Sophie's Gender

Edited by: Chip

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With Starlight as Atlas’ new companion, he felt like his days were filled with more joy.

Starlight was healing well so she followed Sir Walter around the estate while Atlas was studying and training. Sir Walter showed her around the estate, showed the people who would give them snacks, and showed where the best napping spots were.

Maybe it was because Starlight was young or because she was saved by him, but she saw Sir Walter as a father figure and always wanted to be by his side.

Even Atlas felt he was number 2 in her heart. He didn’t mind it though because Sir Walter and Cyrus were tied for number 1 in his heart.

After a normal day of training and studying, Cyrus and Atlas met up in Cyrus’ study to talk about some important stuff.

That important topic was their birthday.

According to the Dragon God and the God of Light, Cyrus and Atlas were born on the same day and same time. This was because they also died at the same time and place.

Their birthday was Month 2, day 7, and year 1067. There were 12 months in a year, 30 days in a month, and 24 hours in a day. It was similar to their previous world. As for how the year worked, it was based on how long it had been since the Hirean Empire was founded.

Currently, it was Month 12, day 23, and year 1077.

Cyrus had a serious look on his face. “Even though our birthday is less than two months from now, we have to be prepared. For a long time, our parents have been able to postpone any birthday celebrations for me because the technology of the hair and eye color changing cloak wasn’t that advanced.”

“Recently though, our parents have been pressured to have a birthday party for me, and now you. High society wants to know who you are and what you look like. Even the Emperor has been trying to get our parents to fold and comply. This is something we can’t avoid. Fortunately, magic artisans have been able to create earrings that can change the hair and eye color of the person wearing them. For now, it’s still being tested but we may have to wear it for our upcoming birthday.”

Cyrus felt a headache coming in thinking about this birthday party and the future when they debut. “We won’t be able to wear these earrings when we debut though. All magic tools and weapons are banned from entering the Palace and magic is weakened for everyone who is not a part of the Imperial family. Everyone in high society is wondering why we are hiding our real appearance and cannot wait for us to reveal it at the debut.”

Atlas realized the gravity of the situation, so he didn’t make jokes. He did ask a few questions because there were some things he didn’t have a lot of understanding of.

“I know it’s important to hide our hair and eye color, but when we debut, what are we going to do when everyone knows what we look like… How do we protect ourselves from the Holy Kingdom and the Dragon’s Temple.”

The Dragon’s Temple was the name of the largest and main religious organization in the Hirean Empire. There were other temples to worship other Gods because the Dragon God had told the people about the other Gods that govern this world. Still, most people align themselves with the Dragon God.

Cyrus appreciated that Atlas wasn’t afraid to ask questions and this question was a good one. “Because we both have been blessed by the Dragon God, Sohtris, the Hirean Empire will be able to refuse the Holy Kingdom’s attempts to bring us, especially me, over. Not only that, we will be going to the Imperial Academy, which is highly protected, making it impossible for us to get kidnapped there.

“Unfortunately, this will not stop the Holy Kingdom from trying to kidnap us. The Alnhart family is prepared to fight against these kidnappers, so you do not have to worry too much. Sir Walter will also be here to protect us.

“As for the Dragon’s Temple, we may have to make a compromise with them, like visiting the temple once a week, but in those times, we will be protected by not only the members of the temple but by the Imperial Knights. We also have our bodyguards and Sir Walter.”

Atlas listened to everything and felt Cyrus had everything planned out for the two of them. If he was on his own, he wouldn’t have been able to think about all of this.

Honestly, he’s the kind of person who will figure things out when it happens.

That’s why, he thought Cyrus was definitely the brains between the two of them. That was okay though, he could be the brawns that protected them, too. “I understand. I will also protect you so the Holy Kingdom will think twice about trying to kidnap you!”

Cyrus chuckled and patted Atlas on the head. “Thank you, Atlas. I will also do my best to protect you.”

As they were bonding, there was a knock on the door.

Atlas’ butler, Nolan, knocked on the door. “Excuse me, Lord Cyrus, Lord Atlas, Miss Sophie has arrived.”

Sophie? Atlas and Cyrus looked at each other a little confused. It was getting late and it was not time to meet up with her, so why was she here?

“You can let her in.” Even though Cyrus was a bit confused, if she was at their estate at this time, it was probably something serious.

Nolan opened the door and Sophie was by herself. Her maid, Loren, was not seen so she probably left the Norrs estate by herself. Sophie looked a bit distressed and tired, but she still tried her best to keep her composure and grace.

“Thank you for letting me meet you both on short notice.” Sophie gave a polite greeting, showing that she wanted to talk with them alone.

“Nolan, you can leave now. If anyone needs us, just let them know we are talking with Sophie.” Cyrus kindly motioned for Nolan to leave and close the door.

“Yes, Lord Cyrus.”

Atlas gave Nolan a wave and moved from his seat so Sophie could sit next to Cyrus. He felt that it was going to be a serious and potentially sad conversation, so it was best for Cyrus to comfort her.

When Nolan left, Sophie’s composure crumbled and she looked like she was about to cry. “I’m really sorry for coming here on short notice, I just… I didn’t know where to go after fighting with my cousins and my mom.”

According to Sophie, there was a family gathering at the Norrs Estate to celebrate her parents’ tenth anniversary. It was a private event for people who were related to the Norrs family.

At the gathering, Sophie was getting teased by her cousins saying that she was not “a real girl” and that her future husband would be disgusted with her. Then she beat them up using magic and was caught by the adults.

“I know they are just kids who don’t understand how the world works, but it still makes me upset. When I told my mom, she told me to just ignore it because I knew better. She said I shouldn’t have beat them up and that they would learn that gender is just another way to identify. In the future, they will understand me. I got mad at my mom and started yelling at her for not understanding me.”

After that, Sophie ran over to the Alnhart estate because she didn’t want to be at home, especially because she was yelled at by her parents even though she knew what they meant. They just didn’t understand where she was coming from and that’s what made her even more upset.

Atlas was a bit confused. “What did they mean you are not a real girl? You seem like a real girl to me.”

“Thank you, Atlas, but…” Sophie paused. “Wait, you didn’t know I was born male?”

He looked confused for a moment and then realized Sophie meant that she was this world’s equivalent to a transgender girl.

Atlas recently learned that in this world, there was a God of Gender and Love whose name was not really known, but they were described as a God with multiple genders. The only reason people knew of this God’s existence was because this God gave the Alchemists of this world a potion that is able to change someone’s sex once in their lifetime. It would change their internal and external sex physiology. And that change in sex was reflected in a person’s ID card.

They also had pills for stopping puberty up until the age of 15. These pills were started at the age of 9 and then at the age of 15, they could decide whether they wanted to take the Gender Potion or decide they do not need it to be themselves.

Still, Atlas didn’t mind that he was kept in the dark for a while. Talking about identity could be difficult, especially if you don’t know someone’s reaction. That’s why, he did his best to reassure Sophie that he saw her the way she saw herself. “Oh, I didn’t know but that doesn’t change anything. If you are a girl, then you are a girl and I will see you as one. My martial arts teacher told me there are a lot of genders in this world. They were born intersex and identify as agender. I think there’s nothing wrong with that. As long as you are a good person, then that’s all that matters to me.”

“Well, I’m still not confident I understand everything about different genders, so if I say something wrong, please let me know.”

Sophie was surprised Atlas was so understanding but also grateful that he had enough self-awareness to know that he didn’t know everything and was open to learning. Funny enough, Cyrus said something similar to her when she was a bit younger.

“Thank you, Atlas. You and Cyrus are very alike. He said something similar to me and accepted me for who I was.” She had a little tears in her eyes but they never fell. “I wish my parents understood like you two. I know they love me for who I am and support me as a girl. Actually, they were so happy I came out and even threw a party. It’s just…”

“I wanted them to tell me that it was okay to be upset because our cousins have not been educated yet. They are older than me but still don’t know that there are so many different genders in this world. I wanted my parents to tell their parents to teach them about gender because they are old enough to understand that there are all kinds of people, not just males and females.”

Cyrus patted her on the back. “It’s okay, Sophie. It’s okay to cry.” He was a bit awkward but he did his best to comfort her. “You have the right to be upset because their ignorance affects you and your parents not addressing that with your cousin’s parents will make their ignorance continue. You shouldn’t have to fight to have your existence understood and respected.”

“You can stay at our house until you feel better, alright? Just make sure you send them a letter saying that you will be staying for a little bit.”

Sophie nodded and thanked him. “Thank you, Cyrus. Can… Can I give you a hug?”

“Of course. Thank you for asking,”

Cyrus brought her into a hug and patted her back. He hugged her in a similar way he would hug Atlas when Atlas was crying. It was the only way he knew how to comfort someone…

After that, it took three days for Sophie to feel better and go back to the Norrs estate. There, her parents cried with her and apologized for not understanding her. They also promised they would talk with the relatives and have them educated on gender and sexuality.

Everything worked out in the end.

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Grandpa Marky: Not everyone will like this, but I wanted to make a fantasy world with diversity in sex and gender identity (also sexual orientation). Like, a fantasy world but y'all don't have magic potions that can permanently change someone's sex but you can make a man have babies? Hmmm okay. Well, we have the best of both worlds in this novel LOL.