Trans-Migration

Stepping back onto Earth, Bria was surprised to see the sun already peeking over the horizon. The time of day displacement wasn’t an even twelve hours, she’d known that, but having left in late afternoon, she had expected to arrive in the early A.M. hours, not at sunrise. Well, that would save her the trouble of waking her parents up when she tried to get into her home.

“This is your shrine?” Neth-amii asked as she looked all about. “It is so similar to my own.”

She wasn’t wrong. Aside from some damages and the lack of upkeep, they had an identical layout within the main chamber. Neth had paused by one bit of damage—caused by a bullet fired at the retreating keepers—and ran her hand along it. Technically touching was against the rules, but Bria wasn’t going to spoil the moment for her.

There was an argument to be made that Neth was the rightful caretaker of this side of the shrine as well. Not that anyone on Earth would see it that way, but they could stay mad about it. Plus, everyone would be amazed and mystified over the visitor from another world.

Actually, how many people knew about Bria’s misadventures on the other side? Had word gotten out, or was Ruiz keeping a tight lid on things? He’d asked for all sorts of artifacts and pictures to be brought back, and Bria could think of little better than a first hand account to interview.

All her pictures and gear meant little if there wasn’t a proper story behind it all.

“The whole island should be waking up soon,” Bria said, hesitating for a moment. “My parents run a bed and breakfast. Basically a tavern with lodging.”

And with all her changes, they might not even recognize her. Sure, the armor did a lot to hide her figure, but her parents had known her for the entirety of her life. Would they see a stranger, or a woman wearing the face of their son? That entire knot of anxiety was only growing tighter with each passing moment, and Neth-amii taking her hand did little to calm it.

“I shall stand with you,” the Shrine Priestess said. “Just as you stood with me.”

A nervous laugh escaped. “Just be careful if you have to punch my dad, he’s likely weaker than a level one person.”

“Perhaps that is worth keeping in mind, situation depending.”

That did get a genuine laugh out of Bria, and some of the tension bled out of her. Regardless of how things ended up going, she had people that understood her, and more importantly, cared about her. That alone took a lot of the fear out of the coming meeting. As much as she loved her home, there was an entire world beyond it. On two fronts.

There was nothing stopping her from going out there and finding something new.

Stepping outside, Bria nearly jumped at the sight of blue hair. Hector danced back a step before he caught sight of them, his blue hair dancing in the breeze as his eyes narrowed. Tension hung in the air for a moment before he let out a breathless chuckle.

“I almost didn’t recognize you,” he said, his eyes trailing over both of them in a way that seemed all to similar to how Ri-durak had looked at her all those weeks ago. “Mister Ruiz had us on a rotation watching this place for when you returned.”

“Short straw?” Bria asked.

He rubbed the back of his head. “Something like that.”

“That’s some luck,” Bria said, forcing a smile. “I’m gonna check in at home if he needs me, or is there anything pressing I should know?”

“Nothing I’ve heard,” Hector said. “You look good in that armor. It suits you.”

“Thank you?” Bria said, trailing off as Neth covered her mouth. Bria waved the man off as she started towards town. She waited until Hector was out of sight before giving Neth a glare. “Okay, what was so funny?”

“Nothing,” she replied innocently. “It was simply an amusing display.”

Not quite understanding what she had missed, Bria sighed when it became clear that no answer would be coming. Walking home took longer than it needed to, mostly because Neth-amii was marveling at the creatures that lacked a system entirely. Rodents scurried through the brush. Birds sang a greeting to the rising sun. Bees flitted between flowers, getting more than a little attention from an excited Bumble who had to taste all the new nectar. Not one of the Earth-bound critters registered a level when examined.

“There really isn’t any magic here,” Neth-amii said as they walked. “The air is so stagnant.”

Her saying that finally made something click that Bria hadn’t noticed before. The air did feel stale in comparison to the other side. It wasn’t a glaring difference, but as Bria grew in levels, she was becoming more sensitive to mana itself. The lack of it flowing through everything was disquieting, and it made her question if Earth had always been like that, or if this was a more recent development.

“Maybe we’ll learn more about that when we check the other sites,” Bria suggested.

Yet another layer of the mystery to delve into and discover.

Any excitement she felt over that idea faded as they drew closer to town and the looming uncertainty grew heavier. Absently, Bria pulled her hair into a low ponytail, and accepted an offered strip of leather from Neth to tie it in place. Hopefully that helped hide just how different she looked, but the longer hair alone was going to be hard to explain.

“Oh, the homes here are so different,” Neth said, looking around as they walked down the path. “So much wood, and without magic to grow it.”

Bria nodded along, happy for the distraction. “The wood is mostly harvested from the forests that were cleared to make room for people to live. We only have one family on the island left that knows how to build and repair homes, so it’s a bit rough to try and get something new constructed.”

“It is even smaller than Cliffside,” Neth said softly. “I don’t think I truly appreciated that until I saw it with my own eyes. Your community is so fragile. A single unexpected death could send the island into a spiral.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Bria said. Her own grandfather had been one such addition many years ago. Not to mention the Millers and their shipping business. Ruiz had been involved with the island logistics since he was Bria’s own age, making sure people had incentives to keep the island going strong. “We also have a problem with people leaving to seek their own fortune out in the wider world.”

That was the truth of the matter. Not many on the island made good money. It might have been a tourist attraction, but it was an expensive one. The people visiting talked, and they all agreed that this wasn’t a vacation taken casually. Many of the more prominent visitors were associates of Ruiz, which depended on the man’s ability to network.

They all knew this was his passion project, and helped the island by sending their friends and associates to see the sights. Only a few ever returned, and Bria often listened in on them when they were grumbling into their wine. Apparently personal islands were common among the rich, and this one ranked rather low on their list of favorites.

And right now, there would be several staying at the inn, which had numerous lights on and several people were outside having a bit of a party while watching the sun rise. Bria scanned the crowd, but didn’t spot her parents mixed in with them. Mom would be busy getting breakfast together, but Father shouldn’t have any new tours at this point. Those were once a week deals for the new visitors, and unless she got the math horribly wrong, that was three days prior. Then again, if the time dilation was off, it could have been longer. Bria had spent weeks on the other side this time, not just a few days.

Some of those out and about spotted them, pointing as the murmuring grew louder. Bria noted Ruiz’s errand boy in glasses as they caught sight of one another. He blinked, then his eyes widened as he seemed to recognize her. He left his plate there and hurried off, likely to tell Ruiz that she was back. Bria did her best to ignore that looming problem, instead heading inside to where Mom should be cooking for the coming day. Sure enough, she was fussing over a large batch of scrambled eggs. Warmth filled Bria at the sight, and it hit her just how long she had been gone.

Had it really been nearly a month since she last visited home?

Neth had stopped behind her, and Bria knew she needed to get it over with sooner than later. “Hey Mom.”

She spun, her hair swishing within the hairnet. “Ke—kiddo! You’re home!”

“Don’t let the eggs burn!” Bria said quickly, hoping to avoid the hug that might reveal how her body had changed. “We have plenty of time to catch up.”

Her mom hesitated, but nodded, returning to her work on the breakfast that would be served to the guests. With a gesture, Neth-amii followed Bria inside and took an offered seat out of the way of any cooking. The kitchen was rather spacious, and had plenty of surfaces for preparing ingredients. Dough was rising in covered containers, soup was simmering, and a whole pig was sitting there waiting to be seasoned and tossed over a fire to slow cook for the evening.

It was all standard island fare that many families living there had grown up with, even if it was on the extravagant side of things. The pigs especially were usually reserved for special occasions involving the whole town. There just wasn’t much room for farms on an island so small. Most food was imported from the mainland for that reason.

After several minutes of fussing, the last of the items were arranged into the warming pans and ready to serve up as people requested breakfast. Bria’s mom did a final check, and then turned to regard her with a gaze that felt far too piercing.

“I see you brought a friend,” Mom said, smiling gently. “Could you introduce her?”

Nodding, Bria hopped back to her feet. “Mom, this is Neth-amii, Shrine Priestess for their side of the Pyramid. Neth, this is Angela of Isla Sein, my mom.”

“A pleasure,” Neth said.

“Call me Angie, I insist.” She paused, then chuckled. “I’d offer a better greeting, but I am positively covered in grease and flour.”

Neth smiled brightly. “It is no trouble. I could help with that if you’d like.”

At Mom’s questioning look, Neth-amii held up her hand and channeled [Cleanse], removing any and all traces of grease or flour from her clothes. There it was, that spark of wonder at seeing magic applied to something so simple and mundane. Even after a month of being exposed to magic, Bria still marveled at how it could shape life.

“Well, isn’t that something,” Mom said, checking one of the stubborn stains that had survived a hundred washes, but was now gone. “Are you interested in a job?”

A hearty laugh followed. “Unfortunately there is no ambient mana in these lands for my own reserves to recover properly.”

“A shame,” Mom said, glancing at everything. “Well! There’s nothing going on until people begin to wake and request food, so I have some time!

Glancing at the state of the meal, it told Bria that none of the high dollar guests were currently staying. If Mister Ruiz was still around, he would be getting a custom meal, but there were no signs of it.

“Is Mister Ruiz not back yet?” Bria asked.

The question got her a bit of a look. “He departed the island just hours after you left. The funny thing is, not one soul saw when his boat left. Nikolai stuck around though, to watch for your return and the Mister’s interests.”

Which meant that Nikolai was probably waiting politely outside for her even now. “I’ll talk to him first chance I get.”

Mom hummed, then her eyes glanced between Neth and Bria herself. There was a glimmer of something there as a wide smile cracked her face. “Well, are you hungry? There’s plenty to go around, and I’m sure you’d like to show Neth-amii the sights.”

As if anything on their dismal island would compare to the things she had already seen on the other side. Yet, the offer seemed to hold a purpose, and Bria knew better than to question her mom haphazardly. They both spooned up some food, and settled in. Neth’s eyes widened at the flavor of the bacon, and it quickly vanished down the hatch.

“Why is the food here so delicious?”

Mom let out a snort. “Because we decided flavor won out over health. That bacon ain’t good for you, but it is just so darn tasty.”

“I don’t think health concerns are that big of a deal to us,” Bria said, digging into her own plate. Sure, Krow’s cooking was good, but there was just something about eating something one’s mother made. “I’ve missed this.”

“What? Eating my bulk cooking for the tourists?”

“Yup!” Bria said cheerfully.

It was only slightly sarcastic. The food was genuinely good, but it was prepared in bulk. There was only so much that could be done to make it fancy. Yet, it felt like home. It was familiar, and soon they had empty plates and questions.

“Alright girls, best be off before the rush starts,” Mom said, shooing them out the door. “Be back by supper time, we can talk more then about your adventures.”

“Sounds good,” Neth said, pulling Bria along before she could figure out what was nagging her about the statement. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Oh, and don’t forget to change into something less obvious,” Mom said after a moment. “I don’t think you would want all the questions people might have for you. There should be something appropriate in the kid’s room.”

Wait, why would there be appropriate clothes in her room? All Bria owned were jeans and basic shirts. Confused, she led Neth-amii into the house, and promptly ran into a problem in the form of her father sitting in front of the TV watching one of the news networks.

“Moving pictures?” Neth-amii asked, her voice full of wonder.

Father nearly jumped from his seat, splashing coffee everywhere and letting out a yelp from the hot beverage. Bria rushed over, casting [Cleanse] and then [Heal] when she saw how red his skin was. He sagged in almost instant relief as the pain vanished. Then his eyes focused on Neth-amii, and promptly narrowed.

“Who,” then his eyes focused on Bria, and he blinked. “That you kid?” Bria nodded, not trusting her voice. “Well, you certainly look different. Must be all the armor, because that looks imposing!”

“Thanks?” she said, unsure how to answer him.

“I’m sure the sword and shield has nothing to do with it,” Neth said wryly. “Well met, father of my dear friend. I am Neth-amii.”

Father glanced at the sword on Bria’s hip, and swallowed heavily. “I uh, wasn’t sure how to bring it up. I take it someone taught you to use it properly?”

At that, Bria shook her head. “I had a few lessons, but I’ve much to learn.”

She wasn’t about to admit to him that she had killed people with that sword. It was still a heavy memory, and one that remained all too fresh in her mind. Part of the reason she wanted to return home was to put all the death she had seen behind her for a bit, and maybe make a few happier memories.

And who better to do that with than her best friend?

Rubbing at the back of his head, Father laughed awkwardly. “Well, if you want to learn how to fight a bit, I could show you some things. Your grandpa moved here because he was a historical reenactor. He taught me a few things I wouldn’t mind passing on.”

That…

“I might just take you up on that,” Bria said, smiling. “Thanks dad.”

This time, his smile was far more genuine. “Anything for you, kiddo. Now, something tells me the two of you would like to do some stuff that isn’t listening to us old people blather on. Go, have some fun. Your mom and I will be here when you get back.”

Taking the opportunity presented, Bria extracted herself from the awkward situation and headed straight for her room. Neth followed close behind and when they arrived, Bria moved the bags on her bed aside for a moment and let herself flop down face first onto the soft mattress. It was a far cry from the bedrolls that Bria had grown used to in her time on the other side.

The mattress shifted, and a delighted hum followed. “This is luxurious. I cannot think of anyone with such a fine bed that I know.”

“This lumpy old thing?” Bria asked, though she didn’t quite mean it. This was her bed, and it felt like home. “She’s not much, but she’s mine.”

Neth chuckled softly, leaning back as she looked up at the ceiling, and the light that kept the room lit up. Part of Bria wanted to just curl up and pass out, but she risked losing the entire day if she did so. It wasn’t worth it, not when Neth was there and she deserved to see what Bria loved about Isla Sein.

Pushing herself up, Bria grabbed the bag and opened it, rifling through the clothes inside. She blinked as she pulled out an absolutely wonderful yellow sundress. She held it up, admiring how it would look on Neth, but at the same time, she kinda wanted to try it on.

Neth hummed as she looked at it. “That would look splendid on you.”

“Pretty sure that this is for you to wear,” Bria said with a chuckle, setting it aside. “I’ll just wear some of my usual clothes.”

Bria took a few steps towards her dresser as Neth looked through the bag, pulling something out. A blue shirt was retrieved from a drawer as Bria turned, freezing in place as Neth held up a second dress in bright pink and an even brighter smile.

“Something tells me that your parents might have figured things out.”