The portal to Apricon.

05

The library of the Barracks was larger than my parents' house.

Annalis had ordered the blond-haired boy, whose name I now know (Valian) to instruct me and update me.

"Something you should know about mermaids is that they are very dangerous and treacherous creatures. They tend to shapeshift and steal entities to deceive their prey; Something we learned very recently is that they also imitate the skills in the way they adopt.

They are very different from my dear Princess Ariel.

Since it is impossible for me to wake up, I will at least go with the flow of this madness.

"And how can we recognize them?" I asked.

Detail the horrible drawing of what in this world they call mermaids. In the water he had a tadpole's tail, on land they were disfigured trying to imitate a pair of deformed legs.

"As soon as they come into contact with water, they lose their shape. That is why they avoid it as much as possible.

"My little brother is a mermaid, the brat doesn't like to bathe!"

Valian lets out a low laugh.

"And just to clarify?" What exactly is Apricon? Where are we?

"We are in a world outside of space-time, a refuge from human reality which almost extinguishes us.

"Did they live in my world before?" —ask the obvious.

"A long time ago, even before I was born; humans and creatures lived in peace.

Just imagining it made me happy for some reason.

"It's incredible!"

But my emotion could not be mutual.

"That's why your arrival here is so worrying, if you could, we run the risk of others coming here." It will be kept secret from the inhabitants for now.

"Why?"

I want to see a unicorn.

"Many species lost their loved ones to your people. Hundreds of species no longer breathe for humans.

"I'm not to blame for what my ancestors did.

"The resentment is stronger than you think; just seeing the elderly will awaken their memories.

Not even in my own dream can I do what I want and they keep me captive.

"Are you going to lock me up here then?"

Valian thought about it.

"From Annalis's reaction: No," he replied surely. Knowing it will make you pass for a species.

Without feathers, claws and with a small statue. I'm too common in my world, I don't have anything to make me go unnoticed here.

"Wow... I wonder what species I will resemble.

"A nymph," he muttered something he couldn't hear well.

"What did you say?"

"Sphinx!" You look like a sphinx!

There was no need to yell at me.

"Is that real?" Is it really real?

Valian scratched his head.

"Well, they became extinct, but yes. They were very popular in Egypt, you know?

"They have a damn monument of them!"

Valian laughed again when I picked up the book and started to see the little drawings.

So, I turned to him, detailing it to the point of making him feel uncomfortable.

"You look very normal," I commented.

"In this world you are the stranger.

"Touché."

But within all this madness he was the only one similar to me; His features are human, so much so that he could pass as anyone else in my world.

"What are you?" I asked.

"I'm a kappa.

He turned the pages until he got to his species, and when he arrived... At that moment I really wanted to wake up.

"I can't believe you're that thing!"

If the cyclops seemed ugly to me, this kappa was some kind of horrible homunculus created by Tim Burton.

"I adopted this form since I didn't want to scare you..."

"That can't be you!" You must be with me, you're cute!

And yes, that was the worst verbal vomit that has ever happened to me. The filter that prevents stupid comments was turned off making me go through a supernatural embarrassment

Try as much as possible to de-escalate the situation.

"Do vampires and werewolves also exist in this world?"

I hope they are like in the books my cousin reads and not like in the movies my brother likes.

"The what?" Valian began to laugh. Where did you get those funny names?

"Tell me the turtle boy drags souls to devour them?"

"Luckily for you: I became a herbivore.