The Wrong Person Was Transported to the Horrific Lost Village

We went back to my room, and I shut the door and locked it.

"Okay, Haunting... What gives?"

"Hmm?" she said, cocking her head and smiling. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you cover for me? With Anabelle?"

"Is something wrong?"

"It's weird--you coming in and making up a lie for me."

"Gasp!" she said, covering her mouth. "You mean you aren't the mysterious cool beauty?"

My eyes went wide as my heart raced. "Wait, there was actually someone that looked like me--"

"Mmfg."

I stopped and glared at Haunting. The moment she realized I was staring, she let out a high-pitched squeal and started giggling, showing me an ecstatic smile. "Okay, okay! I can't hide it anymore." Haunting started shaking so much that she started clapping. "Mari, I know your secret!"

I felt like I was on a roller coaster that would never stop going down.

"What?"

"I saw it! At that climactic moment when the creepy deer had you in its sights!"

I went cold from sheer surprise. 

"You blasted it with fire!"

I couldn't believe someone saw me.

"Mari!"

And of all the people, it was Haunting.

"You're a wizard, Mari!"

I cocked my head at this cat girl, one beaming with eyes filled with delight and wonder. I smiled at her as I put it all together.

I fell back and sat on my bed. "So you knew this whole time? And you kept it a secret?"

She shook her head. "No. Not at the beginning... When I saw your magic, I thought you were just another part of this supernatural playground... But then there was that moment with my ears."

"Oh," I said, wincing.

"It was so strange, but then, it made sense to me! You were like a recluse or something. You weren't part of the mortal world! That's why you were so insensitive! Just like in books."

I stewed in my discomfort. I exposed myself but... it was working out. "Well, yeah. I didn't know. It was surprising."

"Yeah! And, you know, taking everything into consideration, I just realized that you had your circumstances, and you probably wanted to keep everything on the down low. Once I realized that you were like us, I realized that you must have been anxious! If the people here found out you were magic, they would hunt you down! It'd be brutal, 'Witch Among Us' style. Oh, do you know that reference? It's a game."

"I don't..."

"Ahh, right. But yeah, that's why! I figured you needed help!"

"And you helped me?"

"Yeah!" She quieted down and became small, her ears drooping. "Was that okay? When that girl started questioning you--I thought that was when you needed help. I just..." She wore a feeble smile. "Being all alone must be scary."

"And so you swooped in..."

"Was that okay? I'm sorry if I overstepped."

I smiled at her. "So... You said you wanted to have dinner together?"

Haunting's mouth slowly opened.

I chuckled softly. "Yeah, you and I, one-on-one. We should do that sometime."

"Mari!" Haunting squealed as she started jumping up and down. "Yay! I'm glad!" Then she dropped onto her knees. "I have so many questions! What is it like being magic? Do you know any other spells? Did you know about this village beforehand?"

There was a good amount of relief and joy in my heart while I calmed this excited cat girl down.

"Hey, settle down, Haunting. One question at a time."

This was... good. Haunting had just shown how trustworthy she could be... Also, how sneaky she could be... Right here, right now, I got someone who could tell me all about this world with minimal risk. She had already gone so far in trying to protect my privacy... I came to appreciate her more than I had before, this excitable and kind young lady.

"Okay, Haunting... Let me start here, since this will answer many of your questions. I'm not from this world--"

"Whaaaaa," she said, her eyes as wide as her mouth.

"I was dumped into this world by the goddess of a world of... a world that's a little more fantastical than this one... And not as creepy."

"Whoa!" she said, her eyes as wide as her mouth. "An otherworldly witch!!! Did she drop you through a portal? Like a portal fantasy?"

"Keep your voice down!" I said, unable to stifle my giggles in the face of her enthusiasm. "Anyway, I came here from another world because its goddess got angry at me."

"That is so Supernaturo," she said, hanging onto my every word.

"So, I am in as bad of a spot as you are. I want to survive, and go beat up the goddess that dropped me here."

"Hmm... If you're deity-killer level then... That makes this world and our predicament more legit, doesn't it? Like, this is serious--"

"As if it wasn't before?"

"Super serious! A god believes in this place's ability to keep you here! That's scary, Mari!" Haunting made up her face and put her hand on her heart. "To think! What a cruel god, just dropping you in an unfamiliar world because she was jealous of your hot bod--wait, hold on."

"What part are you getting stuck on?"

"This should be an unfamiliar world for you..." 

Then Haunting cocked her head and looked at me. It was clear what she was thinking.

"But you knew about the cinema in Delta City. How could you know about that if you were dropped here?"

"It's..." I dropped my voice and my head. "It's a little sad... I don't know if I should tell you... I... I don't think you'd be okay with me after that..."

Haunting made a sound, and then she kneeled in front of me and placed her hands on my hands. Good. Pity me, Haunting.

"Mari, you can trust me. I'm your friend. I mean... I want to be your friend."

"Okay... well... actually... I can see people's memories when they're about to pass on."

Haunting's eyes widened. "You mean..."

"Yes, I saw Kaz's memories... There's more to it... but for now, just know that I took Kaz's memories and used them for my own benefit."

Haunting nodded slowly and gulped.

"And that's okay, Mari. You're all by yourself in a new scary world. It's okay."

"Really?" I said, batting my eyelashes.

"Of course! Things happen! And sometimes, magic powers... are probably great big burdens!"

"Hmm... I like my powers. They... They let me protect what matters."

Haunting lit up. "Also, that is so cool, Mari! The memory thing--you are so cool, Mari! You have psychic powers on top of magic too!"

"Thank you for being so accepting, Haunting. Sincerely. Thank you."

"It is my honor, Mari." She fell onto her back and had a giggle fit. "I can't believe I have a friend who's a witch! I always practiced for this but I never thought it'd actually happen!"

"And I can't believe I have a friend who is a cat girl... sort of."

She sat up again, holding her feet together as she rocked back and forth. "Oh my gosh, are there real cat girls with magic, and furry hand paw things, and furry legs where you're from?"

"Uhh... Yeah, there were beast people."

"With magic?"

"Yeah, they had more magic than the average human."

"Wow... I wish that was the same for us..." Haunting pulled off her hat and scratched her head. "We're just boring genetic freaks over here."

"Don't say that, Haunting. You are not boring or a freak. Not in this world..."

"Thanks, Mari..."

I smiled at her. "Haunting, can I ask you a question?"

"Anything, Mari."

"It's a little strange to ask this given this place, but... is there magic here in your world?"

Haunting closed her eyes and nodded. "Mari, don't even feel stupid for having to ask. Firstly, this place might be paranormal, not supernatural."

I raised a brow. "There's a difference?"

"Totally, all the experts know this. The difference is as fine as the difference between psychic powers and magic."

"Okay, if you say so."

"Anyway, there're all kinds of stories of wilderness witches or mountain hermits that reached enlightenment all by themselves while surviving the plague cloud."

I raised a brow. "Plague cloud?"

"But that's all. They're stories. Actually, I came looking for this lost village because the urban legends said witches lived in the lost village. Never heard anything about these monsters, though. I was expecting milky-eyed women. Not whatever that deer was."

"You said enlightenment--so there are ideas about higher paths in this world?"

"Paths that are for the true and devout student of the ancient and mystic arts, you mean?" she said, putting on her radio host voice. "There are certainly many stories of the wise men that can levitate and so on."

"How curious..."

"Because there are similar elements in your old world?"

"Yeah..." I locked eyes with her. "It might be real here too. Magic and enlightenment might be real."

Haunting squealed. "A real witch saying that makes it so much more better! Do you think we'll be able to escape this place if we learn magic?"

"That's my hope."

"So, you need to learn more too, right? I wasn't wrong in assuming that?"

"Yeah... The magic from the original world doesn't work well here. It's like the atmosphere doesn't have the fuel I need. I'm left with the trace amounts my body struggles to produce, but using it up makes me ill. Umm, I'm talking about mana."

"Great, I know that word, Mari. You do not have to worry about that--oh my gosh, you can speak our language! That's weird!"

"Yeah, I'm not too sure. I can't tell if it's because of a blessing I kept or if our worlds share similar language development."

 "This is so Supernaturo..."

"To this world's credit... it has similar elements to my home world. I actually thought I was back home at first... But, oh well. Here we are, stuck."

"Ahh, so if you learn how to use this world's magic... Right, you want to make use of this world's fuel, so you need to make a new engine..."

"Ideally, we can both gain magic. I have another question."

"Shoot, Mari."

"I know this is a big question, but can you give me a quick history lesson on this world. You know--like what are some of the big events of your lives? What are the conflicts like? Were there any wars that swallowed up the whole world? What are your greatest tragedies? What are your greatest technological achievements? This world seems similar to mine, but something about it doesn't seem right. The way people talk about things is a little strange. And a city called 'Delta?' It's a little odd."

Haunting's jaw loosened. "Mari... We're a post-disaster society. Do you know what that term means?"

"What? I can guess, but..."

"The Historians--that's what they call our society. We're a society that survived a disaster that wiped out 70% of humanity."