The liquid found its way through his whole body. As it reached his toes and fingers, another quick relief, and the feeling of rest spread where his muscles were aching from labor just a moment ago.
He wiggled his legs around, formed a fist and let loose several times, and made a squat. Theo jumped up. Man, this feels fucking great!
Then it overcame him. Dancing for a moment, singing Magic from B.o.B. “... when I hit the flow the girls come snapping at meeee…”
He had always loved dancing. Whether at a club or just at home, turning the music way too loud up to a point where his roommates had to knock on his door and open it violently, only to find Theo practicing the swing of his hips.
“I got the magic in me!”
Even though he only danced for himself, he was out of breath, but thankfully there was a special cure just within reach. A quick sip from his mug, and he was back on his feet.
That felt good. Now what next…
He looked outside, and there was still time, so the answer was obvious.
Soon, Theo stood inside the room he had already spent two nights in. When he had arrived, he loved the scent of nothingness when he had entered. But today, the absence of scent bothered him. It felt empty. Not lived in.
He looked around. There was not too much to do. Well, the bed. But aside from that, the room presented more possibilities than obstacles.
With a bit of force, Theo pulled a wooden beam from one side of the bed. It was the one that had crushed a plank when it had fallen and left the bed as a whole completely unstable. Now he was left with a bed that had only the other beam sticking into the air on one side at the foot end.
He inspected the beam and found out that it was held in place by a clever mechanism that was used to push two pieces of wood together. After some experimenting and trying things with force, a piece of wood loosened, and he was able to pull the beam off.
That looks better. Let’s fix you up and hope you stay that way.
With both beams gone, Theo lifted the large straw mattress up. It was heavier than he had expected. Even for a double-sized bed, a bit of straw had no right to be this heavy. But it now lay on the ground, and he found the reason why the bed was so unstable. The base had a large crack from left to right, which led to the bed sinking in the middle. The plank that was used on the side he was not sleeping on was broken in the middle, which left the side that was buried under the beam completely unstable.
If this doesn’t work, the next thing that breaks is my back, Theo acknowledged and worked the first beam directly under the base where the crack was. It was an act to adjust it under the crack, and it did not cover everything up, but when he took a step back to breathe, the bed was at the very least not sinking in the middle. “That is something,” Theo muttered while bending down to try to stabilize the broken plank with the other beam. It made a screeching sound when he pushed it across the floor next to the plank, only to find out that the difference in height was just too large. He tried for a while, pushing the beam once more, then pulling the bed on top of the beam, but the wooden structure was just too massive. After a while, his arms became sore, and he could start smelling sweat before it spread in his armpits.
“Fuck this… Maybe the first one was enough…”
With the last bit of strength, he pulled the mattress on top again and laid down on his side. His back cracked when he spread out his legs and moved carefully. But it seemed to be stable enough. He slowly crawled over to the other sign only to retreat from a sound of wood giving in under pressure. He waited. But nothing crashed.
Theo chuckled softly while he pushed arms and legs far from his body. He could feel the tension leaving as if it were steaming off. When he felt recovered, Theo crawled out of his bed.
His gaze went over to the wardrobe. He pulled out one of the white shirts and tried it on. It fit almost perfectly. A little too tight around the shoulders, but not uncomfortable. Maybe it just came from the work that had made his muscles swell up.
The pants fit as well. They smelled a bit too fresh for staying in that wardrobe for so long, something like mint and the scent of dried oranges they had sold in the winter months.
Theo changed back into his clothes and spent the rest of the time cleaning the floor with his water supply until the room was cleaned of most of the dust that existed in there. He even took the time to clean the door and free the engraving from dirt. Without its cover, it looked like a small kettle adorned by leaves and wheat ears.
When he ran his fingers over the symbol, his fingertips shimmered in the same shade of green they had before. He pulled them away. “What’s this again?”
Theo slowly moved his pointing finger onto the symbol again and saw the color intensifying the closer it got until it touched the wood. He let his palm follow with a mixture of curiosity and restraint. After a moment, the symbol turned the same color once, then went back to normal. “What the–”
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His hand glided back to the door handle, rattling as the door refused to open. “Fucking shit!”
He continued to push with his shoulder, pressing down the handle with both hands. “Open, you fucking door!”
After spending the day working, his arms gave up, and Theo returned his hands to the symbol, gliding his fingers across the carving – until they slipped and turned green again. Is this…
He pressed the handle down once more, and the door opened without refusal.
No way! And why did my hand…?
Theo went back into his bedroom and kicked one of the chairs. It moved a bit from the force, wobbled for a moment, and ended up finding its balance. It just stood there. As if it wanted to tell him that it is what it is.
What followed his body was his mind. Exhaustion. Before finding his way downstairs, he grabbed the blanket and a pair of clothes, then tried the door on his way. It did not open without him touching the sign, and it still felt strange to him.
Theo took another sip of his Energy Drink and felt relief. About half of the liquid remained and was quickly filled into one of the bottles. He formed a bag out of the blanket, put the bottle and clothes inside it, and made his way to the river. The way felt long and heavy, but a tiny sip from his Energy Drink here and there helped. He must have gotten used to the feeling by now, as the sensation didn’t feel quite as powerful as it had the first time.
A bath will help… I hope.
When he arrived, he washed the blanket first. A swirl of dust came out of it and followed the stream, disappearing further down the river. Then, he undressed and cleaned his body of three days' worth of sweat, dirt, and scent. He took his time, and despite his arms being heavy, it felt good. When he was done, he slowly stepped out of the river and sat down on top of his old clothes, waiting for some of the water to dry off.
There was a fish passing by some grass in the water. It swam slightly off. No motion in its tail. Just a block of fish gliding through the river.
He wrung out the blanket and dried the remains of the water on his skin with his old shirt and put on his new clothes. Wearing his new clothes, he felt somewhat professional, which was confirmed by his reflection in the water.
When he made the first step back, his legs tightened once more. Another sip.
A few steps later, he was breathing heavily, and his legs cramped this time.
Theo grabbed the bottle. “Come on, take me home,” he muttered while opening it and emptying the rest of it in one stroke. The sensation was stronger. His legs felt lighter immediately. “There you go…”
He walked for a while until he could hear the sound again. It appeared more distant this time. and dull.
[Alchemist Level 2]
[Skill obtained: Basic Craft–
Then, everything went dark.
***
He heard it first before anything else. Then he felt his head turning. Like a hangover and being drunk together.
Water first. Then steps on the stone. Too light for boots. Uneven.
“But I just wanna see,” shouted a young voice full of disappointment.
Theo tried to move. Nothing answered. His body felt distant, as if it had been wrapped in cloth and set aside. He could feel the cold through his back where the ground met his skin, but it came late, dulled.
“There,” the voice said. “He’s breathing.”
A pause. Then fingers pressed against his neck. Not careful. Practical.
“Slow,” an older voice murmured. “But yes.” the voice sounded almost like his mother's.
Theo wanted to speak. To say something. Anything. His mouth refused him. His tongue felt too large, his jaw too heavy.
“He looks funny,” the child said.
“Quiet.”
“No, he doesn’t have a tail, look!”
Another pause. Longer this time.
Something shifted, and Theo felt the scrape of fabric against his arm. Something tugged at his sleeve. His fingers twitched once, barely more than a thought.
The child gasped. “Mum! He moved!”
“I saw.”
There was no fear in her voice. Just confirmation.
She exhaled slowly. “Help me turn him. Gently.”
Something else pressed against his shoulder, then released. Cold air touched his chest. The world tilted, and for a moment the river noise grew louder, rushing, filling his ears until it swallowed everything else.
He coughed.
The sound tore out of him, rough and wet. His body followed late, shuddering once before settling again.
The child laughed, sharp with relief. “See? He’s alive.”
“I know,” the woman said. She placed something under his head. Folded cloth. A sleeve, maybe. It smelled of wilted lilac.
Theo drew in a shallow breath. It burned. His lungs felt scraped raw, like he had been breathing dust.
“Can he wake up?” the child asked.
“I don’t think so. Don’t touch him!”
“How do you know?”
“Because if he could, he would’ve by now.”
The child hummed, thinking. “Is he sick?”
“We’ll see…”
A cold splash in Theo’s face made his body react subconsciously and his eyes blinked. Light bled into his vision. He blinked against it, once, then again, until the shapes in front of him stopped swimming.
The child came close to his face, her nose almost touching it. “Mum, look, he woke up!”
“Can you speak?” The mother grabbed the child on her shoulder and pulled her away.
“I’m… I’m Theo… Everything feels–” Theo gulped once while he tried to move his arms. They moved just a little bit now before the cramps returned.
“You need rest. Bring some water, Nenn!”
The child waddled away and soon returned with a waterskin. She brought it up to Theo’s mouth, and he drank slowly, spilling most of it left and right from his mouth.
The mother waited for him to swallow, then continued. “How did you get lost here?”
The smile on her face was slim. The child now hid behind her, peeking out with curiosity.
“I… I’ve … too hard. Live in the… old house.”
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Daughter of Two Worlds
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- Slow-burn romance (soft, awkward, real)
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For fans of Howl’s Moving Castle and Stardust, this is a funny, heartwarming fantasy adventure about magic, family, and finding home between worlds with the people you love.
San Diego is not prepared for this glowing boy. Or the assassins that follow him. Maybe Trina isn’t either.