Alienation

Chapter 3

My head hurts. I moved my hands to massage my temples. But a voice startled me.

“Pior kum talamii stor!” I looked at my left and saw the white-cloaked woman that I scared off a while ago sitting down, watching me. How long was I out?

But what startled me the most was that I could actually understand her! I’m so glad you’re now awake!

“W-what? What happened?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“You can now understand me, can you? You can answer me in Ashyr. I’m sorry but I know no other language except Ashyr.”

How can I answer her in… Asir? What language is that anyway? Where am I?

I gaped at her first like a fish before words came out my mouth. “Where – Mil dor aleno?” Where am I?

I gasped. Where did that come from?

The woman just smiled at me. “You’re in Soomir, dearie, the capital of Ashyron. You’re in one of the rooms in the palace! Somebody found you deep in the forest of Enalde, one of the secluded places here in Soomir. And I figured out you’re from the Earth because you really did speak like the man before! I was the one who took care of him too. Oh well, he’s older than I am. His name is Mike. Do you know him?”

The woman was babbling. Earth? I came from the Earth? Aren’t we all from Earth? Is she actually kidding me? And Mike? It’s a name too common. I know more than ten Mikes! And I’m more on the introverted side.

I’d already forgotten the fact that I can understand and speak in… Asir?

“You… you said something about… Earth? Aren’t we in Earth? Where is this place exactly? Sumir? I’m going to Samar! Not Sumir!” I’m beginning to panic now. Earth? Seriously?

“No. I’ve never been to Earth. I don’t know where that is. But of course you know! You’re from there aren’t you? This is Ashyron! Uh, actually just one of the kingdoms in… in this place, we really don’t have a name for it. Competition between kingdoms. And nobody would agree if somebody tried to name it. So as a joke, we prefer to just call this collection of kingdoms, Nameless.” She chuckled at that. I would have laughed too if I’m not in shock.

“From what I remember from Mike… he said that people from Earth, have… te-telogy? Techilony? Ah, I can’t remember. But I’m sure you know what that is. He also said, that the sky in there is blue! I can’t imagine the sky being blue! That’s just… weird, wrong. And Earth just has one moon! Ah, a real peculiar place, if you ask me. Ashyron is better. You’ll like it here! Mike liked it here better too! I’d bring you to him some time. Maybe you do know each other!”

I’m pretty sure that techilony or telogy was actually technology. Green sky? Two moons? I want to tell this woman that that was peculiar and weird. The sky is blue and there is just one moon… right? Oh wait. I remember waking up and seeing two moons! But I was in pain back then!

“That’s… that’s not true. I was just on my way to Samar. And then… the boat I’m riding in capsized. Or that’s what I think. Because I was made a carpet by…”

A certain realization hit me. I was injured before and right now, I'm perfectly fine.

“Where are my bruises and cuts and broken bones?” I found myself asking.

“Oh, I healed them. Simple magic.” She answered, proud.

Magic? Ah. She must really be kidding me now.

I laughed and shook my head. “Magic huh? Right… and the sky is green!” I laughed again.

The woman looked offended. “Yes.” She answered.

I stopped laughing. She really must be kidding right? I looked outside the window and looked the sky.

It is green.

And for the first time, I noticed the floating orbs of fire near the walls, giving off light.

I paled.