Worlds' Strongest

by Simon Archer

  As a renewed feeling of hope washed over me, I noticed the opposite reaction from Elle. The previously confident young woman seemed to go cagey.

  “Where is he?” I asked again. “Draco, or the other guy?”

  “Draco is North of here in Coil.” She swallowed, and her gaze darted away before returning to me. “But when he heard there was someone else like him, another stranger… Draco had him executed.”

  My throat went dry again. “H-he what?”

  “Ever since then, there’s been a reward offered to anyone who turns in a stranger. But that means--”

  “Someone’s probably already turned me in.” I rubbed my face and sighed. Was I ever going to catch a break, or was it just going to be a slow downward spiral until I died in this insane and impossible world?

  Elle must have sensed my newfound fear, or maybe the girl just had common sense enough to anticipate it. “Everyone saw you leave town this direction. After what Kistro did yesterday, no one would suspect you’d come back into town. I live on the other side of Eon. It’s just up the road, but we can go around, and no one will see you.”

  I tried to calm my breathing and focus on what she was saying. “Alright… Alright. You’re sure no one will see us?”

  “Probably not.” Elle shrugged with a nonchalant smile on her face as if my life wasn’t at stake.

  Before I even had a chance to argue, she was walking back past the hut into the line of trees. With an exasperated roll of my eyes, I began to follow her. I glanced back at the straw hut and looked around, taking in more of the environment than I had before.

  Something about this place felt so unreal, I mean besides the obvious absurdity of it all, of course. It wasn’t like I spent much… or, well, any… time in forests, but still. Everything looked different from what I’d imagined a forest would be. Mostly I was struck by the colors. It was like the saturation in the world had been turned up with an Instagram filter or something.

  The leaves weren’t just green like they were on campus and at home. The trees almost sparkled in the sunlight. The leaves were a deep emerald green, and the bark was the color of dark chocolate. The ground and the grass felt softer, and the twigs were stronger and didn’t crack as much under my feet. The sun that fell through the breaks amongst the trees even seemed brighter, warmer than what I was used to.

  “Your clothes are strange,” Elle said as I caught up with her. “You can borrow something that will attract less attention once we get to my house.”

  “Well, I dressed to do coding at my computer, not sneaking through the woods to avoid being killed.”

  “Maybe you should have planned better then,” she teased.

  “Yeah, well…” I rolled my eyes. “What about you? Why aren’t you in that fancy silk stuff? Everyone I saw yesterday dressed like they were in some royal period drama.”

  “In a what?” As Elle started laughing, it hit me that we were probably on different plains when it came to pop culture references. “Most everyone you saw yesterday was wearing their common dress.”

  “Embroidered silk tunics are common here?”

  “No, they’re symbolic. The colors and patterns show everyone what class you’re in. You want people to see that, to know what you are, so you wear it every day.”

  “Okay… so what about you?” I inquired.

  She giggled like I’d made a joke. Clearly, I was missing out on some rather crucial information. “It’s a bit hard to fight in silk robes. I’m a fighter, Nickel Class. Training uniforms are more relaxed, at least at my level. When I reach the higher classes, dress shouldn’t factor into performance.”

  “Wait, wait, hold on.” I had to stop walking to process everything she just said. “I thought— What exactly what do you mean by class?”

  Elle paused to watch me. She seemed like she was thinking about answering for a moment when her eyes darted over my shoulder and lingered for a second, then she shook her head.

  “Come on. We can talk about that once we get home. We need to keep moving now.”

  I followed her gaze and had to squint to see through the sun in the trees. There was just enough of a break in the forest that I could see the courtyard from yesterday with a few people walking around. That, of course, meant they could potentially see me.

  I was quick to turn back to her and nod. “Let’s hurry.”

  She gave me what I think was meant to be a reassuring smile and turned to continue leading me through the woods. The whole time, a catalog of questions was building in my mind. With every new thought, new question, confusion began to compound. Perhaps it was some kind of defense mechanism within my mind to keep from having a total breakdown, but it seemed easier to focus on the less consequential issues. It was easier to ask why everyone dressed like they were in a performance art troupe than to ask why the ground began glowing and how I’d been cut by light.

  My thoughts snapped back when I nearly bumped into Elle, who was now standing still amongst the trees. When she spoke, her voice was hardly above the whisper.

  “We have to go slow. Don’t make noise.” She uttered.

  She pointed to the edge of the trees where the back of someone’s house sat about twelve feet from us. Before taking another step, Elle kept eye contact with me and took a very slow, deliberate step. Finally, I realized why she was so suddenly careful. So far, most of the houses had been further away, and the grass had been soft with only a few spare twigs breaking beneath our feet. The area around us now, however, looked as though all the grass and bushes had been burned. Even the gentlest step caused dry plants to crunch under our feet, not to mention navigating the charred bushes that couldn’t be pushed quietly aside.

  I gave Elle a nod to indicate that I understood the gravity and waited for her to take another step. She lifted her foot and tapped it gently in two or three places to find the steps that could make the least noise, and I followed her trail exactly.

  After what felt like ten minutes of extremely calculated movement, we finally passed the edge of the house. There were a few more feet of charred plants, but soon the soft grass silently gave way under our feet. I felt a huge weight lift from my shoulders. Still, I didn’t dare to make an audible sound without Elle doing it first.

  “We’re out of earshot,” she finally exhaled a few minutes later. “That was Thonive’s house. He’s the only one who lives that far back into the woods. He’s also got ears like a bat and a nose he loves sticking into others’ business. Actually, I used to say he had ears like an elephant and a mouth like a broken gate because he always seemed to know people’s secrets, and he was always going around telling--”

  “How much further is it?”

  “Oh, it’s just on the other side of that road. If we go around, it’ll take maybe another thirty minutes, but…”

  I waited and hung back while she moved closer to the edge of the trees. She looked around, checking to see if anyone was around.

  “Hey.” She jerked her head in the direction of the road. “I don’t see anyone. Hurry up.”

  Elle waited for me to join her at the roadside before she darted to cross to the other row of trees. I was quick to follow her, but curiosity about my surroundings overcame my need for speed.

  The dirt road was only ten or so feet wide. Down one side, I could just barely see the courtyard with the mosaic. I found myself staring at it, expecting it to begin glowing again.

  On the other side of the road, I could see a few more houses. They were more embellished than the ones I’d seen yesterday. Each one was multiple stories, and the walls were all painted bright colors of oranges, reds, and greens. Most significant, however, was the difference in the surrounding flora. Closer to the other side of town, all the trees had been cool greens. Around all the nicer houses, the colors had more variety. There were short trees with bright pink flowers, tall trees with bright yellow blooms, and skinny trees with red and orange leaves. They were different from the regular trees in the rest of the woods; those were natural,
these were decorative.

  “Past!” Elle hissed. My attention snapped back to her as she stood amongst the trees. I followed her back into the woods as she continued guiding me through the wall of nature. “It’s just past that caramel tree.”

  She pointed at a full tree shaped like a near-perfect triangle. The leaves were a marble of reds and yellows. I nearly stopped in my tracks as I recognized the exceptionally slim bole and the shape of the foliage.

  “Wait, a caramel… That’s a katsura!”

  “A what?”

  I couldn’t help but sprint to the tree to run my hand over the bark. I took a deep breath. but I couldn’t smell the caramel scent the tree sometimes had. “A katsura. I haven’t seen one since I started college. There was one near my grandma’s house in Morioka. We’d go on walks there…”

  “Morioka?” I heard her footsteps in the grass as she came up behind me. She set her hand on the bark like me. “Where’s that?”

  “It’s in the Iwate Prefecture. We lived closer to Tokyo, but it was just two hours away by train, so we visited every week. My grandma and aunt would make dinner every Friday. If we spent the night, we would go out the next day. And grandma loved to stop by a certain katsura tree a few streets away.”

  “Why?” There was a smile in Elle’s voice. “What was special about that one?”

  “She never told me.” I glanced over at her before looking back up into the branches of the tree. “She said she would tell me one day…”

  I bit the inside of my lip and tried not to think about the hypotheticals burrowing through my mind, the potential of never seeing that tree again, the chance that I may never hear that story…

  “Um, look, it’s right over here.”

  Her voice tore me away from my thoughts. I looked up at the break in the trees and Elle smiling before a clearing.

  I took a deep breath as I stepped into the yard. This house was similar to the more extravagant ones I’d seen a minute ago. This house was two stories, and the walls were painted a deep red while the trimming around it was dark brown. Unlike any of the other houses I’d caught a glimpse of, this one had a one-story attachment to it with a big opening in the side, like a garage. I could only see part of the room, but I saw it was dark and seemed to have an orange-ish glow against the walls. I felt my stomach turn as I recalled the last time something seemed to glow without any explanation.

  “Come on,” Elle began walking up to the house. As she did so, I noticed the sounds of metal banging coming from inside the garage.

  “Maylon!” I jumped when I heard a gruff voice shouting from the glowing garage. “Bring me some water!”

  The voice continued to mumble to itself. Movement and voices came from inside the house as well. I waited for Elle to make a move, but she simply stood a few feet from the door as though she were waiting for something. Her eyes darted over at me, and she smiled patiently.

  “I’m just waiting for him to--”

  “Maylon!” the voice barked. The metal clanging stopped. “Where’s the water?”

  “I’m coming!” a smaller voice spoke within the house. A second later, the front door opened to reveal a small boy, maybe nine or ten, carrying a large bucket. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw us.

  Elle crossed to the door. “Hey, May. Is dad--?”

  “Maylon!” All three of us jumped as the voice from the garage boomed with frustration. “I’m gonna have a heatstroke. Will you please--?”

  The man attached to the voice stepped out from the garage wiping sweat off his face with a towel. The man was tall and built like a brick wall, and as soon as he made eye contact with me, I felt my stomach lurch.

  “You brought the stranger here?”

  4

  Every muscle in my body felt tense as I sat at the intricately carved wooden table in an equally extravagantly crafted chair. Elle’s house was nearly what I’d call ornate. It was just unassuming enough to warrant a humbler description, but not by much. The walls within were painted red just like the outside, and the dark wood trim was etched with symbols or patterns similar to the ones I’d seen on the silk robes. The furniture was all wooden, but that didn’t take away from the sleek, polished quality of it all. They were almost an inversion of the house itself as all the dark brown furnishings were trimmed with the same deep red color of the walls.

  Various works of art covered those red walls. Some of it was painted directly onto the wall, like a mural, while some kind of canvases or tapestries hung on other parts. There were even a few wood carvings displayed on podiums.

  The whole first floor of the house was very open. Most of it was like a living room, with only the kitchen separated by a wall. Next to the opening leading to the kitchen was the staircase which was perhaps the only aspect of the home that looked simple compared to the rest of the building. They were all simple wooden planks. Even the wood was a few shades lighter than the rest of the furniture. It was a little odd, actually. It was the only part of the house that looked like it was done by a regular person rather than an expert.

  Elle’s dad sat across from me at the large, round table, while Elle sat next to him on his right. Of course, I trusted that she was on my side, but the dynamic felt a bit isolating. In between her father and me sat Maylon, Elle’s nine-year-old brother. It was a relief to have someone split the middle of the table, so I wasn’t just facing everyone alone, but a nine-year-old could only provide me with so much peace of mind, and it wasn’t much.

  Elle had one other sibling, Kaia. She was much closer to our age, but it was clear from the way the girls interacted that Elle was older. She had a more mature attitude compared to Kaia, who looked at me like I was a rock star rather than a complete stranger who could be in danger. It may have actually been flattering, had it not been for the danger thing.

  Kaia brought a tray out from the kitchen with a metal teapot and matching cups. Each piece was pear-shaped with an ornate handle the shape of a bird. She handed me a cup with some kind of tea in it that smelled like flowers, then took a seat at the table between Elle and me. Just like the rest of her family, her eyes were locked on me.

  “Ren Oliver So?” their father finally said after a moment.

  “Just Ren,” Elle spoke up with a smile. I felt just a little bit like a stray cat she’d brought home. She seemed to me to lack any understanding of the gravity of the situation. “The other names are optional, right?”

  My brows pulled together a bit. Never in my life did I anticipate having to explain the concept of a surname. “Sort of. Where I’m from, people have family names.”

  “Family names?” The father cocked his head back, looking down his nose at me.

  “Um, yeah.” My palms started to clam up as I cleared my throat. “So you know, like, who someone is. So you don’t get people with the same name, um, mixed up with… Y’know.”

  “So, Ren.” He nodded. Whatever I’d said must have been acceptable enough. “Why are you here?”

  “Oh, I don’t mean to intrude. We figured someone must’ve turned me in, so Elle said we could come--”

  “No. Why are you here? In Eon?”

  “I-I don’t know,” I blurted. “I mean, it just sort of happened. I was just at home, and then everything went fuzzy. Then I just found myself here. After that, um, I-I can’t remember his name, the big guy with the sword, after he--”

  “Ren,” he barked, shutting me up. I swallowed hard and began to wring my hands beneath the table. “You shouldn’t be so forthcoming, especially in a place where people are out to get you. Don’t give anyone more information than you need to.”

  That sounded like advice. Despite his tone, it managed to put me the slightest bit at ease. “Yes, sir.”

  “I’m Solem. You’ve met Maylon and Kaia now.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I nodded. “And thank you for letting me come here.”

  “What happened to your arm?” Maylon piped up.

  I glanced down at the almost fully red fabric wra
pped around my arm. The soreness was starting to get worse as I’d been using my arm more that morning. “That man, um, K-Kismet, or Chimera or whatever, he attacked me. The ground started glowing, and then--”

  “No, I mean those.” The boy reached across the table to point at my arms.

  “What? My tattoos?”

  “Tattoos? Are those like scars?” He sat up straighter in his chair and leaned forward on his elbows.

  I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. “No. They’re ink. Here.”

  I turned to the side so I could show him my left arm. The child put his hands on my arm to pull it closer and get a better look. “How did they get it there?”

  “They took needles to put the ink just under my skin, so it stays there.”

  “That sounds painful,” Kaia cringed.

  “Ignore her,” Solem rolled his eyes. “Is that your class symbol?”

  “Oh, no. Actually, this one on my left arm, up here, it’s a cipher wheel.” The tattoo was on my bicep opposite of where the other arm had been slashed. It was just black and greyscale and looked like a compass if you didn’t pay close attention. I showed him the dragon snaked around my right forearm and told him about the map of the solar system on my right shoulder. Lastly, I pointed out the first tattoo I’d ever gotten. It sat on the inner side of my left wrist in line with my thumb.

  “What’s that?” Maylon took my hand to look closer at the only tattoo that had a color other than black or gray.

  “This is called a liar bird,” I smiled. It wasn’t a bird, actually, but it was a tattoo of the talisman known as the liar bird. It was a piece of wood with the top whittled and painted with eyes and a red beak. “It’s supposed to help you. The bird collects all the lies and secrets you have and turns them into truth and guidance.”