Chapter Text
What is this stuff, magic? What is magic, is it even real, is anything real? There is no ground, there is no sky, there is no forward or back. One sees only themselves, as if outside of one's own body, a vessel that seems to be one's own. Perspective is a loose concept, one that holds almost no power here.
One looks at one's body, both oh so familiar and yet completely foreign to the beholder, limbs curled against one's torso like an infant in the womb. Soft curves adorn a plush body, a body of which is decorated with all a body has to offer one in this stage of life. Dark coarse hair dusts the sun-kissed skin, of which is littered with faint freckles gained from a life in the sun, and occasionally dotted with darker spots.
What is one, who is one, where is one? One remembers nothing, one remembers only the swirling vortex of energy and light, this stream of consciousness that carries one everywhere and nowhere.
Slowly the lights stream along, painting images of worlds unknown yet familiar to those who witness them. They constantly shift and turn, displaying form after form to all who wish to see the marvelous show.
Yet one cannot help but think of a before, of a life one once lived; a world where one lived with family and friends, and lived on a planet covered in earth and water, where endless kinds of flora and fauna existed alongside others, the people that one calls their own. Where a delicate balance was maintained, both among individuals in a group and grand ecosystems stretching the entire face of the planet.
Power constantly shifted here, assuring neither side ever got the upper hand and in turn threw off the balance of everything connected to it.
Where one lived in grand societies, with marvelous inventions and technologies unfathomable to the average denizen. A life lived according to your place in society, enforced by vast governments and the elite.
A different power balance, one created by ideologies and the beliefs of the peoples of the world. One so influential, it could impact everything known to one.
Yet these thoughts are nothing more than ghosts, a fleeting vision of something that may have been but perhaps never was. Memories that fade and slip away the more one thinks of them, like the very streams and swirls that carry one now. Reality is nothing more than an idea, a suggestion offered by the void of pinks and violets.
And just as suddenly as these thoughts happened, just as one becomes aware of oneself, the energies shift, and the lights grow to consume everything that is, including oneself…
Everything happened at once. Air filled her lungs, light filled her vision, and her mind raced to understand the extent of what she was experiencing. In her body blood flowed, urged on by a powerful beat in her chest, and her skin was alive with sensations seemingly never felt before.
So much information, so much at once, and yet she felt as if most of it was familiar to her, a natural process like that of a well oiled machine. After a dizzying moment, clarity came to her, and with it dawned knowledge of herself.
She was hyper aware of her body, how it functioned, how it felt. In the chill of the marble room, she tested her body’s capabilities; stretching arms and legs, rolling joints and creases to their full extent. She stared at them as they moved, marveling at their lightly tan hue and fluid motions.
After some time of this, she mustered the strength to stand, first kneeling and then fully rising at a slow and tentative pace, wobbly and unsure like a newborn calf. Once standing, she took more of herself in, watching her long plain black hair flow well past her knees, tickling her as it cascaded down.
She observed how her body drooped and settled with the force of gravity, how the goosebumps along her skin seemed to change the very texture of it, of which she ran her hands over with reserved awe. Fingers traced meandering lines through light soft hairs, stopping at every large freckle or beauty spot as if marveling at its design.
This awe was short-lived however. From her left a small shuffle quietly echoed through the room, causing her to whip towards the source of the sound, eyes wide with panic. There, not even eight feet away stood two figures; one was a huge round robot, and one was a person around her age, visually similar in a broad sense. A very broad one at that.
The young woman was a head taller than her, with fluffy springy hair up in two puffs on her head and freckles smattered across her face. A face of which bore a deep dark blush painted on their purple skin, the same lush shade of purple from the swirls of light witnessed seemingly forever ago. The woman was of about average build, sporting a pair of glasses and an outfit reminiscent of an explorer from the past.
It then dawned on her that she was standing before this woman in all her natural glory, as naked and exposed as the day she was born. Almost immediately a fierce blush bloomed on her face, rivaling the deep blush on the stranger.
As if on cue, both women squeaked, one averting their eyes, the other scrambling desperately to cover their bare body from the sight of others in the room. Incoherent babbles and half formed words stammered out of them, both at a loss as to what to say or do in this situation.
More movement caught her eyes, this time in the form of the hulking robot steadily taking steps towards her, hands full of fabric from what appeared to be a picnic blanket. The robot was massive, taller than both women and bearing a large round frame supported by sturdy legs. Its arms were bendy and long, and its whole body was the color of old clay pottery. Bright round eyes filled with light stared steadily at her, seemingly unaffected by this whole predicament.
The robot sported clothing of its own in the form of a scarf around its spherical head, giving it the look of an old world grandmother. The first words were then hastily spoken, a simple command in a language she didn't know she knew.
"Stop!," she managed to squeak out, a word of which halted the looming figure in its tracks, its head tilting as if hearing something for the very first time. All three individuals stood there, frozen in place as if time itself had come to a standstill, until an entirely too human voice emanated from somewhere within the clay automatron, a voice spoken in gentle but firm tones, again reminiscent of a beloved grandmother.
"Do not be afraid human, we mean you no harm," the robot spoke, more of a command than a suggestion, yet not hostile in any way. She trembled, suddenly very much overwhelmed as thick tears began to drip down her face. She didn't know who she was or where she was, she didn't know who that person was or how a robot could seem so alive, she didn't know how she knew what she knew, or how she got to where she was in the first place.
Nothing in the cavernous room seemed familiar to her, nothing seemed to be real around her, and she felt as if suddenly on a foreign planet. Suddenly a jarring shock ran through her, senses and mind flooded with a terror so absolute, it took everything in her not to be sick on the spot.
It wasn't until she felt soft fabric wrap around her body that she noticed the robot had closed the distance between them, wrapping her in the sheet and holding her tight to its body. It was then that she finally heard her own voice gasping for air as she hyperventilated, body suddenly weak and vision swimming through her burning tears. She was terrified to be held by such an alien creature, yet couldn't find the strength to fight back, finding that her body had suddenly lost all strength at once.
The robot spoke once again, this time in a language unknown to her, foreign and alien yet somehow similar.
"Vi povas rigardi nun Jina, ŝi estis kovrita," it stated quietly, this time to the young woman behind her. She watched as the young woman tentatively looked over, face still darkened from the encounter but alight with wonder and awe.
She was keenly aware of how ludicrous this all seemed, and in a moment of hysteria wondered if this was some sort of sick dream or twisted prank being pulled by cruel individuals.
Quietly and with careful steps the other woman approached, mouth agape at the scene before them. Warily she stared back, afraid and full of anxiety from her current predicament. What did this woman intend to do to her? Why did they seem so interested in her? Why was their robot holding her down?
She swallowed dryly, a hoarse and crackly voice escaping her trembling lips. "Release me," she mustered out, voice wobbling with fear and disuse. All at once the strong and unyielding arms that held her up let go, and she plummeted to the floor, landing on her rump with a groan.
The blanket fell with her, and she scrambled to adjust it around her to cover as much of herself as she possibly could. Both figures looked down at her then, one in sheer shock and the other blank and expressionless.
Anger bubbled in her then, mixing with her own shock and confusion until a scowl formed on her face. She cleared her throat and tried to speak again, this time fueled by bitterness. "Who are you?," she demanded, voice still hoarse but more steady and controlled than before. At this the other woman bounced in place, quickly chattering to the lumbering robot.
"Kion ŝi diras, Hekla?," the woman chirped, more than a little excited at the exchange happening between them. The robot responded, swiveling their head to turn to the woman.
"Ŝi demandis 'Kiu vi estas?'," it answered, making the woman let out an excited little squeal. She huffed at this, clearing her throat once more and demanding more firmly, "Who are you?".
She was startled by a hand suddenly sticking out to her, seemingly a gesture of good faith from the mysterious woman before her. "Saluton, mia nomo estas Jina!," the woman said, flashing a bright smile at her and keeping their hand outstretched.
Confusion painted her face, unable to process what the purple woman's words meant. The robot must have noticed this, and turned to her to speak.
"She said 'Hello, my name is Jina!'," it said, somehow able to translate between the two. She glanced at the offered hand and mulled it over in her mind, before tentatively taking it and freezing.
What was her name?
As if on cue, Jina spoke up again. "Ĉu vi havas nomon?," they asked, tilting their head much like the robot had done earlier.
"Do you have a name?," the robot echoed, mirroring Jina's words exactly. She stared blankly at the robot, almost as if asking it the very same question. Thankfully it spoke up, turning once again to Jina.
"Mi pensas, ke ŝi ne konas sian nomon nuntempe," it answered for her. Jina seemed to accept this answer, and proceeded to shake her hand warmly.
"Bonvenon al Kilima, mi ne povas atendi ke vi vidos la mondon de Palia!"
She hadn't realized how distant everything suddenly seemed, not did she seem to register the alarm in the other woman as in that moment, her brain had decided enough was enough, and a suffocating haze swallowed her senses, engulfing everything into darkness.
"...ija..! Mija…!.."
She groaned, tucking herself further into her bed. What did her mom want now, can't she sleep in peace? Mom knew that she would go lay down whenever she felt overwhelmed or sick, and right now was no exception. She stirred further, the voice of her mother fading with the sudden onslaught of information flooding her mind.
She was in some world not her own, far away and isolated from everything she knew. She realized her bed was not her own, her blanket was not hers, and her eyes snapped open with a gasp. Sitting bolt upright, she swung her head wildly, the realization that her crazy dream was real sending her into hysterics.
"Hekla! Hekla helpu, ŝi denove vekiĝas kaj panikiĝas!," a woman cried out, the robot next to her nodding at the panicked statement.
"Do not be afraid human, we mean you no harm," the robot said softly, echoing the same words said earlier in their encounter.
Don't be afraid , it said. They mean no harm , it said.
Absolute bullshit , she thought.
"Where am I, who are you?," she asked feebly, eyes warily tracking the pair across the room from her. Her eyes burned from the earlier crying she did, yet the tears trickling down her face flowed on. This has got to be a bad trip , she thought to herself, although a trip from what remained a mystery.
The robot spoke then, in a warm and measured tone.
"I am Hekla the Galdur, and this is Jina the Majiri," it stated, waving an arm in the direction of the purple woman beside her. The woman waved sheepishly, an awkward grin forming with a chuckle.
"You are in Palia, specifically in your people's ancient ruins in a mountainside a short distance away from the small village of Kilima," it continued, this time gesturing to the room as a whole.
She looked around then, taking in her surroundings more closely. They appeared to be in a vast room made of old degrading marble trimmed with gold. In some parts the grand stone pillars had collapsed, a show of just how old the structure could have been.
Looking at the gold trims closely, she could see faded runes and symbols embossed into it, runes that she did not recognize. Turning to the other side, she beheld an immense stone bird, made of the same white marble and embossed gold the room was made of.
A soft gasp left her, awed by the sheer size and powerful aura of the great marble bird. The statue took up most of the wall, standing at the same height as the ceiling. Its wings were spread wide, reminiscent of an embrace, and its face gazed down at her, an inexplicable look of grace and power carved into its features.
She turned back to them, mouth still slightly open at how grand her surroundings were to her. How did she end up in an old ruin, let alone one so valuable?
Hekla spoke up, catching on to her thoughts.
"This ruin is very grand indeed, but cannot sustain life itself, so it would be wise to move on as soon as possible to a more habitable location."
She nodded, but promptly shook her head at the realization that she was still very much naked and covered only by a blanket.
Jina noticed this and walked up to hand her a garment, a white dress that looked very much like an old granny's nightgown.
"We found something that should fit you, please feel free to wear it until more suitable garments can be acquired for you," Hekla stated, turning her back as she did so. Jina scurried back to Hekla and did the same, covering her eyes with her hands.
She took it as her cue to get dressed and did just that. Hastily she drew the nightgown over her head, slipping it over her body. She stood then, pulling it the rest of the way down.
It wasn't terribly tight, just a bit snug in some places and a bit too short for her liking. It's then she noticed something remarkable about herself; other than her height, her body was completely changed. No longer was she the lumpy and grossly overweight person she perceived herself as.
Her body was plush and even, her proportions were much more alluring than she was used to. Even her stomach seemed ideal, rounded and smooth, flowing seamlessly with the rest of her body, of which was a consistent light tan color.
Holy shit, this is my ideal body , she thought to herself wryly, a wide goofy grin spreading on her face.
She turned back to the pair and cleared her throat, signaling that she was now decent.
Both turned to look, and Jina let out a joyful little squeal at seeing her in the outfit.
"Vi aspektas tiel bela!," she sighed, smiling warmly.
"I, thank you?," she said questioningly.
Jina lit up at this and squealed, arms waving excitedly at this development.
"Ĉu vi povas kompreni min?!," Jina exclaimed, clearly excited at the prospect of communication.
"Kind of? It kinda sounds like Spanish to me," she replied, turning to Hekla for interpretation.
Hekla turned to Jina and relayed this to the woman, which sparked a brief conversation over what she assumed was them discussing Spanish. After a bit of back and forth from the two, Jina turned to her with a bright smile.
"Come with us, we shall help get you sorted like the other humans have," Hekla said, turning and starting toward the cavernous exit with Jina in tow.
Carefully she made her way towards them, making sure to not get too close to them as she followed. This turned out to be pointless however, as the next room presented a challenge she wasn’t prepared for.
The passageway to the next room had a large fallen pillar to jump over, something Jina did with ease but she awkwardly climbed over with Hekla’s assistance. It seemed as if grace had been left out from her arrival.
It took the help of both Jina and Hekla to scale the wall where the stairs had disintegrated in the next room, using only vines and protruding stones to climb on. The five minute ordeal left her red faced and embarrassed, but at the very least she made it up eventually.
Finally she spied bright sunlight at the end of the tunnel, and smiled to herself at the prospect of finally being outside in open air. Slowly the trio walked out of the shadows and into the noon day sun, and after adjusting to the blinding light she gasped at the gorgeous view before her. They were near the top of a small mountain, with a path trailing down the side protected by a modest wooden stake fence. Right by the ruin’s entrance on the other side of the fence was a tall waterfall; sparkling clear water misted around the roaring waters and formed rainbows in the air around them, cascading all the way to the ground below in a thunderous rush. Beyond the falls was a land filled with lush green grass and vibrant flowers as far as the eye could see, with a clear blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds casting little shadows as they flew along.
She smiled widely, turning to face an equally beaming Jina who was observing her reaction closely. They headed down the path, and she watched as the vivid greenery grew closer and closer the more they descended. Before she knew it she was side by side with Jina, replacing some of her earlier distrust with childlike wonder that she shared with the bubbly woman.
After a short while they reached the end of the path, where she then knelt to feel the cool grasses she spied from the top of the ruins path. They were vivid and alive, healthy in a way she had never seen a wild plant do before. In her mind she pictured scraggly weeds and wilted grasses struggling to survive wherever there was room, poorly adapted to the heavily developed ground all around them.
Instead of worn concrete and badly maintained roads, there were sprawling footpaths meandering through the lush grass, leading to various destinations in the little valley they were in.
One of these paths was more used than the rest, and it led to a handful of village-esque buildings surrounded by a low stone wall that could be seen in the distance. This path was the one Hekla started on, and she followed with Jina at her side.
By this point, Jina had started speaking excitedly, and she caught bits of it here and there with Hekla's help. Stories of Jina's people, of humans that had suddenly started to reappear despite having been extinct for thousands of years prior. Of magic and fantastical things, and of how life adopted it over time. Of customs and traditions never heard of before, and what to expect from the Majiri, the people that Jina belonged to.
After about 10 minutes of this, the three reached the edge of the village, and Jina turned to her with a giggle.
"We shall take you to Ashura, they will assist you as they have all the other humans before you," Hekla informed her. Worry returned and settled in the pit of her stomach, like a heavy stone made of dread.
She didn't think she was quite ready to meet more strange people, and wasn't excited at all to hear how life would probably be from now on. Was this Ashura person going to be nice? What if they think she's unfit to live amongst them? Were there more people to meet, would they be as helpful as this Ashura person seemed to be to her kind?
These questions and doubts filled her as they walked through the center of the village, making her more and more anxious by the second. Jina must have noticed this, and gave her two thumbs up along with her signature beaming smile. She gave a small anxious smile back, trying her best to put on a brave face despite all the invisible eyes she felt on her.
It didn't help that the very first building the trio passed by was occupied by a scowling librarian. The woman was standing behind a plain counter, surrounded by books in many colors and shapes. Yet the woman's eyes tracked her every movement, disapproval dripping from her intense gaze. Jina waved at the woman cheerily, yet the woman couldn't be bothered to take their eyes off of her.
She was the local librarian according to a sympathetic Jina. The woman appeared a bit older than her, but not by much. Her skin was a bit more on the blue side of purple, complimenting her hair nicely. Yet she couldn't help but think that no amount of compliments would break her brooding demeanor.
They then passed what appeared to be a quaint furniture shop, where another young woman with bright blonde hair and a flower behind her ear smiled and waved at the women through the window. The woman, like Jina, bore purple skin, if a bit lighter in color, reminiscent of lilacs. The young woman was about the same height as Jina too, with a more slender frame.
She was the local carpenter for the residents of the village according to Hekla. Past the furniture store was a good sized market set further back than the previous store had been. Inside she spied a large four-eared cat lounging on the counter next to a smaller statue of itself. The cat stared at her with intense, almost human eyes, its expression coy and interested.
Hekla explained that the store's owner was the local merchant, and that they offered just about anything they could need at their general store. Walking past the general store was a third shop, with a slender, pale shopkeep inside. The young man appeared to be busily pinning an elaborate outfit to a mannequin, and didn't seem to notice the three walking past his doorway. He too had purple skin, paler than Tish but with a bluer tone than even Caleri. He was somewhat tall, taller than Jina by about half a head, and his wispy frame made her think of a model of sorts.
Jina tried to explain that the shop was a clothing boutique, and that the person inside served as both a tailor and a clothing designer. Jina tilted her head, silently asking if she had understood any of what she had just said, and she gave them a thumbs up as a response. Jina giggled, and the three made it up the steps of a larger building, one appearing to be a tavern of sorts.
The tavern was large, boasting several tables in two sections of the main floor, and stairs leading to an upstairs. There was a bar counter to the left, manned by a young man who seemed especially excited to see her enter the building. On the right was a much larger man, waving the group over with a warm smile and hearty chuckle.
Jina rushed over to the man on the right and began speaking excitedly to him while she walked up with Hekla. The young man on the left waved and called out to her, but she stared back in confusion after not catching what he was trying to say.
The two had reached Jina, and Jina pulled her up in front of the imposingly large man on the other side of the counter.
"Jen la speciala homo, pri kiu mi parolis, ĉu vi pensas, ke vi povus helpi nin?," Jina asked the man, eyes wide and pleading.
The man, presumably Ashura, laughed and nodded.
"Kompreneble mi povas, mi havas lokon jam elektita por ŝi, nur bezonas agordi ĉion!," he spoke, walking around the counter toward her.
He held out his hand just like Jina had, and introduced himself as Ashura, the innkeeper of the village and local lumberjack. She took his hand tentatively, and was given a slow soft handshake.
He isn't too scary , she thought to herself as relief began easing into her frayed nerves.
They stayed at the inn for a while, giving her warm food and apple juice to drink courtesy of the chef at the inn. Said chef came around to join them as well, talking up a storm with enough charisma to woo even the meanest curmudgeon. She took this time to really look at the two men more closely.
Ashura was a large man, almost three heads taller than herself and built like a bear. He sported a scruffy beard and greying hair tied back in a short ponytail, making her think that he was much older than herself. A few prominent scars could be seen over his blinded left eye, probably earned in what she assumed was a tree-cutting incident. Like all Majiri, he had purple skin, a shade unique to him reminiscent of peonies.
Reth, however, was only about two heads taller and had skin much like Tish. The young man had bright eyes filled with charm and mischief, and spoke with very animated expressions. He would waggle his brows and wave his hands while speaking, making a grand display of whatever it is he was talking about. He wasn't bad looking at all, in fact he was quite handsome and fit, and boy was he aware of this.
Several times during their meeting he would wink flirtatiously at her, trying his hardest to earn a giggle from her and celebrating every time he succeeded. By the end of the meeting, the sun had started to set and the sky had turned a lovely shade of orange.
Ashura guided them out of the inn and towards where she would be staying, and she waved at Reth one final time before following behind the other three.
As they walked out of the village and back into the valley, the clouds from earlier began to gather, a low and distant rumble sounding off a ways away. She frowned, disliking the idea of being caught out in a storm.
The others seemed to take notice as well, and all four began to hurry along a path that led up a small hill. She realized that this was the same path they had taken earlier to get to the village, but instead of heading left towards the ruins, the group turned to the right, up the hillside where a thicket could be seen.
Once at the top of the hill, a smaller footpath to the left led into the trees, and Ashura stopped the group here, clapping his large hands together.
"Wait for us here human, we have to set up a few more things before you can settle in," Helka stated, giving her a reassuring pat on her shoulder.
"We shall return for you promptly," it stated, and with that the three walked off into the thicket, presumably to set up her new living space.
Now alone, she began to worry all over again, this time for different reasons. It was getting dark fast, and the rain could start any minute now. She was out in the woods, with who knows what animals lurking in the growing shadows.
What if she was attacked by some horrible beast before the others could arrive, what if they misplaced her and she was doomed to wander the woods forever?
Her thoughts were cut off by a fat drop of water landing in her hair, followed by a loud downpour.
"Well isn't that just great?," she asked herself dryly, frowning at the fabric of her garment. The nightgown was worn and starting to go threadbare, and to her horror was quite transparent when wet. It didn't help that the rain made the fabric stick to her skin, leaving little to the imagination.
I can't let them see me like this, I might as well be naked again! , she thought to herself, nervously looking around for something to cover up with.
A sudden clap of thunder startled her, and the flash of light revealed a large shadowy figure much too close for her liking. She let out a piercing shriek, trying desperately to cover herself behind a scraggly bush. The figure flinched at the sound, looking annoyed at the sudden action.
"JINA! JINA!," she screamed, her legs suddenly locked up with sheer terror.
This is it, this is how she'd die. In the woods, in a storm by some random creep that was stalking her.
Her tears mixed with the downpour of rain, her fearful whimpers drowned out by the downfall. This sucks! , she thought. This royally sucks!
Heavy footsteps began to emerge from the trees, and soon Ashura and Jina were at her side, trying desperately to calm her.
"Kial vi lasus sendefendan homon eksteren en la pluvo en la mezo de la arbaro?," came a stern complaint from the tree line, the owner of the voice stepping out of the shadows they were lurking in.
"Ĉi tio ne estas maniero regali novan gaston al la valo!," Ashura scolded, earning him an unamused scoff from the young man before him.
Said young man was currently boring holes into her very soul, as if passing judgement on her fate. She was too busy being stared down to notice the fine leather cover he was holding, of which he handed to Ashura. He rolled his eyes and walked off with a huff, never once making a sound as he moved despite the puddles around them.
Jina hurriedly took the cover from Ashura and wrapped it around her, shielding her from the rain and from sight. They led her through the trees, reaching a small campsite with a house-shaped tent in the middle and a campfire by the entrance of it. Hekla stood by the entrance, waving her hand as the three arrived.
They made their way inside, where she was met with a humble cot and a fresh set of clothes. A small chest could be seen in the other corner, and a tiny makeshift table complete with a makeshift stool took up the center space. Jina handed her a fluffy looking towel, and Ashura handed her a small tin box with a flame logo drawn into it.
"These will be your quarters until a more permanent solution can be found," Hekla stated from outside. "Ashura has left you a fire starting kit, and he will show you how to operate it in the morning."
She nodded, and the two took their leave, leaving her alone in the spacious tent.
"We shall return for you in the morning, rest well human." The group waved their goodbyes, and she shut the tent flaps before plunking down on the stool, staring off into the distance as she processed the day she had just had.
This was by far the worst day of her life, hands down.
She shrugged off the leather cover with a huff, and wiggled her way out of her soaked garment. She used the towel handed to her earlier to dry off, and wrapped it around herself for warmth. On the table were a fresh white oversized shirt and a pair of long oversized brown shorts, as well as what appeared to be clean underwear. She thankfully put on the dry outfit, and laid out the soaked nightgown to dry on the table. The towel was left to dry on the stool, and she crawled into the cot, pulling the provided blanket over her head.
Exhaustion flooded her body now that she was resting, and her mind swirled with all of the day's events before quickly falling into a deep and fitful sleep, the sound of rain lulling her as she slept. Her last coherent thought before passing out was asking herself what god she had angered to deserve this unusual fate.