《Becoming - Book 1》


 Prologue - The Master Healer

    Against her mother¡¯s decree, young Adii slipped into the forest behind their isolated small farm. Her father was in town on an errand and she was ordered to remain at home until he returned. Born with a deformity causing a severe limp, to Adii, people were her terror and the shadowy forest was her refuge. Her family was too poor to afford sending her on a journey to a far away Healer. Having recently returned from school, a bad place with too many people, Adii was in need of some time in her sanctum. ¡°I will only go for a short trip.¡± she said to no one. She liked no one; no one was her best friend. ¡°I just need a little time to feel better, and then I¡¯ll be back well before father returns.¡±


    While creeping deeper into the untamed woods, Adii started to get a strange feeling. ¡°Something is different¡­Is it more quiet than normal?¡± She asked no one. ¡°Maybe I will come back later. Mother was quite concerned, after all.¡± Adii froze at the sound of a stick cracking nearby. Someone is here, she thought with panic, something is here. Using her well-practiced skill of hiding from others, she sought an appropriate fissure and ran to it, as best she could. It was a gap between a fallen tree and a large rock, just enough to conceal the tiny girl. Heart pounding, she assessed where the noise was moving. It seemed to be going West; she would go East. Monitoring what was behind her as she darted East, she froze again at the sound of movement in the direction she was heading. Adii straightened her neck to look forward and saw nothing.


    Adii paused, searching desperately for a safe direction to flee. Before one could be determined, she was ambushed from behind and thrown to the ground. Her bad leg had gone worse with a gash on the outside of her calf. Rolling to her side she saw her attacker, a mountain bear. ¡°What is he doing so far from the hills?¡± She pleaded to no one in confusion.


    Turning again to get on her feet she could hear the bear from behind, gaining ground until¡ªWhoosh! Once again she was batted to the ground, once again she felt new pain, this time from a bruise in her arm. It may have broken. In one stride the bear was there again, but he did not pounce. Instead, he let her get up. She turned to run, and he threw her to the ground once more, causing new injuries. He is playing with me, like a cat with a mouse! Mountain bears don¡¯t play with prey, why is he¡ªoh no, unless he is moonstruck! She looked into his eyes and behind his crazed expression she saw it: a grey glow of moonlight at the back of his eyes. Oh no, oh no! He is a moonstruck bear! Terror provided her a new surge of energy, and she escaped behind a tree. Running as fast as her legs could carry her, she heard sounds of more bears to the left and right. There was no way home now. As she pleaded to no one for help, the bear behind her advanced and¡ª a blinding, bright white fire ran right past her. Was that an Orshir? She gasped with faint hope. No, there aren¡¯t any around here and that was far brighter than any fireball I¡¯ve ever seen. Without looking back, she continued her version of a run. There were no more sounds of steps behind her, but she could now see the bear on the right, and it was moving fast. As it approached, a whirr in the air grew louder until the bear changed directions, instantly being thrown into a tree where it was pinned by a large spear. It is an Orshir! Heroes of Orshir are really here! Her hope grew wild.


    Unphased by the fate of the first two, the third bear continued towards Adii. Long before he was a threat, an arrow arrived at speed, as if it appeared from nowhere, jerking the bear¡¯s head to the side before it fell forward to the ground. She then tumbled into a thin patch of forest and saw the greatest sight she had ever seen. A small group of people in the act of fighting bears from range, a squad of Orshir. Heroes of the land!


    A woman with long hair ran to Adii. ¡°You¡¯re safe now child. We have you.¡± Appraising Adii, she gave the child a green potion, a body elixir, to drink. Once consumed, the healer held her hands out speaking, and the wounds Adii had collected were gone and replaced with hunger. More than that, even beyond her wounds, her restoration was complete. Full energy, full health, and two healthy legs, the previously deformed one now the same as the other. Adii was in awe.


    ¡°Heh-lef, get back here!¡± Thalgen bellowed with commanding authority. ¡°They¡¯ve locked onto us, and we need to regroup into defensive positions. I¡¯m summoning Magnus and the others to form up immediately!¡±


    Thalgen served as Hehlef¡¯s squad captain. Unlike the typical Mentalist class leaders who excelled at calculating risk assessments¡ªthat was Nordev¡¯s specialty¡ªThalgen had an innate talent for making sound decisions and inspiring the squad to excel. Moreover, he was a Master Striker, a rare and formidable Orshir. Nordev, in contrast, possessed a unique blend of analytical and scholarly skills, but he lacked the charisma to lead. Together, they formed a complementary and effective duo.


    ¡°The enemy approaches with full force!¡± Thalgen directed the squad. ¡°Magnus, shift left and hold your ground. Shria, guard his right flank with your spear and defensive melee forms. Nordev, unleash your arrows on the right and funnel them toward Magnus. I shall strike from the left! Enric, when they cluster together, deliver devastating blows and then retreat swiftly. Lina, you¡¯re on cleanup duty for any bears that breach our front line. Ghan, fortify our defenses with your shields; we shouldn¡¯t need other boosts. And Hehlef, concentrate on replenishing our mana and stamina. If we hold our positions, healing won¡¯t be an issue!¡±


    Bears were dealt with in single strikes from every squad member. As their bodies piled up, Thalgen would sometimes shift the formation back a little, or to the right a little, always clearing new room for their defensive formation. Sometimes the bears would change up their attack methods and Thalgen would adjust for that.


    Eventually, the waves of attacks slowed, then stopped. The remaining bears scattered back in all directions.


    ¡°Hehlef,¡± Thalgen called out with vigor, ¡°escort the girl safely home. There¡¯s nothing out here that can harm us, and with the enemy scattering in all directions, we need every available fighter to ensure none escape. That makes you the best choice to return her. Once you¡¯ve completed the task, come and find us.¡±


    Hehlef made her way through the thick forest with the child and assessed the situation. These bears were incredibly powerful, perhaps too strong for even the best Orshir squad in this valley of over 100,000 people. It is a good thing our squad was passing through and the farmer found us. Without that, these monsters could have caused massive casualties before help arrived.


    Upon arriving at the small house, the young girls¡¯ parents ran to her, the mother yelling her name, ¡°Adii, Adii!¡± The small family embraced each other with tears in their eyes and gratitude on their lips for their daughter¡¯s safety. Adii squeezed them tight, and then couldn¡¯t wait any longer to show her healed leg; no more would she be the crippled girl at school. The joy and thanks from her parents doubled. Hehlef¡¯s squad had brought hope to this family, and forever changed the life of the sweet young girl. This is how it is meant to be, the Orshir giving hope to the world.


    Amidst their continued praises, she gave them a nod and turned back to her squad. With joy in her heart, Hehlef¡¯s mind was on how far she had come. Born to noble parents in the capital city of Hon Rashay, she went to the highest-rated academies where she finished at the top of her class each year. She had apprenticed at the most prestigious healing center in all of the Assembly. After several years as an Apprentice to a Master Healer on a squad, she had formed up with this crew, now a Master Healer herself. She had always dreamt of being a Master Orshir, fighting in a Master squad, and now she was living her dream.


    Each member of the squad, though only at the initial stages of Mastery, showed great promise. By Orshir standards, they are a youthful and vibrant team, embarking on the first steps of their epic journey. A group of eight Masters, out to change the world. The past two years they had been doing just that - saving lives, defeating threats, and bringing hope.


    They had agreed to not take on any apprentices until they were further into their Master levels. Something Hehlef often regretted. Still, she could train someone later. They had victories to chase, and a world in need of help.


    After passing their place of battle, Hehlef expected to find the others soon. What she found instead was Lina searching for her. The news was bad. When the bears had scattered, they had all circled back to the den. Enric, their Battlemage, had the misfortune of being the first to arrive to find higher level Granite bears, and several high-level Diamond bears. Alone, he didn¡¯t have a chance to escape.


    ¡°How could this happen?¡± Hehlef exclaimed to Lina. ¡°How could diamond mountain bears go undetected by magic surveyors long enough to grow this dangerous?¡±


    ¡°More corruption in the government.¡± Lina bitterly replied. ¡°Corrupt surveyors and government leaders are skipping their duties, and there is too much bureaucracy to fix it. Then, good leaders are blamed and replaced by corrupt politicians who only make things worse.¡±


    A sight Hehlef had been seeing more and more of. And now because of it, Enric, a powerfully promising Orshir, her squad-mate, was dead. Perhaps she was fighting the wrong war.


    Before she could finish her thoughts, they reached their squad as Thalgren directed Ghan, ¡°Dispatch a mana dove immediately with a message to the Masters of our guild, summoning them at once. Send another to warn the valley to begin evacuations. Hehlef, excellent, you¡¯re back. You¡¯ve heard the news?¡± She nodded solemnly. ¡°Nordev, what are our chances of defeating this den?¡±


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    ¡°Our probability of success in overcoming this adversary is effectively nonexistent.¡±


    ¡°Ok, what about holding them off?¡± Thalgren pursued. ¡°Can we protect the valley long enough for backup to arrive?¡±


    Nordev obliged, ¡°In an optimal scenario, wherein the message is received and acted upon with maximal expediency, there exists a certainty of incurring casualties among squad members¡ªnumerous casualties, to be precise. Furthermore, statistical analysis indicates an 87% probability of total squad annihilation prior to the arrival of reinforcements.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying there¡¯s a 13% chance of survivors and a possibility to save the entire valley?¡± Thalgren interjected with his characteristic optimism.


    ¡°Affirmative, that assertion is accurate.¡±


    ¡°Alright, folks, here¡¯s the situation: we have two choices¡ªrun and live to fight another day, or stay and likely perish to save the valley. Take a few moments to really think through your decision. Everyone here has a choice, and no one, absolutely no one, gets to criticize anyone for their choice. This is a suicide mission, and it¡¯s okay to acknowledge the futility in it.


    ¡°But while you¡¯re considering, I''ll share my perspective. If I walk away, there¡¯s no place in the Assembly where I could escape the guilt of pretending to be a hero after abandoning 100,000 people to die. That hypocrisy is something I couldn¡¯t bear. So, my choices are to stay and defend the valley or walk away from this squad, from any squad, from fighting altogether. And I, for one, would prefer the pain of death over that haunting guilt.¡±


    Hehlef thought of the family and their praise to her as their hope, their hero, and the girl who had a new life. Could she let their hopes be taken from them so soon? Before the girl ever had a chance to feel normal? ¡°What about the family at the farm?¡± She asked Nordev.


    ¡°Given their proximity to the den, they would be the initial casualties. Despite receiving a warning, their chances of reaching the town, let alone traversing to the opposite side of the valley, are exceedingly slim.¡±


    ¡°100,000," Hehlef continued, "The number matters because it shows the return for risk. But seeing the people behind the number adds more weight to what it represents. Whether it¡¯s 100,000 or just one, if I must die to save even one girl, then it¡¯s a price I¡¯m willing to pay. Count me in.¡±


    Touched, Shria spoke out. ¡°There¡¯s no way I could find a new squad with a better Healer and Captain, so I might as well go down with them. What about you, Magnus?¡±


    The hulk of a friend Shria had so quickly become attached to while fighting side by side responded, ¡°I¡¯m a Tank. Protecting weaklings like you is what I live for. Add another 100,000 to protect? Bring it on! What else would I do?¡±


    Nordev, Lina and Ghan followed suit and it was time to make plans. ¡°Nordev,¡± Thalgren began, ¡°what¡¯s our best strategy to stall?¡±


    Taking a moment to surge his Mental magic and think through their options, Nordev eventually replied, ¡°Our options for ensuring any survivors are exceedingly limited. The optimal strategy would involve retreating to a more defensible position and postponing the commencement of hostilities. Once established, we would allocate every available mana stone to Ghan and Hehlef for support. Ghan¡¯s role would be restricted to providing shields exclusively, with no enhancements. Hehlef would focus solely on healing. Magnus would fortify the front line, while Shria and Lina maneuver horizontally along the front to impede their attacks, delaying direct contact to minimize health damage. Thalgren and I would engage in similar delaying tactics from a distance. The objective is to maximize our health duration for survival. Our attacks must be limited to high-efficiency strikes to hinder their advance, not to kill. Ghan would be unable to augment us, and Hehlef would not be able to restore our mana or stamina. Lastly, our defensive position must allow for gradual retreat, enabling us to extend the delay before full engagement.¡±


    Thalgren confirmed the plan and gathered the squad. ¡°This mission may bring death to some or all of us, marking the end of the Beacon¡¯s Hope squad. Serving with you has been the greatest honor of my life. Farewell my friends. Let your light shine as a beacon to the world today, showing that heroes still exist!¡±


    With that, they clasped forearms in a circle, each reaching their right arm to the forearm of the squad-mate on their left. As one, they raised their hands and declared, ¡°More light to us all!¡± Then, they marched to the grounds of their final stand as a squad.


    As the battle unfolded, Hehlef knew she would be needed more than ever before. This was not a battle to win, this was a battle to survive, and surviving was her responsibility. As the battle raged, little by little her squad-mates began to slow down. Their attacks lessened and got more sloppy, their movements were less precise and they started taking more damage than she could keep up with. Eventually, Shria took a powerful blow and went down. She was too far forward to pull back to safety, and Shria was no more.


    Thalgen moved to the line to use weapons and spells which required less mana, as he was running low, and the line needed someone to replace Shria. Despite moving back further and further to buy ground, Thalgren was no match for the role, and with limited agility and defense, he, too, was defeated. From there, the battle turned painfully slow. Every time Magnus was overrun, Nordev increased his attacks in that area and Lina pulled Magnus back. In time, Lina¡¯s high stamina failed her, and she, too, was taken down. Hehlef now had to be the one to pull Magnus back when he needed it. With no line assistance left, Magnus was swarmed more frequently, taxing Hehlef more than she could sustain. Between the constant healing and hauling, her exhaustion was mounting.


    Hope faded, but she continued on. She had a young girl to save. When all hope seemed lost, Hehlef processed new sounds around her as her exhaustion took her consciousness. Moments later, she woke at the hands of another Master Healer. Help had arrived, but not soon enough. Magnus had been healed, damaged, healed and damaged, over and over. In the end, the relentless beating to near death, restoring, and beating again, was too much for his willpower. Magnus could not be restored any more. It was a long and brutal path to death for the giant of a man. Of the eight promising Master Orshirs, only 3 survived: Nordev, Ghan, and Hehlef. The cost was too high. Hehlef was willing to suffer the pains of death to save the girl and the valley. What she hadn¡¯t considered was the pain of not dying. To see her comrades fall and never rise again. To miss their companionship, and the brightness they brought to the world. All gone, and Hehlef wept at their passing.


    Over the next few weeks the three survivors recovered at the guild under the close watch of their superiors. During this time Hehlef reviewed her situation after the unplanned dismantling of the Beacon¡¯s Hope squad. There were too few to build a new squad, and Nordev had already affirmed that his days on a squad were over. With just her and Ghan left, the need for a new leader, and so many other parts to fill¡­it would be a gamble to try and rebuild. Better to join an existing squad with a record she could measure. But her heart could not start new. Her friends could not be replaced.


    Hehlef¡¯s other options were to work at a healing center, or teach at an academy. By now, the fame of her squad¡¯s heroics had spread far and wide, and she would have many suitors. Both options, however, seemed lacking. They were primed to do great things, to change the world, and these two choices seemed more a punishment for her sacrifice.


    Soon the offers began pouring in. They were as she expected, but one stood out, though not in a good way. A message from the Chancellor of an academy offering her the Premier instructor position. With this, she could do more: mentor an apprentice, teach other healers, and work at a healing center. This would at least be something, if not for where it was from. The Shrouded Academy of Light. Renowned for their class selection accuracy, despised for their under-apprentice program; and she would be working in their under-apprentice program. Worse, there were those rumors about moon kids getting in. The position offered was a mockery to her elite background, her hero status, and her vision to have a meaningful life.


    As Hehlef prepared to decline their offer, she had a visitor. It was Ne¡¯eman, a respected advisor to her family, and the greatest influence in her life. It was under his tutelage that she excelled.


    ¡°Ne¡¯eman, it is an honor to wish more light to you.¡± She greeted him warmly. ¡°Why have you come here?¡±


    ¡°More light to you, my greatest accomplishment,¡± Ne¡¯eman responded with a respectful bow to his royalty. ¡°I come with great urgency to offer one final piece of advice to my former pupil. I have always known you were destined for more than mere success; you are here to achieve far greater things. Recent events have confirmed this. Therefore, I am here to guide you once more, toward a path where you can accomplish even greater feats. The Shrouded Academy of Light is more than it appears, as is the offer they extended to you. I cannot divulge more, but I implore you: if my counsel has served you well thus far, honor my words today and accept their offer.¡± With that, he bowed deeply and departed.


    Months later, Hehlef arrived at the chambers of a fairly young Chancellor, Gavin Lefturi. ¡°Ah, Premier Gheebor! Premier Gheebor, please come in, and welcome to The Shrouded Academy of Light! I am here to ensure you understand the rich history of this esteemed Academy and your pivotal role in its future. You may have heard stories of the Academy, some true and some not. What is true is that this Academy has trained the greatest Orshir in history! What you might not know is that our special mission is to prepare for someone extraordinary, who has yet to come.


    ¡°Your role, in addition to your duties as the Healing Premier, is to watch for a moon child that stands out among all others. When you find them, you must ensure they have the support to build a foundation and become the next great Orshir! You are called to greatness to support this individual while they are weak, until they become strong. Unfortunately, our records do not detail what will make them unique, only that they will be. I trust that you are the right person to find out. Now, come, let¡¯s show you around.¡±


    Hehlef did not know what to think of his story. The Chancellor did seem a bit eager in this fanciful tale. But, she committed to do her best, for the sake of Ne¡¯eman. She owed him that much.


    When the first moon child arrived, she monitored every moment of her day. Having no idea what to look for caused her to question herself often. Whether a particular action was what she should have looked for or not. When all was said and done, the first moonchild finished the year, left the Academy, and faded to memory without event. Over the next 20 plus years, moon kids came and went, and eventually they all looked the same to Hehlef - weak, yet arrogant and demanding. By the time the one named Raiden arrived, she had given up hope of finding one unique. When she heard he was weaker than any before on record, she wrote him off completely.


    However, when the nurse came seeking a language elixir, Hehlef¡¯s interest changed. ¡°He doesn¡¯t speak our language?¡±


    ¡°No ma¡¯am, not a word.¡±


    ¡°That is rare. Most who don¡¯t speak it are from distant planets with their own history and language dominating their commerce. Moon children of note are all trained in our language. They live by trade.¡±


    Hehlef followed the nurse to the young man''s bedside, her curiosity growing as she watched the nurse administer the language elixir. The nurse brought forward the elixer and the boy spoke with words unknown. Yes, Hehlef assured herself, that''s another language. Shortly after it was administered to him, he cried out in misery with more foreign words. And...Hehlef added, the elixir made it down. With the confirmation that the boy had swallowed the foul-tasting mixture, Hehlef¡¯s fascination deepened. She leaned in close to the nurse and whispered, ¡°I will teach him myself.¡±

 Chapter 1 - A Choice

    Twenty-four years old and I already have high cholesterol! Raiden Murphy began to once again assess his young life as he walked in the cool spring weather on his way to his next appointment. It wasn¡¯t so much that his was an inactive life ¨C heck, he even played sports growing up ¨C but since those days he had become soft, even managing to build up an extra tire around his waist. Those dang Oreos, they¡¯re too good to stop eating; and you have to pair real whole milk with them, anything else would waste the indulgence. And bacon... what am I supposed to do, just stop living?


    But stress, stress was a problem, both from having it, and from the way it made him live. Up late nights, binging on Oreos or the saturated fat of the day, and just getting down on himself for where he was in life. Between the stress and the poor eating habits, acne would flare up from time to time on his face. Much of his stress came from his lack of success in life, though there were other contributors. He had what he called lazy ambition - a desire to do great things, too great, so great it was too much to get started. Why couldn¡¯t I think small for once, something good but achievable?


    It didn¡¯t help that Raiden had a knack for being easily distracted. The only thing he could do without distraction was, well, find more distractions, like getting lost in his own thoughts. People with Attention Deficit Disorder might feel better about themselves after seeing his version of it.


    Traffic was heavy but the stride from his modest but lanky 5¡¯11¡± frame allowed him to make quick work crossing through the slow-moving cars. And they were loud, but not enough to keep him from his contemplations of self pity. His older sister had married into money, she was traveling everywhere and enjoying life. Raiden was decent looking with light brown hair and light blue eyes, but his younger brother had dark brown hair and deep brown eyes set on a perfectly symmetrical face with high cheekbones above a strong jaw. Whenever they met girls, his brother always stole their attention. Then when his younger brother had finished school and snagged a sweet gig at some oil company it was a knife to Raiden¡¯s pride. There he was; no degree, bouncing around jobs he hated just to pay the bills. And the best that got him was an apartment with a long walk to everything. Thus, where he was now; walking, again. He liked to say that if they were honest, the slogan for his apartments should be, Too close to drive, too far to walk.


    Raiden tried to pull himself out of his depression, it¡¯s time I dig in and go all out on that venture I''ve been thinking about. Time to act. Then I can afford a gym membership, maybe even have the free time to go there now and then. I¡¯ll begin by¡ªdarkness hit. Unexpectedly and completely. In a panic his mind raced to figure out what had happened. The last thing he remembered from his environment was someone shouting, some tires screeching, and then, the darkness. That had to be it, I¡¯ve been hit by a friggin vehicle and I am in a coma, or¡­I¡¯m dead. Even in a dire circumstance, his habit of getting lost in thought was too ingrained to break, I don¡¯t know whether it would be a good thing I couldn¡¯t spend another 50 years falling short, or bad that I never had a chance to make it big.


    As Raiden debated himself against the benevolence of his death, a beam of light broke through the darkness and began to swell. With the light came warmth and peace. There was so much peace that, to his surprise, when a figure of a woman appeared he wasn¡¯t scared. Raiden was so overwhelmed by the sense of her compassion that he could not focus enough to see that she was radiant. Light seemed to bleed from every part of her like heat would in the cold of night. Despite the glowing effect this caused, the details of her physical form were sharp enough to reveal a captivating beauty. And still, all Raiden could see was her smile.


    Though her lips never moved, her words reached him. ¡°Raiden Murphy,¡± a soft and loving voice carried to him, ¡°your journey on Earth has reached its end, yet you are blessed with a rare and precious opportunity. There exists another realm, fragile and on the verge of collapse, longing for a soul with the power to alter its fate. You possess the qualifications for this noble mission. Thus, you are presented with a choice: transcend your mortal existence or extend your life into this new world. There is one condition: you must devote your life to nurturing and saving this world.¡±


    Raiden was in shock, but the comfort of her divine presence kept him calm, focused, and thoughtful. Needing clarification, a bit of his pride slipped in, ¡°So, if I choose to go to this new world, I would be some kind of superhero or something?¡±


    ¡°You are who you are in this moment, and that essence will remain unchanged when you arrive. To grow stronger, it is through your own efforts that you must seek it. Each step towards personal growth carries its own price, and you must pay it willingly. True self worth is never given freely; it is earned through your own dedication and perseverance.¡±


    Concerned now at his pitiful record to date he thought through the cost, Would I be willing to finally act and do something hard? Am I even up to the task? Maybe this could earn me the opportunity to return home?


    As if hearing his thoughts, she added, ¡°This task carries many unique requirements, each essential for the chance of success. These preconditions have been meticulously vetted, and when I say it, it is true; you are indeed qualified for this endeavor. However, you must understand that, regardless of what you choose to do next, your earthly life has come to an end, and there is no return. Therefore, your choices are twofold: leave your natural life behind or embrace a new mortal existence devoted to serving another realm.¡±


    He was comforted by her words, and though he believed her, the fear of his weakness never fully left him. Raiden had a history of selfishness, not directly, rather from blindness to the plight of others. Inside, he had a good heart. And he knew if he chose a second life, he could not continue as he has. He would have to commit entirely to his purpose. Life would not be for comfort and ease, it would be a life of service. Could I really do that? Raiden worried. Seeking for hope, he asked, ¡°Tell me, how can I do this?¡±


    For a sharp moment she looked at him, her eyes piercing into his, gathering his needs, ¡°Your success is not defined by your achievements or how you compare to others. Your journey of service has one true direction: to become. Strive to be more today than you were yesterday. Persist on this path, regardless of your failures, fears, and shortcomings. Simply... continue to become.¡±


    These words seared into his soul. Becoming better than what he was is a bar that even he could reach, and inside he longed to be able to give to others, to be of worth to others. So he chose.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯m in. I¡¯ll do it.¡±


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    She smiled at him with tender admiration, ¡°Then, you shall become.¡± At that, the conversation ended. As the light of her presence dwindled away, the warmth dissipated, and Raiden¡¯s consciousness faded with it, into sleep.


    After what seemed in his mind as only a moment later but physically felt much longer, his eyes began to lift again. Or, he thought they would lift, but they were too heavy. He felt like he was just hit by a bus. You know, he considered, I might have actually been hit by a bus. Raiden could tell he was naked from the breeze on his skin. He strained to continue waking up, to lift those weighted eyelids, until finally, with vision blurred, he could make out the shape of a small room. With that effort depleting his remaining strength, he drifted back to sleep.


    The next time he woke, it felt like a long sleep for both his body and his mind. Once again, his eyelids were stubborn with heaviness, but he persevered, and through his effort, he began to open his eyes. This time the blur in his vision was not permanent, and details of his room began to come into focus. Maybe his condition of death and rebirth played tricks on his mind, but the room seemed different. It seemed bigger than the blurry room from before.


    It was a simple room, but also odd. Laying flat on his back, the first thing that came into focus was the ceiling and its absence of a light fixture. Glancing around the room he couldn¡¯t see any lamps either. Just an unlit candle on a table to his left, and light coming through a window on the right. And that wasn¡¯t all that was odd about the room. The furniture, the trim, and room decor were all very, well, rustic. Clean but not modern by any means. The walls were plain, off-white, and a bit rough like dried plaster. The entire room was void of ornamentation of any kind with only one exception. On each side of the window hung large flat wooden panels, adding desperately needed decoration to liven up the otherwise drabby room. There was a simple wooden door on the wall opposite the window, a few feet away from the foot of his bed. The table was also made of plain wood and looked handmade. It definitely didn¡¯t have uniform machining and it reminded Raiden of a wooden table from some movie in medieval times.


    Raiden was on a new planet and had no idea what that world was like, nor did he have a way to know exactly where he was in that new place. All he could do was compare the environment to what he did know.


    Great, I¡¯m in a scary old-timey hospital, was his conclusion from what he could see from where he lay. I hope they don¡¯t try to shove turpentine down my throat, or some other sketchy snake oil to ¡®heal¡¯ me. And healing he needed. He felt weak everywhere, even the blanket on him felt like five massive weighted blankets stacked on top of each other. In his weak state, even moving his head took too much effort. Am I paralyzed? He wondered. Dying in a physically destructive way, and then coming back to life sure can take a toll on you. ¡®Four out of five doctors recommend against it,¡¯ he attempted to cheer himself up with.


    Just then a woman entered the room dressed in what was clearly a uniform. It was an unadorned blue one-piece outfit, made to look like a dress shirt and skirt, which went down half way between her knees and feet. She had an off-white, almost beige, apron covering two thirds of the front of her outfit. Her dark brown hair was pulled back tightly into a ponytail, except in the front where cleanly trimmed bangs covered the sides of her face down to just below her cheekbones. She was middle-aged, healthy looking, and not very attractive but also not unattractive. And she was human. Thank heavens, Raiden sighed in Relief. No doubt she¡¯s the nurse.


    She reached to grab a paper off the table and noticed his eyes were open. Jolted by the new development she brightened with eyes raised.Walking towards him, she said in a surreal voice, ¡°Eshlefma, ze tuesh ma daletma rifa?¡±


    ¡°Lady, I have no idea what you''re saying. Can you speak English?¡±


    As her cheerful face slipped into confusion, Raiden couldn¡¯t help wondering, I¡¯ve been sent here by an angel (or some kind of divinity) with a mission to save the planet. Surely as an intergalactic traveler there must be a language translator, or language skill I can get.


    The nurse approached the side of the bed and said in a slow, even tone, ¡°Esh'' dalet, khava ang ma fa?¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand you.¡± Raiden remarked as he shook his head and squinted one side of his face to try an expression of ¡®I don¡¯t understand.¡¯ Slowing down he continued, ¡°Translator, do you have a translator? Something to help me speak your language?¡± This is like an isekai right? Where¡¯s my free translation skill as an outworlder? LitRPG books really let me down on this one.


    The nurse snapped her fingers with eureka on her face, raised her index finger into the air as if to tell him to wait, turned, and left the room. ¡°Finally, she¡¯s off to grab my translator.¡± With the room to himself Raiden was left alone to his thoughts. Where the heck am I? Am I really in a new world I was sent to help? Or was that a dream and I¡¯m in some hack of a medical facility recovering from the car accident¡ª maybe I¡¯ve been shanghaied to Mexico and they took one of my kidneys! Then rational thought returned, No, I could not have dreamed that experience with the divine, it was just too impactful to deny. Raiden had no issues with leaving behind his failures, but he did miss his family, and not being able to say goodbye. And yet, something in his conversation with the woman gave him hope and courage, to live this new life, without looking back. It surprised him how peaceful he was amidst the insanity of death, seeing some kind of angel, and then going to a new world.


    It was several minutes later when she returned with a companion following closely behind her, peering over the nurse¡¯s shoulder to steal a view of Raiden.


    Like all things tend to do, the new visitor distracted Raiden from seeing what kind of translator the nurse had brought. Next thing he knew she was at his side with¡­ a vial of liquid? The vial itself was glossy like glass, but it very much looked like it was made of fine wood which Raiden found to be very cool looking. The liquid, though, was a dark, almost greasy looking yellow. Like a darker, heavier olive oil, but more yellow.


    ¡°Holy crap, that isn¡¯t turpentine is it? Cause it kinda looks like turpentine.¡±


    Ignoring his outburst the nurse lifted the vial towards his mouth. He attempted to block her with his hand but it was strapped down by the heavy blanket, as if he was in a psych ward. Raiden resorted to turning his head away but he couldn¡¯t move it quickly enough, and she promptly poured the liquid down his throat with a nod of satisfaction.


    That... was... horrible! Raiden half gagged as his eyes rolled back and the sticky liquid coated the back of his throat. He wanted to spit it out but he was lying flat on his back and couldn¡¯t turn his head enough to expel it. With his head flat on the bed, it almost felt like just as much of it went up the back of his throat as went down it.


    ¡°Did that go up into my brain?!¡± he blurted out in terror.


    The nurse and her new friend stood silently by the bed and watched him recover for a few moments. Sensing that he had indeed choked the sludge down, the new visitor spoke briefly to the nurse, then they proceeded to walk out of the room.


    ¡°You know,¡± he croaked with resignation to anyone that might have been listening, ¡°that very well could have been turpentine, it was definitely nasty enough for it.¡±


    With the room quiet once again, and the anxiety of strange events settling in his brain, the exhaustion returned to his body. So soon? I just barely woke up, what does that say about my health? With the toxic taste of the viscous drink still in the back of his throat, he happily acquiesced to sleep.

 Chapter 2 - Worst Milk Ever

    Raiden woke up with the headache of all headaches.


    ¡°What did that nasty concoction do to me?!¡± he cried out. Once he got past the pain of his headache, he observed that he was in a different room again. This room was similar to the previous one, except it had a half wall on his left, opposite the window on his right. Just above the height of the bed was an opening in the wall, three to four feet high, allowing him to see right out of the room. The width of the opening ran along the length of the bed, starting around Raiden¡¯s shoulder. Like the window, it had wooden panels on each side for decoration, forcing the opening to start a couple feet away from the corner of the room. To the right of the opening was the door to his room.


    Through the opening, Raiden could see a hallway and then an open area with several tables, or perhaps desks¡ªno, they were workstations¡ªwhere a half dozen people were very busy doing various tasks. Yes, just regular looking people. Raiden wondered, Does this world only have humans? Or does it have other forms of life somewhere? Some of the workers were mixing vials of new snake oil¡ªthose villains¡ªothers were writing on something, and the rest were, with books open, having conversations about who knows what. How would he know? They only spoke in gibberish to him.


    Thanks to his newest verbal outburst, and a lack of privacy, all eyes were on him, their motions paused as if waiting for his next move, or perhaps another outburst.


    Raiden was uncomfortable with the combination of silence and everyone staring at him. ¡°Uh¡­howdy folks.¡±


    Moments later, one person stood and left the work area, and the rest resumed whatever it was they were doing.


    Now able to watch people with less scrutiny, Raiden glanced through the group and noticed that one of the workers was the observer who had accompanied his nurse the previous day. She looked to be in her late 40¡¯s, with a more serious face, and others in the room regarded her with respect. She clearly had some form of authority. She had a lighter shade of brown hair than the nurse, but darker eyes, and she didn¡¯t seem to like smiling. It wasn¡¯t really a frown; she was just stoic, somber. Her build was similar to the nurse¡¯s and she wore the same apron, but under it, she was dressed more formally: a decorated blouse with dress pants. The front of her hair was pulled back and braided into two strands meeting in the back where they were attached. The rest of her hair flowed freely out from underneath the braided strands, something like what he imagined an elf would do, though she was no elf. Raiden was leery of her. I¡¯ll bet she¡¯s the one who made the horrific potion. Note to self: do NOT drink anything she brings me.


    The next thing he knew, someone brought him a small cup of liquid. Speak of the devil. But this was not a dark, greasy potion. Instead, it was filled with a creamy white liquid.


    ¡°Ah milk!¡± he said in relief. ¡°What a nice way to start the day.¡± Raiden was an avid fan of milk in the morning, and throughout the day when cookies were involved. I wonder if they drink whole milk here? That would be a bonus, he thought. Perhaps this treat would help compensate for the stifling pain pounding through his head. He happily lifted his arm to¡ªthe hefty blanket wouldn¡¯t budge, trapping his arm and preventing him from reaching the milk he so passionately craved. While contemplating how best to ask for help, the person who had earlier left the work area returned with his nurse in tow. Entering his room, she approached him with the same comforting smile she had the first time he saw her.


    Raiden remembered the snake oil he had gagged down before sleeping, and, hoping it was some kind of magical translation potion, he was anxious to see if he could speak or understand their language.


    ¡°Hi there, can you understand me now?¡± he said enthusiastically.


    The nurse approached and smiled kindly. ¡°Che rima.¡±


    Raiden thought it might be a pleasantry of some kind. Maybe that expression is not really translatable; perhaps it¡¯s transliterated? He attempted the best smile his throbbing head would allow and nodded, hoping the gesture wasn¡¯t something horrific here. But she was unfazed by his comment and approached with her bright smile unchanged. She picked up the cup and spoke again, ¡°Rilef, led heh ma.¡±


    His excitement quickly sank away. Okay, whatever that turpentine was supposed to do, it wasn¡¯t a translation tonic, what a friggin¡¯ waste of torture! he lamented.


    The nurse raised the part of the bed his head was on to help partially sit him up. At least she¡¯s helping me with the milk. Drinking with glee, he¡ª ¡°Bleh!¡± It was the worst milk he ever had. What kind of mutated goat milk do they drink here? It didn¡¯t have the same kick as the vile tonic he previously took, but it was still no joy ride. The liquid came across as very pasty, more like drinking a gritty glue than something creamy. Does everything here taste horrible? he questioned with concern.


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    Not long after finishing the rotten milk¡ªit probably wasn¡¯t milk¡ªa tray of food arrived, and the nurse prepared to help him consume it. Looks like I¡¯ll find out soon enough. What surprised Raiden was how small the portions of the food on the tray were. Each item looked more like small tapas, which you could fit on the lid of a jar. Is this just a snack? I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m more hungry than that.


    Before she let him eat, she placed her hand on her collar and said, ¡°Reh-tu.¡± Then she pointed to him and leaned forward with questioning eyebrows raised as if to urge him on.


    Figuring this was a name-sharing exercise he decided to give his name. Unable to lift his hand, he pointed to his collar with his chin and said, ¡°Rai-den.¡±


    She angled her head as if storing a thought, repeating his name with her grin never fading. Then she pointed to herself and repeated her name, ¡°Reh-tu,¡± and pointed to him saying his name.


    Raiden smiled and nodded in affirmation. Yay! If I can¡¯t talk in their language, at least I can say someone¡¯s name, it¡¯s a start.


    Disregarding that he couldn¡¯t understand anything she was saying, the nurse spoke throughout the duration of the meal. Maybe she just liked talking? Much to his relief, it was a fairly decent rendition of fried eggs, finely diced potatoes that were almost like hash browns, fruit, and something soft¡ªmaybe some kind of grits. As Rehtu spoke, she would sometimes point to an item or make some hand gesture. Every bite took more effort to chew. Once swallowed, it felt much heavier in his stomach, and somehow more filling. Despite the tiny portions, the food was filling and hit the spot. At the conclusion of the meal, Rehtu left the room with the tray.


    This was Raiden¡¯s third time waking up, and he wondered why he wasn¡¯t hungry sooner. Have I only been sleeping a couple hours at a time?


    Unable to move from his blanket prison, he glanced over the half-wall at the group of workers, and proceeded to fill his time with more people-watching. Before long, sleep crept up on him again. Anxious to leave this headache behind, he welcomed slumber with the hopes of waking up feeling better.


    After a nap of unknown length, Raiden awoke to discover the headache was blissfully gone¡­ aaaand every ounce of his body stung with pain. ¡°Augh!¡± he cried out. From his head to his toes, down to the bone, he hurt. It felt like any part of him could vibrate into small pieces and fall apart. Whatever they are giving me isn¡¯t working at all! He bemoaned in pain. He was beginning to miss having just a headache.


    With his cries once again alerting the spectators outside his wall opening, another cup of weaponized milk was brought to him, and Rehtu approached with a new tray of food.


    ¡°Riesh angano ri ma Raiden, ma anglef rilef potatoes ri eat?¡± she said cheerfully. She had noticed how he had liked those strangely crafted potatoes.


    He was about to respond with a greeting to Rehtu when his mind caught up to what he had just heard. Did she just say a couple words in English?! No, it definitely wasn¡¯t English. Thinking back through it, other than his name, what he heard was all in their language. And he appeared to have automatically interpreted the words for ¡®potatoes'' and ¡®eat¡¯. His understanding came so easily he didn¡¯t even realize he had done it. This was nothing like switching back and forth to the Spanish he learned as a youth. Admittedly, most of it was swearing. He was proficiently fluent at swearing in Spanish; those seemed to be the first words to show up, but he did know other phrases here and there. With Spanish, he consciously switched his mindset back and forth, always feeling like the other needed to be translated actively in his head. But this was different; with this, he just understood the meaning instantly.


    Someone must have lowered the bed flat while he slept because Rehtu had to lift it again. After choking down the new day¡¯s rat poison milk, she repeated her ritual of talking while feeding him. This time, he understood several of the words. After eating, he returned to his people watching and noticed that here and there, a single word they were saying to each other would stand out. Sometimes he had a good idea of what the word meant; most of the time he just remembered it being used more often than other words. Every once in a while, he would catch a phrase where he at least had an impression of their intention¡ªthe gist of what they were trying to convey. Thrilled with the finding, this time as he watched the workers, he also listened more intently.


    The full-body pain continued when he woke the next day. Or was it a new day? He didn¡¯t really know. Without a clock and unable to ask anyone, he had no idea whether each iteration of being awake was a full day or something else. For that matter, it occurred to him that he didn¡¯t even know what a day was here. Was it 24 hours like Earth, or was it something else? Something to learn later, he supposed. True to the routine, again came the horrible milk first. At this point Raiden wasn¡¯t sure whether it was even milk¡ªIt wasn¡¯t. If this is milk, it came from the worst possible abnormality of an animal!


    Soon Rehtu began assisting him after the meal with some form of physical therapy for his head and neck. To make it easier for him to move his head around. The cycle continued: wake in pain, choke down the ¡®milk,¡¯ get fed by the nurse, strengthen his neck, and listen to the workers. The food was always changed such that he never had the same breakfast twice in a row.


    Some days Rehtu was replaced by a different nurse who never said much. She was much younger than Rehtu and far less kind. Everyone needs their days off, Raiden thought, excusing the considerate Rehtu. Still, he much preferred being familiar with the person feeding him. Being hand-fed by a stranger was uncomfortable enough, but the clear disdain displayed by the alternate nurse only made it worse. What¡¯s up with that!?


    Every iteration he felt a little less pain, recognized more new words, gained more movement in his head and neck, and was even able to spend more time awake. Eventually, he remembered to pay attention and noticed that the fake ¡®milk¡¯ was from the turpentine lady, That witch! Another reason to doubt the milk, and despise the deliverer of quack medicine.

 Chapter 3 - A Tutor

    Several days after first taking the lame world¡¯s milk substitute (or possibly weeks¡ªtime was still difficult to judge), not long after Rehtu had finished her routine for the day, the snake oil lady came to the room with a book and introduced herself as ¡®Hehlozelef Gheebor¡¯.


    Raiden immediately translated her name to ¡®turpentine¡¯. Not automatically like his brain did with other words, this time intentionally, because that¡¯s who she was to him.


    It amused Raiden that the sound of the first part of her name was ¡®Hehl¡¯, even if she pronounced it more like ¡®Heh - lo-zelef¡¯. Not knowing that the common shortened version of Hehlozelef was ¡®Hehlef¡¯, after she introduced herself, Raiden nodded in greeting with his own nickname for her, ¡°Hehl.¡±


    Hehlef wrinkled her nose and eyes and glared briefly in disdain at the mention of his nickname for her.


    Raiden chuckled to himself, Imagine if she knew what it meant where I¡¯m from.


    ¡°Moving on, thus far you¡¯ve built your vocabulary of the common language used by the Assembly. Henceforth, I will be providing lessons to enhance their meaning, as well as add insights from their etymology. It is one thing to grasp assumed intent, but it is another thing entirely to understand the environment around which they are used. Always know: wisdom leads progress.¡±


    Turpentine¡ªthat is to say¡ªHehlef, opened the book she brought, pointing to characters and speaking. It was clear to Raiden that these characters were their alphabet and she was teaching him to read.


    After a few lessons, Raiden¡¯s grasp of their vocabulary was enough that he could speak some phrases, and the lessons became more personalized. Raiden would ask about every word or phrase that stood out to him because he heard them frequently. Speaking in their language, he would say, ¡°What does ¡®riesh angano ri ma¡¯ mean?¡±


    And she would reply in their language, ¡°It¡¯s a greeting to wish one well. ¡®Angano¡¯ signifies what comes from the sun, ¡®ri ma¡¯ refers to the other person, and ¡®riesh¡¯ expresses the wish for extra.¡±


    Raiden spoke it to her in her language but translated it in his mind, ¡°More light to you.¡±


    She nodded in affirmation of his usage and replied dutifully, ¡°That¡¯s right - more light to you, Raiden.¡±


    The next day when Hehlef came into his room for his lesson, she opened with, ¡°I wish more light to you, Raiden.¡±


    He replied, ¡°And more light to you¡­Hehl,¡± and laughed at the contradiction, unless flames in darkness counted as light.


    Raiden took pleasure in annoying her with typical language jokes he used to make in Spanish class, ¡°What is the meaning of ¡®hindi ko alam¡¯ ?¡± He would ask (their words for ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯).


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Hehlef would answer.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you know? Isn¡¯t it your language?¡± he would reply in feigned shock.


    And she would respond with a sad stare at his ridiculousness.


    Other times, he entertained himself with inside jokes using his nickname for her. ¡°What in the Hehl does that mean?¡±


    ¡°No, you are using the grammar incorrectly. It should be, ¡®Hehlozelef, what does that mean?¡¯ That is not in me.¡±


    ¡°Good Hehl,¡± he blurted.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Every day when she was done, she would leave him with a different book to browse and read on his own. The nurse, Rehtu, would then have to turn pages for him. Early versions of these books had lots of pictures and small phrases instead of sentences. Over time, the picture count in the books she left went down, while the count, size, and variety of words in a sentence went up.


    When Rehtu was absent, so was Hehlef. And with no substitute for her, there would be a book with an assignment to read in lieu of a lesson. When that happened, the weekend nurse would have to turn pages for him, much to her annoyance. The weekend nurse was really getting on Raiden¡¯s nerves.


    Before long, the heavy blanket was replaced by a much thinner sheet. Although it didn¡¯t fully constrain him like the weighted blanket, this new sheet still felt surprisingly heavy for something so thin. It was at this time, for the first time since arriving, that he was able to see he was wearing clothes. Not a hospital outfit exposing your backside, but pants and a shirt. Thank heavens, those front-side onesies always creeped me out and are humiliating to wear.


    With the change of bedding came a change of routine. With more movement afforded by the removal of the heavy blanket, Rehtu expanded her physical therapy to his entire body. This added a significant amount of time to the routine. Shoulder shrugs, head turns, toe bends, leg raises, ankle rotations - the list grew each time she put him through a new PT session.


    Some exercises he did every day; others rotated around. When the backup nurse was covering, she would usually skimp on his PT routine. Gotta love those weekend slouchers, he thought. From that point on, Raiden decided on what he would call the weekend nurse, always in English, so she wouldn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Have you had enough food?¡± the weekend nurse asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied in their language, followed by, ¡°you untamed shrew.¡± in English.


    Or during PT: ¡°Does that hurt?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ you untamed shrew.¡± or ¡°Goodbye¡­ you untamed shrew.¡± Ohhh the things I have to do to keep myself from going crazy in this prison! Raiden thought wistfully.


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    One day, after PT, Rehtu took him to the bathroom for the first time. He had no idea how that bodily function was taken care of before, but it was good to take care of it himself now. There wasn¡¯t a bathroom connected to his room, rather, one for the hallway like a college dorm might have. To get him there, she put him in a wheelchair and took him down the hall.


    Wheelchairs¡­I can¡¯t believe they have wheelchairs. Did they have wheelchairs in medieval times? Functionally, it was similar to a wheelchair on Earth, but instead of metal it was made of wood; instead of rubber, the wheels were some kind of¡­fabric? And instead of metal foot pedals, it had a single wooden slat Raiden had to step up onto to sit before he could turn and rest his feet on it. The seat itself was something woven out of wood and was surprisingly flexible and comfortable.


    Arriving at the bathroom, nurse Rehtu lit a candle inside, helped him into the room, and then closed the door on her way out. The room was clean but had a very old-fashioned vibe. Near the door was a wooden table with a pan on it and a pitcher of water with soap next to the pan for washing hands. The toilet was more of a chair with a hole in it, but instead of going through the ground, there was a pan of some sort on the floor. Wonderful, I hope that doesn¡¯t splash too much, he thought in concern.


    To complete the western era vibe: just to the side of the chair, there was a wooden handle around chest height, hanging on the end of a rope which went up and over a wooden rung near the height of his head. The rope continued back to another rung near the back of the toilet chair. From there, the rope went down and connected to a hook on something that was attached to the pan under the chair. What a mousetrap! Where¡¯s the cheese? Ah¡­best to not bring up cheese by a toilet, I suppose.


    Raiden took care of business and, to his horror, realized there was no toilet paper. Holy crap¡ªpun intended¡ªwhat do I use to wipe!? Raiden could not believe the nurse failed to instruct him on using the place. I can¡¯t blame her; she¡¯d have to expect that even an idiot would know how to use a toilet. Should I use the water somehow, like the French?


    Eventually, he chose to first just flush, so he pulled the handle which in turn lifted the hook. Unexpectedly, he felt a tingle on his backside, giving him a start. Jumping to his feet in reflex, he looked at the pan and it was empty. And his bum was clean. What in THE heck just happened!? Before he could finish his thoughts, his strain from the jolt and standing up weakened him, and he passed out - his naked bum in the air, posed for Rehtu to find him.


    It took time, it took effort, but after a dozen or so days, his mastery of the language was quickly getting robust, as if he were a young toddler with a more malleable mind. It got to the point that instead of listening for words he knew, he began listening for words he didn¡¯t know and then asking Rehtu or Hehlef what they meant.


    Hehlef was actually quite good with the lessons, eventually making it difficult for Raiden to loathe her as much as he had earlier. She was still not cheerful or warm like Rehtu, but her even-keeled temperament worked well with the lessons. And comparing her to the weekend nurse, Heaven knows she¡¯s better than that untamed shrew.


    Raiden had gone so far as to change his nickname for her from ¡®Hehl¡¯ to ¡®Heh-lo,¡¯ which he pronounced as a greeting from home. ¡°Heh-lo, teacher,¡± he said as she entered the room.


    ¡°That is not correct grammar. You should say, ¡®Hehlozelef is the teacher.¡¯¡±


    ¡°You just don¡¯t get it. Heh-lo, is anybody there?¡± he said while pretending to knock his knuckles on an imaginary forehead.


    ¡°Yes, there are several people here; you can see them through the opening in the wall.¡± She commented in confusion.


    It wasn¡¯t as fun, but it would do. Though he did still throw out an occasional ¡®Hehl¡¯ when a lesson went south.


    Raiden wondered if his ability to learn rapidly was a product of being sent here by divinity. Or was it something else? Another question to add to his list for later.


    Regrettably, his physical strength did not come quickly nor easily, as the reading had. He¡¯d been able to start feeding himself but that¡¯s a low bar. Seven days after the blanket was replaced with the thin sheet, Raiden chose to venture off the bed on his own after his daily lesson. The bed was fairly low to the ground, more so than his bed at home. Well I guess it¡¯s not home anymore, he thought as his heart stung for a brief moment. Because of the bed¡¯s low height, sliding his feet off to the side of the bed landed them on the ground with room to spare. Too much, in fact. His knees were lifting his legs above the bed such that it would take more effort to stand up.


    Grabbing the bed frame by the wall, he exerted himself to pull himself to his feet. Forgetting what happened the last time he stood up, in the bathroom, he lifted his arms in celebration; only to be attacked by darkness closing in from his periphery, and then he passed out, again. The good news was, he didn¡¯t miss the bed. The bad news was, that it was only his head which caught the bed as he fell to the ground.


    The following day, part of that headache was coming back; fortunately, compared to the first one, it was tame enough to only be a nuisance. Raiden thought through the situation, At least I didn¡¯t land with my bum in the air this time. He was still getting teased about that. If I was in one of those empty backside gowns from Earth, it would have been certain to happen. Still, from now on, I go slower, and always keep a hand on something for stability.


    Every day he continued to push himself; every day he passed out before getting back to the bed. At least one of the bystanders noticed because before long, the table was moved to the other side of the bed for something to hold on to; that and a few thick blankets were laid on the ground to soften his fall.


    It was almost impossible to see any progress. After several more days he could barely move to the window of his room, and he still needed the help of secure objects to steady himself: the bed, the wall, sturdy furniture. Everything may have been old-fashioned, but it sure was solid.


    To avoid passing out, he tried to balance doing just a little here and there, hoping to exercise longer. When he could stay up longer, he would have an appetite for a second meal before going to sleep for the day. There was just no easy way to push himself harder.


    If not for the progress with the language and the morning body pains getting lighter and lighter by the day, he would have become very discouraged. But he wasn¡¯t, so he looked to each new day as progress. I¡¯m here to advance, to grow, to become, he reminded himself.


    The lessons with Hehlef were invaluable for learning their language, culture, and history. But as his language skills grew, Raiden worried that he would soon be faced with questions about who he was, where he came from, and how he got there. It was a conversation he had no idea how to handle.


    To avoid getting sent to a government lab for dissection, he wanted to learn more about where he was before he had to explain himself. But how do you bring that up without prompting unwanted questions? Come to think of it, he puzzled to himself, why haven¡¯t they brought this up already? Everyone acted like they thought Raiden belonged there, like his presence there was expected. And it didn¡¯t faze them that he spoke another language at first; they were even prepared to help teach him their language, as if that was needed occasionally.


    Their acceptance concerned Raiden. Before he got into a dangerous conversation about who he was, he needed to figure out why they viewed him this way. He needed to make a plan for discovery and he needed to do it soon.

 Chapter 4 - Drinking From a Firehose

    Raiden had already decided who was the right person to approach for information. On the one hand, over time, Hehlef had become more likeable. Her lessons were great and she was patient with him most of the time. And by now, Raiden knew Hehlef was more educated than Rehtu, and could probably give him more detailed answers. Maybe too many answers.


    At the end of the day, Rehtu was selected to approach for two reasons: she was more friendly, and she was more likely to keep the conversation informal. Keeping it informal was Raiden¡¯s key to prevent suspicion and unwanted questions.


    Once he had a game plan ready¡­well, mostly ready¡­at least as ready as he could figure out...he would begin with Rehtu during their next round of PT.


    Rehtu showed up with the usual greeting, ¡°More light Raiden.¡±


    ¡°More light Rehtu. You going to torture me again today in PT?¡±


    ¡°Probably, you could use more of it.¡± She grinned with her typical bright style.


    They had the standard casual conversation during breakfast and then as PT began Raiden dove in, ¡°So how long have you been working here?¡±


    ¡°Hon, I¡¯ve been here since you were a pup. Blinding lights, it must have been fifteen years already.¡±


    He continued through the list of questions he had prepared in his head, ¡°How do you like working here? What do you enjoy most? What are the biggest challenges?¡± On and on he went with his list of questions, and Rehtu began to open up more and more. Turns out, she could be a bit of a talker when she wanted to be.


    By the end of the session with Rehtu, Raiden had learned enough from her answers to piece together a better picture of things: The place where they were keeping him as a fairly-well-treated captive patient, was indeed some sort of a hospital. But perhaps a very niche hospital. They had patients of all kinds: sick, injured, traumatized. What caught his attention was how some details were very much out of place for a regular hospital.


    For starters, according to Rehtu, the place seemed to be only for private, exclusive clientele. ¡°One of the toughest parts of this job is not being able to help everyone. Occasionally, someone in the area has a serious emergency and gets permission to come here for assistance. But because of that, others sometimes try to come here for less serious issues, and we have to turn them away. I really hate doing that because helping people is the whole reason I chose this job!¡±


    If this place was exclusive, what am I doing here? Raiden wondered. Also strange was the fact that they healed broken bones, head trauma, lots of head trauma, and other serious injuries, but there was never talk about surgery of any kind. There was plenty of talk about elixirs and medicine, usually in the form of a liquid. Which no doubt would taste awful, Raiden concluded.


    Even more strange were the details about a place Rehtu called the ¡°rejuvenator room.¡± Not wanting to push his luck, he didn¡¯t press when these odd details came up, he just let the conversation flow naturally. More to find out later - that list was still growing. He made good progress today, and it appeared without looking the least bit suspicious. He needed to think through the right questions he would ask next in order to learn more.


    The following day during PT, Raiden was especially frustrated with his physical progress. He still couldn¡¯t walk out of the room without his vision starting to go black, and for the past several days, he had been forced to slow down his ¡®exercise¡¯ to avoid passing out. Everything just felt very hard to lift or move. Even his clothes felt heavy on his body. That¡­was a very odd feeling. He was weak, super weak, and that was not changing very fast.


    A part of him wondered if his weakness was one of the shortcomings his divine visitor had mentioned. Perhaps she knew his body would be weakened by whatever resurrected him? Perhaps his calling would be more of a leadership role or other means of influence through philosophy or the like?


    For some time, this had all been weighing on him like the old lead blanket had. He had learned much from yesterday¡¯s conversation, but it still left him with more questions. Consequently, the mounting stress added more weight to his physical frustration, and it showed today.


    ¡°I know you are disappointed about the progress of your physical conditioning,¡± Rehtu said, noticing his worried look. ¡°Even though you clearly have been working hard. Like it or not we have just over two weeks left before the new Annual begins, and then you¡¯ll just have to make the best of it.¡±


    The what now? Raiden jolted internally. What ¡®Annual¡¯ starts in two weeks? Why is she talking as if I¡¯ll be a part of it, and what does it have to do with my physical strength?


    He knew the answers to these questions were important, but asking them could expose him. So Raiden refrained from asking until he could think through the right approach. Instead, he chose to find out how soon ¡®two weeks¡¯ would be; he still had no point of reference for what a day was, let alone two weeks.


    Ultimately, his precaution proved to be in vain. Before he could ask his question, Rehtu continued, ¡°I know we¡¯re not supposed to delve into the personal lives of students, but may I ask which moon you¡¯re from?¡±


    Raiden had more questions now..Student? Why would she call me a student instead of a patient? More importantly, he knew that there was absolutely no way to answer ¡®what moon¡¯ he was from. Not without potentially sounding like this world¡¯s biggest liar - outside of maybe their local politicians. Never doubt the ability of a politician to one up you on lying, he noted.


    Nevertheless, Raiden was ready for this. During his planning he knew he might get asked questions he wasn¡¯t ready to answer. So he had a contingency plan. A contingency plan he had thought through many times long before ever even coming to this world. On Earth he frequently attempted to escape his reality with books, especially fantasy novels.


    Many times in those books, the characters had painted themselves into a corner by blindly making up answers to tough questions. Saying they were from another part of the world or from a country which they knew nothing about. What could go wrong there?


    Others would create names of non-existent relatives, or just flat out make up some kind of personal background which had more holes than a sieve half rusted through. Dancing around the lies led to more lies, broken trust, and never ending trouble. Inevitably they would get caught in their lies.


    Why?! Why try to create what you can¡¯t back up?


    This had always annoyed Raiden when there was a much more simple solution. And besides, Raiden didn¡¯t want to live a life of lies. A life of omissions would be tough enough. Lying when it was convenient was a slippery slope. When he spoke, he wanted others to be able to trust him. Consequently, in response to her question about his home moon, he went with his contingency plan:


    ¡°To tell you the truth, Rehtu, I can¡¯t answer that question.¡± True. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where I am or what I am doing here. Call it amnesia if you like, but I¡¯ve been struggling so much just to recover, it hasn¡¯t been important enough to bring up before now. And then there was the language barrier, which didn¡¯t help. So I have to ask you, what is this place, and what is it I am supposed to be starting in two weeks?¡± All true comments, Raiden preened in his strategy.


    Rehtu was silent in stunned shock. Her mouth had paused in the open position, and it didn¡¯t appear that any air was going in or out. Painful silence ruled the moment, but Raiden resisted his urge to break the quiet by talking; instead, he let Rehtu have the time she needed to process his words. Rehtu¡¯s mouth eventually closed and her ribs resumed expanding and contracting to force new air in and out. She took a moment to gather her thoughts.


    ¡°Blinding lights Raiden, that¡¯s horrible!¡± she finally blurted out, ¡°But¡­if you have amnesia, how did you know your name was Raiden?¡±


    Eyes open wide in disbelief, now it was Raiden¡¯s turn to sit in silent shock. Craaaaaap! he groaned within himself, All those years berating the folly of book characters making up stuff when they could have played the amnesia card, and I never for a moment considered the potential gaps in the amnesia plan. Here I thought I was smarter, and I can¡¯t even handle the first question that comes out of her mouth. I¡¯m an idiot!


    Fearing his visual expression would look bad¡ªtoo late¡ªRaiden steeled himself and went with the first thing that came to mind: to emulate the look of a very confused man, a look of troubling bewilderment. It was an act easy to pull off as he truly was troubled, and bewildered, at trying to come up with an answer to something.


    In hopes of shifting her suspicion he added, ¡°You know¡­ I¡¯ve been wondering about that for as long as I¡¯ve realized it.¡± Another truth, albeit regarding how to dig out of his hole, not why he knew his name. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to he thought.


    ¡°Perhaps it was being deep in a state of constant total isolation, and then finally being able to talk with someone? I really haven¡¯t been able to figure that out yet.¡± A lie followed by a truth. Ok, now he¡¯s only half a liar.


    She mulled over his response for a short time while he sat quietly to avoid digging a deeper hole. Then she spoke cautiously, as if to convince herself, ¡°There have been rare instances of head trauma after a long slide or extensive recovery in a rejuvenation device, which could explain it.¡±


    ¡®Long slide?¡¯ Do they have extreme playgrounds here or something? Raiden puzzled.


    ¡°Regardless,¡± Rehtu resumed, ¡°if you truly have amnesia, there are important things you need to know. First of them, you are on the planet Erezth¡¯or. This place is The Shrouded Academy of Light, located in the Primitive Wilds. This building is the Academy¡¯s Vitality and Healing Center.¡±


    Raiden couldn¡¯t avoid furrowing his brows while she spoke. Is the academy shrouded or is it ¡®of light?¡¯ Geezo folks, pick one. ¡°I¡¯m Sorry, what are the Primitive Wilds?¡±


    ¡°All areas outside the ordered rule of an empire are known as wilds, and this academy is located in one of them. These wilds are called the Primitive Wilds for a few reasons. First, the class proficiency of most people here is more primitive, making it less dangerous.


    Second, the communities are quite primitive too, with no major cities in the area. Ironically, this lack of wealth is what keeps more proficient threats away¡ªwhy waste skills in an area with little to gain, right? So, the lack of wealth makes it safer in some ways.


    Lastly, because of this Academy, which has been around for centuries and is famous for its program cultivating students through the Primitive proficiency.¡±


    Raiden wanted to know what the ¡®class proficiency¡¯ was all about, but had a more pressing question. ¡°So¡­you think I am here for the Academy?¡±


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    ¡°Oh, without a doubt.There¡¯s nothing else here,¡± Rehtu quipped. ¡°And besides, your arrival here gives it away. You came through our receptor, which can¡¯t happen by accident. Only a certified recruiter can grant access. If you arrived here, they sent you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, I arrived through your receptor? What is a receptor?¡±


    Surprised, Rehtu asked, ¡°How can someone who traveled through a light slide not know what a receptor is? I know you have amnesia, but that¡¯s still truly weird.¡±


    ¡°Lately, my life has been nothing but weird.¡± Then, dragging out the next word in a long low tone, Raiden said, ¡°But¡­you know what¡¯s more weird? I don¡¯t know what a light slide is. What¡¯s that?¡±


    Rehtu¡¯s confusion grew profoundly. ¡°Um¡­ really?¡± Raiden flashed an innocent smile as if to apologize, so she continued.


    ¡°Ok. Well¡­how should I put this? A light slide is what we call traveling by spiritual light. You enter a launcher, which pulls your spirit out of your body and uses the necessary amount of spiritual light energy to transport your spirit to a receptor at your destination. When available, the receptor directs your spirit to a nearby rejuvenator¡ªdon¡¯t worry, I¡¯m getting to it.¡± Rehtu added before Raiden could ask.


    ¡°The rejuvenator takes your spirit, provides physical matter, and creates a body around your spirit using coding from the spirit. That¡¯s where I come in. My job is to care for regular patients and assist in the recovery of those who arrive from the slide and are rebuilt by the rejuvenator. I¡¯ve been told I got this job because I¡¯m great at welcoming newly arriving guests!¡± she shared with satisfaction.


    It was now Raiden¡¯s turn to be stunned into a loss of breath. They rip your spirit out of your body, send it on a beam of light, and print you a new body somewhere else? Ho-ly crap! And that happened to me! Well, the second part anyway. Permanent bragging rights on all my Trekkie fans, I got beamed down Scotty!


    Raiden wasn¡¯t entirely sure if it was a good idea to continue their conversation, but he was far too curious at this point to stop. ¡°So, does every student travel here through the light slide?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Most don¡¯t, actually. As I mentioned, the Academy is in the Primitive Wilds, making it hard to reach. Most students travel here through conventional means, even if it takes a long time. Only a few are forced to use other methods due to overwhelming distance, difficult terrain, or being from another celestial body¡ªlike a moon, another planet in our solar system, or even a nearby system within the Spiritual Collective cluster.¡±


    They have interplanetary travel, without spaceships? Medieval friggin¡¯ space travelers, who knew?! Raiden was getting more questions than answers now. Okay Raiden, don¡¯t get sidetracked.. ¡°Tell me, what is the Spiritual Collective?¡±


    ¡°The Spiritual Collective is a group of solar systems that can reach each other via spiritual light travel. This doesn¡¯t mean all of them do, just that they can. Many moons aren¡¯t worth visiting, and landing on a gas planet would end badly. If a place is within the reachable zone, it¡¯s part of the Spiritual Collective, which is a reference for a physical area. If they¡¯re connected through slides, they¡¯re part of the Spiritual Assembly, or just the ¡®Assembly¡¯ as most people say.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t all solar systems reach each other?¡±


    ¡°Finally, a question from you that isn¡¯t weird. Good for you, Raiden,¡± she said, tapping his shoulder in congratulations. ¡°To slide to another planet, you need to do two things: First, the launcher must lock onto the object¡¯s spiritual center and select a fixed location on the surface where the receptor is, relative to the center. This ensures you slide to the same spot regardless of the planet¡¯s orbit and rotation. If the planet is too far to lock onto its spiritual center, travel is impossible.


    ¡°Second, even if you can lock onto a planet¡¯s spiritual center, some planets are just too far to reach. Traveling extreme distances through space causes spiritual light distortion, so the further you go, the more spirit energy you need. Eventually, the amount needed exceeds what we can store. It¡¯s something about the diminishing return of light concentration, according to scientists.


    ¡°Then there are veiled planets. They are close enough for the energy to get you there, but you can¡¯t lock onto their spiritual centers. No one wants to go there anyway. Frightening places, those veiled planets. Some Travel Masters say every collection of systems, like our Spiritual Collective, has at least one veiled planet, making ours strange but not unique. Some cultists disagree, but all agree that veiled planets are dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.¡±


    In an effort to keep her on track, Raiden interrupted, ¡°So, if a light slide removes your body on the way out, how do you add new planets and moons to the assembly without a receptor and rejuvenator already there to land at?¡±


    Rehtu impossibly brightened up even more than usual, ¡°Oh, you asked the right person that one! I know about this because my sister¡¯s husband¡¯s brother, Lefri, is a slider, and he never stops talking about it at family gatherings.


    ¡°When new celestial objects are discovered within our Spiritual Collective, and if they are suitable for travel, they are targeted with a special one-directional slide. Once locked on, they send a specially trained expert called a ¡®slider¡¯ to create a receptor at the new location. This is extremely dangerous, as many things can go wrong¡ªat least, that¡¯s what Lefri says. Though, he is quite braggadocious and can¡¯t be completely trusted.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know a few of those.¡±


    By now, Rehtu was finished with her PT and was comfortably sitting on the side of Raiden¡¯s bed. She leaned in to continue,¡°Now, the slider needs a specially trained form of magic to set up the receptor, because when they arrive, they don¡¯t have a body yet, it¡¯s just their spirit. Once that¡¯s done, a special device is sent by light, which arrives and, even though it¡¯s still just spiritual light, it runs a one-time spell to build a rejuvenator.¡±


    Magic? They have magic here?! This is getting good, Raiden grinned to himself.


    ¡°Once the rejuvenator is built, it¡¯s easy: send someone down the slide to the rejuvenator, which is manned by the slider, to get a body. Next, send the parts for a launcher, which are also built in the rejuvenator. Once the launcher is set up, there¡¯s now two-way travel. Boom, a new member of the Assembly in the Spiritual Collective is connected.


    ¡°Now, just so you know, there hasn¡¯t been a new habitable planet connected for centuries. Most new locations that sliders connect nowadays are places of interest for research: moons, comets, other smaller objects. Nothing I would call exciting, but don¡¯t let Lefri hear you say that¡ªhe¡¯d give you an earful,¡± Rehtu half whispered. ¡°I think they just do it so they don¡¯t lose their craft over time.¡±


    Raiden¡¯s imagination of seeing non-humans grew. ¡°That is wild. With all these other places in the Assembly, how many students at the Academy are from another planet or moon?¡±


    ¡°In your cohort, about 1 in 10 students are from off-world. You¡¯re the only one this year from a moon, which is why you¡¯re the only student in the healing center right now.¡±


    There she goes with the moon again. ¡°Why so few?¡±


    ¡°Sliding from one location to another requires a significant amount of spiritual light energy, making it incredibly expensive. The further you travel, the higher the cost. As a result, only the wealthy typically afford it, especially to send their children to an academy. The rest rely on local academies, which don¡¯t always yield the same results,¡± Rehtu added with sympathy.


    Seeking further understanding Raiden continued, ¡°Why don¡¯t people who live on this planet use the slider when traveling? The distance from here to the other side of the planet has to be a tiny fraction of the distance of traveling to even the closest moon. Wouldn¡¯t that make it cheap enough for those here to use it?¡±


    ¡°Even though traveling between locations within the same world is shorter than traveling between planets, it¡¯s still quite expensive due to significant spiritual distortion in the atmosphere. And many debate whether you¡¯re traveling through the planet or around it. In contrast, traveling through space has less distortion, allowing you to go much further for the same amount of energy, similar to how physical light behaves when looking at moons versus across the horizon.¡±


    Raiden¡¯s eyes popped, ¡°Wait, did you say ¡®moons,¡¯ as in plural?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there are three of them here,¡± Rehtu commented casually. ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s always a cost for the launcher to extract your spirit and even more for the rejuvenator to rebuild your body. These costs remain the same regardless of the distance. Another factor is that some people just don¡¯t like the idea of traveling this way, even if they can afford it¡ªit spooks them. And to be fair, there¡¯s always a risk of something going wrong, like your amnesia.¡±


    ¡°Huh...Ok, so why do you think I¡¯m from a moon?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy,¡± she chuckled. ¡°When you arrived in the chamber, it was clear you had very low muscle and bone density. The rejuvenation chambers provide us with these details so we know how to treat new arrivals. Since your body was formed from the code stored in your spirit, it means your original body had the same conditions. This only happens if someone grew up in a very low gravity location.


    ¡°Your condition was worse than most who live on our moons, so I figured you were from another moon in the system or elsewhere in the Assembly. Most who grew up on our moons, that can afford to come here, have some gravity training and conditioning before arriving. Also, most who come from major planets or nearby moons can speak the language of the assembled planets.¡±


    The world began clicking into place. The room at his first awakening was a rejuvenation chamber. They didn¡¯t question his strange arrival because he arrived in the same strange way some other students arrive. And he wasn¡¯t weak because of his ¡®recovery¡¯, he was just plain weak for this planet! This explained why gaining strength took so long, he was not working to recover, he was working to add new strength.


    Given the strain of moving around here, this planet has to be considerably larger than Earth. The gravity is probably at least twice that of Earth, which also explains why even my thin clothes feel oddly heavy. Speaking of which,  ¡°So what was up with that heavy blanket?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that?¡± she asked, then continued, ¡°With your low strength and bone density, if we don¡¯t hold you down, you might slip off the bed and break several bones, or even split your head. That would be an awful way to start the day, right? The blanket is heavy, though most of us can lift it easily enough, but not you.¡±


    ¡°So did you remove the blanket when I had enough physical therapy to move more safely?¡± Raiden suggested.


    ¡°Oh, sweetie, you forget I didn¡¯t start your PT until after removing the blanket. Even now, I worry you might fall flat on your face at any moment, maybe just from sitting up too quickly! Remember that white drink you had every time you woke up? We lifted the blanket after you had enough bone density treatments to protect you from breaking everything when you did fall. Good thing, too, because you¡¯ve fallen plenty already¡ªyou¡¯re actually ahead of schedule on falling! But don¡¯t feel bad, we expect you to fall a lot. It¡¯s one thing to gain the strength to move around, and another to learn to keep your balance.¡±


    That answered more of his questions. The frigging horror milk really was just some awful medicine! I suppose that makes sense, medicine is supposed to taste horrible, especially from the old-timey days. And then it occurred to Raiden, That means there¡¯s still a chance of finding actual milk here that is worth drinking. Hallelujah!


    Raiden also realized that the open wall in his room could have been designed to help him with the language, by exposing him to others speaking it. He supposed, being locked alone in a room wouldn¡¯t have helped much, very clever.


    Rhetu got up and prepared to leave the room. ¡°And the dark yellow vial on the first day, what did it do?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Oh, that was a specific brain modifier! It activates special parts of the brain used for mastering language. No idea why it¡¯s turned off for everyone by default, I mean, if it¡¯s there already, why not work? Your brain has it, but the language elixir turns it on. Most people in the Assembly took the elixir centuries ago, and everyone inherits that now from their parents. But there are still many places with people who never got it.


    ¡°When someone is found without it, they usually are given the elixir, even if they can speak the language, primarily for the same reason everyone in the assembly took it in the first place: to keep our language from evolving, diverging apart everywhere in the Assembly. On a dare, I tasted it once as an adult, and honestly, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the shock of how awful it tastes jolted your brain enough to turn it on. Nasty stuff!¡±


    ¡°So it doesn¡¯t teach you the language, it just boosts your ability to learn it yourself?¡±


    ¡°You got it! How on earth would a liquid teach you a language, anyway? Blinding lights boy, sometimes, you really say the weirdest things,¡± she said with a playful grin as she left the room.


    At that, Raiden was reminded of a comment from the Divine messenger before he came here: ¡®To grow stronger, it is through your own efforts that you must seek it..true self worth is never given freely; it is earned through your own dedication and perseverance.¡¯


    Rehtu had unloaded a ton of new information that morning, and Raiden¡¯s brain was reeling to absorb it all, much of which posed more questions than answers. It had been like drinking from a fire hose and Raiden didn¡¯t want to overdo it with any more questions. The most urgent questions were answered, and that was plenty enough to digest for now. He was new to the planet and they were okay with it. They assumed he was from some small moon, and he didn¡¯t have to lie about where it was because of his amnesia. Win-win.


    Raiden¡¯s burden of stress lifted. Everything had been set up for him. I really should have trusted that angel, or whatever she was, that she would set me up for success. And he almost couldn¡¯t contain his excitement about the many cool things in this new world.The thrill of magic being a thing here, and space travel? How awesome is that! Still, with so much to absorb and reflect on, he would have a hard time trying to focus during his daily lesson.


    In an effort to give his mind time to recover, he began to walk to the window and back, without hand holds, so he could pass out in bed and skip the day¡¯s lesson. As he walked he considered how effective that trick was. Even more frightening to him was that he had done it enough to no longer be afraid to use it. And then he was out, fortunately landing on the bed. . . this time.

 Chapter 5 - More Stamina Please

    Raiden had been starting every day with his bone tonic. By now, it had been reduced to a smaller portion and the body aches were no longer a side effect. But today, for the first time, he did not get one. Nice! No more gagging to start the day; that¡¯s progress.


    Then Hehlef walked in and Raiden¡¯s stomach growled in concern, She better not be replacing the bone elixir with something new and nasty.


    Little did he know, he was also having a troubling effect on her. She had been searching for a unique moon child, and his circumstances, attitude, and work ethic had already piqued her interest. Now, with the discovery of his amnesia, his distinctiveness became even more pronounced. It was time for her to elevate things with him.


    ¡°Rehtu told me about your situation,¡± she said with apprehension.


    Raiden realized he had never thought to ask Rehtu to keep it quiet, but it probably served him best to have that passed around anyway.


    ¡°I understand your concern,¡± she said gracefully. ¡°I noticed you pushed yourself quite hard yesterday to improve your strength.¡± Although that was not his true motive, the excuse worked for Raiden.


    ¡°Honestly, you are far behind any moon child we¡¯ve had here recently, and they all faced significant challenges. So, I¡¯m not sure what this means for you; but if you want to prepare as best as you can, it¡¯s wise to do it properly.¡± With that, she pulled out a thimble-sized serving of a bright yellow liquid.


    And there it was, what he feared. With a quick bout of PTSD from the first vial of yellow liquid he drank, Raiden made a tortured face and looked at Hehlef with trepidation, ¡°Um¡­what is that?¡±


    ¡°That is a very small dose of stamina potion¡ªit''s not a language skills elixir, if that¡¯s your concern. Few things are as unpleasant as the language elixir. Plus, it tastes quite pleasant for a potion, a bit sweet and tingly. This dose is small, but for you, small goes a long way. During our lessons, you can rest and recover from your physical therapy with Rehtu. At the end of our lesson, I¡¯ll give you one of these to help you finish recovering. So, don¡¯t overexert yourself before our lesson.


    ¡°Afterwards, I¡¯ve arranged for someone to help you build your stamina and strength more effectively. With this stamina potion, you¡¯ll have a full reserve of new energy to help you accomplish more each day.¡± She reminded him again to not overdo it during or after PT, and with the tiny potion still in hand, she turned and left.


    A short while later, Rehtu brought him his meal and greeted him formally, ¡°More light to you,¡± before adding with a giggle, ¡°weirdling.¡±


    ¡°More light to you¡­ Master traveler,¡± he replied with a coy smile, causing Rehtu to giggle some more.


    Their conversation through PT was nothing so serious as yesterday, but Rehtu had really opened up to him, and that new comfort level showed up. Raiden realized how helpful her cheerful and kind behavior had been for him to adjust to this dramatically different world. He had yet to experience true homesickness and she was a large part of that by how she welcomed him to this new place.


    She reminded him of his older sister and how his sister used to tease him, but not maliciously. His sister would joke with him in a way that lifted his spirits. And he knew she was there for him. Until now he hadn¡¯t recognized how much he had missed that, even in his previous life.


    Growing up, his sister was always there to make him laugh, and make him feel like he belonged. And then¡­ she wasn¡¯t; she grew up and left the house with him still there. Now he saw how that had an impact on him. And here, in an unknown new world, Rehtu had filled that void for him, and he was grateful for it. I¡¯ll have to do something nice for Rehtu someday, he assured himself.


    After his lesson with Hehlef, and true to her word, she provided him with the promised thimble of potion and bade him drink it. ¡°This time, I will have you take this here in case you experience any unwanted side effects, hereafter, you will take it right before you need it.¡±


    Raiden chugged the small dose and soon he felt energy going down his throat. Once, as a reckless youth in a truth or dare stunt with friends, he had touched an electric fence and the feeling of current was similar, and different. The fence rammed the current through him at lightning speed with a sharp jolt of pain, whereas this did not. It was odd to feel that same sense of current, but to have it move slowly down his throat without any feeling of burning.


    By the time it hit his stomach he could feel the pleasant aftertaste of honey in his mouth. Soon after he observed the energy absorbing and pushing out to the rest of his body. The process felt a lot like Popeye looked after downing some spinach: the energy from the drink literally rippled out through his body. Now he had more energy than he knew what to do with.


    He couldn¡¯t contain his thrill of its effects, ¡°That was¡­awesome! That was very¡­awesome! How does it work?¡±


    ¡°Most describe it as you have. Essentially, this potion contains pre-digested physical energy to restore your stamina. Your body stores energy in various forms. Fat serves as a long-term energy reserve, but it takes time to break down and utilize. Your energy will deplete long before your body can tap into these fat reserves, which mainly help you survive with low energy.


    Your body also has an immediate energy cache, but this cache has limited capacity. For those with low capacity, like you, it can be quickly exhausted. The available capacity of this cache of energy is known as your Stamina. You have a maximum capacity for Stamina. When you use some of it, your remaining Stamina decreases until you allow it to recover.


    ¡°Your body¡¯s Stamina is essentially physical light in another form, which we call physical or body energy. Light nourishes plants, which store this energy in food, like fruit. When you eat the fruit, your body breaks it down, refills your energy cache (Stamina), and stores the rest as fat for later use.¡±


    Raiden recalled learning about the cycle of food and how when you breathe out you literally return the elements left over from the plant minus the light. Or something like that, so this all rang true to him.


    ¡°This potion,¡± Hehlef explained, ¡°bypasses the breakdown process by providing ready-to-use physical light energy. It immediately restores your Stamina cache, and any excess energy your body converts to fat for future use. Nothing is wasted.


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    That¡¯s why I¡¯m only giving you a small amount. You have limited Stamina, and a larger dose every day would quickly make you gain weight. However, the energy takes time to convert to fat, so you can still use some of it if you act quickly. Which is why I¡¯m giving it to you right before you need it. You¡¯ll get more use out of it, and less will be stored as fat.¡±


    Hehlef was turning out to be not so bad. ¡°Thanks for doing this for me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited. I estimate your year is going to be miserable enough when you learn who your instructor is. I can¡¯t say who, and officially they haven¡¯t been assigned yet, but they do prioritize students with potential into the better instructor classes and for as long as I¡¯ve been here, in odd years the moon kids have all gone to the same instructor, along with the other lowest-rated students. And this is an odd year.


    ¡°Come to think of it, moon kids always seem to be here on odd years only,¡± Hehlef took a moment to consider. ¡°Regardless, I might as well try to give you a leg up now, because the rest of the year you will be at a disadvantage. Now let¡¯s load you into a wheelchair and go meet your trainer.¡±


    Hehlef took Raiden outside the healing center for his first view of his new planet. It was as if the Academy was in a wooded meadow, with well-kept trees all around blocking his view from other buildings on campus, except for the top of one majestic looking roof. Raiden expected to see a dirt path or perhaps cobblestone, but instead he was surprised to see a path of finely cut stones which cleanly abutted each other to make a single smooth surface, much like floor tiling at a museum.


    As they traveled along the winding path, which led them around and behind the roof of mystery, Hehlef spoke up, ¡°The trainer is doing this on his own time so be sure to show him your appreciation. You¡¯ll begin training at the Body Transformation Training Grounds. Later, his training regimen will include helping him around his house. That is expected as a compensation for his time, while still giving you the exercise you need.¡±


    Soon, they approached a building that was shaped like a good-sized two-story warehouse. The building was made of large rectangular stone blocks, with wooden shutters covering the many windows. The center of the building had two massive wooden doors and there was a smaller door about halfway between the center and right side of the building. There was nothing ornate about the building but the craftsmanship gave it a regal look of fine quality. They were good with stone, Raiden marveled.


    To the right of the building was a beautifully landscaped garden with water features, walkways, finer trees, bushes, and flowers. In contrast, to the left of the building was a war zone. Mounds of dirt, trenches, and giant rocks were laid out to create a labyrinth of oddity. It reminded Raiden of a makeshift paintball zone. Towards the back he saw what appeared to be an obstacle course with hanging ropes, walls, and a variety of challenges to test yourself with. Given Raiden¡¯s inability to walk to the bathroom, it was a rather ominous setting.


    Hehlef took Raiden through the smaller door. Inside was a wide, flat area that was open all the way to the roof. A good two-thirds of the floor plan was taken up by this wide open space. The entire open area was empty except for a few things set up not too far from where they stood. The ground there had a small mound and a few minor obstacles that kinda looked like playground equipment, set up next to the mound.


    On each side of the open space there was a walkway with doors to rooms along the outside of the open area. Next to where they had entered there was a small set of winding stairs that rose to the second story which had a similar layout of a walkway with a handrail on each side of the open space and providing access to more doors to rooms along the outside of the building.


    On the other side of the building towards the back, diagonally from them in the opposite corner of the building, there was an identical set of stairs leading down from that walkway. The walkway also went along the back of the building even though there were no rooms there, allowing you to cross to the other side without having to descend.


    Raiden could not see it but he imagined there was a similar walkway above him along the front of the building. What do you know, it looks a lot like a warehouse from the inside too. I better behave; who knows what can happen to a body in a place that looks like a warehouse, Raiden half-joked to himself.


    Near where they entered, the first door on the right side opened to a smaller room which turned out to be an office. Hehlef took Raiden inside, where a man jumped to his feet. He was ideal in size, not overly tall or muscular, but above average in both. Raiden thought he looked like a drill sergeant.


    ¡°Why, hello Premier Gheebor, more light to you,¡± the drill sergeant said in a stern voice.


    ¡°Mr. Maano, more light to you as well. This is Raiden, the moon child I told you about. Raiden, this is Zeparhehri Maano.¡±


    Does everybody around here have ¡®heh¡¯ in their name? Raiden postulated.


    ¡°Son, you will address me as Instructor Zep. Ensure that you do so!¡± Zep had a strong tone in his voice. Almost as if the tone demanded obedience. Then he added with a softer, sinister voice of caution, ¡°You¡¯d be surprised at what can happen to a body in a building like this.¡±


    Zep was everything Raiden imagined a military drill instructor would be: strong but a trainer more than a gym rat, older but young enough to still roll up his sleeves. He spoke in a clear voice with confidence and authority, and he had a sneer that incited you to bow your head a bit when looking at him, like it was a staring contest and you had no chance in it. Oh, and not to forget: he had a willingness to intimidate with humorous threats, in a way to make you wonder whether they were more threat than humor.


    Raiden avoided the staring contest, looking to Hehlef, instead. ¡°Thanks, Hehlo.¡± Turning back, he added, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Instructor Zep. I appreciate your time.¡±


    Zep raised a questioning eyebrow and stole a glance at Hehlef at the mention of Raiden¡¯s nickname for her. She waved it off with a brief one shoulder shrug and left Raiden with a softened, ¡°Good luck, Raiden. I¡¯ll be back to get you when your training is over.¡±


    With Hehlef gone, Zep gave his newest student a good once-over. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve got two weeks, and our progress depends entirely on you¡ªand perhaps some divine intervention, radiance help us,¡± Zep finished with hopelessness.


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, you can¡¯t even make it to the toilet without collapsing and soiling yourself. Our first priority is to build up your stamina so you can move around. Then, we can get to the real work. We¡¯ll start here at the training grounds with some drills. If you can handle that, then in a few days, we can move to my place for more intensive training.¡±


    Zep spoke as he wheeled Raiden to the area with the mound of dirt, "Normally, we would engage in high-intensity training to build stamina. However, given your current condition, we¡¯ll need to start with low-intensity exercises, real low. Let¡¯s begin with a round of walking five steps, followed by a short rest, then five squats, another short rest, and finally five lunges. We¡¯ll repeat this for three rounds to assess your current level and determine how much I can push you."


    Raiden cautiously lifted himself out of his wheelchair, took five steps, and rested. The squats took more out of him but he was determined to make good use of the new stamina. If I just go slow enough, I can keep my balance better and get through the reps without passing out.


    After more rest, Raiden rose to do his five lunges to complete the round. The lunges were dreadful for him. They required more balance along with the lifting of his heavy body with most of the weight being on just one leg. Each step was like a lunge squat he used to do with a bar of weights on his back. Those had always burned his legs, and these did the same.


    It didn¡¯t help that Raiden was not limber and did not have good flexibility. Each lunge was a strain. I hate these! My legs are burning, I can hardly avoid falling, and they go really slow¡ªwait, how many am I at? Three? Four? Maybe just one more lunge. And with that Raiden did one more lunge...to the ground...where he had passed out, attempting just his third lunge.


    Looking at his new pupil face down to the ground, Zep let out, ¡°Well¡­that was unsatisfactory.¡±

 Chapter 6 - Reps, Pass Out, Repeat

    Raiden awoke, and he was back in his bed. Dang it!


    The day started like normal, minus the shot glass of bone density gag reflex, thankfully. Breakfast, PT, and then his lesson. Arriving for the lesson, Hehlef commented, ¡°I¡¯d ask how your training went, but I heard you slept through it. I did warn Mr. Maano to start gently with you.¡± After the lesson finished she wheeled him back to the training grounds and from this time on he would drink his stamina potion only right before entering the building for maximum benefit.


    Upon seeing them enter the building Zep sighed and lowered his head. Lifting his head back up he commented, ¡°Is it that time of day already? I¡¯ve been preparing this place for the beginning of the Annual and was sick of moving heavy furniture around all by myself. But with you here it doesn¡¯t sound so bad and I almost want to get back to it.¡±


    ¡°More light, Instructor Zep,¡± Raiden began in an attempt to shift the conversation.


    ¡°More light to you¡­¡± Zep replied, and then deadpanned slowly, ¡°Lunar boy,¡± finishing with a stare.


    Beating Raiden at the staring contest again, Zep took Raiden into the open grounds and said, ¡°Ok, this time we are starting you at the rock bottom and working our way up. One rep of each drill with rests in between. You will end up resting more than a crippled sloth at the zoo, but perhaps we can at least drag out more total reps that way.¡±


    They have sloths here? Humans and now sloths, I wonder if everything here is like Earth.


    With the plan laid out they began. Zep shouted, ¡°Give me a lunge you muscle deficient primitive achbee.¡±


    That answers that, I¡¯ve never heard of an achbee, something for my word list. Raiden replied, ¡°Yes, Instructor Zep.¡±


    ¡°Now, sit and rest, you poached egg.¡± Zep finished with bitterness in his voice.


    ¡°Yes, Instructor Zep.¡± Raiden said, adding softly in English, ¡°you slave driver.¡±


    ¡°Say what, now!?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, Instructor Zep,¡± then even softer in English, ¡°you stink for brains.¡±


    During the reps, Zep taught Raiden all kinds of new words and phrases. It was interesting how they translated. Raiden had a pretty good idea what phrases some of them were equivalent to in English but he chose to translate them in his mind to the literal words as he found that more entertaining. That way the phrases sounded more like, ¡®your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries,¡¯ and ¡®I fart in your general direction.¡¯ Ah Monty Python, classic stuff.


    Through the drills they went, and sure enough, Raiden was able to get through three rounds without passing out. He had gotten low on stamina, but Raiden hadn¡¯t approached the point of his vision going dark even once. While the single reps had been working, there was a downside.


    With resting taking so much longer than the reps, it took a considerable amount of time to get reps done, and Zep was clearly frustrated. By the end of the third round Zep¡¯s patience was spent. ¡°Launch me one way to the veil child if I have to suffer another round like that. Let¡¯s increase to two reps per drill and see which of us passes out first.¡±


    Raiden was rather surprised at how many total reps he was doing. Two more rounds at two apiece jumped his total reps of all drills from 12 the first day to 35 the next. Interval training was exactly what he needed for total progress. Zep, the old cretin, knew his stuff.


    ¡°Alright son, I can¡¯t let you leave here without pushing you to your limits, and we¡¯re nearly out of time. Get up and walk to the door at a brisk pace. It¡¯s only about 10-12 strides. I¡¯ll place your wheelchair over there¡ªlet¡¯s see if you can reach it.¡±


    To Raiden¡¯s surprise he was already walking more at the end of the workout than he used to be doing at the beginning. I just might make it to the chair, Raiden said while counting his steps, 6, 7, 8,¡ªblackness surrounded him and he was out.


    The next morning, Raiden woke with infused excitement¡ªand cramps up and down both legs. Tossing and grabbing his legs, he feared he might pass out from the exertion of the cramps, and then waste an entire day. Hehlef quickly came to his rescue with a thimble of something that looked like engine coolant. It was green, but almost glowing green like radiation.


    Could this turn me into the Incredible Hulk? Raiden¡¯s thoughts began distracting him from the issue at hand until the spasms in his legs reclaimed his attention. He was unwilling to pause long enough to ask what it was, so he quickly downed the potion.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    It had a similar feeling as the stamina potion did, the energy rippling through his body; but the taste, oh man, the awful taste. No honey in this one! It¡¯s more like super earthy spinach¡ªmoss?¡ªgreen algae maybe.


    Algae or not, that energy ripple did move the potion through his body at a blessed speed. And where the potion went, the energy gathered and quelled the cramping. His muscles were still tight and tenuous, they weren¡¯t healing instantly, but he could tell it was healing fast enough to observe it.


    In relief he sighed, ¡°Thanks Hehlef, I really needed that. What was it?¡±


    ¡°That was a healing potion.¡± Hehlef stated, holding up the empty vial before placing it in her pocket. ¡°Given your weakness, a basic body elixir wouldn¡¯t have worked quickly enough to stop your cramps before you passed out. However, healing potions are extremely expensive, and if you did not need such a small amount, I would not have been able to give it to you. So, enjoy it while you can because starting tomorrow, you will only receive the body elixir.


    ¡°Someone will give it to you first thing every morning, as we did with the bone density potion. The day after starting new workouts is always the hardest, so you should be fine with the body elixirs from now on. I would give them to you after workouts to work while you sleep, but it is better for your body to learn to recover more on its own right now. This will help you build up your recovery speed. Besides, you never return conscious enough to drink it.¡±


    Recognizing this would help him immensely, Raiden shared, ¡°I double thank you, then. So¡­what exactly is a body elixir, and how is it different from the healing potion?¡±


    ¡°A body elixir contains the physical materials and nutrients your body needs for healing, already pre-digested for immediate use. It has no magic; instead, your body¡¯s natural recovery does the healing. This means it only works as fast as your own healing process allows. Still, it provides everything your body needs to ensure you will heal at your maximum possible speed.


    ¡°It also has the same unpleasant taste of a healing potion, minus the tingly sensation of immediate healing, so that you can start your day with a foul taste in your mouth.¡± She smirked with a half grin.


    You just couldn¡¯t let me go without a miserable drink to start the day, could you! He steamed in a mumble to himself. ¡°Hehlo darkness my old frieeeend,¡± Raiden sang, ¡°you bring me poison once again.¡±


    Hehlef gave him a confused look. ¡°You never run out of those do you?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± He replied.


    ¡°Returning to your question,¡± she resumed, ¡°a healing potion is a body elixir infused with magic. The elixir provides the material your body needs to recover, and the magic accelerates and enhances your healing ability to use those materials. It speeds up your healing process and expands what you can heal.


    ¡°While your body wouldn¡¯t naturally regrow a finger, a healing potion could achieve that. The higher the quality of the potion, the more it can heal. This magical infusion is why you felt the energy spread throughout your body, similar to the stamina potion.


    ¡°Because someone with magic used their energy to infuse the potion with a healing spell, it costs more than a regular body elixir. You¡¯ll learn more about this from your instructor when the Annual begins.¡±


    With that Hehlef walked out and Raiden could hardly contain his excitement. This new world had magic, and he was going to learn it!


    Soon Rehtu arrived with his breakfast. ¡°More light, weirdling.¡±


    ¡°More light, Master traveler.¡± Raiden replied as they exchanged grins.


    By the time he finished breakfast he felt more sturdy and ready for his daily PT. Raiden wasn¡¯t entirely sure why they continued with the PT because he had nothing to heal from; but Rehtu continued to mix up his regimen and he figured it was designed for his low muscle density. Balancing exercises had been added by now and all of it was still doing him some good.


    Later that day when Raiden arrived at Zep¡¯s office, Zep was visibly less agitated than the day before, and they went right to work.


    ¡°Alright, Lazy Lunar, today we¡¯re stepping up the intensity,¡± Zep barked out. ¡°To maximize stamina training, we need to alternate muscle groups to prevent fatigue from yesterday¡¯s exercises. So, today¡¯s drills are different: walk up the mound two steps, rest, walk down two steps, rest, two sit-ups, rest, and finally two push-ups. Let¡¯s get to it!¡± This time on round four, Raiden passed out during his third pushup.


    The cycle continued: reps, pass out, repeat. Soon, walking was removed from the drills and just used as a way to get to new drills. The variety of the drills also expanded to include using some of the equipment near the grounds, walking on a balance bar with the help of hanging rope, monkey bars made out of wood, uneven stairs and a rope swing.


    The monkey bars were especially menacing to Raiden. Trying to hold his weight with his hands was nigh impossible, holding with one hand to grab the next bar took a lot out on him. At least he could use both hands with the rope swing. At first he would only travel two bars, one for each hand, and then Zep had to help him down.


    Dropping from a height of only a few feet was not a good idea for him in his condition. Zep wasn¡¯t a fan of having to haul him up and down, but Zep continued with it. Raiden wasn¡¯t entirely sure if Zep wasn¡¯t just doing it as a form of torture. Already his hands were blistering up.


    As the days passed, Raiden kept increasing his reps, Zep varied his drills, and Raiden ended each workout by passing out.


    Raiden also kept learning new phrases from Zep, albeit ones he probably should avoid using. Raiden had no way to tell which expressions were harmless and which were universally vulgar, but he was pretty sure at least some of the nasty ones were mixed in there, and it was always better to be safe than sorry. Maybe I should just say them in Spanish so they don¡¯t sound so bad? That worked at home.