Story and characters written and created by JustSomeNumbers

  Feeling a strange cold breeze, and a pounding headache- Richard began to feel the sensations of his body. There was a small breeze gently patting his posterior body, his face laid on pebbled dirt, rough and compacted from his constant pressure. His fingers began to feel the blades of grass and morning dew around them. He focused on his lower limbs to avoid the overstimulation of these senses- now understanding a feeling of coldness from the bare and exposed digits on his feet. The air around him is humid, but temperamentally both comforting and annoying. A silence he thought he’d thought forgotten focused on the forefront of his strange experience. A sudden jolt of strange skittering sensation on his lower abdominal muscles startled Richard awake and fully spooked the man into standing upright. His eyes were finally beginning to open, and as his weary eyes did- a beautiful green plain began to consume his vision. Vast open fields surrounded by nothing but the light pale sky- the wind shifting his strangely un-recognized hair. The soft embrace of the sun gently warming his body.

  “...whm-at?”

  Attempting to speak, but feeling a numbness in his mouth- Richard felt as if he had forgotten how to talk. Crouching down in a panic he began immediate medical diagnosis.

  I can’t talk because my mouth is undergoing paresthesia? Is this some sort of shock or did some bug sting the inside of my m-... wait a minute-

  Before the thought could finish Richard realized something. Moving the arms of his hands out in front of him and standing as straight as he could, he inspected what seemed to be his arms. Slender and thin white epidermal layers reflected a large amount of light. Seeing the tips of his fingernails either coated or colored black he moved his hands closer to his eyes.

  These aren’t my hands! I- I was supposed to…

  After a brief shocking moment his eyes widened, and he immediately looked downwards. A following scream of shock was heard from at least a mile radius.

  “WHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTT??????”

  Richard's body- no, whoever's body this was an incredibly rare sight. Either an intersex individual in the beginning stages of puberty or some adolescent male with Gynecomastial symptoms. Never in his life did Richard expect to have a body with breasts, even if they were simply the result of this body's hormonal imbalance, looking around he doubted he could find any testosterone injections or hormone blockers.

  What the fuck is happening? I was supposed to be dead!

  Falling to the ground he came to the conclusion that this was probably just HPPD before he would eventually die. But from his knowledge, HPPD (hallucinogen persisting perception disorder) didn’t suddenly develop in patients… Nor did he think it would manipulate such an array of both feelings and visuals. It wouldn’t have bothered Richard, but the fact he was supposed to be dying in his home was a certainty. While foggy, he clearly remembered both the pain and euphoria from asphyxiating. So why was he in an open field in a body that wasn’t his?

  “What the fuck am I supposed to do about this??? Hello?”

  Richard figured he’d just need to find someone to lend a phone or get the nearest hospital or even psychiatric practice. But seeing as he was, at least he was feeling, naked and exposed- he didn’t particularly look forward to any interactions. Looking at the trees and foliage around him he couldn’t make sense of it.

  Those plants don’t look like anything I’ve seen before… were they eastern? Or did a new progeny of plants come about in the time I was asphyxiating? Where would I even- what direction should I walk????

  Lost as to what to do, Richard spun around looking for any signs of civilization. Planes, telephone wires, power poles- hell even smoke or pollution would be something to at least point him in the right direction. Panicked, and too anxious to really move, Richard thought a darker thought, but a realization that would be important in his… survival?

  Crossing his arms in a self comforting attempt, his mind began to race. Was there even a point to trying to survive if he was already dead? If he somehow was given a new life in the middle of nowhere- did this mean a second chance? At the end of his troubled life before he passed he did regret not standing up for himself or others as much as he wanted too. Was this god answering his prayer? A multitude of questions began to arise- but a more immediate problem came to his attention.

  !!!... There's no food! Without anyone to drive me to an outlet or store I won’t even be able to get food- let alone any anti-depressants or clothing!

  Quickly increasing his own anxiety from the thoughts he was having, he started to breathe quickly- slowly switching to a deep slow breathing to calm himself down.

  Well… Shit! I-

  ….

  An exasperated sigh was let out, and he looked around for something to cover himself. Looking around, there wasn’t much. Richard went around to collect some leaves- but before setting out completely he came across the corpse of some… guy? Girl? Though unbeknownst to Richard, it was the corpse of an Orc. Shriveled up and removed of any hydration- similar to what Richard would describe as a mummified corpse. However, what was useful to him at the moment was the primitive clothing it seemed to dawn.

  “A-ah hello?”

  It was a mute point to double check if it was really dead but at this point Richard didn’t know what the hell was happening for two simple reasons, First he had no idea how it was scientifically possible to.. Switch? Re-house? Whatever descriptor fit the process of “transfering” someone's consciousness to a different body. Second was the organism in-front of him. It was the strangest thing he had ever seen- it was a body with dehydrated skin, a tall (now) slender body with clear markings for muscular growth. What was most fascinating was the jaw, housing two pairs of teeth sticking out of the mouth. The first pair (the lateral pair)- stuck out about an inch from the lip, while directly dextral to them was another set of teeth about half an inch or less sticking out. The ears of the strange being were also distinctly different to what he knew was more common human anatomy. The ears were shaped like a snail shell, which was a bit…disturbing but fascinating.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  The clothing the now deceased…thing- was wearing was a mix between a primitive tunic and a strangely shorter tank top. While the idea of whatever foreign bodies (bacteria, fungal growth, etc-) entering the cloth was incredibly scary for Richard, as someone who knows the horrors of certain medical conditions- weighed the options between trying to find some sort of civilization naked, or exposing his body to any unknown or new pathogens that could be unknown to him. Ultimately he decided to move forward with collecting the cloth, but wouldn’t wear it until he could find out how to at the very least disinfect it. Cautiously moving into a position to lift the body- richard knelt down and started to lift the one piece tunic off the strangely humanoid being.

  As he picked up the tunic, the coarse roughness of the leather mixed with the mental image of any potential germs that were lingering from a corpse exposed to both the elements and natural microbes. He physically shuddered as he reluctantly held the leather clothing a full arms length away. Standing up and moving a couple steps in whatever direction looked most appealing, Richard began to slowly walk- with no particular reason or logic behind it. He wasn’t sure if it was the fact he was physically holding something to cover up with, or the physicality of the motion of walking that started to calm him from the absolutely bizarre situations. |But it was clear that he had a plan. Now, was that plan entirely…. Thought out? No- but it was something to hold onto. It was something to focus on while navigating this weird place. Though this journey was going to be long, it was made longer by the fact he couldn’t stop thinking about the exposure to foreign bodies and possible vectors of infection.

  Assuming the day started in the morning- it was about mid-early lunch when he found a river. Strangely it was flowing with the clearest water he had seen. When he was in Sittania most wildlife were killed off from industrial fumes and biomedical waste not being mitigated or regulated. The rivers and small streams were typically a concerning reddish brown or muddy deep maroon. He saw a lot of patients with presentations of asthma or pulmonary problems, and while it was true for the most part chemical waste in the air was the root cause- there was also the distinction that pretty much all of the outdoor activities were in contact with one carcinogen or another. All this to say- seeing such clear water almost like glass, was a distinct and undeniable fact that disputed any and all sense of being on the same planet as Sittania. Years of rapid industrialization and disregard for environmental controls and the nuclear wars for meager territories left the surface of the planet pretty much unable to hold a lot of the natural splendor pictures of the past had. So to see the act of nature was as shocking as it was eye opening and beautiful. Tears started to form on his face as a bright smile escaped his usually anxious and sorrowful demeanor as he overlooked the horizon a beautiful green (that he already saw) was compelled even further by the clear flowing river and wildlife within the distance. While it didn’t particularly seem like the most comprehensive decision to wash the tunic, as he didn’t have the right equipment to test for any microbial activity or radioactivity, the hope in his heart from seeing the surreal and dream-like scene before him hardened his resolve.

  Washing the tunic, small speckles of dirt and unknown substances (of which almost created a minor panic attack Richard only narrowly avoided-) came off of the tunic. Surprisingly, whatever leather this particular tunic was made of seemed to retain its “shriveled” state- making it fit surprisingly closer to this… newer body of his. Speaking of this newer body, as he was washing the tunic (for the seventh time now, to be certain there were no growths or germs) he decided to see a more comprehensive view. He wanted to see his reflection. Peering over the edge of the embankment like before, a hazy outline of a human was able to be seen- unfortunately the water was moving too rapidly to get a clear view, and the water's reflection was more mesmerizing for Richard than focusing on his new appearance. What he could see however- was a certified medical miracle.

  For whatever reason, his complexion was pale and essentially lacking any trace of melanin production. While the study of melanin constituted mainly around the usage as a UV ray blocker, this level of melanin loss was similar to albinism. However from physical observation earlier when he awoke in this strange place it was clear areas of his body- like his digits, keratinized aspects and some of his body's external mucous membranes. The additional contradiction to his differential diagnosis of albinism was the aspect of photophobia or photodysphoria. His body was also anatomically…unique.

  Usually in male presenting patients, the breast tissue usually doesn’t develop past maturity and the hormones tend to focus elsewhere. While it was true it was a bit tricky to diagnose any abnormalities in bodily proportions unless they were extreme, his slim arms and more curvy outline were definitely leaning towards a more feminine presentation. Now there wasn’t anything abnormal about this for most male presenting anatomy (barring the potential Gynecomastial symptoms), but it made Richard feel… inadequate as someone who identified more with men than women. He understood the difference between anatomy and presentation, that is to say the difference between gender and sex. For whatever reason the Sittanian government was incredibly concerned with this distinction and the dissolution of it, which was concerning as a medical practitioner as it was a necessary step to perform objective medical care. But in this strange place… did it really matter? He didn’t exactly have the tools or medical intervention to change anything. As these thoughts were slowly bubbling up to the surface, which made him question some parts of his identity and self confidence- he found himself suddenly sitting in a comforting room.

  …

  “What?”

  Richard blinked and was suddenly in another unfamiliar place. However this time he was in his body again. The room itself was… different from how he remembered it. His bedroom was…larger. There was a more lavish bed (at least by his standards) in the corner of the room surrounded by pillows and books. Medical reference and diagnostic manuals sat next to a study with a reading light and coffee machine. A golden yellow light was shining from the overhead lighting, on the wall was a controller for the intensity- he found it strange that there were no doors or windows. There was a large, square mirror next to an extravagantly crafted stained wooden grandfather clock. None of these things existed in his bedroom before. Strangely- he could feel his body have sensations that were new to him. It was as if his body was reacting to the stimulus of something he wasn’t interacting with. It was… strange.

  Upon coming closer to the mirror, a shocked expression flashed his own face. He was like a ghost. A translucent outline was in the mirror of his body- but it sat as a misty volume overlying the body he was previously in. A sense of vertigo continued to daze him. As he was about to touch the mirror for some support before his legs gave out from nausea as his heart dropped. His body flinched almost like a cat responding to a sudden scare. Adrenaline shot out of his very fibre of being.

  “WHO ARE YOU?”

  As he peered a more concentrated view into the mirror, a different person was about as shocked as him, as his reflection was seemingly moving on its own. That person was clearly moving in an incredibly sporadic manner and the shock of what seemed to be his reflection having a mind of his own. After moving closer- a weird coincidence of observation was noted by Richard. This strange person was also a misty overlay that seemed to be superimposed on the body he was in before.

  The person before him started speaking a strange language he wasn’t familiar with and tried to make gestures to communicate- but nothing really came across as something Richard could understand. Movements and repeated slow motions were meaningless, any words he spoke were muffled and distorted. Finally reaching a point where Richard felt desperate just to talk to another human being, he went to grab a note-book and pencil. He wrote his name and common phrases in every possible language and showed it to the strange man. He was still unable to understand. Richard pointed to his name and visibly showed him that he wanted to emphasize it’s importance. After a nod between the two (and a small confused look on the person who was in the mirror), he then pointed to himself and gestured as hard as he could. After a small moment of pausing in that awkward pose the man in the mirror suddenly looked like he had an “ah-HA!” moment. Reaching somewhere out of view, which was an insane thing to witness from what was originally thought to be a mirror, moved back into view with a giant piece of what seemed to be blueprint paper. On it was a scribbling in a strangely foreign language- but similar iconography. It was the earth, but its borders were… strange. Where Sitannia and her allies were was a strange conglomeration of various provinces, and a strange symbol occupied it. Realizing that this was most likely a political map of the world of this “person”, he returned the favor. After a small back and fourth, finally understanding that what they were both drawing were the respective countries that inhabited their worlds- the man in the mirror wrote in big letters in an unfamiliar wording. Pointing to something he couldn’t read.

  Unbeknownst to Richard, the man in the mirror was desperately trying to convince him that this particular series of symbols was his name.

  Liam.