Discordant Note | TBATE

Chapter 3: The Magics of Two Lands

Toren Daen

Sunlight and pain woke me up quickly. I weakly picked myself up from my position on the ground, wincing at the pain in my shoulder and the tears in my forearm. Where was I?

Looking about sobered me quickly, bringing me back to the land of the living. The coppery smell of blood was thick in the air, and flies already buzzed around the bodies of the mana beasts. The sight made my stomach churn, but I held back the need to vomit.

Right. I was in another world that shouldn't exist. And nearly died last night. Again.

The pain was notably less, however, from what it was yesterday. Sparing a look at the torn flesh of my forearm, I noticed a significant buildup of mana around the wound. I felt like it was healing me, but at a faster rate than was natural.

My mana sense was a strange thing. The more I felt, the more I remembered, for lack of a better term. I could recognize the ebbs and flows within my body with more clarity and certainty as I adapted to my new body.

But I had more glaring concerns right now. I was very, very thirsty. And as far as I could tell, there was no water in sight.

But I needed to move. The smell of blood would undoubtedly draw more predators. I was lucky enough to last the night without any.

Before I left, however, I ripped a strip of cloth from my already ragged shirt. It was far from clean; covered in grass stains, blood, and dirt. But it was better than letting my arm continue to bleed. I gingerly wrapped my eviscerated forearm in the cloth, wincing every time it touched the raw flesh. I didn't think I had ever been hurt this badly in my life. In either life.

Red spots immediately began to soak through the thin cotton-ish material, along with renewed bouts of pain. I ignored them as best I could, finally setting out from my first battlefield. I couldn't stay near the corpses.

I walked along the wall of earth, taking my time now that the sun was up. The danger of mana beasts was still absurdly high, but in the daytime, I would have more time to react to any perceived threat.

But one thing was for sure: I wouldn't be able to survive for very long with my weaker body. I didn't know how much more forest I needed to cross, but I wasn't holding my breath. I didn't have the endurance or strength to face mana beasts for long, and I wasn't a prodigy in the sword like Arthur to fight unenhanced. I barely escaped my first fight alive.

Once I put some distance between me and the site of my previous battle, I tiredly sat down in the dirt and leaned my back against the wall. It provided a modicum of cool shade, distracting me from the throbbing in my arms.

"Lady Dawn?" I asked aloud tiredly, closing my eyes. "I need advice. Please."

My voice was scratchy and worn to my own ears. I was dehydrated and barely past a near-death experience, after all.

When I pried my eyes open a few seconds later, my vision was once more clouded in darkness. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind and morning birdsong once dulled as if I was underwater. Eddies of mist swirled about the ground, and my perception narrowed.

Lady Dawn stood before me, looking down at me with the same stern face. Her orange dress, inferno eyes, and feather-red hair hadn't changed in the slightest. Despite her neutral expression, I could almost feel the disappointment radiating off her.

"What need have you of me, lesser?" she asked.

I groaned at her calling me 'lesser' once more but shelved it away. "I won't survive this forest without some sort of way to defend my body," I said tiredly. "And I might need your help with that."