Chapter 5:
The Nonpareil of Resh (Act 1)
Gwyn groaned as he emerged from his slumber. He rubbed one hand over his eyes as he tried to reach for his phone with his other. His hand found nothing but air, and he kept searching for the nightstand where his phone sat. It took him a few more moments before he remembered what had happened on the highway. He sat up in a flash and looked around.
He was sitting in a small room on a bed. The room appeared to be more elliptical. An array of equipment took up much of the floor space to his left, and to his right were several chairs. Someone blue was sitting in one of the chairs, apparently reading on what looked like a stone tablet. A light could be seen radiating off the top, similar to the tablets Gwyn himself was familiar with on closer inspection.
Gwyn turned away. Thoughts swirled around in his head like a hurricane. His best guess was that he was in some sort of hospital room. Thinking back, he had remembered that he was driving when something happened. A portal of sorts, but to where? He shook his head. He would have to think about that later. Taking a deep breath, he looked back to the chairs that sat on his right.
The creature or person was still sitting while focused on the flat tablet. She had not taken notice of the fact that Gwyn was awake. Her face showed a somewhat dissatisfied look. That gave him more time to think.
The person sitting in front of him was blue; that was the most obvious thing. The shade was a light blue, close to the sky more than anything if Gwyn was to make a comparison. The light bounced off it like a gemstone and seemed to sparkle even if she made a slight movement. Her hair flowed down to her shoulders with a sheen that looked like it could be silk. The purple irises in her eyes seemed more prominent than a human's. If she had whites in her eyes, Gwyn could not tell. Other than that, the form was mostly similar to that of a human.
She wore clothing that almost seemed like a costume. It was very sci-fi in feeling, with a form-fitting white suit with some shiny-looking space-age black fabric material forming a skirt over the top. Smooth yellow boots went up to her knees, and a matching short-cut jacket hung over her shoulders. The jacket had no right sleeve to cover her arm, and her blue skin showed from her right shoulder down to her hand.
Gwyn considered what he should say. He didn't know if this person or creature would even understand him in the first place.
"Um," was all Gwyn managed to get out. The blue person tapped the front of what she read and looked at Gwyn.
"Oh, you're up?" she said in a tone that was neither surprised nor interested. "Do you understand me?" The person, after a long moment of silence from Gwyn, asked in a slow voice."
"Yes, yes, I do." Gwyn realized he had been lost in thought and shook his head. "What happened?"
"That's what I'd like to ask you? You suddenly burst into a meeting and almost ran... someone over with your strange vehakul."
"Oh... are they okay?"
"Who?"
"The person I almost hit...."
"Don't worry about it," she said with a sigh.
They fell into silence again after that. Gwyn pondered his next question. He most wanted to ask what she was, but he couldn't come up with how he ought to phrase it.
"Tell me, Netzian, what is your name?" The girl asked.
"What?" The unexpected word in the question threw off Gwyn.
"Your name, the thing that people call you by," she answered with a serious tone.
"I understood... never mind," Gwyn stopped a moment to formulate his subsequent response, "Isn't it customary to give your name first when you ask a question!" Gwyn smiled to himself as he figured he might throw her off with his retort.
"Fiona Whitlock," she answered sharply and with no concern.
"Gwyn Black," he sighed his reply.
Fiona tapped on her tablet and made a couple of swipes. Her eyes moved back and forth as she read what was on the screen. After a moment of silence, she put her tablet down and ran one hand through her silky hair. It fell behind a blue ear that was slightly pointed with two peaks.
"Tell me, Gwyn, where do you come from?"
Gwyn considered giving a sarcastic answer like 'my mother,' but he decided to hold his tongue. He was in an unfamiliar place and was sure he did not fully grasp the situation at hand.
"Come from, in what sense?"
"Hmm," Fiona pressed a finger to her chin for a moment before answering, "what do you call your home world?"
"Earth?" Gwyn answered though it was in a questioning tone. He was starting to suspect why she was asking such a question. It was apparent, but he was still trying to deny it somewhat.
"You're not on earth anymore," she said in a slow and gentle tone. She was trying not to break the news too hard.
"Isekai!" Gwyn said rather enthusiastically. His denial immediately melted away, and his lips began to curve in a goofy smile as realization began to hit him. His sudden outburst surprised Fiona. She jumped slightly in her seat as he shouted.
"You're... taking this rather well? I figured you would have never seen an Aqueenian before. Shouldn't you be more surprised?"
"Uh-queen-ian?" Gwyn said in a confused voice. Fiona pointed at herself. "Ah, I see...." Gwyn said as he thought back to all the fantasy and sci-fi stories he had read in the past. Would all he learned in those stories finally pay off?
Gwyn jumped to his feet from the bed. He stumbled a bit as his legs were a little wobbly.
"Don't get up," Fiona jumped to her feet, "you just had a collision!"
"I didn't notice it before." Gwyn was surprised as he took a step forward.
"You've been out for a day, and your face was burned. You can't be in the best condition. Even with medical treatment, you should at least wait a few hours before trying to move around again."
"My face? Gwyn began looking around the room for a reflective surface. He managed to find one in the frame of the bed and took a look at his face. "It looks fine, though?"
Fiona shook her head.
"We treated it. Now, lay back down already!"
She said matter-of-factly, but Gwyn was shocked by what he saw. As far as he could tell, he saw no physical signs of an accident. Either the crash wasn't as bad as he had assumed, or the medical technology was more advanced in this world. He pressed his hands against his face and smushed it together. There was no unusual pain that indicated the treatment was only cosmetic.
Fiona sighed and looked at her tablet. There was a list of questions on it that she was supposed to ask. She shrugged and threw the device aside. It wasn't like her father would read her report anyway.
"You know what, why don't we step out?"
Please log in to leave a comment.