Melia the Magnificent

[Sunrise] exited the Screeching Hollows at sunset. The yarrr buff had long since worn out, but the group wasn’t feeling very talkative. The somber air of despair in the valley had worn them thin, along with riding their animals for the better part of a full day. Their mental fortitude was taxed, and they were grateful to see the rust-red browns of the beastkin land’s high desert. The sun wavered on the distant horizon like half an egg sizzling on a frying pan, the last vestiges of the summer’s heat evaporating with the coming of the night.

Fortunately, the group wouldn’t need to spend another night outdoors.

As Brandy had said, there was a settlement on the other side of the Screeching Hollows. From their vantage point at the mouth of the canyon, [Sunrise] looked down the slope as it gently lowered into a tumbled, rocky plain. A few rough-looking farms with sturdy-looking livestock were scattered in the distance, and there were several homes clumped together to form a community. But the main attraction of the small hamlet was definitely the inn.

It was a large building, much larger than it had any right to be, located as far from normal civilization as it was. Melia supposed the town had cropped up around the inn, which was a holdover from game-days, and now, in the present, was most likely used to ward travelers off. Don’t go traveling through the pass unless you really mean business.

Business that was written all over Melia’s face…and clothes, and stuck in parts of her hair. Obviously she cleaned herself up as much as she could, but nothing would beat a hot bath with real soap and shampoo.

Even fantasy shampoo, which looked, acted, and felt suspiciously like modern shampoo, and even came in strawberry scent. Melia swore it had to be an [Alchemy] product, since they made many synthetic goods.

The group rolled up to the inn, getting strange looks from the locals but otherwise minded their own business. The inn was mostly empty, so Lethia was easily able to secure several rooms. [Sunrise], tired as they all were, trudged up the 5 flights of stairs, put their things away, and did their best not to pass out.

Not before dinner, at least, which the group preserved through. It was a quiet, mediocre meal from the inn’s kitchens, and everyone else ate while Melia got cleaned up. By the time her [Retainers] were satisfied with her level of cleanliness, everybody had already gone to bed. Seeing no reason to disturb her team, Melia retired for the evening, too.

Lethia had put her in a room with Brandy, so Melia crept through the door as quietly as she could, wincing slightly as it creaked on stubborn hinges. The room was pitch black with the window shuttered, but that didn’t hinder Melia at all. She blinked a few times as she adjusted to the darkvision and tiptoed to her bed.

Sleep didn’t come immediately. Melia tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. She was starting to understand how different her true nature was from that of a real gnome, or even that of a normal human. For one, her gnomish instincts delighted at the thought of a gigantic bed, closer to the floorplan of a small (squishy) room rather than something to sleep on. And yet, despite the soft texture, which in itself was an oddity for a traditional fantasy world, Melia was uncomfortable.

No, that wasn’t quite right.

She could sleep anywhere; the softest feather beds or rock-hard ground. The softer the better in Melia’s opinion, but none of that compared to something else: gold. Having slept in her real body on top of a mountain of precious metals and gems had given her the best night’s sleep she’d ever had and she never wanted to go back. It was like what all those commercials used to claim about their NASA mattress this or their memory number that. So, sure, yeah, this standard lumpy mess with the generic organic fill wasn’t bad, not really. It wasn’t like she was sleeping on a plank or had straw stabbing her in the back.

Melia tried wrapping herself up in a blanket. The heat of summer didn’t bother her; in fact, it made things slightly better as it raised her temperature a tiny bit, bringing her one fractional step closer to a lava cave. But sleep didn’t come. Having an epiphany, Melia tossed the covers off. Whenever she slept in gnomish form, she always woke up with her horns and tail. She squinted, concentrated, and plopped them out. She grinned as she looked over her shoulder, wiggling the very tip of her plump tail. Perhaps if she were in her dragonkin form, she’d be more comfortable.

Yes…but not enough.

Melia tried wrapping herself up again, retrieving enough blankets from her inventory that she was no longer on the bed itself, but had a solid cushion of fabric between her and it. Sleep was the furthest thing on her mind; now, with all this padding, all she could think of was an overstuffed burrito.

And now she was hungry.

Melia let out a frustrated sigh, wondering if she should just sneak out for a late-night snack. But now that she was all wrapped up, she was a little…stuck.

“Do you need help?” An amused voice asked from across the room. Melia froze mid-arm-lift on her way to extract the blanket from her horns.

“Brandy!” Melia hissed. “I’m so sorry! Go back to sleep!”

“I wasn’t sleeping,” she sighed, sitting up. “Stay still. Let me help you.”

Melia remained in the exact position she was in, even if that wasn’t quite what Brandy meant. The tall elf turned and Melia could see her eyes shining like brilliant gems, even though the darkened room wasn’t all that dark to her. Brandy got up, stretched, mindful to keep her arms from crashing into the ceiling, and crept over. The elf appeared, looming large like a giant, willowy pole, stared down at Melia, and smiled.

“You’re such a mess,” Brandy said, lifting the Melia-roll up and turning her around. Melia giggled as Brandy rotated her this way and that, going so far as to flip her completely upside down. Shortly, the elf had her free of her warm prison and she was bouncing on the bed. Brandy sat down next to her and sighed.

“Thanks,” Melia muttered. “Sorry for waking you up.”

“Eh, it’s not your fault,” Brandy replied. She gave Melia a wry smile as she pointed at her ears. “These things pick up everything. They’re like those gadgets you’d see in an old spy movie or nature documentary…you know, those little satellite-dish-looking things where you point them and you hear from like a mile away?”

“Right,” Melia nodded. “I’ve got the same thing.”

“Kind of crazy, isn’t it?” Brandy remarked. “I mean, look at us. I’m 7 freankin’ feet tall and you're an ankle biter. A literal ankle biter! My eyes glow in the dark and I can see magic. Sometimes, it doesn’t seem real.”

“I know what you mean,” Melia said, her smile slowly fading. “For the first couple of days, I kept waking up in the middle of the night, thinking it was a dream. Like this whole thing was one last dopamine hit as my systems shut down. I was afraid I’d suddenly open my eyes, see the hospital lights one more time…and then…that would be it.”

The two sat in silence for a moment, neither sure of what to say. But it was clear something needed to be said…just…not sitting on the bed in a random inn. No matter how fancy the room was, these walls were made of wood, and both girls could hear through them without trying. Melia looked up at the windows, which were blocked by shutters. Only two small planks separated them from the outdoors, no glass or iron bars. Melia slid off the bed, waddled over to the wall, and reached up.

Her arm was several inches away from the sill, even standing on her tippy toes.

“Let me help,” Brandy said with a grin. She glided over gracefully, bent down, and pushed the shutters open. A wave of cool air rushed into the room, making Melia question why they were shut in the first place. But now wasn’t the time for silly questions. She hopped onto the ledge in a single bound, earning a surprised yelp from Brandy, before sticking her head fully outside.

“Oh, this is so on you if you fall out,” Brandy groaned, watching Melia lean her entire body out the window. But with how small her feet were, she could balance perfectly on the thin sill without teetering. Melia tracked the outside wall of the inn up to the roof. They were on the 5th floor, so there wasn’t a huge distance to cover. Melia leaned back inside, grinned at Brandy, and waved her over.

“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?” Brandy sighed. “Okay, now what?”

Melia glanced back outside, did some quick calculations, and made up her mind. She leaned forward, wrapped her arms as far as they’d go around Brandy’s waist…and jumped.

“Whaaa?!” Brandy gasped. But before she could truly scream out in panic, they were standing on the roof. Never mind the fact that there was an awning and Melia would have to redirect her momentum mid-leap; she did it while holding a high elf!

“Whoa,” Brandy said, steadying herself on the roof and eventually sitting down. Melia was bobbing up and down in front of her, wearing a praise-me look on her face. Brandy rolled her eyes, turned Melia around, and pulled her into her lap.

“Yes,” she said slightly patronizingly, like one might soothe the ego of a cat, “You’re very pretty. Congratulations.”

Melia preened while Brandy patted her on the head. After several moments, they both calmed down, and Melia continued.

“It’s not a dream, is it?” She said out of the blue. Brandy understood exactly what she was talking about and started combing her hair.

“No,” she said seriously. “You died. Wherever this is, it’s not back home, and you don’t have a body to wake up to.”

“You know,” Melia said. “That doesn’t bother me as much as it should. Or maybe as much as it used to. I think I’m getting used to living here.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“I don’t know,” Melia muttered, letting all the vulnerability in her voice ooze out. “I think it is, but…I’m afraid. What if…I forget?”

“Hmm?”

“What if I forget?” She repeated, stronger. “Mom and Dad? Little Matty?”

“Little,” Brandy chuckled. “Did you know your little brother turned 18 this year? He’s going to graduate high school at the end of the semester. A few years ago, he started growing like a weed…he’s taller than I am now.”

Melia’s gut twisted like somebody grabbed her insides and squeezed. Matthew was younger than her by about 10 years…he was 15 when she died. She didn’t really have much for a frame of reference, because back when she was able to physically touch and play with her sibling, it was helping him learn how to walk. She remembered holding onto tiny hands as wobbly legs stood up with shaky knees. That was so long ago now, an entire lifetime.

“But I wouldn’t worry if I were you,” Brandy said. Melia’s breath hitched, and she didn’t have to look up to imagine the twinkle in Brandy’s eyes. “You won’t forget them. I’ve seen what your memory is capable of here. And they won’t forget you, either.”

“You said,” Melia began in a small, trembling voice, “There was a funeral?”

“Yes,” Brandy sighed, leaning forward, wrapping her arms around Melia in a comforting hug, and placing her chin on top of Melia’s head, lodged between her horns. “It was big. A lot of people showed up. There was a service and people were allowed to share some of their favorite memories with you. Your dad cried more than your mom. I think he used all his strength to be strong for you when you passed.”

Melia closed her eyes and the vivid faces of her parents danced in her vision. They were smiling and happy, and she didn’t want to imagine them any other way.

“Don’t worry about them,” Brandy encouraged, as if reading her mind. “They moved on. Now! That doesn’t mean they forgot you! There’s pictures of you in their home, and they visit your memorial every year. But they grieved as best as they could, picked themselves up, and pressed forward. I don’t think you’d want them to be stuck like that forever, and you’d be glad to see them smiling once more.”

Brandy was right. Melia wouldn’t want her parents to be perpetually crushed under the weight of her death. It just hurt so much knowing she’d never be able to see them again, to touch them, hug them, laugh with them…and cry with them, too.

Something Brandy just said stuck out to Melia, and she perked up.

“They have pictures of me at home?” She asked, tilting her head. Brandy chuckled.

“Yes? Why wouldn’t they?”

“I mean, I guess you’re right, but I think the real question I have is…you sound so certain. How do you know?”

“What do you mean?” Brandy scoffed. “I visit them, of course.”

“You visit my family?” Melia asked, dumbfounded.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Brandy asked again. “You were my best friend. You were important to me. I would have been there for you…and I was there for them. If I’m honest, Mel…they were there for me more than I was there for them. I went through a very dark patch when you died, and they made sure I didn’t go under. I can’t repay them for that…and now, we have pasta every Thursday.”

“Wow,” Melia mumbled. “That’s so…surreal.”

“Tell me about it,” Brandy laughed. “I know we used to talk about growing old and what we’d do when we were a couple of grannies, but I never imagined I’d have something so mundane like a weekly dinner routine. Did you know? We play board games.”

“Oh no!” Melia laughed. “Does Matthew join in? Be careful, Brandy! He cheats!”

“Too late!” Brandy wheezed. “Monopoly is officially blacklisted. Now we know why he always insisted on being the banker.”

For some reason, Melia found that to be hilarious. She’d only played a handful of games with her little brother before she became bedbound, and that old property trading game had always been his favorite. Perhaps it was because they had a “vintage” edition that had paper money instead of an electronic bank? He always thought he was so sneaky and clever, and he probably never realized the entire family could easily see when he slipped himself an extra hundred dollars or so.

Melia started laughing, and once she was going, she couldn’t stop. She leaned back, rested her head on Brandy’s chest, and let it all flow out. Her laughter turned slightly hysterical as she started to cry, partially from laughing too hard and a little bit due to emotions she couldn’t control. Brandy waited her out, rocking gently back and forth, as it calmed down into sniffling giggles. Eventually Melia petered out, and they sat in comfortable silence.

“Brandy,” Melia eventually said at length. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“Hmmm?” Brand asked.

“For dragging you here,” Melia explained. “It’s my fault, isn’t it? If it wasn’t for me, if I wasn’t here, you’d still be-”

“In the same exact place I am now,” Brandy sighed, cutting Melia off sharply. “Only, instead of having my best friend’s shoulder to, well, I can’t really cry on you when you’re a gnome, can I? But you get me. Instead of that, I’d be all alone, wallowing in despair.”

“Why do you think so?” Melia pressed. “I mean, what else could draw you here besides me? Well, not me, I get it, I wasn’t the one who actually pulled you here, but what else connects you?”

“Believe it or not, it would have happened regardless,” Brandy repeated. “I would have ended up here whether you were here or not. Melia, I’ll be honest. I think about you all the time, but I don’t spend all my time dwelling on you. I moved on too…which, let me tell you, is a whole world of emotions I’ve had to deal with in the last few weeks that I don’t know how to process. You know…I actually had a chance to go to therapy? And I didn’t? I was young and dumb and thought I was better than everyone else, but it turns out I was just bottling it up inside. Boy was that a mistake…and I doubt we’ve got that sort of service here.”

Brandy took a deep breath, but Melia didn’t know what to say, so she remained silent.

“It was work,” Brandy continued in a flat, drained voice. “You know gaming is my life. I love it. I went to school for it. I got a job in it. But…you know when people say you should read the fine print? Well,” Brandy chuckled. “You really should read the damn print.”

“Oh?” Melia asked. “What did it say?”

“Eh,” Brandy waved her hand. “Figure of speech. Sort of. Our company took on a big, important job, which was highly suspect looking back, since we’re pretty small in the grand scheme of things. We took a partnership to test a new form of deep dive, you know, like everyone’s always been claiming their VR is going to be. We’ve been chasing old dreams for a century and nobody can crack that fully immersive barrier. And then this company comes along,” Brandy sighed. “Promising everything. Fully tactile. Sensory-inclusive. REM-walking. Play-while-you-sleep. Everything gamers have been lusting over since the early days of anime. We should have seen it coming.”

Brandy shook her head.

“We should. Have seen. It coming.”

“Oh, Brandy,” Melia groaned.

“It was in the name,” Brandy hissed, clearly incensed. “Faust Holdings, VC LP. You’d think somebody would step back and say, ‘Huh. Do we really trust somebody named Faust?’!”

Secretly, Melia agreed. But she wasn’t going to say that out loud.

“Cutting edge, they said! Unbeatable tech, they said!” Brandy raged. “An unheard-of device that was better than reality! And, you know what? They weren’t even lying! So long as you read the fine print!”

Brandy huffed, but she quickly mastered herself.

“Sometimes I wonder,” she said in a dangerously level voice, “If one of this world’s gods is behind it. The gods are real; I know that all too well. But it wasn’t Celestara, and apparently, she’s not allowed to say. So either one of those other bastards grabbed me in my pod, or they contacted somebody on Earth to do it for them. Maybe somebody on that side is in cahoots; maybe they’re being played like a fool. I don’t know. And for the moment, it doesn’t matter, because as far as Earth is concerned, I haven’t even left. I’m still there, in the pod, and the whole world is frozen. Maybe the universe! I don’t know! Celestara’s not exactly what you’d call a scientist and she can’t explain it. Something about time not needing to sync up or some bullshit. So, they got me. They really got me. They want me to do a job, and I’m here until it’s done.”

Brandy trailed off, and Melia felt the anger vanish from her friend. She waited, but Brandy seemed spent.

“Which is,” Melia prompted, “To kill a Demon Lord.”

“Mmm,” Brandy hummed. “Technically, it’s a ‘Dark Lord’.”

“That’s…not exactly the same,” Melia frowned.

“Close enough, don’t you think?” Brandy asked.

“It’s the details, Brandy,” Melia said. “And, you know, judging by what got you here in the first place? Those things kind of matter.”

“Don’t remind me,” Brandy groaned. “That’s going to haunt me forever.”

“Well, it won’t matter in the end,” Melia soothed, patting Brandy on the leg. “No matter who it is, you’ve got me. I’ll be here by your side the whole time.”

“Thanks, Mel,” Brandy gave a weak chuckle. “Lord knows you’ve been an immense help already. On top of breaking me out of my stupor and setting me up with a team, you’ve got the fastest, comfiest mount around!”

“Midna is pretty great, right?” Melia bragged.

“Actually, I was talking about you,” Brandy teased. “Big ol’ dragon? No better way to fly, baybee!”

Melia’s eyes lit up and she puffed up her chest, but Brandy laughed and bonked her on the noggin.

“Don’t let it go to your head!” Brandy chuckled. “And, speaking of dragons…holy crap, you’re the dragon! This place has a whole mythos about you!”

“Isn’t that wild?” Melia giggled. “I just wish I knew more about it! I mean, they made a dungeon after me and everything!”

“You know, I’d like to see that,” Brandy said. “The [Acts], I mean. It was crazy hearing Kyle’s voice coming out of that gnome. God, he would have loved standing on a stage like that. I haven’t talked to the guy in years, but it brought back a whole bunch of trauma from trying to run his skits.”

“Were you big into RP?” Melia asked. “I know you showed up to some of the big sessions, but I didn’t think you had a major part.”

“At one point, I didn’t,” Brandy said. “To be honest, I wasn’t really invested in RP. But he had a good story and I would have eventually played a part near the end, but it obviously got canceled when, you know, you died.”

“Right,” Melia giggled. “That’ll do that.”

“Anyway, I did some RP now and again, but not nearly as much as you. You were all over the place! I guess it was a good thing, though, since you couldn’t go outside the game.”

“Mmm,” Melia nodded. “Whenever leveling got boring and quests became tedious, it was exploring and RP. But I always felt weird asking for groups to join, and not every group was as good as Kyle’s. He had a way of making them really immersive.”

“Oh?” Brandy asked.

“Oh yeah,” Melia nodded. “Even with all the tools available to us in the game, with these impossible locations and beautiful vistas, some people used them like blunt weapons. Not Kyle. For example…dungeons. I had a group once that tried re-enacting a dungeon dive, only except instead of using the story the devs created, they had us mute the dungeon and read out a script that they wrote instead. Same characters, different dialogue, totally different vibe…because the only feeling I got was ‘If I had written this dungeon, it’d be so much better!’ Yeah…didn’t really work. Kyle…he might use a dungeon, but he’d make it work for him. He might clear it out beforehand and use it as a backdrop, then create a script as to why the dungeon was there, what purpose it served, how somebody could use it, exploit it…so on, so forth. He was a storyteller, I’ll give him that.”

“Huh, didn’t know he did that,” Branded hummed thoughtfully.

“He spent a lot of time researching,” Melia said. “He’d spend weeks looking into locations, digging into lore; really reading into the world.”

“And he told you this?” Brandy asked, curious.

“No,” Melia laughed. “How do you think he got half that information? He asked me! I don’t mean to brag, but I doubt any player knew this map half as well as I did. For instance! You know that canyon we just rode through? The ruins at the end? There was a month when Kyle dragged me over there and we combed the entire surface, every polygon, looking for secrets. Not because we were searching for something, not really, but because I told him about it and lamented the fact that the devs never did anything with it. He wondered if maybe they put something in, you know, kind of like that [Cerulean] cave I showed you back in StoneCairne. Something just under the surface that was waiting to be activated.”

Melia shook her head.

“We never found anything, but he got loads of inspiration. He got all dark and broody for a while and we called it his Poe Phase, and he got obsessed with ravens.” Melia sighed. “Don’t know what he had planned, but it probably would’ve been good.”

“Define ‘good’,” Brandy grumped. “His ‘masterpiece,’ if that’s what we’re calling it, had us flying all over the world. We’d do a skit here, do one there; we’d be in the elven lands one day and slummin’ with the dwarves the next. He’d just as soon make us crawl up the edge of the world map as he would sit us down to battle.”

“Yeah, but wasn’t that just how it was in the beginning?” Melia countered. “I mean, when the game first started? There were all these big, arching world quests that sent you galavanting around the map, from endgame zone to endgame zone, doing small quests most of the time that weren’t even killing monsters. It was all lore, and for what? Attunement. But back then…people felt like they were part of something, you know? Something bigger than themselves. Back when you had to enter a raid and down a boss just to hope he dropped the item that furthered your place in that quest, and you had to contend with everyone else who was on it. Back when legendary meant legendary, and only one or two people might be able to earn items of that rarity, and wearing a set of epics made you feel like you accomplished something.”

“Yeah,” Brandy nodded. “I can see where you’re coming from. But not everybody would,” she countered.

“I suppose you’re right,” Melia sighed. “Or else that wouldn’t have changed over the years. Everything had to be simplified, didn’t it? Streamlined for the casual gamer.”

“At the end of the day, it was a game,” Brandy said. “Not life.”

“Heh,” Melia grunted. “Tell that to me now.”

“Fair,” Brandy grinned. “And speaking of the here and now…what’s our next step? You’ve brought us out here for a reason, I assume.”

“It’s not an amazing reason,” Melia admitted. “But as good as any, I guess. I’m following my standard leveling path. I would have probably started in the Everbloom to get ahead on the elf reputation grind, but the guys were already level 200 by the time I found them. I didn’t care for leveling 20-40 in the elvish zones; it was too slow. I’d go to Gold Coast, which they’d already done, hit up Lakeridge, run through [Astoria].…”

“You ran them through [Boondocks]?” Brandy laughed. “Oh, what I’d give to see their reactions to that! What does a native to this world think about all those references?”

“Right?” Melia grinned. “It was their first dungeon! But, actually, I don’t know. I wasn’t there with them. They ran it on their own because I was too nervous to join their party at the time. And then when they got out, they were blasted to pieces and I was super worried. We took them back to the abbey and they got patched up, but if you want to know what they thought, I suppose you’d have to ask them.”

“Maybe I’ll do that,” Brandy smirked. “So…I joined you for [PoD]. What’s next?”

“Az-tiki,” Melia said. “It’s in the south of U’lindala. You remember it, right?”

“Sure,” Brandy shrugged. “Kind of Aztec-ish? Sand temples and Egyptian gods?”

“Yeah, that’s the one,” Melia agreed. In the game, it was level 42-48. She was thinking that might be good for the group until they hit rank 5, when they’d need to head north. At that point, they really only had two options if they were following the original game’s route: Evergloom and the Ashlands. Melia wasn’t sure which one they’d pick, but no matter what it was, it wouldn’t be for a while. There was too much to do in U’lindala, especially since Y’cennia was from Ala Tappas. Melia had half a mind to storm into town and poke her horns where they didn’t belong.

“To the south,” Brandy repeated.

They’d been sitting on the roof so long that the sun was starting to rise behind them, and the great expanse of desert lay before them. Right here, it was the rocky high desert, but soon that would transition into an endless expanse of white sand. Little pockets of civilization cropped up wherever they could, forming little oases in the barren white sea. In the case of Oasis, one of the largest settlements in the region, they’d done exceptionally well for themselves. If things here continued to follow the game, there should be a massive casino out there. Melia was both excited and afraid to find out if it was real. If it were… they’d definitely have to make a brief stop.

But that wasn’t what Brandy was thinking of, even if it was in the same direction. Melia didn’t need to see the elf’s face to know where she was looking. Past the casino was more desert, and after the desert, the mountains. And past those mountains…were the demon lands. Desolate, grey, broken lands, much like the Screeching Hollows, in fact, almost inhospitable to life. What monsters lurked there were mean and ruthless…both Human and spawned of Chaos.

Somewhere over those mountains, their destiny lay. It was only a matter of time…and what would happen once they emerged victorious. Melia would ensure there was no chance of failure.

Now, she was wrestling with a very different problem.

“Brandy,” Melia squirmed, unable to keep it secret any longer. “Once we’re done with the Dark Lord…what happens?”

“I go home,” Brandy said instantly, her voice laced with relief. As soon as she said it, she regretted it; Melia could tell. While the gnome felt like somebody had punched her in the gut, she could feel Brandy tense up behind her.

“Melia…,” she said nervously. Melia shook her head.

“No,” Melia denied. “It’s what’s right. It’s what needs to happen. You don’t belong here; you belong back home. Your home. This is my home now…and….”

Melia felt tears welling up, but she scrunched up her face and put on a tough act.

“I can’t keep you here because of my selfishness. You’ve got a life; you need to live it.”

“Melia…,” Brandy said again, clearly heartbroken. But she wouldn’t refute Melia’s words.

“Is it so wrong?” Melia wanted to laugh, but it wasn’t funny. “I’m so happy you’re here, so happy we get to spend time together, and I don’t want it to end! But I don’t want to trap you here, keep you against your will…that’d make me the worst monster of them all!”

“Melia,” Brandy sighed, leaning in close. “Sometimes, it’s okay to be a little selfish.”

Melia paused, hearing the sorrow in Brandy’s voice. A sorrow born of experience…something learned during the time Melia was “asleep.”

“It’s okay to be a little greedy,” Brandy continued, “Just as long as you remember that you can’t always get what you want. But if there’s something you want that’s hard to find or on a time limit? Fight for it. Don’t give up! Because before you know it, it’ll be gone, and all you’ll be left with is the memory. Cherish those memories, Melia. Make sure you’re left with the ones you’ll be happy to have.”

Melia wanted to nod, but she found she couldn’t. Her heart was caught in her throat, and if she moved, everything would come pouring out.

“Now, you asked: what’s going to happen? I want to go home, Mel. But don’t get me wrong. I want to stay, too! I’ve made friends, Mel! Your friends! They’re amazing people! And your [Retainers]! Who’d ever say no to being pampered by professional maids? Not me! And like you said: is it so wrong? I, too, want the best of both worlds. I want this body, where I’m tall and beautiful and have a voice like a siren and I turn all the heads…I want these skills; I want to be able to heal people. Like really heal people. Mel, when I go home, I…don’t know how I’ll cope. I’m going to see pain, I’m going to see hurt…and here? I can wave my hands, mumble some mambo-jumbo, and because of the power of a goddess living in my necklace, I heal people. Broken bones? Who needs crappy healthcare? And if I could team up with a real doctor? Could you imagine what they could do through me? What we’d be able to cure?”

Brandy trailed off with a frustrated sigh, and Melia tried to cheer her up.

“What’s saying you won’t keep your power?” She asked tentatively. Brandy barked out a harsh laugh.

“That’s not how this works,” she said with a surprising amount of finality. “Oh, I bet there’s a chance, a small, infinitesimal chance that I go back home and I’ve got levels and powers. There’s also a chance that I turn into an elf! But I don’t think so, because this isn’t my body. Not over there. It’s my body over here. The two don’t overlap. If they did…why didn’t they bring me over as is? Why am I not sitting here as my out-of-shape, needs-to-hit-the-gym 28-year-old self? I think it’s more than this world needing a [Saint]; I think it’s because, to these people in this world, I am the [Saint]. I’m not Brandy Meredith. I’m Eluna Brandywine. So when I go back home…I go back to being me.”

“Oh,” Melia gulped, as something occurred to her that she never, ever considered. “Oh, Brandy. What happens to your body here if, I don’t know, your soul or whatever, goes back there?”

Melia didn’t want to think about it…but it was too late. The image of a lifeless husk, a body without a soul, staring blankly into the void with nothing behind the curtains, lying limply on the ground as she bawled her eyes out. And yet, what Brandy envisioned was possibly worse.

“I don’t think this body is meant to survive,” she said grimly. “Even if we ‘win,’ I don’t think we’re meant to live.”

Melia was about to open her mouth to complain, but another voice floated up from the open window down below.

“Mistress, Lady Brandywine, it’s time for breakfast.”

“Well, they’re waiting for us,” Brandy said, back in her usual, cheery voice. For the first time, Melia heard through the act, noticing the hidden pain beneath. She wondered how long it had been hidden…how long she’d been ignorant. “Let’s not keep them waiting.”

Melia stepped over Brandy’s legs to let the tall elf stand up. Normally, Melia would keep her inner thoughts to herself, especially if the person she was focused on could most certainly hear her. But, she was so filled with determination, they spilled out regardless.

“Don’t you worry, Brandy,” Melia whispered. “I won’t let you die.”

¹

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