The Second Stranger

I massaged my wrists as we walked out of the house.

I followed Lotrick, Fern’s little brother, down the cobblestone path. The morning sun was peaking through the slits between buildings and the two moons had long passed over the edge of the high canyon walls.

The burns from the light threads Zola had used on me last night were still visible. Each wrist ached when I massaged them.

—Come to think of it, you’re covered in scars, I thought to Fern as I analyzed the crisscrossing scars along my new hands and arms. I remembered my face, Fern’s face, had several gashes along it as well when I looked into the water barrel.

—‘Yes, Mother has always assured me that any act of defiance will cause punishment,’ Fern said flatly.

—That’s…rough. I’m sorry about that. Why is she like that? I asked.

—‘Well, I wouldn’t have gotten hurt last night if it wasn’t for you. That was the first time in weeks she had hit me.’ Annoyance rose in his echoing voice.

—Right…sorry. I pushed my fingers through my new green hair. My messy green hair fell below my ears, and it felt like Fern hadn’t washed it in weeks.

The homes of Corello had silken rooftops of vibrant colors that flickered like a rainbow. I hadn’t noticed the color covering each home when I looked out over Corello last night. Each cubic-like home proudly held up a colored tarp with poles that served as shading for the rooftop access. The buildings, built with what looked like sandstone, had a golden-like color to them. Long lines of color were painted along each edge of the building, causing them to stand out based on the color of the paint. Fern’s house, I guess mine now too, stood proudly sporting green colors along the edges of the home and a giant purple tarp that covered the rooftop.

—What do the colors mean? I nodded towards the rooftops.

—‘You’re asking a lot of questions when you should pay attention to my brother. If you mess up again, Mother is going to hurt us much more than last night.’ I felt my temple twitch, almost like Fern’s annoyance was pushing through to my body.

He was right though. I am in this strange new place; it’s important to stay focused and be on guard. Noah could be in an even worse situation. Where is he? Why did he leave like that? Before I could worry about him, I needed to avoid getting killed. If Fern’s mother easily hit her son with no remorse for waking up in the middle of the night, I can’t imagine what she would do if she knew a strange man had taken control of his body. She already called him cursed once.

I shifted my attention back to Lotrick and surveyed him. His hair was a blend of purple and gold, an unusual combination, but I shouldn’t think so since my hair is green. He also radiated magic.

—He’s a…what did you call it, a Mageblood, right? I averted my eyes from the young boy and asked Fern.

—‘Is it that obvious even for an outsider?’ Fern said with a sigh. ‘The little brat always shows off his glow.’

—His glow? I guess I see it. He has an aura about him, like the main character from a battle anime.

—‘Main character? Anime?’ Fern asked.

—Ignore me. I shook my head and looked back at Lotrick.

The young boy, maybe 10 or 12, had golden eyes, much like my own - or rather, Fern’s. He shifted his gaze towards me, causing me to jerk my stare away. It was jarring to see such intensity in someone so young.

“Keep your head forward, brother,” Lotrick said, his voice calm but firm. “And you should open your shirt more at the top.”

“Huh? Why should I do that?” I asked the boy.

Lotrick stopped and looked at me as if I had called him a name. “Are you questioning me? My, my, mother must have hit you hard last night. Open it. Now,” He slapped my chest with the back of his hand before continuing to walk.

I complied, fumbling slightly with the tan garment. As I pulled the collar open, I noticed a strange tattoo in the center of my sternum. A simple design, circular with unconnected lines, like a worn-away shooting target that seemed to spiral into the center of my body.

—‘That marks us as a Voidblood,’ Fern’s said. ‘It’s how they identify us. How they humiliate us.’

I held back a frown, not wanting to give away my reaction to Fern’s words. A system of marking people based on their magical ability - or lack thereof - seemed disturbingly close to practices I’d learned about in history class back on Earth. The mistreatment of humans seemed to cross universal boundaries.

Lotrick nodded approvingly at the exposed tattoo. “There, that’s better. We wouldn’t want anyone to forget what you are, would we?”

—He’s arrogant for a child. I thought, but Fern did not answer.

I forced a smile and threw my hands up. “Of course not, brother. You were right, mother knocked my senses out of me!” I laughed and clapped Lotrick’s back. “So, where are we going again?”

“For the love of Zander, what is with you today?” Lotrick rolled his eyes, ignoring my question. He behaved oddly maturely for a young boy. How old is he?

We turned from the small quiet street and stepped into a large town square. The morning life of the town burst with energy. In the center of the square, a large fountain with several stone sculptures of men and women wearing ridiculously enormous hats spouted bright, almost glowing blue water from their outstretched pale stone hands. Along the sides of the square, different shops had opened up. Some seemed familiar to me.

A restaurant owner set up a sign painted with a picture of a pastry, a cafe was already open with patrons sitting on small little tables outside drinking what looked like coffee, and other merchants displayed their own painted signs advertising their business. A group of children no smaller than Lotrick pushed past us, tossing a ball. I pinched myself to keep from gawking at the different children. Some had ears and tails.

—Whoa! Ok, I know you are tired of the questions, but you gotta explain that! Those? Them? The animal children. I pestered Fern in my mind.

I felt like I could hear him sigh.

—‘Those specifically? That girl is a Canis-Woman, and the taller boy is a Reptilia-Man. Beastmen from other countries around Morne. They have all the same rights as other mortal races. If they are Magebloods, that is.’

The little beastmen and human children ran around the fountain tossing the ball. When I looked closer, I saw that the ball they were tossing wasn't a ball at all but, a formed, floating, ball of water, suspended in shape.

—Ah, I see. Magic does run this world. I thought quietly to Fern.

The children were all keeping the ball in its shape. Their hands stretched out with light blue strings between the fingers, forming a sort of design between their hands. The ball of water would bounce off of one string design to another that a different child held. It was hard to get adjusted to this world, so instead of questioning everything, I started to just accept it. Fern seemed to not have a lot of time to himself, so for now, I will have to go with whatever was thrown at me. At least until I could sit and think about everything. I still needed to find Noah. I stared off in thought at the kids playing with the water ball before I bumped into Lotrick.

“Watch it,” He snorted. “We are here, Jade Supply.” He pointed in front of him at a tall building.

—‘That’s right, brother needs his school supplies,’ Fern said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Lotrick has stopped and looked up at the building.

The store used the same sandstone material as the other buildings. The roof had a light green tarp draped over it and jade green painted lined the edges of the building. On each floor, a small balcony jutted out over the street. On the second floor, two beastwomen who I could only describe as cat-girls were sitting on the porch drinking tea. They looked down and their eyebrows raised when they saw Lotrick standing below them.

“Ah, Master Lotrick!” one girl yelled. They waved down at Fern’s brother.

One had short black hair and wore a plain white collared shirt with black pants. Her companion had white hair and wore the same uniform-like clothes. They both were human in every aspect except for their long tails, pointed ears that peaked through their hair, and short whiskers on each cheek. I assumed they worked at this store.

They stood up on the balcony railing and flicked their palms upward with their fingers pinched together. A sharp gust of wind blew up between Lotrick and me. A visible gust of wind twisted at both of their feet and slowly lowered them down in front of us. They were taller than us by a good foot, at least six feet tall.

“Master Wor is waiting for you. Also, Miss Rosie is in there too!” The black-haired one nudged Lotrick and gave him a wink.

—So, magic seems pretty common, huh? I asked in my mind, admiring the floating ability these girls had just used.

—‘It’s exactly what I told you. I got unlucky. The 1% of the population that can’t access the source,’ Fern said.

I gritted my teeth at his response.

—Of course, when I get a chance to be in a fantasy world, I can’t even use magic. Just my luck. I hope Noah is doing better, I thought. Fern did not respond. He seemed to ignore most of my complaints.

“Great, thank you, ladies,” Lotrick said as he strode past the two. They outstretched their arms for him to enter the double doors.

The sign above the doors was painted in big gold symbols spelling out Jade Supply. How did I read that? I shouldn’t be able to read that, but I did. Is it because of my connection to Fern? I pushed the thought away. Just one more peculiarity that I ignored for now. I quickly followed behind Lotrick. The two cat girls glared at me. Their slit iris seemed to peer into me. I hurried past them into a dark hallway before we got to another set of interior doors.

The shop was big. Bigger than it had looked from the outside. High ceilings rose thirty feet in the air. I glanced around, taking in the shop’s interior. Shelves filled with an array of objects lined the walls. Books, tools, potions, herbs, weapons, and more. It was like a fantasy player’s ideal general store in a video game. The air smelled of incense and something metallic. Where there should have been more floors, based on the balconies outside, were interior ramparts. Cat-girls and cat-boys shuffled back and forth above the open ground floor. Some carried bags, some pushed carts, but all were in a hurry.

We stepped down a long ramp that led to the center of the circular room. My eyes darted around frantically, soaking up everything. Seeing a real-life fantasy store made me almost twitch with excitement. I wished Noah were here so I could enjoy this with him. He would freak out.

People crowded Jade Supply’s cavernous space. There were dozens of humans and beastmen alike sprawled throughout the shelves, wandering the labyrinth of magical wonders. Hanging from the ceiling were ten huge glass jars. They were as big as me and each had dirt in them. Some of the dirt was a dark brown, almost black color, others were red or orange. Some jars held moss within their dirt and one had gravel-like rocks.

Past the center of the room, behind a large, half-circle counter, and hung up on the wall, rows of silver rapiers gleamed. Nearby, I spotted uniforms that looked like they belonged in a posh private school, but with added utility pockets and holsters for books.

We walked down the ramp, and I glanced at the shelves nearby. Books of all sizes and colors lined them, alongside jars of mysterious ingredients and other magical paraphernalia.

As my eyes scanned the labels, all the symbols made sense to me. Just like the sign outside, I could read. The characters, foreign as they were, made perfect sense to me.

—‘Of course you can read, you’re in my body,’ Fern’s voice echoed in my head. ‘I learned before they found out I couldn’t use magic.’

—That is incredible, I thought, realizing I could access some of Fern’s knowledge. However, I don’t know what any of this means, reading is useless for this sort of thing.

—‘Strange,’ Fern whispered.

I was about to pull a book that caught my eye when a cheerful voice called out, interrupting my exploration.

“Lotrick! Fern! You’re here!” The voice yelled from behind us.

I turned to see a girl who looked about Lotrick’s age. Her face lit up with a bright smile.

The girl with jet-black hair and startlingly bright pink eyes hopped over the railing of the ramp to join us.

“Lotrick!” she wrapped him in a tight hug. He stiffened, pushing her away with an annoyed grunt.

“Rosie, please,” Lotrick sighed. “I hope you won’t be so... expressive at school.”

She laughed, playfully punching his arm. “Oh, don’t be such a bully.”

Then she turned to me, her smile widening. “Fern! Look what I taught myself!”

Rosie held out her hands, and suddenly a swirling orb of fire and ice materialized between them, spinning. The conflicting energies created a mesmerizing dance of red and white light.

I felt a surge rise in my stomach. Awe. Fern’s feelings, I realized. I could almost picture him next to me, gazing at the orb.

“Wow, you taught yourself this magic?” I asked, confused about how the whole magic system worked here in this world.

“This one has been on my list to master before we go off to school! Now that we are fourteen, I wanted to make sure I was gonna be at the top of the freshmen class and ahead of Lotty.” Rosie pulled Lotrick into a side hug and tossed his hair.

“You’re fourteen?” I blurted out at Lotrick.

They both stared at me, confused. I spoke without thinking.

“Just kidding,” I said while scratching my head, acting dumb. They ignored it and continued walking down the ramp. They talked about classes and supplies they planned on getting.

—‘What was that about? I specifically told you to behave normally so you don’t get caught,’ Fern scolded.

—Hey, you’re not the one thrown into a whole new world with new physics, magic, people with crazy hair colors, and freaking beastmen. Cut me some slack, kid. I snapped back. Fern may be a teenager, but I’m a full-blown adult, or rather, I was. Still, I won’t let a child chastise me.

—‘Well, at least you’re not trapped in some dark void watching someone else control your own body, pretend to be you, and mess everything up!’ He shouted back. His voice echoed inside my head like I was in a cave.

That’s right, he is a teenager. He’s scared just as much as I was. I hoped he couldn’t hear all my thoughts.

—You’re right, I am sorry you’re in that position. I’ll get you out eventually, I swear, I said, adding to my list of promises. First Noah, now Fern.

—‘It’s... fine,’ he muttered.

Before I could respond, Rosie grabbed my arm and pulled me down the rest of the ramp. “Come on, Fern! Your brother needs your help.”

I looked up to see Lotrick already far ahead of me at the crescent-shaped counter. Several beastmen assistants brought him supply after supplies. I hurried over and started stuffing the items into an empty backpack one of the cat boys had brought over.

Several wrapped packs of what I assumed was paper, a pack of spices, four empty glass vials wrapped in protective wrapping, two vials of ink, one golden pen, and a dozen other random oddities Lotrick had ordered filled the bag. A silver rapier with a bright gold hilt rested in a glass case. I tied the rapier’s case to the side of the backpack. My hands acted like I was back in the warehouse, trying to fit each item into a box, optimizing the space.

As I worked, Lotrick engaged in conversation with an older man who stood behind the counter. Master Jade Wor, I overheard Lotrick say. The old man had long, curly gray hair that draped elegantly over his shoulders. He also had small cat ears that poked through his hair. Another beastman.

—‘Felis-Man, to be specific,’ Fern clarified.

—Just how much of my thoughts can you hear? I asked, slightly annoyed. He did not respond.

“Master Lotrick,” Master Wor said, clapping his hands together. “Have you decided on your track at the capital?”

Lotrick smiled and closed his eyes. “Because of my unique abilities, they automatically enrolled me in the Royal Princeguard Track.” He puffed out his chest as he said that last part.

“Hey, me too!” Rosie chimed in, her pink eyes flashed behind her bouncy black hair.

“You? They let you join the Princeguard Track too? That can’t be possible. You can’t even use three elements.”

“Well, it’s true! Just because you can use three sources doesn’t make me any less special. Just wait and see how strong I am when we get there.” She pouted.

“Three is rarer than two. Either way, it doesn’t matter. I’ll definitely become a top mage this way.” Lotrick scoffed as he turned back to Wor. Rosie stomped her feet and flicked her head away from my brother.

I hefted the now-full backpack, surprised at how easily I managed the weight.

—Hey, Fern, what’s your workout routine? I joked.

—‘What? I... I’m not that strong,’ Fern replied, confused.

—‘Huh? Really? Then, is it because…’

A hand shoved my shoulder back to the entrance. Lotrick had ended his conversation with Master Wor and headed for the exit. Rosie walked beside him. She had either forgotten her annoyance at Lotrick or moved on. I followed them and took in more of the store on our way out.

—Man, I wish I could stay. This place seems so interesting, I thought.

—‘What’s the point? Not like we can use any of it,’ Fern pouted.

—Says you. It might help me find Noah. Maybe one of these potions will help get my body back and give you yours.

—‘Noah…your brother,’ Fern trailed off. If I could feel his emotions when we saw Rosie, he probably can feel mine right now.

I shook my head and trudged ahead. The enormous jars of earth suspended above kept grabbing my attention, causing me to not watch where I was walking. Distracted, I collided with someone shorter than me. There was a crash as books hit the floor, followed by a barrage of curses as the figure turned around and glared up at me with blue eyes.

A boy, about Lotrick’s age, dressed in expensive-looking clothing, stared up at me, seething.

“You absolute imbecile!” he spat, brushing off his jacket. “Do you have any idea who you’ve just assaulted?”

Two other boys rushed to his side and asked if he was hurt.

“I’m fine,” the boy snapped, waving them off. His eyes narrowed as they landed on my chest, where my shirt gaped open. “Well, well. What do we have here? A Voidblood dares to soil my presence?”

Lotrick turned around, his face coated with annoyance. Rosie hovered by his side, looking worried.

“Carlyle,” Lotrick said, his voice flat. “Excuse my fool of a brother. He has been acting rather off today. Fern, apologize immediately.”

Carlyle sneered, gesturing at the books on the floor and the new scuff mark on his shoes. “I should have known you’d be involved in this attack on me, Lotrick.” He spit on the ground. “This filth has ruined my new boots. I think it’s only fitting that he cleans them. With his tongue.”

I felt a surge of anger, both my own and Fern’s.

In my head, Fern’s voice rang out.

—‘We should probably do what he says.’

—Are you kidding me? Absolutely not.

“Hey, kid. It was an accident,” I said, my voice low and controlled. “How about you chill out? I’ll pick up your books though.” I bent down to grab the books when Carlyle put one boot on my back. I winced as his heel twisted my skin. I looked over my shoulder up at him.

Carlyle’s face turned an ugly shade of red. “You dare speak to me that way?” His voice rose, and he started digging his heel into my spine. “I’m giving you one more chance, Voidblood. Clean my shoes, or else.”

Something snapped inside me. I stood up quickly, causing Carlyle to back up. “Oh, yeah? I’m all about the ‘or else’ right now.” I stepped closer, my fists clenching at my sides. I leaned down over him and furrowed my eyebrows. “Let’s do this outside. I bet I can beat your ass with these Voidblood hands.”

—‘Erik, what the hell?’ Fern screamed. I ignored.

Carlyle’s friends whooped and hollered. “Yeah, roast him alive, Carlyle!” One cheered.

“Show him where Voidbloods belong!” Another egged on.

The spoiled brat’s eyes glinted with malice. “You’ll regret this. Lotrick, your brother is an idiot. Let’s see what you’ve got, Voidblood.”

This was probably a bad idea, but I’d be damned if I let some punk, no, a damn kid, push me around.