《Embers of Resurgence: A Progression Fantasy》
Chapter 1
A woman sat in front of a vanity, her eyes focused on her phone as a hairstylist stood behind her. The stylist was meticulously brushing her hair into a tight low bun, careful to catch each stray hair. The stylist alternated between brushing and spraying holding spray, turning her head and trying to examine the half-formed bun from every angle. The woman couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly annoyed, but she pushed those emotions down and kept her face neutral. Instead of voicing her annoyance, she scrolled on her phone, carefully browsing a wholesale site for new fabrics. She planned on completing some half-finished products when she finally finished this film.
¡°Okay, I think we¡¯re good.¡± the hairstylist said, taking a step back and admiring her work, ¡°Yeah, this looks good. Is this okay?¡± she asked.
The woman put her phone in her lap and straightened up, examining herself in the vanity¡¯s mirror. ¡°Yeah, looks great Katie. Thanks!¡± She said lightly, before rising from her seat. She packed her phone in her bookbag and stepped up to a full length mirror off to the side. She was currently dressed in combat boots, military style cargo pants, and a black tank top. Her makeup had already been done, as her character''s signature bun needed to be perfect for this last shot. She was filming her last scene in an action movie about a squad of former soldiers discovering and fighting against domestic terrorism. She managed to land a role as the second female lead, mostly due to her appearance. She had a strong jawline, high cheekbones, and intense green eyes. Most would describe her as handsome, despite being a woman, and this led to her popularity when it came to action films with strong female characters.
She hated it, but she loved acting, so there wasn¡¯t much she could say about it. Her manager even liked to remind her to be grateful, as most child stars never even make it big. Her appearance and skilled acting gave her a leg up when it came to roles like this, and she had managed to gather a pretty solid fanbase. Her fanbase was the only thing keeping her afloat at this point, as she didn¡¯t have any backers and her management company was lacking. Hopefully, that would change with this film. It was a big one, with quite a few heavy hitters in the industry acting in it. This film would give her the exposure she needed to finally start to branch out.
She couldn¡¯t help but let out a small sigh of relief. She had done well so far, and now she just had one more scene before she was done. She did a slow spin one last time before leaving the dressing room and heading out to the set. The stage crew were putting the final touches on the fake walls. Soon, she would be engaging in a fight scene with the villain. At a critical part of the fight, right when she would start to win the fight, the villain would attempt to set her on fire. He would miss of course, but the building would catch fire and throw off her momentum. It was decided that this would be one of the last scenes shot because of how hard it would be to get the timing right. Acting out a fight scene during an actual fire would be difficult, especially since it was inevitable that they would end up getting burned a few times. Although she would mostly be jumping in and out, as some of the more rigorous parts would require a stunt double, her demise at the end would be up to her. The less takes it took, the better.
The director called for them to start, and as she got into place with her fellow actors she felt a tinge of dread. She took a deep breath and brushed it off, but as the scene progressed the feeling grew heavier. She had an unshakable feeling that something was going to go wrong. However, take after take, nothing happened. She ended up ruining a few good shots when the feeling got too intense, reacting a half step too slow or stuttering over her lines. She had to take a five minute break and collect herself before starting her death scene. It would have to be taken in one go, so messing up too much would delay their filming schedule.
Finally, on the third take they progressed through the death scene with little issues. She was flung against the false wall for the third time today, however this time it didn¡¯t hold. She felt the plaster give way and her upper body became lodged in the wall. This normally would¡¯ve been a minor issue, except the other side of the wall was on fire. On the other side of the wall was a burning hallway, which the villain was supposed to escape down after he killed her. The moment she came through the other side she felt her hair go up in flames. She immediately started screaming, thrashing, and frantically patting her head, trying to put out the fire. Unfortunately, her erratic movements caused the already weakened wall to further collapse. The wall came crumbling down on her, along with the ceiling that was also on fire. She found herself trapped underneath the burning debris, and her screams of fear transformed into shrieks of pain that drowned out the sounds of the director¡¯s shouting and the stage crew¡¯s frantic footsteps.
Although the false walls were made with material that burned slowly, making it hard for the fire to spread, they had all been coated in a highly flammable liquid in order to create the appearance of a burning building. The fire burned fiercely, and the crew¡¯s efforts to douse it with fire extinguishers failed. By the time the fire department arrived on scene, the woman trapped underneath the burning debris had already lost her life.
The woman slowly awakened, however as she returned to consciousness she became painfully aware that something was wrong. She felt an intense burning sensation all over her body, and her head throbbed painfully with every heartbeat. Her heart began beating faster and faster as she began to feel overwhelmed by pain. She breathed in shakily, and regretted it immediately as her nose burned fiercely and her throat felt scorched. She started to remember that she had been trapped in a fire on set, realizing why she was in so much pain. However, she had been sure she was going to die. The false walls were heavy, and she doubted anyone would be able to dig her out in time, even if they risked their own lives to do so. Surprisingly, she survived. She continued to take shaky, painful breaths even though she didn¡¯t want to. Her will to live won out though, and she determined it was best to get used to the pain as it would likely take weeks to heal.
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She slowly adjusted to her current state, breathing slowly until the pain faded to a sort of numb throbbing, and her heart started beating at a more normal rate. She carefully opened her eyes, and her heart immediately began beating rapidly again. Her vision was slightly blurry, but she had been in the hospital before and she could tell she definitely wasn¡¯t in one now. Instead, she was in a small twin sized bed, covered by a thin brown blanket. She could just barely make out a rough looking wardrobe at the end of the bed. She tilted her head slightly, trying to get a good look at her body. Her lower body was concealed by the blanket, and her arms were wrapped tightly in bandages. She imagined the bandages had been white at some point, but they were now a sickly brown color, with some spots being a rusty red. She looked further down, and immediately became confused. Her hands were bandage-free, but they had become a weird gray color. There were small blisters here and there, but they were also gray, just lighter in color as the skin was stretched. She frowned, and regretted it instantly as the movement tugged on a wound on her face, resulting in a sharp tingling pain. Her breathing became rapid as she turned to look at her other hand, noting that not only was it gray as well, but she could see some skin in between the bandages on this arm. The skin on her arm was also gray, and her budding fear and confusion turned to suspicion as she looked at her body once again.
She was almost sure.
Almost positive, that this was not her body.
It was too small, too thin, and definitely too gray. Had she been kidnapped by mad scientists? Had they implanted her consciousness into the body of another burn victim? Why? What could they learn from that? That burn victims all felt the same pain?
Just as she started to hyperventilate, she suddenly heard raised voices. She looked to the right and saw a door a few feet from the wardrobe. Her vision had yet to clear up, so all she could see was a door-shape in the color brown, set against off-white walls. Before she could start to wonder if mad scientists would really have such dirty looking walls, the loud voices started rapidly approaching her location. She thought of acting like she was still unconscious, but decided against it. Although she was managing to ignore it, acting while in such pain would make it too easy to make mistakes. She was also too scared, and desperately wanted to know who was approaching. It was better to just see what was going on, rather than getting caught in an act. Getting caught would make it harder to act out any scenes later, as her captors would already be suspicious towards her after an obvious failure.
Her fear rose rapidly to the point of nausea as the voices approached. Luckily, there was no moment of suspense. The door was flung open, slamming against the wall as a slim figure entered aggressively before pointing at her.
¡°Do you see what they¡¯ve done! Your precious little troublemakers ruined a perfectly good girl! And now what? You want to shirk responsibility and blame my boy? Are you mad!¡± the figure shouted, their chest heaving as they took heavy, loud breaths. ¡°Do you really think I won¡¯t dare go to the judge and demand justice? My niece is the daughter of martyrs! Do you think this will end just because you want it to?¡± she questioned angrily, staring at two figures that had stopped at the door, seemingly unwilling to enter the room.
¡°Delvira, please be calm. No one said that we wouldn¡¯t take responsibility. Sybil just said that you were asking for too much compensation, and I agree. The amount you''re asking for is enough to hire five mid-level healers, and yet you''re still trying to act righteous.¡± The smaller of the two figures said. ¡°Are you even planning to call a healer for her? She¡¯s still wrapped head to toe in bandages two days later, while your son is prancing about like nothing happened.¡±
The figure in the room, Delvira, snorted before replying ¡°Of course I am, but do you think everyone is as wealthy as you? How can I afford her treatment when she¡¯s like this?¡±
¡°Do you think our wealth grows on trees!¡± the smaller figure said, her tone angry. She stuttered out another word before being interrupted by the taller figure to her side. The taller figure pulled the smaller one to the side, and a whispered discussion was started. Delvira shook their head before turning to the woman, approaching the bed as they looked at her carefully.
¡°Emrys, dear, how are you feeling?¡± Delvira asked gently. As they got closer the woman could vaguely make out some feminine features. A woman? However, the woman noticed her face seemed to be expressionless. Did she really care? And she was calling her Emrys? Was that the name of the body she was inhabiting? Delvira turned without waiting for the woman to answer, stepping off to the side briefly before coming back with what appeared to be a rag in her hand. She then approached the woman on the bed, leaning down slightly and using the rag to wipe at the woman''s eyes.
The woman flinched slightly as she felt the rag lightly brush over eyes, noting that the rag was wet. She could feel what seemed to be a sticky substance being wiped off, most likely the culprit of her blurry vision. She didn¡¯t move as Delvira wiped her eyes gently before moving back and looking down at her again. She looked back, finally able to clearly make out Delvira¡¯s facial features. She blinked once, twice, and then again as she was dumbfounded by what she saw. Delvira had gray skin, same as this body, with dark brown hair and brown eyes. Most notably, she could see two long, sharp ears sticking out of her brown hair.
Chapter 2
Delvira and friends had exited a short moment ago to finish their disagreement, talking in much more civil tones as they seemed to be close to coming to an agreement. Now, the woman laid in bed alone, bewildered and distressed. If she wasn¡¯t in so much pain already she would¡¯ve tried to pinch herself. She had expected Delvira to return at some point but she never did. Hours passed as she laid there alone, slowly coming to terms with her situation. She was in a new body, possibly that of a child judging by her size compared to Delvira, and this body had apparently suffered a horrible accident involving fire as well. Furthermore, death had most likely been the result, and now her soul was inhabiting this body. From what she picked up from the earlier conversation, the accident had been caused by the sons of the two individuals Delvira had been arguing with, and Delvira¡¯s son and this body had been the victims. Delvira had already paid for her son¡¯s treatment and he was fine, but this body was still bedridden two days later, covered in dirty bandages. Not only were the bandages dirty, but the sunlight coming through the window was starting to dim and no one had come to check on her. The urge to use the bathroom was starting to grow, and she was hungry and thirsty. Delvira had referred to this body, to Emrys, as her niece but her expression at that time obviously showed a lack of care. She had also called Emrys the daughter of martyrs, meaning she was an orphan.
All the evidence she had at the moment was suggesting that Emrys was an unfortunate child, relying on her uncaring aunt''s family to raise her after her parents passed. The hours alone had allowed her to somewhat accept her current situation. She had even accepted the fact that her new body wasn¡¯t that of a human. She had withstood the pain just to raise her arm and touch her ears. One was just a small mass of melted flesh, but the other felt long and sharp, same as Delvira¡¯s.
As she was lost in thought, the door opened again and a young girl entered. She looked to be in her teens, and she was human. The woman stared at her, however this time she made sure to keep her fear and confusion from showing on her face. The girl looked at her, her expression distant. ¡°Dinner will be ready soon. Should I help you up?¡± she asked, making no move to come over. It seemed she didn¡¯t really want to help her. The woman shook her head slowly, before starting to get out of bed with all the gracefulness of a sloth. By the time she sat up she realized the teen had already left the room. So they really were making her take care of herself? She was a bit miffed, but she pushed that feeling away. If this was real, or some sort of strange afterlife, she didn¡¯t know. It certainly felt real. Regardless, since she was now in this situation, she had to make the best of it and do what she had to do to survive. She had been snatched back from the jaws of death, and she really wasn¡¯t willing to die again. So, she had to play her role in this family. They didn¡¯t have much of a reaction to her current actions, so she could only guess that Emrys didn¡¯t talk much and had a low presence in this family. Until she found out more, she would just act cautiously.
She carefully pushed her legs off the side of the bed, groaning lightly as she slid to the floor and looked for some slippers. She couldn¡¯t see any, so she walked stiffly to the wardrobe by the bed to see if there were any shoes inside. After pulling it open, she was rendered speechless as she saw that it was completely empty. No shoes, and no clothes. She glanced over to the other side of the room, and the setup was similar to this side. The difference was that the twin bed was covered in a thick quilt, and the wardrobe had two pairs of shoes sitting beside it. She sighed and left the room. Going out into the hall, she didn¡¯t have to wonder where the dining room was. The room she came from was at the end of a short hallway. Going forward, there were three more doors. One right across from the bedroom she came from, and another set of doors across from each other further down. She walked forward slowly, exiting the hallway into what seemed to be the living area. The living area was dominated by a large dining table with twelve chairs sitting around it. Off to the side was a large fireplace, and situated in front of it was a large three seater couch, with two cushioned arm chairs on either side of it. Other than these things, the area was a bit bare.
There were already three people sitting at the table. Moving closer, she glanced at them while heading to an empty seat at the end of the table. The three people were actually three young boys. Two of the boys were the same as her and Delvira, sporting gray skin and long, pointed ears. They looked to be the same age, and stared at her with identical faces as she approached. Twins, most probably. She looked at the other boy after she arrived at her seat. He looked different from what she¡¯d seen so far. Almost human, but not? His skin was white, almost gray but not quite, and his ears were pointed but not as sharp and long as everyone else''s. Was he mixed? So far she had seen three gray people and one human, so this might be a sort of blended family. She took her seat slowly, barely stifling her whimpers of pain. After she was firmly seated she glanced up again. The twins were whispering amongst themselves, while the mixed boy was looking down at his plate, his expression thoughtful. He looked to be around 4 or 5, so his thoughtful expression looked slightly out of place. She brushed off the thought, since she really couldn¡¯t say what was or wasn¡¯t normal right now. She stared at her plate as well, listening to the twins¡¯ whispers, and slowly came to a realization. They weren¡¯t speaking any language she recognized, but she could understand them without issue. The more she took note of it, the more she could pick out individual words of the language. It was like she was previously hearing while having the words automatically translated, like she was watching a foreign film with subtitles. After she focused though, her native language shifted to the background and the words they were speaking shifted to the foreground. It was an odd feeling, like learning and understanding a language rapidly in real time. By the time the rest of the family came to the table she felt she could probably reply in one or two sentences if anyone spoke to her.
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They didn¡¯t though. She watched as Delvira and the human girl brought several already filled bowls to the table, placing them on top of the plates in front of them. Entering behind them was another figure who took a seat at the head of the table. After everyone was seated and the sounds of utensils clinking against bowls came, she sneakily looked around the table. At the head of the table was a burly human man. He and the teen human girl had the same slightly tanned skin, light brown hair, and blue eyes. On the other hand, Delvira and the twins had the same loose curly brown hair and brown eyes. The last boy had wavy light brown hair and hazel eyes. The woman mentally nodded, definitely a blended family. She ate her soup silently, wondering if she would get in trouble for not finishing it. Although it was slightly soothing her sore throat, it was not very good. It was some sort of noodles in broth dotted with several small pieces of gamey meat. Both the broth and the meat tasted weird, and the noodles were still hard. Glancing around again, she felt a little resigned when she saw that everyone else had more noodles and meat than she did.
After suffering through dinner, she found the restroom after watching one of the twins go in. After he came out she went in and was surprised to find a somewhat normal looking bathroom. Directly to the left was another small room that contained a toilet, and to the right was a large sink set on top of a wooden cabinet. Going further in, there was a tub that was longer and deeper than the standard tubs she was used to. The most surprising bit was the full body mirror, which sat on the wall next to the tub. She stepped up to it and examined her current appearance. She appeared to be around four or five years old, though she was very scrawny compared to the other kids she saw. Her arms and legs were covered in bandages, and the exposed gray skin on her face and the back of her hands were covered in blisters here and there. There was a small crusty gash at her hairline, and half of her scalp was badly burned, ending in the melted stump of an ear she had felt earlier. On the other side, her unharmed ear was shielded by curly black hair, which was badly knotted. She made eye contact with herself, examining her steel gray eyes.
¡°It''s¡. Interesting.¡± she murmured in english. She didn¡¯t appreciate her current injuries, but otherwise her appearance was interesting. She didn¡¯t feel particularly repulsed, as she was looking at it the same way she would have when having to wear a full body costume on set. She had been acting since she was three months old, her first role being Baby #5 on an episode of a medical drama set in a hospital. Although she had later been forced into only playing certain roles due to her appearance, she had played a variety of roles as a child and had been dressed in a fair bit of strange costumes. Rather, it was her current situation and her uncertain future that was bothering her. She exhaled slowly, ¡°One thing at a time¡± she whispered. For now, she needed to focus on her injuries. She didn¡¯t know if Delvira would really get a ¡°healer¡±, which she assumed meant doctor, according to the earlier conversation. If those figures from earlier didn¡¯t give compensation, then she may not get any more treatment beyond these soiled bandages.
She turned toward the sink and searched the cabinet for bandages, but she couldn¡¯t find any. Before coming out she decided to use the restroom. The toilet flushed normally, and she was happy to see that this place had indoor plumbing. Going into the hallway, she briefly considered going back to the bedroom she woke up in, but she decided to try and ask Delvira for some bandages first. She was really bothered by how dirty the bandages were, and she was scared of infection. She turned down the hallway and made her way over to the entrance of the kitchen, which was to the left of the hallway, and stood in the doorway.
¡°Auntie.¡± she called out tentatively in this world¡¯s language.
Delvira paused slightly and glanced over from where she was washing dishes at the sink. ¡°Mm. What is it, dear?¡± she asked distantly. The human teen also looked over from where she was standing at Delvira¡¯s side, drying the dishes she handed over with a towel.
The woman cleared her throat lightly, ignoring the pain. ¡°Well, are there any spare bandages?¡± she asked hopefully.
¡°There aren¡¯t any.¡± Delvira answered without thinking, before looking her over. The woman was wearing a loose shirt and shorts, exposing most of her bandaged body. ¡°Just bear with it tonight. Those women will be over tomorrow with some silver, and we can find a healer for you.¡± she said indifferently, turning back to the sink and continuing to wash the dishes.
The woman didn¡¯t bother saying any more after such an obvious dismissal. ¡°Alright.¡± She said lightly before returning to the room she woke up in and starting the process of slowly sliding into bed. She felt that most, if not all of the wounds under the bandages had been opened up at some point. Her whole body throbbed in time with her heartbeats. The human teen joined her about ten minutes later, changing into a set of pajamas that looked similar to what she was currently wearing before getting into her bed and turning towards the wall. Soon after, the sound of soft snoring filled the room. The woman sighed lightly while staring at the ceiling. Despite deciding to continue living, she still felt lost and confused. She didn¡¯t know anything about this place, and she was depending on people who didn¡¯t seem to have a lot of consideration for her. She mentally sighed several times while thinking about her current predicament, and soon she unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 3
As the woman slept, she dreamt of the short life of Emrys through her eyes. She mostly saw blurry figures and unclear scenery, but there was a certain warmth to them. Vaguely familiar voices filled with love, and hazy gray people holding her close. As the memories slowly got clearer, she saw these gray people less and less. Soon, she came upon a particularly clear memory. Emrys glanced around from a high vantage point, her small body huddled against a larger figure as they carried her in their arms. Turning around, Emrys¡¯ eyes met with those of what looked to be a large humanoid bear. Its large round head was covered in brown fur, and it had two small round ears atop its head. Its mouth and nose slightly protruded from its face, and its mouth was unnaturally wide and filled with sharp teeth. It smiled at her gently, its otherwise frightening appearance giving off a feeling of reassurance.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, little one. We¡¯re almost there.¡± it said in a deep masculine voice, patting her back gently. Emrys didn¡¯t respond, instead she turned around and took in what appeared to be a large village. Most of the houses were made of wood, but a few nicer homes stood out, made of wood and stone, and sometimes brick. They kept going until they arrived in front of a small wooden house. The yard was small but well-kept, and there was freshly hung laundry on a clothesline, swaying with the every gentle breeze. The Bearman carried her up to the door before knocking heavily, as if he was afraid he wouldn¡¯t be heard. They heard the sound of footsteps quickly approaching the door before it swung open, and Delvira stood before them.
She frowned while looking them over, ¡°What is it?¡± she asked, her tone conveying confusion.
The Bearman produced a stack of papers, seemingly out of nowhere, and regarded Delvira. ¡°Are you Delvira Goswick? Sister of Eleraith Duscellis?¡± he asked.
Delvira¡¯s frown deepened, and she hesitated before answering ¡°yes, I am. What is this about?¡±
The Bearman cleared his throat before replying, ¡°I am here to inform you of the unfortunate passing of Eleraith and her husband Rivelle Duscellis. My condolences.¡± he paused, waiting for a reaction, but Delvira just stared at him silently. ¡°I also brought their daughter here, Emrys Duscellis, in hopes that you would take her in as her legal guardian.¡± he continued.
¡°No, I won''t,¡± Delvira responded immediately, ¡°We don¡¯t have the space or funds for another child.¡±
The Bearman frowned at this, but still persuaded ¡°It does not have to be for long. She is three now, and when she turns five and receives the Guide she can become independent.¡±
¡°Legally?¡± questioned Delvira.
¡°Yes, legally independent.¡± he said, but she looked like she would still refuse so he continued, ¡°There will also be a small amount of compensation. 100 silver coins, as Emrys is eligible for the Children of Hope relief program.¡±
¡°That relief program? I thought they only paid compensation to the children of martyrs?¡± She asked, still looking as if she would refuse. ¡°And 100 silver coins doesn¡¯t seem like a lot. I thought they were government employees?¡±
The Bearman nodded, ¡°Yes, your sister and her husband died while doing some very important work, so they are considered martyrs.¡± he said, seemingly unwilling to elaborate. ¡°In addition to the 100 silver, you will receive 10 silver every year until she turns 5. After that you won¡¯t have to be involved. At that time, she can go to the Guidance Center normally and they will have her records. The Guidance Center will help her find an apprenticeship or enroll in an academy.¡±
¡°That is still only 110 silver,¡± Delvira said. ¡°If I remember correctly, she will have her birthday after a year and a few months.¡±
¡°Yes, but a normal family of five can live comfortably on 10 silver a year. This compensation isn¡¯t a lot, but it¡¯s still not a small amount, considering she will not have to be with you very long. The rest of the compensation will be held by the relief program until she turns 5, so that Emrys has some funds for her future.¡± He said, his voice tinged with irritation. ¡°Will you still not take her in?¡±
Delvira sighed, then glanced at Emrys fully for the first time. ¡°Fine, just until she turns 5.¡±
The memories after that were much clearer, probably owing to Emrys getting older, but they didn¡¯t contain much information. Emrys apparently had a reserved personality, and didn¡¯t talk very much. Even when she did, she was often ignored. Her life thus far was as the woman expected, she didn¡¯t receive much care or attention from her aunt''s family, used hand me downs, and was given less food than everyone else. They weren¡¯t exactly outright abusive, just very negligent of her. She stayed in her room most of the time, and other than the time when she first came to the village, she had only been outside a total of three times. All three times, she had been taken out to play by the youngest son in the family, Cinar, when he couldn¡¯t find his usual playmates. This playing was just Cinar ordering her around, and Emrys happily complying just to stay outside a bit longer.
Their last trip outside had been when the accident occurred. They had been playing catch on the outskirts of the village, waiting near the abandoned shacks there for Cinar¡¯s friends to be let out to play. However, the ones to find them were not his friends, but two kids known to cause trouble in the village without consequence. Emrys didn¡¯t know their names, just that Delvira had repeatedly warned them not to play with those two. The two kids weren¡¯t gray people or humans, but what looked to be an elf and a human with animal features. The woman could recognize the first kid as an elf from certain movies, as he had the typical blond hair, green eyes, and long pointed ears. The other kid had mostly human features, except he had a pair of large furry ears on his head and a long feline-like tail. Emrys didn¡¯t know what his kind should be called, so neither did the woman.
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As the memory progressed, the woman watched as Cinar was goaded into entering one of the most run down shacks by the troublemakers. They claimed that they had lost a toy inside, and if Cinar went in and got it for them they would give him a toy sword. Cinar was tempted but doubtful, so he made Emrys follow him inside. What followed was a truly chaotic scene. As soon as they had gone deeper into the shack and started searching, the troublemakers stood at the entrance and launched some kind of fireworks. They aimed them at the ceiling, obviously attempting to scare them, but as the fireworks hit the ceiling and sparks flew the shack quickly went up in flames. Cinar had fearfully fled the building, shoving Emrys to the side on the way, causing her to fall and hit her head. Emrys had fallen unconscious from the fall, but was soon awoken by the feeling of searing pain as the fire reached her and began to melt her skin. She had been trapped by a wooden beam that had fallen at some point, and could only shriek in pain as the fire continued to consume her. Cinar had never returned.
Instead, she was rescued from the fire by those who had come to investigate the smoke and heard her screaming. Emrys was in and out of consciousness after that, making the memories choppy and hard to understand, but she could tell that she was smeared with a simple salve and wrapped in bandages before being put in bed. Emrys had held on for a night and a day, but had succumbed to her injuries on the second night, allowing the woman to take over her body.
The woman awakened the next morning to the sound of rustling clothes. She blinked slowly, trying to gather her thoughts as the memories she dreamt of were imprinted in her mind. She turned her head slightly and watched as the teen, Orla, put on her shoes and grabbed a small pouch from under her pillow. Orla must''ve noticed her looking over, as she glanced at her before nodding slightly and leaving the room. Listening, she could hear more people moving about the house. Her new memories told her that the human man, Orist, and the twins, Ryfon and Ruvyn, would also be leaving the house at this time. Delvira and Cinar, the young mixed boy, along with Emrys were usually the only ones home during the day.
She slowly rose from her bed and examined herself again. The bandages had gotten even darker, and there was now a strange smell coming from her body. She let out a small groan as she realized that her wounds had likely become infected. Just as she started to contemplate the harm in taking a bath and trying to wash off the dried blood and possible pus, Delvira appeared at the door. In her hands was a pair of patchy pants and a shirt.
¡°Emrys, why don¡¯t you take a bath. Those women should be by soon.¡± she suggested, waiting by the door. She obviously expected her to go over, so she did. Delvira placed the clothes in her hands and left without waiting for a response, seemingly heading for the kitchen. It was obviously more of a command than a suggestion. The woman turned her attention to the clothes, noting that they seemed to be too big for her. Judging by the size, they should¡¯ve belonged to one of the twins. The pants had been ripped many times, and either sewn back together or patched with another piece of fabric. The shirt was similar, however there were no patches, and the fabric was misshapen from all the extra stitches. She didn¡¯t have any thoughts on this. According to her memories, this family really seemed to be poor when Emrys arrived. It wasn¡¯t until a few days after her arrival that the clothing and food situation started to get better, likely due to the compensation they received for hosting her. The reason for their financial struggles were unclear, and she didn¡¯t know what people usually got paid around here to really pass judgment.
She slowly made her way over to the bathroom, closing the door and starting the excruciating process of getting undressed and removing her bandages. She didn¡¯t think a bath was a good idea, but at the same time her wounds were already infected and inflamed, so cleaning them a bit was her best bet. The process of filling the tub went smoothly, but the bath itself felt like hell. She was sure she had blacked out a few times, barely making it through. After she washed and somewhat detangled her remaining hair she got out, allowing herself to slowly air dry as she steadied herself. She dressed herself while still damp, turning and looking at herself in the mirror. She had got rid of a lot of the dried blood and pus, but her wounds had started bleeding again so she was sure the crustiness would return.
She exhaled slowly, nodding at her reflection. ¡°I am now Emrys. From now on I¡¯ll strive to live a good life in this world.¡± she whispered in English. She turned to leave and was promptly interrupted by her pants falling down. Even though she was alone she couldn¡¯t help blushing a bit. She ended up having to roll the waistband of the pants up several times before they stayed in place.
Walking out, she heard voices coming from the kitchen. From what she knew, the house only had one entrance, and that was in the kitchen. She hesitated, before deciding to stay where she was. Before she could start eavesdropping, the group exited the kitchen and found her in the hallway. The leading figure was her aunt, followed by a small man not much taller than her. They paused after seeing her, and the small man spoke up.
¡°Well, you must be my patient today.¡± he grinned, his teeth a bit crooked. ¡°I can already tell you¡¯re going to need a restoration. This will add 10 silver to the treatment fee.¡± The last bit seemed to be directed at her aunt.
It seemed like they wanted to move past her, but she decided to test the waters a bit. ¡°Hello. Are you the healer?¡± Emrys questioned, trying to keep her tone childish and curious. She was a bit desperate for information on this world, especially after seeing how little the original Emrys knew. After growing up with near constant access to the internet and all the information it provided, she was starting to feel frustrated with how little she knew. She wasn¡¯t used to being so clueless.
The man didn¡¯t seem surprised at the question, ¡°Yes I am. Please head to your room. It will be easier to heal you while you lay down.¡± he said, looking at her expectantly. Shouldn¡¯t a normal doctor try to chat with her a bit and make her feel comfortable? She glanced over at her aunt, who seemed to be expecting the same thing. It seemed that maybe the adults here were just dismissive in general and her aunt¡¯s attitude was normal. She turned around and made her way back to the room she shared with Orla, secretly pouting as she did. She planned to continue fishing for information later. After all, even the most reserved kids get curious.