SOME TIME… SOME PLACE… IN ANOTHER UNIVERSE... 

Astrid’s Memory Bank: Accessing Memory…

“Hey,” a voice called out to me. “Hey,” it rasped again, but all I could see was darkness. “Astrid! Wake up! Astrid...” 

Familiar, it was a voice that had annoyed me for some time. Slowly, I opened my eyes. I will be honest; I would have preferred to stay asleep. Life had not exactly been the easiest for me. My days were nothing to write home about. Even more, everything was just easier when I slept. Soon, my blurry eyes came to focus on the white clouds slowly making their way across the blue canvas sky. Tilting my head, I turned to face where the voice originated. It was my annoying older sister, Petra. Suddenly seeing her made my mind pulsate with aggravating thoughts. All I could think of was how we got here. Why were we here? And why… Why were we lying on this hill in a grassy field? No wonder I fell asleep. As the wind hit my face, all I could feel was that cool afternoon breeze. And I could smell the fresh ripening of newly bloomed flowers. This place was tranquil and peaceful. Even in my previous life, I would have enjoyed being alone in a place like this. Unfortunately, I was not alone. 

Aggravated, Petra exclaimed, “You fell asleep on me, sis!” 

“My bad,” apologizing was all I could do. While moving my head off her shoulder, I wiped off my well-earned drool. It must have been a good nap. I could barely remember what it was like to be awake. “I was too tired to notice. We haven’t had a day off in a long time. Can you remember the last time we did?” But she could not answer me. I knew it had been stressful for her too. How unfair of me to say such a thing… Cue the eye roll… pause for laughter and whatnot… Seriously though, I sat up to take in the breezing air. Thanks to the warm weather, it was not too cold. This place was tranquil as all hell; even I had to admire the vibrant, saturated colors casting over the grasslands. It was beautiful, unnaturally so. And I still could never find the source of the looping flute and harp music that played over us. That damn thing created such an ambient mood. So freaking beautiful… My eyes roamed all on their own, despite me.

A regular city, made up of tall buildings and skyscrapers, could be seen over yonder. Its appearance screamed cold and dark, the complete opposite of where I stood. It was a dark mirror, a dark city punctuated by the transparent boundary that separated us from it. And the barrier was called The Invisible Wall. Inventive, right? 

“So, we have to talk,” she cozied up to me. It was never a good sign when she did such a thing. Skeptical, my brow raised. Just what craziness was she about to spill to me? “I snuck out into the city one time.” And there it was… 

My head snapped back at her, “Seriously!? When!? How!?” 

“Promise you won’t tell anyone?” She definitely knew better. At what point was I supposed to correct her? Honestly? So, all I did was nod my head vigorously. I just needed to know more of her story that she graciously decided to burden me with. So, I played dumb.  

“So,” Petra started, “y’know how I’m close friends with the Potioneer Ksarreni?” From how carefree she was, I could already tell I would not like anything she was about to say. “I visited her shop last night, and she showed me her hidden stash of potions resting in the basement. They were made from a forbidden text called The Cheat Book, which Ksarreni explained.” There was no way that it would be called such a thing. Just how on the nose could these people be? “One of them was a Cheat that allowed me to pass through, in and out, The Invisible Wall. The stupid thing wore off in an hour. But I can’t be too pissed. I bought it off her hands for a low price - y’know, since we’re friends - and used it to walk around the city for a couple of minutes, all while shifting into a new identity, of course.” 

“Of course,” I added. Just what the hell would I know of such things? Honestly, I think I was more offended that she did not invite me to her fantastic adventure. Not like I wanted to go through the wall… “What was it like?” 

“It was nothing special. I mean, what could be? It was nice, y’know, seeing some of the buildings up close and seeing buses and cars for the first time in person. But it’s nothing special compared to where we live.” Petra chuckled. She had a weird way about her. Anytime Petra was downplaying the importance of anything, her nose would move a certain way. Her eyes would shift when she was not honest or truthful with her words. Or maybe it was just me reading into my sister, seeing things I wanted to see… “Maybe one of the reasons why humans don’t like us Metamorphs is because our land was blessed to be corrupted with such beautiful magic.” 

“Using the word ‘corrupted’ gives off the impression our land is a plague field of sickness and darkness, but I’d say it’s quite the opposite.”  

“Astrid… Come on… It’s just something the humans made up to give the impression that our home is lesser and negative than their own.” 

“Well,” I just had to open my big mouth, “how we use the word ‘human’ could also be something that causes a negative impression. I mean… Calling the human’s city Humankind’s Civilization, doesn’t that seem dehumanizing?” 

“I don’t get it?” 

She always needed help understanding how to communicate with people. Her blank eyes and that plain expression on her face irritated me so much. So, “It makes me think being humanoid isn’t being human at all,” I just had to explain. “And enough to categorize the rest of the Earth outside our home as a separate civilization.”

“As the word ‘humanoid’ defines it: a resemblance to being human. Although we have human-like attributes, we just look like them at the end of the day, and that is all it is.” 

“Hmm, I guess.” It was a boring conversation. Being philosophical was something I secretly enjoyed, but not so much talking about it with Petra. That was a whole other thing entirely. So, I laid down and closed my eyes, relaxing my mind as it shifted back into another nap. Naps really were the best part of any day. Yet, understandably annoyed, Petra poked me on the cheek, constantly waking me up again. 

“You’re gonna sleep the good days away!” Patience was not her strong suit. Petra was a woman of action, of getting things done. Watching me sleep must have been like slowly drilling a hole in her head, agonizing. I could feel her scheming to find more disruptive ways to wake me up like any bothersome sibling would. However, I was saved by something far more annoying than her. At the moment of her annoyance, her eyes fixated on some low-leveled enemies further away from the hill. They were not as far as the city, located in the grasslands’ unsafe and non-combat-free zones towards the bottom of the hill. How did I know the area was dangerous? Well, the giant floating text marks in the air were a dead giveaway. Sometimes it paid to be observant.

Low-level, the enemies include the usual assortment of bad guys. There were a couple of mutated spiders that stood no taller than children. Had it been my first time seeing them like I did the first go around, I would have passed all the way out. And not to mention, there were also slimes filling out the monster herd as well. Surprisingly, like everything in this far-out place, slimes were more formidable than what their cute and unassuming blob of an appearance would have many believe. Many adventurers who let their guards down around them quickly understood the danger of those little bastards. It really was a rookie mistake to underestimate something just because of looks.

I mean, what kind of idiots would do such a thing? Me. I would. It was the exact error my younger self made when encountering them for the first time. To be fair, that was during my first days of combat training. I did not know any better. At the time, there was no way I would have thought any different. But it was not all bad. Now, slime-killing has become a favorite pastime of mine. I like to call it revenge. And I think about it often. Squishing them… Salting them… Cracking their cores… Even now… Now I think about slaying down those slimy-little creatures and killing them all. I would do it repeatedly when they respawn just a few paces away. That is how this stupid world works. Death only matters for people, not monsters. 

“Hey!” Eagerly, I sat up. Just thinking about those little bastards got me excited beyond belief. “Now that you woke me up, you know what I’m thinking?” 

“No!” Petera asserted. “We’re not killing slimes. We’ve done that so much it’s starting to kill me.” Extending my tail, I moved it outside Petra’s peripheral vision and slightly smacked the arrow-shaped end on her forehead. “Ow~!” Petra cried out. I have to admit, I got her pretty good on that silly forehead of hers. It was safe to assume that there was an intense stinging sensation now pulsating right on her forehead, hopefully. “What was that for?” 

“I was having a good nap, and now you won’t let me even kill slimes,” I crossed my arms and pouted. Childish? Yes! Did I care? No. Who said I had to act my age? 

“Well, I’m sorry. I can’t help wanting to look for something bigger, higher-leveled to fight. That’s why my–” 

“–level outranks yours,” I rolled my eyes, mocking her. “Yeah, I know. I know.” She never missed an opportunity to rub it in my face. But it was not my fault I was so under-leveled, and slimes deserved what was coming to them.

“You’re only a couple of levels below me,” Petra was still rubbing her head. Did I not mention I got her good? “You’d make for some good competition if you put in the effort. Not to mention getting that childish attitude under control.” 

“But that’s my best feature. And, as you said,” I really needed to learn how to control the levels of my voice, “I’m only a couple of levels below you. Don’t let that need for competition make you cocky. A couple of levels means nothing.” 

Something was squirming in my pocket. I felt it moving, but I could not recall what it was or how it got there. Either way, I was not some fresh-cut adventurer or some prissy noble. If it was a bug, I would leave it be. But this thing was much larger than a bug, and its form was more similar to a ball than anything else. I would have thought it to be a slime, but they usually have a goopy texture to them. I could still just squeeze the thing and see if it popped. It would only take a good grip, a wriggle of my two bare hands, and a lot of pent-up frustration. Before I could figure it out, a small white ball of light flew from my pocket. How could I have forgotten? I must have been sleeping on it. That white ball was my spirit pet, Buttercup. Fondly, I remember so badly wanting to turn twelve and being allowed to adopt a spirit pet. Each person’s spirit pet was unique, transforming into different creatures upon bonding. One person could have there’s turn into a dog-like beast while others could be as small as a worm. But my lovely Buttercup…  She transformed from a white orb into a butterfly with a beautiful spectrum of colors for her wings. Delicate and regal, Buttercup was magnificent beyond belief. There was no greater beauty than the unstoppable Buttercup. Well… Other than me…

“What is it, my Queen?” I asked Buttercup. I could feel Petra judging me, per usual. But Buttercup just flew away, sounding like someone sprinkling fairy dust. It was every time she moved, and I loved it so much. My sister, not as much. Moving around, Buttercup was definitely trying to get us to follow her. 

“Looks like she found a mission,” cracking her back, Petra was prepping to do what we did best. A mission, a hunt, a challenge, it did not matter. As long as I had my sister, there was nothing to fear. However, Petra was notably unenthusiastic this time around, “we better follow her because you know how Buttercup always gets when we don’t.”  

“Such a shame,” as I wondered what was bugging my sister, I, too, stretched. Good missions always started with a warmed-up body, and that was adventuring 101, the basics that were drilled into us. But… “I was just starting to get comfortable again,” my complaining was definitely getting on my sister’s nerves. 

“Wait…” I could tell my sister was cooking up something devious to get back at me. She was so easy to read. It was always the eyes. Her shifty eyes always clued me in when she was scheming to be a special kind of bad. “You think I’m cocky? How about we put that to the test?” 

“Heck, yeah!” But I could never pass up an opportunity to wipe that smug look off her face and put her in her place. Meanwhile, Buttercup was moving around increasingly, trying to get our attention. “That way, when I beat you, you can shut up about me being under-leveled.” Frantic, the little spirit pet was buzzing around us furiously. She was such an attention diva. “Yes, we know! We’re coming!” That should have been enough, but my little diva zipped off without us. Now, she had our attention.