Anything Can Change in an Instant

My stomach grumbled, and my lips were cracked. I frowned at the realization of my body’s weaknesses, and I felt my lip split. I touched the place where it burned and looked down to see dots of blood on my fingertip.

Right, I should probably remember to keep this body alive. I’d rather not die from something silly like ‘forgetting to hydrate.’

I forced my sluggish body to move toward the tunnel. The pain I received with each step brought attention to the fact that my feet were barely covered by bandages.

I stepped carefully into the cave and walked behind the tents to find any familiar faces. I spotted Finley talking to the cook and slowly made my way toward them.

Friend and food— time to kill two birds with one stone.

The cook glared at me as I approached. Finley turned too, and her eyes widened.

“I don’t remember your face, young lady. Mind introducing yourself?”

“Ah, no, Rayner. This is Velda, in another body.”

Velda turned to Rayner with a smile, and his eyes widened slightly as he looked at me.

“Hm, alright.”

Rayner turned to the table behind him and picked up a small, tied bundle of cloth. He tossed it at me, and I nearly dropped it.

“Ah, thank you… How did you know it was me, Finley?”

“Vivian ran by a moment ago, said to look out for you— a small blonde lady actin’ like a newborn deer.”

I straightened up and tightened my grip on the meal bundle. Finley chuckled as she adjusted the buckle on her belt and the cuffs on her gloves.

“Come on, I wanna show you somethin’.”

I followed Finley through the camp. I stepped on a few pebbles and slowed down. Finley turned back and called out to a nearby camp member.

I watched Finley whisper to her and tilted my head.

As the woman rushed off, Finley signaled for me to follow her. We sat down on large rocks, and Finley folded her hands. I unfolded the parcel in my lap and began to eat the dried meat.

I feel like I haven’t eaten in forever. It’s simple, but delicious. I wonder what other food this world has to offer.

“… That body, why did you take it?”

My head snapped to look at Finley, whose fingers were tightly intertwined. Her expression was neutral, and her lowered eyes moved to look at me when I hesitated to answer. I swallowed and slowly opened my mouth to speak.

“There were… a lot of reasons why.”

I looked out at the hustle and bustle of the campsite. Families and friends sat and walked together. The moments of laughter echoing on the cave walls made the situation feel light-hearted, almost overpowering the looming anxiety of war.

“I want to help any way I can,” I placed a hand on my chest to feel my beating heart, “and I need the stability for my… corrupted essence.”

I looked up at Finley, who returned my gaze with an indiscernible expression. She looked back down at her hands and sighed.

“I understand your desire to be useful, but I have my concerns. Where’d you find that body, anyway?”

Mmm, maybe I should skirt around the truth for this one.

The woman Finley spoke to earlier came back holding a pair of shoes. She held them out to me, and I thanked her. Her eyes softened as she smiled, and I slipped on the surprisingly soft shoes.

The woman nodded to Finley and walked off. I silently thanked her for buying me time to think and turned to face my companion.

“Vivian found the body for me. She really wants to help, too.”

Finley’s eyes narrowed and darted away from me. I could see her jaw become tight, and I scrambled to remember what I’d said wrong.

“Of course. Only a mage would be interested in corpses. Why do you insist on trustin’ her? Don’t you know mages always carry ulterior motives?”

I widened my eyes in shock and let my mouth fall agape. I clenched my fists, crushing the fruit slice I held in my right hand.

“I don’t get it. What do you have against them? Against Vivian, no less, when all she’s done is try to help since she got here?”

Finley’s body tensed as she focused her glare at me.

“Magic never did anyone any good. You’ve seen it yourself; Eris uses it to hurt and control. Vivian only joined us because she feels guilty for refusin’ us before.”

Finley kept her gaze on me as she rose to her feet. Her face changed from seething anger to something sorrowful as she looked at me from over her shoulder.

“To think those mages were less than a day’s walk away. They never tried to help us, though, did they?”

“That’s not—“

Finley stormed off, and I was left alone with silence and scraps. I sighed and returned to my meal.

Just this morning, everything was looking up. All it took was one conversation to ruin my companions’ moods. Is it my fault?

I closed my eyes and recalled the turning points in my interactions with Matthias and Finley.

Everything went sour when I mentioned mages. I wish I could confront them and try to get them to react honestly… I just know I’m not close enough with them for that yet.

I folded the now-empty bundle of cloth and stood up. The soft material of my new shoes kept my feet warm and safe as I returned to the table.

The fire was dwindling now, and I could see lights appearing from tents one by one. Rayner took the cloth from my hands, and I bid him goodnight.

My eyes stayed downcast as I walked through the left tunnel and out into the forest. The soft chirp of crickets welcomed me as I looked up at the stars.

I retraced my steps through the forest and found the graveyard. The large blanket that had been used to wrap Leila’s body still lay on the ground.

I lifted the blanket and shook it to remove the burial cloths and other debris. I folded the dusty blanket and placed it on the ground before flopping down onto it and staring up at the night sky.

The dark blue sky was littered with specks of flickering white. I noticed the constellations and tried to remember their names. I gave up after a minute of throbbing headaches and closed my eyes, folding the last layer of blanket over me.

The words of my companions echoed through my mind as I drifted off to sleep.