Another place; Another time

2: The World of Erinn

        Heidi jolted up. She sat confused and panting. Glancing down, she noticed her clothes had changed. Her nightgown had turned into a strapless, two-tone knee length dress. Brown leather shoes covered her feet. Her room had changed as well.

It was bright. She squinted at the new found light until her eyes had adjusted. Heidi stood shakily, and turned in a slow circle. She was in the middle of a strange stone altar. The stone was black and the pillars surrounding it had carvings in an unknown language. Above her there was a giant gem somehow suspended by metal chains. In the distance, she could see a small town. Around the town was a crystal clear river flowing with fishes of different colors.

        Heidi stopped spinning until she faced a dirt path leading from the altar. At a fork in the road was a young child. He wore a helmet that covered his entire face. It didn't match his casual attire. The child held a stack of papers in his left hand and a quill pen in his right. He (at least she assumed the child was a boy) twisted toward her direction and beckoned to her. Suspicious, Heidi made her way over to the boy. She stopped in front of him, wondering if she should speak. The boy straightened his posture and began to recite;

        "Welcome to the land of Erinn. My name is Tin, I'll be your guide and helper into this world. You, a Milletian, just arrived here from the Soul Stream. This is the Forest of Souls, where all Human Milletians enter the world of Erinn. I hope your entrance was quick and painless. Before you begin your journey into a world with many possibilities, I need your name, age, and specified talent." He finished, looking up at Heidi. Heidi attempted to wrap her mind around what he had said. He asked your name so tell him your name.

        "Heidi. My name is Heidi."

        Tin began flipping through his stack of papers. "Heidi... Heidi... Spell it for me."

        "H-H-E-I-D-I." She stuttered.

        "H-E-I... That can't be right..."

        Heidi twirled a piece of her black hair around her fingers as she attempted to read over Tin's shoulders. "Is something wrong?"

        Tin turned to face her. "Are you sure that's how you spell it because there's a Heidi who already signed in."

        Heidi thought for a moment. "Try H-E-D-I. No I in the middle."

        The boy nodded before resuming scanning the papers. He moved his quill to a blank spot at the bottom of the paper and began writing. "No I... okay, got it. What did you say your age was?"

        "Oh, um 13."  Tin wrote that down.

        "Ok, the only thing left is your talent."

        "Sorry?"

        Tin glanced up from his papers. "Yes. Talent. Each Milletian has the option to pick a talent to follow. Of course, they can be changed at any time."

        Hedi thought for a moment. "So, it's kinda like a career?"

        "Exactly!" Tin exclaimed happily. "Some of the ones you can pick from are close combat, archery, alchemy, magic, culinary, tailoring..." Tin continued to list talents as Hedi pondered which one would be best for her. Honestly, she didn't think she would be good at any of them. Some of them she hadn't even thought existed before. Soon Tin's voiced faded away. It took Hedi a moment to respond to the silence she finally noticed. She wracked her brain for something to say. Tin gazed at her seemingly expectant.

        "Could I pick close combat...?"

        "Of course! Let me write that down... Alright, you're all set!" Tin rotated slightly and pointed down the path leading into the forest. "If you go down that road you'll end up in a town called Tir Chonaill. Talk to the chief. His name is Duncan. He's usually by his home on top of a hill with a big tree. He'll help you out. Enjoy your time in Erinn!"

        Hedi thanked him and walked in the direction he gestured toward. The path wound through the forest, but she wasn't afraid of the dark. As the light behind her slowly disappeared, she began to fear that she would get lost. However, the path she wandered was very clear, and she had no trouble finding the village Tin spoke about.