Chapter 3 - Introductions

It was peaceful. Mila decided. It could have been worse if this was death. She was standing on a small hillock overlooking the barren surroundings. As far as she could see, there were scared, scorched lands - a dreary sight.

Regrettably, Mila could not be sure Silinth would leave the duo of teens alive. She could only hope her words carried enough weight for him to stop. Even if she died just after arriving, she still was someone he had sought out. It should count for something.

At least Mila was confident her death was not Silinth’s doing. His reactions felt genuine for the most part. She could blame only herself for being careless and touching an unknown magical rock.

As for why Mila thought she had died? She took a deep breath but failed to bring oxygen into her lungs. Despite that, she was not suffocating or suffering. Her next test was jumping.

For the next five minutes, Mila jumped. She then stretched her body before running a few circles around the hillock.

After returning to her previous spot, Mila looked down at her body. She was wearing a simple linen shirt and pants. Where had these clothes come from, she had no idea.

In addition, there was no sweat nor any other signs she had just gone through an exercise.

“Curious,” Mila remarked. Up until now, her dreams meant she lost her body and had to live in another person’s skin. “Is this death?” She addressed the entity next to her.

There was no answer. Mila glanced at the spot she thought the entity was and saw nothing. It was an empty spot. It felt like air and looked like one. Despite that, she did not avert her eyes, trusting her guts.

Mila found herself staring at the sky. She blinked, trying to remember how she had fallen. Her mind was telling her she was still on the same hillock. The entity was still somewhere nearby. She rose on her feet and studied her surroundings. There was still nothing, but somehow, she knew whatever was here had tried to reach out.

“Well, this is troublesome.” She sighed. “So we can’t even communicate?”

Of course, all she got was silence. Mila assumed her conclusion was correct. She started to pace around in wonder. Despite everything, her body had never felt better. She checked her flexibility and found it unsatisfying. It wasn’t bad, but it could be better. She returned to her original spot and noticed a simple leaflet lying on the ground.

“That’s-” Mila poked the paper with her foot. “New.” She picked it up.

It was written in the same language Mila had grown used to finding in her dreams. Empires common - it was called. Or, as far as she knew, it was. It wasn’t like she had gained memories from her various lives, just experiences. Soldiers didn’t speak much about etymology or linguistics.

The leaflet was covered in words describing a way to move her body more efficiently. Mila could tell that these methods were an effective way to increase her flexibility. She narrowed her eyes. It was handy, but was there any point to it besides self-satisfaction? She was still stuck in this god-forsaken land. And if this was a dream, a big if, her actual body could not repeat these exercises.

Still, Mila got the feeling she needed to take her time to practice. She did find her body to be too rigid after all.

And she did. For a long time, Mila went through multiple sets of drills written down on the paper. It reminded her of yoga, although more focused on utility and practicality. She could tell many of the movements would apply to physical fighting.

It was fun to move as she wished. Mila smiled as large tears rolled down her cheeks. It was fun, but all she felt was sadness and disappointment. Her whole life had been a disappointment.

Even now, she was sure no one would miss her. Mila had been a burden on her family, and due to her condition, she had no friends. The person she knew the best was her doctor. It was pathetic.

Mila fell down on the ground and watched the clear blue sky. There was no sun or moon. Just an empty sky with no clouds. Slowly, she drifted into a dreamless rest.

—

The pain came suddenly. Her body hurt! She also felt someone touch her hand. Mila winced and forced her eyes open while pulling herself away from the touch. She tumbled on the ground and tried to perceive the surroundings and if there was any danger to her.

The wooden walls, the simple bed, the rustic table and chair reminded Mila she had travelled to another world. She looked at the frightened girl, about 14 years old, standing beside the bed she had lied in just a moment ago.

Mila slowly stood up, forcing her trembling body to obey. This was not the worst condition to wake up in. She had felt far worse. It didn’t mean it was even remotely pleasant. She studied the girl with suspicion.

The girl raised her hands and started to speak in a rushed tone. Mila struggled to follow her words but understood it was an apology. She did not answer and looked around once more, looking for anything she could use as a weapon.

Her current clothes were good enough. Mila was wearing some sort of thick pyjamas and woollen socks. The unfamiliar place, however, put her on the edge.

A moment later, Mila heard a rush behind the only exit. The doors sprang open, revealing Silinth with the teens who had travelled with her behind him. He entered the room while the duo followed. He asked the girl what had happened.

Another string of words Mila struggled to understand explained that the girl was checking Mila’s condition when she had suddenly woken up.

“I was just surprised.” Mila calmly explained and climbed back into the bed. She pulled the blanket over herself and forcefully relaxed. Her body was demanding rest.

Silinth let out a gruff laugh before adding something about Mila looking scary. Only then did he recall the language issue. After waving the girl away, he cast the translation spell and spoke again.

“How are you feeling?”

“Could be better.” Mila returned. She glanced at the teens. They seemed fine, so Silinth had deemed her words had enough weight to them. “I am Mila.” She introduced herself.

Both teens looked taken aback. They exchanged glances before the guy spoke.

“Andrew.” He nodded. The concern in his eyes was easy to see. “I am glad to see you awake.”

Despite his impressive height, Silinth was taller still. Nevertheless, he was over 190 centimetres tall. Mila returned the nod and looked at the girl.

“My name is Isabel.” She presented. “Isabel Montrock.” Her brown hair swayed as she took a few steps closer to the bed. “Mister Ampry told us you were simply tired.”

Mila did not miss how Isabel kept her distance from Silinth. She kept glancing at the man in worry.

It made Silinth laugh. “Isabel here heard a bit of what we said before you lost consciousness.” He revealed. “It was just a misunderstanding and unfortunate coincidence, but she worries I did something to you.”

“I see.” Mila contemplated what to do. “How long I was out?” She asked after realising she was hungry. “And where are we?”

“My place.” Silinth opened his hands wide. “Anything mine is yours. Feel free to explore when you feel better.”

“It’s been almost a day.” Isabel stood beside the bed, almost shielding Mila from Silinth. “Is what Mister Ampry said true? About the misunderstanding.”

Mila looked at Andrew, who was still next to Silinth, seemingly carefree. However, upon further investigation, she noticed the tiny twitches every time Silinth made a sudden movement.

It was understandable but not advisable. It was good news that Silinth was taking their actions with humour.

“You can relax.” Mila finally spoke. “It was a misunderstanding, and my constitution leaves much to be desired. You already saw that before we arrived at this place.”

“Ah, yeah, about that.” Andrew relaxed and glanced around. “I find it hard to believe we are in a different world. But the magic-” He shook his head. “And the surroundings. It’s hard to not accept it as truth.”

Isabel sighed. “We spent yesterday and most of the morning talking with Mr Ampry.” She added. “He did his best to answer our questions.” She sat down next to Mila and looked into her eyes. “It seems that we have been summoned to a different world. As I understand, Mr. Ampry already spoke about it with you, but” She looked worried. “There does not seem to be a way to return.”

Mila blinked. What was Isabel trying to say? She looked at both men. Andrew had a similar look on his face as Isabel, while Silinth looked amused. “And?”

Isabel gave her a reassuring smile. “ It’s going to be tough, with everything familiar now gone. So, if you need a shoulder to cry on, we are there for you.” She put her hand on hers and squeezed.

“What?” Mila could not quite catch up.

“I know it’s hard.” Andrew walked closer to the bed. “Last night was tough for us, but-” He sighed. “There is nothing we can do about it. We can only try to find a way by ourselves. Mr. Ampry promised to train and teach as much as possible to prepare us for this world.”

“Okay?” Mila felt like she was missing something.

“They think they need to cuddle and protect you!” Silinth started to laugh.

“Mr. Ampry, this is not appropriate.” Isabel frowned. “She is still a child.”

Silinth only laughed harder while Mila’s lips turned into a thin line. “I am an adult.” She remarked. “I turned nineteen a few months ago.”

Isabel’s mouth fell open while Andrew found it unbelievable.

“No way!” He exclaimed. “You look like you are fourteen! How are you a year older than we are?” Andrew squinted. “Are you joking?”

“No. I am nineteen.” Mila felt a headache unrelated to the aching coming.

“Just take a look at her face.” Silinth doubled over.

“Uh, are you really?” Isabel blushed. She pulled her hand back. “You don’t- I mean, you look very young.”

“I know my age.” Mila stared at the girl.

“I see, well, our offer still stands.” Isabel quickly stood up and shuffled back to where Andrew stood.

“This is so embarrassing,” Andrew muttered to Isabel.

“It was your idea.” Isabel shot back.

“Because you could not calm down and kept talking about her.”

“It’s only natural!” Isabel shot a glance at Mila. “How could I know?”

“How could I know?” Andrew heckled, returning the question in the same tone.

Isabel’s eyes narrowed into a slit. She opened her mouth-

“I am hungry.” Mila interrupted before the duo could escalate their argument. “And I am still not feeling well. Both of you can go and scream at each other outside.”

“Well, you heard the lady.” Silinth finally stopped laughing and shooed the teens out of the room. “I’ll tell Tiff to bring you some porridge. She is the girl you saw earlier. A good cook, not so good fighter or mage.”

Andrew and Isabel left the room while glaring at each other. They did look back at her apologetically, so at least they were aware of their actions.

“Is Tiff your disciple?” Mila asked, remembering that Silinth had introduced himself as Instructor.

“Yeah.” He sighed. “She tries, but-” Silinth shook his head. “Well, not everyone is destined for a battlefield.”

Mile chose not to comment. She was not familiar with their situation to say what was right. Sometimes, fighting until you died away from your loved ones was the only choice. However, through her dreams, she had seen so many pointless deaths. People never knew when to give up and turn around.

After Silinth left, Mila looked up at the ceiling and sighed. She had messed up. Instead of accepting her peer care and worry, she let her insecurities push them away. “This sucks.” She was angry at herself.

For a while, Mila allowed herself to wallow in misery. But soon, her food was ready. A quiet knock on the door signalled Tiff’s arrival.

Milla invited the girl in and watched the timid being shily enter. Tiff carried a steaming bowl. The smell of food filled the room, making her stomach growl.

“Thank you.” Mila received the bowl, not caring if the girl did not understand her. She did not try to speak in the Empire common again. The girl was likely even less familiar with it than Silinth was, if at all.

It would take a while, but Mila knew it would not be too hard to learn the language they were using now. The basics were there. She just had to learn the differences.

After Tiff left, Mila started to eat. The porridge was plain but sated her appetite splendidly. Usually, she had trouble eating so much, but today, she emptied the bowl.

Mila let out a satisfied burp and looked at the chair where her clothes had been put.

With some effort, Mila got out of the bed. It was time to take a look around and see what she was dealing with.