《Vacation on the Placeholder》 Prologue: Holidays As I walk through the forest, I''m filled with anger and frustration while cursing Vera under my breath for making me waste a precious holiday on this boring trip. But finally, a grateful surprise: what I see in the distance might be the only interesting event of this endeavor! And she''s missing it! There''s a machine sitting in the middle of the woods. It looks and sounds like a computer, but with an arcade format. What the HELL is it doing here? And why am I approaching it? I can''t hold still... If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Why can''t I stop? My efforts are useless until...? Until a COW appears from nothingness and turns it off with a looong lick. Yes, that''s right. A cow. I''m incredibly confused. - "What''s with the long face? Never saw a cow turn off the builder of the universe?" Oh my God, oh my God, oh my... I wake up to the sound of my cellphone ringing. Since it''s the holiday I was planning on sleeping some more...but it''s Vera. ''We going on a trip? Go and Go Getting out of bed is a fight like always; faint light is intruding the room through my crappy blinds, and for a half-second I think I''m late for school and get slightly desperate, only to realize we''re free for the entire week. The sound of the regular Samsung ringtone became nothing but ambient sound for while now. I only recollect myself when I actually look at my cellphone. Lucky me that she is so insistent sometimes, frankly. I''m such a mess every morning. "Hey Matt, took you long enough..." "Vera, you woke me up..." - it feels strange that I just dreamed with her...and I''m weirdly already anticipating the subject of this conversation; I''ll pretend I don''t know, though - "...what''s up? Don''t you have better things to do on the holidays? Look at the time...." "Don''t be like that, c''mon...let us cheer up, it''s been tough..." - the awkwardness in her voice suggests she''s a little out of it, after all - "Let''s not be stuck around this town for once, okay? I discovered a trip you''ll definitely like!" Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. I hardly remember all details about my dream just now, but I do have the impression it was something overwhelmingly bizarre, and that had something to do with Vera. Must be some sleep-deprivation bullshit I''d rather not think about. "What do you mean? I''m too tired for this, so you''ll enjoy yourself alone this year; good luck, though." "What do YOU mean, Matt? Do you really mean to tell me you''ll enjoy this year''s rest days here when I am giving you a chance to avoid such a painful issue you''re facing?" Ouch, right where it hurts. Sucks that this is the only way Vera knows to express genuine care, but it is what it is. Here I thought she''d be overly considerate. But our class is full of people who have known each other for far too long, which is a little inconvenient for weirdos like me. I don''t know if this form of expression is even healthy, and I''m doubtful this way of dealing with things is any good too. But she knows me. I''ll go and try to clear my mind a little. When You Create Magic Riding on the bus and looking at the window, I¡¯m always pleasantly surprised by how quickly the city¡¯s gray view turns into the green of the forests, enlightened by the sun in such a way that the light itself looks colorful. Soothing moments I wish could last much longer than the drive to whatever place we¡¯re going. But I¡¯m not used at all to seeing castles. Neither griffins flying around nor dinosaurs mounted by buffed warriors. I must be dreaming again; you see, I¡¯m already falling asleep, so I must be waking up in the real world. Vera herself is sleeping at the moment, and so is the driver. I would be desperate in real life, as the bus is quickly going off the street and crashing into the forest. So fast that I pass out with the impact. But it''s okay, I thought. ¡°Matt! Matt! Wake up!¡± Why is everyone waking me up these days¡­can¡¯t a guy get some sleep in peace? ¡°MATT!¡± ¡°Okay, ok¡­I¡¯m awake¡± oh, that¡¯s right, Vera and I were going somewhere¡­ - ¡°¡­what¡¯s up? Why were I on the ground?¡± Man¡­what a headache¡­ ¡°The bus crashed while we were sleeping¡­¡± Vera says - ¡°I thought you were dead¡­¡± She has tears in her eyes¡­was this for real? I wasn¡¯t dreaming? I look behind me to see the bus smashed into a tree. No, no¡­I must be dreaming, I mean, how are we even alive? ¡°Matt, I don¡¯t know where we are¡­we¡¯re alone here, I looked inside and there is nobody on the bus¡­I don¡¯t know what the hell¡¯s happening¡­¡± I mean, it really doesn''t seem to make any sense. Did they go out to get some help? ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it, Vera¡± I feel the same, but let¡¯s try to comfort her - ¡°let¡¯s find our way into the street, shall we?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± she says, getting her act together - ¡°let¡¯s get going.¡± As we walk through the forest, trying to go the opposite way in which the bus came crashing down the hill, I can only imagine if this is another shitty plot from the gods. A classic; they put us in purgatory without us even knowing it, and now I¡¯m supposed to reflect over my actions, uh? Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Well, I¡¯m not rethinking anything, for sure. But as we walk for some 10 minutes and start to suspect there¡¯s something wrong, as the street should have shown up by now, someone appears in the distance. We try to approach, only to be greeted by violent warnings: ¡°State your name and business! Or you shall perish!¡± Specting closer, I see he is a tall, skinny man, with what I can only describe as some cosplayer red clothing. Oh, yes, we found a powerful fire magician in the forest. Hate when that happens. ¡°We¡¯re Vera and Matt!¡± shouts Vera - ¡°We¡¯re lost! Can you please help us?¡± What? ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± I whisper to her - ¡°Are you actually following up on this guy¡¯s crazy talk?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Vera says this looking genuinely confused - ¡°He¡¯s probably a guard from a castle in the vicinity! That-¡± ¡°Enough!¡± shouts the man - ¡°We were warned about the presence of suspicious fellows lurking around the castle by this forest! And judging by your odd clothes, I have no choice but to unleash punishment!¡± ¡°Wait wait wait,¡± shouts Vera - ¡°you have to-¡± She has no time to complete the sentence as a fireball materializes above the man¡¯s hand. The intense light blinded us for a moment, and a scary sound is emitted by the growing flames. ¡°Matt!¡± Vera shouts, getting behind me - ¡°We have no choice, you¡¯ll have to fight back!¡± ¡°...What?¡± Okay, first I thought this was purgatory, but now, it feels even worse; is this an isekai or something? I need to know, here. Whatever it is, might be the end now. That¡¯s a pretty big fireball. Growing, growing¡­and stopping. Vera was shouting for me to use my magic just now, but I don¡¯t hear anything. And nothing is moving too. Time has stopped, but I can see someone moving towards me, the one probably behind this. A cow. ¡°Matt.¡± ¡°Mr. Cow.¡± ¡°I understand your doubts. May I clarify?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Why does it feel so familiar to talk with this¡­thing? I remember having a very short, vague dream with a cow, but not having a conversation¡­ Am I still dreaming? ¡°No.¡± he says ¡°Oh? So I got transported to another dimension? Is this it?¡± ¡°No,¡± he says again - ¡°We made this to the real world. To your universe.¡± "What did we do?" "We made everything you know doesn''t belong to your world become true, Matt." - says the cow - "I guess you don''t remember everything." But what happens now? ¡°We¡¯ll fix it, Matt. But you¡¯ll have to hang on for some time¡­maybe use some magic.¡± ¡­ I look at the giant fireball in front of us, then back to the talking cow. ¡°....okay¡­I guess. Just tell me how, then.¡± ¡°I will.¡± On Our Way Walking on the road, we went our way. Might as well, we thought, since the town was close enough. Somehow, the changes brought to reality modified how even the seasons work. I wasn¡¯t prepared for this cold. Just two days ago we were entering summer break when that happened. I didn¡¯t realize this before, as everything still feels like kind of a fever dream, but that cold breeze, gray sky, my dry and burning breathing. We¡¯re definitely in winter. Fortunately, Vera is a fire mage, in this merry fantastic universe. She enjoys showing off, like before. Igniting a small fire to warm us up as we were moving, her stealthy proud smile dimly lightened up. I come to think how fitting this is. Back then, I¡¯d probably say that if she had an element, that would be fire. My memories from before and after that dream are merging, and little by little, the information I should know about this world unfolds. The first of them was the capacity of using magic myself. We have been walking for some time already, and something catches my eye ahead. A little person sitting by the side of the dirt road, looking closer, I see small wings on their back. A fairy? Why would she be like this? Though everything newly added to this world is based on man-made concepts, it¡¯s not like I ever knew anything about fairies. Concentration, Matt. See if anything comes to mind. Not two seconds pass and the warmth of the fire is gone. Vera has dashed ahead. ¡°My, my! Young travelers! Thank God you showed up!¡± the fairy exclaimed ¨C ¡°I¡¯m too tired to fly, you see¡­something is very wrong with the mana around here!¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I ran ahead to catch up, to see Vera with a puzzled expression. As if the memories of another version of myself come to light, I remember a vague description, defining fairies as fairly common nature entities in rural areas. It¡¯s said they help with the harmony in the forest and the flow of magic, as regulators; it¡¯s also said they can grant fair wishes to those who help them. ¡°You two seem like a pair of good children,¡± she said, with a naughty smile ¨C ¡°so help me find my way!¡± ¡°For sure, for sure!¡± Vera replied, turning to me ¨C ¡°Right?¡± You leave me no choice, but okay. ¡°Fine. We¡¯ve taken a detour already, anyway.¡± We had to mislead any friends of the guy I fought earlier, so this was a roundabout way to our destination. Well, I don¡¯t have a lot of clues yet, but something unusual really seems to be happening around here. Getting away from the road and walking for an hour in the fields, we reach this extremely dense forest, where the sunlight hardly passes through the trees. It is well lit, though, as a lot, and I mean hundreds if not thousands of fireflies spread out throughout the woods and make way for our passage. I wasn¡¯t remotely close to the type of person that explores the wild. But this otherworldly sentiment doesn¡¯t seem right. We approach a small pond, which gives rise to a small stream. A frog and another fairy were in the middle of a conversation, stopping to cheer at our arrival. ¡°Apricot! Apricot! Finally!¡± the fairy cried ¨C ¡°Good thing you made it!¡± "That was a close one," she replied, flying out of Vera''s shoulder - "I have those two to thank!" The three of them look at us; I''m looking straight at the talking frog. Good things hadn''t happened to me when talking animals showed up. "That means the couple has a wish!" the frog says - "But I''ll say it in advance: do not wish for me to become a prince. I''m still waiting for a princess." That''s funny, man. But we''re not a couple. Better not correct him though, I don''t wanna make him ask Vera for a kiss. But it would be funny. Should I do it? "Do not worry, I have it decided already!" Vera replies "You''re a quick one! But it has to be a fair one, keep in mind!" Apricot says Vera smiles at her and confidently asks: "You should come with us!" On Our Way Walking on the road, we went our way. Might as well, we thought, since the town was close enough. Somehow, the changes brought to reality modified how even the seasons work. I wasn¡¯t prepared for this cold. Just two days ago we were entering summer break when that happened. I didn¡¯t realize this before, as everything still feels like kind of a fever dream, but that cold breeze, gray sky, my dry and burning breathing. We¡¯re definitely in winter. Fortunately, Vera is a fire mage, in this merry fantastic universe. She enjoys showing off, like before. Igniting a small fire to warm us up as we were moving, her stealthy proud smile dimly lightened up. I come to think how fitting this is. Back then, I¡¯d probably say that if she had an element, that would be fire. My memories from before and after that dream are merging, and little by little, the information I should know about this world unfolds. The first of them was the capacity of using magic myself. We have been walking for some time already, and something catches my eye ahead. A little person sitting by the side of the dirt road, looking closer, I see small wings on their back. A fairy? Why would she be like this? Though everything newly added to this world is based on man-made concepts, it¡¯s not like I ever knew anything about fairies. Concentration, Matt. See if anything comes to mind. Not two seconds pass and the warmth of the fire is gone. Vera has dashed ahead. ¡°My, my! Young travelers! Thank God you showed up!¡± the fairy exclaimed ¨C ¡°I¡¯m too tired to fly, you see¡­something is very wrong with the mana around here!¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. I ran ahead to catch up, to see Vera with a puzzled expression. As if the memories of another version of myself come to light, I remember a vague description, defining fairies as fairly common nature entities in rural areas. It¡¯s said they help with the harmony in the forest and the flow of magic, as regulators; it¡¯s also said they can grant fair wishes to those who help them. ¡°You two seem like a pair of good children,¡± she said, with a naughty smile ¨C ¡°so help me find my way!¡± ¡°For sure, for sure!¡± Vera replied, turning to me ¨C ¡°Right?¡± You leave me no choice, but okay. ¡°Fine. We¡¯ve taken a detour already, anyway.¡± We had to mislead any friends of the guy I fought earlier, so this was a roundabout way to our destination. Well, I don¡¯t have a lot of clues yet, but something unusual really seems to be happening around here. Getting away from the road and walking for an hour in the fields, we reach this extremely dense forest, where the sunlight hardly passes through the trees. It is well lit, though, as a lot, and I mean hundreds if not thousands of fireflies spread out throughout the woods and make way for our passage. I wasn¡¯t remotely close to the type of person that explores the wild. But this otherworldly sentiment doesn¡¯t seem right. We approach a small pond, which gives rise to a small stream. A frog and another fairy were in the middle of a conversation, stopping to cheer at our arrival. ¡°Apricot! Apricot! Finally!¡± the fairy cried ¨C ¡°Good thing you made it!¡± "That was a close one," she replied, flying out of Vera''s shoulder - "I have those two to thank!" The three of them look at us; I''m looking straight at the talking frog. Good things hadn''t happened to me when talking animals showed up. "That means the couple has a wish!" the frog says - "But I''ll say it in advance: do not wish for me to become a prince. I''m still waiting for a princess." That''s funny, man. But we''re not a couple. Better not correct him though, I don''t wanna make him ask Vera for a kiss. But it would be funny. Should I do it? "Do not worry, I have it decided already!" Vera replies "You''re a quick one! But it has to be a fair one, keep in mind!" Apricot says Vera smiles at her and confidently asks: "You should come with us!" This Castle Wasnt Here Before It¡¯s been over two days since I had a decent night of sleep. Not the case of Apricot, who seems to sleep very easily, be it on Vera¡¯s shoulder or inside her bag. Since we have been traveling out of the forest, she sleeps much more than her normal amount, apparently due to a lack of mana. Not like I completely understand those things yet. I did not expect water elementalists to be so valuable. All I did was give some help to the nearby farms, and we were cheerfully greeted by the lord of these lands. I was very happy to have a proper bed all to myself, but somehow, I haven¡¯t been able to sleep. The full moon dimly lights my room, perfectly fitting itself right in the middle of my window; I did not close the blinds, as I find the view very calming. At first glance, it looked like an old-fashioned castle, but it is preserved well. The dark wood of the floor is flawlessly clean, just like the plain white walls. The cross right above my door makes me wonder how much religion has changed in this reality. Or if it did, at all. Eventually, I got up. Taking a stroll in the long hall that gazes at the feud, I realize the curious configuration of this place. We were given a tour of the building and told the cemetery was at the back of the castle. Why would they highlight this random information, and omit what are these thin long towers in the distance, past the fields? I can¡¯t sleep, so might as well kill the curiosity. Now that I think about it, around that area¡­ I''m pretty sure they lived here, but maybe now known as someone else entirely. But maybe I shouldn''t think about it this way anymore. This castle, all these houses around it, the farmers we helped earlier crying from happiness, the graveyard beautiful in its melancholy brightened by the full moon. It all tells me. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. This fake world is legitimate in its way, but as I feared, some things never change. She is gone even here, uh. I wanted to fool myself, but it''s no use. The tombstone of the one person I could say I ever loved was specially decorated, built a little bit higher, and fully adorned with flowers and vines. It looked well taken care of. Like they tried to keep it lively. A loved teacher, it says. At least this remained the same. "You know this one, water boy?" I hear a voice behind me - "Or were you attracted by my little mementos?" Hypnotized by the nostalgia I just found, she took me by surprise. I turn around in shock, facing her without saying anything for a few seconds. A very old woman just appeared out of nowhere. "Hey? Do you need help, boy?" she says - "Did I scare you?" "Yes, you did. Please refrain from greeting people like that." I reply - "I do know this one." "Oh-ho my, I''m sorry. So, did you come to help, then?" she asks "Help with what?" Just as I say this, the playful look on her face is straightened, which can''t be good. "A wizard of the dead has come to town. Hiding in the shadows, he was reported to appear in graveyards. Including this one." she explains with a slightly angry expression - "That''s why the castle''s security is tightened." Yet, they were very welcoming to me and Vera. Are they expecting some extra help? Hell no, we are in a rush here... And what would be a wizard of the dead, anyway? Just as I was about to ask her, a word pops up in my mind. "Necromancer" Oh no. "He''s up to no good, water boy." she says, patting me on the shoulder - "But we can deal with it no problem. Young people like you should stay away from stuff like this." The old woman puts a rose on the tomb we both came here to see and walks away. "Goodbye, dear." she turns her head before getting out of sight - "Don''t stay up too late, will you." I sit on the ground. All of a sudden, I feel very sleepy. Just as a weight is lifted off my shoulder, another one comes crashing down. This world truly never changes.