Breath entered his lungs, but this time the air was not cold and moldy. It was warm, with a hint of midnight rain. He sat up, looking around at the room he found himself in. The walls were made of marble, and large crystal mirrors adorned them. Pillars sculpted to depict a woman and a man stand between each crystal mirror. Vents adorn the bottom of the walls.
In the center of the room was a large moonlight shard. Floating in place with more smaller shards floating around it. Natural moonlight came from the large open ceiling of the room. Four doors could be seen, leading to hallways and to the outside world. But that was not the only thing in this building.
There were people, like him, men and women. Of different shapes and sizes, their voices blend into a horrific orchestra of sound. Frenley could not help but cringe and try to cover his ears; sound always overstimulated him. Which is why he likes to have his earbuds in most of the time, his music pushes away all the sounds.
But almost like hearing his plea, a soft melody entered the room. The soft melody of a choir and a real musical orchestra. They sang in a language he could not understand. But the feelings of sadness, longing, and hope for a better tomorrow transcended the language barrier. In an instant, the voices of his fellow humans were tuned out as the music became his main focus.
Frenley stood up, not wanting to get stepped on by a passing group. He turned around and walked straight to a crystal mirror. The man stopped to look at the figure that was looking back at him. Standing around 5’10’’, with long flowing raven black hair that reaches his lower back and pointy ears. His eyes were the pale green of a forest. But the most curious thing was his face. It was a mixture of a male and a female. Perfectly androgynous, given the way his body was built. Light, petite, and with some lean muscles. He could easily be confused for a flat-chested girl or a lean man.
“Huh..”
‘What you see is what your soul pictures you as.’
“So you're saying I want to look like an androgynous elf?”
‘You are a fey, not an elf. But yes’
“The same way my soul made you into a sexy southern milf?”
‘Yes, if you got a problem with it, then get a new deepest desire.’
“You are becoming really sassy..hey, what's your name? And for the love of God, don't you dare say ‘The blind don't deserve names’”
‘Those protected from light and sight don't need names.’
“..Dear, I swear to the gods I am gonna do something to you.”
‘You gonna punch me?’
“No, I was taught not to hit women. Unless they ask for it.”
‘That was a shit innuendo.’
Fren sighs as he looks away from the mirror, trying to fight the urge to smile. He could have sworn he heard the small giggle of a voice in his head. But he decided to ignore it.
“I am gonna call you Ailice”
‘The blinde-’
“I don't fucking care, I am gonna call you Ailice, and you're gonna like it. If you're gonna keep talking in my mind, then we might as well be comfortable with each other. Maybe I will be able to hear your real voice one day. Not this mind projection, and for sure not this southern milf character.”
She didn't say anything, and his battle to keep his lips in check failed. A soft smile was painted on his face as he started to walk towards one of the exits. Passing by a variety of people as he did. The hallway was filled with the same pillars and crystal mirrors as the main room. Soon, an open gate came into view, and in seconds, Frenley was outside the majestic building.
He was greeted by the soft full moon shining its light on this ancient-looking city. There were carts full of goods being moved around by large mechanical-like horses. People walked on the sidewalks; some he recognized as humans from Earth. But others didn't have that look in their eyes, of seeing everything as new and touching everything as if it were exotic. No, they had the look of people born in this night city.
Who had families dead and alive within these walls. Who will work and die within these walls.
“Holy shit, there are actual inhabitants in this place. I take it this is the city you were talking about?”
‘Frenley, welcome to Lunarist, The Floating City.’
“You from this city, Ailice?”
‘No..I am from the ground. I took refuge here with my fellow bats during the Great Madness.”
“…Floating city. Is it actually floating? How the hell do you keep a population like this sustained?”
‘We do not ask the moon for its secrets. Curiously invites the sun.’
“So this Moon Queen, is she here?”
‘I cannot answer that question, sugar.’
“Eh.. Anyway, I got two levels from that fight. How do I level up?”
‘Well, you do that by going back inside and touching the grand hub. It will also give you rewards. But the tutorial gives nothing. So next time you come back from an expedition in the ground world, you will get runes and equipment.’
“Shit, can't loot from the enemies?”
‘No, you can't.’
With a click of his tongue, Frenley started to walk around the city. Waving his hand at people when they wave at him. There were bakeries, armor shops, and weapon shops. Blacksmiths, houses, and what Frenley thinks are apartments.
“What's the currency in this city?”
‘For dreamers, if you wish to get something, something of equivalent value must be given.’
“Gotcha.. what's the cost of a house in here?”
‘Why is that useful information?’
“Have you seen the housing market on Earth? Shit is so expensive that you need to be in with four people to get a nice house. So if I can't have that on Earth, maybe I can have it in this new land.”
‘…Around one rune per room.’
“So a house with three rooms, two bathrooms, a living room, dining, and a kitchen will be around 8 runes?”
‘Yes..two runes extra if you wish to have a backyard and front yard.’
“Thank you, dear.”
‘You are welcome, sugar.’
As Frenley walked around, he found a unique building. It was like a miniature arena, the pale moonlight painted every edge and corner of the marble building. The door was wide open, and he could faintly make out people working out and practicing something. Guided by curiosity, Frenley entered the building. Passing by the two large fey statues by the sides of the door. The small corridor had doors on either side, and Frenley chose to ignore them.
Entering the sandy arena, he got a better view of the people. The people were all from Earth, easily noted by their expressions. Sitting at the very end of the arena is an older man. A large scar covered one of his eyes, and one of his sleeves was free-flowing. His one hand was playing with a silver dagger. The figure looks at Frenley once he enters the arena and stands up. Walking up to him with no care in the world.
Each step closer painted a better picture. Long flowing red hair and soft green eyes. The man stood a solid five inches taller than Frenley. Pointy ears poking from his ear, longer than even Frenley's pointed ears.
“Ah, a fey dreamer. How can I help a chosen of the moon?”
“Hello, sir. I am Frenley. What is this place?”
The fey raise an eyebrow and stop playing with his dagger. Holding it as he pointed the blade at Frenley.
“A training place, made to hone your skills so that you may die less.”
“I take it you are the trainer?”
“One of them”
“What's the cost for training here?”
“There is no cost, you dreamers are doing enough for our kingdom by battling the traitors.”
“Can you teach me?”
“I can, for at least an hour. Draw your sword and fight me. No magic, I see that Effigy of the great tree in your hand.”
“Sure thing”
The two men got into position. Frenley took out his sword, pointing the blade towards the fey man. His left hand was tight around the tree effigy. His muscles were tight as he looked at the figure in front of him. A relaxed expression on his face, the dagger hangs softly from his hand. His Legs were close together and ready for anything.
“You got shit posture, gonna need to fix that.”
With no comment, Fren charges at the man and delivers a side slash to the man's neck. The fey easily takes a step back, and once the blade misses him completely, he attacks. He wraps his arm around Frenley’s, twisting it and making him drop his sword. Fren groan, and before he could do anything, the fey man kicks him in the knee. Frenley drops to one leg; his arm continues to twist under the fey man's grip. To the point he could hear his bones cracking and muscles starting to bruise.
“I yield I yield.”
The fey man let go of Fren's arm, hand playing with the dagger as he looked down on him.
“No tolerance for pain, your muscles are too stressed out, you commit too much to your attack. What a sorry excuse for a fey. Get up, worm, we're gonna work on that pain tolerance.”
“Huh?”
Soon, a quick kick landed on Frenley's side. He wrapped his arms around his stomach, but soon another kick hit him. This time on the face. Pain assaulted his brain as he closed his eyes.
“Fuck-”
“Don't talk if you wish not to die.”
Another kick, this time delivered to his stomach. The fey man spoke between kicks and punches, while the other figures said nothing. For they experienced the same thing before.
“You cannot die, as such self-preservation skills are not needed. You need to tolerate pain. Keep your eyes open as a blade comes for your face. Ignore the base instinct for survival. Once I beat that out of you, we can start with proper technique.”
The beating lasted a whole hour. In the first ten minutes, Frenley screams and curses with each strike to his body. His eyes closed, the iron taste of blood in his mouth, as he bit his tongue by accident from his cursing. Twenty minutes in, he started to cry. Snot and tears were running down his face as the pain went past the line of bearable into soul-crushing. His arms and hands were devastated from protecting his stomach from the kicks. Thirty minutes in, the fey man sat on top of him. His weight was pressing down on his wounded stomach, causing Frenley's breathing to become strained.
Punches landed on his face, breaking his nose and staining his face with blood. Fren tries to hold the man's arm back, but that only earns him a devastating headbutt. Blood clogs up his windpipe as Frenley tries to build the courage to open his eyes, and once he does, it is at the forty-minute mark. Everything changes. The man smiles as he looks at Frenley's green eyes.
“Good”
A punch to celebrate his improvement at fifty minutes. Frenley, stop crying. For no more tears came out, his teeth ground against each other as he stared at the man with hatred, and the pain became numb. This is not what Frenley imagined when he came to ask to be trained. Once the hour mark hit, the hot pain stopped, replaced by cold afterthoughts and images. The fey man stood up, not even looking at Frenley and the other trainies as he walked out.
“That should be it all for the first lesson. Come back tomorrow early if you wish to learn more.”
Frenley struggles to breathe as he looks at the pale moon, which was past its zenith. One of the figures came to him, a woman with long brown hair placed in a bun, her eyes a soft, warm brown color. Her skin was tan from the sun, and her curvy form was adorned with well-defined muscles. She extended a hand out, and Frenley happily took it. She pulled him up, and the sudden change in height made Frenley dizzy. As he held onto the woman's shoulders. His head hanging low as he spat out a mouthful of saliva.
“You got this love... You will be back to top shape in no time.”
Just like she said, magic started to enter his body. The wounds began to heal, muscles repaired, and bones mended. A sense of relief washes over Frenley as he cries some more; he has never felt this much pain before. Especially such prolonged pain. Whenever the hand beast wounded him, he was only alive to process the pain for a few seconds before he died. Even if his body was fully healed, something inside of him broke from the constant beating. He was shaking like a leaf in the wind; he didn't know what he felt at this very moment. A weird mixture of emotions swam in his heart, emotions too complex to put into simple words like sadness or rage.
Frenley cried as he held the woman tightly. The tall woman wrapped her arms around his back and pushed him in for a hug. A hug that the crying man happily took, as he buried his face into her chest. None of the other trainees did anything, as they all continued to practice their own things.