screamingatanemptyroom - Tumblr blog

[screamingatanemptyroom]

The Healer pt 3

The story continues! Hope you guys like it!

Part 1 and 2 linked here.

Enjoy!

_____________________________

The Hero’s party stood with their backs to us, arguing loudly. They obviously didn’t hear Stephanie’s call, and kept their focus on the man in front of them.

“How dare you go back on our deal?!” Jack the Hero snapped, his face twisted with rage. “You have always been our chief supplier!”

Rita the Holy Archer spoke up, flipping her long blond hair over her shoulder as she did so. “Yeah, you never turned us down before!”

The massive and imposing form of Garrett the Giant loomed over the group as he stood by with his arms crossed, nodding in agreement. The fourth and final member, Rebecca the Sorceress, leaned against the Hero, her eyes filled with tears as if everyone in the room had personally wronged her.

Seeing the group together again was… rough, to say the least. I had once considered three of them, Jack, Rita and Garrett,  my closest friends. We had played the game together before the Downfall, spending late nights going on raids and completing quests. They had been the brightest part of a life that had been greatly overshadowed by my parents’ expectations and disapproval. I had valued their friendship, so much so that I was willing to break myself over and over again just to stay by their side. I had lied to myself, that I was just as much a part of the team as they were. That I was valued, even if they didn’t always say so. That I was lucky to have them, given that I had chosen the class I did. I hated myself for my weakness, but refused to leave, too dependent on them to try to break off on my own.   

Until Jack finally betrayed me enough to wake me up to the truth:

They had never been my friends.  

As for Rebecca… my gaze settled on the pitifully crying girl. She was crying when I met her, too.

______________________

“Healer! Help! I have an injured person here!” At Jack’s frantic cry, I forced myself awake and ran out of my house, surprised to see him carrying a young, beautiful woman. Her face was unnaturally pale, her red hair matted with blood, stuck to her forehead. Her clothing was scorched in several areas, making her seem even more pitiful. I paused for a moment, feeling a brief discomfort at the sight of Jack holding her with a tenderness in his eyes I had never seen before.

We were not a couple. He had hinted his interest several times, but we had agreed to wait until the world was more stable before discussing it deeply. I wasn’t sure of my own feelings, having always considered him a good friend, but I knew that in the midst of a life or death battle was probably not the best time to give a real answer. Jack hadn’t been happy with my response, but said he understood. He hadn’t brought it up again, but the sight of his distress for the woman in his arms made me wonder if I had his answer.

Either way, it was no time to work out my feelings on the matter. I pushed away the flash of unease at the two’s closeness and stepped forward to look at the young woman. She flinched away from my gaze, her teary eyes looking up at Jack.

“Don’t bother your friend! I just need a potion and I’ll be fine.”

Jack smiled at her. “Nonsense, you fainted just a minute ago. The Healer may be useless in a fight, but she can do targeted therapy for whatever injuries you have.”

I winced at the word “useless”, a term I was all too used to from my childhood.

“Wait!” Rather than being comforted, this seemed to distress the young man more. She struggled slightly, seeming unable to free herself from Jack’s hold. “I don’t…”

I lost patience, and reached out my hand, putting it on her forehead.

“Scan.”

**The Healer has activated Scan -20MP. Target is not in your party and some information is withheld.

Rebecca the Sorceress

Class –Magic User

Title – Sorceress, Magic Student, Dependent, Poison Master.

Level 56

HP 209/250

MP 280/300

STR ***

DEX ***

INT ***

WIS ***

CHAR ***

Current status: Charm applied + 50 Charisma – 1 hour remaining.

Healing status – mild abrasions to forehead, right elbow, and anterior thigh-  10 sq centimeters total surface area.  First degree burns – dorsum of foot, and right wrist – 5 square centimeters total surface area. Mild poison toxicity – side effects include pallor, diaphoresis and generalized weakness. – 10 minutes remaining. **

I frowned as I read through the information. Jack quickly began asking questions.

“How bad is it, Healer? Will she be all right? You can fix it, right?”

“Some scrapes and mild burns, no worse than a sunburn, just needs her wounds dressed and some ointment for pain and to prevent infection. How did she get poisoned?”

“Poisoned?” He brought her into my house and set her down on my bed. “She wasn’t poisoned, she was protecting a family from bandits.”

I shrugged, getting out supplies and carefully cleaning and dressing her injuries. “The scan says she was poisoned, probably about an hour ago judging by the remaining cooldown. Nothing bad, just something that would make her pale, sweaty and weak.”

Rebecca began crying loudly as I finished bandaging her. Before I could react, Jack pushed me out of the way, leaning over to check on her. I slammed by back into the dresser, groaning with pain as it struck.

“Did she hurt you?!” He asked Rebecca, frowning as he looked over her bandages. 

She blinked back tears, regaining control of herself. “I’m sorry, I was just so worried… The way she said it… it sounds like she’s accusing me of taking poison on purpose!”

I gingerly stood up, rubbing my back where it hit the dresser. “I didn’t mean to imply…”

“Shut up, Healer!” He laid a hand on Rebecca’s head. “Just ignore her. She’s just a burden our team carries around because we happened to know her before the Downfall.”

I closed my eyes at his words, trying to ignore both the physical and emotional pain.

______________________

“Why can’t you help us?!” Rebecca was sobbing, blinking her tear-filled eyes and staring at the man in front of their group. “Don’t you know we’re humanity’s only hope?”

“They’re our only hope?”Alton leaned in, whispering “We’re so doomed.”

Stephanie and I chuckled quietly in response.

The owner of the shop, Winter, stood silently in front of the Hero’s party. He was tall, although still shorter than Garrett the Giant. Somehow his demeanor made him seem to tower over the entire group. His white hair was cropped short, at odds with his younger appearing face, placing him in his late twenties. His eyes were a bright pale blue, his handsome feature marred only by a large scar tracing across his face, only barely missing his right eye. His face was expressionless, almost bored, unchanged by Rebecca’s tears.

“You seem to be having a bit of a misunderstanding.” Winter finally spoke up, his voice quiet and cold. “I never had a deal with YOU.”

“LIAR!” Jack screamed. “You’ve always…”

“I’ve had a deal with your healer.” He raised an eyebrow. “And she’s not with you anymore. So I have no reason to deal with you.”

“The Healer?” Rita laughed, her sharp features and gaze filled with a mocking light. “That useless baggage? Why would you care if she’s with us or not?”

“…” Winter stared at her silently, and seemingly pressured, Rita stepped back, hiding behind Garrett. “Foolish.”

“We’re foolish?” Jack asked, shaken but still angry. “You’re the one who is turning down the opportunity of a lifetime. Just because of some bit…”

SMACK!

Winter backhanded the Hero, sending him down to the floor with a calm expression.

“Close your foul mouth, or I’ll close it for you.”  He raised an eyebrow. “Any questions?”

Stephanie raised her hand. “Where do I sign up to be part of his fan club?” Alton raised his hand as well, nodding.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You never change., Winter”

At my words, Winter turned towards me, his cold blank expression melting into a bright smile.

“Natalie! You’re here!”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Everyone in the room turned to stare at me. I shrunk back slightly. Alton spoke up first, frowning. “Natalie?”

I sighed. “My real name, or more accurately, my name before the Downfall. I don’t like using it anymore.” I don’t like the person who wore that name, nor the people who bestowed it upon me. “Healer is a much more accurate title.”

Alton smiled and shrugged. “Whatever makes you happy, Miss Healer.”

Winter’s smile faded a bit, and he walked forward, stepping on the Hero as he did so, ignoring his grunt of pain.

“Are you okay? I just heard about the price on your head. Did they hurt you?”

I shook my head. “I’m fine. You know that they couldn’t hurt me if they tried.”

“Anyone can get hurt if they get caught off guard, Nat.” He put a hand on my shoulder, staring into my eyes. “You should have left a long time ago. They didn’t deserve your loyalty.”

“Well, she’s got a new team now!” Alton stepped in excitedly.

“Yeah! We’re much better than those creeps!” Stephanie joined in. The two gave each other and me a thumbs up.

Winter stared at them for a while, before sighing. “I told you that you didn’t have to fight with anyone. Yet you still race towards danger at the side of these… people. What has humanity ever done for you?”

I ran a hand through my hair, letting out a soft sigh. “Not everyone is as terrible as you think.”

“That’s rich, considering what state you were in when we first met.” The disappointment in his eyes was clear. I flinched, trying not to think of the circumstances of our first meeting.

“That’s not…”

“STOP IGNORING ME!” Rebecca cried out, fire blazing at her fingertips as she glared at all of us. As we quieted down, she focused her gaze on Winter. “Why are you so obsessed with her? She’s a useless healer! We are the HERO’S PARTY!”

Winter stepped closer, and she shrank into Jack’s side, trying to get away, but froze when Winter’s gaze met hers. “You know nothing, poison witch. A Healer is a noble profession, only meant for the strongest of heart and mind. “

“Y-you…”

“Now get out of my store.” He pointed at the exit, and after a moment of silence, the hero’s party shuffled out. Jack paused at the doorway, looking at me with a serious expression. “My offer is still open. We will attack the forty second gate in 3 days. With or without you.”

And with that, he was gone, and all was quiet.

“What idiots.” Alton sat down on a nearby chair, frustrated. “They’re going to put all of humanity at risk.”

“No more than they deserve.” At Winter’s harsh tone, everyone turned to him again.

“You don’t like humans?” Alton asked.

“Any reason why I should?”

He pointed at me. “Miss Healer is a human.”

“The exception, not the rule.”

I shook my head at his solemn reply. “We came here for supplies. Can you help us?”

“Of course.” He agreed immediately, pulling out a large bag from behind the counter and handing it straight to me. “On the house.”

“You know I’ll never agree to that.” I dropped some custom potions and gold on the table. “You have to stay in business.”

Winter shook his head, but I insisted. “Take it or I go somewhere else for supplies.”

“…Fine.” After a long hesitation, he finally reached out and took the items, carefully arranging them on the shelf on the back wall.

“…” Stephanie and Alton stared silently at the exchange between us.

“I smell drama!” Stephanie whispered loudly.

Alton nodded silently, frowning.

“Speaking of which, PREPARE TO BE AMAZED!” Stephanie stepped forward, dropping the pelts onto the counter. “BEHOLD! I HAVE COMPLETED MY QUEST!”

Winter looked over the wolf furs, nodding silently. “This is what I asked for.” His tone was unimpressed. Stephanie grinned, not intimidated.

“So you’ll pay me this time?”

“This time?” I turned to her. “How many times has he scammed you with fake quests?”

“They aren’t fake!” She defended, clutching the bag of gold he handed her. “He just has high standards.”

“Did you count your payment?”

“… I was about to.” She opened the sac of gold and muttered to herself, before staring accusingly at Winter. “It’s only half!”

“Because you didn’t get the pelts.” He inclined his head towards me. “I know Nat’s work when I see it.”

“I helped, though! I lured them all the way to her!”

“And I bet she asked for half.”

“How did you know?!” She paused. “I was going to give it to her.”

I sighed. “Just pay her the whole amount. Your deal was for the pelts, it doesn’t matter how she got them. If I want the cash, I’ll get it from her.”

“…”

“Besides, she’s my teammate…”

Stephanie jumped in. “AND BEST FRIEND!”

“…In a way it’s paying me.”

“…” He sat a second bag of gold down, which Stephanie snatched up and counted with glee. Winter ignored her, looking at me.

“You’re really doing this again? Trusting humans?”

I shook my head. “I don’t trust anyone.”

“You trust too much… you just pretend like you don’t to comfort yourself.” He thought things over. “Where are you going next?”

Alton joined in. “We’re going to go hunting in the fortieth level forest. Try to get a feel for our fighting style.”

“What about your fourth party member? Your team is incomplete.”

“Maybe we’re just picky?” Alton offered.

Winter stared at us. Stephanie broke first. “Everyone’s too scared to work with Alton, and they think Healer is a burden.”

“…”

“We don’t though! We think she’s awesome.”

Winter finally smiled at that. “Alright then.” He began packing a bag. “I’ll join your team.”

“AWESOME!”

“Is that even possible?”

“You’ll what?!”

Stephanie, Alton and I spoke up at the same time. Winter continued to pack, undisturbed by our shouts.

“You need a fourth teammate, and Nat needs someone to watch her back. It’s a win-win. ”

Alton stared at him. “Why do you think she needs your help?”

Winter didn’t flinch. “She needs it. Needed it since the beginning.”

After studying him a long moment, the dark wizard turned towards me. “It’s your call. I trust your judgement with this.”

I rubbed my forehead, feeling tired. “Why don’t we do a trial before making anything official? Go fight together. See how it goes from there.”

“… You don’t trust me?” Winter asked quietly.

“You’d have to be their teammates as well, fighting to protect humanity. I don’t see why you are volunteering. You’ve never cared before.” Was my equally quiet answer.

After a long moment of consideration, he nodded in agreement. “…Fine. A test mission first.”

“Wait!” Stephanie chimed in. “Can NPCs even join human parties? Aren’t they the ones who give quests?”

Winter placed his packed bag on his back, grabbing a bow and some arrows. “My kind are not a part of the Rules. We follow them, just like you do.”

“So you’re like us?” Alton asked, curious.

“No.” His tone was flat. “I am nothing like you humans. But I can join your party.”

“Great! Let’s go on an adventure!” Stephanie ran towards the door, and shaking my head, I followed her.

“Should be interesting.”

____________________________

The fortieth-floor forest was filled with death. Black twisted trees, grey, dried out grass. Shadows from nothing, movements that didn’t make sense. I stood in place, feeling the constant overwhelming sensation of being watched.

Alton smiled, seeming right at home. “Alright guys, this place is chocked full of undead, perfect for a good fight. We just need to get a sense for how everyone else works, and how to help each other.”

“Sounds good!” Stephanie pulled out her enormous sword and grinned. “I’ll tank!”

“Great. I’ll provide crowd control and protection through magic.” He turned towards Winter, who seemed relaxed despite the evil forest around him. “What about you?”

Winter held up his bow. “I’ll pick off monsters from the back.”

“Great. That just leaves Miss Healer…” He turned towards me. “How would you like to fight?”

His question caught me by surprise. When I fought with the Hero’s party, I had often supported them secretly, standing afar, silently using my healing magic to add further injuries to my teammate’s attacks. It was difficult, making myself appear useless while protecting and attacking at the same time.

But now… I was able to openly and honestly take part with the team.

I smiled. “I want to be in the front.”

Stephanie cheered. “Besties tanks!”

“Sounds like we have a plan.” Alton grinned, looking every inch the evil wizard. “Let’s go.”

It didn’t take long before we ran into a large group of undead. Zombies, skeletons, shadowy creatures with claws and spikes, crawled out between the trees, their eyes glowing red with hunger.

“Kill!” A gravelly voice came out of the large skeleton, staring at me. I walked forward calmly, no weapons in my hands.

Undead didn’t have blood. Didn’t have beating hearts. They needed no oxygen, absorbing their energy from the living. Which limited my options. I would have to go for attacks that caused physical damage.

Stephanie ran forward with a loud cry, swinging her large sword and decapitating the first zombie in her field of vision. Alton chanted, his spells separating the zombies out in smaller groups, hindering their movement and slowing their attacks. I could hear the buzzing of arrows as Winter calmly shot down enemy after enemy.

It was my turn.

I held a scalpel in my hand, the cool metal somewhat comforting against my skin. A group of ten zombies shuffled towards me, trying to shake off the bonds of Alton’s magic.

Wordless incantation was still in cooldown. I would have to speak out loud to activate my spells. I stepped closer to the group

“Amputation.”

**The Healer has cast Amputation x 10. – 1000 MP. **

My magic reached out to each of the zombies, chopping off each of their right legs at the mid-thigh, slicing cleanly through rotting muscle and bone. The zombies groaned in confusion, falling to the ground. I watched them carefully, recognizing they were still dangerous despite their helpless appearance.

This is when Jack or the others would rush in to claim the kill… and then complain about the automatic XP share since my magic contributed to the fight. But now that I don’t have them… what now?

Amputation was a spell that could only be applied to limbs. Small and large incision could cut their throats, but not enough to decapitate them which was what was needed.

A brief feeling of hopelessness rose up within me. The despair that had filled my days as I fought in this strange world beside others who had ridiculed me and belittled me. I chose a worthless class, one that struggles to put down wounded zombies…  

One of the zombies flipped onto its stomach, beginning to pull itself towards me, teeth bared. Simultaneously, a spell and an arrow hit its remaining leg, pinning it into place. Stephanie was still fighting her group of zombies, but seeing me hesitate shouted out: “Go get ‘em!”

They’re encouraging me. The stark contrast of this fight from my past team made me smile. I wanted to live up to the support of this strange new team. I thought of a plan, and I reached out my hand, focusing.

“Craniotomy.”

**The Healer has cast Craniotomy x 10. – 5,000 MP.**

The skulls cracked open, revealing rotting brains. I kept an eye on my numbers, even with my unusually large mana pool, I couldn’t keep spending so recklessly. I chose a smaller spell.

“Cauterization.”

**The Healer has cast Cauterization x 10. – 100MP.**

The tissue shriveled under the heat of the spell and the zombies grew completely still. As I stared down at the carnage, Stephanie killed her last zombie, prompting the end of the battle.

** Stephanie the Lovely Barbarian is credited with 8 zombie monster kills, awarded 600XP and +8 fame. Alton the Great Evil Wizard is credited for the assist and is awarded 200XP and +2 fame. You receive 8XP as a party member.

The Healer is credited with 10 zombie monster kills, awarded 800XP and +10 fame. Alton the Great Evil Wizard, and Winter the Shopkeeper are credited for the assist and awarded 100 XP and +1 fame each. **

“AWESOME!” Stephanie ran over and hugged me, ignoring my grimace as I realized how badly she smelled after close combat with rotting corpses. “We’re the best team ever! Did you see how fast we took out high level zombies?”

“Strong work everyone!” Alton seemed pleased, “A few more fights, and I think we could get a good rhythm going.”

“Here.” Winter held out a mana recovery potion to me. “Those were high level healer spells you cast today. You probably need this.”

After a brief hesitation I took it. “You recognize Healer spells?”

“Of course.” He spoke sincerely, adding. “It’s the greatest achievement one can have, to take such a path. I’m happy to help you.”

“…Thanks.” I drank the potion.

The Healer has used Potion of Mana Recovery, +800MP. 2 remaining in Inventory.

Stephanie stood in front of me, clasping her hands together with a pleading expression. “So… can we keep him? You said we could consider it after a trial!”

Alton and I exchanged glances. I still felt uneasy about having an “NPC” on our team. For all the time I had known Winter, I still did not understand his true motivations. Why was he in this world with us? Why join our team? And the real question that haunted me:

Why did he help me a year ago when he had no incentive to do so?

But the truth was, he was our best option.

I nodded to Alton, who immediately offered his hand to Winter.

“Welcome to the team.”

**Winter the Shopkeeper has accepted your invitation to join your party! He will have access to shared inventory, and his stats will become visible upon medical scan.**

The usual joining party message popped up, along with something unexpected:

** NOTICE - Due to status of new party member, special restrictions will apply to any stat or data sharing.**

Special restrictions? I shook my head. Not helping with my paranoia about trusting him on our team.

Stephanie cheered as I shook his hand after Alton. Finally, once things had calmed down, we all sat down to regroup.

“What next?” Stephanie asked, grabbing jerky from her pack.

I thought over her question. “The Hero’s party is going to attack the gate in 3 days. We should plan to be there.”

“Oh joy, them again.” Stephanie bit angrily into the jerky, as if hurting the people who annoyed her. "I can hardly contain my excitement."

“Fighting monsters, AND making sure the Hero’s party won’t stab us in the back at the same time?” Alton grinned. “Sounds like a party to me!"

I sighed, and grabbed my own food from my bag.

We had 3 days to get ready.

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Another lovely fanart by @madishhatter that I wanted to share with everyone! Bel and Liam's meeting!

I love this, especially the expressions. Thank you for sharing it with me!

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Thanks for the feedback! I'll keep going with whatever feels natural, which will probably still be around 3k words or so, as it seems to me the most natural "part" for me when I write longer stories.

I was traveling for the last week, but I'm back at home and ready to write! Wish me luck!

I've been thinking about this a lot, especially since I've been working on some part 2s to a few of my newer stories. I get short bursts of inspiration, so might be easier to just post shorter bits, but also might make for a more fragmented reading experience, in which case waiting until I've written a longer piece might be better.

In general for Please Fix the Story I always did longer updates, since it felt the most natural for reading.

Let me know your thoughts!

[screamingatanemptyroom]

The Healer pt 2

Decided to continue this, let me know if you want me to keep going!

Part 1 linked here

Enjoy!

________________________

“What have you done?”

My voice was strained in a horrified whisper.

Jack the Hero was calm despite my obvious distress. He leaned back in his chair, his face smiling but his eyes freezing cold. “That’s the wrong question, Healer. The right question is: what have YOU done?”

“Everyone… they’re dead… you promised you needed it to clear the gate… you told me…”

“I told you a lie.” His smile didn’t change. “You were the fool who believed me. Their deaths are on your hands as much as mine.”

I stood up, checking my inventory and beginning to drop any group items. “I’m quitting your team. I’d rather die alone out there then stay on under you. After what you've done."

“I’d rethink that, Healer.” He held up a hand, and a bright red gleam shined between his fingers.

“You bastard.” I froze at the sight, unable to move, as realization slowly dawned on me of the extent of his betrayal. “You…”

He stood up, not bothering to listen to the rest of my cursing. “Save your energy.” He paused at the doorway, his gaze settling on my tear-stained face without much interest. “You’ll need it. We ride early tomorrow, Healer. Be ready.”

______________________

“JACK!” I sat up in bed, breathing heavily. I was filled with terror and rage, and it took a moment to realize my familiar surroundings. Light blue walls, intricate draperies, stacks of large books on topics ranging from anatomy to pharmacology. My room. I sighed with relief.

Thinking of my dream, and the bad memory contained within, I stiffened again, slowly slipping my hand into my collar and gripping the cold hard surface of the amulet within. I sat silently, clutching it so tightly that the hard edges began to dig into the skin of my palm. Eventually my speeding heart rate slowed, and my breathing normalized. I was in my house, out of Jack’s reach.

As I calmed down, a notice popped up in my vision.

**You have rested through the night. HP and MP are restored in full. Adverse conditions such as fatigue are eliminated.  You are encouraged to continue your mission in securing the advancement of the human race! Good luck!**

I waved away the notice with a frown. Since the Downfall, since we had woken up in this strange world crafted after a VR game, there had been only vague references to the “purpose” behind it. The original message had mentioned an “opportunity for improvement” but given little other information. Who was it that trapped us all here? Why did they do it? And are they still watching us?

I shook my head. All we knew was that there were one hundred gates to pass to “complete” this mission. Perhaps then we would understand the purpose behind all of this, the meaning of all this pain, death and suffering.

But we were only on the forty-second gate.

I went downstairs, and paused when I spotted Alton the Great Evil Wizard, looking nothing like his terrifying reputation as he was sitting cross-legged on the floor, calmly sewing a black robe. Hearing my footsteps, he looked up and grinned, waving with the hand holding the threaded needle.

“Good morning, Miss Healer!”

The address caught me by surprise. Jack and the party had always just called me “healer” or “the healer.” The word was always said dripping with disdain. They had hated my profession, hated the embarrassment of having me on their team, made even worse by the fact that they actually needed me around. But when Alton said it… it just seemed normal.

I think my sense of normal has been greatly skewed.

I regained my composure and nodded at him. “Good morning. What are you working on?”

“Repairing my torn robes.” He gestured a pile next to him on the floor. “They have low durability so they break down easily.”

“Shouldn’t you just buy new ones?”

He nodded. “I could… but prefer to save my money for the things I really want. Better to keep it close, since you never know what important things you might need it for… especially in this world.”

“Says the guy who put a 100,000 gold bounty on the head of the Hero?”

“Exactly!” He grinned viciously. “I save my money for important things like annoying idiots like him.”

I laughed at that. After another pause, I sat down on the floor next to him and grabbed a piece of dark cloth from the pile. Pulling a needle and dark thread out of my inventory, I began to stitch.

“You sew?” Alton asked, seeming surprised.

I pointed at his chest, where the stitched wound was still visible. “If I can patch you up, pretty sure I can sew up a sleeve.”

“…Good point… although I guess I didn’t realize the skills were transferable. Did you take on a Tailor side quest?”

“It’s not a skill, not a Fantasy Realm type skill at least.” I kept my eyes on my hands that were picking up speed as muscle memory took over. “I always liked to sew, even before the Downfall… it was a good way to relax. It seemed logical to decompress doing the type of sewing that didn’t have the possibility to kill someone if your stitch came loose.”

“Wait…” He held up his hand, shocked. “Were you a doctor before the Downfall?”

“Yeah, but I was still in surgery residency. So wasn’t like I was operating on my own… “

Alton blinked, seemingly trying to absorb this information. “That’s… impressive.”

I kept my head down, my hands moving smoothly without hesitation. “Not in my family.”

“Ah… familial disappointment. Something with which I am quite familiar.” There was a sad tone in his voice, a look in his eyes that seemed almost close to despair. “Unlike you, I did not go into the family business… making me somewhat of the black sheep of the family.”

“Your family business?” I probed, curious.

“Well, it wasn’t wizardry, that’s for sure.” I sensed he was avoiding the question, and dropped the topic. I didn’t know Alton that well, certainly not enough to push him to open up. I tried to find something else to talk about instead.

“So… what do you think about what I said yesterday?”

He seemed quietly relieved that I moved on. “Which sentence?”

“About finding a couple other people for our party.”

He continued to sew, thinking it over. “I guess it depends…”

“Depends on what?”

Alton looked up, his eyes serious. “On if you trust them.”

I paused at that, before finally answering in a cold tone. “I don’t trust anyone.”

The amulet around my neck felt icy cold against my skin, as always, as if reminding me of its presence, reminding me of the consequence of trusting someone.

“Not anymore.”

Alton nodded seriously at that, and I remembered the title that I saw in his Stat screen. “The Betrayed.” Given the particulars of the system of this world, I didn’t want to know how severe of a betrayal it would have to be to actually bestow a title like that.

Looks like we are both haunted by the consequences of trusting the wrong person. I feel like I already know the kind of person he is... even if it's not been a long time.

As if he heard my thoughts, he spoke up. “We have a lot in common. I’ve been watching you for quite some time. I have a good understanding of the type of person you are… and aren’t. I considered all the options before inviting you into my party. If you have someone you know that well… I would at least be willing to meet them.”

“You were watching me?” I raised an eyebrow at that. “Why?”

“First, I was interested because you were a healer. I didn’t think any had survived. Then I noticed you cleaning up after the Hero’s party’s antics. And then… it was partly because I was scared of you.” He smiled to soften the blow, but I still froze for a moment, before forcing my hands to continue.

“Scared of me?”

“Yeah… since I’m fairly certain that you are the only human in this world who is strong enough to kill me.”

I processed that. “So it’s a ‘keep your enemies close’ type deal?”

“Nah, nothing like that.” He laughed quietly. “It’s just the more I got to know you, the more I couldn’t escape a thought: That I thought you would be a good friend.”

“… You shouldn’t trust me.”  My tone was flat.

Alton seemed unfazed. “Why not? Are you planning to betray me?”

I shook my head.

“Then what’s the problem?”

“You don’t know everything yet… even if you’ve been watching… there’s things… terrible, awful things you need to know about me before making any decisions.”

“None of us are saints in this world.” He briefly closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, before meeting my gaze once more. I could see the guilt within. “We were trapped here, forced to survive. We’ve all done things we regret. Don’t forget: I’m not far behind you in human kill numbers.”

There was a long pause.

“What are you thinking?” He finally asked, breaking the silence.

I knotted off the thread as I finished closing the tear, cutting it off with a neat motion. “I think you’re strangely naïve for someone called the ‘great evil wizard.’”

“If you say so.” Alton chuckled.

“I do.”

“So are you going to introduce this naïve evil wizard to your friends?” He finished sewing his robe, tying it off somewhat clumsily.

I froze at the word “friends."

______________________

“I need your help.” Jack’s eyes were intense as he cornered me, my back against a cold brick wall. The solidity of it grounded me, the realness of it reminding me that this strange world I lived in was my new normal.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. If the power gets into the wrong hands…” As I tried to turn away, he grabbed my face, forcing me to look at him. My skin crawled at  his touch, but the hard grip prevented me from pulling away.

“We don’t have a choice. The next gate is impossible without your help. If you refuse… everyone will die.”

He finally released me, and I tried to back away, but only succeeded in hitting my head against the brick. After a few long moments, I sighed.

“Just for the gate, right? You promise?”

“Of course…” He smiled. “We’re friends after all.”

______________________

I took a deep breath, ignoring Alton’s concerned look. “No. Not friends. But strong people who might be interested in partnering with us.”

I had no friends. I didn't dare. Not since I stopped calling Jack and his group that.

“Ah of course. `And you think these strong people will be okay partnering with me?” He pointed at himself with a quizzical expression.

I smiled confidently. “I have no doubt.”

______________________

SLAM!

The door slammed in our faces for the third time. Inside the building we could hear a muffled “GO AWAY!”

Alton looked over at me with a smile. “No doubt, huh?”

I frowned. “ I underestimated your bad reputation… or maybe mine.”

“I resent that. My bad reputation is more than enough to scare good prospects away on its own.” He glanced back at the door with a raised eyebrow. “Besides if they are too scared to even join us, I imagine they wouldn’t be that much help in a fight.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry. I’ve run out of suckers… I’m mean strong heroes to ask.”

He grinned at that, as we walked away from the last house and towards the 38th level City. The main road was deserted, this was one of the higher levels, and very few people advanced this far. Many chose to stay in the lower levels, avoiding danger. I kept a close eye on the surrounding forest, tense. The roads were generally safe, but the wariness remained all the same.

“So, just the three prospects, huh?”

“People on the World Leader Board who aren’t already in a party and not total psychopaths?” I shook my head, distracted from my obsessive watching of our surroundings. “You’re lucky I could think of three.”

“Well maybe it will just have to be you and me. I mean we ARE the top two players on the World Leader Board. It could be enough.”

We walked forward as I continued to ponder his words. I had not really seen Alton in action. However, his ranking and reputation as the world’s strongest player couldn’t be denied. “It might be enough, for a while. But I don’t know if that will carry us to the end. The gates are getting harder and harder… “

“Well, it’s not like teammates are going to just fall from the sky…”

“LOOK OUUUUUT!”

Alton and I rolled out of the way of the person falling from a nearby tree, both readying for battle. Alton whispered quietly, activating a dark magical flame that danced around his fingers. I on the other hand, simply stood in place, hands resting at my sides. If there was one thing I was good at, it was killing. I just needed to know if it was necessary. In the corner of my vision I confirmed my filled HP and MP, with some reassurance.

The falling person hit the ground with a loud CLANG and her metal armor slightly deformed from the impact. She the rolled several times, coming to a loud stop on her back at my feet. Her young, bright eyes stared up at me with delight.

“Healer!”

I looked down at her, and sighed. “Hello, Stephanie.”

Alton glanced at her, and then looked at me. “You know her?”

“WE’RE BEST FRIENDS!”

“No.”

Stephanie and I answered at the same time. Alton laughed, and held out a hand to the teenage girl. “Nice to meet you, Miss Healer’s best friend. I’m Alton.”

Her eyes widened. “The evil wizard?” I braced myself for her to scream or run away similar to the prior “strong” people I had tried to recruit. Instead, she smiled with great relief. “THANK GOODNESS!”

“Huh.” Alton seemed just as confused as me. “Never had that reaction before.”

Stephanie in response pointed a group of monsters emerging from the nearby forest, heading towards us. “Can you guys lend a hand?”

I studied the new threat carefully. There were eight wolf like creatures, 5 feet tall with long horns, large jaws and rows upon rows of blood-stained teeth. They moved as a pack, snarling and howling as they closed in on their prey.

Alton shrugged nonchalantly at the sight, and pointed at me. “I’ll help if she says it’s okay.”

“Great!” Stephanie sat up with difficultly, her armor hindering the movement, and placed her hands together in a praying gesture. “Please?”

I pushed up my sleeves. “Sure. I had some energy I wanted to get out anyways. Alton, you take the four on the left?”

He nodded in response and began chanting.

I faced the four beasts on the right with a thoughtful expression. One out of the group was larger than the rest, likely the leader of the pack.

**The Healer has activated wordless incantation. -300MP per use.**

The wolf monsters were racing closer. I sensed the end of Alton’s chant coming and raised a hand, pointing.

**The Healer has cast Immobilization -10MP/sec while active.**

The three smaller wolves froze, tumbling to the ground. The larger stumbled, but shrugged off the spell, obviously having some magical resistance. I moved forward, going at my highest speed. If a spell won’t work…  I pulled a syringe out of my inventory. As I reached the leader. I saw Alton finish his chant out of the corner of my eye. A black flame surrounded the monsters he faced, burning them to ash.

**Alton the Great Evil Wizard is credited with 4 monster kills, awarded 160XP and +4 fame. You receive 20XP as a party member.**

The lead monster snapped at me as I leapt over its head, its teeth missing my arm my a hair. I jumped and straddled its back, grabbing its rough, stained fur in one hand, and plunging the syringe into the large muscle near its shoulder joint with the other.

**The Healer has used custom potion – Anesthetic. Patient is paralyzed and sedated for 3 minutes.**

The monster under me let out a groan and collapsed to the ground. Letting out a sigh of relief, I looked over at the smaller wolf monsters and reached out a hand.

**The Healer has cast Debridement x 3. – 60MP.**

Black blood spilled out from large wounds in their necks, pooling under the three bodies, soaking the grass beneath them.

**The Healer is credited with 3 monster kills, awarded 120XP and +3 fame.**

 Now that the small fry are out of the way… I waved away the notification and pulled a scalpel out of my inventory, the small blade in my hand reflecting the bright sunlight.

If spells won’t work, then I’ll just do it the old-fashioned way. I couldn’t use weapons, only medical/healing potions and tools. A scalpel although tiny, was the closest thing I had to a bladed weapon. I reached out towards the wolf’s neck.

“WAIT!” Stephanie cried out, causing me to pause before I cut the monster’s throat. “Don’t cut it!”

I raised an eyebrow. “You want me to spare the monster that was hunting you?” I noticed that Alton had kept a small amount of magic around his hand, ready to strike at any moment. It was strangely reassuring to see that he wasn’t always so trusting of others.

Stephanie looked at me, confused. “What? No! I just meant please don’t CUT it! I need an undamaged pelt for a quest. Can you kill it without hurting its pelt?”

I thought it over, still holding the scalpel to its throat in case the potion wore off. “Depends. What about the quest rewards?”

She deflated slightly at the question. “50-50 split? I did spend days tracking them down.”

“Deal.” I put my scalpel away, and pull up a buckled strap. With a quick practiced movement, I placed it around the wolf’s head, and tightened it over the neck.

**Healer has utilized tourniquet. Blood flow to the affected area is cut off. Please utilize caution, patient received 10 damage for each second that the tourniquet is in place.**

I waited patiently.

**WARNING! Patient airway is compressed and is becoming dangerously hypoxic. Please secure airway to continue healing. Patient will receive 50 damage for each second that airway compression remains in place.**

I continued to wait.

**The Healer is credited with 1 level 20 monster boss kill, awarded 200 XP and +5 fame.**

I removed the tourniquet, wiping down the strap before replacing it into my inventory. I glanced over at Alton and Stephanie who stared at me in surprise. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“…Umm… did you just kill a boss monster… with a syringe and a belt?”

“It’s a tourniquet, but yes.”

“Cool.” Alton gave me a thumbs up.

Stephanie shrugged off her apparent shock and ran to the boss monster, using a skill to remove the pelt without any tools. She then paused, and stood in front of both of us, shuffling back and forth slightly.

“So…”

I cleaned my hands with a handkerchief and some water, not looking at her. “What do you want this time?”

“This time?” I waved away Alton’s question and looked at Stephanie, who didn’t make eye contact.

“Well, I guess I wasn’t here JUST for the wolf pelt… I may have also come here looking for you… and remembered to finish the quest when I saw them in the forest on my way over.”

I didn’t change my expression. “What do you want?”

Striking a pose, slightly hindered by her dented metal armor, she answered dramatically: “…I heard you were recruiting… Can I join your party?”

"..."

"..."

Alton and I stared at her.

 “Wait. How did you know we were recruiting?”

“After you asked three people you are seriously asking this?" She shook her head in disgust. "You both are famous! It’s been all over the world chat since you were first sighted together!”

Groaning, I pulled up the display that I rarely opened anymore. After the Downfall, the people pulled into this game like world had quickly discovered a worldwide chat option. There were many different topics, guides and other discussion available to read through and comment on.

In the first few weeks after waking up in this world, I used to read through the gossip and other new topics daily, hoping desperately that someone would discover what had happened, why we were here, or perhaps some tips on succeeding as a healer. Instead I quickly discovered it was a toxic cesspool of humanity, filled with petty arguments, lies and gossip.

I quickly became a common topic of discussion on the chat board. As the only high level healer, part of the Hero’s party, and the player with the highest number of human kills, I was infamous, with entire forums dedicated to analyzing how I was accomplishing it.  The conclusions they often came to were often not very flattering towards me.

There were also fan clubs and forums dedicated to the Hero and his party, and they were also my strongest critics as well, accusing me of dragging the hero and his party down. I flinched from the memories, but quickly pulled up the world chat, noting that the top topic of discussion was about Alton and me.

______________________

“THE HEALER AND THE EVIL WIZARD HAVE TEAMED UP AND ARE RECRUITING NEW MEMBERS!”

The infamous mooching healer from the Hero’s party has officially split from them and joined the Evil Wizard! No one knows what horrific plans they are concocting, but whatever it is must require strong people, as they have been sighted trying to recruit two free agents on the leader board, and were last seen on level 38, likely to recruit Dallas the Barbarian! We’ll keep you posted!

______________________

I frowned at the post, quickly scanning the comments below.

______________________

“ Good riddance! It was always a drag to see her running behind the hero’s party, getting carried by them. “

“That’s terrifying! The Evil Wizard has friends? If you see them, you better run!”

“Who would want to joined such a cursed party?”

“… So who else is shipping them?”

“Weirdos will ship anything with anything. Get out of here with that nonsense.”

“Pieces of trash will always gravitate together.”

______________________

I looked at the last comment, which was posted by Rita the Holy Archer. She was a member of the Hero’s party as well, and not someone I had ever gotten along with.

Alton was staring blankly, obviously scrolling through the chat as well. He made a weird expression and waved his hand back and forth, dismissing it and muttering to himself. I stepped forward, patting his shoulder comfortingly.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a bunch of idiots chattering.”

“Worried?” He looked at me, confused. “I’m not worried about the comments. There’s a whole thread dedicated to taking bets on what sort of horrible death I’ll have. This is child’s play.”

“Then why the weird face?”

He looked away awkwardly, mumbling something I couldn’t hear.

“What did you…?”

“I saw FAN ART, okay? They made fan art of the two of us…” He covered his face with his hand.

“Why would they…?” I paused. “Can I see it?”

“No. No. I would rather die.”

What on earth did he see? Before I could ask further, Stephanie pushed again.

“Guys? I’m still here! Can I join?”

Alton stared coldly at her. “I don’t know you, or trust you. It depends on what Miss Healer has to say.”

Stephanie turned towards me, but only received an eye roll in response to her puppy eyes. “I can vouch for the fact that she’s strong. She’s a barbarian warrior, and obsessed on leveling up her strength stats.”

He looked at the girl in her late teens and her tiny frame. “…If you say so”

I sighed. “Show him your sword.”

“Sure!” Grinning, Stephanie raised her hand, an enormous cleaver type sword longer than her body appearing in it. It looked incredibly heavy, but she waved it around as if it were weightless. Alton applauded politely at her show of strength. Finally, she put it away. “I’m forty-third on the Leader Board, partially due to the fame I gained for my strength stats, which are the highest in the world here.”

“The real question is…” Alton turned towards me. “Why wasn’t she on your list of people to recruit?”

“I told you my list was strong people who weren’t in a party who weren’t total psychopaths.” I looked at Stephanie pointedly. “She is absolutely crazy AND she’s in party already.”

She grinned. “Not anymore, Healer! I quit my party the minute I saw you were recruiting on the forum! I owe you my life, how could I not take advantage of that opportunity?”

“And your fan club of a party allowed that?”

“I had to chop off a hand or two, but eventually they got the point and agreed to let me be happy and follow my dream.” Seemingly unconcerned by the intense violent acts she spoke about, she held out her hand to me with a smile. “So do we have a deal?”

I looked up at the sky. “We do need a tanker…” Crazy or not, she is really strong... I took a deep breath, and shook her hand. “Fine.”

“YAY!”

**Stephanie the lovely Barbarian has accepted your invitation to join your party! She will have access to shared inventory, and her stats will become visible upon medical scan.**

“Should we head on, or are anymore of your friends going to suddenly jump out of trees to join us?” Alton finally asked, breaking the silence.

“Who knows?” I turned to Stephanie. “Where do you need to turn in your quest?”

“Where else?” She grinned. “Winter’s General Store.”

"..." Rubbing my forehead, and trying not to cry, I asked quietly, “Are you out of your mind? You realize he would kill you if you didn’t bring back the pelt?” Alton looked at me questioningly, but I gestured at him to let it go and he remained silent.

“No he wouldn’t!” Stephanie burst out. “He promised that since I was your friend he wouldn't kill me! ... He would only maim me if I failed.”

“You’re not my friend.”

“That’s right, we’re not friends… we’re BEST friends!”

“Heaven help us.” I groaned and pulled up a traveling artifact. “Let’s go see Winter before he decides to come see us.”

______________________

As we arrived in level 1 City, we quietly moved towards the back alleys near the water front. It was a mostly deserted area known for its paid killers, black markets and the most desperate part of humanity. The few people we ran into were cloaked and minding their own business, but I kept my guard up, refusing to dismiss wordless chanting despite the mana drain. I wanted to be able to fight at a moments notice.

“Who is Winter?” Alton asked finally as he followed us through the winding and increasingly dark streets.

“An NPC!” Stephanie answered cheerfully. “A really powerful one. He really likes the Healer too”

Alton was shocked, as I knew he would be. There were scattered being that looked like humans, but weren't that could give quests, termed Non Player Characters given their similarity in role to NPCs in the game. However, since their discovery in this world since the Downfall, their interactions with humans were limited. There were a few that would hand out quests, a few that ran shops, but all of them had one thing in common:

They despised humans.

They treated human players as lesser beings, only worthy of cheap and dirty missions or tasks that they didn’t want to take care of. Many attempts at befriending or learning about them were made in the beginning, but universally they responded with only vitriol and disdain.

No one knew why they were here. If they were part of whatever scheme this was that had trapped us in this world. But we knew one thing: Any attempt to harm them went poorly. They could be harmed. Could even be killed. But any player who did so would find themselves hunted relentlessly by the City 1 guard, who wouldn’t rest until the offending player was dead. After a handful of deaths, this became the new normal and people learned to leave NPCs alone for the most part.

I gave most NPCs a wide berth. I didn’t understand them, or trust them.

But Winter was the exception.

We arrived at the store, pushing it open to the sound of a tinkling bell overhead.

“Winter! Guess who I brought?!!” Stephanie crowed as she pranced in, before coming to a sudden stop. I halted behind her, and Alton beside me as we stared silently at the group already in the store, arguing with an annoyed appearing Winter.

“What bad luck.” Alton whispered, and I had to agree.

It was the Hero’s party.

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Guys! I have to show you this! This is fan art I received from @madishhatter of Lenora from I Can't Eat Love! and Bel and Liam from Please Fix the Story

I thought this was so awesome, so wanted to share it!

Thanks, @madishhatter for sharing it with me! You are an awesome artist and you made my day!

[screamingatanemptyroom]

OH MY GOODNESS!!!! I'm such a big fan and I can't believe I haven't found you on Tumblr before this! I found you on AO3 last year and I've read and re-read your works so many times that I downloaded them onto my Kindle for continuous reading pleasure :) This genuinely makes me so happy :D

So happy to see you here too! Glad you' like my work and you've enjoyed my writing on AO3 and thank you for sending this message! I have more stuff on tumblr (since this is where I started out) so definitely the best place to find newer stuff!

Thanks for reading my work!

[screamingatanemptyroom]

I've been thinking about this a lot, especially since I've been working on some part 2s to a few of my newer stories. I get short bursts of inspiration, so might be easier to just post shorter bits, but also might make for a more fragmented reading experience, in which case waiting until I've written a longer piece might be better.

In general for Please Fix the Story I always did longer updates, since it felt the most natural for reading.

Let me know your thoughts!

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Hello!

I wanted to know whether you will continue the healer story? I really liked your rendition of it. Also loved your new story on the werewolf and vampire!!

Thanks, glad you liked it! I actually am working on a part 2 for the healer story! It's been a little slow, (I'm already mad about myself for writing a story with stats to keep track of), but I just genuinely fell in love with the concept and want to flesh it out a bit! I should be posting in the next day or so, so keep an eye out!

[screamingatanemptyroom]

“DIE FOUL BEAST!”

The hunter stabbed the silver blade into shoulder of the werewolf, shouting in triumph as smoke poured from the wound and the wolf-creature screamed in pain. “It’s weakened! PRESS THE ATTACK!”

The villagers, who were standing a ways away, clutching pitchforks and other farming tools, their paces pale with fear, jumped collectively at his order. One of the older gentleman, his features worn deep by the wind and the sun, stepped forward, swallowing nervously. “But Sir… we don’t have silver… only you can kill the beast.”

“Distract it! Hurt it!” The hunter cried, trying to pin the werewolf to the ground. He was quickly bucked off, hitting the dirt with a grunt of pain, his knife left in the wolf’s shoulder. “Only then can I make the killing blow!”

The villagers shuffled slowly forward, raising their tools half-heartedly.

The wolf threw the Hunter against a nearby wall, roaring in rage. Stumbling to his feet, he pulled out a second silver blade. “HURRY!”

Three of the men ran forward at his cry, swinging their tools at the werewolf, who dodged their attacks easily. The Hunter followed and stabbed his second blade in the closest area he could reach… the thigh. More smoke, more screams of pain followed the blow, and the villagers cheered, rushing to help.

As if the creature had a second wind, it shook off its attackers, and with a roar of fear and pain, rushed away into the forest, faster than any human could follow.

The hunter and the villagers stared in defeat at the empty grove. Nothing remained as proof of the attack other than a small amount of blood and crushed grass.

“It escaped.” It was the villager who had spoken earlier. He stared at the path into the forest with a grim expression. “Who knows if it will return.”

The Hunter glared at him. “Well, it’s not my fault! I was the only one with silver! You all were useless!”

“As if any of us have the wealth to afford silver weapons. Even in times like these, with beasts roaming the nights, we can only tools for farming, not killing, especially of the silver variety.”

“Well thanks to you I lost two silver blades tonight.” The Hunter began packing his bag. “Do not call on me again, I will not help you.”

The man watched him go, shaking his head. “And if the beast returns?”

He paused at that. “Then I think you are simply too poor to survive.”

And with that, he was gone.

_________________________

The werewolf moved into the cave, breathing heavily as it shook itself off. I sat in front of the fire, stirring a pot full of a stew. Its eyes locked in on me, its eyes lighting up with a sudden hunger, reflecting the firelight as it moved forward, trailing small drips of blood as it moved closer. I looked the beast up and down, and then smiled.

“Two knives? Not a bad haul, Shay!”

Shay, the werewolf paused at my words, before chuckling, a low guttural sound, and pulling two blades out from his shoulder and leg. They fell to the cave floor with a clatter. With a grunt of pain, and the sounds of cracking bones, he shifted back, now a young muscular man with long messy hair and a carefree grin.

“I was hoping he had a third one, but if I stuck around too much longer I was going to have to start ripping limbs off of villagers.”

“Wouldn’t want that.” I picked up the daggers, wiping the blood off of them with a handkerchief. “Good silver, though.”

“Like you care about humans.” He grunted, sitting down in front of the fire.

“I care about humans… after all, I used to be one once.” I threw a blanket over his lap, more worried about the possibility of thermal burns than the nudity.

“And how long ago was that?” Chuckling at my actions, he leaned forward to smell the stew and grinned. “It smells good. Is it ready?”

“Be my guest.” At my words, he quickly served himself and ate ravenously. For a moment there was only the crackling of the fire and the sounds of eating. After a few bowls, however, he slowed down and looked at me more carefully.

“How did you make it happen?”

I stared into the flames. “What?”

“How did you make smoke come up when he stabbed me? After all…” He shook his head. “…that silver nonsense is just a myth. But when he stabbed me, even I started to belief for a minute.”

“Just a special powder. Reacts to silver. Very dramatic.” I laughed. “Of course, the painful screams were really what sold it.”

“I’ve always been very convincing.”

“Clearly.”

He paused. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” I poked the fire between us, causing sparks to fly into the air. “Doesn’t mean I’ll answer though.”

“Of course, of course.” He hesitated, running a hand through his long hair. “Why on earth are YOU doing this?”

I raised an eyebrow at his tone, and he continued, stuttering a bit in his haste. “I-I mean, I know why I’m doing this! I’m a werewolf, the bottom scum of society. We’re good for nothing but death and being hunted. We all try to stay human, stay under the radar…” He sighed. “But I trusted the wrong person… Young, dumb, and in love, a dangerous combination. But once my cover was blown, I was sentenced to be chased and hunted like an animal.”

“…I’m sorry.” It felt like the right thing to say.

“No. I’m lucky. Inevitably, all werewolves who are exposed die within a few weeks. I’m luckier than most. But that’s not what has me confused… Why are YOU doing this?”

“I can’t want to make money?”

His eyes stared into mine., “You’re a vampire, Jeannette. You should be living in luxury in a castle. Why are you in cave scamming wolf hunters out of their silver?”

“Why?” I broke his gaze, unable to persevere against the genuineness I saw there. “Because, like you, I was meant to die… but I’m a bit too stubborn for that.”

I stared into the fire again, and in it, I could see the memory…

_________________________

“No hard feelings, Jeannie.” My fiancé smiled, showing his fangs, as he quietly pushed a stake into my chest. “Power is just too much of a temptation.”

_________________________

I shook my head, pushing the face and words away. Vampires were the ruling class in this world ,with humans’ role being the work force and food source.I had lived in luxury since being turned. I thought I understood my place in life, my role.

I understood nothing.

“They think I’m dead… and that’s how I want it, for now. Right now, I need money. Untraceable silver. And a partnership with you achieves that. I supply the plans, the navigation, the powder to fake out the hunters… and you bleed.” I met his gaze once more. “You shouldn’t trust me.”

He grinned, despite my serious tone. “If I shouldn’t trust you, wouldn’t you be saying to trust you?”

“…Perhaps.”

“What are you going to do once you have enough money?”

“Revenge.” I clenched my hands, feeling a yearning for it. “The streets will run with blood.”

“So like a free meal for you?”

I laughed at that. “The legends, much like steel, are greatly inaccurate.”

“You don’t drink blood?”

My smiled widened, showing my fangs. “I didn’t say that.”

“Forget I asked.” He shuddered, falling silent for a few moment.  “Hey… even if you are just using me for revenge… thanks.”

I looked at the eager werewolf, excited and scheming. I couldn’t help but smile back.

“Don’t thank me until we’re rich.” I pulled out a map and pointed at a new village. “We’ll move out at dawn.”

“Wait vampires can’t go out during the day…” He trailed off at my expression. “Never mind, you already told me… inaccurate.”

“There’s an up and coming hunter in this area…. Rich, dumb, specialized in hunting werewolves.”

“Shay grinned wolfishly. “I might even set a new record for number of knives I grab in a fight.”

“Safety first.” I leaned back. “But first… we rest.”

We both settled in for the night, waiting for the dawn.

And in the morning… I would continue towards my revenge.

You are both poor and a werewolf. Also contrary to the belief, werewolves are not deathly allergic to any metal. You decide to pull the greatest scam any werewolf has ever done.

[screamingatanemptyroom]

“I’m sorry.”

I looked up from the ground I had been forced to kneel on, lifting my hands slightly, feeling the cold weight of the shackles on them. My eyes met those of the man who I had grown up with, his own colder than I had ever seen them.

My brother.

I smiled at him, enjoying his surprise at the lighthearted expression. I could feel his many emotions from where I was: annoyance, distrust, and a mild anxiety… but no guilt. No guilt whatsoever.

“No you’re not, Benjamin.”

He looked away first.

“It’s not like I had a say in this, Meg. Someone gets chosen every year. It’s a blind vote. Just because I’ve got a higher up position, doesn’t mean I can change it. In fact… “ He looked at me again. “I’m held to an even stricter standard. I’m sorry.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at his repeated apology. It was just as insincere as the first. He wasn’t sorry.

“Is that what you told Alicia?” I couldn't hold back and asked with a mild tone, only to fall to the ground with a hard slap. The anger in his eyes burned brightly now, much more interesting now that he no longer attempting any façade at regret.

“Don’t say her name! You don’t understand it. You don’t understand anything.” He turned away. “I’ll see you at the Entrance, tomorrow. I hope your last night on this earth is a pleasant rest, at least.” At his words the prison door closed behind him, and I was left alone in the darkness, awaiting the morning of my sentence.

I was the Chosen, and it was my time to die.

_______________________

The next morning, I was woken up, fed a light meal, and moved out of my cell. Two guards walked me towards the entrance, each one holding an arm in a painfully tight grip. The younger of the two I recognized vaguely from school, we had been in the same graduating class a few years ago. He glanced over at me frequently, his expression troubled.

“This has to be done.” The other guard, a middle-aged man with a stern look, noticed his hesitation and spoke up. “It’s the only way to protect the Community.”

The younger looked even more anxious. “What’s out there?” He asked quietly, sending another look in my direction.

“Who knows?” The older guard shrugged. “It’s been centuries since the Time of Darkness drove humanity underground. Every exploration party we’ve sent out since has never come back. Whatever is out there… it doesn’t leave survivors.”

I stayed silent, unbothered by the discussion as if it had nothing to do with me. If anything, the younger guard seemed even more anxious.

“Maybe it’s not too bad? Maybe the world has changed… and no one has just been able to come back to tell us?” His voice trailed off as he spoke, obviously unconvinced.

The older guard scoffed at his words. “Look, Matt. I know it’s hard when the Chosen is a younger pretty girl like this…” he glanced at me then looked away. “Normally it’s an older person. But it’s necessary. We have limited resources in the Community, and too large of a population. The Choosing allows us to fairly decide who gets sacrificed. If you are going to stay in this job, kid, you’re gonna have to get used to this.”

My hand reached out towards the younger man and brushed his skin. I closed my eyes briefly, focusing.

Immediately he relaxed, his posture and tone less anxious.  “I was just asking. I didn’t mean anything about it.”

“Good. We don’t question the Choosing. That’s not our job. We just escort them to the Entrance.”

The rest of the trip through the increasingly complex tunnels was passed in silence. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was worried the young guard had gotten it into his head to rescue me. But I didn’t need or want to be rescued.

After all, I was the one who had submitted my name for the Choosing in the first place.

_______________________

We arrived at the Entrance. A solid steel door representing the end of the known safe world, and an entrance into the Unknown. My brother was waiting for me, holding a large tome in his hand, the Community Census. With a solemn expression he drew a line through my name, marking it with a red “C.”

“Megan, Daughter of Simon, descendant to the last of humanity. You have been Chosen. Your task is a noble sacrifice, to abandon the safety of your home and venture out into the Unknown, so that others may live free and healthy beneath the earth. We applaud you your bravery in protecting humanity.”

I snorted at the last sentence, the clanking of the chains on my wrists seeming to echo the derisive noise. My brother paused at the sound, taking in a slow breath, before continuing on with the ceremony.

“You must make two promises, before you are sent out on your own:” He held up a finger. “First, you must do your best to survive, and seek out other remnants of humanity. Perhaps you will find larger resources or shelter and be the savior of future humans.”

How does he say this with a straight face?

He held up another finger. “Second, no matter what. You must never return.” His face turned grim. “You must never risk leading a danger back here. Once you walk out of the door, you are no longer one of us. You are only a threat. If you try to come back you will be shot on sight.”

“With such a sweet sendoff…how could I bear to leave?” I lifted my chained hands, pretending to wipe a tear from my eye. “Don’t worry, brother, I have no intention of coming back here.”

His expression was unchanged. “See that you keep your promise. I regret the necessity of your sacrifice, but I’m proud of you for it.” He turned towards the door. “I will lead humanity to prosperity, and think of you often.”

“Think of me often…” I muttered. Before anyone could react, I reached out and grasped his hand in between my own, focusing on my power.

“I hope you think of me often, brother. I hope you feel the weight of my sacrifice every single day.”

Benjamin ripped his hands away, his face pale. Seeing his expression, one of the guards stepped forward. “Are you okay, sir?”

“It’s fine!” He snapped, pointing towards the door, which another guard opened.  “Send her out.”

I smiled widely at my brother, enjoying the fear in his eyes. “Goodbye, Benjamin. I’ll give Alicia your regards.”

I walked out through the metal doorway before he could respond, and the door shut behind me with a loud thud, the sound echoing and mixing with that of my laughter.

I was cut off from humanity. From the world I had known since childbirth.

Exactly where I wanted to be.

_______________________

I followed the tunnel for what seemed like hours. They had not provided me with any food or water, after all, what was the point of feeding a dead woman? But as I continued to walk forward, trying to ignore the weight of the chains around my wrists, I felt a bit of regret that they didn’t let me take anything with me.

 I might kill for a drink of water. I glanced down at my chained arms, and their distinct lack of muscle. Or I guess more likely someone might kill me for it.

Despite the scraps of info I had been able to glean from hacking my brother’s computer, it was still quite the unknown that I was walking towards. But it hadn’t been a fruitless exercise. I had still learned several things.

Such as that we knew that everyone who left the Community was still alive.

I kept walking.

Eventually the light in the tunnel brightened, much more than the low power UV lamps that had dotted the walls could provide. I walked slower, giving myself time to adjust. I had grown up around fake sunlight my entire life. I knew nothing about the sun except what I had read in books.

And then, I was on the surface.

Bright.

Much brighter than the artificial light our lamps provided, with an associated warmth that was foreign to me. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling. I took a deep breath, the scent of earth and grass stronger than any scent from the greenery rooms underground. It was foreign, alien, but somehow, so familiar.

I took a step forward.

“Lifeform Detected.”

Well, crap.

Metal bars sprung up from the earth forming a cage around me. The ground was replaced by a metal plate, and the entire cage rolled forward on an invisible track. I looked around, seeing a mostly empty field to the sides, but as the cage continued to move forward, a building came into view over the horizon.

After briefly testing the strength of the bars, I gave up. I sat down on the floor of the cage, conserving my energy, and watched.

The building was enormous, the size of a small city. It branched out in every direction, towering above me, stretching towards the sun. As we got closer I shielded my eyes. The ceilings were all made of a clear material like glass, and the glare of sunlight off of it was painfully bright.

It was a sunlight-filled city. The opposite of the world I had left behind.

Before I could ponder it too closely, a small opening formed in the side of the building closest to me, and the cage rolled into it.

Immediately I was in a large white room, the sunlight still shining brightly through the clear ceiling and multiple windows. As the cage entered the building, the opening sealed shut behind me, as if it was never there. I reached the center of the room, the cage stopped with a quiet thud, and the bars and plate retracted into the floor, leaving only a bare white room.

I looked around at the empty room, confused.

“Hmmm… Now what?”

“Lifeform detected.” A robotic voice spoke up again, and a large screen slid down from the ceiling. A bright light enveloped me, scanning me from head to toe, and immediately the screen in front of me filled with information.

_______________________

LIFEFORM: HUMAN FEMALE

INPUT NAME

AGE: 20 years old.

Nulliparous. Fertile. Pheromone level high.  

Level SSS Empath

Skills testing to commence…

_______________________

I stared at the screen with a frown. Not a good start.

Just as I thought this, the robotic voice spoke once more. “Skills testing to commence. Please select a skill to be tested in. Know that the higher and more numerous your skills, the better your work assignment will be. “

I raised an eyebrow at the words “work assignment” but after thinking for a moment, spoke up.

“Computer programming.”

A keyboard on a pedestal lifted up from the floor, stopping in front of me. “Write a basic program. Testing to commence in three… two… one…”

“Gotcha.” My chained hands flew across the keyboard before the countdown could finish.

“ERROR! ERROR! CODING ERROR! SECURITY BREACH!...”

After a few seconds, the alarm settled down, and the screen turned black. I kept typing and eventually the screen popped up again with my information.

“First, let’s fix a few things.” I worked for a few moments, and soon my information read differently.

_______________________

LIFEFORM: HUMAN FEMALE-

Name- Megan

AGE: 20 earth years old.

Nulliparous. Infertile. Pheromone level undetectable.  

No special abilities.

Skills testing complete – Cleaning – level 5. No other skills present.

Work Assignment – Housekeeping.

_______________________

“Seems safe enough.” I muttered to myself, rubbing my hands and wrists where the cuffs had chafed. Fortunately, they hadn’t restricted my movement enough to prevent me from typing. “Now…” I worked on the keyboard once more, and the screen went dark again except for a single sentence:

Searching personnel database…

“There she is.” I gave a sigh of relief, studying the information in front of me.

_______________________

Human Female

Name – Alicia

Age – 23 years old

Primiparous. Fertile. Pheromone level moderate.  

Level D Foresight.

Skills – Cooking- level 8, cleaning – level 3, Language/translation – level 6. Computer programming - level 4. Singing/entertainment – level 2.

Work Assignment: None

_______________________

My eyes focused on the word “Primiparous.” One child. As I did, my thoughts forcibly went to the night burned in my brain from 2 years prior.

_______________________

“Meg!” Alicia ran up to me with a nervous smile on her face, her curly hair falling into her eyes like always.

I grinned back, trying to calm her as I felt her anxiety rushed through me. “What’s up?”

She didn’t speak at first, seeming to grow more nervous.

“Is it about the guy you’ve been seeing? The one you didn’t want me to know about yet?” Her gaze bounced around, and from the upswing in her nervousness I knew I was getting close. “Or is there something else?”

“…” She still didn’t answer, staring at me, wringing her hands.

“You’re not pregnant are you?” I joked, trying to cut the tension.

“…” Her silence became deafening, and my smile slowly faded.

“Alicia, are you crazy? You got pregnant without an approved match?” In the dwindling, starving population of humanity, reproduction was strictly controlled. Any attempt at pregnancy had to be approved by the government prior to starting. She might not face too severe of consequences, after all, she was a young, childbearing woman… but depending on who the father was… it could be a capital offense for him.

“Alicia, listen to me.” I reached out my hands and grabbed her, focusing, calming her storm of emotions down. She had always hated me using my ability on her, but desperate times…

“Tell me… who is the father?”

“…” She stared at me, and her eyes filled with guilt. It came across her contact, and I was drowning in it.

“Alic…”

“...It was your brother.”

_______________________

I shook my head, trying to push the memory from a few years ago away. That had been our last conversation before she was Chosen. I couldn’t prove my brother had arranged it. But the fact that she had been sent away before she could start showing her pregnancy in the midst of the year that led to him being elected… I could never see him the same. There was no point in accusing him. The only evidence was Alicia, and she was gone.

And so I went off to find my friend, and possible niece or nephew. It had been easy for someone with my knowledge of computers to hijack a simple anonymous vote like the Choosing. I’m sure Benjamin suspected tampering, but to be honest he probably thought it was a political opponent, not his own sister sending herself out.  I wasn’t sure exactly what I would find out here. But I had learned enough to suspect that everyone Chosen was likely alive.

And I wanted a chance to protect my friend.

“Testing complete.” As the robotic voice spoke up, the keyboard began descending into the floor again. I heard the door begin to open and hit a quick key on the keyboard as it lowered, returning the screen back to my faked data, and stood in place, staring at the ground.

“My, my, it’s time for the colonies' sacrifice already?” A dry voice spoke up, and I couldn’t help but glance upwards to see the source, stiffening in shock at the sight in front of me.

Elves.

At least, they looked exactly like elves from the storybooks. Tall. Thin. Long flowing hair. Long pointy ears. Unnaturally beautiful features, with faces that looked young but eyes that gave the sense of someone who had lived an extremely long time.  

My mind raced. I had only been able to gather from the records on my brother’s computer that some other species had taken over the world. I had assumed alien. But now, seeing their appearance, I wasn’t so certain.

Were they actually aliens, and fantasies of elves were actually based on records of contact with otherworldly beings? Or were they also inhabitants of this planet, only remaining in hiding until they decided to take over?

The elf who had spoken, caught my stare and smiled. “Silly humans, always so enamored with us at first glance.”

A darker haired elf behind him, glanced over at me, disinterested, and turned to his friend. “You know she can understand you, right?”

“She doesn’t have the implant yet…”

“The room has simultaneous translation capability, to allow for ease of transition into their new role.” He gestured to the screen in front of me, which had the blinking words in the corner.

Translation active.

The blond elf waved his hand dismissively. “So what? It’s just a human female…” He glanced at the data on the screen and shook his head. “And a very low quality one at that! Looks like she’s only good for cleaning. What a disappointment.”

“What did you expect?” The darker haired elf seemed amused. “That the humans would send their best? The leaders know what they are sending the sacrifices for. If we hadn’t stipulated no more elderly or infirm humans we would have no useful ones at all.”

“Cowardly creatures. I’d rather die than be enslaved.” He stepped over and grabbed my arm, his long slender fingers wrapping tightly in a painful grip. I looked down at the floor, pretending to be passive, but at the same time focused my ability on his emotions. He was irritated, impatient, filled with disdain, most likely towards me.

I reached out through the point of our touch, encouraging him gently towards a more mellow neutrality.

Immediately his grip loosened a bit, and his expression became less severe. “Let’s get her over to the processing room, I feel like going out for a drink tonight.”

“What put you in such a good mood all of a sudden?”

“I don’t know, maybe because it’s nearly the end of the work day?” He shrugged, and looked down at me. His hands reached out and clenched around the steel cuffs on my hands, warping them in his grasp and throwing them to the floor with a loud clank. I froze, shocked at the casual show of strength.

“Follow me human, we will take you to get cleaned, and get your translator chip before your work assignment.” He moved forward dragging me into the next room. This room was also bright white and filled with sunlight, but contained three doorways. The elf holding my arms went to the door with no other markings then a single vertical line.

As he did, the dark-haired elf spoke up, but this time as he spoke it was a in a foreign language I couldn’t understand. Realizing we had left the translator behind, I anxiously focused on his emotions instead.

Nervousness. Irritation. He gestured at the door marked with two vertical lines instead. When he pointed back at the door marked with one line, I felt a strong burst of emotion come from him.

Fear. He was afraid of whatever was behind the door I was headed for.

The elf dragging me shook his head, responding with a nonchalant tone. I tried to sway his emotions towards a more charitable one, but this time he seemed to react poorly, letting out a strong sense of irritation, before opening the door marked with a single line by tapping the upper corner of the screen on the wall next to it three times. He waved cheerfully at me, and before I could even struggle, shoved me through.

_______________________

I stumbled into a narrow hallway, with screens on either side of me.

Welcome to the Processing Room. Prepare for decontamination.

Before I could react, I was sprayed head to toe with warm water from nozzles that pushed out from the walls. The floor began to move like an assembly line under my feet, and soapy water drenched me from a hole in the ceiling. I sputtered and coughed, trying to rub the burning sensation from my eyes only to be sprayed with water again. The floor stopped, now in a dry spot, and a generic grey jumpsuit with a foreign word marked on the chest was pushed out through a slot in the wall.

Please proceed to change into your designated uniform.

Shrugging, and realizing the jumpsuit was better than my wet clothes, I changed into the provided attire, happy that they seemed to provide basic undergarments as well. As soon as I was changed, the floor moved again, only to pause at a new stop.

Prepare for translation implant.

A claw holding a small clear square with a screw attached to it pushed out through the wall. I knew I only had a moment to react.

I reached out to the screen nearby, and tapped the upper corner three times mimicking the action I had seen by the elf earlier. To my surprise, a menu popped out, and the claw holding the implant froze in place. I looked over the screen, frowning as I realized it was all in a language I couldn’t understand. However as I glanced at it, I felt a light vibration nearby, and looking at the square, realizing it came from the implant, I reached out a hand and gingerly touched it.

Immediately the words in front of me made sense. I browsed through the options, which seemed to be a selection menu with different types of translators available. There was over 10 species that I could choose from, which gave me pause. Not knowing how much time I had, however, I quickly selected “human” and tried to see if I could give myself any advantage.

Jackpot!

It allowed me to select a non-traceable option (noted for infiltration work positions) as well as including all known languages of foreign species available. I hesitated, and chose a third selectable option: “Removable.”

Immediately the claw with the square I was touching retracted into the wall, and came forward again, this time with a metal circle, attached to a tiny spike. I picked it off the claw, and after a moment of hesitation, plugged it into the skin of my torso under my arm, where it wouldn’t be noticed.

I either made things easier on myself, or more difficult. But either way, I’m going to play this game by my own rules.

Preparation complete.

The floor underneath me disappeared, and I fell down into a third room. This was the darkest room I had been in so far, with dark grey walls and no windows. There were high intensity UV lamps around, their purplish light casting shadows in the cavernous space. But before I could catch my breath…

GRRRRR.

A large hulking form stood over me, head and shoulders above me, its features indistinct in the poor lighting. It’s hands, however, were clearly visible… and attached to sharp, elongated claws. It stood in place, obviously startled by my presence. Its eyes were glowing a bright shade of green, intensely staring into my own.

It looked hungry.

I looked around, there was no visible exit or entrance to the room.

“Well crap.” I whispered, as the creature in front of me attacked.

I threw myself backwards, feeling the burning sting as one of the claws nicked my arm as I fell. Blood dripped on the floor and the creature sniffed the air, letting out a howl of excitement that made my hackles raise.

A werewolf? Before I could consider the absurdity of the situation, the creature pounced, its weight pinning me to the floor. Saliva dripped on my cheek, hot breath hitting my face as it appeared to study me, letting a low, confused growl.

Confused? It has emotions?

Feeling a ray of hope, I reached my hands forward and made contact with its muzzle. There was the rough touch of fur underneath my hands.

I was flooded with emotions.

RAGE. CONFUSION. LOSS. GRIEF. HUNGER.

I was trapped in a maelstrom of feelings, drowning in it. I closed my eyes, ignoring the creature planning my imminent demise, and focused all my attention of its emotions and trying to change them.

Calm. Peace. Contentment.

I repeated it like a mantra, trying my hardest to force my way into the creature’s head. All of a sudden, I felt my consciousness pop in, as if forcing my way through some sort of barrier. And to my surprise, I found a memory:

_______________________

“Mother? Wake up!”

I was a child who was crying loudly, clutching the dead body of a woman. She had a gentle face, stained with blood. Her hands were transformed into claws, a large slash across her chest and the blood on her fingers seemed to suggest a self-inflicted wound.  

“Don’t leave me here alone!”

_______________________

And suddenly I was out, looking back into now very human appearing bright green eyes staring into my own.

“…”

“…”

The young man blinked. “Umm… I’m sorry.” He scrambled off of me, his shredded uniform not covering an extremely large, muscular form. He looked down, seeing this, and let out a startled shriek, racing for the corner and curling up in a ball in an attempt to cover himself. He then looked up at me, his long brown hair not covering the tearful, accusing expression on his face. Despite him being twice my size and menacing-looking, I suddenly got the impression of me being the scary one.

I felt guilty, and then absurd for feeling so. “I don’t know who you are, but YOU attacked ME, remember?”

The man blinked, and then realization dawned on him. “I Turned?” He glanced at his hands, and then looked me over more closely. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. A small scratch on the arm.”

“…How?”

“What do you mean?”

He shook his head. “if I Turned, I would have become an uncontrollable beast. There’s no way to return to sanity after Turning…” He glanced at the room. “This is a collection room, they must have pushed me in here to hold me until I could be collected for disposal. How am I human again? How are YOU okay?”

“…” I didn’t know how to answer him. Obviously I had triggered something with my ability, but I didn’t know how to explain it without saying more than I wanted to.

He seemed to sense my hesitation and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I should be thanking you for saving my life, not berating you or demanding explanations.”

“…Umm, it’s fine…” I walked closer and offered a hand to shake. “I’m Megan, by the way.”

He stared at my hand, and then gingerly reached out a large palm, clutching his shredded clothing with his other hand. “Kvelton.”

“I’m assuming you’re not human…”

“Wolf tribe.” Was his short answer.

“And you’re not from this planet?” Will I get my answer about aliens?

His bright green eyes widened for  a moment, as he asked innocently: “Do we even know which planet we are on?”

I thought about that for a moment. “To be fair… I guess not. I’ve always assumed this was a human planet, but I was born underground so…”

“Umm… This is really interesting but…” he trailed off, curling tighter into a ball. “Do you know where I can get some clothes? I’m… indecent.”

I snorted, trying to hold back a laugh, and looked around. There was a small screen on the wall, nearly unnoticeable. I walked over, tapping it awake in the upper corner. I was able to get a virtual keyboard, and after taking a moment to familiarize myself with it, I began to type.

A folded jumpsuit and associated undergarment rolled out from the hole in the ceiling. I picked it up and tried to hand it to Kvelton.

His eyes were mildly accusing again. “You want me to wear that?”

I glanced down, realizing what I had ordered was a small size. Looking at his hulking form, I winced. “Sorry.”

I repeated this process, this time handing him an extra-large jumpsuit. After facing his concerned gaze once more, I turned my back to him, focusing on the keyboard. His data jumped up.

_______________________

Wolf-Hybrid Male

Name– Kvelton

Age – 22 years old

Virility – High, Unmated.

Level SS- Instinct, Level SSS- Telepathy

Skills – Unarmed fighting- level 10,  Strength – level 9, Agility – Level 9. Combat leadership – level 7. Cleaning – level 7.  Singing/entertainment – level 10.

Work Assignment - Soldier

_______________________

I get the combat skills, but… Singing level 10? Really?

“What are you doing?” Hearing his voice closer than I expected, I jumped, and then turned, having to crane my neck upwards to see his face.

“Changing your data. If we don’t want these guys realizing you somehow got fixed, we have to mess with the system a bit. “ I looked back at my work. “I’ve changed the data of the Turned wolf tribe member to someone already dead, and recorded the body as incinerated. You are a new capture, and I’m setting your skills now.”

“You can do that?” He asked, surprised.

I shrugged. “Computers and I have an understanding. They are a lot less complicated then people.”

“… If you say so.” His doubtful tone made me chuckle.

“What work assignment would you like?”

Kvelton thought it over. “What are you doing?” seeing my questioning look at his words, he stuttered, bending a bit so to be closer to my eye level. “I want to thank you for helping me. I can look out for you.”

I gestured towards the computer. “I can take care of myself.”

“Yes…” He nodded, then shook his head. “How about heavy lifting, or fighting?”

I paused at that, seeing him not trying to look at my obviously weaker form, and sighed. “...I guess there’s areas I could use help in.”

“Great!” He beamed, reaching over and shaking my hand enthusiastically. “Partners!”

“…Umm… Sure.” I quickly reset his stats and skills, weirdly enough able to keep his natural cleaning skill which was already high and changing his work assignment to match my own.

“So what’s our goal, Megan?” He asked seeming much more cheerful and confident now that he was clothed.

“I have a friend who was taken before me. I’m trying to find her.”

“Okay. Save the friend.” Kvelton nodded agreeably.

“Her work assignment was blank but…” I hesitated. “She was pregnant when she arrived.”

His face turned grim. “Pregnant women… generally don’t have good outcomes here. But the system said she was alive?”

“Yes. I just want to find her, make sure she’s safe and…” I paused again… “If her child is alive, save them too.” My niece or nephew. If you were born… Your aunt is coming for you.

“Okay! Save friend, save the baby!” He clapped his hands. “When do we start?”

A door opened up, and two bored appearing elves walked in, obviously here to pick us up.

I grinned at him. “Right now.”

The underground society known as the Community, the last known surviving humans on Earth, are facing a serious resource crisis. In order to survive, they must make a grim decision, one person must leave each year. You got the least amount of votes. You must now go up to the unlivable surface.

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Welcome back! Bit late on welcoming you back, but I kept checking on your stuff on AO3 and just say the activity notif, so it's genuinely good to see you back!

Glad to be back! It's been so much fun writing again! It's also been fun to see all the different people across platforms, and getting to reconnect after being gone so long!

Thanks for reading and for this message!

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Hi. Just wanted to say you’re an amazing writer, and I love everything I’ve seen reblogged from you.

Aww, thanks for the lovely message! I really appreciate you reading my work!

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Beautiful flowers, blooming through the screen.

A picture of paradise, so close, but unreachable.

And yet... I want to reach it...

The sunlight is warm on my face, neck and arms, it wraps me like a blanket.

The light breeze is filled with the scent of flowers, I’m drunk with it.

The leaves and grass are soft beneath my feet, inviting me to rest on it.

I lay myself down, and I am content.

...But then I blink, and I find myself back.

Once more staring at blank walls, hard floors and harsh lighting.

A sense of loss so visceral it knocks me down.

Slowly, in the midst of my pain, my eyes draw back to the screen

A picture of paradise, so close, but untouchable.

Unreachable.

Impossible.

But somehow...

Somehow...

... I can still feel it.

Meadow Creek House, Seattle, USA by Kelly Kilpatrick

[screamingatanemptyroom]

“I have come to end your reign of terror!”

The doors burst open and the Hero, Edward, stormed through into the throne room. He raced forward, sword held high, and determination in his eyes.

Until his gaze met mine.

As I calmly slid the dagger into the Emperor’s heart, taking his life.

The Hero's sword fell to the ground with a muffled clang. He stepped closer, his eyes staring disbelievingly at the scene before him. I smiled at him, and though it was a sad smile it was a smile nonetheless.

“Hello, Edward.” I gently pulled my dagger from the dead body of the Emperor and wiped it on his royal robe to clean it. “Long time no see.”

“…” The silence between us dragged on, he continued staring, not talking. It was every bit as uncomfortable as I thought it would be to see him again.

This is why I tried to kill the emperor BEFORE the hero returned.

“Nothing to say to me? Even after all this time?” There was a desperate lightheartedness to my tone, as if hoping he would join in, hoping he would play along.

“Why?” The question was whispered, but it hurt as deeply as a sword cut.

“Why, what?” I jokingly asked. “Is it about my outfit?” I gestured down at my tattered dress. “Not sure what the protocol is for dressing up to kill the ruler, but I didn’t have much choice at the time… they don’t give you many outfit choices in prison.”

Edward didn’t laugh at my poor attempt at humor. He continued to stare at me, horrified.

“Laurel… You’re alive? …But why …Why would you kill your own father?”

I smiled sadly. “It’s a long story.”

_____________________

3 years earlier.

“Your marriage has been determined, Laurel.” My father, the emperor, stared down at me with a cool gaze. Despite me being his only child, he had no parental affection in his eyes, only calculation.

He had judged my worth, and I was always found lacking.

“Oh really, that’s interesting.” I stared down at my hands, rather than looking at him. It was a small act, and one that I knew would annoy him, similar to my nonchalant tone.

“Don’t be childish!” He snapped, and I grinned to myself. He hated when he lost control of his emotions before I did in an argument. Which is exactly why I goaded him into it. It was nice, these small victories, these tiny moments of revenge.

“I apologize.” I took a step back, figuratively, and gave a curtsy as a physical sign of my apology and he responded with a disgruntled nod. “Who am I to be married to?” I asked, as if I didn’t know the answer to the question.

“The Hero.” Was the Emperor’s terse answer. “The man that the mages brought over from another realm.”

I forced a look of mild shock onto my face. “The Hero? He’s a foreigner! We know nothing about him!”

I know everything about him.

“The prophecy states that he will be king. The only way to ensure that without losing my line is to give him your hand in marriage. Marry him, bear his children, and my grandchildren will sit on the throne one day.”

My hand squeezed into a fist by my side, hidden in the folds of my gown.

I wanted to kill him.

Protect your precious line. Protect your precious throne. It all ends in bloodshed in the end. The Hero will betray us both, and your head will roll on the streets of the Capitol.

I let a smile flow naturally onto my face at the thought of the surprise in his eyes when they cut off his head. He had never believed, right up until the moment of his death, that the Hero would truly betray him.

“Of course, Father. I will do my duty. I will protect this kingdom.”

Just not in the way you think.

I was dismissed, and turned to go back to my rooms. My mind was racing, as it had ever since I woke up that morning. When I had realized the truth:

I had been reborn.

Rebirth was not unheard of in this world. There were at least three documented cases prior to mine. The Mages taught us that when the world events were altered in a way that would lead to the destruction of all, the magic that existed in all things would work to repair the event that led to its demise. The individual with the most likely power to influence events back on course would keep their memories, but the rest of the world would start over.

I had apparently been chosen, and given the chance to remake my fate.

I arrived at my rooms, and sat down my the fireplace, my head in my hands.

“Princess?” My maid Alberta stepped forward, concerned.  I waved her off.

“Sorry, I need to think.”

“Of course.” She gave me a look of pity as she walked out, likely thinking of me as a poor princess who had just been told she was to marry a strange foreigner.

Unfortunately, my worries were quite a bit bigger than that.

Once I was alone, I leaned back in my chair, and thought through my memories.

_____________________

I had married the Hero. A political marriage, a cold marriage. He had hated me, hated being forced to marry me, hated the need to have me to “legitimize” his claim to the throne.

He refused to touch me, refused a true marriage, refused the possibility of children. I tried to compromise, see his perspective, get him to see that I was just as much of a prisoner of this deal as he was. But there was no discussion, no compromise. There was only anger and bitterness.

Two and a half years later, he had me declared barren. My lack of ability to bear heirs made me a laughingstock.

I told my father the truth. That the marriage hadn’t been consecrated. That I was not at fault.

He condemned me anyways. I had failed to make the marriage work either way, it made no difference whether it was through my failure to charm him or of my body to bear children. It was a political move, and his only choice, according to him.

My husband the hero. My father the emperor. They hated each other, but worked together to smear my name and reputation. My fake marriage was annulled. I was banished to a “convent.” Which was truly just a prison at the top of the tower. From my perch I watched them play their political games. Watched the people rise up with discontent.

The Hero betrayed the Emperor. Beheaded him in the courtyard outside my tower. But as he declared himself the new emperor, but his attention was distracted. He didn’t stand a chance against the Dark Lord who took advantage of his inattentiveness and invaded the Capitol.  

And the whole world burned.

My last memory was that of fire and pain. I had not left my prison room for months, and my last memory was staring out my window as I burned to death, wishing I could be free. Wishing I had a chance to make different choices.

Wishing I could kill the men who had betrayed and imprisoned me, only to destroy the world they had fought over like a child’s toy.

And then I woke up, eighteen again, on the day I was informed of my upcoming marriage to the Hero.

With shaking hands I drew out a timeline on a piece of parchment, and held it before me.

In one week the Hero would return from his quest, and be informed of our marriage.

In six months he and I would be wed.

In three years the world would be destroyed.

I had three years to change my fate. To save the world.

First, I needed power.

_____________________

I traveled to the Mage’s tower. It was a short carriage ride away, I made the excuse that I was visiting my mother’s grave, which happened to be very close to my true desitination. After a brief prayer at her tombstone, I made my way into the tower. I had been there very infrequently in my past life, but with a few lucky guesses I found the entrance to the Receiving Room.

Standing outside the doors, I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. I didn’t have very many good memories of the Mages.

An apolitical group that wielded great power, they served a higher purpose that no one quite understood. They were the ones who transported the Hero here. They were the ones who were supposed to help him fight off the Dark Lord.

They were the first ones to fall.

I knocked on the door.

After a brief pause, the doors opened. A small child, around seven or eight years old, wearing an apprentice robe stood silently in the doorway, awaiting my words.

“Please let them know that the princess is here to see the Superior.”

"But..." The child’s eyes widened. “No one is allowed to see him!”

I had expected this answer. “Pass along a message, and when he asks to see me, I’ll be here.”

“What message?”

I smiled, and whispered in the apprentice’s ear. “Tell him I saw him die.”

His face turned pale, and he stumbled back, slamming the doors behind him as he retreated back into the tower. I stood in the hallway, staring at the ceiling, feeling exhausted. I had been in a constant state of tension since I woke up this morning, and I wasn’t nearly ready to relax just yet.

After a few moments, the door opened again. The young boy gestured for me to follow, his face oddly blank. The fear in his eyes had disappeared, and a mild confusion had replaced it. He led me inwards through the tower. I looked around, curious. The main hall was mostly bare, other than luxurious carpet, a few comfortable chairs and multiple bookcases filled with books. The walls themselves were engraved with dark faded letters, the otherworldly language written in swirls and slashes. I couldn’t read it, but the closer I looked at it, the more I felt a sense of apprehension. I wasn’t meant to read it.

I looked away. I already knew more than I should. I didn’t want any further forbidden knowledge.

We arrived at a large golden door. The child placed his hand on the door, a light shining from his palm. Within moments the door opened itself. The apprentice gestured for me to enter the inner room, turning away as he did so.

“I don’t know why she’s allowed… no one is allowed to see the Superior.” He whispered as he walked away.

I watched him move, considering his words.

“A memory spell.” A voice spoke up, calm, focused, and vaguely familiar. “The less the boy remembers, the safer for him.”

“How kind of you.” I stared after the child. “How much would I give to know less than I do.”

“I doubt that is true.” The voice was amused. “You would surrender what little control over your fate you have?”

“True.” I chuckled. “If we are all to burn, at least I’ll walk knowingly into the flames.”

“...Come in, Princess.”

I entered the room. It was dark, barely lit by candles along the walls. The flickering light revealed a single figure in the room, covered head to toe in a golden robe.

I curtseyed, keeping proper distance. “Your Eminence.”

He waved a hand, I got a glimpse of pale skin underneath the robe, of younger hands than I expected. “Leave the titles. You may call me Richard if you call me anything.”

“Then call me Laurel.”

“So Laurel…” His robed head was turned in my direction. “You are reborn.”

It was not a question.

“I am.” I did not lie. I needed him for my plans.

“Did you really see me die?” His voice only held mild curiosity for the gravity of the question he asked.

“I saw the world destroyed by the Dark Lord.”

He sucked in a breath, stunned. “Are you sure? Are you sure it was the Dark Lord?” He was very focused, intense, much different then asking about his own demise.

“I heard him calling out in the streets as the world burned.” It was all I could say, the memory was still hard for me to bear.

“… I see. And the Hero?”

“Pursued power, betrayed his oath.”

“… What of your fate?”

“Me?” I laughed, it was an angry bitter sound. “I was used, discarded and destroyed as a pawn of minimal worth.”

“And this time?” His tone was calm once more.

“I wish to control the game.” I smiled at him. “And for that, I need power.”

I felt a shadow pass over me and with a muttered apology, a hand was placed on my head. After a few moments I could feel him stiffen with surprise as he pulled away. “You have Potential?”

“The highest. The king tested me, and then concealed the results. Me having power would only make his plans more difficult.”

“That is… genuinely unexpected.” His voice reflected his words. “You have surprised me more than once today, Laurel.”

“Doesn’t happen often?”

“I can’t remember the last time.” He seemed to take it in stride. I let out a breath, relieved, and continued on with my request.

“I need to learn magic.”

“… Will you tell me why?”

I shrugged. “Depends, do you want the truth or a lie?”

“Hmm… Very well.”

“What?” My jaw dropped. I had been prepared to argue much more than this.

He laughed again, and again the sound was vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place it. “Do you want  me to say no?”

“No, but… I had so many arguments prepared.” I sighed. “I guess I’ll live without saying them.”

“I’m sure they were spectacular.”  His wry tone made me laugh again. “We can begin lessons tomorrow.”

“Who will you send to teach me?” I thought through the elders I knew, and worried. “Will they be trustworthy.”

“I very much hope so, since I’ll be teaching you myself.”

“What?”

“I’m the only one I can trust, given the future you saw.” He turned away, walking towards one of the bookshelves barely lit by a candle in the corner of the room. “Besides, I haven’t had this much fun in a while.” He returned, holding out a book. I took it, again noting his hands appeared young, much younger than I had ever clocked the Superior to be. “Read this. It will give you the basis to begin reaching your power tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet, Laurel… we may still yet see the world destroyed. I can only hope and trust that the Magic chose right when they chose you to be reborn.”

“That makes two of us, Richard. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I looked him up and down. “You may have to wear something less conspicuous.”

I couldn’t see his face, but I could tell he was smiling. “Sure. I’ll even wave the normal trumpet procession while I’m at it.”

I left the Mage’s tower, feeling hopeful for the first time all day.

I had a plan.

_____________________

It was storming as my carriage rode towards the castle. I sat in my seat, ignoring my worried maid, contemplating my plans.

First, Magic.

Second, I needed to deal with the Hero.

I would have a a week before I met him, but I would need to think of the right approach to take with him. In my last lifetime I had been cautious but friendly, hoping to make the best of a bad situation. During our marriage I had tried to build a bridge between us, but it all came to nothing in the end. By the last days before I was banished, I simply was numb and cold, to him and everyone else.

This time I didn’t even know if I could feign kindness to him.

At least I had some time to prepare…

CRASH!

The carriage halted to a sudden stop. I flew forward, catching myself on the seat facing me. I checked to make sure that Alberta was safe, and reassuring myself she was unharmed, I leaned outside the window.

“What’s going on?”

“Sorry Your Highness, we almost hit someone! They’re laying out here, on the road!”

“…Are they dead?”

“No.” The guard’s voice was cautious. “He’s moving.”

Something in his voice caught my attention. I grasped a knife in the hidden hilt in my skirt, and jumped outside the carriage. The rain wet my hair and clothes, my dress was stained at the edges in the mud, my shoes caught on the rugged stones. I felt unbalanced, unsafe, but some instinct was driving me closer.

“Your Highness!” At first I thought the guard was scolding me for my thoughtless action, but then I heard something deeper in his tone. “You need to see this.”

I walked forward, balancing carefully in the uneven terrain. As I moved closer, familiar features became visible in the rain.

I stopped in my tracks, only a short space away, and I stared silently.

“Your Highness?” The guard repeated himself, but I didn’t answer. I couldn’t answer. I couldn’t speak, couldn’t think, could barely breathe.

I thought I would have more time.

His hair, a golden tone, was flattened by rain and stained with blood, stuck to a too pale forehead. His features were even, handsome, his face had caught the eyes of most of the noble women in the kingdom. Their jealousy had made things all too easy for my disownment to happen, the concept of an infertile woman being married to the handsome Hero had smoothed out an otherwise tense political decision for my father and the Hero.

His eyes were closed, but I knew that if they were open they would be a brilliant bright shade of blue. I knew the eyes so well, I saw them in my nightmares each night.

The man who killed the emperor.

The man who lost the world.

The man from another realm.

My husband in another life.

The Hero.

I stared down as his pale bloody body on the ground, soaking in the rain and mud, and felt an overwhelming urge.

I wanted to kill him.

To tear him limb to limb. To cut out his cold eyes. To force him to feel fear, to feel helpless as I took everything from him. To trap him, helpless in a space as the world burns around him.

As I watched him, I could feel the heat of the flames from my death on my back. My soul trapped in the fire that took my life.

I relaxed my hand off the hilt of the knife, opening my fingers one by one.  I needed the hero. I needed him alive.

Until I was powerful enough to not need him anymore.

“Pick him up.” I ordered the guard.

“… But…”

“It’s the Hero.” At my simple words he sucked in a shocked breath and hurried to comply. As he was lifted up, I reached out my hand, brushing his hair from his face. I was checking for wounds, to assess the severity of his damage, but at the gesture, his eyes fluttered open, startling me.

“Who…?” His voice was hoarse, confused. It was the weakest I had ever seen him, but I felt no pity.  I only wished he was in more pain.

“You’re safe now. Rest.” I spoke in my calmest, most comforting tones. I needed him to view me as an ally. The question was only if I could succeed. I moved my hand, and ran it through my hair, pushing back the rain-soaked strands. His eyes widened in shock.

“Beautiful.” He murmured, his eyes fluttering shut once more.

I tried not to recoil in disgust. “Take him to the carriage.” As the guard carried him away, I took care not to touch him again. I would have to get my thoughts straight before he woke up.

It would be difficult to smile in the face of someone I hated. But I can do it.

I climbed back in and gave the signal to continue.  The carriage moved forward, carrying the princess and the hero, and as it passed, the woody path faded back into darkness once more.

Back to the castle.

Back to my prison.

Towards a future that I knew waited.

Betrayal. Lies. Destruction.

I would face it all.

And I would win.

The hero busts through the door and says “I have come to end your reign of terror!” Just as you put a dagger through the emperor’s heart.

[screamingatanemptyroom]

@writing-prompt-s is both a source of great inspiration and great distraction. Either way I have fun though

[screamingatanemptyroom]

“There’s no such thing as magic.”

I wake up to these words, my head pounding, my throat sore. I feel an aching in my limbs, as if I’ve just run a marathon. Who am I? I try to remember, but all I can feel is more pain. My vision is blurry at first but quickly begins to clear.

A padded cell.

I look down at myself, I’m wearing soft scrubs, no shoes or buckles or anything with a hard or sharp edge. The pale skin of my exposed wrist is dotted with bruises. They almost appear like claw marks. I blink, and the marks seem to fade, causing me to question whether I ever saw it right at all.

“Did you hear me?” My head snaps up at the sound. A nurse stands nearby, her hair greying at the temples, her mouth firmly pursed, her eyes filled with disgust as she stares at me.

“…What?” I force myself to talk, but my voice is hoarse, it hurts to talk.

The nurse rolls her eyes. “Magic isn’t real. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can stop wasting everyone’s time.”

Magic? The word seemed to resonate within me, a warmth within my chest, slowly heating me up from within, healing the icy coolness that had been present since I had woken up.I couldn’t remember my name, couldn’t remember anything really, but this?  Magic. The word felt important, felt real.

More real than the cell walls around me.

“Is she awake?”

Another voice asks, and I shudder in fear. I know this voice, even if I can’t remember a face or name to go with it. Everything within me screams in terror, begging me to run, to hide, to be anywhere but within the gaze of the owner of that voice. I force myself to look in the direction, and immediately wish I hadn’t.

He is innocuous looking enough, with a light smile and regular, handsome features. His hair was neatly trimmed, his clothing fit well, partially covered by a doctor’s coat. He stares at me with kindness and sympathy in his gaze. It should have made me feel safe, feel cared for.

I feel terrified.

His eyes, beneath the shallow veneer of doctorly concern, are filled with raw, thick, unadulterated hatred.

This man hates me.

And within that hatred is a strange sort of light, almost glee. He is happy I’m here, in this padded cell. Happy I’m hurting and confused.

He wants me to suffer.

I know this truth and surely as I know that the floor is beneath my feet and the ceiling is above my head. Up is up, down is down and this man is dangerous and desires my pain.

I scoot back slightly in the room, desperate to get away no matter how futile the gesture is. My back pushes up against the padded wall, the solidness of it only raising my panic further.

“You suffered a psychotic break.” The man speaks in calming tones, the sound grating on my soul, making me want to claw my own ears off to stop the sound from reaching me. “It’s normal to be a bit confused. Just know:” He smiles. “We’re going to take care of you.”

Take care of you. The words echo in my heart, repeating with every beat. My fear grows in time to the rhythm, adding its own message beating along.

Get out! Get out! Get out!

I shake my head, unable to speak further, unable to scream despite the terror clawing at my chest.

"Is she not able to talk?" The man frowns. “What’s going on?”

“We’ve woken her up five times, each time she insists she can use magic.” She laughs, but the sound is bitter, angry, mocking. It holds nothing but ugliness within, and no one joins with her. "We've increased the dosage, but she's showed no improvement."

“Magic, huh?” The man seems unfazed by her words.

Magic. Magic. Magic. MAGIC. MAGIC! MAGIC!!

The word echoes in my heart, unable to be suppressed. I feel an energy springing within me, moving along my veins, pooling under my skin. I feel weak and powerful. Ageless and old. Strong enough to crush mountains with a thought, too feeble to walk out of a padded room. The power fills me, completes me, reassures me as I stare at the man who is not a man. With eyes that are kind but filled with malice.

“It’s best to forget about delusions, huh?” His smile widens, and I want to hide. “There’s no such thing as magic. It’s dangerous to hold onto these fantasies. Why don’t you say it with me?”

“…”

“Come on,” His smile stiffens, but his mask stays intact. He is a helpful doctor to a difficult patient. “Say it with me.”

I clench my jaw but it opens against my will. “There’s no such thing as magic.” My tattered voice can barely get out the words.

“Good girl.” He whispers. He turns to the nurse, his back towards me. “Increase her dose. To 500mg.”

“Doctor…” The woman’s face pales, she clearly doesn’t want to question him but she knows that something is wrong.

“With her drug history, she has built up tolerance.” He patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, it will be fine.”

“Yes, Sir.” She takes a vial out of her pocket and draws up a medication. With a determined expression, she steps closer to me. “This will be over soon.”

“No.” I whisper. She flinches, but moves towards me still.

“No!” My voice cracks on the word.

“Don’t resist.” The man’s smile feels like being burned in the fires of damnation, I feel my soul wither under his gaze. “We’re trying to help you.”

“Magic isn’t real.” I say quietly, wishing it to be true. Perhaps I AM delusional. Perhaps this “power” I feel is the product of a diseased mind, along with my irrational fear of my doctor.

“That’s right.” The doctor is pleased, but I feel worse.

“Magic isn’t real.” The needle in the nurse’s hand moves closer to my arm.

“Magic…” My skin burns with power. “Isn’t…” It surges around me. “Real…” I am drowning in it.

And finally, it bursts forth.

It fills the room, slamming the nurse and the man dressed as a doctor against the wall. They struggle and try to scream but my magic prevents them.

The room is silent.

Slowly I stand to my feet. I am shaking, weak, but the magic supports me.

The nurse is shaking her head in shock, tears rolling down her cheeks. The man though… he stares at me with pure hatred, no longer hiding behind even a light façade. He wants to kill me.

I won't let him.

I walk towards the door, my feet floating a couple inches off the ground. The soft flooring tears and burns beneath me.  The two pinned to the wall struggle more, but freeze as I turn and smile at them.

“Don’t worry.” I laugh, the sound gravely and unfamiliar.

I reach the door and look back once again. My eyes skim over the terrified nurse and the man who is not a man who hates me.

“Magic isn’t real.”

I hear whimpers of fear, but I ignore them.

“So this won’t be able to hurt you.”

The room fills with flames and screams, but I walk away, untouched. I quietly leave the building, ignored by the rushing crowds attempting to put the fire in the building out. I pass by, invisible, and suddenly I am out of the building. I am free.

I take a deep breath of the night air, I smell smoke and death. But also air and grass.

I am free.

I don’t know who I am. Is this all in my head? Perhaps I’m still in my padded little room, having had the nurse inject medicine into me, and fallen into restless sleep and delusions, still trapped in my cell.

I look down at my hand, and flames surround it.

Or perhaps, I was sane, in which case I had a lot to learn about myself, a lot to remember.

I glance back at the burning building behind me and smile, whispering a single, confident sentence.

“Magic  is real.”

You wake up in a padded cell. The doctors tell you that your entire life has been a lie. That there is no magic. However, you can still use magic.

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Bad romance tropes

The moment the romance gets going no other relationships the MC has are important anymore. Either because they're immediately background characters to The Relationship or because they are literally just cut out of the story for some reason

I don't care that you fell in love when it's your kidnapper and the bff and family and life you've been trying to get back to isn't important all of a sudden

I don't care if you suddenly relocate to be with your one true love when you're leaving everyone who knows and cares about you and you aren't being very careful to make sure you talk to them regularly so they at least know you're ok with the person you just met but love so much

Yes! Similar, when the side characters seem to go on standby unless they are trotted out briefly to support The Relationship.

Thanks for sharing this!