Soft rays of sunlight stir me from sleep. My eyes are closed, but I can sense the chaos surrounding me through my skin. The air is cool and is what I would call the perfect temperature. It’s not too chilly to where I’d want to bundle up in a pile of blankets, but it’s not warm enough to where it’d encourage me to take off layers of clothing.
I can’t remember exactly what happened to me. All I can recall is trying to use my Gravefire ability to try to stop the monster. Well, I guess that’s not entirely true, since I pivoted at the last second to try one of Lucia’s spells.
How could I be so stupid? Trying out a new spell in a life-or-death situation, and for a stupid reason too. In a way, I don’t entirely blame myself for not wanting to risk my other arm. Besides, what’s the point in saving Albo if I won’t even be able to hug him? I know his life, and mine, are far more important in the eyes of others, but not to me.
I want to be able to hug him, feel his face in my hands, and pull him in closer for…
“Stop, what am I thinking?” I mumble, but my lips barely move, and the sentence is mostly carried out inside my head.
As my senses slowly start to sharpen, more and more of the world around me starts to become clear. My ears pick up the sound of countless voices mixing into one clump of noise, making it impossible to tell what’s going on around me. Closer to me, though, I hear the loud taps of something solid hitting against the floor, like footsteps, but amplified by five.
Either my sense of hearing is all out of balance, or I’m on the ground somewhere.
My nose picks up contradictions as well. On one hand, I can smell the sweet aroma of food mixed in with various spices and sauces. I’ve heard that Aimafina is the prime location for any kind of good food, since most of the world’s famous seasonings originate from this nation.
But on the other hand, I smell dirt and something musty. I can’t quite tell what it is, but neither my sense of smell nor hearing are being of much help in discerning my surroundings. Which only leaves me with one choice, and that’s to open my eyes.
“—Ngh…” I grunt while trying to move my body. They feel stiff for sure, but not to the same level that one would experience after getting their guts shattered. It all happened so fast, but I could feel the sharp pain immediately after. The last thing I remember was the wind on my face, as I was seemingly being carried away by that large monster.
So then, does that mean I died? And this is some sort of afterlife?
“Excuse me! Are you okay, young lady?” a voice calls out to me.
It’s a bit deep, but not enough to where it sounded like the dragon-kin that tried to help me back when I first arrived in Yucu Saa. Now that I think about it, I’ve barely had enough time to even grasp what was happening before I got knocked out.
I entered the city, got cursed, attacked, ran away, attacked again. A constant cycle with no rest, besides using Andalia’s lap as a pillow and her soft, fluffy tail as my only tether with sanity. Maybe I should have taken up her offer and slept in a little bit more.
Nah… that monster would have come down on us anyways. If anything, I feel like it ended up for the better that I woke up so early, because at least then, I was somewhat ready to fight. I can’t imagine being so brutally woken up, and then being thrust into battle.
“Hey, can we get some help around here?” the male voice rings in my ears again. I can feel a pair of large, rough hands shaking me up and down. My neck flails without resistance. If I keep this up, he’ll surely snap my neck sooner or later.
Using all the force I can muster, I open my eyes.
Immediately, I’m encouraged to close them again with the sheer amount of sunlight beaming down on me, as if it’s trying to shoot me down from the skies. Instinctively, I raise my right arm to give my eyes a bit of shade.
Then, the world around me slowly but surely starts to come into focus. Even though I was just making random assumptions, and maybe even sprinkling a bit of humor in there, I really was just laying on the floor in the middle of a busy street.
The man’s face is awfully close to me, only backing up when realizing I returned to the world of the living. He gasps in relief, before pulling away further and further, eventually standing up on his own two feet.
He then extends his right hand to help me up.
I’m not sure exactly what’s going on, but I decide to take him up on his offer and extend my own right hand. We grip each other’s wrists, as he pulls me up with all his might. My legs feel a bit wobbly, so it’s a struggle to stand, but using whatever reserve energy I have within me, I somehow manage to stay upright.
Surprisingly, the man, despite being human, seems much taller than I expected. If he were a demi-human, or even a dragon-kin, I would completely understand the massive height difference, since they’re known to be on the taller side.
But a regular human? Surely this means either this guy was born really tall, or Aimafina has some great supplements to aid in height growth. If it’s the latter, then I’ll definitely have to look for some and surprise Albo with my sudden growth spurt.
He always used to tease me about how I was shorter than him, even though we’re only like a pinky finger apart. But next time he sees me, I’ll be sure to enjoy his face in despair as he learns that I can finally get my revenge after all those years of torment.
“You had me worried there, little girl. Do you know where your parents are?”
The man snaps me out of my thoughts, and I shake my head at his question. My throat feels parched, so I don’t exactly feel like talking right now.
Bending his knees, he places his right hand on my head and begins to ruffle my hair with a smile. It’s so rough that it feels like the hair on my scalp is about to be torn away with each bit of movement.
“Take care, alright? Make sure to properly find your parents.”
By the time I start to process what he was saying, the man’s already long gone, lost in the sea of countless people wandering the streets of Yucu Saa. I try to scan my surroundings to the best of my ability, but for some reason, everyone walking past me is freakishly tall, making it impossible to see where I’m even at.
Based on the strangely shaped tips of the buildings around me, it’s safe to say that this city, at least architecturally, is the exact same as Yucu Saa. I heard that each tribe and city was quite different from one another, but since Yucu Saa is smaller geographically, it wouldn’t be impossible to assume that their culture and way of living might have influenced other nearby cities.
I shake my head to clear my thoughts. Just then, my body is thrust forward by someone bumping into me. They turn their head and look down, apologizing and immediately returning to where they were headed.
That settles it. If I’m this short, I might as well find some kind of shelter or building to stay in, or else it’s only a matter of time before I get absolutely stomped on by quite literally everyone that’s even close to me.
Firing my brain on all cylinders, I let instinct take over, my body smoothly snaking around the crowd until I eventually reach the end of the line, where there are only a few vendors at the base of what seems like a stone wall.
To be quite honest, I wanted to simply leave by going to the side, but since I’m in what seems like an open market, everywhere I went was just filled with crowds of people. I thought that this place definitely seemed more peaceful than Atrila, but it turns out it’s even busier.
At least at the end of the line, there’s some shade for me to rest under.
“Come take a seat here, sweetheart.” An older, dark-skinned lady calls out to me. She’s human too, but doesn’t seem to be as tall as everyone else. It’s most likely because her back is arched forward from old age. Still, that doesn’t stop me from taking up her offer.
I sit down next to her tent, away from the sun and away from the shade. The hair on my head immediately feels cooler, and I let out a single huff, releasing all the heat that was accumulating within me for the last few minutes.
It’s still winter, right? Why in the world does it feel so hot and humid?
She doesn’t strike up a single conversation with me, and continues to do her business. I look down at the ground to see that she’s laid out a long, red carpet, and filled it with countless necklaces made of stone and clay. They’re inlaid with beautiful designs to resemble the vibes of the jungle.
Reaching out, I grab one of the necklaces with my right hand. The one I picked up is circular, with strange circles etched onto the stone. In the center of it all is a marking that, from what I can tell, is a carving of a snake. It’s small, but definitely noticeable.
“I’m surprised you took an interest in that one,” the old lady says as she turns to me. Her eyes are barely open, and her skin is far more wrinkly than I expected from when I first saw her. I cock my head to my shoulder, curious as to what she’s talking about.
“People here only want the pretty things. That symbol represents a time when we, the people of Yucu Saa, were much more peaceful and loving.”
//
I turn my gaze back to the stone. She’s right, it’s definitely not something people would buy because it’s beautiful. But there’s clearly history and meaning that’s been carved into this lonely stone. Unlike the others, which were painted green, white, and red, this one was simply brown, barely changing its color from the stone it once was.
The old lady continues, “These days, people are so paranoid about the state of the world that they started resorting to sacrifices at the pyramid.”
I nod while following along. I know every tribe and culture is different, so I won’t judge all of Aimafina, but maybe Yucu Saa is far more merciless when it comes to their religious practices. In a way, I can’t help but feel disgusted, but at the same time, there’s this strange sense of acceptance in my heart.
Maybe it’s because I can’t relate to her, or I guess, their experiences?
Fighting against my dry throat, I finally speak to her, “How long have you lived in Yucu Saa for?”
My voice is strangely higher-pitched than normal.
She raises her head and stares into the skies. With a nostalgic grin, she responds to me, “Sweetie, I’ve been here all my life.”
“Oh, I see…” I reply, giving her a soft grin back.
Then, as if I’ve stopped mid-sprint, my mind comes to a screeching halt. The wires within my brain begin to twist and turn, producing enough electricity to power, at the very least, the next string of thoughts.
Suddenly, my heart begins to feel heavy, beating louder than it ever has before. Turning to the older lady, I frantically ask her, “Sorry, is this Yucu Saa?”
She stares at me like I’ve asked the weirdest question in the world. Leaning forward, she inspects my face before placing her cold, wrinkly hand on my forehead. After a few seconds, she lets go, backing away slightly.
“You don’t seem to have a fever.”
“Were you just lost? If you are, I can help you find your parents.”
Why is she talking to me like a kid? Her and the last guy both mentioned my parents. Just because I’m a bit shorter than everyone else doesn’t mean that I need adult supervision. Besides, this lady is around my height anyway, how would she feel if someone treated her the way she was treating me?
More importantly, this is Yucu Saa? I assumed that since the structures looked a bit different, that it was a different story. But now that I think about it a bit more, it would make no sense for me to wake up in the middle of nowhere.
It’s a fact that I’ve known before I even opened my eyes. I lost that fight against the monster. So my only explanations would be the fact that I died and this is the afterlife, or I somehow turned back time to before the monster was summoned.
Strangely, the theory, no, reasoning about the afterlife makes much more sense to me.
My body begins to tremble, and I can barely feel the circulation of blood in my feet. I knew it was too perfect, something had to be wrong. But then, how come everyone seemed so freakishly tall?
Before I can ask the old lady any more questions, she grips my right wrist and gently pulls me, encouraging me to stand back up. She’s talking to the vendor next to her, asking them to look over her tent.
But that’s not what I’m focused on right now. My eyes go wide at the sight of something I never expected to see again. Now that I think about it, I’ve gone all this time without even thinking about my physical state that I’ve ignored it completely. But the answer to the fact that all this was so weird was in front of me all along.
My right arm… is still there.
And moreover, it’s smaller, thinner, almost like that of a child.
Yanking my hand away from the older lady’s grip, I set myself free. Then, with my back turned, I slowly back away from the tent. My legs are trembling from anxiety, and my stomach starts to feel sick.
When I exit the cover protecting me from the sun, I realize what I was resting under this entire time. Because of my short height, I wasn’t able to see the full structure that was looming over the city. Of course, when I was taller, this wasn’t an issue, but in order for me to fully perceive the building, I have to bend my neck upwards.
It’s the same pyramid, the one that I destroyed, standing like nothing ever happened.
“What the hell is this?!” I exclaim, bursting into a sprint away from the tent. In the distance, I hear the old lady cry out to me, begging me to come back. She tries to chase me, but her frail legs give out before she can properly gain any momentum.
Me, on the other hand, am just letting the full force of my now strengthened legs carry me forward. The wind tries to slow me down, its strong resistance hitting my face with a cool, yet lung-piercing breeze. Even though it’s only been a few seconds since I started running, it already feels like my internal organs are about to burst.
Eventually entering the sea of people wandering in the city’s market, I bump into all kinds of different people. Some apologize, while others look at me in disgust, offended at the fact that someone would even touch them.
I don’t understand. Why do I have my arm again? Why am I so short? Am I really dead?
“—Haah.” Running out of breath, I take a sharp turn into an alleyway. The floor is filled with dirty water that seeped out from both garbage cans and was thrown away by people manually. My shoes splash, turning my toes wet.
That’s when a second surprise hits me. When I was with Andalia, I was wearing full boots. It makes no sense that my toes should be so exposed. Now that I realize it, I don’t feel the tug of Albo’s robe wrapped around my neck either.
Taking a moment to inspect my clothes, my jaw drops at what I’m left with. Instead of the adventurer outfit that I’ve been wearing all throughout my journey, I’m wearing a silky white dress, with a pair of brown sandals for shoes.
Then, my gaze fixates on the puddle of water underneath me.
My heart stops, and the world around me seemingly freezes. This can’t be happening. Using both my hands, I touch my face over and over again, making sure that what I’m seeing in the reflection is actually a part of reality.
“—Why am I…”
I try to mutter the words out to give myself a reality check. But the more I think about it, the more my tongue and throat refuse to work with one another. My teeth clatter at the sheer anomaly that I’m being confronted with.
With heavy breaths, I keep inspecting myself over and over again from head to toe, occasionally touching my hair as well.
The girl before me isn’t the same one that’s gone through years of hell after accidentally killing my parents. She’s not the same one that attended the Kala Magic Academy with Albo, and she’s certainly not the one who had the capabilities of casting such powerful arcane magic.
No, the person that I’m seeing in the reflection isn’t Saya Idlansil, or not the one that I’ve grown accustomed and familiar to. It’s the girl that I hated for so long, that I refused to even look at myself in the mirror until a certain someone made me feel better about myself.
Reality setting in, the world seemingly resumes back to normal, and my vitals start to calm down slowly. My breath finally steadies itself, as the words I never expected to say even once in my life form in my mind.
Trembling, I finally ask myself.
“Why am I a kid again?”