<You are not the same Kyroz.>


    Great, not a day and I am already going to deal with a reveal. Honestly, I was thinking of telling them. It is not a good idea to hide this kind of things. They end up exploding in your face eventually. I started to relax after I discovered I couldn''t talk. Holly sure got me unprepared.


    <How did you notice?>


    <The Kyroz we knew wasn''t the sharpest knife.>


    <So you say I am smart?>


    <Smarter than him. Which puts you above some species of the undead.>


    <That''s harsh.>


    <It''s a reasonable comparison.>


    I never expected Holly to be the kind of person who would talk behind the backs of her companions.


    <I get you didn''t like him.>


    <I used to. My patience ran out.>


    Honestly, how mean did I was when I played with Kyroz as my avatar. Do all the girls have the same opinions?


    I wonder as I look to the meditating vampire and the demon beside her.


    <You don''t have to worry about me telling them.>


    <That''s a relief. But, why?>


    <Is the fact that you sound like Kyroz and you used to look like him. If I tell them now, Sira''s brain will halt for a while, and then she will join the unrestrained Mia to gut you alive for answers.>


    <You are exaggerating.>


    <I had to deal with Kyroz for about three years, them for more than three decades. If you want to find out for yourself, be my guest.>


    I don''t believe they are capable of something like that, especially Mia.


    <Mia seems nice.>


    <Because she thinks you are her Kaikai. I will give you the benefit of the doubt. You look like a good guy. Way more than Kyroz could have been. If you want to tell them; first you need to defuse those ticking bombs.>


    "Which bombs?"


    Sira suddenly interrupts our talk. She points her red eyes quizzically at us from her seat beside the bonfire. Her face looks a little pained.


    <Do you feel alright?>


    "My telepathy is still low level. My head hurts. It''s tolerable."


    How much of my conversation with Holly did she hear?


    "So? Which bombs were you talking about?"


    I look at Holly, before answering to the pained vampire.


    <I have something to tell all of you. Holly recommends me to wait until we are out of trouble.>


    "Are you really listening to what that coward has to say?"


    <Yes, she is my friend too.>


    <And who are you calling coward?> interjects Holly.


    "To you! You left Ky alone back at the Rift!"


    <I did not leave him alone! I went to the city for help!>


    "Why didn''t you come with me to the knights then?"


    <You didn''t want me to follow you! You were taking too long, so I just left!>


    "Then why were you standing on that bridge?!"


    <Because I understood that there were no chance of escaping!>


    Holly''s voice turns sorrowful. All the fur of her body is standing, and her canines are glaring at Sira. The recollection of last night''s memories and the vampire''s accusations have finally broken the fox girl.


    <Okay Sira, that''s enough.>


    "Why are you taking her side!"


    <There are no sides here! We are supposed to be friends. You arebeing mean to her.>


    When I met them, I noticed hints of animosity. At first, I believed they would be more joyful and amiable. Their argument leaves clear to me that they are not getting along.


    <About what I need to tell you. You will have to wait until we are out of trouble. For now, I will only mention this; I appear to have forgotten a lot about our past adventures. Including all my abilities and skills.>


    Sira is shocked by my words. I feel bad about lying to her, but I will trust Holly in this one. There is still a chance that she is using me for something. But I doubt it.


    "So that''s why you didn''t use telepathy with me."


    <Can''t you teach me?>


    "I can''t teach you. We need to get to a psychic class trainer."


    <Why?>


    "How why? You know its a prerequisite to learning any skill to go to a trainer."


    Mia finally couldn''t resist only to spectate the half sided conversation and decided to join us.


    "Sira, what is happening?"


    "Ky has forgotten all his skills, and he thinks he doesn''t need a trainer to learn them."


    The demoness looks surprised by the response. She then looks at me with a thin and nostalgic smile.


    "Kaikai, you can swing a knife a million times, and never really learn to wield it. When you go to a trainer, you will immediately be able to use it as an expert. You said that."


    That sounds stupid. If things were that easy, I wouldn''t have spent twelve years in school learning math.


    <A while back I learned to fly, and I never could before.>


    To be fair, it can be because of dragon instincts. Not the landings tough.


    "You are a dragon, isn''t it natural?"


    <And you have hands. Isn''t it natural to punch?>


    "Yes, it''s natural. But a punch doesn''t make you a martial artist!"


    <And who taught the first martial artist?>


    "That is because..."


    My words seem to get into Sira''s head finally. The first significant difference I noticed when I arrived at this world is that this place feels real. The Rift not only did look like the game. I could feel a weird pressure to follow unwritten rules.


    "Why did trainers made so much sense?"


    I look at Holly. She seems calmer now that the focus is away from her.


    This is what I want to tell you about.


    She appears to understand the meaning behind my gaze with a slight nod.


    Sira in the time has come to a decision.


    "Okay, we will try. Ky, can you sit closer to the camp?"


    <I believe you should teach Holly first.>


    "Why?!"


    <She used a fireball spell before. She already knows how to use skills so she may be easier to teach.>


    "I don''t think a dumb fox is capable of learning the psychic class."


    <No? She is way smarter than she allows herself to show. Give her a chance, and please don''t fight. I mean it. I need to do something first.>


    "What are you going to do?"


    She is very displeased with my request but appears to agree with it.


    <I will check our surroundings. I want to know how close we are to any humans. They are our biggest threat.>


    "Do you think so? Humans aren''t so bad."


    <Correction. The humans in the Rift weren''t so bad.>


    It goes against my better judgment to leave Sira and Holly alone. I will trust that Holly will be capable of defusing any bomb Sira may try to throw at her while I am out. Leaving Mia wouldn''t help. She remained silent when Sira was bullying her back at the Rift, and she will probably side with Sira and unknowingly encourage her. I also need her to get closer to any settlements we could find.


    After Sira told Mia everything we talked about, she climbed on my back, and I take off from the camp.


    <hr>


    "Wow! The sky is much bluer than in the Rift!"


    I once again fly in the sky, this time with Mia. For a moment I imagined that it could be difficult to carry someone in my back, but it is not so different to my first flight.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    "I never could imagine we could reach so high up!"


    Mia has not stopped trying to talk to me. Without Sira''s telepathy, I can only make small gestures and hope she catches my intentions.


    "Hey Kaikai, do you think I''ll be able to fly up to here?"


    That''s something that I missed. It could have been dangerous for a human to reach past the clouds without breathing gear. I should be more careful next time. Especially now. If I needed an extra reason to worry, it would be that I need to prove myself trustworthy to Holly.


    Because she looks ok being at this height, I assume her new body is capable to withstands this heights and speeds. I give her a thumbs up.


    "Really? Then on the way back, I am going to fly by your side!"


    Well, if that makes her happy.


    Our objective is some big lake south-west from out camp. I noticed it on my first flight when I looked for the girl''s signal. It is far enough not to fear being seen. If there is a lake, the probability of it having at least a fishing village is high.


    When we finally get close enough to it, we notice. The lake is huge.


    A big conic mountain partially hid its size. I am betting it has to be a volcano, with its chimney covered in snow. If I am an evil dragon, I will make it my home. That''s decided. Volcano lairs are one of the benefits of villains.


    Besides my evil aspirations. The lake is beautiful. The conifer forests give it an atemporal feeling. It''s like the landscape has not changed since the dinosaurs. Does this world have dinosaurs?


    On the south-western point of the lake, there is what looks like a medium-sized town. Our objective.


    At least we did not arrive at an uninhabited or prehistoric world.


    I slow down and flap my wings to stand, hovering above the ground. Mia laves my back and does the same in front of me.


    "We found a capital in the first try?!"


    I doubt it qualifies as a capital. It is a fishing town at best. Video game cities are usually scaled-down versions of their in-lore counterparts. It seems Mia and the others come from the game version.


    "Should I go and see?"


    Mia is arranging her position to storm to town when I stop her.


    "Why not? Didn''t we came here for this?"


    I point at her wings and the top of her head, then at my eyes.


    "Are you afraid they notice my wings?"


    I nod in response.


    "It has to do with what Sira said about humans being a threat?"


    I nod.


    "Then I will hide them!"


    Can you do that? Well if its that way.


    I do a thumbs up.


    Suddenly, she turns invisible, and I stop feeling her presence.


    Several minutes pass. It is very nerve-racking to wait for her return. I believe she would be okay, but we do not know about this worlds inhabitants strength. I hope there is no one with detection skills.


    The very stressful minutes continue to pass, I circle above the ground maintaining my distance from the village. Hopefully not many will notice me. Why is she taking so long to return?


    I begin to question if I should go and find her. Before I manage to muster up my courage, the air above my head shifts like a hot air mirage. The cheerful Mia lands on my neck and hugs it.


    "Surprise!"


    Oh, that''s a relief. It seems everything was alright.


    I make a thumbs up and make my way back to our camp.


    She indeed is an assassin. I did not notice her approach in the slightest. Its a sharp contrast between her usual personality. Holly may be right on this one.


    I try looking at the girl riding on my neck. She is in a hard to look position. And she seems to have noticed me trying.


    "Do I bother you here?"


    I move my head to say no.


    "Really? Great!"


    I don''t know what surprises me. The Rift was a dangerous place. People carried weapons everywhere. If you weren''t one of the main characters or an adventurer, the world only had shit for you.


    In that kind of world, it would be normal for anyone to harden up to face the treats, and Mia has traveled for a long time. Did Holly say more than thirty years?


    "Kaikai, do you want me to tell you what I found?"


    Mia interrupts once again my thoughts. She will tell everything she found when we arrive with Sira. She probably wants to keep talking to me.


    "I went very close to the city. No one noticed you or me. You made a right decision by keeping yourself away from them."


    That''s good to hear.


    "I tried to peek at their conversations, but they don''t sound like common or any language in the Rift. I look around, but I didn''t find any sign or paper with written words, sorry."


    That''s more than enough for now.


    I made another thumbs up at her.


    Even if it''s a logical conclusion, I find it hard to believe you are as dangerous as Holly says.


    For a few minutes, Mia went silent. Something was clearly bothering her. I was arriving at the zone our camp was. It is still difficult to find it in the forest. As I looked around, Mia asked me.


    "Kaikai, did you really forget about our past adventures?"


    I take my time to answer. Holly''s warning rings in my head, I should not say anything to her, as much as I want to do it.


    I kept my silence, as I continue looking for our camp.


    "You won''t answer."


    On one side I know I am the kind of guy who screws up when saying things that I shouldn''t. And on the other, I have an assassin literally hanging from my neck. It should surprise no one that it is a stressful position to be in.


    "Did you forget when we met?"


    When we met? To me, it was a game quest. But surely I do. I know it won''t be the same for her. But maybe it will put her at ease.


    I try to look back at her, but my sight can''t reach her. I use my hands to feel where she is. My hand touches her back, and I can feel the feathers of her wings on my palm. With my other hand, I do a thumbs up.


    I hope that managed to transfer my meaning. And is a relief to hear Mia''s following words.


    "Alright, that''s good to hear!"


    We stay there floating in the air for a few minutes. Mia gets up from my neck and flies by my side as we look for our camp.


    Soon after, the two of us locate our campsite. We find a bonfire with a big honey-colored fox and a small in comparison humanoid figure. The two silhouettes are sitting in front of each other, like a praying monk meditating in front of a stone statue. It''s a peaceful picture and a relief that they are not fighting.


    I approach the campsite slower than last time. The pull on my wings is less extreme than on my first attempt. I think I may be improving on my landings.


    When my feet touch the ground, I trip and stumble head first on the floor.


    Note to self: Next time, remember to extend the landing gear.


    The shocks of my landing seem to wake up the girls from their trance.


    Holly is the first to answer with a chuckle.


    <You still suck at landings, dear.>


    <I appreciate the critiques, honey.>


    Between the two of us, the demon girl lands without any problem at my side.


    "Kaikai! Are you okay?"


    How many times is this scene going to repeat?


    I use my hand to do a thumbs up. I need to learn how to talk soon.


    And to land.


    <hr>


    "Okay. Mia, Ky tell me what you two found out."


    Sira is using her powers so we can all talk together. It puts a little strain on her, but she looks in a better mood than what I expected. Holly probably did something to put her at ease.


    "Sure!" Mia begins, "the town was really big; its size was around Academy City. I didn''t see any house made of any material other than wood and no one was higher than two stories.


    The people spoke a weird language I never heard before. I flew through the streets and couldn''t see any writing on any building. Some of them had drawings on boards and signs. Maybe they were shops."


    Mia retold what she described me to Holly and Sira. From her descriptions of the coastal town, Sira got to the same conclusion that Mia had.


    "Was there a capital city so close to us? Well, that explains we haven''t seen any monster. This zone must be a lower level area."


    <I don''t think that was a capital city. It was a middle-sized town at best.>


    I interrupt her.


    "What do you mean Kaikai? You saw it. It was too big for a town."


    <Do you think?>


    This is one of those discrepancies game worlds usually have. If they are to live in a real world, it must be solved sooner rather than later.


    Sira has shown to be good at figuring out this kind of discrepancies. I believe its way better for her to understand it on her own than me telling her.


    <Sira, how many people are supposed to live in Academy City?>


    "I don''t know. Around ten million?"


    <And how many buildings the city had?>


    "Around 150. You are right. There are too many citizens for such an amount of houses. Academy City never looked like it contained millions of people. Why didn''t we notice? No, how did you notice? And why did you never told us?"


    Don''t tell me I am about to be found out again. Holly doesn''t show any hints of helping me and is even showing interest in what I have to tell. I guess I never said to her who I was. She is as perplexed as the other two.


    <It is related to what I wanted to tell you. As I said I believe it''s better to wait until we are out of trouble. For the time being, I will say that I noticed all the weird stuff since the night the aether destroyed the Rift.>


    "You lose your skills too at the time."


    It didn''t take me a lot to figure Sira as the rational thinker; she is very clever. The other two are also talented but in different ways.


    "Okay. I can''t say I feel comfortable with you holding the truth. But we a are used to you doing it. I was getting happy. Your attitude on this two days has been very different, in a good way."


    I am lucky that she hasn''t figured out that I am not that Kyroz. When the first few days have passed, my knowledge of fantasy worlds will stop being useful. I still need to see how she behaves in a combat scenario, but I think Sira is the best suited to lead the party when the time comes.


    I am still worried about Holly''s warning. She said if I told her now ''Sira''s brain will halt for a while.'' I don''t know what she means with that. Maybe I could ask her later. I know I will at least tell Holly the whole truth. Her response will give me a hint about what to expect from the others.


    "The lake town had around 150 houses, and its considered a middle-sized village. They don''t talk our tongue, and they don''t seem to use written words extensively."


    <There''s one more thing. Mia, did you saw anyone that looked like us? Or any races that looked similar to the ones in the Rift?>


    "Mm. I saw a lot of humans. There were a handful of people that looked like Sira. Their hairs were light-colored tough. I suppose those looked a bit like elves? I also saw a couple of short humans. In the Rift, they could have been dwarves. "


    <My bad feeling may come true after all.>


    "What do you mean?"


    <It''s highly likely that the people of this world think of us as the enemy, or monsters to be subjugated.>


    In most stories that I know of, the guy who becomes a demon, a vampire or a dragon usually ends up being hunted as an evil being. The only exceptions are when they go into a city, and they see a bunch of them there.


    "That is why you wanted for me to hide my horns and wings?"


    I nod back at Mia.


    <There is still a possibility that we are not considered evil, just foreigners or rare existences. But to find that out we need to understand their language.>


    Holly and I won''t be able to approach the town unless it is guaranteed that they won''t attack us. It seems Mia can hide her horns and wings, and Sira only has to cover her hair, eyes, and fangs.


    "Right, and that''s not the only reason we need to get to that town. We can''t access our inventories or stats. Our clothes are torn, and I even lost my swords. We need clothes and supplies. But the language barrier might be a big problem."


    Holly, who has been silent during our team planning finally says to Sira, <can''t you speak to them with telepathy?>


    "I can''t; I would hear their minds speaking their language. But I might extract my target''s knowledge of its tongue with mind-reading."


    I am amazed by the abilities the psychic class has, teleportation, telepathy, telekinesis, and mind-reading. The game surely dumbed down its capacities to balance-out game mechanics.


    "I never used it to extract someone else''s language. I''ll have to practice with the townspeople when we are there."


    Practice with peoples minds? If we are not considered evil now, they will after a vampire tries that on one of their own.


    <Are you sure that is a good idea?>


    "Its the worst. I don''t feel like endangering innocents. Do you have any alternatives?"


    <No, unless one of us knows another language.>


    I look at Mia or Holly in the hopes they know of anything that could help us. But it seems we will be forced to test on the locals.


    <We still have time to think for an alternative. Now, onto a related topic. Once you have learned the local language, how do you mean to pay for our supplies?>


    "Right, I forgot that. All our gold was in our inventories. We could go hunting and sell whatever we catch?"


    That will probably help, but they need swords and armor. Game prices are really off the mark when it comes to real-world smiths.


    I have an idea, and it could also help me learn how to land.


    <What if we sell my feathers? When I landed, a bunch fell off. No matter if I am considered good or evil, dragon feathers might fetch a reasonable price.>


    "It''s a long shot, but worth a try."


    <And you crashed. That''s not a landing, dear.>


    Ignoring the fox''s comment I look at the bonfire, where the demon assassin seems restless. Does she want to add something?


    <Mia do you have an idea?>


    She is startled for a moment, and after a few seconds, she contributes.


    "I could find herbs in the forest."


    <Medicinal herbs? That will certainly sell.>


    "I can find those too. I am better at finding poisons tough."


    I shouldn''t be surprised, she is an assassin after all. I am starting to believe Mia will become the source of my future stress.


    <Was that everything we needed to discuss?>


    "I believe so. We will deal with the details before we go to town."


    <It''s been a long day. Let''s catch something to eat, and we will keep doing this tomorrow.>