The Other Side: A Second Chance

After we had finished our tea and talked with Colonel Hass, she had ordered her soldiers to guide us to the nearby refugee camp some thirty minutes or so south of where we were. As I stepped out onto the dirt path beside Isa and Oscar, I shuddered lightly as the cool breeze blew over us. Seeing this, Isa wrapped her arm around me and pulled me close to her side. Looking up at her, I smiled faintly as, the moon, Radiance, shone brightly behind her, accenting her with its beautiful blue oceans. Isa returned my smile and patted me on the head as the Tenorahn family and Dr. Kegan stepped outside beside us.

Shortly after, the soldiers took the lead and motioned for us to follow as I yawned tiredly. It was far past midnight, and my eyes felt heavy as we began our walk. At some point, Isa gazed down at me and asked, "Would you like me to carry you?"

A strong part of me was tempted to say yes. Though my ego got the better of me, I chose not to. So, I shook my head, said nothing, and simply grumbled incoherently as I waddled beside her.

Maybe it was because we were across the river and surrounded by hundreds if not a thousand, armed soldiers and magisters that I felt like I could allow my guard to drop. The fear that, at any moment, the man in my head could alert me to a coming monster seemed to have faded. Now all I wanted to do was find the nearest cot and drop into a dead sleep.

Yet, despite my ego resisting the urge to be picked up, I did settle for a compromise. That being my hand reaching out to grab Isa's, an action that seemed to please the feline woman as she glanced down at me and smiled as her fluffy tail lightly swatted me playfully as we walked.

After about thirty minutes, we had cleared the military encampment and arrived at a separate campsite. One composed entirely of an assortment of different kinds of tents and makeshift structures that had no rhyme or reason to them compared to the soldiers' orderly, almost uniform site. Campfires lay strewn about the campsite, providing a faint, red glow to the scenery as huddled around them, were men and women of all ages and races.

As we approached the refugee site, the soldiers pointed us in the direction of one large tent resembling the drab green that had the insignia of the roaring dragon. "There you'll find the quartermaster and steward." The soldier said, "There you'll be issued your own tents, rations, and supplies you may need to set yourself up. One tent per three people as well as a single ration per person. It's not a lot, but it should at least keep you going."

We all tiredly nodded as the soldiers returned the gesture before turning to walk back to their posts. However, one stopped and turned to Isa and me. "One last thing, the Colonel wanted me to tell you all she'd like to see you come morning. By then, she'll have the survivors of Kassel rounded up so you can ask them about the Moonweaver."

This caused my ears to twitch and my head to perk up as I smiled faintly and yawned before saying, "Thank you."

Isa nodded. "We'll be there; did she say an exact time?"

"Morning for her would be at sunrise, but she also understands that you'll be going to sleep so late. I'm sure she can make an exception if you're not one hundred percent on time." Said the soldier.

Isa nodded. "We'll be there on time. I'll make sure this squirt wakes up." Isa playfully patted my back, and I squeaked.

"I'm not a squirt!" I huffed. "I'm going to go get my tent." I turned to shuffle away, though Isa took my hand.

"Not by yourself, you aren't." She said this as the soldiers began to head off.

"C'mon…" I whined as I noticed the rest of our group was already shambling towards the big tent. "Everyone else is already going."

Isa chuckled. "Alright but stay by me."

"I'm not some kid." I said it with a yawn.

"You're right, you're… well…" Isa started to say but then trailed off.

"I'm not your kid." I said as I smirked at her. "I'm your buddy." I lightly slapped her side.

Isa yawned and giggled. "I was going to say you're my student, but buddy works too."

"Butt buddy." I snorted, and she scoffed and bopped my bald head playfully.

"I see your father's crude humor has rubbed off on you." She grumbled but smiled at the same time.

I squawked and scurried away. "I'm just tired." I puffed my cheeks as we dipped through the tent flap into the nicely lit interior of what was a large storage area.

The tent was practically a warehouse, save for a large fold-out table in the front, with a few equally tired men and women filling out forms and handing items out to people waiting in line.

I returned to Isa's side as we patiently waited as Dr. Kegan, Oscar, and Anne stood in front of us, while the Tenorahn family was off to the side. It wouldn't take too long for us to step up after Oscar, Kegan, and Anne received their items and told us they'd meet us outside.

After a handful of minutes of filling out some forms—or, well, Isa did most of the paperwork—I just signed my name. We had to wait a few minutes as a man went back and retrieved a tent as well as two rations. We took the items and thanked them before stepping outside, where I noticed Anne was specifically looking at me out of the corner of her eyes.

Too tired to care. I simply yawned once more and waved as Isa began to discuss with the other two adults where it'd be best to pitch our tents. I just began to zone out as my eyes started to droop, and I felt like I was about to fall asleep standing up. As my eyes briefly closed, they opened, and after a second, I realized Anne was right beside me.

I yelped and stumbled back. "Jesus, why are you so close?" I said my heart was beating heavily from being startled.

"Jesus?" The girl tilted her head, confused. "That's not my name."

I coughed and said, "Sorry. A figure of speech. Wh-what do you need?"

The girl shifted nervously from foot to foot, it seemed, her eyes casting to the dirt below as she twiddled her thumbs and said, "I, uh, never… Properly said, thank you earlier." She gulped. "For saving me." She blushed faintly and looked at me, her green eyes looking like saucers as she looked at me.

If I wasn't so sleepy, I think she's adorable. Yet honestly, the only adorable thing I can think of is curling up. I held a hand to my mouth and let off yet another squeaky yawn.

"Yeah, don't mention it…"

Anne blinked with surprise and looked away. "Oh, uh, what you did… was that magic?" She mumbled softly.

"Huh?" I looked at her. "Can you say that a little louder?" I said as I moved out of the way of the tent flap as the Tenorahns came out.

"Oh, uh, sorry." Her blush darkened. "Was that magic you used on me?" She spoke up as I moved over beside her.

I nodded. "Uhuh. Pretty cool, right?" I grumbled as well, and Isa turned to us both.

"Kids, we'll be setting up our tents further south." She waved for us to follow. "Come along."

I began to drag my feet behind Isa as Anne, who still seemed pretty wide awake, began to walk along with me. Her hands were still fiddling with each other as she twiddled her thumbs. Her eyes were shifting to look at me and back at the ground.

"May I, uh, ask another question?" She asked me.

Questions only bring more questions. I could imagine what the voice was saying in my head. But I'm not an asshole like him. I smirked.

"Yeah, sure, go ahead." I mumbled as we moved along.

"What happened to your hair?" She asked me, and I coughed and sputtered like I had just been gut-punched.

Anne's eyes widened as I sighed and shook my head. "An unfortunate circumstance…" I mumbled defeatedly.

I miss my hair. In my old life, I didn't mind being bald, but I liked my long hair. Now I look like some crackhead with bits of tufts and baldness.

Anne shifted nervously and looked away as she clasped her hands together and said, "S-sorry, I didn't mean to bring up a bad memory."

I took a deep breath, shook my head, and waved my hand aside. "It's okay. I lost it in a fire."

Anne looked back at me with wide eyes. "A fire?"

I nodded. "Yeah," I said, looking forward. I could vaguely recall the agony of burning alive beneath the wreckage of the wagon. I still don't know who was the one to pull me out. I could feel the skin on my body aching as the memories of the pain caused me to shudder. "My family and I got… caught off guard when the Rusivite's attacked. We had everything prepared and were waiting for Isa to return home from a trip she was on. We were going to leave then, yet what we didn't expect was for the Rusitives to arrive just as we were going to go," I explained. "We were almost out of town when one of their rockets hit our wagon."

Anne's eyes became saucers once more as her mouth hung open a little. "H-how did you make it? I-If you don't mind me asking… y-you don't have to answer."

I took a deep breath and gave her a reassuring smile. "It's alright. My family survived because of my mother."

"The one called Moonweaver?" She asked. "She's really your momma?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Do you know her?" I asked.

"Mhm!" Anne said her eyes shining as a cute smile appeared on her face. "I have a lot of books about her!"

Oi, what? Books?

I blinked. "Books?"

"Yep! Madam Cailynn, "Moonweaver'' Sartosi, Enora's Last Hero!" Anne said it animatedly, seeing her act so energized surprised me. "At least that's my favorite. It's a book that talks about a lot of her adventures with Dead Eye, her childhood beloved, and their quest through the badlands!"

What the fuck, why haven't I heard about this?!

"I… never knew my mother had books about her," I said softly.

Anne blinked. "You didn't?" She tilted her head.

I shook my head. "No. Momma never told me much about her old life. Neither did Papa."

"Wait…" Anne blinked as she looked me up and down. "That also means you're Dead Eye's daughter too?!" She gasped.

And I couldn't help but snort as I brought my hand up to my mouth and began giggling.

Fucking Dead Eye, holy shit, that'll not be funny to me.

"Yes. I guess. Though Isa said he doesn't like being called that," I said it with a smile.

Anne tilted her head. "Why not?"

I shrugged. "Probably because it has to do with them being retired now. You'll want to talk with Isa about that." I pointed to her; she was currently speaking to Dr. Kegan about something as we walked. "She used to travel with them," I said to her. "Back when they still went by those names."

Anne's eyes nearly bulged as I watched her practically fangirling. "Re-really?"

I nodded. "Yep. Though I would suggest doing that tomorrow, I don't want to keep her up all night." I said, smiling.

Anne deflated a bit but nodded understandingly, looking back at me. "So, that means I was really saved by Moonweavers daughter. That's kind of cool." She giggled.

Oh god, please don't look at me like that. I don't want or need fans.

I smiled gently and said, "Yep. I guess so. I'm glad I was there to help. I was really scared because that was my second time ever doing that spell."

"Do you know any other magic?" Anne asked quickly.

"Uh…" I blinked. "I know a handful of motes, but that's about it. Oh, well, I know how to combine some spells too. At least before everything went to…" I stopped myself from cursing. "Before the war started, I was practicing combining spells to make cool effects."

Our group gradually began to slow as we neared a clearing at the edge of the tent city. Both Anne and I stopped behind the adults as she bounced excitedly. "Can you show me?" She asked. "I always dreamed of seeing or learning magic when reading the books about the Spellbound Rangers."

I blushed faintly and rubbed the side of my head. "I, uh, maybe? I don't know." I gulped.

Oh god, why is my heart beating fast? I feel put on the spot, and my hand is getting sweaty.

"I'd have to ask, Isa." I made up an excuse. "She can be strict about me using my magic. Y'know, spell fatigue is a thing; I don't want to get too tired."

Anne nodded understandingly but still puffed her cheeks in disappointment. "Okay. Well, I'd love to see you cast a spell again. I think you'd look really cool, and I'd love to learn if you can teach me!"

I felt my heart skip a beat, and I bit my lower lip as I watched her look away, her long red bangs shielding much of her face as if she were hiding behind it.

Fuck. What is wrong with me? What the hell is this?! I should've practiced talking to other kids back home instead of Varis.

I gulped and shifted a bit before finally saying, "Tomorrow morning—er…after the meeting with the Colonel. Y'know, you heard that soldier earlier, right? Hahaha…" I laughed nervously. "I gotta go and, er, talk to them about, uh… finding Momma. So, I don't want you to think I'm lying, so yeah. Tomorrow, like when Isa and I get back. Heh…"

Why am I so bad at this?

"Perhaps because you've always had inexperience talking with the opposite sex, let alone people your age in both this life and the last." The voice finally returned, and I nearly flew out of my dress.

What the fuck?! Where the fuck have you been?!

"I have my reasons for being away. Though I've returned now, I can explain later."

Okay, whatever. And fuck you, this has nothing to do with talking to girls. I just don't have experience talking with other kids, and I'm only 7, and I… I don't know how old Anne is. But I'm way too young for that shit you freak.

"You call me a freak, yet I can sense your body is reacting to her. Perhaps you should reflect on that."

… Don't make me think about that.

"It is perfectly normal; your body is experiencing hormonal shifts while going through puberty. It is common for the Elven race to experience such feelings—"

Yeah, but I also was, or am, no, was, a man, and I still have those memories. It's gross. Yucky, ew.

"So be it." The voice chuckled.

"Luna, are you okay?" Anne waved her hand in front of my face.

I shook my head and blinked a few times, my heart beating rapidly in my chest. "Y-Yeah, why?" I asked.

"I said sure, and you looked like you were going to fall over. Your face is all red, and your ears look like they're flapping like a bird."

My hands immediately shot up to my long, pointy ears and gripped them tightly. "No, they aren't!" I gulped.

Isa turned to look at the two of us and said, "Luna, I don't mean to interrupt you from making a new friend, but can you come help me with the tent?"

I nodded. "Yep! Sure thing, Madam Soza! Haa, I'll be there in a second!" I nervously laughed and marched on over to her as Isa blinked and looked at me confusedly before glancing at Anne, who shrugged.

God, I'm a fucking loser.

"Just a little."

Shut up.

 

---

 

"Luna, is everything alright?" Isa asked me as she crawled into the tent behind me after we finished putting it up. "I couldn't help but overhear some of your conversation with Anne, and you seemed… flustered."

Curse this feline and her excellent eavesdropping powers. I sighed as I laid down on the right side of the tent; unfortunately, we had no bedrolls.

"I-It wasn't anything sp-special. An-Anne wanted to thank me for saving her, a-and she apparently read the books about Mom and Dad."

Isa sighed heavily and groaned. "Those books, eh?" She pinched her nose. "The Spellbound Saga. I'm familiar with those. A friend of your parents got permission to dramatize a few of their adventures."

I blinked. "Is that so?"

Isa nodded. "Most of it is overdone for story purposes, though much of the tales are inspired by actual events. Though I doubt that's what made you all flustered, did something happen after that?"

I gulped. "I, uh… well, Anne got excited knowing who I was and, uh… wanted to see me cast more spells."

Isa nodded slowly. "So, you felt like you were put on the spot?" She asked.

I gulped and nodded. "Y-yeah I think so…"

In my prior life, I rarely ever got asked to show off something cool or be complimented for certain skills or abilities I had. Nor did I ever have someone fangirl over me for being a relative to someone popular. It was all just new sensations, and Anne was adorable-looking, I guess. All in all, I guess it is just being thrown on the spot.

"Are you going to show her?" Isa asked me.

I blinked. "Sh-should I?" I asked nervously.

Isa shrugged. "Why not? You are pretty skilled from what I can see, Luna, and you've grown a lot since the camping trip when you blew away Slyran and Cailynn's tent." She giggled.

I'm surprised she's okay with me doing it. I don't know why, but I thought Isa would be strict about me using my spells.

"There's no reason to feel shy about doing it either," Isa said. "You can show her something small, like your wind spell or maybe that one that lets you pick up rocks. I'm sure she'd get really excited about it, and I know Oscar would appreciate it."

I slowly nodded and smiled gently before remembering something. "Speaking of Oscar… How did he know about all that information in regard to the cylinders?"

Isa took a deep breath. "Oscar was there when the cylinder landed outside of Dredsten," Isa said simply. "For being an artificer engineer, the man is quite stupid. Yet it was his stupidity that allowed him to learn as much."

"What'd he do?" I asked.

"He sat and watched it," Isa said simply. "Instead of taking Anne and running off, his curiosity got the better of him, and he inspected the machine when it opened and began the attack. That's all."

I nodded. Well, maybe his stupidity is going to help the military decide what to attack and where.

"Perhaps," the voice said, and I jolted. "If the automatons are taking people back to those bases, then this, Oscar, may be correct."

"Correct on what?" I asked out loud, and Isa turned to look at me.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"They may be using the people to create more of their kind." The voice said it coldly. "Based on the information we have currently, that's what it appears to be. Though I would like to see it for myself."

I'm not going to one of those places. I gulped.

"I'm not asking you to. I'm simply thinking out loud."

You sure are more talkative lately. I sighed.

"Am I?" The voice asked genuinely.

A little, but honestly, I think talking more is better.

"Is he back?" Isa asked softly, pulling me back to the present.

I glanced over at her and said, "Yeah, voice man woke up finally."

"As said, I have my reasons. Though you should rest, I can sense your body is exhausted."

I will, once you shut up.

"Well, I hope you like nightmares, then."

You better not. I huffed, and to my surprise again, the voice chuckled. Oh, so you do have a sense of humor.

He did not respond.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, he just gave me some unnerving news." I sighed and looked at Isa.

"What would that be?" She asked as she rested her hands on her tummy.

"He said that Oscar's theory might be on the money. They're harvesting people to make more machines." I shuddered.

How would that even work? Spirimancy? I thought. Momma said spirimancy is magic that is tied to souls, so like… soul binding? Must be horrific.

Isa took a deep breath. "Well, all the more reason for the military to start striking them and saving those people."

"He said he wanted to see it for himself," I added.

"No." Isa said it bluntly. "I know I said before we should listen to him, but that's going too far." She looked at me.

"I know." I nodded. "I said pretty much the same thing, and he backed down."

Isa smiled. "Good. Well, get some rest. We need to wake up early."

I nodded my head and closed my eyes.

Sleep came to me instantly.