Holy. Shit.

  I sat at the foot of my bed, trying to absorb everything Arden told me. He filled my head with everything he could, and it was more than enough to get the gears in my brain grinding.

  So this world wasn't Earth. Or maybe it was. Time travel? Who the fuck knows. People who weren't from here... what was its name? Reial. That was it. They got sent here, and I was one of them. He said we couldn't go home either. He'd tried everything over the years, but nothing stuck.

  That sucked pretty bad.

  It wasn't like my life was that great back home, but I had friends and stuff. I knew that would sink in eventually, but it really hadn't yet. It would suuuuuck when it hit, though.

  People didn't always arrive in the same time periods either. He said most people come from around our time for some reason, but the histories did have records of Roman legionnaires and early American revolutionaries, muskets and all.

  Apparently, the gods were also real, and I'd been called by one. Well, there were many gods in the past, but the one everyone worshipped now was simply called the Goddess. Not the most original, but people called God, well, God, so it made sense.

  I asked if there was an afterlife, and Arden said yes, that's where monsters were believed to come from, or they were connected in some way, but no one ever came back from it. It was a physical place deep under the ground, which they called the Depths, and it was kind of like Hades, but real. He said that people's spirits used to descend when they died, but for some reason the Goddess prevented that now. I didn't understand that part at all. Souls were also real and stuck around bodies for a while. Powerful magic could put people back together, but once the soul was gone, they were gone, and that was it.

  Oh, and I'd been messing up Naya's name. It wasn't Naya. It was Na-Ya, but it was pronounced the same. Apparently, elf names were hyphenated, with their first name coming first, family name second. So she was Na of the Ya family. Depending on the name, people would say one or both names. Depended on the flow and on the elf's preferences. Made sense. I was learning.

  I heard a bird chirp outside. Following the noise, I looked out the window. A small bird fluttered onto the windowsill and chirped at me. It looked like a cross between a parrot and a hawk. "The fuck?" Not from Earth.

  My thoughts kept going, spinning around and around. The people were different, the animals were different, and the plants were different. The moon was different. The sun was gone, but there was a big ass tower that made things work kind of the same. The sky was almost the same. Slightly more blue, I decided as I looked out the window. Kind of eerie, really. If I had enough energy to go outside, I'd check it out more, but that little walk to Arden's room ruined me.

  My family... not that I had much of one...

  Nope.

  We weren't going there, Alex.

  Not today.

  I limped over to my cot and lay down. I just needed some sleep. After a few moments, I felt sleep wash over me.

  ***

  "Hey. Wake up." Someone shook my shoulder. A high-pitched voice sounded in my ear. I couldn't tell if it was a guy or not.

  "Ugh. Fuck off." My head pounded, and my left arm was aching like crazy. Then I realized what they said. I shot up. A thin girl? Guy? I couldn't tell. Whatever they were, they were in oversized brown robes, their hair was a long tangle of wavy black hair, and they were looking back at me with a scowl on their face. As I tried to figure them out, it hit me. "Wait, you speak English, too?"

  "Yeah. Now move over. I need get this done. I want sleep." They walked to my nightstand and grabbed my glass of water. They gulped half of it down, then turned back to me.

  "What the hell, man?"

  "Sorry. I'm healer. Need water."

  "Yeah, but still. Rude. I drink out of that."

  "Whatever. You won't die, big baby. Now, can you I heal or no?" Their voice was high-pitched for a guy and melodic like Naya's but kind of soft. They weren't particularly well-built either. Kind of thin and lanky. Their accent was thick, and they were missing some words, but they were definitely speaking English.

  "Can I get the pretty one again?"

  They blushed. Maybe a girl? "Ass."

  "Sorry."

  "Look, tonight my shift. Let us get with this over. It not is like I want be rubbing on you. You stink."

  I sniffed myself. I did, in fact, reek. "Yeah... sorry."

  "Move, stinker."

  "Okay, okay. I'm moving." I scooched over and made room.

  Once I made enough room, they pulled a small vial of some red liquid out of a belt pouch and rubbed it into their hands. A moment later, their hands were glowing.

  They started working my fingers and hand. Their movements seemed a little less skilled than the others, but after a few minutes, the tingling started. My headache faded away, and my muscles began to feel relaxed and loose. My scars, which were still red and swollen, softened. I could tell the kid was doing a decent job.

  Not comfortable with the silence, I asked, "What's your name?"

  "Doesn't matter."

  "Oh, don't be like that."

  Their eyes met mine. They were the bluest eyes I'd ever seen. Like twin pools of sapphire. "Tristan."

  "Hi, Tristan. I'm Alex." Wait... "Tristan? Were you the one who saved me?"

  "Yes. I found you on road. You were heavy. Ruined my old robe."

  "Thank you, Tristan. For everything."

  They blushed again, but an instant later, a scowl crossed their face. "Does not matter. You will not be here forever. No use getting friendly with you."

  I hadn't thought about the future that much, but now that I could kick ass and do epic stuff, at least in theory, I knew I'd be out of here eventually. "Does that mean we can't be friends?"

  They cocked their head. "No. No point."

  Arden did say Tristan was a little sulky, but this was crazy. "Well, I don't care. We're going to be friends. You just wait."

  Their sapphire orbs met mine. "Why?"

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  "Why not?"

  For the first time in the exchange, they cracked a smile. "Okay. Friends."

  "Good." I cracked a smile. "So, how does this work, anyway? How long am I allowed to stay here?"

  Tristan huffed, then sighed. "This temple is place of healing and rest. You stay as long you need."

  "Oh thank God...dess. I was worried but was too afraid to ask." I laughed, but they shook their head and kept working. The room got quiet. I watched as my hands and wrists got worked. They were breathing heavily, but the silence started to feel awkward again. I hated awkward silences. "So, how do I look? I'm starting to feel a bit better. Do you think it'll be much longer?"

  They cleared their throat. "Honestly? You were very hurt. It will take a long time for you to heal."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I didn't find you right away. The longer wounds settle, the harder it is heal them. You will be here for long time."

  "How long do you think?"

  "I do not know. Patrino thinks three months, but I am not sure. By your wounds, I would guess six. Maybe year."

  "What then?" Six months. Shit.

  "When you heal, you have option of staying, but you will work. However, most people go on to city or find work in towns once they heal. We do not see people back much, unless they get hurt again. Do not get hurt again. Too much work. Do not want to carry you home again."

  "Well, thank you for that. Do you go out a lot, or no?"

  His hands froze, and I saw his head drop. Did they not understand me?

  "To the towns, I mean. Do you go out much?"

  "Not often."

  "Why not?"

  "Why would I leave?" Their jaw clenched.

  "Because there's a big world out there. Don't you want to see it?"

  I watched as their scowl grew. "I go to Llyn sometimes. That's enough, I guess."

  "Llyn?"

  "It's biggest city nearby. That's far as I've gone." They sounded deflated.

  "So you're totally happy here? No regrets or anything?"

  "Sometimes..." Their eyes lit up, but then they deflated again. "One day."

  I struck a nerve and had to know more. Also, I took my best guess about their gender. "You're a young man stuck in a temple with stuffy priests and the sick, and you're sure you don't want to go anywhere?" They wanted out of here. I could feel it. They had the same demeanor I had when I had to move back home after I decked that douchebag for groping that girl at a party. Broke his jaw and everything.

  "I am not..." He blushed furiously. "Ass." He stood up and walked down to my foot.

  "Not what?"

  He glared at me. "I am not unhappy."

  I got the feeling that wasn't all of it. "You sure? From what Arden told me, it's pretty great out there."

  "Well..." His words trailed off. "Why you asking many questions? I want go to bed."

  "Sorry. Thanks for helping. You can stop."

  "Great." He stood up and brushed his robe off. "I will get you more water." He shuffled out, nearly tripping on his shapeless brown robe as he did, then came back a minute later with a pitcher and poured me a glass. "Here you go."

  "Thanks." Our eyes met as I took the glass. They really were the bluest I'd ever seen. "Hey, if you ever want to talk, I'm here, okay?" Why not try to extend the olive branch? He seemed lonely, and I could use a friend. Plus, he knew English. That helped.

  He sighed. "Fine. We are friends. Now go to sleep. You need it. Varga will be here in morning, and she will not be gentle. I will ask her to not be."

  I groaned. Tomorrow was gonna suck.

  "I'll see you tomorrow night." With those final words, he left.

  I felt my heart rate spike. The big lady was coming in the morning.

  ***

  My heart wasn't wrong. All I could think of when Lady Varga healed me was those old jokes about Russian massages and people screaming the whole time. That was me. Screaming. But man, when she was done, I felt so much better.

  "Bone. Restu nun, filo," she said with the same professionalism as always, but she had that twinkle in her eye that I hated. She was making fun of me in her head. I knew it.

  "Bonan matenon, patrino." I parroted the words I heard the day before. If I was gonna be stuck here, I would need to learn their language, and fast. I hated not knowing what they were saying.

  A huge smile spread across her face. "Bonan matenon, Alex! En la lumo." With those last words, she left my room.

  After a few minutes, I yawned. Healing really took it out of you. I leaned back and was out the second my head hit the pillow.

  ***

  I slept a ton over the next month. That walk across the temple did a number on me. It was like I couldn't recover no matter how much I slept. But, I'd been able to start putting food down, and I didn't look so gaunt. That was a step in the right direction.

  Also, I actually did make a friend. Every day, Tristan and I talked. He was a little sulky and kind of naive, but he was a good person. I didn't like his visits as much as Na-Ya's since he wasn't as pretty, but he was great company nonetheless.

  We talked about anything and everything. He was curious about Earth and wanted to know as much as he could about life there, so that's mostly what we talked about.

  On the first evening of the fifth week since I'd woken up, Tristan came into my room one night twice as sulky as usual.

  "What's up, Tristan? Get rejected by a baddie today or something?"

  The kid sighed. No, not kid. He'd told me he was twenty-one, almost twenty-two. Same age as Devon. He just looked younger due to reasons I didn't understand due to our language barrier but absolutely pretended like I did. One day, I'd clear that up. "Can we just not?" His sapphire eyes met mine, and I could see how sincere he was being.

  "You sure you won't miss it?" I smiled, but he shook his head. His English had improved dramatically over the five weeks we'd spent together due to us hanging out almost every night.

  "Not today, okay?" He sat down next to me. "Be nice. Just for today, okay?" His voice was soft and earnest. I let go of all the prods I'd readied for tonight and nodded. What was today?

  "Of course."

  He worked my hand and arm for several minutes before sighing again. "Lady Varga says you are doing better. You are healing fast, which is good." His voice had that edge that people got when they were struggling with something.

  "That's cool. I'm looking forward to not having to be healed so much." I gave him the space to talk. When he didn't, I broke the ice. "Okay, dude. What's the matter?"

  He ignored my question. "She thinks it'll be about four months before you're good again, but I am still not so sure."

  "Awesome. What's wrong? If you don't tell me, I'll start picking on you."

  His face screwed up in anger. "It is frustrating, okay?"

  "What is?"

  "It's not fair!" He yelled louder than he meant to based on his own look of surprise. "I..." His eyes met mine. Something was behind them. "I, I didn't ask for this." He let go of my hand and began pacing. "Why did you have to come here?"

  "What do you mean?" I didn't expect that.

  "I... the change... oh, Goddess." He ran his hands through his long wavy black hair.

  "Use your words, Tristan."

  "I am changing, and I do not like it."

  "Is changing bad?"

  "Of course, it is!" He looked so pouty. "But I can't. I don't want... that. I have to... I have much I need to do. I do not want this."

  "You always have a choice, Tristan. Do what you want."

  "You do not understand. You do not know."

  "You're right. I'm just some asshole who doesn't know a damn thing."

  A smile broke out across Tristan's face. I was winning, cutting through the layers of pout to the man beneath. "Yeah, you are."

  "Why is changing such a bad thing?"

  He blushed to the tips of his ears. "It's... difficult to say..."

  I figured that was as far as we were getting that day. "Okay, let's talk about something else."

  He sighed. "Thank you." I got a small smile with that.

  "So, tell me about yourself. I realized I don't know anything about your family. What do your parents do?"

  His smile faded. "My father is dead, Mother lives near Llyn."

  "Oh, shit. I'm sorry, man."

  "It is okay. That was long ago."

  "If you say so. My sister's dead, and my mom is a drunk, so I get it."

  "Drunk?"

  "Too much alcohol."

  "Oh. Sorry."

  "It's fine."

  We sat for a minute in awkward silence. "I never asked, what with you being a giant baby and all. Why are you so interested in Earth?"

  "You are the baby. That is your name in the temple. Cry baby."

  Oh shit. That's why Lady Varga was always smirking at me. I really needed to learn the language. "Yeah, yeah. That's me. The crybaby. Now talk to me."

  "It is... I don't know. It reminds me of my father I guess. He was from Earth."

  "And that's why you want to learn more about it?"

  "Yeah, it makes me feel like I understand him better." He smiled again. "Thank you for sharing what you know. Arden is... he makes it too much about studying. With you, we talk and have fun. I like that."

  "I'm glad. Would you do the same for me about Reial? Would you help me learn common?"

  "Yes. I would like that."

  "Thank you." A burning question filled my mind. "Okay, what's up with Varga? Is she a giant or something? She is freakishly strong."

  Tristan laughed. "No. She is very high-level. So is Renard, and Na-Ya is strong too. Ro-Saleh as well. They are the strongest."

  "What about you?"

  "I am a junior priest... I have not earned the title or class yet. It takes much work, and the Goddess has to recognize me. She has given me visions, and now, with the change upon me..." He blushed again. "I will follow her will in time."

  "I see." I totally didn't.

  Tristan finished working the light into my bones and stood up. "Okay, you are all done. Get some sleep. You will be sore tomorrow." He smiled, then added, "Dormu bone. That means sleep well." He left the room, and I lay back, looking at the dark clouds outside my window.

  I started thinking about my own path forward. What was in store for me? Could I really be something awesome? Arden said it was like video games. Could I be a wizard or something? Or a badass ranger? Two scimitars, a black cat, the whole thing? Or maybe I could be a badass assassin, taking jobs and disappearing into the night. Maybe I'd be an archer, striking from the shadows and leaving my mark behind, changing the world one arrow at a time...