I Couldn't Stand Out, So I've Been Reborn

You flinch awake at the sensation of falling. A slight pain radiates through your neck neck from the odd angle your head had been sitting at. The heaviness in your chest made you deeply uncomfortable and sent a wave of anxiety coursing through you. You force yourself to take deep breaths, trying to convince yourself you were fine while also putting the thought that you were stealing somebody else’s body as far from your mind as you could.

What sort of person had he been? Would other people recognize you? Were you supposed to jump into his old life? How were you even supposed to know what he had left behind if it was useful?

You took a moment trying to rake through your memories and see if anything of your hosts remained and it didn’t. The anxiety was quickly was slowly being replaced with guilt. There wasn’t any turning back now, but would you really be able to do better with this life than the man before you? Probably not.

You sigh.

Wind rustles through the leaves overhead, allowing shafts of light to sporadically pierce through the canopy. The smell of smoke that you thought would never leave your clothes was replaced by that of fresh grass and wheat. Fluffy clouds drift across the clear, blue sky. The portal you had been thrown through was nothing more than a memory. Though you don’t know why you would have expected otherwise. How could anybody function if they were constantly looking at rips in fabric of reality that led to the afterlife.

Green stretched for as far as you could see, divided between a vast meadow off to your left and a sparse forest directly in front of you. To the right the meadow dissolves into golden fields. You an barely make out a windmill in the distance, making some kind of farm. A dirt path stretched from the farm down across the horizon, the path branching off in a path that leads behind you. A low stone wall protects a haphazard sign post.

You didn’t think you’d ever see the sky again, let alone a color that wasn’t purple or black. If you were being honest, you never really too the time to sit and appreciated nature when you were alive. Most of your time was spent inside and going to the park never really occurred to you because you didn’t live near one. Sitting here like this was nice.

Shouldn’t you do something else?

You rotated the thought around in your mind. You could go to the farm. You could see what the signpost had to say. You could stay here and nap first. There were probably countless other activities you could do that weren’t coming to mind but something had to be the right path to take. You were here for a reason. You had to figure out what it was.

You stand, testing your weight on what should be unfamiliar legs. If you didn’t know any better you could say you had been in this body your whole life. Moving felt too natural. It was hard to tell if you looked the same but it was roughly the same build that you had been. Actually maybe you were a little taller this time around? If you were you decided it couldn’t possibly be by much as you lingered by the signpost, struggling to read the words in the glare of the sun. Knowing you could read made you feel a little better.

The weathered chunks of wood marked the roads: Hauptfield Farm, Hetlins, Glouces. However, there weren’t anything like mile markers at the end so apart from the farm it was impossible to gauge which was closest. It seemed relatively early in the day but you did have to consider that it wouldn’t be day forever and you didn’t exactly have any supplies. There were a few coins in your pocket but without knowing how much they were worth, you found it hard to completely take solace in the fact that you had something to your name. You hoped it was at least enough for a meal somewhere; it would be embarrassing if you ended up starving to death a few days from now because you couldn’t figure out how to take care of yourself.

The farm felt like the only real option you had. It could be a way to earn some money, but considering you didn’t know the first thing about farm work you were doubtful that would actually be the case. At the very least whoever owned it could probably give you directions. You’d just have to hope that one of the other two towns weren’t far away.

The sun reflecting off something shiny catches your attention. It comes flying down the hill from the farm and was already gone towards Hetlins before you could really process what had passed by. A flash of blueish white and long yellow hair. You didn’t realize how big horses were until now. Was it a horse? Something felt off about it. The rider seeming unphased with the breakneck speed also didn’t sit right with you. You hoped there were other ways to get around that wouldn’t involve that. Or at least the horse you found yourself with wouldn’t be so wild.

A brown scabbard was laying in the dirt some ways up the road. You waited for a few minutes, wondering if the rider would notice their lost object and turn back. They didn't.

The belt that the rider had been using looked unharmed. The buckle was intact and the holes seem undamaged. A lion’s head was carved into the pommel of the sword. Red gems were socketed into the eyes. You slip the blade partially out. It was heavily polished and strange symbols were etched into the blade. You weren’t sure if you imagined a faint humming or not but you decided to quickly resheath it.

You didn’t know much about swords; actually until now you had never even seen let alone held one, but you were under the impression something like this would be expensive. You stand, weighing it in your hands. It wasn’t terrible heavy, but you got the feeling it’d be too long for you even if you wanted to use it.

I hope they don’t run into trouble… You doubted you’d be able to catch up to them in any timely fashion considering how fast they were going. If this road wasn’t straight you’d have no way of tracking them.

The longer you stood there the harder catching up would be. You didn’t exactly have anything else to do. Chasing after them also took away you agonizing over what you were supposed to do next. Things would sort themselves out this way…or at least that’s what you told yourself as you started to head down the road.

Any lingering stiffness faded the more you walked. The initial enamoration you felt towards being out on the sunshine started to fade when you realized just how quiet things were. You could hear birds chirping and small creatures rustling around in the brush. You spent more time watching the forest to make sure nothing came out than you did the road.

Concern was starting to weigh on you as the sun climbed higher in the sky. You hadn’t seen any signs of another person let alone the one you were looking for. Were you in the middle of nowhere? Were there even cities? There had to be some kind of industry based on this sword alone. Maybe they were from far away.

A white smudge slipping into the treeline catches your attention. A figure was rushing waist deep into the thicket. You pick up the pace, hoping to catch them before they disappeared completely into the woods. “…mean really, I can’t get anything don if I’m constantly bending to your will. It’s one thing for you to get your morning run in but its another to decide we’re stopping for lunch before we even reach Glouces. You can-” A unicorn whips its head around, fixing its gaze on you.

You freeze, nearly dropping the sword as it saunters up to you. The man shifts his attention to you, raking a hand through his long hair. “I say, is this a robbery? You’re doing a rather shoddy job of it.”

Not a horse. Definitely not a horse.

You edge backwards as the unicorn trots over to you, lunging it’s head forward and stopping just short of stabbing you. Mischief reflects in its eyes as it tosses its head a few times. You take another step back, unsure if you were more worried about the horn or its legs. The unicorn was stocky, it’s white coat seeming a little too blue in the shade. The man had a good foot on you at least and he was only a little taller than the beasts shoulder. You felt dwarfed by the pair and started to wonder if maybe this was a bad idea after all. “You dropped this…”

The words were scarce above a whisper. Any wariness from the man evaporated almost instantly. The unicorn jerks it’s head away when he reaches for the reigns and it charges off into the forest with a sign from its owner.

“Forgive me, I hope she didn’t frighten you too much.” He flashes you a warm smile, offering you his hand. You put the sword in it and take another step back, glancing further up the road. There didn’t seem to be anything worth noting. Now what were you supposed to do? “Thank you.”

You nod slightly, momentarily catching his blue eyes. “You’re welcome.”

His smile falters slightly. He tucks some of his hair behind his pointed ears. You had to make a conscious effort not to stare. The effort felt wasted though since he seemed to have no problem staring you down. Did you look strange? Had you done something wrong? Worse did he know you? You work the fabric of your shirt between your fingers. “Are you…” He shakes his head to himself and straightens. “Pardon me, I really have forgotten my manners. Introductions are in order are they not? I am Weistari Lorafel. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Thank you again for returning my sword. I must admit I don’t have the resources necessary to give you some kind of finder’s fee but… how about I treat you to lunch? Unless you have some prior engagement, I do understand that this errand must have been rather time consuming for you.”

You hadn’t done this for a reward, but turning down a free escort to town felt like a waste. “Are you sure? You don’t have to do all that.”

“It’s really no trouble. Food does taste better with others after all, and I can show you where the best lunch spot in Glouces is considering I’ve been to basically all of them.”

Weistari continues to head farther up the road while he talks but you stop following him at the mention of Glouces. “Oh, but… You passed it already.”

“Pardon?”

You take a small step back when he glances at you over his shoulder, avoiding his gaze. “Glouces…it’s back there." You gesture towards the direction you had come from.

There was a moment when Weistari seemed to want to challenge you. He cups his chin in his hand and spends a little too long lost in thought. You weren’t sure you’d do much better at navigating if there weren’t any real landmarks to go by, but at the same time if he frequented the area you would assume he should at least know how long it takes to get somewhere. How does one spend half a day wandering in the wrong direction? “I suppose that explains why the forest is here. I thought Silver was taking me a new scenic route.” Weistari turns sharply, heading in the correct direction this time. “Well no harm done. I was hoping to be setting out by now but plans change. For the better I imagine.” He flashes you another smile, slowing his pace to match yours despite the fact that you were trying your hardest to stay behind him. “I do believe you did not give me your name. What shall I call you?”

“Sorry, it’s Caishen.” You dip your head slightly, “It’s nice to meet you.”