A burning sensation spread through my body, originating from my chest. It felt as if I was being smothered in lava. Gasping loudly for air, I sat up on the cool forest ground. I glanced down at the pendant around my neck.
The inlaid crystal was glowing bright red. As I grabbed it, my palm sizzled. This had never happened before. The pendant was a family heirloom that had been passed down for generations and I had been wearing it for half my life. I traced the smooth crystal with my fingertips, as it slowly became cool to the touch. Legend had it that this pendant was able to store natural energy, greatly intensifying the power of its wearer. This was all a myth of course and I had never given it much thought, until this moment.
Suddenly, I jumped to my feet. "Wait a minute!" I exclaimed. I remembered the energy orb, Elani's disappearance, my decision to go after her. That hadn't just been a dream, right? I spun around hastily observing my surroundings. I was still in the woods. But these trees! These trees were different! I had never seen foliage like this before. "There's no river here either!"
Where in the world was I?!
The leaves of the nearby bushes rustled, as I heard a pair of weary feet trudging towards me.
Who?
A drop of sweat rolled down my temple, as I attempted to materialize my sword. I kept my eyes on the bushes. But the sword refused to appear.
I cursed softly and prepared myself for the worst as the rustling grew louder. I was unsure of my current location, the past events and I had no intention of taking any chances with unidentified foes.
As the leaves of the bushes parted, my gaze met a pair of fiery, brown eyes and my guard dropped instantly.
"Oh my-! Elani!" I yelled, sprinting towards her and embracing her in a tight hug.
The side of her hand made a firm contact with my head. Whack!
"You absolute idiot!" She scolded me. "This is no time to be all smiles and giggles!"
I suppressed the urge to apologize. Though I understood her fury, this hadn't been my intention and I had even risked my safety to go after her.
"Well it's fine now, isn't it? We're clearly both alive and well."
Elani's eyes widened to twice their original size. "Fine?!" She yelled, angrily gesturing to our surrounding environment. "Do you have even a clue where we are?"
"No," I admitted shyly. "But, I mean, we couldn't have gone that far. Still looks like a forest to me."
Elani scoffed. She pinched the bridge of her nose, her eyebrows furrowing, as she exhaled deeply.
"Look, I know you aren't the brightest when it comes to many things," she said. "But I know for a fact that your ability to sense energy is unparalleled!" She pointed at me. "And tell me, Ria, what do you sense now?"
I shut my eyes and stretched out my imaginary antenna into the surroundings. Huh? I concentrated hard and tried to feel again. Nothing. This couldn't be right. After a minute of repeating this process ceaselessly, I finally gave up.
My visibly nervous gaze met Elani's cold one. "And?" she asked.
"Nothing," I mumbled.
"What?" Elani gestured towards her ear.
"NOTHING!" I exclaimed.
Elani nodded with an accomplished expression on her face.
"You've outdone yourself this time, Asteria." She crossed her arms and widened her stance. "We are no longer in our world."
I struggled to find the right words, stammering and making hysterical gestures with my hands.
"I don't even know how to teleport!" I finally burst out. "There's no way!"
But Elani was no longer in the mood to listen to me.
"You really never know your limits!" she ranted. "Yeah, you're powerful! That's excellent! Great!" She eyed me menacingly. "But you never try to understand your powers fully and refuse to understand the dangers that come with them."
She sighed, letting herself slump against the stem of a nearby tree, her arms still crossed.
"And now we're in this mess! Now I'm in this mess!"
"This really wasn't my intention," I mumbled, staring at the ground before apologizing profusely.
"What's done is done," Elani finally stopped me. "We need to move forward now."
Relieved, I immediately suggested the best solution I could think of. Surely, we could just portal back home.
Elani sucked her teeth. "Girl, did you ever pay attention in school?"
"Wow in all my life, I have never…" Her voice trailed off. She then spoke loudly and slowly, carefully enunciating every word.
"You can't teleport out of a world that doesn't have natural energy!" She looked at me. "Or are you a god-like existence that can conjure up the necessary energy all by herself?"
I shook my head disappointedly. I deeply regretted my lack of understanding when it came to theoretical things. I was able to grasp concepts like fighting tactics and energy manipulation with ease but struggled with physics, maths… Heck, even time management and public speaking were a hassle.
"So what now?" I asked.
"I don't know. But we gotta get walking." Elani gestured towards the bushes she had emerged from. "I found a path. Our best bet is following it and finding someone who can help us."
She started walking, then stopped. "Also," she added. "I'd refrain from using any unnecessary energy related skills for the time being."
She must have seen my confused stare, because she quickly elaborated. "This world clearly has no natural energy core," she began. "Which means all your abilities will be drawn directly from your own power."
I still didn't understand and smiled at Elani awkwardly, while avoiding her eyes.
She sighed once more. "We'll age quicker if we have to rely completely on our own power. Our lifespan may even be shortened to a mere 100 years!"
Something in my brain clicked and I let out a shocked gasp.
"You mean we'll get wrinkles at 40?!"
"Maybe even earlier…"
"God forbid!" I exclaimed.
"God forbid!" Elani agreed, nodding her head.
My pace quickened as I rushed towards the direction of the footpath. Call me superficial but I wanted to get back home as soon as possible.
We followed the path, heading towards the setting sun. Its golden rays illuminated what lay ahead, though I was filled with great uncertainty.
We trudged on in silence for some time. When the sun was beginning to dip behind the distant mountains, we emerged from the woods onto a broader, cobblestone road that led through an avenue. Trees lined the road, their thick branches seemingly struggling to carry the weight of the multitude of vibrant purple and pink blossoms. Petals floated gracefully in the air every time the breeze gently shook the branches. It was a beautiful sight that reminded me somewhat of home. My gaze drifted towards a bench that was slightly hidden behind the tree trunks. On the bench sat a girl. The rays of the evening sun bounced off her glasses and painted the surrounding trees in specks of gold. She was humming peacefully, rhythmically tapping her foot to the beat of a song I had never heard before. She adjusted her earphone, selected a new song and continued grooving to the music.
I was so engrossed in observing her, that I jumped slightly when Elani tapped me on my shoulder.
"I'm gonna go talk to her."
"Huh, what?" I was surprised. "You can't just go up to her."
Elani swiftly approached the girl from behind. My eyes widened as she grabbed the girl's shoulder, forcefully trying to turn her around.
Suddenly, there was a shattering sound as the girl's phone hit Elani in the face and fell to the ground, its screen cracking as it hit the cobblestone. The girl had shrieked at the unexpected contact and swiftly resorted to an effective, albeit bizarre, form of self defense.
Upon seeing Elani and me, her expression softened slightly, though I could tell she was still trying to gauge the situation.
She picked her phone off the ground, carefully inspecting the cracked display. Sighing, she redirected her gaze at Elani.
"◾◾◾◾◾?" she asked firmly. "◾◾◾◾◾◾," she corrected herself, shaking her head. "◾◾◾◾◾◾?!!"
The girl was visibly angry and I was tempted to apologize for Elani's rudeness but more importantly what was she even saying?! I had never heard this language before. Indeed we were in a different world.
"Where are we?" Elani asked, uninterested in the girl's anger.
A perplexed expression spread across the girl's face. Her mouth struggled to form some sort of smile and her right eye twitched.
"Please let me not start a fight right here right now," is what she was probably thinking, but I obviously could not be certain.
"◾◾◾◾◾◾?"
"Ria, can you understand her?"
"Ummm, most definitely not!" I frowned.
The girl seemed to be listening to our conversation intently, as if trying to understand us.
Finally, she said, "⬢⬢⬢⬢⬢⬢⬢? ⬢⬢⬢⬢⬢⬢."
She had definitely switched to a new language. Was she trying to communicate with us?
Elani must have thought the same because she slowly and clearly spoke to the girl, "Do you know where we are? Where? Which country? World?"
The girl listened closely, then her eyes lit up, as if she had come up with something groundbreaking.
"You ⬥⬥ where? Don't know? ⬥⬥⬥!" she said.
Her accent sounded weird and some of the words she said were unknown to me, but I could roughly understand her. Of course Elani was quicker to adapt.
"⬥⬥⬥⬥⬥⬥⬥⬥⬥⬥," she said, nodding knowingly. And the two began having a conversation. At times the girl seemed incredibly surprised by Elani's questions, at times she seemed fearful, but they spoke for a long time.
Finally Elani turned to me and said, "As expected, we are on Earth."
"In the country of Germania to be exact," she muttered. "Never heard of that before."
I knew Elani was smart, but I hadn't known she was an interdimensional polyglot.
"Earth, huh…" I said. "What's tha-"
"Don't you dare finish that question," Elani threatened me. "When we get home, you really have some serious studying to do."
The girl burst out laughing. She seemed to have understood some of our conversation.
She offered me her hand and I shook it nervously.
"I'm Dihana," she started. "From a different world. I really don't know if I believe you," she looked at our worn out clothes and the many scratches on our bodies. "But you two definitely need some form of help." She smiled warmly.
"Follow me," she said, adjusting the cloth that was hanging loosely over her shoulder. "Who knew there'd be a day I actually use Latin in conversation," she mumbled.
We followed her obediently as she led us away from the avenue. We struggled against the wind, as we crossed an old stone bridge. It was bustling with activity, many people gathering to have a glass of wine after a long day at work. At least, that's what I assumed. The bridge was lined with statues of old men in robes, carrying swords, thick books and a miscellany of medieval looking objects.
"St. Kilian," I read the name at the foot of one of the statues, "never heard of him."
"Ria, stop trailing behind!" Elani warned me like a mother hen and I jogged to catch up with her.
Dihana led us through narrow alleys. The surrounding houses looked ancient, rich in history, and clashed with the pedestrians walking by, holding a number of electronic gadgets.
Our steps echoed through the alleys as we walked. I occasionally tripped over the cobblestones and eyed Elani furiously whenever she giggled.
"Welcome to my humble abode," Dihana finally announced gesturing to a three storey building. Its exterior was beautifully adorned with wooden framing and the window sills painted in an inviting blue hue.
"I live on the top floor," she added quickly.
I couldn't help but be amazed at Dihana's fearlessness. Would I be willing to let two complete strangers enter my home purely because they needed help?
"You're lucky we're nice people," I thought to myself.
Dihana's home was beautifully decorated. The warm colours gave it a cozy feeling and the abundance of greenery left the air smelling fresh and floral. I stared in awe at the numerous flower pots that were scattered in every nook and cranny of the twenty square meter apartment. What was even more astounding was the number of books Dihana owned. Thin ones, thick ones, new ones, old ones, that looked like she had stolen them from an excavation site. Bookshelves were attached to every free space on the walls. I feared they might break under the weight.
"Is this a library?" Elani joked.
"I study anthropology," Dihana replied. "This much is necessary."
"You should have a seat," she said, pulling out a wooden chair from the dining table.
I took a seat on the soft honey coloured cushion and Elani did the same.
A soft chirp from the corner next to the dining table alerted me. As I turned my head, I noticed a small bluish bird in a cage. It watched me attentively and ruffled its feathers.
"That's Lulu," Dihana explained, returning from the next room with a large bowl and several plates. "Do you want to pet her?"
Of course we couldn't resist. I stroked her soft plumage and Lulu chirped feistily. Elani grabbed her firmly, yet gently and placed her on her left palm. She stroked Lulu's head with her right index finger. At first the bird seemed peaceful but then pecked Elani's finger angrily. She ruffled her feathers and chirped menacingly as Dihana quickly grabbed her and returned her to her cage.
"She's got quite the attitude," Elani complained, rubbing her finger.
That's when I noticed a large burn mark on Elani's right palm.
"You're hurt!" I exclaimed. "Let me see!" I reached out to grab her hand but Elani pulled it back instantly.
"Worry about your own wounds," she said dismissively.
She was right. The more I looked, the more scratches I could find. They practically covered my body. I couldn't see any comparable burn wounds though.
"Teleporting without preparation is dangerous," Elani reminded me.
After seeing Elani's burn mark, Dihana had gone off to get bandages and ointments. And after making sure everyone's wounds were treated, Dihana gestured towards the bowl on the table. As she lifted the lid, a fragrant aroma spread in the room.
"I hope you like hummus."
After a filling meal, it was time to actually come up with a game plan.
Our objective was clear: Find a way to get home.
Dihana agreed to serve as our translator, stating that she was on her semester break and thus had more free time.
"Besides, I'm very curious about how far you two are willing to take this," she added.
Elani scoffed. "We're not lying, you know."
"Look, I respect everyone's right to a creative imagination. And if I can help you solve your problems in some way, I'll go along with it. I won't say I believe in magic though."
"It's not magic!" Elani and I yelled in unison.
How absurd. Of course, magic wasn't real, but natural energy was a phenomenon that had been extensively researched by the scientists of our world. It very much did exist. Just not here apparently. I wanted to show her my powers right there and then, but I remembered what Elani had told me in the woods. It wasn't completely necessary to use our powers yet. Perhaps we could still convince her with our words.
"Ok, magical girls," Dihana teased. "Nothing I've learnt during my studies will be of much help to you."
She sighed as she unlocked her phone, the cracked screen making it difficult to view the display.
"But I do know of a museum, that should be right up your alley," she chuckled.
She showed us her phone. I guess we were supposed to be seeing an advertisement for an exhibition.
"I don't know what that says," Elani finally said.
"Oh right…"
Embarrassed, Dihana quickly took back her phone.
"The Museum of Esotericism and Occultism," she translated. Elani scoffed at the mention of those words.
"Grand reopening," Dihana continued. "The exhibition is now bigger than ever!"
"I feel like this is a bit of a joke to you," I carefully said.
Dihana nodded, grinning. "But this is the best shot you've got."
She was right. I couldn't be certain, but I felt that our chances of finding another person who could understand us and was willing to help us were incredibly low. And perhaps Dihana's suggestion would be able to give us more clues.
As night had fallen and the roofs around us were bathed in moonlight, there was nothing more to do for the day. Elani and I retired to the living room. Actually, I couldn't really call it that, since it was a two room apartment. So, we moved to the other end of the room we had been sitting in, where a sofa was located. It looked old but it was remarkably spotless. It was the type of sofa you could pull out into a bed. Though it barely fit in the small room, we somehow managed without toppling over the nearby shelves.
"And there was only one bed," Elani snarked. I shot her an annoyed glance.
Eventually we flopped onto the sofa, tightly wrapped in the colourful woven blankets Dihana had provided. I looked out the window at the bright full moon and sincerely wished that tomorrow would be a day we found answers.
This world wasn't a bad place as far as I could tell, but I didn't think it could ever feel like home.
I heard the flapping of wings as a raven took off from a window sill across the street.
"Isn't it a bit late for you, buddy," I thought before dozing off, tired from my long journey.
The raven flew swiftly and elegantly, covering many miles before landing on the outstretched arm of a woman. Her tall figure was illuminated by the moonlight and her black hair cascaded down her back in soft waves. A smile crept across her face as the bird cawed.
"Well, isn't that interesting?"