I made my way downstairs to the tavern area where we met Mala the other day. There were other guests sitting at various tables having breakfast, and Mala was behind the counter wiping out a mug. She saw me and gave me a little wink with a smile. I looked around and saw Ariel and Caelin right away. It was pretty hard to miss them with their blonde hair and academic attire. Compared to them I looked like an actual commoner.

  I scurried over to them and quickly took a seat. We sat in silence for a moment before I finally spoke up.

  "I want to say thanks again...for all that you two have done the last couple days. You saved my life and paid for a nice bed. I kinda owe you guys..."

  "Don't sweat it!" Caelin said as he reached over and patted my shoulder. "As long as you're not an evil demon, we're happy to help."

  "Caelin's right, we only did what any decent person would do," Ariel added. "And besides, you couldn't possibly be that evil. Petal fairies don't just approach anyone, especially not demons. However, now that you're fully awake, perhaps you could give us some more details on your situation? What were you doing all the way in the middle of Talonveil alone in the middle of the night? How did you get there?"

  I took a deep breath and sighed. I had to think for a second since I didn't feel like sharing the fact that I got shot and I'm from another world, or that some crazy deity decided to completely flip my world upside down for a random fetish of his, and ESPECIALLY not that I used to be a guy.

  I quickly recapped everything that I could remember after I woke up the first time. As I was talking their expressions kept changing from shock to awe.

  "Woooah! You're pretty next level aren't you!? I can't believe you survived an encounter with Dusk Skulker AND a Noctyrix all in the same night! You know those are tier two and four monsters right? Haha, what are the odds! You're lucky it was only one Dusk Skulker!"

  * I am NOT lucky... *

  "In summary...I don't really know how I ended up in Talonveil." I said as I pondered for a moment. "One second I was eating food with some friends, and the next I'm alone in a dark forest with a book," I said as I held up my hand. As I did, the ring on my finger glimmered a little, I'd completely forgotten about it. "Oh yeah, and this ring."

  Both of them leaned in closer to get a better look. Ariel's eyes widened.

  "I...I don't think I've seen anything like this before," she said. "The runes and symbols on it are...really remarkable! Where did you get this? I only recognize a some of these patterns, the rest are completely new!"

  "Totally sick!" Caelin said. "That thing is clearly enchanted, I can feel a faint aura coming from it. My sword has enchantments like that, but the ones on the ring are way more complex!"

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  I stared for a second at the ring on my finger. Something seemed different. The purple gem on the bottom still glowed with a faint purple light, but as I thought about it, I realized that the gem in the middle was now a light sapphire blue, rather than a transparent white.

  "Strange..." I mumbled, "I could have sworn that it was white before."

  "Ring aside, maybe you were kidnapped or something? You appear to have some sort of amnesia," Ariel said.

  "Yeah, kidnapped...or something," I said while rolling my eyes and smiling to myself.

  "Hey Ariel, what if she's royalty too? That would be totally awesome wouldn't it!? We could take her back to her home and be heroes!"

  "That's a possibility, though the clothes you were wearing when we found you weren't exactly royalty. Do you remember where you're from?"

  * They definitely weren't royal clothes...they were knock-off name brand clothes from the discount store next to campus. *

  "I...don't really remember where I was from...only that I'm supposed to find T.G.U., or whatever that is."

  They both exchanged looks after which Ariel said, "Do you, by chance, mean Terra Grix University?"

  "That sounds right...maybe..."

  "Heyy! We're actually heading there too! How lucky can one person be!?"

  * I swear... *

  "That is quite fortunate for you, if you are. Caelin and I were on our way to take the entrance exam and stopped in Talonholme for the night. We came running when we heard the shriek from the Gloom Screecher. They're known to cause a lot of problems, especially when they get so close to town."

  "Some people say they're a bad omen," Caelin added.

  "Well good thing you showed up when you did, otherwise I'd be in the belly of an ugly bat right now. What is Terra Grix anyway? If I had to guess, it's a school?"

  "It is. I'm surprised you haven't heard of it before, though I guess I shouldn't be since you probably have amnesia. It's a world renown university that began as a school for mages, then evolved into a more broad array of study for young aspiring heroes. Magic, alchemy, martial arts–it's all studied there, and everyone is welcome. However, it's known for being very strict, and most students don't even make it past the entrance exam."

  * Ah...great, out of one school and into another. Thanks, Muganno. *

  For a moment I could have sworn I heard a 'You're Welcome!', but I must have been imagining things.

  "Ari's not lying, the entrance exam is brutal, and the graduation rate is like three percent. That said, the ones who have graduated from Terra Grix have gone on to do amazing things! A few of them managed to take down an eighth tier Abyss Reaver!"

  Ariel pushed Caelin's shoulder, "I told you not to call me that! If anyone starts calling me 'Ari' when we get there, you'll have otherworld to pay!"

  "Oh nooo," Caelin joked while acting helpless. That just earned him a punch on the arm.

  "Terra Grix sounds pretty amazing," I said.

  "If you're on your way there too, you may as well just come with us," Ariel smiled. "We can at least help you get to the entrance exam test site. From Talonholme we're only a day or two away."

  I had been a little worried as to how I'd get there, and quite relieved that they were offering to help me. Talk about a stroke of...never mind.

  "That would be great!" I said excitedly.

  They both smiled and started to stand up.

  "Then we better be on our way," Caelin said, offering me his hand.

  "Thanks," I said as I reached out. We clasped hands as he helped pull me up from the chair.

  His hand was much bigger than mine, and he was almost a foot taller too. I must have lost several inches of height during my transformation, only standing at like 5'3 or so now.

  "Well, lead the way," I said while giving my most sincere smile.

  "Yeah...haha, totally, leave it to me!" He said while looking away.

  We all took one final look around to make sure we weren't forgetting anything before we made our way towards the exit.