural to that person as breathing. There was never a time I didn’t know I could activate Dilation, only a time before I realised others couldn’t. Sy must be the same – I wonder how his parents, how the rest of his world must have interpreted his teleportation? And what of Light? What did she says her Characteristic was again? Super strength, it looked like. Or was that just Body magic?
Of course I had also read into that. Body magic – a magic shared by all mages, imbuing physical advantages such as increased resilience, accelerated healing, and greater strength. Unlike Characteristic magic, however, this would have to be learned. This, I suppose, is more analogous to learning proper breathing technique in those old kung-fu movies – you can go your whole life without knowing the techniques, but you have the capacity to do so if you set your mind to it. I’m sure at least a few of these supervisors we meet will educate us on this.
I would have loved to say any of this. To speak as freely as I and sure I understand it. But that’s not how it works.
Scrolling and searching on this device is insanely fast – it reacts barely to touch, and more to thought. It’s remarkable – this thing seems to sense my intentions and load things almost before I know I want it. If only this feature could maintain in my Dilation – I could have learned everything there is to know in the bedroom! But it appears even magical electronics require time to load.
I have the paragraph open, but I need the right moment to interject.
“And what about you, Light? You seemed pretty strong, so is that your ability?”
“No, what I demonstrated was simply a boon bestowed upon me by God. I opened my heart, and received His gift.”
Huh. That’s… not what I expected. As in, she only just learned she could do that?
Wait. Sy hasn’t responded. This might be my chance. But what do I – woah, that was close. For a moment I nearly Dilated fully – Angel groans. Damn!
A cough! That will work, right? Whatever, I need to hurry, else the time window will close.
“AHEM.”
“You found it, Igelet?” Sy asks.
Yes! I knew it would work!
“Yes, I shall read it.” I take a breath – this needs to come out clearly – it will be so embarrassing to be interrupted and asked to repeat. “Upon conception, there is an infinitesimal chance that a living organism will possess magic. If a sentient being is bestowed such power, it is referred to as a Mage, and exhibits magic in the two familiar flavours: Characteristic, and Body. If the being born with magic is not sentient, it is referred to as a Demon.”
I pause for breath. I panic for a moment that Sy or the other one will use the moment it interject, but they stay quiet. Great! They must be enjoying it!
“The soul of sentient beings constrains a Mage, imparting morality to some basic degree. A Demon, on the other hand, has no such restrictions, being driven purely by base instinct to survive and breed. In doing so, they will destroy everything in their wake.
“In order to protect the world that find themselves struck by a Demonic plague, the founders of the Mage Island enforced conscription of Mages across the multiverse. Their primary role is to be trained, grow their abilities, then be sent to world in need to protection.”
I take another breath, but now Sy does interject. The shock unleashes a full Dilation for brief instant before I collapse it – the girl in the other girl’s arms calls out as though she were having a nightmare. Shame washes over me again.
“So, we’re brought here as soldiers to what? Live an entire life being sent to hellscapes, dealing with other people’s problems? Fuck that. I’m out of here the moment I can make the jump. Oh,” he says quickly, “I’ll hang around for as long as you guys need me, don’t worry.”
No, no, no, that’s not right. There’s something else I need to say, but how do I say it? My stomach rolls into knots, my mouth refuses to open. I scroll down – there must be a recite-able passage somewhere.
“It seems right and proper,” Light responds, as we near the top of the hill. “If you have the power to help others, is it not good to offer that help?”
“I’m not offering it though, am I?” Sy counters. Is this an argument? No, I think they’re still friendly. “If I kidnapped someone and locked them up to do my homework, would you say the person I kidnapped is morally obligated to help? I’m not going to be anyone’s child soldier.”
“I agree, to some degree. It is, in itself, wrong to place the futures of entire worlds on unsuspecting people of our age. I advocate for your right to refuse. But I for one celebrate the opportunity and the information I otherwise would have not known.”
Why am I getting the vibes of court-room proceedings? I’ve always been jealous of the quick-witted flow of good speakers, but it is at least interesting to hear.
There! I knew it was here, only a few paragraphs down. Do I cough again? No, wait, Sy is paused, this is my chance!
“The secondary purpose of the Mage Island is of near equivalent importance to the first. An untrained Mage can be just as destructive as a Demon, even unintentionally. Training Mages is a precaution against apocalypse-level events triggered by ineptitude. By being conscripted, they also become subject to monitoring, and support structures are put in place to ensure that a Mage’s mental state does not deteriorate to the stage that they would become a threat to life of their own volition.”
I can sense Sy might say something, but I know exactly where the next relevant passage is now – I skip to it without pausing for breath.
“Following training, a Mage must pass a last trial – to save a planet by themselves. Following completion of this, a Mage is free to return to their home universe. If they wish to stay on Mage Island, or return in the future, they will be subject to a Duty of at least one planet preservation per century. It is not uncommon for Mages to choose to take on more than their Duty by choice.”
Finally I need to breathe. That should be all. I need to keep my mind sharp – if they ask another question, I need to quickly look for a paragraph is response.
“Okay… it seems fairer than I expected.” Sy puts his hand under his chin. “I get taught to become more powerful. One job. Then I’m home.” His hand bunches into a fist. “But still, who do they think they are bringing me here like this?!”
“I’m sorry, Igelet, but did you say this ‘Duty’ operates on a century time-scale?” Light interjects.
“Oh yeah,” Sy says. “I don’t know about you guys, but where I’m from, we cap out at around eighty. What about you?”
No, no, this information won’t be on this pages. I need to convey to them – Body Magic will slow the rate at which they age until they reach their physical prime, at which point they will cease aging. Provided, of course, their Body Magic isn’t overrun by the expectation of aging.
I tap and scroll, but maybe this is a chance. I could do it. I could say, just me. Otherwise there will be another unbearable pause where I demonstrate my uselessness. My jaw is shaking, I can feel my nails biting my palm as I fight back the Dilation.
“Body Magic,” I say, before nothing else really comes out. Neither say anything. Did that convey enough?
There is silence. We’re nearing the top of the hill, now. The plan was to go over, right? Be just out of sight of Break Punch?
“Igelet,” Light says randomly after a welcoming moment of silence. Her voice sounds a little different. “I was wondering about your… ‘Characteristic’, she called it? What is it like? How does it feel?”
I feel like a fish on land, my breath catching on nothing. That’s an involved, direct question. I can’t search the phone. Don’t Dilate, come on! I’m terrible at structuring thoughts on the fly, that’s why I need the Dilation. How should I start? A straightforward answer, or analogy?
“Wouldn’t Angel have been able to tell you when we were all knocked out?” Sy says, thankfully giving me time to gather my thoughts.
“She started, but she knows I’d rather not gain insight into others that could otherwise be freely given. How can I truly understand a person unless they open up to me themselves?”
“Pretty noble,” Sy says, nodding.
“And I hope this inspires you both to do the same. I fear Angel may be… easily convinced, when in conversation.”
“Oh, yes, that makes sense,” Sy says quickly. “Same as earlier. No prying into each other’s business.”
Okay, I have something to say. A rough outline, at least. But the conversation has drifted, should I try to engage with the last bit? But then I might forget what I’m thinking now! Drat drat drat! Okay, I’ll just wing it, I’ll try to sound as casual as possible such that they think I’m not trying too hard. I take a breath – I really hope that wasn’t too loud and obvious!
“I can speed up and slow down the rate at which I think. From my perspective things slow down.”
I feel a wave of satisfaction – that went quite well!
“Ah, so you can move around faster than normal?”
Ah, a quick response back! Come on, this must be easy.
“No.”
There was more that was meant to come out of that, but at the last second I wondered if I should go into detail about how I can move as long as the Dilation is starting or stopping, but only at the rate of the Dilation. Because, is that what she was asking about? Or just for a full Dilation? There’s a pause, damn, was she expecting me to say all that? I open my mouth to speak but she starts again:
“How interesting! Does it tire you out at all? Do you find yourself doing it often?”
My heart’s too loud! They can’t hear it, can they?
“No, I don’t get tired. Most of the time it happens when I get a little bit stressed, or when – well, sometimes I like to plan a lot, though when people are moving it’s hard to…” Aaaaaah what is this sentence becoming?! “Sorry, I mean to say, sometimes I get the… I mean, it helps me get my thoughts in order.” A breathe a sigh of relief that that’s over.
We reach the crest of the hill – it’s a gentle roll on the way down, too, and from up her looking around I can make out the dozens of other small hills in this flowery world. And yes, that desert appears to completely surround it! How?!
“Then you have my utmost respect for doing as well as you have in exercising restraint. Worry not about your uncertainty with speech. If you wish, we could pray together over it?”
“Pray to who, sorry? What’s your religion?” Sy asks, again thankfully getting in the way of me having to quickly come up with an answer.
“ ‘Religion’? It’s a strange word, but I appear to have a sense for what it means.” Her tone is curious – ah, wait, I know this! I refer to the phone again – I know exactly where in the introductory pages this is.
“ ‘Among Mages, communication conveys meaning through not just sound, but by the soul. The imprints of the soul left in speech and text allow perfect interpretation of meaning to be transferred, even when concepts may be alien to the receiver.’ ”
There! A perfect explanation. If I get faster with looking this stuff up, if I can show I’m good at gathering information like this, maybe they’ll overlook my lack of any other redeeming qualities?
“Oh. I had previously assumed all these words were the language of the Heavens. So, I understand this ‘Religion’ term, but the idea of ‘which’ confuses me. I am the priest’s daughter. I worship, study and proclaim the word of the Lord.”
“You only have one religion where you’re from? What, everyone believes the same thing?” Sy says.
“Of course. Education is of the utmost importance, it would be remiss of me and my family to allow the populace to misidentify the Lord.”
“Okay,” says Sy, I think in a way that implies he doesn’t want to continue this line of discussion any longer. “Well, I think this might be a good place to sit.”
The mind-reader is gently laid on the ground, where she practically sinks into the sea of flowers. Wouldn’t it be awful if she had a pollen allergy? Light kneels to her side, taking her hand in her own, while Sy rolls back, legs outstretched supported by his arms behind him. Thankfully he sat at such an angle that I can sit in a spot that completes a triangle around Angel. I cross my legs, careful not to crush more flowers than I need.
“Oh! Please, would you two tell me of your churches?” Light suddenly says, sitting up a lot taller suddenly. “It would make an excellent way to pass the time.”
Breathe, Igelet, breathe, don’t let the Dilation roll over you. Church, my church, I went to one when I was little but when we moved we stopped going. What did it look like? I can’t really remember much from the outside, and I spent most of the time in there looking down and trapped thinking of something else in the Dilation. So many people! Even the memory runs my breath ragged. And it smelled really weird – something about it made me so itchy. Mum had to practically drag me out the house, and Dad would carry me on his shoulders all the way there so I wouldn’t drag my feet.
“Big buildings. Old. Dreadfully cold in the winter,” Sy mutters, plucking a violet, bell-shaped flower and poking around it. Thank you for speaking first again… Sy! That’s his name. I need to write this down.
“Buildings?! As in, your church is many buildings? How very strange! Please describe the layout, this sounds fascinating.”
“No, no, each church is just like one, big building. I meant there are a lot of them.”
Light gasps, and an idea strikes me – this might be a good time to subtly start making notes. I gently go to my own phone, but I realise the charge on it probably won’t last too long. The one I picked up in the room, though, I didn’t notice any charge meter. I assume it’s magic or something and won’t run out of charge. Slowly, carefully, I go to take it out of my pocket.
“You have many churches? Why?” she snaps her fingers, making me jump and nearly fumble the phone as I turn it on. I’m getting so much better at not activating Dilation. “Oh, is it the case where there are smaller buildings erected closer to the infirm, to alleviate their need to travel? We have such houses, but I wouldn’t call them Churches.”
“No, as in there are just a lot of separate churches. A few in every town and city.”
Yes! There is a memo app! I need to be careful not to be seen, or at least make it look like I’m reading something important?
“Town… city…” she says slowly, mulling it over. “I think I live in a town, or city? What do you mean ‘every’?”
There’s a pause.
“What do you mean? You know, there’s on town, then another, they both have churches in them.”
“ANOTHER town!” she says loudly, again making me jump. The great thing I’ve noticed about this phone is that I can’t mistype on my other phone, like it knows what I want to say and the typing itself is just a formality to show I’m committed to writing. Actually, I didn’t think about it, but this alphabet is mine. Not some alien language… this thing must be linked with me in some way then? Cool. “Why would there be more than one? Wouldn’t it be better for everyone to live together?”
I am so happy they’re talking. I’ve done the important parts:
They’re still talking. Oh! I need to copy some of the conversation starters from my phone, just in case.
“Well… I don’t know. That would be a LOT of people in one city. I suppose people like different places?”
“A lot of people? How many people are there in your world?!”
“In a city, a few million? In my country, maybe a hundred million? In the whole world there’s something like ten billion.”
There’s a long silence – I look up to check nobody’s looking to me for input, in case I missed a question.
“What’s wrong?” Sy says, looking up from his ravaged flower. Light doesn’t seem focussed. “Why, how many people are there on your world?”
“Three hundred and fifteen,” she mutters.
“In your town? Pretty small, sounds cosy.”
“Millions? Tell me Sy, is this the truth? I cannot comprehend… how do you remember so many people? Even I sometimes misremember a name here or there…”
Sy lean forward a bit towards her.
“Are you serious? I don’t know everybody, heck I barely know anybody. Is that what it’s like where you’re from, just one small town? There must be people outside, do people not visit or leave?”
She shakes her head.
“No. One cannot survive without the Lord’s own voice. It is rung out daily, and wards away the devils. If you are too far, you won’t hear, and shall be corrupted and pass on.”
“What? You die if you leave town? Are there actual monsters out there?”
“Not animal-like monsters. There was an incident mother told me about – years before I was born, a young boy named Smoulder went missing. Everybody searched for him, and it was found he had simply run away following an argument with his sister. Nobody had an idea which direction he went in, so every day different search parties would go out to look, making sure to return close enough to Heaven’s Cane to hear the Lord’s protective words. On the third day he was found – he had half a skin of water and a parcel of bread and cheese, yet he was dead without a wound upon him. The devils, you see, can work their way into your mind, decaying you from the inside.”
Now it’s Sy’s turn to not speak. I realise I’ve stopped typing, listening pretty intently to her story. It sounds unbelievable, like a fairy tale a mother would tell a child so they wouldn’t wander off. But at the same time, apparently the reason we’re here is to fight Demons. It’s reasonable to expect they live in other universes.
“Wow, that’s terrifying,” Sy gasps, leaning back again. “We don’t have anything like that where I’m from. That’s probably why we were able to spread out more, setting up villages where people thought looked nice?”
“Perhaps,” Light replies, not quite focussing.
There! A dozen or so of the best conversation starters. I shan’t record too many, I think it’s been long enough since I spoke and I don’t want them to think I’m completely disinterested in them. But what do I say? Both appear to be in thought… maybe I say nothing? But maybe this is an awkward pause, and I should? Damn, I thought I had stopped scratching my hand already!
The long-haired, yellow girl inhales suddenly, and the world slows ever so slightly as I force the Dilation from coming into full effect. I can’t knock her out the moment she wakes up.
“My Angel! Don’t overexert yourself. Here, let me help you.”
“Thanks,” she groans as she carefully rises. Millions of strands of hair catch on the petals and leaves around, ruining the otherwise silky smoothness. She tries to push herself backwards, but gasps in pain as she sits on her own hair and tries to sit back. She adjusts and moves out, sitting between me and Light, making nearly a square along with Sy.
“I don’t suppose you know if you have churches where you’re from,” Sy asks casually. What a strange- oh wait, didn’t they say something about her missing her memories? I really should add that to the memo. As I go back to it, she pulls her hair back behind her.
“I don’t know. I have a lot of memories, but they ring hollow, I think they’re probably from all of you.”
“Well, here’s hoping you remember something soon. Anyway, I don’t suppose you can tell us if you got anything from the amazing purple bitch?”
“Don’t say-” both Light and Angel interject at the same time, but Angel shakes her head as though to dispel the intrusive thoughts. “Yes, I got some small bits and pieces, both from hanging around her before and when you asked. I’m afraid I didn’t get as much as any of you expect, given I… fell unconscious pretty quickly.”
That dread weight immediately materialises in my stomach again. I need to apologise, to say how I didn’t mean to…
“Don’t worry about it,” Angel says kindly. Oh right, she can read my mind. So she knows what I mean? So I don’t need to worry about figuring out the best way to speak with her? That’s nice, but what if I think something bad about her? “Don’t worry about it,” she says again.
“Basically, she knows the general lay of the land. She’s fairly sure there’s something going on in that forest we’re heading to, but she doesn’t know what. Definitely some mages there, by her reckoning.”
“Excellent! We should go to introduce ourselves,” Light says positively. My heart sinks. No, no that’s not a good idea. And not just because we’d actually have to meet new people. How can I say it? I don’t want to be rude or-
“That’s not necessarily the best idea,” Angel says, practically mirroring the thoughts I was attempting to construct. “Igelet read about it earlier – fighting is common practice around here amongst mages. And even further, there’s a strong culture of crushing newbies. It’s a way of making sure that by the time you graduate this test you’re actually worthy to be here. If we meet someone, more likely than not they’re going to try to kill us on the spot.”
“Well, we’ll see how that will work out for them,” Sy mutters. Angel shakes her head firmly.
“Break Punch was seriously holding back against us. Her pride wouldn’t let her pull out all the stops – she had to keep thinking of ways to not immediately kill everyone. She specifically wanted to kill me with a punch, but she had a million other ways to do it. She could have exploded you Sy, but she just burnt your lungs so you could still see her win before you died.”
Sy doesn’t respond - he suddenly takes interest in another flower.
“So, it is your opinion that we should avoid the forest?” Light enquires. “Yet these arrows point towards it. Could it not be that our future instructor is there?”
Angel shrugs.
“The instructors don’t know each other’s locations, and don’t really know who the other instructors are. So they could be there… or further beyond. It could be worth walking around the mountains.”
“Or I could just pop over and check?” Sy suggested, already rising to his feet. Oh, so he’s just going to teleport on over?
“Wait,” Angel says quickly, and Sy freezes and looks around. “No, I mean, hold on. There’s something else. When you teleported in front of her, Break Punch became a whole lot more excited to fight you. I got the sense that fighting a teleporter is something of a passion for mages such as her. If others see you do that, you’d increase the chances of being targeted for attack.”
Oh dear. With that notion, I can practically feel my spirits sag. I suppose I had subconsciously assumed that a broken teleportation ability would default us to some easy setting. But instead it feels like some grand game designer of the universe implemented it as a trap. Like placing a mega power-up over an unavoidable spikes trap.
That thought went on a bit of a tangent, but to my surprise the conversation hasn’t evolved – Sy is just sort of standing there awkwardly. I can’t read his expression, of course.
“Ooookay,” he says slowly, kneeling down into a sit again. “That’s a problem. I get that. We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves. But it’s not like I won’t use it to fight… or if there’s something useful I could steal, I can’t not.”
“Of course,” Angel responds instantly. I wonder if she feels bored having to wait for people to vocalise their thoughts. “But don’t show it off in the open. We need to pretend your Characteristic is something else.”
“Okay,” Sy says relatively coolly. I suppose I had hoped that he’d resist a bit more – after all, both of us having to not use our Characteristics would be a good bonding moment, but him using his won’t exactly knock out one of his companions, will it? “So, around the mountains? The only issue I see with that,” he gestures to the scene laid out before us, “is the remarkable lack of cover. It’s a forest, surrounded by mountains, surrounded by desert. And,” he now gestures upwards, to the geographically complex sky, “we’re able to be seen in literally every direction. If we just walk around those mountains, we’d be the only visible things for miles walking about. And it’s not like we blend in exactly.
“On the other hand,” he continues, as thought to cut someone off, “we could stick to the outskirts of the desert from this side, and hope he get some cover. But that’s gonna be a heck of a long walk – easily dozens of more miles on top of what we’d do if we just cut through. We could be seen at any point, or encounter something outside the scope of where Break Punch thought we might go. And the time it would take… I don’t know about you guys, but I want to be able to leave as soon as possible.”
Of course! The worry cuts through my stomach again – Mum and Dad must be so worried! If… WHEN I get back, how will I be able to explain it all to them? Would I be able to justify taking this slowly when they are out of their minds terrified that I’ve been kidnapped, or worse?
I want to say Yes, Yes I want to take the shortest path. Could it potentially be the most dangerous? Yes. But this entire world feels like a death trap, maybe we could get lucky and get through this is record time.
“If returning home is a possibility, perhaps we ought to consider the time aspect,” I’m surprised to hear Light reply. I would have thought she’d be the sort to want to be slow and steady. Maybe she’s worried for her parents too?
“Well, that’s what we all want to do then,” Angel says with relative certainty.
“Wait,” Light says quickly. “My Angel, is this your genuine perspective? You asked that I keep this in mind. Do not allow us to sway you – please, it us know what it is you really desire.”
“Yeah,” Sy says quickly as he starts standing again. “It wouldn’t be right for us to put words in your mouth. And if you have a serious objection, it would only be bad for us if we didn’t hear it.”
…? Oh yes, Light had mentioned it before – she can become easily convinced by others. To be honest I am somewhat the same – I don’t’ do well with conflict. Should I say something? Light and Sy both gave some sort of reassurance, so should I too?
“Honestly,” Angel says as she too begins to rise, “all I want is for us all to stay alive. I know how death feels, and I know how you come back, but still… Anyway, the points you raised are valid, Sy. Even if they’re borne out of wanting to get home as soon as possible.”
“Glad to hear it,” Sy says. Oh, everyone’s standing now. I ought to get up too. “So, walking. Into danger. Without teleporting there first. I’ll have to follow your guys’ lead, it seems pretty hard to do.”