The first thing JiYeong noticed was that she was no longer sitting in her computer chair, but standing upright. The second thing she noticed was that instead of the uncomfortable mugginess of her apartment, there was a cool, constant breeze. The third was the pounding in the back of her head.

She blinked open her eyes, sucking in a breath at what she saw.

It definitely wasn’t her apartment anymore. She was outside, standing on a platform of sorts. There was a faint shimmer, and as she looked around she realized it was in the middle of a semi-circle of cherry blossom trees. Blue and white cherry blossoms.

The breeze was blowing the leaves around the platform, creating a beautiful scene. One she swore she’d seen before.

In fact, something about this place seemed oddly familiar. Which was impossible. JiYeong had never been outside of Michigan, and there was nothing like this in the state.

A light giggle drew her attention toward the stairs of the platform, where two people were standing.

At least, she thought they were people. Maybe in costume.

The one who she assumed was the one who giggled was short. She was cute and small, reminding JiYeong of a slightly paler Lilia.

That was where the similarity ended, though.

Her sparkling gray eyes were hidden beneath bright pink hair that fell in ringlets to her shoulders. Shimmering, almost translucent wings fluttered behind her and she levitated for a second with the action. She was holding a staff close to her heaving chest and her mouth formed a grin, dimples appearing on her cheeks. If JiYeong were closer she'd be able to see the sweat drops formed on her forehead.

Not costumes, then.

Behind her was a woman who looked to be taller than JiYeong. Her skin was chocolate brown, dark curly hair hung down her back and around her waist. Her eyes, wide with shock, were a deep blue. She had pointed ears jutting out on either side of her head and a bow slung across her back.

Her hands rested on her hips, disbelief written on her face.

“I can’t believe it worked.” She breathed.

“I told you it would!” The pink-haired one squealed, fluttering wings causing her to float again.

JiYeong stayed quiet, brain trying to make sense of everything.

The pink-haired girl seemed familiar as well, but she was certain she had never met anyone who looked like her…or who had wings. That worked.

And just like that, it clicked.

JiYeong knew why this place, that Faerie, looks so familiar.

It was Obsidian Outpost.

From Allumia Crossing.

It shouldn’t be. It didn’t seem possible. And yet, the blue cherry blossom that floated in front of her face told her it was.

A chill washed over JiYeong at the realization. Suddenly the cool breeze was freezing against her skin. Her heart thumped in hard and then it seemed to pick up double time. The world around her grew hazy as she fought to draw in a breath.

One of the girls said something but JiYeong couldn’t focus on their words. Her chest had grown impossibly tight.

She took a staggered step backward and collapsed.

⚔⚔⚔

When JiYeong woke next she was laying on a very uncomfortable cot. She shifted, pain shooting through her back. Her head was still throbbing, though the pain had dulled quite a bit.

“How hard did I fall?” There was a throbbing in her hip.

“You hit the ground pretty hard.” A soft voice responded.

When she finally opened her eyes and sat up it was to see the pink-haired girl sitting next to her on the cot, a smile on her lips. JiYeong didn’t reply right away. The throbbing was starting to go away and she was afraid if she moved or talked too much it would make it worse.

“I’m so happy you’re finally here!” The girl was saying.

“Where…exactly is here?” JiYeong asked, afraid she already knew the answer.

“Huh?” The girl blinked, tilting her head a bit. She looked as confused as JiYeong felt. “We’re in Obsidian Outpost, where you agreed to meet us.”

Allumia was supposed to be a fictional place, in a video game. There was no way she could actually be there. JiYeong wanted to close her eyes and open them back in her apartment, but the cot she was sitting on was blatantly uncomfortable. The girl, Faerie, sitting next to her was physically there.

Allumia was real.

A noise toward the entrance brought her attention that way. The other woman was coming in, a pack in her hands.

“I’ve gotta say, I’m honestly surprised the summoning worked.”

“Summoning? You summoned me?” JiYeong couldn’t keep the shock, or disbelief, out of her voice. “How? I'm not...how?”

"Honestly we don't know. Humans aren't ever summoned. Usually just dieties and the like. This is a...first."

The woman sat the package on the dresser, crossing her arms. “You failed to meet Iridia and me as you were meant to. After several days of waiting, we figured attempting a summoning would be worthwhile. I admittedly did not think it would work as Iridia is not the strongest Faerie around, but alas, here you are.”

“Iridia?” Why did that name sound so familiar?

“That’s me!” The girl, Iridia, quipped. “I’m a Summoner from Sylfelia. Well, my parents are from Sylfelia, but we’ve lived here in Criesal my whole life. I began studying to be a Summoner when I was younger, but Silvvyr is right. Even though Faeries are naturally adapt at Magick, I’ve never been the greatest at it. I can do basic spells but summoning has always been hit or miss for me.” She paused, either due to her realizing she was rambling or her lack in Summoning JiYeong wasn’t sure. “We tried a couple of times to get you here, but this is the only time that’s worked. Used up all of my crystals too.”

They’d tried more than once. The realization dawned on her and she sucked in a breath. Her game was force closing because it was trying to bring her to Allumia.

“So then you’re…” JiYeong turned to Silvvyr, who gave a slight nod of the head.

“I am Silvvyr. An Elcres, if the ears didn’t give that away. I am a Hunter from Ellshire, charged with accompanying Iridia in seeking you out. And now that you are here, we must be on our way.”

“To…where?”

“To Whitewall, to see Queen Adaora. She will want to know you have been successfully retrieved.” Silvvyr grabbed the package she’d set down. She unceremoniously dropped it onto the bed next to JiYeong. “There is a change of clothes in there that I believe will be suitable for you. A suit of armor will be available for you once we reach Whitewall. Come Iridia, let us let her change.”

Iridia floated off the bed, smiling at JiYeong before leaving behind Silvvyr.

JiYeong found herself unable to move for quite a while, the package sitting loosely in her hands. Even though she knew now the world around her was Allumia, and that somehow she’d been summoned from her world to this one, it was difficult to wrap her mind around it.

Logically it didn’t make sense.

There shouldn’t have been any possibility for Iridia to summon her here and yet, the Faerie and Elcres that had stood before her moments ago were as real as she was.

The dull ache in her hip proved JiYeong was not dreaming, either.

She let out a long sigh, looking down at the package in her hands. At any rate, she wouldn’t find any answers just sitting there. So she stood, opening the package and pulling out the clothes inside to change; a pair of thick leggings, a tunic that is surprisingly form-fitting and some thigh-high boots.

Also inside the package was a pack that she slung around her shoulder and a pair of elbow-length gloves. JiYeong sighed, using the hair tie she'd put on her wrist the night before to braid her hair back and secure it.

She stalked out of the hut, going to where Iridia and Silvvyr stood near the stable. Iridia was petting a horse that JiYeong had never seen in-game before. It was completely white, save for its rainbow mane and tail, and had a pair of wings.

Silvvyr’s was a surprisingly large grey, almost silver horse. She was leaning against the stable, arms crossed. The horse bumped its nose against her shoulder and she reached back, stroking him and whispering something to him.

It was a known fact that Hunters had the ability to connect with animals, but this was something JiYeong only knew about in-game. It was completely different witnessing it in person.

“Are you ready?” Silvvyr asked when she noticed JiYeong standing there.

“Am I supposed to ride with one of you?” Almost as soon as she asked the question, JiYeong noticed neither horse had a two person saddle.

Iridia fluttered up to sit on her horse. “Do you not have a mount?”

Summoning a mount in the game had been easy. All she had to do was use a whistle and the mount would appear. That didn’t make sense in a real world setting, however. For starters, JiYeong didn’t know how to pull up a user interface, if that were possible at all.

On top of that, Iridia and Silvvyr seemed as if they had stabled their horses, and she couldn’t recall hearing them use a whistle.

JiYeong walked over to the stables anyway, heaving another sigh. Since Obsidian was the last place her character was when her game crashed the first time, she was hoping YeongGi was auto-stabled there.

Thankfully, her familiar mount was staring her in the face when she approached the stall next to Iridia.

“Woah.” JiYeong brought a hand to the horse, unable to believe he was real. He seemed to recognize her too, immediately whining and prancing in place.

“Are you ready now?” Silvvyr asked as JiYeong lead YeongGi out of his stable.

She couldn’t help but glare at the Hunter. While she knew Silvvyr wasn’t aware that they’d essentially kidnapped JiYeong from Earth to bring her here, there was a pang of annoyance at her impatience. JiYeong didn’t say anything, climbing onto YeongGi.

Silvvyr didn’t react to her lack of a response. “Alright. Let us head out to Whitewall.”

⚔⚔⚔

According to Iridia, the ride to Whitewall was supposed to take about three days. It was another thing that seemed odd. Riding from Whitewall to Obsidian only took two minutes of her time on Earth.

Three straight days of riding didn’t sound especially pleasant. Especially considering she’d never ridden YeongGi in real life.

In fact, JiYeong never been on a horse in her entire life.

The saddle on YeongGi was surprisingly comfortable. Despite the comfort though, after about an hour, the constant bouncing from riding left her with a sore butt.

Outside of the pain, the ride was boring. Silvvyr and Iridia rode with ease, which didn’t surprise me considering they’d probably been riding mounts their whole lives. Plus it more than likely helped that Silvvyr was a Hunter with the Animal Husbandry skill, and Iridia could fly if she got tired of riding.

JiYeong readjusted herself again, glancing at the water as they passed.

YeongGi didn’t need much instruction either, seeming to know where he was going. To him, the world was always real and the runs from Obsidian to Whitewall must have been engrained to his memory.

“I love riding my horse!” Iridia’s voice drew JiYeong's attention from the water. “I don’t get to ride her too often, so this is really fun for me.”

She wasn’t even holding onto the reins. In fact, as JiYeong looked closer she realized the horse didn’t have reigns. They probably weren’t entirely necessary since Iridia’s wings eliminated any danger of her falling off.

“There is not much need for riding in Sylfelia, is there?” Silvvyr also wasn’t holding onto the reins, her arms folded across her chest. Show off. “Most places you can get to by flying. It is a wonder horses are bred there at all.”

“Faerie’s get tired of flying too ya know. The wings aren’t just for show. Plus there are some places that are too far for us to fly to that we use the horses for.” Iridia patted her horse’s neck gently. “Lady here was bred when I was young. I raised her, as much as I could being young, with help from Hunter’s.”

“You named your horse Lady?” Silvvyr rose an eyebrow, an amused look on her face.

“I was six, okay? It was either that or Sparkle.”

“Let us be glad you did not go with Sparkle.”

JiYeong couldn’t help but feel a bit put out by the two’s banter. From what she understood, they hadn’t known each other too long, only having been paired with each other to brief her on the quest. But they talked like they’d known each other for years. And though she knew she was being ridiculous, it only served to annoy her further.

A rough patch of ground forced JiYeong to tighten her hold on the reigns. Pain shot through her still sore hip. Only three more days until they reached Whitewall. She could do this.