章節 22: Awaken

Zell opened his eyes, having finished his ordeal. He found his vision extremely blurry and distorted. He rubbed his eyes several times but kept getting a weird sensation each time he did. Finally, he got enough use of them to see his situation. The water from the pool next to him was shooting out into a stream that covered his and Jageria's bodies. He panicked in fear of drowning and forced his way to his feet, breaking the water's hold.

He looked down on the ground for the first time in what seemed like ages and could see his long-wet hair. His once pitch-black hair, now crimson. He ran his fingers through to ensure it was in fact his hair. Giving it a tug, he confirmed it was attached to his head. It did not take him long to realize that he was taller than he used to be. He moved his hands in front of his face and examined them. They were larger than he remembered. "Just how long were we in there?" He questioned. "I lost track of time. Wait, is my voice a bit deeper?"

"Welcome back young man!" Jageria said as she got up. She looked over his new form, he had grown about a foot, bringing his height to five foot two inches, his muscles were well defined all over his body with extremely low body fat. Tattoos of runic light had formed on his chest and shoulders. "My you are going to need a new outfit, that old one is not going to fit."

She walked over to her wardrobe and started throwing out clothes as she searched.

"What happened to me?" Zell asked. "Why is my hair a different color, why am I taller and older?"

"The hair and the tattoos are side effects of being in the astral plane for so long." She said, "As for the height and age, well time goes on."

"How long were we in there?!" Zell asked.

"I haven't a clue." Jageria shrugged, "we were there until you were ready. Ah found something." She turned to him and tossed a black tonic and slacks over to him. "These should fit you, I forgot why I brought those, but they are boyish enough for you and look like the right size. Oh! Maybe I bought them knowing this moment would come. Yes, that's it!"

"Right." Zell said.

"Oh, and sorry I don't have any underwear for you." She said, "I mean I have some spare panties if you want, but I don't have any boy underwear."

"No, that's fine!" Zell said. "I'll just go without for now."

"Okay, suit yourself." Jageria said as she picked her discarded outfit up off the ground. After they both got dressed, she looked at Zell's hair. "That red suits you. It's just so long." She went back to her drawers and fiddled around until she found something. She then walked over to Zell and put his hair into a ponytail with the band she had found. "There, that looks better."

"So, you really have no idea how long we've been away?" Zell asked again.

"Nope, but I am done with you now, so feel free to do whatever it is you want to do." She said.

"Can I ask a question first?" Zell asked.

"You just did." Jageria smiled.

"Yeah, well it seems like we were in there a long time, judging by the changes in my body." Zell said. "Why are we not dead?"

"Remember the water?" She replied. "It's magical water that is connected to a ley line. It poured mana straight from the planet into our bodies, fulfilling all of our mortal needs."

"Oh, alright." Zell said.

"How do you feel now?" Jageria asked. "Do you remember everything?"

"I do." Zell said. "I remember my past life and my family, but I have come to terms with their deaths. I feel like I can use my past to live a better present, and that is what they would want. They always wanted me to be happy, especially my dear wife, the love of my life."

"Sounds like you are whole again." Jageria said. "Your past world was really interesting. It's a shame we could not access your memories between the worlds. Maybe you talked to the divine, or maybe you just opened your eyes here. We may never know."

"Right." Zell said. "Just remembering my past life is enough."

"You should go talk to Elder grumpy face." Jageria said.

"Leon?" Zell asked.

"Yeah him." Jageria said. "He always looks so grumpy."

"Yeah, I will go do that." Zell said. "Thanks for your help."

"It really wasn't a problem." Jageria said. "If you want to repay me, save the world. I like living, it's fun."

"Noted." Zell said as he left her house.

The trees were blooming, and signs of spring were everywhere. "At least a year then." Zell said to himself. "It was summer when we started."

He walked along the path that Kaitlyn had taken him. He remembered it as if it were yesterday. He passed by many of the villagers, and none of them recognized him due to his dramatic change in appearance. They whispered amongst themselves about the strange human with arcane tattoos.

"You there!" A familiar voice called out to him.

Zell turned to look; it was a cat girl. He recognized her but she was older and more womanly than she was before. "Kaitlyn?" He asked.

"I thought it was you!" She screamed. "I'm so happy you made it back to us! I waited so long!"

She rushed over and gave him a hug. "Woah, hey calm down." Zell said as he pushed her away. "Kaitlyn, I need to ask you something important. How long was I out?"

"Roughly five years." She said. "I was worried the whole time. Grandpa told me that your past might be too intense, and you may never come back. I am so happy that he was wrong."

"Five years?!" Zell asked. "My mother is going to kill me." He said with a look of horror.