I asked Lacerta to repeat herself. Her statement did not make sense to me.

“You don't know Trisatria? It's the name of this land. Several people have told me so. Is that wrong? Was I being lied to?”

The lizard looked on curiously. Due to her officious reaction, I began to doubt the most basic assumption I made about this world.

“It's the first time I have heard of the term. I'm not sure how the townspeople call it, but kobolds and other races don't call it that. That also extends to be the books I've read, which were authored by humans, and never once that term. If Tristaria is a real moniker, then it must be a very recent one. Forgive me for my ignorance, my knight.”

She bowed forward as an apology. I gestured to show that it was unnecessary and she could stand back up. I was astounded that even at this stage, I was still learning the most basic information of this world.

“I was not aware of that. What is this name you are referring to, Lacerta? I would very much like to know,” I asked.

The lizard paced forward confidently.

“It's the same term we have used for centuries. Ever since time immemorial, we have called this world by the same name. Translated into human tongue, we call it The Veil.”

As the sound reached my ears, I couldn't help but smile. My legs gave out and I fell to the ground on my behind. I rubbed my forehead, not sure whether I should be happy or sad.

“My knight, are you okay? Is something the matter.”

I couldn't help but mutter in my seat.

“Oh, it's nothing. It doesn't really matter.”

She took a knee and grabbed my hand. If I were to use her own terms, she appeared like a knight caring for her fallen princess. The irony mildly offended me.

“My knight, I am not blind. I can tell you are bothered. Please, share your troubles with me. I will always be at your side.”

I decided that hiding everything would be a bigger pain than simply telling the truth, so I didn't bother with any bluffs. Back in my old world, in my desk job, I had to constantly lie or cover the truth in some way. Common courtesy required maintaining a facade of normalcy and indifference. It was tiring. I didn't want to do that anymore.

“Do you remember how I told you I ail from a different land?”

“Yes, my knight.”

“When I first came here, I thought this was a brand new world for me to explore. However, there was something curious. Everything was very familiar. Suspiciously familiar, even. I already knew most of the features of this land, with only small details being different. And so I made a basic assumption. I assumed that this world was familiar to one I knew, but also fundamentally different and unique. Perhaps it was in the same general area, but in a different location. I was now in a new country called Tristaria, and a spatial difference explained the aberrations I saw. But your comment changes that.”

“Are you suggesting that your assumption was incorrect?”

I nodded.

“Yes. That term you used, The Veil, it's the same. That's how my land was called.”

She heeded me on to continue.

“But my knight, how is that possible? Did you not state that things were different from what you remembered? How could you hail from this very same land and not realize it?”

I looked on with ambivalence.

“It's not that hard. If you think about it, the answer is obvious. I assumed the difference was caused by space, but I now know that was false. Therefore is only one other option remaining.”

The lizard went into deep thought. I could tell she was struggling to come up with the answer before I announced it myself. It didn't taker her long to come to the same realization.

“It couldn't be. Are you saying...”

“Yeah. If it's not space, then it's time. The Veil I am familiar with is the one from far in the past, at least a century ago.”

I remembered Calvar's words. A while ago, he mentioned the Holy King of Tristaria, which has been reigning for 100 years. One could assume that was when the term Tristaria first appeared, and the first major event after Spirit of Darkness ended. Tristaria is therefore the same world as Spirit of Darkness, only 100 years in the future. Nobody knows the important characters of the story, since they have been dead for over a century.

I stood up with Lacerta's help. I felt much clearer than before. The kobold, however, put her hands to her face in embarrassment.

“To think my knight is over a hundred years old. I always assumed I was older than you, but now it's all reversed. Oh, how awkward!” she said.

“Hey, I may be getting on with the years, but I'm not that old! Humans rarely live over a hundred, and even then they look wrinkly. I'm older than I look, but I'm not a hundred.”

The lizard calmed herself.

“Forgive me, my knight, but may I know your age? The conversation has stirred my curiosity, and this is something I should know of my future husband.”

“Shouldn't be a problem. I'm 27 years old.”

The lizard dropped to her knees and covered her face once more. She blushed fiercely behind her hidden guise.

“My heavens, you are still older! I assumed you were no more than 15 by your appearance. What an embarrassing mistake...”

In truth, that was not a mistake. My current body does look like that of a teenager's. Her judgment surprisingly accurate considering she was not human herself. I carefully helped her back to her feet.

“No worries. But you said you were younger. Do kobolds age the same as humans?”

“Yes, our lifespans are about the same. I myself am 20 years old, just the age when I should be getting married. This is also when we reach the height of fertility. Right now I should be thinking about settling down and laying my own clutch. In my dream scenario I want at least six eggs, one for myself, one f-”

“Aah. That's enough. I don't need to know all the intricacies of kobold reproduction, thank you very much.”

She looked disappointed.

“But we are to be husband and wife! It's only right that you would be involved in every bit of raising our children. Every detail of ovulation cycles and-”

“Aah. We'll worry about it later, okay? We have business to attend to.”

The excuse seemed to work and I could now carefully pack up my things. I was finally ready to head out.

“Where shall we go, my knight? Shall we head to town to pick up Calvar? I'm sure you have many questions to be answered.”

I shook my head.

“No, the original plan still stands. We're heading right to the next dungeon. There are some things I need to confirm.”

We made our way to the haunted mansion marked on my map. Just like all the other locations, it was a comfortable distance away, a journey of no more than several minutes. This was a great advantage of video-game world design -- everything important is within walking distance.

Soon the mansion stood before me. You could see why it had rumors of being haunted, as there was a large ominous graveyard surrounding it. One would have to wade through all the graves before reaching the front door. Though dreary, the sight brought a smile to my face.

“Is something the matter, my knight? Are you familiar with this place.”

I enthusiastically nodded.

“Yes. This was once known as Decipio's House of Traps.”