Awareness returned all at once as Kevin shot upright, his muscles aching in protest. A low groan crept past his lips; the dull light stabbing into his eyes. Then, the most pleasant warmth he had ever felt washed over him, chasing the pain away along with the lingering stiffness. His eyes shot open just in time to catch the fading motes of light that danced through the air.
“Feeling better?”
The words hadn’t been spoken in English, but he understood them all the same. That thought alone sent a chill through him in a way that few things ever had. Like that time his father had caught him playing dress up at the neighbor’s house before she moved away.
Sitting across from him was a woman in pale blue robes with pink hair and purple eyes that practically glowed. Those deep irises were full of focus and regarded Kevin as if he was the most dangerous person she had ever met. The woman held a long stick with tangled roots at the end and within those roots was a single gem of bright sapphire. It was a staff, like one from a video game.
Wow, he must have hit his head harder than he thought.
Wait, when did he hit his head? The last thing that Kevin could recall was walking into the antechamber of the Pyramid and finding that strange…portal? Whatever it had been, Mister Ruiz had startled him and he fell back through it and then—
“You did something to me,” Kevin said, glaring at the woman.
Rather than be offended at the accusation, she smirked. “I cast [Sleep] upon you. I trust you found the nap enjoyable?”
He had, not that he would dare say it to her given the circumstances. Then again, he didn’t really understand what those even were. Without taking his eyes off the woman, he tried to make out where exactly he was, but it was all stone and wood cast in deep shadows by candlelight.
“Beeswax candles, I make them myself,” the woman said, following his eyes. “This shrine is rather far from civilization, which is what makes your rather unorthodox arrival so interesting. Tell me, how is it that someone found their way from the Sealed Lands?”
“Sealed,” Kevin started, but cut off as his mind worked over the implications. “My home is sealed? But, there’s a whole world out there.”
The woman rolled her eyes. “Of course there is. We weren’t so foolish as to assume that island was everything. It was a world with no natural mana, which made it ideal for sealing away great evils. Tell me, are the Temple seals still intact?” He opened his mouth to answer but she barrelled over him. “No, of course they’re intact. Your world would be nothing but ash and ruin if the seals were broken.”
“Excuse me,” Kevin interjected. “I’m sorry, but I followed like half of that? What do you mean by mana? Like, is magic actually real here?”
“Of course magic is real,” the woman said, holding up a hand as a small flame flickered to life atop her palm. “Mana is the product of life, and all beings produce it. The world absorbs it, and gives birth to new life. That is a vast simplification of the Mana Cycle, but it should suffice for now.”
Great, now she was talking to him like he was some sort of uninformed child. Whatever; it didn’t sound all that different to the water cycle taught to children so he wasn’t going to dig too deeply into it. Besides, that couldn’t be all there was to it, otherwise Earth would have magic in abundance thanks to the billions of people and all.
“Regardless,” the woman continued, “you don’t belong here. Seeing as you’re well enough, I will be sending you back home forthwith. Come, we must see to the portal chamber at once.”
“Just like that?” Kevin asked. Surely there had to be more to it. “There’s no quest to find some item needed to return? Or something I must do before the portal will open again?”
At that, the woman laughed. “Heavens no. That pendant is all you will need to open the gateway. Once open, you will step through and then pass the pendant back through, thus sealing your world away for good.”
“Do we have to?” Kevin asked. “My world isn’t anything special, especially my island.”
“Your island is very important,” the woman countered with a scowl. “You know not what horrors sleep beneath those shores. If awakened and allowed access to mana, they would destroy both our worlds.”
Somehow, Kevin doubted that. Earth had advanced considerably since these people left it. Two world wars had been fought, and that was so long ago now. Surely the dangers would be powerless in the face of modern military might…
Right?
“Then why not destroy them first? If it wasn’t possible then, it might be now.”
“I do not know,” the woman said with a frown. “All I have are the stories passed down to each guardian of the shrine, as well as the warnings given for if the portal ever opened again. Your arrival marks one of the many warnings I have prepared for. Now, if you’ll come with me, I’ll see you home.”
Reluctantly, Kevin stood. He wanted nothing more than to explore this new land, even if only for a short time. Yet, he was being ushered out before he could even see a single tree or creature? It wasn’t fair! All he ever wanted was to leave his home and see new sights with his own eyes.
“We’ll need to cross the courtyard,” the woman said, leading him outside. His breath caught at the sight of fields of flowers that stretched towards the distant trees. “Ah, my gardens. I keep bees for their honey, and they like the flowers. Food plants aren’t quite enough to keep them happy, nor are my fruit trees.”
Right, he’d read about that when one of his classes went into crops and pollination. It made sense if she kept bees, which wasn’t the strangest thing, especially if there weren’t many other people around.
“Where is everyone?” he asked.
The woman paused in her steps. “They’re off in Brookvale. It’s the closest city, and few venture out to see an aging temple whose purpose has been largely forgotten.”
“Shame,” he said, taking it all in. “The flowers alone would be worth the trip.”
A small smile broke free of the woman’s stoic facade. “I’m glad to hear it, though it won’t change my mind. You’re still returning home.”
Rubbing the back of his head, Kevin let out a weak chuckle. “You saw through me so easily. Would it really be so bad if I stuck around a while?”
“Perhaps not, but I shan’t risk it,” she said. “Come now. The portal room is in the main atrium of the temple.”
And finally he turned and blinked. The temple as she put it was a towering structure identical to the three pointed pyramid that stood at the center of his island. The difference was that the gold had yet to be stripped from this one, making it practically shine in the afternoon sun.
“Amazing,” he muttered.
The woman’s head tilted. “Yours should look no different.”
“The Spanish stripped all the gold from ours,” he said, a pang of loss painting his words. How cruel it was that they were denied such a majestic sight. “Its nothing but crumbling stone now.”
“Truly?” the woman said, looking up at her own temple. “I shouldn’t be surprised. I know of marauders that attempted to pillage in the past, but the region is at peace currently. The King forbade anyone from hostilities against us.”
“And if they ignore the warning?” Kevin asked.
The staff in her hand sparked, his hair standing on end from the ambient static filling the air. The woman smirked, and continued walking, her display saying all she needed to. Reluctantly, he followed, looking off towards the woods and wondering what adventures might have awaited him if he wasn’t being forced back.
Could he make a run for it? Something told him he wouldn’t last thirty seconds if she chose to chase him down, and then she wouldn’t be polite about returning him to his island. No, he needed to keep on her good side, maybe strike up more conversation so that she might change her mind. Anything to keep from being sent back so soon and denied from ever returning to the unknown land.
Rustling grass had the woman pause once more as she turned to face the woods. Her eyes narrowed as she brought her staff up and lowered her stance ever so slightly. Kevin had no idea what had put her on edge, but he too tried to spot whatever it was as tension filled the air.
There, slinking out of the shadows, was a pale-green liquid almost like gelatin. It didn’t move like he thought it might, and yet, he knew what it was all the same. Twin orbs of black sat within the fluid, and somehow he could tell that they were focused on him exclusively.
“A slime, what a bother,” the woman said with a relieved sigh. “Well, you wished to experience our world? Have at it then.”
“Seriously!?” he shouted, gesturing towards the creature. “Do I at least get a sword or some armor?”
“They aren’t dangerous. Even a child can defeat one with a stick.” She gestured to a fallen branch. “So give it a try and see how dangerous these lands can be.”
Hesitantly, Kevin reached out while keeping his eyes glued to the monster and picked up the broken branch. It took him a moment to realize that it was the same wood as the trees native to his island. Trees that only grew from their own soil and refused all attempts to transplant them elsewhere. Were they native to this strange land?
Putting that thought aside for later, Kevin focused on the creature before him. He held the misshapen branch firmly and began to circle closer to the beast. Once he had a straight shot at the monster, he took a step forward. The Slime had the same idea, its body coiling tight before it bounced into the air. He didn’t have enough time to react and the creature hit him firmly.
The impact stung, and knocked him back a step before his back foot stabilized him. He swung the branch instinctively, trying to ward the monster off. The wood connected, Slime rippling from the hit. Gritting his teeth, he swung again, hitting the monster once more. His heart fluttered in excitement as he realized that the monster wasn’t nearly as frightening as he first feared. A third hit, and the Slime popped like a water balloon, spilling its fluid all over the ground. A single dull orb the size of a marble settling within the fluid.
Huffing, Kevin held his improvised weapon up high and shouted in triumph. He’d done it! Killed a monster! Just like the heroes of his game; he had done that with his own two hands! Even the woman was clapping for him, and he chose to take the high road and not acknowledge that she was being patronizing.
A swelling warmth cut off the celebration as he clutched at his chest. His breath came shorter for a moment, then the heat burst, spreading through his core and out into his limbs like a jolt of electricity. He hadn’t even realized he’d dropped to his knees before he’d begun picking himself back up, but his focus was a bit preoccupied by the words now hovering just in front of his face like some sort of display.
You have defeated a [Green Slime] 1 EXP Granted!
Status:
Name: Bria Ortega
Level: 01
Experience: 1/21
Class: NONE
Hit Points: 15
Mana: 11
Strength: 11
Defense: 9
Agility: 7
Magic Might: 8
Magic Defense: 9