A names less story that needs to be critiqued to death.

Hahaha, I have read your comments and made some corrections. Some of what was suggested, however, ran counter productive to the plot. Still, I think this should be a lot clearer. What I really hope to hear now though is if you find this story interesting or not and what it is you want to know more about:

Spoiler: click here to read story

Everyone looks at Aiden’s fist on Isaac’s shoulder as though it were the catalyst for what just happened. Aiden himself retracts his fist and looks around. High arching walls, stained glass panels of various mythological figure, a ceiling carved with celestial beings… Odin, Zeus, Brahma, Ra, Amaterasu, Viracocha… “A cathedral?”

Isaac says, “You’re punch brought us to a church?”

Haylie says, “That’s impossible! If anything, your joke brought us here. It was so bad, it practically sounded like a curse. For all we know, it offended some sort of spirit which banished us here as punishment.”

Aiden keeps a mild tone as he says “I thought you were an atheist?” Internally, he racks his brain over everything that just happened. I ran into Isaac and Haylie on my walk. Two, Isaac said a lame joke. Three, I gave him a light punch on the shoulder. Four, some sort of magic circle appeared underneath our feet. Now we’re here.

Haylie points at the ceiling, “We’re in a freaking church! If this isn’t a work of God, then what is it?”

Isaac says, “Maybe, magic?”

Haylie’s, “The hell do you mean magic!” prompts him to point at the floor.

Aiden looks down and discovers a complex magic circle half carved and half painted on the floor. He recognizes it as a summoning spell, a really complex one. He wonders if he’s reading it right, because parts of it seem to touch on Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and four dimensional physics. There are some differences from the one that brought us here. This one’s… setup as a receiver.

He then looks towards the door, wondering if the people who summoned them will show up soon. Meanwhile, he says, “On the plus side, this isn’t my fault.”

Haylie swats Aiden, forcing him to stumble forward a few steps as she says, “This isn’t funny! We’re who knows where for who knows what! Shut up if you’re just gonna joke around!”

Aiden feels his shoulder where she hit him as he rights himself. That stung? He glances towards Haylie’s arms and notices that they’re much more toned than when they first ran into each other thirty minutes ago.

Isaac’s head snaps towards the set of large stone doors at the end of the chamber. “People are coming.”

Haylie nods and says, “There’s… 6, no 7 of them?” Confusion washes over her face as she adds, “How the heck do I know that?”

Aiden keeps silent at his friends’ confusion by their sudden growth in perception. He glances towards the magic circle on the floor and then looks back towards the door. That summoning circle is grades higher than what he can currently comprehend. It doesn’t appear to have a body augmentation spell weaved into it, but that’s just from what he can read. Whatever it is, I can at least tell that it hasn’t made them transcend their humanity.

Aiden then turns towards Isaac and Haylie to reassure them about not knowing where they are, but finds the need to do so moot. Isaac is playing around by running up one of the pillars. He rises seven steps and then back flips off. Aiden says, “The hell are you doing!”

Haylie is doing side jumps, but stops to say, “We just want to see what we can do. Besides, the people coming this way aren’t dangerous.”

Aiden says, “We haven’t even met them yet.”

Haylie shakes her head as she says, “No, no, it’s weird, but we can tell. They don’t have any bad intentions.”

The stone doors slide open before Aiden can retort. Making a square around a man and woman are four people wielding scythes. More so than the two dressed like royalty from the 1800s in the middle of the formation, Aiden’s attention is rapt on the polearms. Nordic runes, a Taoist proverb, hieroglyphics, and things I don’t recognize… Spell synthesis? Wait, they’re not scythes, they’re staves. The blades act as symbols to reinforce the ability to tear a rift in the space time continuum… Probably.

Aiden says, “Where did you bring us?”

The current conversation between his friends the 6 people greeting them comes to an awkward stop. Isaac wraps his arm around Aiden’s shoulder and whispers. He says, “Obviously not Earth. They promised the emperor will explain everything soon. For now, they just want to make sure we’re not hurt.”

“And you’re just going with it?”

“Why not? They’re not lying.”

“And what makes you say that?”

“I can just tell. Besides, why would a prince and princess lie to us?”

Aiden shakes his head, but realizes he won’t be able to convince Isaac or Haylie. He decides to remain quiet and try to pick out the truth hidden between their words and gestures. Ha ha… Yeah, I can totally do that… Why couldn’t Kalani be here with me instead?

The princess sighs, but says, “There is no wonder you’re wary of us. We abducted you, we brought you here for our own convenience. Please underst-”

That’s when Aiden notices something off about the so called prince and princess standing between the four spell casters. They have red eyes. He follows as they walk out the door for the emperor. Joining them within the marble corridor adorned with scarlet curtains embroidered with gold is a guard with sparkling black trimmings on his armor.

Isaac tells the prince and princess about Earth as they walk. They along with the four spell casters and guard are shocked by what they learn. Two of spell casters almost drop their staves while the guard almost walks into a wall. “Seriously, magic is stuff that only exists in fairytales. If you told me this was a dream, I’d believe it.”

The prince says, “You do not have magic, but you’ve been to the moon?”

Haylie laughs and shakes her head. “No, not us. NASA put astronauts on the moon.”

The princess says, “NASA? Is that the guild in charge of space travel? I’m assuming those as-toe-nauths are how you refer to your spacemen?”

Haylie says, “As-tro-naut, and yeah, for both questions. Except, NASA isn’t a guild. It’s an organization run by the government.”

The prince and princess exchange glances at Haylie’s explanation and begin discussing the pros and cons of a government funded, magician’s research association for transporting someone to the moon. Aiden interrupts before they get lost in their new topic. He says, “Say, what can you tell us about magic? How does it work? Where did it come from?”

Isaac and Haylie perk up at the question. Their eyes gleam as they press the prince and princess for an answer with their eagerness. A chuckle escapes a pair of the spell casters, but they immediately apologize at the sharp looks they receive from the prince and princess.

The prince clears his throat. Once he has everyone’s attention, he says, “Magic, at its simplest, is weaving your mana in a certain way to produce a desired result.”

Haylie says, “What’s mana?”

The prince is taken aback by the question. Not sure how to answer, he turns to his sister. The princess purses her lips and thinks for a moment before saying, “Mana is something everything has and produces. You find it inside yourself, channel it, and use it.”

The prince cuts in upon seeing the confused expression on Isaac and Haylie. He says, “Imagine a glass of water. Whenever a spell is cast, the water goes down. The body slowly refills the water on its own over time. Once it’s high enough, another spell can be cast.”

Isaac says, “We have mana too?”

The princess’s reassuring, “Every living creature produces mana. Everyone is capable of using magic,” almost makes Aiden laugh out in ridicule. Instead, Aiden says, “How do you use magic?”

The prince says, “Through circles. Magic is created when you infuse a pattern with mana. That’s what the gods taught us.”

Isaac says, “The gods?”

The princess tilts her head at the remark. “You don’t have them in your world?”

Isaac says, “Most people believe in God, not that there’s any solid proof he exists. In honestly, after all of this, I’m going to start praying to him a lot more now…”

The princess says, “One moment, your world only has one god?”

Haylie says, “No, like Isaac said, there’s no proof God exists, just the concept of one.”

The princess says, “But only one?”

Isaac says, “Well, one ‘real’ God. The rest like Zeus and Odin are just myths and stories.”

The prince and princess exchange another set of glances. The prince then says, “Zeus and Odin are two patron gods here. In your world, are any other gods regarded in such a manner?”

Isaac says, “Well, to name a few… There’s Athena, Loki, Ra, Isis, Apollo, Hades, Poseidon, and Hercules, I think.”

The prince goes to say something else, but stops as a large, twin sided, wooden door comes into view. He looks himself over and straightens his collar. The princess, the guard escort, and the spell casters also check themselves over and adjust any blemishes on their clothing. Isaac and Haylie are influenced by the actions and do the same.

Aiden notes the anxiousness in their tense movements. They’re actually nervous. This is completely different from when they were waiting for the prince and princess. Maybe it wasn’t a sham hypnotic spell and they really are more sensitive to other people’s characters.

Aiden waits for the prince to open the door, but two of the spell caster walk forward instead. They place their hands on the two halves of the door and the Nordic runes painted on them glow. The door’s frame then glows crimson and the two parts slide open to reveal a man seated before an obelisk.

Carved on the side of the obelisk facing them is a being with three heads and four arms seated cross legged on top of a lotus flower. Each hand holds something different: a tablet, a bead necklace, a kettle, and a lotus flower. The Para Brahman?

The prince and princess lead the way into the room, kneel, and lower their heads. Behind them the guard, the spell casters follow suit. Isaac and Haylie are shocked at first, but also mimic the action. The prince says, “Father, we have summoned the Apostles.”

The emperor, his attendants, and the various members of the aristocracy ignore his words as they frown at Aiden. Everyone kneeling, sensing something wrong at the long pause, look up and follow the emperor’s glare. Aiden remains on his feet and stares down the emperor. He has red eyes too.

The emperor says, “You refuse to kneel?”

“I’ve had bad experiences.”

“I will only over look this disrespect once.”

Aiden wants to thank him for his kindness, but swallows his anger to keep from causing a commotion. He holds his tongue and waits for the emperor’s promised explanation.

The emperor glares at Aiden for a bit and says, “I am Marcus Pax Augustus Aurelius, emperor of the Holy Aelia Empire. Chaos threatens my land and people. The gods warn that C’thylla will manifest within this year and birth the end. We summoned you, Apostles, for it has been proven since before my glorious empire even touched land that the surest solution to any trouble is through your assistance. We shall provide you with shelter, knowledge, and training. Go forth, rid us of this evil, and return as heroes.”

The emperor’s attendants and the aristocracy clap and cheer. The prince and princess rise up and lead Aiden, Isaac, and Haylie out of the hall and into a side chamber. Joining them is the guard. While Isaac and Haylie are too overwhelmed to speak, Aiden is fuming. He speaks the moment the door shuts. He says, “The hell is this! What about sending us back home?”

His remark help Isaac and Haylie recover from their shock. They gap at each other and back at the prince and princess. They both says, “Is that true, you can’t send us back?”

The prince holds up his arms in an attempt to sooth the brewing trouble. “No, no, father is gravely concerned about this danger. He forgets you Apostles are taken from another world when summoned. Please forgive him.”

Aiden says, “What about us getting home?”

The princess smiles and says, “Please, discard those fears. C’thylla’s emergence is destabilizing the boundary between worlds. We were able to summon you, but we cannot be able to send you back until after this threat passes would be dangerous.”

“How?”

The prince says, “With the summoning circle. Do not let the name misguide you. It was a gift from the gods. Rest assured, it can both summon and return.”

Aiden doesn’t say anything, but his expression remains unconvinced. A gift from the gods…

Isaac looks Aiden over and sighs. “Man, Aiden, I was completely swept up with everything that’s happening. How are you so calm?”

“I’m furious.”

The guard says, “That’s even more impressive. I was doubtful at first, but Apostles really do bring hope. I look forward to fighting at your side.”

Aiden clicks his tongue, but doesn’t say anything else.

Haylie says, “Are you sure we can even help you? We don’t know anything about fighting. And honestly, I… I don’t think I could hurt anyone…”

The prince places a hand upon Haylie’s shoulder. He waits for her to look up before saying, “We have complete faith in all of you. I’m certain you’ve noticed, but you are no longer the same as from before you came to this world. Your bodies, they don’t show it, but they have been pushed to the limits of humanity. More than that, you will not be alone. The three of us will be traveling alongside you as well.”

The princess says, “Setting the three of you off on your own after summoning you would be much too selfish of us. Escorting you across this land and partaking in your hardship alongside you is the least we can do for you who are our Apostles.”

Isaac says, “Is that okay? You’re a prince and princess. Do you even know how to camp? I mean, shouldn’t you stay here where it’s safe?”

The prince and princess give them wry smiles. The prince says, “Perhaps it’s time we properly introduce ourselves.” He holds his right fist to his chest and kneels as he adds, “I am Titus “Flamma” Aurelius, the 13th heir to the Holy Empire.”

The princess curtsies and says, “I am Faustina Minor Aurelius, 7th daughter to the Holy Empire.”

Titus stands and says, “Our positions… are noticeably low. Our ages, however, allow us the unique honor of being your escorts. We may appear to be taking advantage of your circumstances, but please believe me, we truly wish to keep chaos from engulfing this land.”

Aiden says, “Wait, you knew how old we’d be? Are your Apostles always around our age?”

Titus says, “Yes, the gods always send us Apostles who possess the courage and energy needed to light hope within our hearts.”

Faustina notes Aiden’s frown and says, “You disagree?”

Aiden sighs as he says, “We’re 18. Sure, we’re technically adults, but the hell do we know about saving a world? Only an idiot would think this is a good idea.”

Titus takes on a firmer tone as he says, “You’re insulting our gods?”

“If they’re moronic enough to entrust the fate of a world to clueless children, yeah.”

The guard grabs Aiden’s collar before anyone else can react. He stares into Aiden’s eyes and says, “Take that back.”

Aiden then notices that the guard also has strange eyes. They’re like a starry night sky.

The sight reminds him that he’s been pulled from his world, that he might not be able to return, that he’ll never see Yuki Onna, Kalani, Kairi, Martial artist or his parents ever again. His leg swings up, around, and into the guard’s head before he even knows what he’s doing. The surprise attack knocks the guard into the stone wall where he then drops onto a knee. Titus and Faustina place themselves in front of the guard to stop Aiden from continuing while Isaac and Haylie try to restrain him.

Aiden sets down his foot, but doesn’t rush forward to continue attacking. Titus and Faustina send him reproachful stares to which he says, “He threatened me first.” He then glances towards the guard and adds, “Don’t get so worked up. You’re the ones who summoned us. There’s absolutely no reason for us to be grateful about any of this.”

The guard grits his teeth as he stands back up. He straightens his out his uniform and says, “The gods have sent us numerous Apostles in the past. Each one completed their quests with valor and honor. I continue that greatness which flows through my veins by serving this land.”

Faustina claps her hand before Aiden can retort. She wears a soothing smile practiced through years of life in the palace and says, “Being summoned to another world and then being asked to save it must be a lot for all of you. Why don’t we lead you to your rooms so you can rest until the banquet tonight?”

Aiden shrugs and follows Faustina out the second door.

Haylie uses the opportunity to change the subject by asking what palace life as a princess is like. The answers that revolve around religious ceremonies have an overt lack of detail to them. She speaks phrases like, “We do it four times a year,” or “take a purification bath in a sacred lake,” but then stops in wait for the following question. Haylie is tactful and doesn’t inquire further detail.


Aiden stares out his bedroom window towards the hills of maple, oak, and hickory trees. A river can be seen flowing around the hills. He breathes in the clean fresh air and sighs. “I almost wouldn’t notice anything different… if not for this ridiculous level of mana saturation.”

He places his hands on the window frame and breaths deep. He imagines the air flowing past his lungs, through his stomach and gathering just below his navel. He lets it dissipate and exhales from his mouth. His mana reserve replenishes after only a few breaths. Like I thought…

A knock on the door and Haylie’s hesitant, “Aiden? You awake?” pulls him from his pondering.

He turns around as he looks to the door and sits against the windowsill as he says, “Yeah, come on in.” She and Isaac enter and look around. The concern on their faces is obvious, but they’re afraid to broach the topic. After some silence, he says, “So, what did the five of you chat about after I left?”

Haylie and Isaac flinch at the remark. Aiden clicks his tongue and says, “I’m not going to snap from that. I’m frustrated that we might never get to return home.”

Isaac says, “Woah, hold on. They promised that they’d send us back.”

Aiden frowns at the remark. “Why are you so trusting of them? They abducted us. Shouldn’t you be more frustrated than anything else? Most people would snap and go on a rampage.”

Haylie says, “We could say the same thing about you.”

“I’m not calm.” The contempt in his tone and scorn in his glare says everything his words don’t. Both Isaac and Haylie are taken aback by Aiden’s furry. He then sighs and, with a more laid back tone, says, “You said something about being able to feel intentions earlier?”

Haylie recovers from the shock first and says, “Yeah, we can just feel it. No one in this castle wants to hurt us. Instead, they want to encourage us and help us succeed. You really can’t feel it?”

“Even that king?”

Issac averts his eyes as he says, “Well, he’s an exception, but even then! He wants to use us, but it’s all for the sake of his county. He’ll do everything he can to help us succeed. We can tell that much.”

Aiden leans his head back as he sighs. He then glances over his shoulder and out the window as he says, “What do you think of this world?” At their confused expressions, he gives a gentle and soothing smile and adds, “All I’ve seen is this scenery. After leaving me here, they probably gave you the grand tour and introduced you to everyone. So, what’s this place like?”

Issac says, “It’s very religious. Everywhere we went, Faustina would point out a statue, or painting, or mural, or anything and say how it represents a god slaying a dragon or clearing a mountain for people to settle. Apparently, they taught humans the origins of magic.”

That’s different.

Haylie cuts in before he can continue, “But there’s no Christianity. I mean, seriously? It’s practically our world’s largest religion, but no one here has heard of it. All the other religions are here. Even weird ones like Olmec that nobody but you would know about!”

Aiden’s head snaps toward Haylie. “You remember that conversation? That was middle school.”

Haylie shrinks in on herself as she gives an uncomfortable smile. “I needed a research topic back in high school…” She then shakes her head and drives away the bashfulness that overcame her. “Anyway, these are all here, but no Christianity! Doesn’t that pretty much mean it’s fake? Everyone on Earth is being lied to!”

“It’s probably the opposite.”

Aiden’s remark get the instant focus of both Haylie and Issac. They don’t say anything, but press him to continue with clear anticipation in their eyes. He looks between the two of them and chuckles as he imagines what he must have been like to others when he was younger in order to establish himself as some sort of expert on the matter. While shaking his head at his younger self, he says, “Well, this is just a guess, but back… home, religions, on principle, don’t get along. Here, they’re all existing side by side and cooperating in harmony. That isn’t normal. Gods and goddesses, by nature, are extremely jealous entities. This world is strange.”

Haylie says, “You’re saying Christianity forced them to get along and play nice?”

“Close, I’m saying they lost to Christianity. Christianity showed up, established itself, and drove those other religions out.”

Issac says, “As in off the planet?”

“Yep. Those religions probably then found this one, discovered that continuing their feuds here in their weakened states would lead to mutually assured destruction, and compromised. Those gods and goddesses might have even encouraged everyone to work together. If you think about it, with all those immigrant deities here, they shouldn’t need to summon people from other worlds. One of them could just empower someone here. Instead, the people here were given a summoning circle, one that just so happens to connect to our world.”

Haylie says, “The world with a religion that beat the ones here…”

Aiden says, “This also somewhat explains why they speak English here.”

Both Issac and Haylie tilt their heads at the remark.

Aiden suppresses his sigh “What, you didn’t notice? Or did you assume English is a universal language able to transcend planetary limits?” To their cringes, he adds, “If the cultures here originate from our world, then the languages should also be comparable. That said, English being the dominate language of this country is still a pretty big coincidence…”

Issac says, “So, why us?” Hesitation flashes across his face as he adds, “I mean, it’s not like we can do magic or anything. We only got this power after being brought here. What you said earlier really has got me thinking. We are just clueless kids. Would someone who actually knows something about this be better?”

Haylie says, “Like who? How would anyone know anything about saving the world?”

“I don’t know! Maybe someone like a soldier, or a cop? There are probably tons of better options than us though…”

“Maybe it won’t be that bad? C’th-something, that thing we were summoned to stop, they said it hasn’t manifested yet. This sounds more like preventing rats from infesting your house than driving them out.”

“Well, if you put it like that, then maybe it won’t be so bad. They did say they’ll be traveling with us. I doubt a prince and princess would just be allowed to go around just like that either.”

“Yeah, and they’ll be teaching us magic and stuff. I’m sure this will be fine.”

Aiden watches them encourage themselves and wonders if that youthful naivety screened them as Apostles. He wants to look at the summoning circle again, but recalls that there is a lot in it that he couldn’t understand. One thing he can conclude now that he understands the situation better is that their growth in physical ability wasn’t a result of the summoning circle. Aiden then says, “Maybe it was random?

Issac and Haylie both look at him and say at the same time, “What do you mean?”

“The summoning. They said that it brings people our age here. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. That circle might target people around our age and drag them here.”

Haylie says, “Well, I’m positive that it is. It didn’t just have to be us. Also, everyone we’ve met honestly told us to depend on them incase anything happens. I’m telling you, you don’t have to be so suspicious of everyone here.”

Issac says, “Yeah, speaking of which, you went way too far with kicking Gaius. You need to apologize when you see him at the banquet.”

Aiden laughs at the ridiculous request. “Don’t depend so much on that sensitivity of yours. Being able to determine what someone really wants is great, but that has a lot of limitations. People told you to depend on them? Well, no duh. Who wouldn’t want to claim they aided the new saviors? Actually, what’s that sensitivity say about me? I’m contradicting everything all those ‘honest’ people have told you.”

Issac and Haylie stare at Aiden and frown. Indecision flashes across their eyes, but a knock prevents them from responding.

The door opens before anyone can answer it and in steps the guard captain. He regards Issac and Haylie by saying, “I thought the two of you might be in here.”

Issac says, “You looking for us, Gaius?”

Gaius glances at Aiden to include him with his response. “The banquet will be starting soon. Please return to your rooms. Servants shall soon be arriving to help you prepare.” He then bows and leaves.

Haylie sighs and walks to the door. She glances back at Aiden and says, “Well, see you at the banquet.”

Issac follows behind her and also looks back at Aiden. Annoyance flashes across his eyes as he shuts the door.


Aiden is escorted to the great hall and seated at the far end of the high table. The bench he shares is firm and cold. Issac and Haylie sit at the king’s sides in chairs adorned with red cushions and glittering diamonds. Both of them are deep in conversation with other guests.

Those same guests soon surround him, introduce themselves, and ask him a mind numbing amount of questions about his world and what kind of magic he’s interested in learning. They then follow up by explaining how they could help him live more comfortably, acquire a powerful weapon, or teach a secret family spell that is sure to come in handy. No wonder Kalani complained every time she had to go to a banquet.

A voice then asks, “Why didn’t you kneel earlier? You could have ended up beheaded if not for your status.” The surrounding guests gap at the question, but quite down in order to hear the reply.

Aiden soon feels as though everyone is staring at him, even the king. He takes a sip of his juice, wipes his mouth, and says, “I bow to no one.” He then forks food into his mouth.

“Insolence!” Gaius steps through the gathered guest and stands before Aiden. He soon discovers that Aiden has no intention of paying him any mind and bangs his hands against the table. “Is this the etiquette taught to guests in your world?”

Aiden continues as he is and serves himself more food. Then, as he reaches for his drink, Gaius slaps the goblet from his hand. Aiden watches as it clatters on the floor and spills its contents. He glances up at Gaius and says, “How wasteful.”

“You! “This is the first time I’ve ever felt shame for the sacred blood flowing through my veins! What is wrong with you?”

Aiden keeps from following his urge to flip the table and instead stands up. He takes a breath and looks at Gaius before clenching his teeth. He hoists himself over the table and drives his feet into Gaius’s stomach. Guards surround him with spears before Gaius can hit the floor.

Aiden clicks his tongue and says, “You summoned us. Everything going on here is your problem, not mine. Your petty gods could bless you with the strength needed to solve this problem, but instead they gave you that stupid circle to avoid wasting their precious power. They’re like toddlers spitting in the milk of someone who took their ball the other day.” He then walks past guards and out the great hall.

He returns to his room, slams the door shut, and takes a breath. “That guy just ticks me off.” He then shakes his head and says, “I should just get to sleep. Synthesis magic is a lot more advanced here. I should be able to figure something out tomorrow.[ii]”

Aiden claps his hands together and with a glow of bluish white light, reshapes part of the stone wall and floor into a simple bath tub filled with water pulled from the air. After heating it, he then strips his clothes and submerges himself. Afterwards, he changes into some pajamas and slips into bed.


Aiden’s eyes open in the middle of the night. He doesn’t sit up, but remains laying in his bed. The intruders aren’t even trying to hide themselves with magic.

He waits for one to reach his bed before spring onto his feet. The sound of metal rings out as he delivers a quick punch to knock the intruder back. Then, as he hops a few steps back, one of the intruders illuminates the room. Knights?

Five knights draw their swords as they step to corner him. The runes inscribed on the blades glow as their spells placed on them activate. Aiden looks at each of them before saying, “Anyone want to explain what’s going on?”

A pair of knights holding spears enter through the door.

“I’ll take that as a no…” Aiden then turns and dives out his bedroom window. He lands in the courtyard and dashes for the gate. He considers turning back for Issac and Haylie, but realizes The king probably just sees me as a potential danger to their motivation. Remove me and he’ll get two invaluable pawns for his kingdom. All he needs is a convincing story.

He’s soon beyond both the castle, the town walls, and dashing through the woods. Once he’s far enough, he changes out of his sleepwear, gym shorts and an old shirt. He stores them into a pocket space and changes into his clothes from earlier.



Chapter 2

A road Aiden found in the woods leads him to a thriving city. A second road trafficked by horse drawn wagons cuts between him and the gate. Judging from the flow, A trade town? A stop point before going to the castle?

Aiden walks around the city walls from the edge of the forest. He circles it once, using the sparse trees as best as he can for cover, but doesn’t find any obvious weak points. “Well, not like I have any money to begin with.” With a shrug, he steps onto the nearest road and begins to walk.

Many caravans give him curious stares as they pass by, but none give him any trouble. Around when he starts wondering if he should try and catch something, the trot of hooves approach. A girl’s voice calls out to him. “Hey, you run into some sort of trouble? Or are you just the confident?”

Aiden glances over his shoulder and stops. He stares at her shoulder length hair in disbelief as she trots up to him from atop a snow white pegasus. He says, “Pink hair?”

She clicks her tongue and, without bothering to keep her annoyance from seeping into her words, introduces herself. She place her right hand atop of her armored chest while saying, “Yes, I’m a Valkyrie. My name is Geira. More importantly, what are you doing walking along the road on your own? You got a death wish? Don’t you know that C’th- Ahem, chaos agents having been getting stronger?”

Aiden thinks back to the previous night as he says, “I got into a disagreement and couldn’t stay with my companions any longer. Well, it’s not that big of a deal.” He then flexes and arm and adds, “I’m a lot stronger than I look.”

“Oh, really now?” Geira thrusts her spear at Aiden’s face.

Aiden watches the spear stop just before the bridge of his nose. He places a finger on the tip and eases the polearm aside while saying, “How dangerous. You kinda remind me of my little sister.”

Geira laughs and slaps her own thigh. “Not bad, you didn’t even blink. Tell you what, how about traveling with me? Even if it’s just until the next town, the way is always a lot easier with company.”

“You sure about that? You don’t know a thing about me.”

“And you don’t know anything about me. The way I see it, you’ve got to be super confident in your skills if you choose to travel alone. I mean, do you see anyone else with me?”

Aiden looks to Geira’s left, her right, around her, and above. Geria’s protective equipment itself is also just limited to chest armor, simple shoulder guards, and long, plate covered, gloves. “Why are you inviting me to join you? Honestly, it kinda feels like your trying to steal my organs.”

Geira is taken aback by the comment. “Harvest your organs? What kind of lowlife thug are you taking me for?” She takes a handful of her pink hair and adds, “I’m a Valkyrie!

Aiden gives a monotone, “I see.” Geira is again taken aback, but before she can tell him off, is interrupted. “You know what, sure. I’m new to this place and could use a guide.” He then starts walking while saying, “So, where’s this road lead?”

Geira catches up to him on her pegasus. “What do you mean, ‘where does this road lead?’ Do you not know where you are?”

“I like to wander around.”

Geira stares at Aiden until he sighs and says, “Okay, okay, I don’t know where I am.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Tan skin doesn’t exactly blend in with the local population. My guess, you must be from one of the more tropical regions. Getting here couldn’t have been easy. Was it some sort of spell? Is this why you and your comrades split?”

Aiden stares up at Geira for a moment before saying, “You’ve got pretty good intuition.”

Geira grins and fist pumps while saying, “Called it! So, where exactly are you from and how’d you get to the Holy Aelia Empire?”

“I’m from Pounamu. It’s an obscure island nation in the middle of the ocean, so you probably never heard of it.” As Geira shakes her head, he adds, “As for how I got here, it might have been one of those chaos agents? I was talking to some friends and then we were in a forest. They want to explore, I want to find a way home, we split.”

Geira looks Aiden over, taking note of his disheveled appearance and lack of equipment. “Was it recent?”

“Just yesterday. Speaking of which, mind sparing something to eat. I’m starving.”

Geria stares at him for a moment. She wants to comment about his frivolous attitude, but instead says, “I have some dried fruit in a side pouch.”

Aiden reaches for her saddle with a, “Thanks,” but the pegasus pulls away. He reaches again, and the pegasus once more pulls away.

The animal stares him the eye, as though daring him to try again. Aiden thrusts forward and the animal leaps out of reach. Aiden looks up at Geria who’s making a wry smile at the development and says, “I think your horse hates me.”

Geria’s taken aback by the remark. “Vor’s a pegasus! Do you not see the wings?”

Aiden shrugs as he says, “Yes, yes, he has wings. Big deal, he’s still a horse.” Vor snorts and stomps his feet to which Aiden says, “Fine, you’re big and scary too.”

Geria shakes her head and tosses her dried rations to Aiden. “Just eat. You’re starting to get delusional from hunger.”

Aiden, after a few bites, says, “So, what’s his deal? Does he not like when strangers get to close or something?”

Geria’s dead panned, “I wish,” escapes her mouth before she can even consider a proper responce. Then, to Aiden’s curiosity, gives a quick, “No, nothing.”

Aiden tries to pat Vor, but the pegasus neighs and swats the hand away with his tail. He glances back up towards Geria and says, “Nothing at all?”

A groan leaks out Geria as she averts her eyes. Aiden continues to press her with his gaze until she caves. Her voice is soft, almost inaudible. “Vor doesn’t like men.”

Aiden stops walking at the revelation. Geria brings Vor to a stop and waits from him with a bright red face. Aiden, with a blank expression, looks towards Vor and then back to her. He says, “That… that’s new. Is… is this common amo-”

Geria shakes her head as she says, “Stop, just stop.” Then, while burying her face in a hand, adds, “I don’t have a clue why he’s like this. The grooms who raised him just said he was always like this and to not let any men near him.”

Aiden resumes eating the dried fruit while speaking between bites, “When you put it like that… it sounds like letting guys get near was dangerous?”

Geria sighs and pats Vor’s neck as she says, “Vor is a lot calmer now than he used to be. Back when we first met, he’d attack any man that got too close. One time, he even kick my brother halfway across a room.”

“Wait, then why the hell did you let me reach for the pouch? Even if that horse is calmer now, he still could have attacked me!”

Geria chuckles and says, “Well, if he did, that would just mean you’re not someone I should travel with.”

Aiden scoffs, but doesn’t stop eating. “That’s such a ridiculously extreme test.”

“Look at it this way, Vor judged you a decent person. Anyway, tell me about Pounamu. You were right, I’ve never heard of it.”



Aiden says, “So, the royal family of the Holy Aelia Empire was blessed and given red eyes because they created one of the world’s most prosperous nations?” He then glances at Geria’s pink hair and adds, “Does everyone with a blessing get some sort of marking?”

Geria tastes the word, “Nation? Kingdom is better.” before saying, “No, they’re not so much blessings, but more like distinguishing features? My hair marks me as a Valkyrie, but it doesn’t make me any stronger or anything. Apostles are the only ones who are truly given blessings.”

“Sounds like a pain.”

“Don’t blaspheme our gods.”

“Your gods. We’re I’m from, there’s only one God.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, but he’s pretty hands off. Unless you’re lucky, it’s kinda like he isn’t really there and even then, that miracle is doubted.”

Geria gasps and almost jumps off of Vor as she leans down towards Aiden. She says, “You mean no one is set apart by hair or eye color! How would you know who’s expected to lead or rise up during emergencies?”

“Leaders are elected by the people. People who want to protect others are trained and dispatched as needed.”

“Pounamu is weird.”

Aiden shrugs as he glances up toward Geria while saying, “Maybe,” Then, while recalling his interactions at the castle, adds, “But I’d argue that humans are same no matter where you go.”

Geria sinks into thought as she says, “Hmm, I suppose.”

Aiden then says, “Anyway, I’m a bit curious. Are those ‘distinguishments’ hereditary, or are they just granted each time someone is born? Are there lots of people with such markings around, or does it tend to be focused within a family line?”

Geria is taken aback by Aiden’s sudden shift in curiosity. She tilts her head as she gives a slow, “A single line… In the royal family’s case, all the children have red eyes, but only the true successor will be able to sire children with red eyes.”

“Saying only the ‘true successor’ is kinda vague. Couldn’t that mandate of heaven just be granted to whoever is chosen as the next successor?” Aiden cracks his neck and adds, “Well, it doesn’t really matter. Tell me about yourself, instead.”

“You want to hear about me?”

“You said you’re a Valkyrie. Well, what exactly does that mean? Do you travel around giving burials to dead soldiers?”

“Pounamu really is in the middle of nowhere; I’m a protector! I’ve been entrusted with traveling around this planet to exterminate any who threaten the peace.”

Aiden glances at Geria’s expression and says, “Is that what you really want to do?”

Her face hardens as she says, “What kind of stupid question is that? Being marked by the gods is an opportunity anyone would sacrifice everything for.” She then hoists up her spear, and with a low voice, adds, “Anymore of that, and I’ll start wondering if you’re an agent of chaos.”

“Then I’ll just have to show you otherwise.”

Geria stares at Aiden for a moment and lowers he spear. Exasperation laces her tone as she say, “You really are a confident one. I’m not sure if I should consider you stupid or arrogant.”

“Why are those the only two options?”

Geria’s answer is cut short as her attention turns to further down the road. A battle hardened expression sets on her face as takes Vor’s reigns in one hand. With her spear hoisted underneath an arm, she gallops ahead.

Aiden concentrates as he hurries after Geria. The faint sounds of battle reach him after a few moments. His expression hardens as he picks up on the desperation lacing the cries for help. Hearing this before me… There’s more to being a Valkyrie than just pink hair.

The smell of iron from freshly spilt blood fills Aiden’s nose as he comes across an over turned wagon. Hopping over it reveals over a half dozen corpses. Most have their upper bodies blown off. Two are crushed flat with their blood and organs splattered around them.

Roars echoing out from within the forest guide Aiden’s feet. He forces his way through some bushes into the sparse forest and after a bit more running, finds Geria facing a cyclops. She has Vor leap to the side, away from the swing of the cyclops’s massive hand, and then lunge forward. She thrusts her spear towards its helmed face and pierces the eye. Blood sprays out as she twists her weapon and yanks it free, pulling both the eye and part of the cyclops’s brain with it.

He hurries past her in pursuit of the other cyclops. All he needs to do is follow the deep imprints left by their heavy footsteps. At the same time, he recalls all he can about cyclops. They’re big, strong, good dexterity, one eye, probably no depth perception... Greek, extinct.

The back of a hunched over cyclops comes into view. Its hands are up by its mouth where it feasts on a body. From what can be seen from the victim’s face as it flashes into view, he died screaming in fear.

Five small flames alight on the fingertips of Aiden’s right hand as he leaps. He reaches for his side in a manner reminiscent of one reaching for a sword; the flames leave a spiraling trail behind within which the hand vanishes from view. The hand returns as it’s pullout out of the flaming, spiral, tube. With it comes a long hilt over a foot long with a silver, crescent shaped, guard.

Aiden decapitates the cyclops with a single swing. The flow of his zweihander’s draw is hindered neither by the girth of the cyclops’s neck, nor the density of its bone. The monster’s blood sprays from the seven inch wide blade as it comes to a stop and he arcs it over head.

Aiden kicks off the cyclops’s shoulder before it can topple over and lunges for a second one. The cyclops pivots, swinging a mace in an attempt to catch Aiden in mid-jump. Aiden kicks his foot forward and springs upward by stepping on air. He flips around and while upside down, squats into a stop where he readies his zweihander and plunges forward.

The cyclops pulls back its mace and swings it upward, but Aiden evades it by once more kicking off the air. Wind from the weapon’s head ruffles his hair and clothes as it blows past him, but he remains undeterred. He holds his sword at his side the same way he would a sheathed katana as adjusts himself with a few more jumps against the air.

The cyclops turns around as he lands and lifts its mace to smash him. Aiden lunges forward with a faux-draw as the cyclops swings. He gets underneath the cyclops’s guard first and splits its stomach open. He continues to press forward, shuffling past the cyclops’s side, and forces his sword to sever its upper body.

Aiden then steps to the side while holding up his sword’s handle. He places a hand along the wide blade as he hides behind it in order to shield himself against a spray of rocks and dirt. Once the attack stops, he dashes towards the cyclops to cut it down only to find it hunched over with a spear through its back.[iii]

Geria killed it while it was distracted. Various small cuts and scrapes lace her arms and face, but they’re all from forcing her way through underbrush. She pulls her weapon free and shakes off the blood while saying, “That was the last one. I think about half of the caravan was able to escape.”

Aiden purses his lips, but still nods. Then, while still holding his zweihander, claps his hands together and bathes the blade in flames.

Geria’s attention turns towards his sword as she adds, “Did you get that off a cyclops? You don’t look weak or anything, but I’m a bit doubtful you’ll be able to swing it around. Are you planning to sell-”

Geria is taken aback by Aiden’s next action. Once the blood is cleansed from the zweihander, he slides it over and down his shoulder where it vanishes from sight. She hops off Vor and checks Aiden’s back as she says, “It’s gone!”

Aiden gives a flat, “I stored it in a pocket space.”

“But- but the gods… You really are an agent of chaos!”

“The hell did you come to that conclusion?”

Geria shakes her head and says, “No, sorry. I know you’re not really an agent of chaos. It’s just, that sort of magic is impossible to cast alone. Pounamu must really be an incredible place.”

Aiden shrugs, “We have our ups and downs. From what I’ve seen, our magic is lacking in some areas compared to here.”

“When did you see magic? You said you got here just the other day.”

Aiden points at her spear and few bits of metal armor. “Nordic ruins, alchemic construction, Veda charms, etc. The concept of synthesizing different systems hasn’t really caught on in my home. Everyone is still too caught up on the idea that their system is the best and there’s nothing to gain from the others.”

“That’s so backwards. Even the gods say we should learn from each other and improve ourselves. How else would Hercules and Thor have stopped Indra and Balor from going to war?”

Aiden shrugs as he says, “Yeah, I get the feeling those lessons haven’t reached us yet.” He then notices that many of Geria’s wounds have already healed. After considering what his position within the kingdom must be after the previous night he adds, “Anyway, before your wounds finish healing.” He slides a finger over a cut on her cheek and moves it to his lips.

Geira shivers at the sight, but before she can rebuke Aiden’s creepy action, he cups his left hand over his right as a whirl of flames envelop his body. She gasps as the flames dissipate. “You were a girl?”

Standing in Aiden’s place is a brunette with violet eyes who’s just a bit shorter than Geira. The significance of those inches is most noticeable with her clothes. While Aiden’s shirt drapes around her slim body, his pants and underwear slip to the ground. The girl grabs at her head and runs her fingers through her hair. Her voice is higher pitched, but the tone is reminiscent of Aiden’s. She says, “Hmm, maybe something longer would be better.” She claps her hands and her hair lengthens and becomes wavy as it reaches her shoulders.

The girl grabs a lock of her light brown hair and looks at Geira’s. “I guess your natural color is brown?”

Geira glances upward towards her head and says, “Like I said, having the designation of a Valkyrie means being born with pin- No, wait! Aiden, don’t change the subject! Is this a trick? Are you a boy or a girl?”

The girl tilts her head, “I was born a man, but right now, I’m physically a girl.” She then cups her chest and adds, “They’re small, but I have some now.”

“How!”

“My voice is different too…. I sound a bit like Kairi?”

“Aiden, focus!”

The girl waves an arm while saying, “Ack, don’t call me that. I’m a girl now. Aiden’s a boy’s name. Call me…. Um… One sec… How about… I know, call me Shana.”

Geira shakes her head. “Aiden, Shana, whatever! Did you become a girl through magic? Where’d you even learn a spell like that?”

Shana says, “Sex changing spells exist all over the world. Well, I studied and simplified them through magic synthesis. First, I used the man and woman aspects of Yin Yang principles embodied within my hands to make femininity my targeted aspect. Then, I created an internalized the magic circle though five element theory in order to preform Greek alchemy to project the spell on myself.”

“I have no idea what anything you just said means…”

“Put short, I’m suppressing my Y-chromosome and replacing it with an X-chromosome. The biggest drawback is that it require the ingestion of someone else’s DNA. In this case, yours. It isn’t a perfect spell though. Casting Geek alchemy at the molecular level to isolate just a chromosome is really hard, hence my Yin Yang implementation. As such, I end up borrowing and suppressing more than just an X chromosome. Eastern alchemy would be more precise, but that would involve more work then I need. I also considered—”

Geira shakes her head. “Stop, stop, I get it. You’re an incredible magician. Why did you even bother coming up with such a spell?”

“Are you familiar with the debate to which sex is better at magic? Well, I wanted to know.”

Geira slaps her forehead. “What kind of…. No, I’m sorry asked.”

Shana chuckles and says, “Sorry, I tend to ramble when it comes to magic. Anyway, how about we—” She trips over Aiden’s pants as she tries to take a step forward. Reflexes take over as she throws her arms forward for a roll. Her baggy shirt shifts and exposes her lower body as she lands on her butt with her legs sprawled open.

Geira helps her up with a slight blush on her face. She looks at Shana’s lower body as she says, “You really did become a girl.”

Shana lays out Aiden’s clothes while saying, “Yep, we’re also something like sisters now, too.” She then claps her hands together and with a neon amethyst light, the pants change into a strange cloth with holes and long scarf like edges. “This is gonna need some practice.” She then claps her hands together again and ends up making a single large tube. After seven more tries, she gives up and changes the cloth changes into a square sheet where she places Aiden’s shoes and underwear. “Guess I’ll just have to buy some new clothes for now.”

Geira waits for her to finish before saying, “What did you mean by cousin?”

Shana points at her face. “We probably look alike now, right?”

Geira nods, “Your skin is darker, but the shape of your eyes and forehead are a lot like mine. My hair isn’t as wavy as yours though.”

“I used your DNA to restructure my body. If one of your parents had a daughter with someone else… well, our relationship isn’t to that extent. We might actually be closer than cousins? Either way, that’s the general idea.”

Disappointment laces Geira’s voice as she says, “I see…”

“What, you don’t like that we’re related now?”

Geria’s averts her eyes as her blush intensifies. “Shut up.”

“Anyway, how far until the next town. As I am now, nothing I have will fit anymore.”

“If we’re to keep going, we’d need a few days. Your best bet for new clothes now is to double back. The survivors are probably heading back that way too.”

Shana starts walking while saying, “Great, let’s go.” She manages seven steps before Vor catches up and wraps a wing around her. He neighs and pulls Shana closer to his body. Is this horse some sort of pervert? He hated me touching him when I was Aiden, but now that I’m a girl, everything’s okay?

Geira groans and buries her face within her palm. “Vor does have a point though. You’ll hurt your feet going bare foot like that.” She then mounts her pegasus and extends a hand.

Shana sighs, but takes the hand. Then, with her other hand on Vor’s back, she hops up with a twist in order to land side-saddled.

Geria looks over her shoulder and sighs. “You have no awareness as a girl.” Then, at Shana’s confusion, adds, “Cross your legs or you’re going to give everyone we pass a show.”

“Maybe I should just walk once we get closer to the city…”

 

I really liked the story mmm all though i dont understand the mess of diferent religions and "power" sistem, but if you point a "source" to speak of and call every power sistem a variation, like a gama then maybe it whould be easyer to organize.
The sex change gives a multitud of posibilities yo develop diferent scenarios like as the story moves foward he/she could change in diferent tipes of female characters (sometimes the mature onesan, tomboy, shy, cold or as a guy a little "girly" etc) and play out in a way that "female overcomes male without external help" kind of, something that i havent seen much in novels. Some real femme power.
And then the characters that came with him if you could spice them up with some historical backround facts you could get, not that much really, it could really pull them a little more apart from the generic character backround (with a side story un the middle of it or something like that).
And also make the mc face the reality of that world where even though he sounds OP at the begining theres actually some high ass ranking of monsters out there that takes down a notch the perception of "the mc can fartkill everything" unless you are going with a more funny op mc kind of aproach then thats it too.
This are some suggestions but overall id read it dayly

 

And here is chapter three of "An Angel's Thesis"! Please be as merciles as possible when reading it and point out flaws, plot points, or just whatever it is you don't like. If there is something you do like, you could maybe mention that too, please~

Spoiler: Chapter 3~

Shana and Geira walk through the city gate without any real difficulty. They skipped the line, the guards asked Geira a few questions, and they were welcomed inside. The only issue is one that still continues; everyone who notices Shana glances down at her hips. While some move on with just that, many of the men keep their eyes trained on her. Their lustful gazes make her stomach churn. They’re all waiting for something to flip up her shirt and see whether or not she’s wearing anything underneath. Even the guards suggested to Geira they she let them take her aside for “questioning.” It’s like I’m not even a person.

Shana grips the hem of her shirt for the off chance an “accident” happens. She glances at Geira and says, “Seriously, you didn’t have a single spare outfit?”

“Like I said, a party member swiped most of my personal belongs yesterday. She ran off while I was fending off bandits.”

“And that makes me wonder why you’re partying up with a stranger again so soon. Don’t get me wrong. Having you as a companion is super convenient, but you’re way too rash.”

Geira thumps her armored chest. Pride laces her voice as she says, “So you say, but that’s why I don’t keep anything valuable on me. Nothing on me that can be taken is anything I’ll miss!”

“That’s just stupid!”

“Like you should talk. Why didn’t you have something prepared in that little space of yours?”

“I do. I have plenty of supplies packed, but anything I could wear is too big now.”

“Fine then, first thing’s first, getting you something cute.”

“Like hell! All I need is some simple pants, underwear, shoes, and a better fitting shirt. I promise to pay you back as soon as I can.”

Buying clothes takes much longer than Shana prefers. While she wants to grab the first few things she sees, Geira insists on getting something better. After two hours of back and forth, Shana is finally dressed in boots, black pants that are tighter than she’d like, a lavender top Geira insisted had to be spaghetti strapped, and a dark green jacket with magenta trimmings. A few more outfits are in her new bag. Geira also has a few new outfits in her bag. As they walk out the store, Geira says, “You sure you don’t want to get something to hold your breasts in place? Them swinging around could be distracting in battle.”[ii]

Shana gives a sarcastic, “ha,” as she cups her own chest. “At this size?” She then looks at a random guy passing by and adds, “Please, even men have more than I do.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true… Still, you shoul-”

“No,”

“At least hear me-”

“No,”

“But you’d loo-”

“Quit dreaming. I’m a man.”

“But you’re so cute. Doing nothing is such a waste.”

After a moment of silence, Shana says, “How would you rate my original form?”

Geira looks at Shana with disbelief, but then starts considering her answer. “Well, I guess you could be considered cute? I mean, I’ve seen men who were called drop dead, handsome before. Well, if anything, you had a nice set of eyes.”

“My eyes?”

“Yeah, they were nice and sharp. They held an unwavering gleam even when we were just walking and chatting. They’re still like that, but… not as bright? How do I say this? Shana feels softer than Aiden?”

Shana stops and stares and Geira in disbelief. Geira shrugs while saying, “Hey, you asked. But, now that we’ve got you dressed, we should probably get you some I.D. A guild card will get you in most places you want to go.”

Shana clicks her tongue, but doesn’t argue. She just follows Geira to the Guild Hall and lets her do most of the talking. She fills in her name, age, race, sex, and with Geira vouching for her, her home country. Then, while she’s submitting her form, Geira says to the attendant, “Also, I’d like to recommend Shana for an advanced placement test.”

“No way.”

“Yeah, she’d- Wait, what? Why! A higher rank gives you a lot more privileges. You could totally get a B rank with your skills. You should go for it.”

“If I need it, I’ll get it then. Besides, does any of that really matter as long as I’m traveling with you?”

Geira’s argument gets caught in her throat as she makes a face. With a grumble, she says, “Fine, we can save it for later…”

After about half an hour of waiting, Shana is given her guild card. It’s made of a strange material that appears to be a cross of rubber and porcelain. Geira says as they leave, “It’s a special material made by high ranking, guild staff, alchemists. The production method is wrapped in complete secrecy to prevent forgeries.[iii]”

“Going off of all that… do rank promotions require political support after a while?”

“Yep, anything above C requires a certain level of trust. Even if you’re strong enough, you won’t be allowed to go any further.” A smug smile cross her face as she points to herself. “A Valkyrie’s recommendation is all you need for the B rank examination.”

“You really want me to take that exam…”

“Of course, I want to see your gallant figure as you face off against the examiner.” Geira’s eyes widen as she realizes what she just said and adds, “I mean, most high ranked adventurers are brutish thugs, so someone like you would really inspire other girls.”

“Again, I’m a man…”

Geira gives a sly grin as she says, “But that’s not what everyone else sees.” She gestures to all the people passing by and adds, “Haven’t you noticed all the stares you’re getting.”

“I keep telling myself they’re for you.” She then fishes out her guild card from her bag and says, “Still, I was surprised to see this is what I look like. Do I really have violet eyes?”

Geira looks back at Shana and says, “You do. The gods must have recognized you as one of us after taking in my blood. Great expectations are resting on your shoulders.”

After a moment, Shana averts her eyes and says, “Your gods can just bite me.”

Geira sighs, “I figured you’d say that. I bet you don’t even realize how sacrilegious that even is.”

“More importantly-”

“What do you mean, “More importantly?” Those words are the highest offence anyone could ever commit!”

Shana continues unfazed by the outburst. “More importantly, shouldn’t my eyes count as a symbol of trust for the guild promotion exam?”

“And you don’t even care… Fine, in response to your question, in some cases. Your eyes will mainly get religious institutions to back you, but that’s only one fragment of influence. When it comes to having a political backing in the guild, it means having it from multiple, usually conflicting, sources. The logic is that if people who hate each other support you, then you must be quite trustworthy. It’s one of the reasons there aren’t very many S or even A rank adventurers.”

“Then, even without your help, I’d be able to apply for the B rank promotion exam?”

“In theory, but you’d still need an actual religious institution to say they support you. Having me makes it much simpler.”

Shana drops her card inside her bag with an, “So you really are some sort of bigshot. ”

“You’re just tossing it wherever into your bag?”

“These pants don’t have pockets.”

“What about that special space of yours?”

“I’ll toss the whole bag in there later.”

“You’re totally underestimating the value of that card…”

“It’s probably no different than my magician’s I.D. I have that in my pocket space, but I just can’t bring myself to take this card as seriously. You know what, I’m starving. How about getting something to eat?”

Geira’s face twists with annoyance as she says, “Fine, but since I’m buying, you have to also let me buy you a skirt and blouse. Something cute with laces and fr-”

“Forget it,” Shana turns for the city gate while adding, “I’ll just catch something outside.”

Geira runs after Shana saying, “Wait, wait, wait!” She grabs her wrist and adds, “Fine, okay, but at least let me get you some cute pajamas. You said you have some, but they’re probably just plain old things that won’t fit you anymore.”

Shana looks into Geira’s pleading eyes and sighs. “Fine, but I won’t be accepting anything impractical or with laces or with frills. It needs to be normal sleep clothes.”

“Deal!”

……

The sun shines bright over the castle training grounds. A group of soldiers, priests, and mages are gathered near a small lake. They stand guard for Isaac as he trains by swinging a short sword with his right hand while maintaining a fireball with his left. His concentration breaks after his seventh strike against the training dummy leading to the fireball exploding on him. Two priests rush forward to treat his injuries and help him onto his feet.

Isaac picks up his sword, conjures another fireball, and resumes striking the training dummy. He manages eight strikes this time before the fireball explodes. Faustina waits until he’s healed and on his feet again before dismissing everyone. She has him sit on the grass next to her and asks, “Is Aiden troubling your thoughts that much?”

“Yeah, I just… I just can’t believe he’d do something like attack a guard and run off in the middle of the night like that. I know it’s been a while since we’ve last met, but still.”

“Disputing the facts is pointless. We both saw the guard he attacked. Only someone with blessings such as you Apostles could have the strength to dent armor like that.”

“I’m nowhere close to being that strong…”

“You mentioned that Aiden is unable to sense our intent like you and Haylie. That his source of mistrust originates from there. Perhaps this strength is compensation?”

Isaac sighs, “Still, it’s just so stupid. Even if he hated it here… Doesn’t he realize how much safer living here would be than out there? I swear, he’s such an idiot.”

Faustina places a hand upon Isaac’s shoulder and leans closer to him. “You do not need to worry. My father has mobilized the royal guards. Search posters are being put up as we speak. He beseeched Titus and me to pass word that he will find and bring him back.”

Isaac nods at her reassurance. He stands up and gets ready to resume his training while saying, “And if he doesn’t, then I will. Aiden better enjoy this little adventure to its max because next time I see him, I’m going to punch him into next week for all this trouble.”

An explosion from the other side of the field cuts Isaac’s lament short. He runs as fast as he can towards the smoke while saying, “Haylie!” The smoke has already cleared by the time he arrives. She’s leaning against Titus for support while taking deep breaths.

Isaac runs up to her and grasps her shoulders. “Haylie, are you alright? Are you hurt? What happened?”

She pushes off his arm while saying, “I’m fine, I’m fine, my spell just exploded on me. Just like all the others…”

Isaac glares at Titus. “What kind of magic are you practicing here?”

Frustration laces Haylie’s voice as she says, “It was just a wind spell! How the hell does wind explode!”

Faustina’s voice cuts in as she arrives. “You did this with a wind spell? That’s amazing.”

Haylie says, “Oh, shut up! I don’t need your pity!”

Commodus, having figured out context of the conversation, also hoins the conversation upon arriving. “That actually really is impressive. Making basic spells explode is a sign of being able to wield a lot of mana. It isn’t something someone can just do.”

Titus clears his throat. He then places a hand upon Haylie’s shoulder and says, “Destroying spells like this is a sign of good fortune. You will have a rough start as you learn to control your mana, but once you do, you will be unstoppable. Impossible spells like flight or personal storage spaces will open themselves up to you.”

“You mean as long as I work hard, right?”

“Rest assured, I will revise your training course into one more suited for your development.”

Faustina glances at Isaac’s expression and places a hand upon his arm. “You have nothing to feel envious over. Your ability to manipulate mana is quite exceptional. Maintaining a fireball is already a difficult task for beginners. Swinging a sword while doing so should be impossible. Your development is also quite promising.”

Commodus laughs and says, “The gods truly blessed us with amazing Apostles. Fighting by your sides will be my greatest honor. I swear that I will do all I can to also help prepare the both of you for the trials to come.”

……

Shana sits behind Geira as they both ride a top of Vor’s back. She planned on walking, but the moment they were outside the gate, Vor wrapped a wing around her. With a deadpan expression on her face, she runs her hand through Vor’s white fur.

After a while, Geira says, “You’ve been pretty quiet back there. Something bothering you?”

“Your horse is a total pervert. Are you sure he isn’t some guy shapeshifted into a horse?”

Vor neighs at the remark to which Geira says, “Vor wants you to brush him later as an apology. Preferably wrapped in a towel right after taking a bath.” Vor then snorts and skips with glee.

Shana says, “You’re joking…”

“Totally, although he actually does want you to brush him.” Then, at Vor’s neigh, she adds, “And now that I gave him the idea, he wants the rest of it too.”

“I. Am. A. Man.”

Vor snorts to which Geira says, “Yeah, he doesn’t care. You’re physically a cute girl and that’s all he cares about. Now that I think about it, why did you transform into Shana? What was wrong with staying as Aiden?”

“Remember how I said I was randomly brought to this land? Well, the place I appeared in may have gotten me into a bit of trouble.”

“How bad?”

“The middle of a castle.”

Geira chokes on her own breath. Shana pats her back and hands her a water skin. Geira takes a long drink before exhaling and gasping for air. “Alright, yeah… Wasn’t expecting that. Heck, I can’t even help clear your name.”

Shana chuckles as she says, “Don’t worry so much about it. It won’t matter anymore once I’m home.”

“So you’re just going to stay as a girl until then?”

“As long as I’m not forced to change back... Although, when my period comes…”

“Urgh, lucky. Doing that is probably taboo for a Valkyrie. Hey, do you have any spells for dealing with them?”

“I’m a man. Why would I bother learning one?”

Geira sighs, “Actually, learning something like that is also probably be taboo for a Valkyrie.”

After a few hours pass and the sun begins to set, Shana says, “It’s getting late. Shouldn’t we have set up camp a while ago?”

“I’m a Valkyrie and you’re a magician. We don’t need to set up camp.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Vor is a pegasus. Even when on land, he’s one of the fastest mounts you could fine.” Vor snorts in approval of the claim. Geira adds, “How many people do you think we’ve passed so far?”

Shana mulls over Geira’s question for a moment. “Wait, are you seriously planning on leeching-”

“There, that caravan is a decent size. Let’s go Vor.”

Vor trots into the middle of the caravan where Geira, despite the various catcalls, hops off and says, “Hey everyone, my name’s Geira. Mind if we join you?”

Shana stares at Geira with her mouth hanging open. Only after Vor swats her leg with his tail does she realize people are waiting for her introduction. She can only take a deep breath and follow suit. She jumps off Vor and is drowned in catcalls. Irritation fills her face as she waits for them to dwindle. “My name is Shana.”

She ignores the various calls inviting her for a drink and walks towards Geira near the edge of camp. The moment she sits down, a young man walks up to her with a bowl in his hands. “Hi! Ah, I- I mean, hello. Welcome to our caravan.” He holds the bowl towards Shana, almost thrusting it into her arms while adding, “This is for you. My name’s Viren.

Shana matches eyes with Viren as she says, “Thanks?”

His face turns scarlet and his following words rush out. “If you need anything, just come find me!” He takes a breath while still staring into Shana’s eyes and hurries away.

Bafflement fills Shana’s face as she watches Viren leave. She sits down while saying, “That was weird,” and then begins to eat her soup.

Geira laughs, but doesn’t say anything when Shana gives her a questioning look. She instead says, “So, going from how you acted earlier, you’re probably clueless about the law of hospitality to travelers.” At Shana’s nod, she says, “Basically, you need to treat all travelers fairly. Said travelers must also act with etiquette while under your hospitality.”

“How’d something like that become a law?”

Geira grins and says, “Because you never know when that vagabond is actually a god. It also encourages growth and development through contact with other people.”

“Yeah, well the way you just trotted in on top of Vor was pretty shameless.”

“You’d be surprised. Some people walk in and flat out say they’ll be joining for the night without even bothering to give an introduction.”

Shana finishes her soup and says, “Then what’s the etiquette of the guest.”

“Usually, not sleeping with the host’s wife or husband. In our case, they’ll be expecting us to help guard the caravan if it’s attacked during the night. We’d also be expected to help with the defenses if we end up going the same way the following morning. We do have the leeway of separating whenever we want though.”

Shana looks down at her bowl. “I suppose returning this is also part of my etiquette as a guest.” She then glances at Geira’s hands and says, “Where’s yours?”

Geira gestures to people eating dried rations. “Warm food isn’t really included within hospitality. In this case, if we want something, we’d have to help hunt for it.” She winks and adds, “Viren probably just wanted to make sure you got a good meal.”

Confusion returns to Shana’s face as she gets up to return the bowl. Upon returning, she finds the Geira brushing Vor’s fur while eating some of her own rations. Vor stares at Shana in hopes that she’ll also help brush him, but she just clicks her tongue at him. “Quit dreaming.”

Shana then turns to Geira and says, “Anyway, I’m going to sleep.”

Geira glances towards Shana and says, “You know, I honestly thought you’d be putting up more of a fuss. Even if you are a man on the inside, getting swiped from your home and being forced to camp out like this can’t be easy.”

Shana’s tone goes flat. “I am super ticked about how I was randomly transported here.”

“But you’re fine with camping out like this?”

“I’m actually pretty use to this sort of thing.” Shana then claps her hands together while adding, “Also, I’m a magician.” Up from the ground before her shoots a 3 stone walls in a pyramid like structure. Then, with a smirk on her face, she glances at Geira.

“Dang, that is convenient. Make me one.”

Shana claps her hands together and another miniature pyramid rises from the ground. She then enters into her pyramid and a door rises up behind her.


A cloud of steam flows out from the small window Shana makes in her pyramid. All that can be seen through it is her damp face and the wet hair that clings to it. She finds Geira still brushing Vor and says, “Hey, hey, I got a question.”

Geira turns around and jumps. “Shana! You- what are you doing in there?”

“Taking a bath. Anyway, how do I wash long hair?”

Many people turn their heads at Geira’s shout. “How are you taking a bath?”

“Like you said, magic is convenient. But seriously, how do I wash my hair? Should I do it like normal?”

Geira says, “Wait,” while grabbing her bag. Anticipation laces her voice as she says, “let me in. I want to take a bath too. I’ll even teach you how to wash your hair properly.”

Shana is taken aback as her eyes run up and down Geira’s body. “There’s no way I can do that!”

“Then I’ll switch in once you’re finished. Just sit with your back to me and I’ll teach you how to wash your hair.”

A clap echoes and the pyramid’s wall grows and expands around Geira. As Shana sits back down in a stone bathtub, Geira says, “This place is amazing!” She sticks her arm into the water and relishes the warmth with a sigh. “Magic really is convenient.”

Shana stops her as she begins lifting up her top. “I’m still here!”

Geira scratches the back of her head as she laughs. She says, “Sorry, you’re so cute now that I keep forgetting.” She then leans forward with a flirtatious smile and adds, “You’re really pure though. A girl is willing to show you her body and you flat out turn her down.”

Shana averts her gaze. “I don’t want to cheat on Lumi.”

“You have a girlfriend?” Geira then groans at Shana’s nod. She kneels behind Shana and tries running her hand through her light brown hair. “Wow, this is knotted. When’s the last time you- Oh wait, you just grew this today. Alright, the first step is brushing the knots out of your hair.”

“I don’t have a brush.”

Geira shakes her head. “We’ll need to buy you one the next time we’re in town. Until then, you’ll just have to share mine.” Geira grabs her brush from her bag and begins. Shana winces with each stroke, but Geira ignores them. “Remember, you want to start from the bottom up. This’ll help prevent breakage and hair damage. Do this before wetting it.”

Geira looks around while saying, “Now for the lathering. Where’s your bottle of herbs and oil?”

Shana holds up a bright green bottle while saying, “You mean my shampoo?”

Geira opens it, pours some onto her palm, makes a face, sniffs it, and tosses the bottle aside. “That’ll ruin your hair!” She then grabs a glass bottle from her own bag while saying, “Coconut based oil mixtures will be your best friend. Now, your hair might be pretty soft, but it’s actually pretty oily. You may need a dab more than most. Still, try not to use too much.”

She then moves her palm around Shana’s face to show her how much she should use. Afterwards, she begins scrubbing Shana’s scalp. Shana is tense at first, but slowly relaxes as she gets used to Geira’s fingers moving across her hair. At one point, she even lets out a long, relieved, sigh.

Geira grabs her hair into a ponytail to apply the remains of the mixture. She gently grabs the base and slides her hand off the end. “And all that’s left now is to rinse and you’re finished.” Upon not receiving an answer, she says, “Shana?”

She leans around and chuckles. Shana is fast asleep. “Wow, you must have been exhausted. I’ll just take this as a compliment.” She eases Shana deeper into the water, stopping at her neck. Then, with her hands, she scoops up bathwater to rinse what isn’t submerged.

Not once does Shana stir. “Then I’ll just have to get out before you wake up.”


A rocking sensation stirs Shana awake. As she opens her eyes with a heavy yawn, Geira says, “Morning, sleepy head.”

Water splashes as Shana jumps up and spins around in the bath. Her hand disappears within a spiral flame tube as it flies to her side and reappears drawing her zweihander.

Geira’s jumps back as Shana’s sword cuts through the stone pyramid as she swings it overhead and holds it before herself. Geira’s hands fly up as she says, “Woah, woah, woah, calm down! It’s just me! You’re safe here! You’re not in any danger!”

Shana blinks as her mind refocuses on her situation. She looks at Geira, releases her tension with a deep sigh, and puts her sword away by sliding it over her shoulder. She looks down at herself and purses her lips. A reprimand lurks underneath her tone as she says, “I feel asleep?”

Geira breathes out in relief. “You must have been exhausted. Don’t worry too much about it.” At Shana’s silence, she places a hand upon her shoulder and adds, “With everything that’s happened to you, being able to relax is a good thing.”

“I’m not this careless.”

“Shana, it was just a nap. You’re fine.”

Shana gives Geira a heavy look and turns. The water evaporates off her body as she steps out of the bath. She then pulls out her bag from her pocket space and begins to get dressed.

Geira watches as Shana pulls up her panties and says, “I thought you’d argue more about having to wear that.”

Shana steps into her pajama shorts without pausing as she says, “Not like I had a lot of choice. Male underwear isn’t even designed to fit me anymore. Anyway, you wanted to take bath too?”

“Ah, I already did that while you were snoozing.”

Shana stiffens at the comment. Under her breath, she says, “And I didn’t even notice…” With another clap, she evaporates the bath water and dissolves both the stone bath and floor into the ground. As it sinks down, grass covered dirt that was buried underneath is restored.

Geira, seeing Shana’s glum express harden even further, says, “It bothers you that much? Shana, all warriors need their rest. You felt comfortable enough to take one, that’s all.”

Shana chuckles as she slips on her pink, cherry blossom, kimono, pajama top. The silk fabric holds against her body as she ties the front closed. The lower half of the kimono rests over her bottom and reaches midway down her thighs. It isn’t long, but it’s still enough to hide her shorts, giving the impression she isn’t wearing any underneath. “Sorry, this will be rude, but I haven’t let my guard down once around you. Even with everything I’ve gone through today, it shouldn’t be enough for me to just drop asleep like that.” Shana’s expression softens as she loses herself to her thoughts. “It’s like… despite all the lessons I’ve learned, I’m not taking this as seriously as I should…”

Shana then glances at Geira and stares at her. After a bit, she says, “Even flat out confiding in you like this isn’t something I’d normally do. There’s a saying that blood calls to blood. Then again, the original saying goes, ‘the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.’ Could it be because we’re sisters that I’m acting like this now? That doesn’t really make sense though…”

A helpless smiles crosses Geira’s face as Shana continues muttering potential theories to herself. She shakes her head while saying, “Shana, you’re probably just exhausted. Get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning.”

 

"An Angel's Thesis" now releases chapter 4! This chapter has the very important role of building up chapter 5. What's so great about chap 5?? Well, that's the chapter that will finally give us the plot for one. There's another issue as well, but I'd rather leave that as a surprise for when it gets here. As such, beat this chapter with a stick. Smash it into dust and then spit over it. A lot is depending on this being good~
I've also tried making my scene breaks flow better. (The double spaces between scenes.) Hopefully, they aren't as jarring or random as before.

Spoiler: chapter 4~

The stone walls of Shana’s tent drop fast into ground the following morning without warning. If not because she stands in its place trying to drive away her sleep by rubbing her face, no one would be able to tell she slept there.

“Morning sleepy head, you’re hair’s a mess.”

Shana cracks her neck as she looks towards Geira. Despite her sharp look, traces of drowsiness lace her tone as she says, “It’s fine.”

“Sit down. I’ll brush it for you while you finish waking up.”

Shana makes a face, but her exhaustion wins out. With a clap of her hands, she creates a stone chair from the ground and plops down.

Geira gets her brush and takes a handful of Shana’s tangled, brown hair and runs her fingers through it. “Do you remember what I told you in the bath?”

“Yeah…”

With a sigh, Geira repeats her lesson with a live demonstration. She also adds, “I didn’t mention this last night, but you’ll need a proper brush to match your hair. Since it’s oily and wavy, my brush really isn’t suited for this. This will probably be the hardest part for you to follow, but you’ll need to be patient. Considering your hair, you’ll probably need to spend 15-25 minutes on it.”

Shana remains seated, but says, “’I’m gonna just cut it.”

“What? Absolutely not! Doing that would be a sin!”

“It’s just hair. Keeping it sounds like way too much of a pain.”

A third voice joins the conversation with, “You can’t!” Viren hurries towards them with concern plastered all over his face. He panics as annoyance clouds Shana’s expression and adds with a fluster, “I-I don’t mean it like that. A girl as cute as you cutting her hair would upset the gods!”

Geira says, “Viren’s right, you’re way too cute to go with short hair!”

Viren panics at Geira’s words. “What? N-no! That’s not what I meant at all!” He crosses and uncrosses his arms as he adds, “Shana is… I mean, Shana can… Ughh, the gods really will punish all of us if you cut your hair!”

Shana’s face fills with shock, annoyance, and anger. However, before she can rebuke the gods, Geira says, “It’s true. We’d be punished for failing to stop you.”

Shana jumps to her feet with a, “So what?” Fury laces her voice as she says, “I am no one’s puppet! I don’t care even if it’s some god.”

While Viren is shocked into stepping back by the boldness of her declaration, Geira keeps a level head. “Shana, please, at least wait until we separate from the caravan. Don’t drag everyone else into this.”

Shana looks around and finds that everyone is watching with held breathes. Many recoil when she looks their way and refuse to meet her gaze. They treat her as though she were a harbinger of death.

Viren then says, “I know, let me do it!”

Shana tilts her head as she looks at him. Her open bafflement seeps into her tone as she says, “Do what?”

Eagerness radiates from Viren’s face as he says, “Sorry, I overheard a bit, but you want to cut it because of the high maintenance, right? Then let me do it. I’ll brush your hair for you every morning!”

Disgust crosses Shana’s face. “Why would you want to do that?”

Geira laughs at Viren’s crestfallen expression. She pats his shoulder while saying, “Sorry, Shana can be a bit slow. Still, that’s a brilliant idea.” She then faces Shana with the same excitement Viren had. “I’ll do it instead. You probably wouldn’t feel comfortable letting some man maintain it for you, but we’re sisters. I’ve already been helping you with everything, so something more like this is no problem at all.”

Doubt and unwillingness darkens Shana’s face, but before she can respond, Geira grabs her shoulders and guides her back onto the chair. She resumes brushing while saying, “Relax, this will be over before you know it. Just use this time to finish waking up or to create a new spell.”

Envy flashes across Viren eyes at the scene, but can only grit his teeth as Geira continues persuading Shana until she caves. With a sigh, Shana says, “Only until we separate from the caravan.”

Viren immediately calculates the length of time needed until they reach the next town. The despair at discovering they’ll be parting in less than two weeks spurns him into saying, “Shana, how about we go hunting once you’re finished? The caravan will share food if you help contribute.”

Geira says, “That would be great. After last night, something like that will help get your mind off of things.”

Viren says, “That reminds me, what was that? A giant sword cut out through your tent. Are you hurt? Did something attack you?”

Shana averts her gaze. She doesn’t blush, but a hint of shame laces her voice. “Sorry, that was me.”

“You mean that sword?”

“Yeah, I was half asleep and ended up bringing it out by mistake.” She then glances back over her shoulder and adds, “Sorry about that, Geira.”

Viren says, “Wait, wait, wait, that sword was huge! Maybe even bigger than you.”

Shana smirks. Pride laces her tone as she says, “I’m way stronger than I look.”

Geira says, “Aren’t you a spell caster?”

“I’m a synthesis magician to be specific. Swordsmanship is my main form of combat.”

Viren says, “A synthesis magician? You like creating new spells?”

“Something like that.”

Viren, while curious, picks up that Shana doesn’t want to go into details. He’s reluctant, but says, “I’ll be over there double checking my equipment. Come find me once you’re ready.”

Once Viren is out of earshot, Shana speaks before Geira can ask. “Like I said, magic is segregated on Pounamu. I combine different aspects to find new, simpler, methods of casting already existing, and sometimes really difficult, spells. In all honesty, hardly any of my spells are original.”

Shana then stops talking.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ve become way too chatty since coming here.”


Viren leads Shana and Geira after an elk through the woods. He darts around and through various branches and bushes with a quick and silent finesse that leaves no hint to his passing as he follows the trail.

Shana is amazed by his technique. Even if she were to move at half their current speed, I’d still be bumping into something here and there. She doesn’t harm any of the planets as she is now, but many of them brush against her arms or legs, creating a rustling sound. Leaves are also building up in her hair.

Geira lacks any awareness of her surroundings. While she is putting in effort to avoid harming the underbrush, they are in vain. Branches are snapped and shrubs are trampled in her wake. Just as she said when they first left, she’s too accustomed to riding Vor. As such, she has the tendency to just force her way through minor obstacles.

Geira notices Shana brushing some of the leaves from her hair and says, “You’re not really going to cut it, are you?”

“Obviously, it’s way too much of a hassle.”

“You seriously don’t care about risking divine retribution?”

“I’m a man.

Geira chuckles. “Don’t be so naïve. You really think the gods care about a minor detail like sex? They’ll play your body all the same.”

“The gods of this world suck.”

“This world?”

“Ah, don’t mind it. This place is so different from Pounamu that I keep thinking I’m in another world.”

“Do you have any ideas on how you’re going to get back?”

“I want to confirm my coordinates first before anything else.”

“How?”

“Star gazing. Even if I can’t recognize any constellations, that would still give me a clue as to where I am. Still, I’ll feel way more secure with myself if I can recognize two or three.”

Geira glances at Shana’s face. Shana brims with confidence and resolution as she continues looking forward. Annoyance crosses Geira’s face at the sight. “Your face doesn’t match what you’re saying at all.”

Shana rolls her eyes, but keeps to herself that what she said was a slip of the tongue. Instead, she says, “Hey, about earlier, don’t you think it’s strange? No one said anything about me just now realizing how annoying long hair can be. I should obviously already know that after growing it this long.”

“They were too afraid of how the gods might react if you did cut it to notice.”

They continue running until Viren motions for them to stop. They join him crouched behind a bush next to a tree. A river can be heard flowing nearby. He speaks to them in a low voice, “From what I can read of the elk’s footprints, it probably came here to rest. This will be easy if we surround it, but elks are vicious. They trample anyone who-”

Shana says, “I’ll go.”

“Wh-what?”

“We need someone to distract it by attacking head on, right? Well, I’ll do it.”

“No way, that’s too dangerous.”

“Relax, it’s not that dangerous.” She glances at the two kukri knives on Viren’s waist[ii] before raising her hand before herself. A flame appears over the two finger tips she holds up, and by rolling her wrist, uses it to trace a circle in the air. Then, by sliding her palm open over the circle’s edge, she turns it onto its side where she than spreads her fingers atop of the opening. She eases the circle aside and once its midway out, her hand disappears within the hole.

Shana pulls back her arm and in her reverse grip, out comes the pommel of her zweihander. She hoists out her sword, twirls it within her fingers as she spins it overhead, and swings it down. With a smirk, she lifts up the sword with a flick of her wrist and rests the flat side over a shoulder. “I’ll be fine. And, if it gets too dangerous, the two of you are here.”

Viren turns red as he’s taken aback by the remark. He’s too busy fighting down his fervor to help Shana to notice her confusion. He puts all his effort into keeping his voice calm to say, “Right, I’ll definitely jump in before you get into any danger.

Geria does notice. “What’s wrong?”

“Depending on others like this isn’t something I normally do. Not even as a bluff.”

“Should I go instead?”

Shana shakes her head. She holds her zweihander at her side like a katana as she turns towards where the elk should be. She leaves her with the words, “I need the practice.”

The elk grazes in a small pasture hidden between the trees. She dashes up to its side, but the elk leaps away from her swing. The tip of her sword only scratches a thin line across its hid.

A mind numbing bugle echoes from the elk’s throat. As Shana drops onto a knee from the pain, the elk pounces towards her. Shana, despite still wincing, dives and rolls away from elk’s antlers. Then, from her crouched position, she twists and swings at its leg with her zweihander.

A block of ice appears and deflects her strike. Then, while her sword is still swinging, the elk leaps up onto its hind legs so it can stomp down with its hooves. Shana pulls her sword up and slams the flat side of her seven-inch wide blade into the elk’s underbelly. She could have gutted the animal, but that wouldn’t have stopped it from crushing her underneath itself.

Shana twists her body as she pushes and with a grunt, redirects the elk’s stomp. Her zweihander drops from her hand as she collapses on her side. The elk’s hooves shake the ground as they stomp down just beside her shoulder. However, before she can move, the air around her freezes.

She looks up and notices that the elk’s antlers emit a pale blue light. The elk itself isn’t even bothering to move anymore, but it doesn’t shift its attention from her. It just proclaims is superiority with a snort as a layer of ice forms over her body.

Shana’s hand shoots for her sword. The layer of ice forming over her isn’t forming atop of her body. It floats a centimeter off of her in the air. She recognized the attack as it began and countered it by raising the heat radiating off her body through an internal magic circle.

She grabs her zweihander when, “Shana!” A pair of ethereal, white, blades lop off the elk’s head. She quickly twists onto her side and leaps out from underneath the collapsing elk. Viren lands near where she stops. In his hands are a pair ethereal blades, two sword sized kukri knives. The ethereal light fades and all that remain are his normal kukri knives.

Shana frowns as he sheathes the two knives. “The hell was that for?”

Viren’s mirth changes into confusion. “I saved you?”

“It was under control.”

“It had you pinned.”

“It let down its guard.”

Viren gives in before the argument can blow out of proportion. With a sigh, he says, “My bad. How about we just hurry up here and get back so we can eat?”

Shana stops glaring at him and stares at the elk. Annoyance still laces her tone as she says, “What, are we each going to pick up a leg and walk?”

“Just give me a sec. I’ll call the two of you once it’s ready.”

Shana shrugs and lets him walk off without a word. As Viren ties the elk’s legs to a branch with some rope, Geria walks up beside her. She says, “How’s your new body?”

Shana recalls her first swing. “My reach is a lot less than I thought it would be.” She then recalls how she struggled to deflect the elk’s stomp. Her original plan was redirect and stab, not fall over. “I’m a lot weaker too.”

Viren finishes tying the elk’s legs to the branch and calls the two over. Then, with Geira leading the way, Viren and Shana carry the branch hoisted over their shoulders. Their walk is far, but they move fast. As they approach the food transportation wagon, Geira says, “So, how man days’ worth of food does this get us?”

The man guarding the wagon laughs as he hops off of it. “Let’s take a look and find out.” He has someone else open the magically cooled storage while he walks around the elk. “Not bad, not bad, this will definitely get a few days.” A loud pop rings out as he passes by Shana.

Shana’s body jumps in place as a jolt courses up her spine. The man’s warm grip on her bottom makes her stomach twist with the urge to vomit. As he begins to squeezes, Viren twists around, anger distorting his calmness as he tosses the branch aside. Yet, before he can say or do anything, Shana spins around and drives her elbow into the man’s face. Her face burns crimson with humiliation as she chases after him, “I’ll kill you!”

She lifts the elk overhead in order to pummel the man, but Geira tackles her before she can swing down. A cracking sound from the branch snapping as the elk lands beside them echoes out as she gets on top of her. “Hold on! I get it, you’re ticked, he’s a filthy pig, but that’s going way too far!”

Shana brushes Geira off with an arm as gets up. “Then I’ll just break his legs!”

Viren wraps his arms around Shana from behind. He pulls her back while saying, “Shana, stop!”

Shana continues forward, forcing Viren off by flexing her arms outward. The man trembles as she stops before him. He tries to beg forgiveness, but Shana stomps her foot down right between his legs. The impact forces a hole as deep as her ankle into the ground. Her foot landed just below his crotch.

Geira and Viren weren’t able to stop her, but they did slow her enough to calm down. While she still wants to hear the man scream out in pain, so realizes that doing so would be going too far. Therefore, despite her reluctance, settles for saying, “Next time, I’ll aim higher.”

Geira breathes out in relief as she guides Shana away by her shoulder. “I’m so glad you didn’t do it.” The ease with which Shana swept her aside reminded her of a child brushing an ant off her arm. Furthermore, it wasn’t through the help of a body strengthening spell. Shana’s strength is naturally at a monstrous, inhuman, level. “I do not want to fight you.”

Shana notes her expression and says, “How rude. I’ll have you know that I was born of normal, human parents.”

Viren also joins Shana’s side. He reaches out to her, but hesitates with his arm halfway towards her. After some thinking, he lowers it and says, “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’m covered in filth.” She shudders and adds, “Right now, more than anything, I just want to take a bath.”


The dirt road Shana and Geira walk on as they accompany the caravan is surrounded by dark forests on both sides. Their dense canopies prevent light from shining down, making going too far off the road impossible.

The road itself isn’t much better. While the main road is clear of trees, many branches reach over from the side to create a thin roof. Light still gets through, but the dimness suggests that the time of day is later than it is. Shana looks up, but as she expected, can’t see a trace of the blue sky. “I thought you said we’d be there by now.”

Vor snorts. Geira chuckles and raises an arm to pat his neck. “That would have been if you and I were travelling on top of Vor. At the rate we’re going, we still need a few more days.” Then, with a grin, she slaps Shana’s back. “Not that you should be complaining. You’re getting paid to stick around.”

“People like being clean. Honestly though, making a bath each night for them got boring fast. I mean, seriously, how has this not occurred to anyone else?”

“Probably because conjuring enough water to take a bath like that is a complete waste of mana.”

Shana’s head snaps towards Geira. “I don’t conjure water. I draw it from the air and ground. That’s basic Greek alchemy. Did you not pay attention the other night?”

“I’m not a spell caster. Getting a general idea of how the magic works is enough.”

“Viren’s not a spell caster, but he completely dove into my lesson.”

Geira averts her eyes as she says, “Viren… is an exception. Besides, no one really look like they got the hang of it. Heck, everyone was just about to break out crying.”

A pensive hum enters Shana’s voice as she says, “It might be because there’s no Christianity here.”

“Is that where that hand clapping comes from?”

Shana pauses for a second before saying, “Greek alchemy, on Pounamu, used to be like the Greek alchemy here. It required a magic circle tailored specifically to either earth, water, wind, or fire along with modifications to determine range of influence.”

“I know that much. It’s the whole reason everyone begged you to teach them that miracle unifying circle of yo-.”

Shana continues speaking. Lost in her thoughts, she doesn’t notice Geira’s interruption. “Clasping your palms together is done in order to pray to God for a miracle. Praying by clasping your hands existed before Christianity, but it was during Christianity’s advent that it crossed paths with Greek alchemy in Rome. With the concept of miracle already embedded in pressing hands together, ancient spell casters got the idea of appropriating it as a magic circle unifier for Greek alchemy.”

Geira shakes Shana’s shoulder to get her attention. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, that doesn’t make sense! From what you just said, pressing your hands together didn’t have anything to do with magic in the first place.”

Shana gives Geira a blank look before saying, “Don’t get mislead. The term ‘circle’ doesn’t actually refer to a circle, it means a pattern. As long as a pattern exists to control the flow of mana, magic can be performed. You can use things like rhythmic chants, gestures, hand seals, runes, or even verses of poetry.”

“Again, I know that much… and you’re back in your own little world…”

“Energy flows through the hands. It’s why hands tend to play such a large role in various schools of magic. Hence pressing them together will let people either speak with God or unify Greek alchemy. Or, that is the general consensus. Looks like that was wrong.”

Shana pulls out a note book from her pocket space and begins jotting down some notes. Not once does she stop speaking to herself. “Speaking to God in of itself can be seen as a miracle. While hands are powerful, the ability to use them for communication might not be inherit. It might have just made them more receptive to being blessed with that ability. Hence, with God not being out here, the people here did have their hands blessed with the miracle to speak with him. As such, they can’t be used for unifying Greek alchemy either. One door opens the other…”

Geira sighs and ruffles her pink hair. “You said a lot, but most of that just sounded like complete and utter nonsense.” Not receiving a response, she gives up on trying to talk to Shana and waits for her to finish. Once the notebook is stored, she says, “You’re pretty open with your magic.”

“What do you mean?”

“Magic grows by unveiling your discoveries, I get that. Still, don’t you think sharing your trump card like that is dangerous? You’re giving up a huge advantage.”

Shana’s expression blanks. She stares at Geira trying to figure out what she means for a few moments before taking a guess. “You mean wielding Greek alchemy just by pressing my hands together? Weren’t you listening, that’s beginner level magic on Pounamu.[iii]”

“This isn’t Pounamu! Be more mindful that here, it’s completely revolutionary!”

Shana laughs and says, “Relax, I still ha-” Shana whips her head to the side. Her hair flicks around behind her as she stops walking and stares into the woods. She can’t describe what she feels. It’s close to disgust, hate, repulsion, fear, and anger, but not any of those.

Geira hoists herself onto Vor’s back as she says, “What is it?”

With grit teeth, Shana says, “Don’t know. Something just… feels wrong. Like it doesn’t belong.”

Geira readies her spear as she says, “Intuition?”

Shana shakes her head. What she’s experiencing encompasses her entire body. Discomfort spreads out from deep in her chest while at the same time, it coils around her from the outside.

Geira says, “Lead the way. I’ll support you from above.”

“You believe me with just that?”

“I like to believe I’m a good judge of character.”

“You had me try touch Vor to see if he would kick me.”

“Details.”

Shana scoffs at her and dashes into the forest. The initial bushes by the edge of the road give way to pitch black, open, woodland. She lifts up her hand as she vanishes into the dark and conjures a fireball. The illumination it grants is short, but lets her see the trees once they’re a few feet away from her.

Her light also attracts unwanted attention from the wild life. She first notices them by the prickling on her skin. A curse?

A black panthers leaps out at Shana. She sidesteps the attack, kicks the feline in the face, and continues forward. Whatever curse it was trying to inflict upon her failed to get past her body’s natural defenses. Regardless, the prickling continues as more panthers try to curse and then ambush her. Each of them is dealt with the same way. Those that aren’t knocked unconscious don’t try giving chase.

An illuminated space comes into view after a couple of minutes of sprinting. An elder with a ring of silver hair wrapped around a bald head stands in the center of the area. Behind him is a hooded[iv] woman of comparable age to Shana. Both of them are being peppered with various magical attacks: fire balls, the ground exploding under their feet, a storm of razor sharp leaves, and wind blades.

The two do their best to dodge and retaliate. Both emit pelts of light green energy from their hands towards everywhere they can. Some stray shots even almost his Shana as she approaches. The bubble of illumination shifts according to his movements. More importantly, the source of her discomfort stands right behind the elder. That disturbing feeling comes from the girl.

Shana dives straight into the center of the fight. The elder tries to repel her, but to his bitter frustration, she ducks and skirts around his attack. She gets behind him and reaches for her side as she aims straight for the girl. The girl flinches as Shana draws her sword. Yet, as Shana swings, an odd sense of peace fills the girl’s black eyes.

A massive golden beam shoots down from the treetops and clashes against Shana’s zweihander. She grits her teeth, but her blade splits the beam, both deflecting the attack and creating a safe space behind her. The beam dissipates as it’s cut by colliding against her blade, fading away without leaving any evidence that it existed.

Shana noticed that the attackers had a high degree of trained coordination. From the flow, she read that they were leading the two into a trap. She acting without a second of hesitation, but was concern by the off chance her zweihander wouldn’t be able to negate her current world’s magic.

The beam soon stops and a hooded man drops before her. Everything he wears is black. From what Shana can see, the threads have been interlaced with a method that literally weaves spells into his clothes. Charms have also probably been cast upon them. It isn’t something a random thug can just pick up.

The man says, “Stand down, you have no idea what you’re getting involved with!”

Shana reached that place by following a sense of wrongness. That discomforting wrongness radiates from the girl behind her. Stronger than that, however, is the image that keeps flashing through Shana’s mind. Back when she passed by, a sorrowful acceptance filled the girl’s face to the idea of being cut down.

Shana doesn’t take her eyes off the man before her, but tilts her head to the side. Confidence laces her voice as she speaks to the girl behind her. “My name’s Shana. I don’t know everything, but I can at least tell you haven’t done anything wrong.”

Both the elder and girl are too taken aback to respond. The man before Shana, however, losses his patience. “You bitch! Last warning, get lost or we’ll kill you too!”

“You’re just saying that because you’re scared!”

The man holds up his arm, but before he can issue any orders, lightning falls from the sky. On the charred ground where the man once stood is Geira’s spear. Shana directs her fearless grin at another hooded person as she lowers her zweihander to her side and holds it like a katana.

The man steps back, but holds his ground. Yet, before Shana can attack, someone shouts, “Fall back!”

Once Shana is sure everyone is gone, she lowers her sword and plucks Geira’s spear from the ground. Both weapons get stored within her pocket space. She then turns towards the elder and the girl. “So, like I said, my name is Shana. If you like, you can travel with me until we reach the next town.”

The girl takes off her hood and shakes her head. Her flowing black hair sways to the sides as she says, “Thank you, but we can’t-”

The elder places a hand upon the girl’s shoulder. “Don’t be so hasty, Lyra. This young lass saved us, but there’s no guarantee we’re safe just yet.”

“But-”

“Let us continue to depend on her good will.”

“As you say, Uncle Cain.” Lyra then turns back to Shana and lowers her head. She speaks with a solemn and heavy tone. “In that case, we’ll be depending on you for bit longer.”

Shana waves her hand to get Lyra to lift her head. “Stop, stop, you don’t have to go that far.” Then, as she begins guiding them back to the road, she says, “More importantly, who were those people? They were too well trained and equipped to be bandits.”

Cain says, “I… am not entirely certain. I am a powerful spell caster and Lyra is my only family. I imagine a lot of people would want us.”

Shana glances towards Lyra, but the girl avoids eye contact. They’re obviously lying, but Shana doesn’t pry any further. She accepts their words and leads them to the road where they join up with Geira.

As Shana returns Geira’s spear to her, she’s pulled aside. Geira glances towards Cain and Lyra and says, “What happened? I get that a fight went down, but I’m clueless to everything else.”

“They were being attacked by a group of people dressed in black.” Shana goes on to describe the group she encountered and their light based spell. She then says, “Whatever it was that was bothering me got driven away when you threw down your spear.”

Geira narrows her eyes and says, “That’s a lie. You just want to keep an eye on them because that wrongness you felt is coming from them.”

“That’s a pretty bold accusation.”

Geira’s tone sharpens as she say, “That’s your ignorance showing. What you saw wasn’t light magic, it was divine magic.” Shana clicks her tongue to which Geira adds, “Only a select few blessed by their chosen gods can channeling divine magic. Those mysterious people were a covert group tasked on defeating those two. So, tell me, what is it exactly you plan on doing? They’re dangerous. By all rights, I should just kill them here.

Shana matches Geira’s stare. Lyra’s expression once more flashes through her mind. “They’ve done nothing wrong. Existing isn’t a crime.”

“Hundreds of people could die.”

“Like you said, I’m keeping an eye on them.”

Geira’s stare hardens as she says, “You think that’s enough? Quit being so arrogant, you’re just one girl. Oracles exist for a reason. Eliminating danger before it sprouts is everyone’s duty.”

“Your rules don’t apply to me. Did you forget? I’m from Pounamu.”

Geira continues to pressing Shana, but soon relents with a sigh. “I get your strong, but you’re letting it go to your head. What will you do if something happens and there’s nothing you can do about it?”

Shana shrugs. Her tone turns nonchalant as she says, “I’d be dead by that point. I’d have given my all to correct my mistake.”

“You’d die having doomed countless others to join you. Doesn’t that bother you?”

“If I die, then that’s that. Having to live knowing I killed someone out of fear like you want would be worse.”

“Don’t you care about all those people?”

Shana pauses as she recalls being in a similar situation back on Earth. As Aiden, she would have been killed had her comrades not given up on her. Now she’s on a world she has no obligation towards. Not a trace of hesitation laces her words as she says, “You didn’t see Lyra’s expression back then. No matter what happens, she’s innocent.”

Geira’s tone falls flat. She speaks with reluctance, but not irritation. “Guess I’ll be sticking around with you even longer now.”

Shana raises an eye brow and speaks with a teasing smile. “You won’t just strike me down and then kill them instead?”

Geira sighs once more. She then averts her gaze and says, “A fight with you would be way too exhausting. They could easily pick me off afterwards, and that’s assuming they don’t jump in to help you.”

Shana giggles as they rejoin with Cain and Lyra.

The four set off to catch up with the caravan. Geira and Lyra lead the way atop of Vor while Cain and Shana follow from behind. As soon as the caravan enters view, Lyra gasps. Sorrow and fear flash across her face as she says, “The caravan you travel with is this large?”

Geira laughs out and says, “Don’t worry, Shana has completely tamed all the men here.”

Cain glances towards Shana. A knowing smirk crosses his face as he says, “You tamed them, eh?”

Geira slaps her own thigh as he laughs even harder at Shana’s confusion. “Not like that! First, she went and half killed a guy with her bare hands the other day. Then, everyone who invaded her personal space got a death glare. With almost everyone’s being too afraid to approach her, I’ve pretty much been enjoy a monopoly.”

Viren calls out to them just as Geira finishes, prompting her to add, “Like I said, almost everyone.” Viren ignores her comment as he walks up to Shana. “What happened? The two of you just took off into the forest. Was there a monster lurking by? Did you rescue these two from that monster? Are you hurt? You should have asked me to come with you.”

Shana sighs and says, “Relax, Geira and I took care of it. These two will be joining us until we reach the city.”

Viren frowns at her declaration. “Did you confirm that with the caravan leader? Randomly inviting people like this is over stepping your bounds.”

Lyra says, “He’s right. Uncle Cain and I should just continue on our own. Don’t worry-”

Shana says, “Absolutely not. This place isn’t safe.” She then hardens her expression at Viren. “What happened to the law of hospitality? These people were in trouble, we should welcome them.”

Viren averts his eyes from Shana’s and says, “I know, I know, I’m not saying anything against that.”

“Then what are you saying?”

He holds up his hands in an attempt to sooth Shana as he says, “You just need to confirm this with the caravan leader first. Bringing people in without given them a proper heads up is breach in proper etiquette. Back when you joined us, Geira came and properly introduced herself while you were sleeping.” He then gives her a smile and says, “Look, I’ll bring you over to them and we can settle this right now. What do you say?”

Shana shrugs and says, “Might as well. Lead the way.”

Once everyone is inside the caravan leader’s carriage, he hears Shana’s introduction and welcomes Cain and Lyra to travel with them as guests. Cain, however, surprises everyone by raising his hand and shaking his head. “Thank you, but we must decline. At most, we shall stay with you for the night to regain our strength, but will depart in the morning. You have our sincere gratitude.”

Despite everyone’s words, Cain refuses to budge on his decision. Lyra, with relief all over her face, says, “This is for the best. We don’t want to trouble you any more than this. As Uncle Cain said, you have our utmost gratitude.”

Shana says, “Well, if that’s what you want, then I’ll just have to go with you.”

Everyone is taken aback by her decision. They all speak out against it, but the first and most vocal to get a voice out is Viren. Desperation laces his tone as he says, “You can’t! You just joined us. Didn’t you already accept a contract to operate those bath houses for the caravan heads? Leaving just like that would be a huge problem. If they speak out against you, you’ll have trouble accepting missions at the guild. For your own future, you absolutely can’t just leave like this.”

Lyra also speaks out. She tries to remain calm, but worry causes her words to flow out faster than normal. “He’s right. Don’t worry about us so much. You should just continue as you are. Uncle Cain and I will be fine.”

Shana shakes her head. “I rescued the two of you from the forest. I have an obligation to see this through.”

Viren turns to Geira. “Aren’t you going to stop her? Your sister is making a terrible mistake.”

Geria nods and turns to the caravan leader. “This is what Shana has decided on. You have our thanks for allowing us to journey with you this far.” Viren’s jaw drops at Geira’s declaration.

Cain look between Shana and Geira and gives them his thanks. Lyra takes cue from him and does the same despite her misgivings. Once the caravan leader warns Shana to the consequences of her actions and pays her for the services she rendered, he dismisses them.

Viren walks beside Shana as they leave. “You’re really leaving? There’s nothing I can do to make you stay?”

Shana is baffled by his words. “Quit acting like such a puppy. You’re creeping me out.”

Hurt flashes across Viren’s face, but he quickly covers it with a sigh. He says, “I’ll be joining you for dinner later.” He walks away with heavy shoulders.

Cain says, “You’re sacrificing quite a lot for us. Are you sure you want to go through with it?”

Shana says, “Like I said, I’ll see this through to the end.”