Chapter 2:
Alice's Misfortunes in the Land of the Four Corners
I don’t remember how long I spent falling. The darkness surrounding me was different from the usual. I was conscious of going down, but I didn’t feel scared—not even when I noticed something or someone watching me. If I had to compare the experience, I would say it was like a peaceful dream.
When I thought I was lost forever in that dark limbo, from one moment to the next, an electrifying current shot through my bones. I screamed, but I couldn’t hear anything.
Is this my pathetic ending? An obscure death in the middle of nowhere? Is this some sort of “death by alcohol poisoning”? Damn the people, damn Joan, and damn that rabbit, I swear I…
Out of nowhere, I saw a face.
She—because the floating face was of a blond girl—was looking directly at me. The abrupt shock made me forget the electric pain for a moment, until it disappeared completely. For some reason I didn’t understand, I realized the face had been the strange presence in the darkness all this time.
“Good luck, I know you can do it,” the face whispered, with a smile.
And that’s when I woke up.
The first thing I remember is peace, the peace after a good sleep. The air reeked of something foul. It reminded me of my school visit to the farm when I was a child. I felt so comfy that I didn’t want to open my eyes. I didn’t care if a police officer was next to me, trying to wake me up; they’d have to drag me home.
“Hey, you. You’re finally awake.”
A manly voice spoke to me.
Slowly, I opened my eyes. When they adjusted to the intense light, I saw in front of me a bulky man with long, braided hair.
“We had a bet on whether you were dead or alive,” he said with a grin. “I bet on you. I know you are more resilient than you look, he he”.
My eyes may be adjusted, but not my brain. Why was this drunkard talking to me like we were buddies? Why is the smell getting even heavier? And why is it so damn hot?
Am I being robbed? My luck can be…
At that point, I noticed it.
Me and my hairy companion were in a horse-drawn cart with five or six guys, the whole group in shabby garments. Around us were not two or three, but hundreds of carts in the same fashion and occupants. In the center of this tide of people were eight stony cubes at least forty meters tall.
Yet, the most astonishing part was where the procession was marching.
This wasn’t home.
Not even anyplace I remembered.
Not even in the craziest movie.
When the cart I was in reached a hill, I saw it even more clearly. The green extended over everything my eyes could see. The sea…no, the infinite ocean of green extended through the horizon in all directions. This wasn’t some sort of “big forest”. I was in an overwhelming green existence that crushed everything inside it.
And the heat. The humid heat made me slowly feel uncomfortable and asphyxiated. It wasn’t as hot as the worst summer at home, rather it was a different type of hot. I only wanted to shed my clothes and jump into any source of water.
Because it was silly to think of the public pool or a bath.
Because this wasn’t a dream.
Because this was another world.
I threw up everything. The pressure in my chest and throat was too heavy. Assimilating what was happening increased the weight of my body. The rest of my cart companions turned to look at me, though they weren’t particularly grossed out by my vomit.
“A funny last night, huh? I don’t blame you. Probably the entire section did the same.”
Should I ask him? They don’t look hostile, and I’m not tied or captive, for what it looks like. The only way to solve this fast is to be direct. Would they think I’m bonkers?
I mustered all the courage I could and asked him.
“Who are you? What’s your name?” I said, embarrassed. After all, I had just puked in front of people I didn’t even know.
Everyone looked at me gravely, and they started to move away from me as much as possible in the small cart. The hairy man looked shocked, too. Yet he answered me, trying to be polite in the face of what was an offensive question.
“A noob? Girl, you shouldn’t be here. And you shouldn’t go around asking such nonsense.”
He made a pause to look me in the eyes, trying to confirm if I was some sort of devil or only stupid.
“Even young people like you are here unprepared. The first lesson here is that nobody will have time to teach you anything. The second lesson is that nobody will tell their real name. Only nicknames, ok girl? I’m Falkowart, a pleasure.”
Before I had time to think, sirens began to wail. The cart’s driver shouted:
“It’s time! Don’t leave your inventory and gather with your assigned raid leader! Until forever!”
“Until forever,” replied my companions. Unexpectedly, they pulled out sacks from below their seats. Sacks and…weapons. Swords, polearms, bows, daggers, and that sort of thing, I thought I would never look in real life.
As a reflex, I picked up the sack under my seat and followed them. From all carts, people were dropping and moving around, and the tide of people felt even bigger. Falkowart wasn’t close anymore after the orders were given. Desìte everyone’s messy appearance, they were going to a clear location.
Except for me.
Alone again, inside a wave of thousands of people, without anyone who would give a damn about me. Is this what hell is supposed to be?
Without warning, the only well-dressed woman around pulled me by the shoulder.
“More already, hero! Where is your assigned raid?”
Her strong voice scared and intimidated me. I was never good at dealing with bossy people, not at work, and it seemed that not in this new world. Some things never change.
The woman looked upset at me, but for a second, I sensed sorrow in her face. Then she grasped my left wrist to look at a black bracelet I hadn’t noticed before:
“Fifty-seven raid. Fifteen years.” She said those last words without looking me in the eyes. She made a signal to follow her.
Bit by bit, the mob of people started to feel like a formation. A formation full of sweaty, ragged people, but a formation nonetheless. When I was following the lead of the green-dressed woman, a man stood up in one of the stony squares. His voice was heard through all this jungle:
“Beloved countrymen, this is the day, they of our return! From all continents, we have been gathering to retake what is rightfully ours! Some of you have waited an entire life, and some of you will know your motherland for the first time. Whatever your situation, if you are here it’s because we share blood, god, and Land!”
A boy and a girl appeared from behind him, carrying what looked like a big metallic box. After a glance, I knew what that was for.
“From the best mages of the Court of Peace, we present to you the Gatoera, only five in the entire world. In just a few moments, when both signals mark this number in the center, it will be time. Fellow compatriots from five points on the border will start, all at the same time, the Second Reconquest in History.”
Cheers were heard everywhere, and I saw many of them with empty bottles of beer. My guide looked grimmer and grimmer with the man’s speech. Only us two were silent during that strange celebration.
“Call me Madego. What is your alias?” she blurted out.
I’ve always considered myself average. Which means that despite not being a genius, it also meant I wasn’t completely stupid. Just average. So I knew this was a turning point in my life. I ended up in an impossible situation. No matter how much I wanted to cry for my family, I had to at least do something.
“Alicia. Call me Alicia.”
Both sticks in the Gatoera marked the number twelve. The man at the top of the stony square started laughing and screaming.
“This is! The Day of Reconquest! March To the Land of the Four Corners! March to our Land!”
The crowd went wild. Madego looked at me again.
“Alicia, welcome to the Madness”.
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