Arrival

All across reality, Magic and Mana were thought to not really exist. A thing of fantasy and legend, stories told to children. That changed one day in a way that no one could have predicted. Mana is different than imagined. It is a natural existence filled with intent and purpose. A purpose that changes and enhances everything it touches. When mana burst into existence within our reality, it created a cascade of effects that tore everything asunder. One of these events caused families and individuals to be ripped from their worlds and transported to others.

- A History of Mana. 184 SA

Sloane Reinhart blinked—there were moons hanging in the sky above her as she lay on the grass. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. They were still there.

“What the hell?” she groaned. She looked right, over to where she expected her daughter would be. “Gwynnie? You okay, sweetie?”

Sloane’s breath hitched. Her daughter wasn’t there. “Gwyn?”

She shot up and looked around, eyes darting over the scenic landscape that was obviously not home. She was on a small grassy hill, a dirt road alongside fields at the base. There was a tree line about thirty meters in the opposite direction. What she didn’t see anywhere, however, was her daughter.

“Gwyn!” she yelled, panic swelling in her chest.

Her stomach dropped to the ground and her mind hazed as she jumped up and started searching in earnest. Seeing nothing but nature and zero sign of Gwyn, she found herself at a complete loss; she had no idea where she was, no clue where her daughter was. She had been right there next to her.

“Gwyneth! Answer me!” she shouted between quick, short breaths, her lungs beginning to burn with the strain of hyperventilating.

She had to get a handle on herself. Breathe, damn it. Standing here panicking will not find Gwyn. Determination settling in, she pushed herself to count to three while taking deep breaths, then all but shoved herself into action, knowing losing control meant not finding Gwyn.

With her mind finally slamming into overdrive, she tried to think of what had happened, where her daughter could be, and where she should look first.

First, the fact that there were two moons in the sky meant something absolutely insane had happened. She was no longer on Earth, couldn’t be. Second, her daughter had been within a meter of her just before . . . Could Gwyn have been left on Earth? She’d be all alone but in her hometown. The police would help her get to Sloane’s family.

No. She thought it more likely Gwyn was here, too—they had both been enveloped by that light. If that was the event that had brought her here, it gave credence to the possibility that she was here, too. So, finally, where the hell was she? Perhaps they hadn’t landed in the same relative position they’d left from.

Maybe she hadn’t woken up yet. Maybe she’d woken up and had walked away to see something.

Yes, Sloane had to assume that her daughter had been transported as well. She just needed to find her. Studying the grass, she looked for any sort of disturbed areas that would signify where her daughter might have moved. However, the only indications of movement were the ones she’d made herself.

“Think . . . damn it, Sloane, think. Where is she?”

She looked around one more time and made a choice. She started running down the hill toward the road. After reaching it, she immediately started looking it over for any sort of tracks.

She kept searching the area, looking along the side of the road, searching near bushes. Anywhere that could be hiding her baby girl.

“Gwyn! Baby, please answer me! Where are you?” She screamed as tears started streaming down her face. Her heart was racing, she felt as if she was about to start hyperventilating again. There was nothing; not even a sign that her daughter had been there.

Sloane ran back up the hill and started looking toward the tree line, seeing no tracks or trails that would signify movement. She ran toward them anyway, looking all around for any kind of sign. Something. Anything that would give her a clue as to where her daughter could be.

She searched for what seemed like hours.

Searching the wooded area and the fields next to the road, hoping her daughter had been simply placed somewhere else. Yelling out her daughter’s name so much that her voice was hoarse. She found nothing and no one.

Sloane walked back to the road, ready to start following it, but instead, she collapsed to her knees and started sobbing.

Feeling overwhelming dread, Sloane could not even move, her very soul ached at the possibility that her daughter was gone. What would she do? It was her job to protect her. Gwyn was so young; she couldn’t fend for herself. Especially not alone in the wilderness like this. What if something terrible happened?

Over and over, she thought of every worst imaginable thing that could have happened. She couldn’t stop thinking about what may have gone wrong or could go wrong. She felt a hollowness invade her as she clenched her knees to her chest, she was supposed to be able to protect her daughter... always. Tears slowly fell as time slipped forward, her mind cycling through each and every worry for her daughter.

Where had Gwyn landed? Would she be able to find something to eat? Water? Would she be able to find help? Someone to take care of her until Sloane found her?

Sloane was unsure of how much time had passed. She had gone catatonic, her mind looping through all of her worst fears. She was pulled out of it eventually as she heard what sounded like horses coming. She looked up through red, tear-soaked eyes, and saw a large enclosed wagon that had supplies attached to the roof with lanterns hanging down at the corners. It was pulled by two horses with another four surrounding it coming toward her on the road. What confused her the most were the people riding the wagon and horses.

They looked like… knights. Wearing some type of iron armor. They didn’t have helmets on and what she saw of their faces surprised her even more. There were four variations of what she could only describe as elves, with all the features that entailed, and two others that could only be orcs.

Now, she knew what elves and orcs were. She was an avid fan of the fantasy genre. She had dabbled in a bit of everything–books, games, and even a bit of tabletop RPGs. She’d watched a plethora of movies and TV shows, hell, she’d even gone to a convention once. Seeing the actual real deal in person was a shock, and solidified that she was in some fantasy world. A realization that she thought Gwyn was ill-prepared to handle on her own.

Looking over the group, she noticed that there was a mixture of sexes, and it was one of the females, an orc, that noticed her first.

When they got close, the female orc with short tusks and an obvious muscular build held a hand up and the group stopped. She dismounted and walked toward Sloane. Sloane just stared at the fantasy woman come to life; she had no energy for anything else.

The orc crouched down in front of her, and she was able to look into her deep gray eyes; a kindness in them that she hadn’t expected. Two rows of braids ran parallel from the front to the back of her head. The rest of her short hair fell to the sides, framing her soft face. She wore a suit of armor that covered her vital parts, blue fabric clothing underneath, and a flowing piece of the same blue fabric draping down from her waistline.

“Greetings, I am Gisele, a Knight-Captain for the Order of Haven’s Hope. Have you been harmed? Do you need assistance?”

“My… daughter,” Sloane croaked out.

Gisele’s face instantly filled with concern. “What is your name, miss? Where is your daughter?”

“S-Sloane, I don’t know. I can’t find her.” The feeling of loss threatened to overwhelm her once more, and Sloane started crying again.

“Sloane, I need you to focus, please. What happened? Where were you when she went missing?”

Sloane wasn’t sure if she should say, but she was at the point where she didn’t care. She was weighed down by emotion and anything to find her daughter would help.

“We were together at home,” she tried to speak coherently. “Earth. There was a blue flash and then I woke up here, on that hill.” Sloane pointed over at it.“But when I looked around, my daughter was missing. I’ve searched for hours all around and can find no trace of her. I know she’s here. I know it.”

Gisele tilted her head in thought. “Sloane, we too were affected by this blue flash you speak of. Were the Sky Lights in the air before the blue flash?”

“You mean the aurora? Yes, why do you think that’s relevant?”

“Sorry, sorry. Just trying to understand. My fellow knights and I can help you search for your daughter. One of my men, Ser Cristole, is an adept tracker. Can you please explain to him where you have searched already?”

“Yes, please, help me find my daughter.”

“Don’t worry, we will.” Gisele turned back to her people. “One second, let me call someone else. Ser Maud! Come here, please. I need you to help Sloane to the wagon while I talk to Cristole.”

The elf named Maud climbed down from the wagon and came over, stopping at a respectful distance before addressing her. “Greetings, miss, may I help you stand up?”

Sloane nodded and Maud gently reached below her arm and helped her stand up. Holding her arm, she led her over toward the wagon where Gisele and an elf, Cristole, she assumed, were talking.

Gisele turned her head toward them as they approached, “Sloane, this is Ser Cristole. Please tell him what you told me and everything you have done since you arrived.”

With a small bow, Cristole spoke, “The more information you can give me the better miss. Any detail, no matter how small, may be of assistance.”

Sloane nodded in understanding. “It started when I picked up my daughter Gwyn from school…” She proceeded to tell them everything that had happened that day. Recalling the timeline–Sloane started with picking Gwyn from school and ended when she had collapsed by the road. She didn’t know how long she had sat there.

Gisele and the others looked at each other, Cristole opened his mouth but immediately closed it. The orc woman stared into the distance as she considered what Sloane had related. Seemingly coming to a resolution, the knight’s face became serious as she committed to a decision.

“First, Cristole, can you take Ismeld and Deryk with you and start searching the area? Maud, please grab your kit and check over Sloane here for any kind of injury. Ernald, keep watch of the area and stay here with us and the wagon.”

Sloane watched as the darker-skinned elf sat up on the wagon and the other orc and two of the elf knights started about their given tasks, Gisele looked back to Sloane. “Alright, Sloane, I’m going to be honest. Your story sounds completely unbelievable. However, you don’t look telv and you’re certainly not one of the loreni. Your clothing is absolutely unusual. If you pardon my bluntness, what are you?”

Sloane blinked, surprised, realization again sinking in that these people were completely different races. “I-I’m human. Are you an orc? Where am I? What planet am I on? How can we speak the same language?”

Gisele smiled. “Easy there, Sloane. Let me answer what I can. I am an Orkun, although I am surprised at how close you were. We are both speaking Common. Is that not the language you thought we were speaking?”

Sloane had no idea how they were speaking the same language. It shouldn’t be possible; the differences that there should be in cultural and societal development, not to mention linguistic drift that occurs over time should preclude it. There should be no way they spoke the same language, and yet, here she was, understanding what looked like a fantasy medieval knight with zero issues.

It hurt her head to think about, and she had far more things to worry about currently. That could come later. She slowly shook her head. “No, I am speaking what I know as English. I… it doesn’t matter, as long as you understand me.”

Gisele continued as Sloane’s mind raced, “I do not know any more than that. As far as ‘planet’, I am not entirely sure what this word means, if you mean the land, it is Ikios. Currently, we are in the Kingdom of Westaren near the town of Valesbeck. Now, please let Maud look over you while the others conduct their search.”

Hearing the knights in the distance calling out for Gwyn, she nodded.

Sloane tried to remember what a female knight was addressed as. She went with the first thing that came to mind. “Thank you, Dame…Gisele.”

Maud started looking over her with care.

Gisele chuckled, “We use the honorific ‘Ser’ for all Knights here in the western regions of the continent. At least in the majority of orders that you may interact with. Some of the orders that are nations in their own right may have different rules regarding titles. Titles are also something that changes depending on the nation. However, you are typically safe if you use the common title if you are not a noble yourself. You… aren’t a noble, correct?”

As Maud checked over her hands and arms, Sloane shook her head. “No, there are no nobles in the nation I’m from.”

“Oh, something like our Republics or Federations, yeah? Interesting. They’re not especially common; the Lymtoria Republic is probably the most respected, while the Ilsaldi Confederation is the largest. It’s about a third of the size of either the Kingdom of Avira or the Empire of Vlaredia.”

Sloane missed most of what Gisele said. “Sorry, I—”

“No, no. It’s alright, I’m just trying to get your mind off of the situation.” Gisele reassured her as she turned and looked toward Maud as she finished her examination.

Nodding, Maud addressed them both. “Physically, she seems fine. She’s got the health of a Lady. So definitely better off than either of us. I can’t be certain, however, because I am using a telv as a baseline. Although, she seems similar enough. That said.” She took off her waterskin and handed it to Sloane. “Drink. You need water.”

Sloane started drinking, much thirstier than she had thought. “Thank you.”

Gisele patted her shoulder, “Now, let’s see how the search goes. It’s getting late, we will need to set up camp soon. Your hill should suffice.”

They spent the next hour joining the knights in the search to no avail. In the end, the knights had to call it off for the night so that they could set up camp. They were efficient, each evidently had pre-assigned roles and tasks to perform. By the time the sun set and the twin moons lit up the night, there was a fire set up in the center of the camp on the hill. Sloane sat off to the side, trying to stave off the thoughts of despair. Thankfully, the knights let her have time to herself. She attempted to stop the tears but was unsuccessful. After another hour, she noticed the Knights had started eating and quietly talking amongst themselves. She noticed Maud grabbing two bowls and heading toward her.

Maud sat next to her, holding out one of the bowls of stew. “Here, eat. You will do your daughter no good if you are too weak to search for her.”

Sloane nodded, grabbing the bowl so that Maud could start eating her own stew. Taking a bite to eat, she noted its salty and bland taste. She didn’t mind though, she was hungry.

“Thank you. All of you, truly. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I need to find her. I am going to find her. I just hope that nothing—”

“None of those negative thoughts now. Ser Gisele and the rest of us discussed it. We will do some more searching tomorrow, and after, we will help you find your Gwyn.”

Maud paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “Ser Gisele didn’t mention it, but the six of us? We’re it. All that remains of our Order. Helping you is a worthy cause for us.” Maud nodded as if she was reassuring herself at the same time. “We’ll help you,” she repeated.

They sat in a comfortable silence as they ate their dinner, each contemplating the future. One of the other knights came over to grab their bowls and clean up once finished. Maud placed a hand on Sloane’s shoulder. “Come, you can bunk with me in my tent. Get some rest.”

They went to the small tent that Maud pointed out. Inside had two cots side by side, and they could only stand if they hunched a bit. Sloane took off her jacket to use it for a pillow as she lay down on one of the cots while Maud removed her armor. Once she got it all set aside, Maud closed and tied the opening flaps shut then also lay down. In no time at all, she quickly settled into a calm, peaceful sleep.

Sloane was still awake. How could she sleep not knowing where or how her daughter was? It wasn’t that easy. She was scared. More scared than she had ever felt before. More than she had ever imagined. Her emotions cracked as she tried to process it all. She had to find Gwyn.

She shoved her face into her jacket, her body convulsing as she let loose full-body sobs.

Her daughter, the one thing that mattered most to her in the world, was gone. With zero traces of where to find her or if she was even still alive. She didn’t know what to do. Yet, she knew that nothing would stand in her way to find Gwyn. Sloane would turn this world upside down if she had to.