《Familiar》 Is this death? Chapter 1: Is this death? Jordan walked down the school hall. He didn¡¯t do his homework again this week and Mrs. Kimberly, his homeroom teacher had asked him to stay after school was done. It took Mrs. Kimberly an hour to make the point that not doing homework is bad before she let Jordan go. Sighing, Jordan decided to call his parents and tell them what happened. He didn¡¯t want them to worry. He went to the restroom of the school and took out his slip phone. After dialing his step mom¡¯s number, he waited. thirty seconds later she answered. ¡°Oh, finally! What happened to you?! You didn¡¯t come home for so long that I and your dad has begun to worry! Where were you?!¡± She screamed worriedly into the phone. ¡°Yeah.. uh.. sorry. I didn¡¯t do the homework again and the teacher talked to me after class about it.¡± He said. After hearing this, his step mom sighed. ¡°And why didn¡¯t you do the homework?¡± She asked, demanding an appropriate answer. ¡°I.. um.. forgot..¡± Replied Jordan, feeling helpless. ¡°Alright, come back home, I will fix you lunch while you get back.¡± She said before hanging. Feeling guilty, Jordan started walking out of the restroom but before he managed to get out he was blocked. Three boys with the school uniform were standing in the entrance to the restroom seemingly waiting for him. ¡°let¡¯s get over with this guys..¡± Said the middle guy tiredly. The right guy took two quick steps forward before kicking out his leg torwards Jordan. Jordan not expecting this, was hit. The leg hit him in his stomach and he took a few steps back, crouched and puked all over the floor. Before he could do anything else, sudden pain assaulted his head and he fell to the floor. ¡°Oh fuck¡­ This is fucking disgusting. Let¡¯s do it quickly, just need to get rid of him, not fucking torture him.¡± Said the middle guy before taking a pocket knife out of his pocket and finishing this ¡®fight¡¯ with a slash to the throat. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ------ Opening his eyes, Jordan froze still. Something wasn''t quite right. The air he was breathing was frozen and he felt a slight pain coming from both his eyes. He also didn''t feel anything physically. It was a weird sensation, he could ''feel'' but not truly feel. Jordan tried moving, only to be met with resistance. It was as if something didn''t let him move. At that point the shock of not feeling anything passed and new feelings begun to emerge. He was panicked frightened and raging, he was downright feeling horrible. Panic because Jordan lost his senses and was in some ''place''. Fright because of the unknown situation. And anger because he figured that what is currently happening to him is probably somehow connected to those three from the restroom. Suddenly, Jordan heard something. It was tapping. And the tapping got closer and closer until it stopped right next to him. The tapping sounded like what boots would sound when you were walking on a metal ground. "Hmmm... What should I do... Well, there are a few possible things that I could do. But because of the way you died I can''t do any of them. Well, it would be too boring to make you a human again.. oh, I know just the thing. This is going to be entertaining.. probably should file my suggestion in, and not do things on my own accord though." He heard a male voice coming from above. He shook. The mere presence of the voice made him afraid for his life. A few seconds passed with another ''hmmm'' before the sounds of paper being written on by a pen sounded. After a few seconds, there was a ''ping'' and more shuffling of paper before the voice returned saying, "well I got my approval from the higher-ups. Good luck out there, little one." The voice boomed. Everything became darkness for Jordan once again. First step Chapter 2: first step Jordan woke up to feel incredible pain. The pain was so unbearable in fact, that his mind simply couldn''t register it. He still knew he was in pain, but didn''t feel it. Everything was simply blank. Jordan couldn''t think, couldn''t understand anything. After about two weeks which felt like nothing to Jordan, he finally managed to register his surroundings. The fact that the ''pain'' vanished was the first thing that Jordan thought about. Relieved, Jordan tried opening his eyes but couldn''t. Something felt wrong. Then he noticed it. His body was different. He was lying on his side. The ground beneath him was cold and had a smooth texture. But, the thing that scared Jordan the most, was the fact that he felt that his body structure was different. He had four legs, like that of a dog, which he tried moving. They slightly moved up. Jordan also noticed that he had something attached to almost every part of his be body. He couldn''t move it. Then, he understood, it was hair. No, not hair, fur. Jordan started panicking. Everything that happened, from the three guys in the stall, to this current event is too much. Jordans mouth opened instinctively, and his long tongue went out through it. Jordan started taking deep gulps of the ''air'' that was in this place. All of this was too much. Everything that happened, everything that will probably happen in the future should not be real. It is simply to much for his fragile psyche. He started shuddering, cold sweat pouring through his fur. He was having a panic attack. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Jordan continued thinking about everything, and the fact that there is a chance that nothing will be normal again. But then he understood, he was still alive. In an unknown place and another body, but still alive. And if he''s alive, there is a chance he could come back to normality. Jordan steeled his resolve. He will come back, no matter what it takes. His body stopped shuddering. His air intake slowing. His eyes slowly opening. Slowly using his center of gravity to get up on his legs. After a few seconds, he stood, albeit unsteadily. Eyes fully open, he looked around. What Jordan saw made him slightly afraid, he was looking into a wide expense of darkness. The ground looked like smooth stone and everything a few meters forward is obscured by darkness. Looking down at his legs, Jordan noted that his fur is blue. The sea kind of blue. Taking a deep instinctive breath through his mouth, he noted that he had paws. Fur, four legs, paws, everything pointed at one conclusion. He was either a cat, fox, wolf or dog. Sniffing himself to get used to his scent, he noticed that he could understand his new anatomy. Be was definitely a puppy. A wolf pup. Not noticing anything else of interest, Jordan once again thought about how he got to that place, only to banish the thought out of his head as quickly as it came. He didn''t want to get another panic attack. Taking a deep breath, Jordan took his first step forward¡­. Only to fall down onto his snout. Looks like Jordan will have to get used to his new anatomy. Desperation Chapter 3: Desperation Jordan was walking in the darkness, trying to find someplace safe. He was getting pretty scared. Being in this place by himself, in a body that he is unfamiliar with made him frightened. He thought he started hearing noises. Someone walking, someone shouting his name but nothing was real.. or was it? Jordan started thinking about his family, friends, and life overall. He lost everything. From the little joys in life to the bigger more important things. Just plucked off to wherever the hell this is. Jordan wanted to shout, scream his desire to come back to the heavens. But he couldn''t. Everything that came out of his mouth is either slow panting or cute barking. He is a wolf pup after all. Jordan continued walking, set on finding a path or maybe even a community. But nothing of the like came into being. He was walking through the endless dark, the unknown. He just wanted to wallow in self pity, but the fact that there may be something hiding in the dark scared him. And so he continues moving through the abyss.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Jordan continued daydreaming. Getting into autopilot. Thinking about his mother, and all the cakes and presents she gave him, her presence alone comforting him in the hardest of times. Until she died. And his sister who was such a cute child, he loved her. He wanted to stay with her, but couldn''t. She was separated from him. Given into another Foster family. Maybe.. maybe if he had friends and wasn''t the loner loser.. then just maybe he wouldn''t have died just like that. No! He banished the thought from his head. These are old scars. He had to move on if he wanted to have a fulfilling life. And so, Jordan continued on. For the future waits for no one. What he didn''t realize is that he is special, but he will only to understand that in the future he is walking to. And maybe, someday he.. Hope Chapter 4: Hope Jordan stopped to look down at his little paws once again. He''s been walking for a long time. The strange thing is, is that Jordan didn''t feel hungry, thirsty or tired. He doesn''t know the exact time, but he is pretty sure he was walking for hours already, and yet, didn''t feel even the slightest of discomfort. Jordan mentally shrugged, guessing that his body has something to do with this. Jordan continued walking, mind wandering, when he saw it. Something other than darkness. Light. Jordan''s adorable little eyes widened in ecstasy. He finally found something other than nothing. Jordan has been here for hours, without human interaction, without entertainment. Finally, there is something out there that he could see. Jordan started running. Mouth wide open and tongue outside, he panted, tail wagging happily behind him. He wanted to find civilization in this creepy place for a long time, and finally, there is a chance. There is hope. And so he ran, as fast as his little legs allowed him to. He noticed that he didn''t tire, but didn''t pay it any mind, it simply said that he will get there faster.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. After a few minutes of running, he stopped. Jordan reached his destination. What he saw made his jaw fall. It was paradise. A beautiful clearing, with flowers of different colors blooming. There is a forest going down the left side of the clearing. The forest spanned as far as the eye could see. There were birds flying in the sky. The clearing itself was also huge. At least a few kilometers long and wide. There were wooden houses strewn about. Small cabins to wide and tall mansions. Everything seemed like it comes from some kind of fantasy. Jordan hesitated. There are people here if the wooden houses were anything to go by. He''s a wolf. Wouldn''t they see him as future danger? What if they just capture or kill him? But the temptations were too great. Jordan wanted civilization, he wanted to interact with someone. And what does he have to lose? It is either this or going back to the darkness, and Jordan rather pick the former. And so, Jordan stepped inside¡­ Only to hear something akin to an alarm start. Morgana Chapter 5: Morgana Jordan froze. The alarm was coming from the direction of the biggest mansion in the clearing. He didn¡¯t know what to do. They probably detected him somehow. He turned around, ready to run away, but when he saw the dark abyss before him, he hesitated. Jordan didn¡¯t want to continue tracking through the darkness. He finally found a place with people and he didn¡¯t want to pass up this opportunity. The time it took him to think through it all, was enough for someone to start walking in his direction and notice him. Jordan turned around and saw a figure coming his way. The figure was walking slowly, they were relaxed even. After a few seconds of contemplation, Jordan made a decision. He started to slowly and wearily walk towards the approaching person. The person was a woman. She looked to be at her late 20s, she had grey curly hair that reached her shoulder blades and piercing gray eyes. She also had two fluffy wolf ears on top her head and seven tails slowly waiving behind her. She wore a shirt and pants from tree bark, that was hiding everything except her curves. Jordan grew fearfull. She wasn¡¯t human, that much was obvious. He didn¡¯t know what she was going to do to him. What was her species traditions about strange animals coming from an abyss? He honestly preferred to not find out. His ears curled up and his tail sunk down while twitching. When their eyes met, he stopped walking. He could somehow feel a silent pressure coming from her. He knew something akin to pressure wasn¡¯t supposed to be real in the real world, but here he is, fighting with all his might to even continue standing. After a few seconds, the pressure subsided and the woman¡¯s lips curled up to a gentle smile. Even though the smile was gentle, Jordan was still wary. He knows that the woman could make him fall down with just a stare, so he will remain vigilant until he knows for a fact that she isn¡¯t going to hurt him. The woman stopped a few steps before him, looking down at him, sporting the gentle smile while also looking him up and down. Her ears twitched and tails started wagging faster. She got back to look him in the eyes. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Hello, little one. My name is Morgana. What are you doing here?¡± The woman asked, looking down at Jordan. He remained still for a few seconds, trying to understand what kind of language the woman used. Somehow, he could understand her perfectly fine but he never heard that language nowhere. The woman waited patiently for him to speak his mind. Jordan tried to say, ¡®Uh... I was just wandering about and stumbled on this place... And... Um... I was thinking, maybe you could help me?¡¯ but ended up barking. Still, the woman somehow understood the intent behind the bark. ¡°Well, of course, little one. I see that you¡¯re new to this realm and me and my tribe can certainly help you out. It¡¯s not like anything really interesting is happening in this part of the realm so you being here is very welcome.¡± The woman replied in a pleasant tone. She crouched before putting her open hands in front of her, palms pointing up. ¡°Jump on, it will be faster. breakfast is almost ready.¡± She said before waving her hands a bit, indicating Jordan to come. Ears pointed upwards and tail slowly waiving behind, Jordan cautiously approached. His little cute eyes stared at her fluffy features. Her tail was wagging with obvious excitement at the prospect of doing something interesting and hear ears were still twitching. ¡°Go on, little one. No need to be afraid.¡± She said after noticing his slow approach. Jordan noticed something else that escaped his notice when she spoke. She had a pair of long and sharp canine teeth. Not wanting to get near those but still knowing that there is no going back now, he continued on. Jordan jumped on her hands before Morgana picked him up. She stood up and then started going to the largest wooden mansion at a quick pace. Food? Chapter 6: Food? While Morgana was walking in the direction of the mansion, Jordan was having a mental debate. He was afraid. Not only he doesn¡¯t know anyone here but also because of the weird things that seem to happen. He can understand a language that he never even heard of, Morgana seems to be able to understand barks and the fact that she is basically a humanoid wolf with seven tails makes for a pretty good horror show¡­ From his perspective at least. What if she will just butcher him? Maybe he will become a pet for her child or something? He didn¡¯t want to be a little pet. In the time it took Jordan to contemplate all those things, they already arrived at their destination. The mansion was two floors high and was about fifty meters wide. It was made out of pure wood and the windows were just holes in the walls. There was a basic door made out of vines and pieces of wood at the front. Morgana pushed the door open with her leg since her hands were occupied with Jordan. walking inside, Jordan was speechless once again. The inside was looking like what a home of a stereotypical nature-loving elf would look like. It also appears that there aren¡¯t any rooms and that the entire first floor is one big room. There were a bunch of vases made out of durable looking leaves, and beautiful flowers in different colors were blooming in each of them. The tables and chairs were so green that it slightly hurt Jordan¡¯s artistic sense. Even the wooden walls were green. At least the floor looked normal, it was made out of wooden planks. There were also stairs leading up on the right side of the ¡®room¡¯. Morgana put Jordan down on the floor and looked at him for a few seconds. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to start breakfast, so please wait here little one, alright?¡± Then Jordan thought for a second about what she said. Breakfast. How does she know it is morning? There is literally no sun, and now that he thinks about it, where did all the light come from? Jordan looked at her, still a bit scared before replying, ¡®Um¡­ take your time?¡¯. Morgana thought that Jordan was being cute and put her hand behind his left ear and scratched it a bit before going up the stairs to the second floor. It was the first time of Jordan being pet in his wolf form, and it was feeling rather nice. But Jordan also noted that it wasn¡¯t nice to the extent that he could ¡®melt away¡¯ like a lot of LN¡¯s were picturing the feeling as. He looked down at the floor and sniffed the air. Yes, it smells like flowers in here. Suddenly, he heard a sound from above. With ears standing upright, he listened. There was a sound of cutting before a ¡®ping¡¯ sounded out. Jordan wondered where he heard the ¡®ping¡¯ before because he was definitely familiar with it from somewhere. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Jordan directed his attention back to the ¡®room¡¯. flowers, chairs, desks and something akin to a piano was all he could see for the entire fifty meters wide room. It was rather disappointing. After a few minutes, nothing happened. Morgana wasn¡¯t coming back. Jordan thought that maybe this is his chance to escape, but then he thought better of it. If she could emit pressure from just looking at him then maybe it wasn¡¯t the best idea to escape. So he sat there, tail wagging slowly behind, playing with his little paws. After a few more minutes of absentminded playing, Morgana came back down. She had some kind of unidentifiable raw meat on a plate and a potion bottle with some black liquid inside it. She put the plate on the floor before placing the open potion near the plate. ¡°Please eat and drink, this will be very beneficial. I would like you to first eat the meat and only then drink the potion or there may be some unwanted side effects.¡± Morgana said, crouching down and looking at Jordan expectantly. Jordan looked at her, shaking his head a bit. ¡®Do I really have to? Ummmm¡­ this is raw meat and drinking a.. You know.. Unknown black liquid doesn¡¯t sound very exciting.¡¯ He barked, trying to talk Morgana out of this. ¡°No, if you want to survive then you absolutely have to do as I instructed, or do you want to go back to the darkness and die?¡± Morgana retorted in a stern tone. Knowing that there is nothing he could do and that he dug his own grave when he set foot on the clearing, Jordan started eating. Firstly he licked the meat and quickly pulled back. It was disgusting. Jordan looked at Morgana, tail relaxed and not moving and ears curling, he tried to reason with her. ¡®It¡¯s tastes like a rotten egg! How can I eat this thing?! Please don¡¯t!¡¯ He barked, before noticing his outburst and becoming timid. How could he burst like this? This is exactly the reason he doesn¡¯t like social interaction. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you have to do this.¡± Was Morgana¡¯s only statement before she continued to patiently stare at him. Avoiding her stare, Jordan turned towards the ¡®food¡¯, before he took a bite. Status? Chapter 7: Status? Jordan ate the food while feeling sick to his core. This food was so disgusting that he almost threw up with just a little bite. After a few more bites, Jordan looked at Morgana. He wanted to know if what he already ate was enough. ¡°Sorry, but you need to eat it. If you don¡¯t then you risk getting incapacitated for life or even possibly die.¡± She said after noticing his gaze. After that, she continued staring at him, as if there is nothing else in the world that needs her current attention. Jordan also noticed that she wasn¡¯t breathing- or more accurately, she was breathing so shallowly that it was hard to notice. taking a deep breath, Jordan once again looked at the ¡®food¡¯. He wanted nothing more than to run away. This ¡®food¡¯ was this bad. Jordan once again slightly bent down before continuing chowing the ¡®food¡¯ with his little teeth. Only after 20 minutes did he manage to finish eating this disgusting so-called meal. Jordan looked at Morgana, wanting to know if he really needed to drink the slimy-looking black liquid from the potion bottle. ¡°Now drink.¡± She commended. Jordan tried sighing but couldn¡¯t for some reason. He mentally shrugged, again chalking it up to his new body. He took the bottle with his little mouth and picked it up, the liquid spilling forth into his mouth. It tasted like strawberries and because of that Jordan didn¡¯t object, even if he was still hesitant because of the color. A few seconds passed before the black liquid was gone. ¡®So... What is going to happen now? You¡­ um¡­ said that it is going to help me?¡¯ Jordan barked. ¡°Well, the effect of the Ura should take effect in a few moments. You should probably lie down since it is going to disorient you.¡± Morgana replied. Jordan thought about what she said before coming to the conclusion that he should have milked more information out of her beforehand. He should remember this with future interactions. Jordan took the advice to heart and lied down, he didn¡¯t want to fall and maybe bruise himself. He is a puppy and his skin is very vulnerable. A few minutes passed of idly imagining fighting dragons and the like in fantasy worlds before everything begun to blur. Taking a deep breath, Jordan closed his eyes. He didn¡¯t know what was coming, but he was going to be prepared for it¡­ he hoped. A few seconds later he started feeling hot. It was like he was in a really hot desert. Then the hotness started disappearing as if being pulled somewhere, and coldness started to replace it. Suddenly, pain shot through Jordan¡¯s body as his mind tried fighting it off. Everything was painful. He just wished it to stop. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Only minutes passed before the pain stopped and a new feeling emerged. This time, something blocked all his air passageways and he couldn¡¯t breathe. The coldness became so unbearable that it numbed his entire body. He was suffocated and frozen, at least that was what it felt like for Jordan. He blacked out and only regained consciousness after everything passed. There was a loud ¡®ping¡¯ before words appeared in his mind¡¯s eye. Name: Jordan Tollman Species: Wolf spirit Level: Null physical attributes - Strength: Below average Stamina: Below average Endurance: Below average Mental attributes - Intelligence: Slightly above average Wisdom: Excellent Units of mana: 133 Jordan ¡®looked¡¯ at it, and only one thought crossed his mind. What... the fuck? He had so many questions. He wanted to know what this was and how it got crammed into his mind. He wanted to know why it made an audible ¡®ping¡¯ sound when it opened. He wanted to know what the hell a wolf spirit is. After a few more seconds of examining the status, at least that what Jordan guessed it is, he opened his eyes. The moment his eyes opened his mind came back to reality and he noticed that something was wrong. It was the same feeling he had when he first woke in the godforsaken darkness. His body felt different. Again, he noticed that he could imagine how his body looks like from just feeling, and it was definitely humanoid which made Jordan really happy. Then he noticed that he had claws, sharp canine teeth, wolf ears atop his head and two tails. He thought that it looked familiar and only then he understood. He¡¯s the same species as Morgana. ¡°Are you going to just keep lying on the floor? I know it may be a bit weird but you get used to it¡± He heard Morgana¡¯s voice say from above. Embarrassed, he got up and looked at Morgana. Then he looked at Morgana. And his body¡­ He was a child. That¡­ was not what he expected. ¡°Uhhhhh¡­¡± Jordan tried saying something, but because of the shock of this situation, he forgot what he wanted to say. ¡°Well, get up.¡± Morgana said before extending a helping hand. Still a bit in shock from the sudden change, Jordan took her hand and got up, the status(?) still in his mind. NAKED?! Chapter 8: NAKED?! Jordan got up with the help of Morgana and looked down at himself. He was naked. Even if it wasn¡¯t his original body, he was still embarrassed to have his body looked at by a woman, especially one as beautiful as Morgana. Looking down at him, Morgana noticed that something is wrong. ¡°Why are you uncomfortable?¡± She asked, oblivious to his plight. ¡°Umm.. it¡¯s just that, I¡¯m naked¡­¡± Replied Jordan nervously. Morgana thought for a second about what he said. She would never even think to do anything to a newborn of her race, why is he so embarrassed then? Thinking for another moment, Morgan mumbled a word which Jordan didn¡¯t quite catch. He heard a noise from his right. He turned to look and saw a plant in one of the vases begun to move. The vase fell down and broke, the plant falling on to the floor. The floor seemed to like the plant as it devoured it. A few seconds later, Jordan felt something at his feet. Looking down, he noticed how wood bark started to grow underneath him. He panicked for a second, trying to get away but his pitful strength didn¡¯t work for his favour. The bark started going up in the length of his body until it reached his shoulders and got separated from the floor. Looking down at himself, Jordan saw that he now had wooden clothes just like Morgana. It had holes for his tails and was actually comfortable. He tried moving his clawed fingers and the bark moved with them, unobstructed by nothing. He sighed in relief that he is no longer naked. He looked up at Morgana. She was two heads taller than him. It was quite intimidating. ¡°What did you¡­ do to me?¡± He asked, probing for answers. ¡°I sped up your evolution. The Erunian meat that you ate was of magical origins. The mana in it was rather potent. After you ate it, you stored the mana in your core. The black liquid, the Ura, was to forcibly start the evolution however it takes a lot of mana from the drinker. If you drank it without the extra mana from the Erunian meat, then you could die.¡± She said matter of factly. Jordan¡¯s eyes widened, tail straightened and ears perked up at what she said. He could have died. Suddenly he was very glad to eat that rotten, disgusting Erunian meat. At that moment he noticed that he could still see the status(?) screen in his mind. He looked at it more closely and saw that it slightly changed. Name: Jordan Tollman Species: Wolf spirit Level: Null physical attributes - Stolen novel; please report. Strength: average Stamina: average Endurance: average Mental attributes - Intelligence: Slightly above average Wisdom: Excellent Units of mana: 10 After a quick review, he saw that he got stronger but also had a lot less mana. ¡°Uh¡­ If I run out of mana¡­ What will happen?¡± He asked Morgana after looking up at her. ¡°You will die.¡± She answered. Jordan started getting uncomfortable by her tone. It¡¯s like she doesn¡¯t care about anything and acts like a robot. Nevertheless, he did notice that she sometimes did normal things, like petting him. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Jordan wondered how it came at such a convenient time. Morgana walked briskly before reaching the door and opening it. Jordan took two steps towards Morgana before peeking behind her, interested in who is out there. Outside there was a man. The man was as tall as Morgana and had short dirty blond hair. The offputting thing about him was the fact that he didn¡¯t have hands. Instead of hands, he had wings with black feathers. The man also wore the bark outfit. ¡°Hey, Just got back from the hunt, we¡¯re preparing dinner. Heard from Rob that the alarm went off. What happened?¡± The man asked Morgana curiously. ¡°A little pup wandered to our tribe.¡± Said Morgana before turning back and pointing at Jordan. Jordan instantly froze. The man¡¯s attention was on him. Speaking with Morgana was somewhat fine, he liked dogs and wolfs are pretty similar in how they look. Also, she was kind of hot. But the man literally has no arms. How does he even pick stuff up or do daily tasks without them?! ¡°Oh, hey there little guy, hope she didn¡¯t do anything to you. Listen, I just came here to report about dinner, so I need to go and help prepare it. I¡¯m gonna leave you here with this soulless gal. But she¡¯s not as bad as you think she is. She¡¯s just a little blunt. Well, bye now!¡± Said the man, before turning around and walking away from the door. Morgana swiftly closed the entrance and turned around once again to look at Jordan. ¡°We need to find you a place to sleep. Probably could use the upstairs.¡± She stated. She walked up to Jordan and took his right hand before he could react. She led him to the wooden stairs in the corner of the ¡®room¡¯ and up. Jordan hyped himself up. He was ready to see his new living quarters. He couldn¡¯t escape now, not after them talking about hunts and dinner. Food! Chapter 9: Food! Once Jordan was upstair, Morgana led him through a thin hallway. The hallway continued through the whole length of the floor. There were many doors leading to rooms unknown to Jordan. Morgana continued walking while holding Jordan¡¯s hand. She stopped in front of one of the doors and opened it. She went inside with Jordan on her tail. Jordan looked around and saw that the room seems normal, unlike the first floor. It was small but there weren¡¯t any vines or plants everywhere. There was a ¡®bed¡¯ in the corner. It looked like a pile of leaves. There was also a small table with a chair on the left side and a ¡®window¡¯ looking outside. ¡°You will stay here. Because you passed out for most of the day, I didn¡¯t have either breakfast or lunch. Eating for you will be a problem in your current state. Just sleep.¡± Morgana said while looking down at Jordan. ¡°Ok..¡± Replied Jordan. Morgana looked at him for another second before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. Jordan looked around before trying to sigh once more. He was weirded out by the fact that he couldn¡¯t sigh. He dismissed it and looked at the room. It looked normal. After a few more seconds of staring absentmindedly, he went towards the ¡®bed¡¯. He slightly bent down before touching it with his clawed finger. It seemed soft enough. Jordan lied down on it and stared at the ceiling. Everything that happened to him was strange and unusual, at least from his perspective. Those people in the tribe are obviously not human. He is also not human anymore. He needs to accept it. Not only that, he literally drank a potion. This is some magical fantasy shit. He also doesn¡¯t understand how they know when it is breakfast or dinner. It is still as bright outside as it was when he got there. Also, there is neither a sun nor moon. How can they tell the time? He thought about going to sleep. But he wasn¡¯t tired, at least physically. but still, after such a crazy day(?) he needed his sleep. He closed his eyes expecting to just lie there but he somehow fell asleep right away. ------ Jordan woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. All the events of yesterday were really tiring and he is glad that he managed to get some sleep. His mind was a lot more focused and he could think more clearly. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. He got up from the ¡®bed¡¯ and looked around. The room looked the same as the day before. Jordan walked to the door and opened it. He went into the hallway and to the direction of the stairs. After coming to the stairs and going down, Jordan was greeted with Morgana who was sitting at one of the tables on the first floor. He walked in her direction and suddenly stopped. There was a smell coming from the table in front of her. Jordan instinctively sniffed and opened his mouth. Whatever it is, it smelled delicious. Morgana¡¯s ears perked up and she turned to look at Jordan. She was greeted with an open-mouthed child, tail wagging behind him. ¡°Come here.¡± She said. Jordan was still a bit apprehensive. Yesterday he wasn¡¯t in his right state of mind. But after he got some rest and thought about the events that transpired, he couldn¡¯t help but cringe. He was so stupid. Where did the excellent wisdom go to? But he knew that she could kill him whenever she wanted. He was a hostage. Even if he managed to escape they will probably track him down. And if they didn¡¯t want to do that then he was going to run around aimlessly in the darkness. After thinking of all the pros and cons of escaping and staying here, he decided that staying is the safest option. So he went to Morgana wearily. Morgana saw this and couldn¡¯t help but sigh mentally. She thought that she made a good enough impression that he wouldn¡¯t be afraid of her. It looks like she was wrong. Five seconds later Jordan got to Morgana. ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to eat slowly unless you want to metaphorically blow up.¡± Morgana said blatantly. Seeing her serious expression Jordan couldn¡¯t help but shiver. She was either an excellent actor or she was absolutely serious. He decided that nodding is the best option in this kind of situation. Morgana took a little piece of meat from her wooden plate and gave it to Jordan. Jordan took it with his hand and sniffed it. Yep, it still smelled like heaven. Looking at Morgana, Jordan wanted to know if he could eat it. ¡°Eat it.¡± Morgana said after seeing his expression. Nodding, Jordan took it into his mouth and chewed. It tasted like the best beef he ever had. He savored the flavour of the little piece of meat before swallowing. It tasted like good memories. Questions Chapter 10: Questions ¡°Now, I won¡¯t let you eat anything else unless you want to die of course.¡± Said Morgana after being witness to Jordan¡¯s happy face. Jordan looked at her in confusion. He thought about what she said and about what happened yesterday and decided to try his luck. ¡°Uh... Why? Also¡­ What did you do to me yesterday..?¡± Jordan ¡®demanded¡¯ answers. ¡°Everyone in this realm is a spirit. The spirit realm, or how the mortals call it the familiar realm, is a realm imbued with mana. With no mana, we won¡¯t be able to survive but if we have too much mana, then we will also die. Without the mana rich environment, you would be dead already. I gave you the Erunian meat for that exact reason, to give you enough mana to undergo the evolution. The Ura is a special liquid which makes the mana in your body to circulate in a specific manner so that you could evolve. Now I will continue eating since I didn¡¯t do it yesterday.¡± Replied Morgana. It seemed that everything she said is common knowledge and that Jordan would¡¯ve learned it sooner or later. Jordan still had many questions but he postponed them for now. He didn¡¯t want to disturb an obviously strong being while she¡¯s eating. Jordan looked around the ¡®room¡¯ and saw that everything was as it was yesterday, except that one vase that fell which is nowhere to be seen. Jordan thought about going outside but quickly dismissed the notion. He didn¡¯t have permission to go. Again, he didn¡¯t want to anger Morgana. Jordan looked at Morgan once again and saw that she was eating rather robotically. It was a little unnerving. Jordan didn¡¯t want to continue awkwardly standing and quickly found a random chair and sat on it. Jordan thought about all the questions that need to be asked. Today is the day of info-dumping. He wanted to know what is considered day and what is night. He wanted to know why he never managed to sigh or even breath out now that he thought about it. He also wanted to know why he never got tired or hungry, and why Morgana and the rest of the tribe even need to eat if not for the energy to move the body. These are the technical questions that need to be asked. Only then will he get to the more non-urgent questions such as, what is mana? How do you use mana and what does it do? What is the weird status screen in his mind? How to get to the so-called mortal world and why do people there call the spirits familiars? There are a few more, but he guessed that they will be answered in the times to come. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. While Jordan went through the question plaguing his mind, Morgana finished eating. Looking at the direction of Jordan and seeing him in a daze made her chuckle for a second. It is quite a funny sight, a little boy wearing wooden bark with his tails wagging and ears twitching, not only that, he was unconsciously swinging his legs that didn¡¯t quite reach the floor. A few seconds later of warmly looking at him, she snapped back. With her cold appearance back, she went outside of the house. Once outside, she went to the back of the mansion and found a pretty big wooden cabin. She got inside and closed the door behind her. Inside the cabin were six other people. All looked to be humanoid but from different races. There was the birdman Tollem. The squirrel man Rob. The high human-looking (A human with feathers instead of ears) Zenata. The elf looking Nortar. The dwarf looking Jin and the human yet not human figure of Zore. ¡°So¡­ You finally ate? Can we start this conversation now? Or should we wait for another day or two of you starving?¡± Smirked Tollem. Morgana gave him a disapproving look before she started speaking. ¡°As you all know, a little spirit found his way to our home. I would like to ask you if it¡¯s fine for the little one to live with me. We are of the same race and I would like him to not die out in the Nora.¡± Said Morgana. She scanned everybody in the room and saw that they were considering it. ¡°Well, he is a newborn, so he won¡¯t be that much of a problem.¡± Said Jin after contemplating it a bit. Tollem was the second one to approve and everyone followed after that. ¡°Thank you.¡± Said Morgana impassively before turning away and exiting the cabin. Everyone looked at each other for a few more seconds before Zore broke the ice. ¡°Well, she could at least show some happiness at that¡­¡± She grumbled a bit. ¡°I agree, but there¡¯s nothing we can do about it.¡± Shrugged Tollem before exiting the cabin as well. A second later everybody followed suit and continued with their daily activities, leaving the cabin empty. Contemplation Chapter 11: Contemplation Jordan sat there on the chair inside the mansion thinking about all the questions that he wants answered. Then it dawned on him. He was left alone inside the house. Jordan decided that he wanted to go outside. being cooped up in this green place is too much for him. Jordan jumped down the chair and went towards the door, opening it. Outside is the same clearing he saw from the darkness just from a different perspective. There were six other houses. Some smaller and some larger. They were all laid out in a circle with the mansion being the biggest one. In the middle of the circle of houses is a circle of benches. Jordan went towards the benches. He was bored, and this is the only place he could sightsee in the tribe without invading privacy. He got there and sat down on one of the benches. There were six of them and each one was enough to occupy at least three people. He just sat there, thinking about everything that happened to him. His death, the track through the darkness and¡­ everything. It¡¯s just too much to grasp. He¡¯s not human anymore. He¡¯s away from his parents. He won¡¯t be able to finish school. Everything that he worked went downhill, and now he is left with nothing. Jordan took deep breaths to calm himself down. This is not the time to have a mental breakdown. This is the time of opportunities. Maybe Morgana knows how to send him back? she¡¯s been here for a long time, Jordan guessed. But just getting back is not enough. He needs to change his appearance to his former self. And how would he do that? He had no idea. Maybe there is some magic that can do that? It¡¯s a long shot. Stolen novel; please report. And so, Jordan sat, thinking about everything and about nothing. This could all be a dream¡­ not. Jordan is not so crazy yet to not be able to differentiate between reality and dream. While Jordan thought about all of this a figure sat down near him. ¡°Hey, what¡¯re you doing here?¡± Asked the figure. Jordan jumped slightly in surprise. He didn¡¯t expect anyone to start talking. Jordan understood that he needed to get out of the habit of overthinking things. It could prove useful to actually be aware of his surroundings. ¡°Uh, everything¡¯s fine? You kinda blacked out there.¡± Continued the figure. Jordan once again jumped. He decided to put an end to this comedy skit and turned around to look at the talking person. It was the birdman¡­ manbird¡­ harpy? He didn¡¯t really know. ¡°Umm¡­ hi..?¡± Jordan replied awkwardly. The man looked at him in confusion before understanding donned his face. ¡°Soo¡­ What were you thinking about?¡± Asked the man curiously. ¡°Uh¡­ you know.. stuff..¡± Answered Jordan. All he wanted was to sit in peace and this manbird appeared before him, asking awkward questions. This is just the ¡®best¡¯. Wait.. going to the woods with a strange man..? Chapter 12: Wait.. going to the woods with a strange man..? Tollem looked at Jordan, finding his timid appearance to be a bit funny. This little one just found their tribe and Tollem knew that things are about to get interesting. With a new member, every schedule anyone has will fall apart. Being in this place for such a long time without doing anything fun is taking its toll on him. And so, the fun can truly begin¡­ Jordan just sat there, staring at the wings of the manbird, trying to find a way to make this staring contest a little less awkward. ¡°So.. uh¡­ what do you want?¡± Asked Jordan, thinking that this is the best that he could come up with. ¡°Well, I was gonna get some wood to make you a proper bed, wasn¡¯t really expecting you. Wanna come with?¡± Tollem replied with a smirk. It seems like he¡¯s always smirking which Jordan found a little unsettling. ¡°Yeah¡­ sure..¡± Answered Jordan, having nothing else to do. Tollem got up before he went towards a normal-looking cabin. It was the size of a small apartment. Tollem went behind it with Jordan following and got into a little wooden shack. It seemed that it escaped Jordans noticed when he first looked at the clearing. Jordan went inside and found a lot of tools. sturdy-looking wooden tools. Axes, hammers and all kinds of tools that Jordan really didn¡¯t know the names of. He was never that interested in these kinds of things. Tollem took a sharp wooden saw and a little kiddy axe before leading Jordan outside and to the direction of the woods. While they were walking, Tollem initiated a conversation. ¡°So¡­ what do you think about staying here? we did kinda decide it for you.¡± Tollem started. ¡°Its not like I have much of¡­ uh.... choice.¡± Answered Jordan truthfully. Jordan didn¡¯t have anywhere else to go to. This is his home for the time being, and he accepts it. It could have been much worse. ¡°Well, don¡¯t you worry. Morgana will take good care of you, I¡¯m sure she will. So, do you have a name? I¡¯m Tollem by the way.¡± Said Tollem without even looking at Jordan. They were getting near the woods and Jordan began to get worried. This is where every pedophile scene starts. Jordan sucked in some air to relax, he doesn¡¯t believe this chill guy can be a pedo¡­ he hoped at least. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Jordan¡­¡± Said Jordan while looking at the ground beneath his feet. It is a lot easier to talk when you don¡¯t look at the person, in Jordan¡¯s opinion. These last two days were too crazy and happened too quickly. It seems like his timid self got back out right now. Tollem noticed the hesitation in Jordan¡¯s voice and looked down at the little guy. He looked embarrassed for some reason. He mentally sighed before continuing going forward. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. After a few minutes of walking in silence, both of them reached to the relative start of the treeline. Tollem stopped and looked a Jordan for a bit before giving him the kiddy axe. Jordan accepted it with a silent thank you. Tollem looked around and found a nice little young tree that Jordan could probably cut. "Ok Jordan, go to that tree over there and cut it from the base. Gonna be a little hard but don''t worry. If you need any help then just call alright? I''m gonna be over there." Tollem finished with pointing at another bigger tree in the distance. Jordan nodded his head before going towards the little tree that Tollem pointed out. While going there Jordan suddenly thought about the status screen that he saw. Then he noticed that the screen remained in his head this whole time, he was just unaware of it. Name: Jordan Tollman Species: Wolf spirit Level: Null physical attributes - Strength: average Stamina: average Endurance: average Mental attributes - Intelligence: Slightly above average Wisdom: Excellent Units of mana: 14 Jordan scanned it before noticing the fourteen in the units of mana tab. It seemed like he gained 4 mana somehow. He still wasn''t sure why. At the time it took him to look it over, Jordan reached the tree. Looking down at his little axe, Jordan''s tail dropped. He never liked much physical activity. Jordan mentally sighed before he got to work. Cutting down the trunk of the little tree was hard. The only good thing that actually helped Jordan was the fact that the little axe was really sharp and sturdy. It was wooden. Shaking his head, Jordan gave up. He would have to find out at a later time. After an hour the tree finally fell. Jordans ears perked up and his tail waved behind him. He finished! He wasn''t tired physically, but mentally? Oh boy was he tired. He never done something like that in his entire life, so at least he got to try out something new. Not like he''s going to actually be doing this in the future¡­ he hoped he won''t. Looking behind him, Jordan found Tollem a few tens of meters away looking at him with a smirk. A literal tree on his shoulder. Jordans smile dropped. This world is so unfair. Strange place indeed Chapter 13: Strange place indeed Jordan was standing to the right side of the tool shack. Tollem and himself got back to this place after their little ''exciting adventure''. Tollem dropped bother trees onto the ground, making a loud thud. "Well, I''m going to go and get Morgana to make it into a real bed, alright? You do whatever. Just don''t get into my house, I have some rather private things inside" said Tollem, all the while smirking like the pedoph- ahem.. good man he is. Tollem dusted off his wings before he went towards Morganas mansion. Jordan just stood there, unsure as to how to proceed. He didn''t have anything to do. Jordan looked around before shrugging and walking to the wooden benches. He sat down, imagining the secret things that Tollem could be binding in his house. He blushed after thinking like any teen in pubirty would. Looks like he''s still thinking as a teen even though his in a pre-teen child''s body. Jordan looked at all the houses absentmindedly. He was absolutely bored. After a few seconds of wondering if hummus is better than ketchup, he saw Tollem going out of the mansion with Morgana. Jordan was still afraid of Morgana. She could probably kill him with just a look. Also she looked quite intimidating with those sharp canine teeth of hers. And the claws, don''t forget about the claws. Tollem was friendly, but it was still hard not to stare at his non-human appendages. Still, Jordan was bored, and boredom is no good. So Jordan made his way to their direction. He caught up with them when they were near the shack. "Oh hey Jordan! Wanted to see how Morgana is working?" Asked Tollem with an everlasting smirk on his face after noticing Jordan. "Yeah..." Replied Jordan timidly.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Morgana glanced at Jordan and noticed how he won''t even looked at her. It appears the ground is more interesting to Jordan. She felt a slight pang of pain in her heart. Her own kin is afraid of her. All because she tested if his the real deal with slight manipulation of Mana. She would have to fix his view on her. Looking behind him and seeing Morganas face as impassive as ever, Tollem couldn''t help but shake his head. He didn''t understand why she couldn''t show her feeling a little more. Then he looked at Jordan who was staring at the ground. He also didn''t understand why Jordan was so socially awkward. "Well, Morgana, do your thing." Smirked Tollem at her. With a cold look, Morgana started manipulating the Mana around her, mumbeling a silent few words under her breath. The two trees drew closer and merged together while liquefying. After they were just a puddle of liquefied wood, they started to form the shape of a gigantic bed. The wood solidified in the process of the shaping and the outcome was a bed five times as large as a king sized one. Then the bed started pulsating and the bed diminished in size. Smoke rose from the bed until it stopped changing it''s shape. The outcome was a perfect looking wooden kids bed. Jordan, seeing all this, couldn''t help but admire Morgana a bit of her display in magic. Tollem saw the admiration in Jordans eyes and his smirk deepened. This was progress. "Alrighty! Let''s get on with it! Oh Jordan, while we set the bed up in your room, would you please take the axe and the saw into the shack? Their over there, on the floor. Thanks." Said Tollem before putting his wings under the bed and lifting it like it was nothing. Soon, Tollem left with Morgana who hasn''t added anything to the conversation. Jordan waived slightly with his tail wagging behind him. This was magic. Real magic. And he had mana. Does that mean he could use magic? Also, he needs to ask if seeing a status screen is normal or not. Shrugging, Jordan took the tools with both hands and put them in the shack at their respective places. He went outside and looked up. No sun, yet it looks bright. Then a random thought occurred to him. If there is no sun, then there is no shadow. He looked behind him and indeed, there is no shadow. How he didn''t notice beforehand he didn''t know. The world is truly a strange place. Why? Why? Why? Chapter 14: Why? Why? Why? Jordan stood in place, not sure what to do. He was left alone once again, in a strange place, in a strange place.. It seems that he can''t forget about his circumstances. He just wants to move on, but his subconscious mind won''t let him. Jordan went to the mansion, entered and closed the door behind him. He went up the stairs, through the hallway, and into his room. He saw that the bed was already there. He didn''t know how they got it inside but he didn''t care either. He saw that on the wooden bed there were the leaves that he slept on last time. Jordan walked over and dropped on his face. This place is rather interesting, exciting, fun and plain weird. Still, he wants back. His routine was ruined. He always felt uncomfortable when things didn''t go according to plan. Honestly, he couldn''t care less about Morgana and Tollem. Still, he was afraid as all shit. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? This is the worst¡­ Why? All he wanted was to go home, get reprimanded by his parents, play some video games and go to sleep, then.. the question is.. why? Some high-schoolers killing him, getting reincarnated (probably) by a god (maybe) and then finding this place and feeling like a hostage.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Jordan needs to be honest with himself. Everything that he has done was to forget about the horrible circumstances. But he can''t. He needs to face the truth. This.. whatever it is.. is happening to him, right now. He needs to accept reality. He can''t live in delusions anymore. He is now a spirit¡­ whatever it is. He should make the best out of the situation. And his supposed endgame is to come back home. But how would he go about this endeavor? He doesn''t really know¡­ but what he does know is that he needs to get stronger. If he can get killed by being stared at, then it is not a really.. good thing, you could say. He doesn''t know what kind of beings there are in the spirit realm, and he probably doesn''t want to find out. Nevertheless, he needs to succeed. Why does he need to? He''s a nobody. However, he has conviction. And this is good enough for him. He will make this work.. somehow. But again, he needs to get stronger. He will need to ask Morgana about this. Even if he is scared shitless of her, he needs to accept the fact that he and her are going to be living under the same roof for the time being. He needs to communicate with her. Jordan shuddered. He didn''t want to, but he has to. This is something that needs to be done.. sooner or later, he rather choose the former. He also couldn''t help but notice that there are probably other people here. He would need to be on friendly terms with them, or some things may get out of hand. With this thought, Jordan drifted to the darkness of the mind, and the pleasant presence of seven dreams. Asking Chapter 15: Asking Jordan once again walked down the stairs. He''s been in this place for five days already, at least that''s what he thinks. Morgana still didn''t give him any other food, and to be honest, he craves something tasty. These past five days all he''s been doing was passing the time with Tollem. Talking with him, playing with him and generally just being with him. He still hasn''t seen any of the other tribe members. When Jordan reached the first floor, he saw that Tollem was sitting on a chair besides Morgana, eating something from the table in front of him. Jordan made his In their direction. Tollem and Morgana of course noticed the child with wolven features coming to their direction."Heyo! So, how''s sleep been? Any interesting dream you want to talk about?" Tollem asked with a smirk. Jordan didn''t really remember any dreams, and so, he just replied with a quite ''don''t know'' and sat down in a chair next to them. "Hello" said Morgana before continuing eating the delicious looking grilled meat in front of her. Jordan awkwardly nodded in acknowledgement. This has been happening for the past days. When he first saw Morgana, she seemed like a normal girl, but now, she seemed robotic. He wonders what happened.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "What''s on your mind?" asked Tollem, also eating grilled meat. "Well¡­ uh.. it''s just that¡­ I have some questions¡­ so.. um.. after you finish eating, I will, um, ask them" said Jordan. Yes, he still didn''t ask them any of the questions that had been plaguing his mind. He decided that today is the day, that he finally gets some information about this place, how he got here, and how to get back. "Uh, ok. Ask away! After we finish eating of course. Morgana, it''s fine that he asks some questions, right?" asked Tollem while smirking. Morgana turned her head and looked and Jordan for a few seconds. "Yes, I will answer any question you have." With that answer, she got back to eating silently. Tollem looked at Jordan for a few more seconds before going back to eating himself. After Morgana and Tollem finished, they looked and Jordan and found him sitting in a daze once again. He has been doing that ever since he got here. And now his doing it again. Both couldn''t help but think that he''s being cute. Jordan snapped out of his reverie. He saw that Morgana was watching with a cold but somehow gentle face and Tollem was smirking while looking at him. "Uh, what?" Jordan asked, hoping to get out of this awkward situation. "Nothing!" Smirked Tollem. Tollem and Morgana both got up and dragged their chair so they would be sitting in front of Jordan. After sitting down Tollem decided to start the conversation. "Sooo, what''s up?" He asked. Jordan thought about all his questions he wanted answered. This is it. Today.. today he will get the courage and ask the questions. Questioning Chapter 16: Questioning Jordan looked at both of them and thought the situation over. This is it, he will get answers. He doesn''t want anything to be left unanswered. He could finally.. maybe.. probably.. hopefully.. understand what is happening to him. And so, Jordan. Decided to start with something pretty simple. "What is.. uh.. Mana?" This question was on his mind since.. he saw his supposed status. He wanted to know. Is it some mystical arcane force of the elements? Or is it something scientific? like dark matter for example. Tollem looked at Jordan curiously, still smirking of course, and turned to look at Morgana. Morgana caught his eyes, and there seemed to be some kind of understanding reached between the two. "Well.. Mana are small particles. Like air in the Mortal World, it is spread out and consists of different particles." Tollem said, and them smirked to the direction of Morgana. Morgana caught on and decided to continue the explanation, "There are particles of Mana everywhere. But this place is especially dense with it. We spirits can use the energy in the Mana to sustain our bodies, unlike humans." Morgana said, looking down at Jordan. Jordan nodded. Doesn''t seem too difficult to understand. Yes, it is weird, but not that hard to wrap your head around. Like learning about air, feels the same. "So.. um.. what''s the darkness..?" Jordan asked. He wanted to know where the hell he had been wandering at before coming to this place. "It is called the Nora by the spirits. Or by it''s title, the maws of the unknown. Nobody wanders there. Nobody knows what is out there. Nobody who went out ever returned. That''s why I used slight manipulation of Mana to see if you were a real spirit or not." replied Morgana. Jordan thought hard about the answer. He was wandering in a place as ominous sounding as ''The Maws Of The Unknown''. He is suddenly glad that all the noises that he thought he heard were not real.. or were they?Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Now Jordan needs to get to the important questions. Questions like, how is there light or stuff like that are not important right now. What is important is how he got here and how to get out. "How.. did I get here?" Jordan asked with a hopefully tone. Tollem dropped his smirk. Morgana''s gaze became even colder. Jordan shrunk in his chair. He can feel the tension in the air. "We.. don''t know.. nobody knows.. everybody gets here at some point from the Mortal realm. As time pass, we lose memories. We don''t remember who we were before this. I''m sorry Jordan. Also, I can guess what you''re going to question next. How to get back right? Well, again we don''t know. I''m sorry." Tollem looked down at the floor without moving. Morgana seemed to stare into space, as if the entire world disappeared. Jordan felt sadness about the circumstances. They are also poor souls like him. Being snatched to this place. He probably hit a sore spot. Jordan knew that it''s about time to close this up. He got down from the chair, muttered thank you and went to his bedroom. After collapsing on the bed, he closed his eyes. This is not how he expected this to go. He fell asleep immediately, like any other night. ------ Tollem and Morgana sat on the chair. Both thinking about the past. Tollem suddenly looked up, his eyes full of determination. The corners of his mouth rose to a smirk. "We shouldn''t be like that Morgana. Remember, always stay positive." He said, before standing up and going out of the mansion, closing the door behind him. Morgana continued staring into nothingness. A single tear went down her cheek. Her face became distorted, as if she is going to cry, before she snapped herself back together. Morgana wiped the tear with the sleeve of her bark outfit before standing up, going up the stairs, and into her own room. The rest of the night was quite, only noise was of a few loud birds from the woods. Distracted Chapter 17: Distracted Jordan woke up. Another day has come. He still doesn¡¯t know what a day is in this place, but whatever. Not like it really matters¡­ Right? Jordan got up from bed and looked around the room. It was the same as always. Desk, chair, window (hole in the wall) and the bed of course. Nothing out of the ordinary. He would be pretty scared if he found that there is suddenly no window¡­ wait¡­ why is he thinking about things like this again? Well, nevermind. Jordan went out of the room and down the stairs, into the first floor. He saw Morgana sitting there, eating breakfast as usual. Wait¡­ how come she always eating breakfast when he wakes up? What are the chances? Jordan shook his head. He¡¯s getting distracted again. He started going to Morgana¡¯s direction when he suddenly stopped. He remembers now. The thing that happened yesterday. Yes¡­ That thing. Now he feels guilty. He made them feel bad after all. Jordan decided that it is best to pretend that nothing happened. Unless, of course, it comes up naturally in a conversation. nodding his head in satisfaction with his two tails wagging happily behind him, Jordan made his way to Morgana. ¡°Hi.¡± Jordan said, trying to sound like he doesn¡¯t care about the events of yesterday. ¡°Hello.¡± Morgana replied, not even looking at him. Jordan just stood in silence. This is probably the most awkward situation he has been subjected to since coming to this world. After standing for a few more seconds while Morgana finishes her meat, Jordan just gave up and found himself a nearby chair to sit on. After sitting down, Jordan looked back at Morgana. This time, she was looking at him. Albeit very coldly. Looks like Jordan has indeed hit a sore spot. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°I¡¯m going outside.¡± Morgana said before leaving the house in quick but calculated steps. Jordan just sat there, feeling the silent pressure, that he has been unaware of, leave the room. ¡°Heyo.¡± Said a voice quietly behind Jordan. Jordan jumped up, almost falling from his chair. He didn¡¯t expect anyone coming for behind him. It reminds him of the time he had with Tollem on the benches. ¡°You there?¡± Said the voice again. Jumping and this time falling from the chair, Jordan hit the floor with a ¡®shit!¡¯. ¡°Holy, didn¡¯t expect you to curse. You alright there?¡± Tollem asked. Jordan nodded his head. This is getting ridicules. ¡°What.. uh.. do.. you want?¡± Jordan asked, looking up into Tollems smirking face. Tollem became serious, still with the smirk. ¡°We gotta talk. Wanna go to your room?¡± Jordan heard the seriousness being radiated through those words. The only thing he could do was nod his head. ¡°Good.¡± Tollem nodded before going to the stairs and up, leaving Jordan on the floor. Jordan quickly got up and went after him. Tollem entered the small room with Jordan on his tail. Tollem sat on the chair and motioned for Jordan to sit on the bed. Now sitting in front of each other, both spirits looked slightly off. Jordan looked off because he was really uncomfortable in this kind of situation and Tollem looked off because he was being serious with a smirk plastered on his face. It looked really eerie honestly. ¡°Jordan¡­ listen. I know this whole situation is hard for you. We all went through this, we all know the feeling. The feeling of helplessness.. Of wanting to go home.. And my honest answer to you is...