The Man Let Free

That night's rest was a truly surreal experience. It was like Conrad was experiencing a dream that was being tampered with. While he had no idea way to determine how much time was passing, he knew instinctually that the sensations moving through himself were not natural. Just as he felt himself begin to reawaken, a pleasant warmth washed over him, the sensation utterly familiar.

And then, his eyes snapped open. He was in a bed he hadn't fallen asleep in.

He sat up slowly, gingerly, running sleep out of his eyes. Instead of the inn he had turned in at, he was in a bedroom that felt markedly nicer than the one he had slept in back on the farm. Realizing what had already taken place, Conrad took a look down at his body. He was met with a pleasant surprise.

"What do you think?"

Conrad glanced across the room, and then back down at his hands.

"I appreciate this, Nana. You've put me in the body of someone in pretty good shape."

Nana pointed across the room at a full-length mirror. Conrad stepped out of bed carefully, allowing himself to slowly get accustomed to a new form again, and walked over. Staring back at him was a notably taller young man than the one he had become accustomed to seeing in the mirror lately. Dark hair, lean muscles, and a handsome face topped off his look. Definitely still a very young man, but one blessed with good genes.

"Taller, too," Conrad said warmly, a smile splitting his face.

"I take it you were tired of being in a smaller body."

"A little. That reminds me, what happened with my old body?"

"Don't worry about the young man. I put his soul back into his body before I put you into this fellow here. I also placed a mental suggestion into the young man's head to not travel back in the direction of the farm." She pointed at Conrad's body. "This new young man's soul is safe with me now as well."

Nana materialized a soul in her hand, showing it to Conrad, smiling.

"You know, Nana, it's actually a little unsettling to see you holding someone's soul like that."

She laughed. "That's fairly reasonable. Seeing someone manipulate a soul in front of you must be unnatural by your standards. I'll try to refrain."

With a flick of her hand, Nana dismissed it from vision.

"Anyways, take a look out of your window."

Conrad walked over to the window of his room, throwing it open and basking in the warm sunshine. Happy surprise quickly painted his features. Spread out before him was a busy street with several other homes. A wide array of different types of people went about their business. Guards standing at attention, merchants selling wares, people walking hand-in-hand with lovers.

"Welcome to the Royal Capital of Estrenbridge, Conrad Walters."

Something clicked inside Conrad's mind. The royal capital. Hang on a moment. Someone had mentioned this city to him before. After a few moments of recollection, he turned back to Nana, excitement painting his features.

"The royal capital! Nana, this is the city that Cassandra and Joshua met at! This is incredible!"

A smile slowly crept onto Nana's face. Conrad's joy was actually quite infectious.

"That's correct. This is the very same place. At a different point in time."

"Of course. Joshua's quite old now, and they met in their youth."

Nana was about to speak, then decided to hold her tongue. Conrad was missing a slight detail. However, there was no need to tell him. She was confident he would find out shortly.

"Nana, do you mind if I just go explore a bit?"

Nana giggled. "Let me guess. You'd like to walk around a big city without having to have a chaperone for a change."

"If you wouldn't mind. I'm sure you dropped me off here for a purpose, but I'd appreciate the opportunity to experience this."

"You're free to do whatever you'd like. Don't forget, Conrad, your actions are your own. And that means the consequences of your actions are your own too. Just know that I'll always be keeping tabs on you in the background. And at any given moment, you need to be prepared for any trial I could potentially throw your way."

Conrad steadied himself, frowning slightly. The last big trail he went through certainly hadn't been an enjoyable experience. No matter what opportunities came his way, he couldn't let his guard down completely either. Nana had already proven that she was fine with him experiencing some absolutely diabolical things.

Nana jerked a thumb towards the exit door. "But that's not really all that different from life back in your world. Tragic accidents aren't strictly reserved for where we are now. Oh, and by the way, the young man that you're borrowing the body of? His name is Jeremiah. I figured you should know in case someone on the street tries to get your attention."

Conrad nodded. Back on the farm, that factor had been irrelevant. He only interacted with three people then, all of whom hadn't met the original owner of that body. But here, the situation was a little different.

Quickly throwing on some clothes in Jeremiah's closet, Conrad called back to Nana on the way out. "Thanks, Nana. Alright, I'm off. See you when I see you. Whatever you have cooked up for me next, I'll find a way to deal with it."

Nana learned on the windowsill, glancing at Conrad as he jogged past and relished the freedom of his circumstances. No staff, No Nicholas, just him and the big city.

"So optimistic, Conrad. But what if you're not the one that needs help the most this time?"

The day's events had been about as eye-opening as they were liberating.

It wasn't just the fact that he was able to walk around unsupervised. It was about the fact that he could live his life in an entirely different WAY here. Something as simple as a walk around the city, something that he was sure most people took for granted, presented so many possibilities to him. He could meet someone new and make friends with them. He could find a job helping out around a shop for a week, get paid, and spend that many however he wished. The world was becoming his oyster.

Conrad was currently sitting next to a fountain in the city center. Ordinary civilians were beginning to filter out, as it had become quite late in the day. As incredibly enjoyable as this was, it was about time to head home. A couple people passing him on the street had asked him how his father was doing nowadays, which told Conrad that Jeremiah did indeed have at least one family member. If he didn't return soon, he imagined that Jeremiah's father would become quite worried.

Besides, he was hungry.

"Jeremiah, there you are!"

Conrad glanced up. A young man who looked to be about Jeremiah's age was approaching him. The youth was wearing a dark brown vest and had brown hair. He approached Conrad, a grin on his face, and as Conrad quickly noted, two practice swords made of wood on his hip.

"Give me that rematch before curfew! I know I can beat you this time!"

Conrad cocked an eyebrow. Ah, I see. Jeremiah and this guy practiced swordsmanship together. Well, that was fine. The study of combat was something that he had ingrained into himself over the course of the past several months. He was by no means a master yet, that would take years of work, but Cassandra and Carmela had been excellent teachers, and he learned quickly.

This benefited Conrad. Practicing with this guy was an opportunity to ensure that he could still fight effectively. He didn't foresee many issues and in a strong, taller body. But he'd still rather verify that himself.

Conrad rose. "Go ahead and pass me the other sword, old chum."

Jeremiah's friend looked surprised. "Right here in the city center?! The guards would get on our case for causing a ruckus! Come with me, let's do it in the usual alley."

Conrad blushed, feeling a little embarrassed by his oversight. "Right. Uh, let's go."

Fifteen minutes later, Jeremiah's friend had been left panting on the ground. Compared to life-and-death combat, this wasn't anywhere near enough to intimidate Conrad. His opponent was quite a novice.

"Shoot! What's going on with you today?! You're fighting completely differently than normal! You're not moving the same!"

Conrad smiled sheepishly. "Trying out some new techniques."

An unexpected voice spoke out behind Conrad. "And they look quite familiar."

Jeremiah's friend looked behind Conrad, and practically jumped out of his skin.

"Captain Ingram! Please excuse us! Just practicing a little!"

"Curfew's in a few minutes, boys."

That voice and name. No...no, it couldn't be. Conrad turned, and to his disbelief, ended up face-to-face with Carmela Ingram of Ingram Farm, staring at him, frowning.