Chapter 4

  ChicoMandarina

  Lioren could only stand there, stunned by the overwhelming stimulus to his senses.

  Color, lights, sounds, smells… They all merged together in a cacophony of information his mind struggled to keep up with.

  Everything looked bigger than life itself. Buildings in the distance seemed to reach the clouds. Above him, flying automatons his inner transtor named ‘drones’ carried packages to and fro. On the streets, smooth as silk, those ‘cars’ he’d seen stationary before were now full of life. Bright lights shone in front of them as some of them simply hovered above the ground, while others rode without a care in the world.

  His mouth hung open as he tried to take everything in. After the first shock left him nailed to the ground, he’d managed the courage to take some tentative steps forward. His mist had taken refuge deep within, almost as if it was feeling shyness on its own.

  His open gawking at the world around him was interrupted by the amused giggling of a group of children passing him by.

  Feeling his cheeks warm, Lioren lowered his gaze as they moved on.

  Until, certain detail on top of their heads caught his attention.

  His blood ran cold to the hundredth time that day.

  All three of the girls that passed him were chimeras of different species.

  He’d been so enraptured with the inexplicable nature of the city around him that he’d failed to notice his inhabitants. Moving amongst their lives in a constant flow of traffic, without paying attention to each other or looking twice at the neon lights or the drones zipping past them.

  And without fail, every single one of them was a chimera. Every. Single. One.

  Walking with sharp confidence, adorned with various animal parts on their bodies.

  Some had horns peeking through their heads, twitching cat ears or bird-like cws in the pce of feet.

  One passed by dragging a leathery tail behind her like it was nothing.

  They walked fast, spoke louder, and ughed carelessly. Some held bright devices close to their faces, enraptured in whatever it was they were seeing.

  ‘Smartphones’ He could feel another gap filling itself inside his mind.

  Then another peculiarity hit him.

  As he continued walking the somewhat busy street, all he could see were women.

  Old, young, tall and… taller. Why is everyone a giantess? He wondered as a mouse-eared girl wearing what his inner transtor informed him was a ‘school uniform’ , walked carelessly on the other side of the street without noticing him.

  She’d probably had a head on him. And if school worked anything like he remembered, that girl still had some growing up to do…

  Does it have something to do with them being chimeras? He questioned, trying to make sense of it. But the more he thought about it, the more something felt off.

  These people… They live in harmony. They don't seem distressed in the slightest by their nature. He pondered the apparent contradiction to what he’d known all his life.

  The chimeras I remember were always in some level of agony, or drugged out of their minds to remain useful. His mind recalled the miserable existence those poor creatures had had in his world.

  His world…

  I’m… I’m in another… what? Pne of existence? Universe? The grim realization made Lioren feel a chill running all over his body. Like being thrown in the middle of a freezing ocean. Lost.

  If that’s the case then, what happened to my previous home? He couldn’t help but wonder. Remnants of the nightmare he’d had echoed in his mind at the thought.

  Was it really gone? Was all of it real?

  Did his master sacrifice herself to send him to that mist he now called his own? The same mist that in return had brought him here?

  What happened afterwards? Did some of his fellow mages survive? Did they defeat that monstrous beast from his memories?

  Could he go back and help?

  He needed answers.

  But first he needed to move.

  Lioren had been so lost in thought that he’d stopped walking, becoming an obstacle in the middle of the sidewalk. Without realizing it, he’d been chewing on the tip of his thumb, his eyes a million miles away.

  Becoming a purple and golden obstacle in the middle of the sidewalk had gained the attention of some of the people that until now passed him by without even noticing his presence.

  And they’d started looking at him.

  Not in arm. Not even suspicion.

  Just… interest. The kind one gave to a mispced thing.

  He caught a gnce from a tall woman with long canine ears. She smiled, eyes amused, then moved on.

  Another one with fluffy pointy ears walked past and whispered, just loud enough: “Cute cloak.”

  Shaking himself from his introspection, he felt thankful that his still present mask hid at least part of the deep red his face was turning into.

  Ok, I really need to get moving. He decided, as he lowered his face once more, now completely shielded by his hood.

  After a few minutes of walking aimlessly around the loud city of this strange new world, Lioren finds himself face to face with a picture that almost makes him feel back at home once again. Grass, trees and flowers of alien nature contrast with its artificial and utilitarian surroundings. Like a green oasis in a desert of grey concrete.

  A park.

  With how overwhelmed he’d been feeling these st minutes, Lioren finds it just as appealing.

  Without thinking, he enters the site. Rustic walkways outlining the contour of a small artificial ke, forking into seemingly random directions hidden by strategically pnted trees.

  Comfortable benches were positioned with enough distance to each other to be able to speak without being heard by other bystanders. All facing the ke or a spacious children's pyground at its side.

  He decided to take a seat on one of the benches and to try and digest today’s events. Choosing one far enough as to not call too much attention to himself he observed as a group of children pyed hide and seek or swung on the swings.

  He took a deep breath as he allowed the peaceful scene to wash away all the anxieties he’d been feeling since… he didn’t really know. Yesterday? Last month? A billion years ago?

  How old am I anyways? I may be able to give those old bags of bones from the council of elders a run for their money… barely.

  The inner joke made him smile nostalgically. There’s a chance that I won’t hear their raspy voices giving us orders anymore. He’d expected the idea to be something to celebrate. Yet the only thing Lioren could feel was a faint sense of guilt.

  “Rosy! Maddy! Be careful with your brother!” Lioren was taken by surprise by a pack of giggling children running in the direction of the pyground, one of them a cheetah girl carrying a smaller boy on her back, who for his part, ughed maniacally as only a toddler could.

  A boy. Without animal ears, tail, horns or any discernible animal trait.

  An adult man followed behind them, a stern look on his… entirely human face.

  “Yes daddy! I’m always caref… woah!” The cheetah girl stopped dead in her tracks as she noticed Lioren sitting on the bench. Her eyes big as ptes and full of childlike wonder as she studied him. Her little brother, victim of her brusque braking, pouted recriminatively on her back.

  Lioren was slightly taken aback by the sudden interruption to his mencholy, “Hi there…” he raised his hand trying to be as nonthreatening as possible as he greeted her.

  The screeching that followed made him recoil and blink a couple times as she pointed at him excitedly, jumping from one foot to the other.

  “Look daddy! Rosy! A superhero! Billy Billy! Look, look! He’s just like one of those cartoons you like to watch!” She lowered the little boy on her back carefully as the little child in question observed him with timid fascination.

  Another girl caught up with them, a snow leopard if he had to guess by the adorably disproportionate tail on her back. Roughly the same age as the cheetah. “Woah!” She imitated the first word her sister had said to him.

  Not soon after, their father appeared, looking…

  What the… Lioren was now able to better look at the man in question, and his appearance was unexpected to say the least.

  He blinked. At first gnce, the man approaching looked unlike any he’d ever seen before.

  Soft, shoulder-length hair framed a smooth, delicate face that wouldn’t have looked out of pce in a painted mural. His eyes were lined with something subtly shimmering. His clothes…

  Lioren didn’t even know how to describe them. There were yers. Fabrics. Embroidery. A shawl or capelet with pastel colors, golden buttons shaped like flowers. Soft shoes that matched.

  The moment he looked into Lioren’s direction, he raised a hand to his mouth and arched his eyebrows in surprise. A delicate giggle Lioren considered unbecoming of a man escaped his lips as he studied him. A spark of humor in his eyes.

  “Oh my! What do we have here?” He said to no one in particur.

  “Children,” the man said softly, yet firmly. “Why don’t you go try the swings?”

  The girls whined in unison, but obeyed. The little boy stayed still, wide-eyed.

  His gaze was locked on Lioren.

  The man gave him a look that said ‘not now’, but the boy tugged at his sleeve.

  “Daddy, is he a magic boy?”

  That made Lioren raise an eyebrow.

  “You shouldn’t say such things,” the man chided gently. “He’s probably just... eccentric.”

  “But he looks like one! From Moonlight Enchanters!”

  Lioren blinked.

  What in the name of seven hells is a Moonlight Enchanter?

  “Do a spell!” the boy cried out, bouncing excitedly. “Pleaaaase?”

  Lioren sighed, but something about the kid’s enthusiasm broke through his guard. He extended one hand, just subtly enough not to draw attention, and let a curl of pink mist materialize from within.

  It shimmered into a delicate flower, soft, radiant, and glowing faintly gold at the center.

  The boy gasped and took it in both hands.

  Poof!

  A puff of rose-colored smoke burst from the petals. The boy shrieked in ughter.

  The man, however, had gone pale.

  “C-curious trick, that one,” he said, smiling too quickly. “You wouldn’t happen to be... a performer of sorts?”

  “Something like that,” Lioren said, half-smiling.

  The man stared a moment longer, then gnced at the swings.

  “Uh, I think I shoul…” He started, but was quickly interrupted by the overexcited boy, “daddy daddy! Take me a picture with the magic boy!”

  Picture? Lioren wondered.

  The fmboyant man looked uncertainly between his son and the purple cdded ‘magic boy’ and sighed, resigned. “Fine, Billy, but just one! And only if the mister here doesn’t mind.” The little boy was already jumping before his father finished talking, standing beside Lioren and striking a pose that looked awfully practiced, for a toddler.

  “Do you mind?” The father asked, grabbing one of those ‘smartphones’ he’d seen before from one of his decorated pockets.

  Lioren looked confused between the boy and the expectant man and shrugged, “I… don’t? I suppose.”

  The little boy at his side beamed at him, “quick! Quick! Make the lunar transformation pose!”

  The wha…

  Fsh

  The little boy pouted at his father, “daddy! He didn’t get to do the pose!” he compined, puffing his cheeks.

  Lioren blinked in surprise at the light. Hey! That was uncalled for! I mean, that blinding spell was so weak it was almost ughable, but still…

  “Okay Billy, say goodbye to magic mister here, we have to go back to your sisters. I think Rosy is starting a fight with someone again.”

  Little Billy looked back at his father, an expression of mild disgust on his face “ugh, girls. Why can’t they be nice?”

  Lioren jumped at the opportunity to ask before the pair would leave, “Uh, excuse me…” He said, both father and son looking at him curiously.

  He gulped, unaccustomed to this strange dynamic. “I’m… not from around. Aaand I happen to be a little bit lost at the moment, do you know where I could ask for information or directions in general?”

  He made his question as broad as possible, hoping for the best.

  The older man considered for a moment, “Oh, if you’re looking for help, you may want to try the district guidance center. Two blocks east, one down. Big orange building, horrible logo. Can’t miss it.”

  “Thank you,” Lioren said, already standing.

  The father nodded, “no problem.” He looked at Lioren with poorly veiled suspicion.

  The boy waved wildly as he was walked away by his father.

  “Bye, magic boy!”

  Lioren didn’t wave back, but he let the mist swirl pyfully behind him, just once.

  As he followed the odd man’s directions, he pondered on the recent events.

  So men did exist in this world, that was a relief in a way. The implications of the contrary would have been a bit too much to process.

  However, that man looked… Delicate? Frail? No. That wasn’t the word.

  Effeminate. That’s it. He gave me the impression of talking more with a mother than a father. He concluded.

  As he walked, other pedestrians passed him by, many ignoring him, but quite a few looked at him with what could only be described as undisguised lust.

  At one point, he saw a group of five or six walking tightly amongst themselves. All tall and imposing girls, forming a circle around another delicate looking man, way shorter than them. This one even more ornately dressed than the father he met at the park.

  They all ughed at whatever the boy said as he talked animatedly to none of them in particur.

  The circle ignored him as their paths crossed with the exception of the man in the middle, who looked in his direction for a moment. A brief confused expression adorned his face for an instant, quickly substituted by cold indifference.

  He turned the corner and there it was. Just as described, the big orange building had a sign that read ‘?????? ??⑧Ⅰ??? ???’.

  What?

  ‘Guidance Center’, his brain quickly transted. The process simir to the one with the names of things. Apparently his new abilities allowed him to not be illiterate. Neat.

  As he approached, he noticed the logo adorning its entrance. Two muscur arms interlocked in a sign of brotherly camaraderie. Hey! That isn’t horrible, it looks cool!

  After climbing the steps up to the door he grabbed the handle and pulled. Then pushed…

  Closed. Of course it was closed. It’s not like things went smoothly in his life anyways.

  Written on the gss window was a sign that read: ‘Open Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 AM to 5:00PM, Mondays closed.’

  Oh, they have Mondays here too? Of all the things we could have in common it had to be Mondays.

  He sighed, resigned to his fate. But undeterred in his mission. He’d come here to gather information, and that’s what he was going to do.

  He looked at his sides to make sure no one was looking and took a knee. Lifting his finger to the keyhole, letting his mist slip through the lock into the inside of the building.

  When enough of the mist had passed, he quickly covered himself in a thin yer of mist and, with the faint ring of a bell, appeared on the other side of the door.

  The interior looked utilitarian but well cared for. At the sides were metal benches that looked designed to be uncomfortable after five minutes sitting on them. Above them, on the walls, were billboards with numerous flyers and posters.

  Resting against one of the walls, a strange contraption of metal and crystal dispyed various colorful packets of mysterious origin. A faint light illuminating its contents.

  ‘Vending machine’, ‘Packaged food’.

  At the center, a reception desk awaited empty. Behind it, an enormous map of what he could only assume was this city hung from the wall. Yellowed by the years.

  ‘Nexalus City’ it read. And if the scale didn’t lie, it was many times bigger than his previous home. “That’s… big.”

  That’s no city! That’s a continent wearing heels!

  “Alright, information. Where do I start?” He asked the empty room.

  He jumped graciously over the reception desk in search of anything that would be of use. Finding only empty paper sheets, curious looking pens and other paraphernalia, he gazed at some strange bck device at the side of a rectangle with multiple symbols written in smaller squares. Curious about their nature.

  ‘Keyboard’, ‘Mouse’. The mist in his mind informed him.

  No, absolutely not. That keyboard thing makes sense, but I refuse to believe that mice look like that in this world. He was having an internal debate with his mystic source of dialectic knowledge as he accidentally moved the so-called ‘mouse’.

  The sudden illumination of the… ‘monitor’ in front of him startled Lioren enough to almost take a defensive stance. Almost.

  “Unrecognized user detected, would you like to be logged in as a guest with limited access?” A voice came from behind the screen, masculine in a delicate way and eerily cordial.

  Lioren did take a defensive stance this time. “W-what? Who is there!?”

  The cheery voice spoke again, unphased by his outburst. “Hi! I’m ChatPGT! Your personal assistance for this session. Now, would you like to log in as a guest?” It… He? Asked again.

  The young man took a deep breath to calm himself as he pondered. “Uh, sure. Let’s do that…” he replied cautiously.

  The screen beeped happily as text started appearing on it. “Great! Would you like me to refer to you in any way or should I just continue calling you ‘Guest’?” ChatPGT asked.

  What is this thing? Some kind of oracle? He marveled at what he was witnessing. And all of it without even the faintest trace of magic. Astonishing.

  “Well, you can call me Lioren, thanks.”

  The screen beeped again, “What a nice name! Alright Lioren, what can I help you with?”

  Finally, time for some answers!

  “Where am I?” He asked, licking his lips expectantly.

  Another beep, “Access denied. As a guest user, you don’t have access to GPS functionalities. Sorry.” ChatPGT answered in the same happy tone.

  GP…What? “Uh, alright. So what can you tell me about travels between pnes of existence, of magic nature of course.”

  After a couple of seconds, the screen beeped again, “I can recommend you the following curated list of fantasy novels featuring inter dimensional travel: First, ‘That time I got reincarnated as a…’”

  “Okay stop, stop! That’s not what I want to know!” He was growing frustrated with the little unhelpful oracle.

  “I’m… I’m not from around, you see. And I really don’t understand what is going on or where to go! I… I just want to understand what’s happening! Please!” Lioren pleaded with the mysterious voice on the screen.

  A few more seconds, another beep. “Sorry, I don’t understand that request. Would you like to see some local news?” It, because it was definitely an ‘it’, asked, unphased.

  Lioren pinched his nose in frustration, sighing. “Sure, why not.”

  The screen in front of him exploded in a sea of text and images. Neatly divided sections contained different snippets of information about current events.

  From politics he didn’t understand but already considered liars, to scores in matches of sports he didn’t even know how to py.

  But one text box stole his attention.

  ‘Heroine Ixshel gravely injured in altercation with unknown vilin. Said vilin remains a fugitive. As for Ixshel herself, medics from Nexalus central Hospital said she’s in stable condition, and they expect a full recovery. However, the hero agency refuses to give more information on her current health, or that rumored rogue heroine or vilin supposedly present in the scene.’

  Adorning the little piece of information, was her 'picture'. So that's what a 'picture' is... Smiling proudly at the camera. The girl he’d failed to protect.

  A pang of guilt assaulted him.

  So, Ixshel. That’s her name. I didn’t even get to ask her name.

  A decision formed in his head.

  “ChatPGT, how do I reach Nexalus central Hospital from here?” He asked.

  Unsurprisingly, after an instant a little happy ping resounded in the room. “Access denied. As a guest user, you don’t have access to GPS functionalities. Sorry. If you need medical attention, please call 0800…”

  “Shut up!” Lioren almost shouted. Resisting the urge to punch the screen in front of him. His frustration reaching its boiling point.

  He looked back, at the yellowed map behind him. “I hope that hospital it's not too new.”

  After carefully taking the map from the wall and neatly folding it, he pced it inside one of his robe’s inner pockets.

  Jumping over the desk again, he decided to leave the building, more frustrated than satisfied. Before a familiar rumbling stopped him in his tracks.

  Uh, with all this, I forgot that I’ve not eaten since… I’ll be damned, it very well could be a billion years. No wonder I’m hungry… He looked at the so-called vending machine.

  His transtion said something about food.

  Lioren wouldn’t have stolen anything if his circumstances were any different. But he’d already taken that old map, would it really be that bad if he took only one of those tiny packets of food?

  His stomach made his decision for him.

  He walked to the strange device, studying it cautiously as if he could break it by only looking at it.

  “Alright, show me your secrets.” Lioren cracked his knuckles…

  “Access denied, as a guest user, you don't have access to restricted folders, Sorry. For more information go to www…” The screen from the reception desk spoke.

  “Shut up ChattyPGT, I’m not talking to you.” He said with a deadpan tone.

  Mist concentrated on the tip of Lioren’s finger. Trying to do something simir to what he did to get inside the building. He pushed it inside a little thin hole on one of the machine’s sides. Letting his mist explore the complex mechanical innards.

  At some point, he felt… something, pushing back against his mist. So Lioren pushed back, letting energy flow erratically inside his vaporous form inside the mechanized food container.

  He remained at that for a while, unsure if his efforts were actually achieving something until he heard a loud ‘click’ come from the inside of the machine. A colorful package dropped smoothly on an indentation in the front of the machine, clearly designed with that function in mind.

  Yes! I’m the best! Lioren bumped his fist in celebration.

  Then another package dropped. Then another…

  Oh.

  In a few seconds, his celebration transformed into frantic pacing around the machine. Trying to stop it by pushing the packages back inside, spanking it on the sides, pleading with it. Nothing worked.

  With the floor now full of food, Lioren panicked, grabbing a bunch of the things and shoving them inside his robe.

  He did the same trick to get out of the building that he did to get in and breathed a sigh of relief as he made sure that no one saw him.

  Searching inside one of his pockets. He grabbed the map he’d borrowed and one of the food things.

  After breaking the package and taking a bite that tasted like pure glory, he unfolded the map and started making his way to the hospital where Ixshel was staying.

  ***

  Only the beeping of the medical equipment broke the silence in Ixshel’s hospital room as ShadowCw swiped silently with her hands. Information floating in front of her at speeds that would be impossible to process to most people.

  Her AR csses allowed her to monitor the currently unconscious heroine while keeping up with her surveilnce and intelligence work.

  A gentle knock at the door broke her concentration.

  “Titanessa, you know you don't need to knock right? You pretty much own the fucking pce.” ShadowCw whispered, knowing full well that the person behind that door could hear her perfectly clear.

  The door opened slowly, exposing the impressive figure of the head of the Hero Organization.

  Almost eight feet of pure muscle, with a gift so pronounced her genus had left almost no human traits other than her walking in two legs and keeping her thumbs.

  The elephant woman entered the room, deceptively silent for someone her size.

  “Oh Juliet, you know I wouldn’t do that! Also, nguage.” She chided her.

  Titanessa’s motherly eyes nded on Ixshel unconscious form, resting on her hospital bed.

  “Oh poor girl, how is she doing, Juliet? Any news from the doctors? I would have come sooner, but you know…”

  The bat woman sighed, exasperated, but used to her boss' antics. “It’s ShadowCw, Titanessa. And yes, I was informed of your st mission. Let me tell you, I don't envy having to fight a giant squid.” She swiped the air again, letting the medical reports fly in front of her.

  “Ixshel here was pretty roughed up. Multiple fractures, her right arm taking the worst of it. Lacerations, heavy bruising all over, internal bleeding, one of her ribs almost punctured her lung.”

  She swiped again, passing the page, “One ear missing. Thankfully, they were able to grow her a new one with the… remains of the previous, as it was found ying on the ground in the pce of the altercation.”

  Titanessa grimaced, her own ears twitching in reflex. “But she’ll make a full recovery, right?” her eyes betrayed the worry she felt for who she undoubtedly considered one of ‘her girls’.

  ShadowCw nodded, “as for the perpetrator, we found traces of her blood on the scene, also scales that confirm her genus as a pangolin.”

  The elephant giant eyes squinted almost imperceptibly, her voice carrying a dangerous undertone as the room temperature seemed to drop by a few degrees. “Do we have a name?”

  The bat woman gulped, a shiver running down her spine. Even after all these years, her boss' angry gaze froze her blood. “N-Negative, whoever this woman is, she’d been in the shadows until now, and that’s no easy task. We suspect she’s working for someone powerful.”

  The towering woman made her way to the side of Ixshel’s bed, looking at her tenderly. “We’ll find out who did this to you, okay? You just rest and get better, alright?” Her trunk lowered to the jaguar girl's forehead, caressing it motherly as she moved a strand of hair to the side.

  Titanessa’s eyes widened as she took an involuntary sniff from her elongated nose, “why does she smell like my husband?” She asked no one in particur.

  ShadowCw eyes opened like ptes. “What do you mean?”

  The boss' husband was famous amongst the organization. Hell, around the world even, as the only one capable of standing up to titanessa, and winning. Not due to some weird superpower, as males obviously didn’t have any of that.

  No, he could look her in the face during one of her extremely rare explosions of rage and tell her to chill the hell out. Armed with nothing more than his legendary sheer force of will. And she would listen.

  If she suspected this girl of ever touching him… Well, ShadowCw just hopped the jaguar’s blood didn’t soil her uniform, for she was already dead.

  “No, not in that way,” Titanessa crified at the horrified expression of the bat woman. “I don’t mean that she smells literally like my husband. More like… someone like him.” She looked ShadowCw in the eyes.

  She pondered that for a minute, “you mean someone from…” She left the rest unsaid, as if afraid of voicing it out loud.

  Titanessa nodded solemnly.

  “Huh, I mean, the paramedics that gave her first aid mentioned her babbling about a gifted with magic mist or something.” She scratched her chin in thought. “That’s where the rumors of a possible third participant arose. The media is already specuting about the identity of this supposed rogue, or vilin…”

  Titanessa shaked her head, “rogue, I smell no malice in her. Whoever this girl is, she’s on our side.”

  Her posture changed in an instant. From the worried motherly figure to the commanding boss ShadowCw has grown to know too well.

  “Find this mist wielding girl. We have to recruit her before some bad actor does.”

  The bat woman stood at attention at the new set of orders. “Yes ma’am! I’ll make sure to stay here when Ixshel awakens, to get the first hand recount from that battle as soon as possible.”

  The elephant woman nodded, satisfied. Making her way towards the room’s door. “On another topic. Are you coming for dinner next friday? Hubby’s cooking and the kids miss her ‘aunt Jullie’ dearly.” She asked, her motherly tone back.

  Juliete chucked, already accustomed to her boss’ whipsh inducing change of persona.

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” She said well after the door was closed.

  She’d probably heard her from the other side of the pnet anyway.