I Know What You Did Last Isekai (V1 Test Chapter 1)

Doing something a little different here and testing a potential different start for the story. This one picks up immediately after the prologue and if continued would cover how she got settled into the world and introduce elements at a more steady pace. Better imo for a webnovel, but less so if I wanted to write a one shot fantasy tale that sticks to the original prompt of the series. Let me know your thoughts on this in the comments!

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Water dripped outside the window; the rain coming down in a gentle shower that would have been pleasant in any other circumstance.  Kimberly was currently seated in a small room on the second floor of some stone building a fair distance from the home she had stumbled out of just two hours earlier.  At least one of the guards was a woman who took some pity on her and found some clothes that covered her modesty better than the cloth she had wrapped herself within. 

Confirming her fears, nothing about the city she found herself in was familiar.  The closest thing were the glowing street lights, but none of them looked to be using electricity.  Then again, they weren’t gas or oil either.  She wouldn’t have been surprised if they used the same setup as the lights in the house.  She’d been taken to some sort of guard building and into what could only be called an interrogation room, and one such light was casting a soft glow over the entire room. 

At least there was a pitcher of water on the rough wooden table along with a cup made of some type of ceramic.  She’d drunk half of it already in between rounds of tears and tremors.  Her old life was gone, and she would never see Heather again.  Earth had no magic, and she doubted there was a way to get back.  If it were possible, something would have already managed to do so.

Which meant that Kimberly needed to accept her new circumstances sooner than later despite the pain of loss.  Her parents wouldn’t be missed, not with how she had to hide her relationship with Heather from them.  At least they only saw their deep friendship on the surface, but the moment they cleaned out her room they would know, and Heather would be in danger of being outed to her own parents.

Only her own powerlessness stemmed the tide of her anxiety.  There was nothing she could do about it, not now or probably ever.  Instead, she tried to focus on her current situation.  Attempts at communication with the guards led nowhere.  She didn’t understand them and they just looked pained when she tried to answer. 

The room itself was cramped, but the construction was better than she expected from a society that didn’t seem too far beyond medieval technology.  Yet, the existence of magic was probably influencing the direction tech developed. 

Shadows shifted and flexed just out of sight as Kimberly reached out for them, the sensation entirely alien as her very essence seemed to suffuse every darkened surface.  She had no idea why such power was at her beck and call, but it was certainly a novel experience.  There wasn’t much to do while waiting and she had experimented a bit with shaping it based on some of her favorite shows.  While she hadn’t figured out how to channel her inner Pride, there was the potential there if she figured out how to make the shapes tangible. 

A soft knock had all the shadows returning to where they belonged, though she maintained her control over them.  Just because she couldn’t use them defensively didn’t mean they couldn’t bail her out if things went bad.  After Heather’s run-in with the police last fall she didn’t want to take any chances.

The door opened and two armored guards stepped in, hands on the swords at their hips.  Neither looked at her directly, but she could practically feel the tension in the air.  Then a woman in white robes stepped in, her arms tucked into the sleeves like some sort of monk.  Her face was even hidden beneath the hood but her vibrant purple hair certainly stood out against the white fabric. 

Did she dye it, or was that somehow a natural color in this world.  Hell, Kimberly now had blue hair of all things, so that was certainly possible.  There was so much that was familiar, but at the same time, the world continued to throw curveballs at her every moment. 

The shrouded woman looked up, her gray-blue eyes rather piercing as she smiled wide, like she had just been given something truly amazing.  It reminded her a bit of how Heather had looked at her after their first kiss, and Kimberly’s heart broke all over again.  Would she ever see Heather again?  Surely her girlfriend thought she was dead, or would soon enough once they found her body back on Earth. 

Then the woman spoke and once more Kimberly couldn’t understand a word of it.  It had been the same with the guards, a language completely foreign to her.  Kimberly’s expression dropped as she hung her head. 

“Again with the language barrier,” she muttered. 

The monk woman took a few steps closer and kneeled down.  The language this time was something else, the flow was completely different, but it was still no less decipherable.  The woman paused, then began to switch through two other languages, though they weren’t nearly as fluent sounding as the first two. 

“Sorry,” she said.  “I don’t know anything other than English.  Thank the Florida lack of education system for that one.”

The woman pointed at herself and spoke very slowly.  “Maester Viola Chandler.” 

Kimberly blinked.  “Mister?  Pretty sure you’re a miss.” 

With a patient shake of her head, she again pointed at herself.  “Viola.” 

Oh, was that her name?  Did that make Maester some sort of honorific or title then?  Shit, she was giving her an impromptu lesson on the language.  Mirroring her, Kimberly pointed at herself and said her name. 

A frown formed for just a moment before she pointed at Kimberly.  “Kimbree.  Kimbree Li Dougal.” 

“How did,” she started.  The name was so close, yet just different enough to raise her hackles.  Kimberly shook her head, hoping that gesture translated correctly.  “Kim-Ber-Lee,” she enunciated.  “Kimberly Douglas.” 

The frown shifted into something crestfallen as the woman looked away, speaking briefly with the guards.  Both jumped slightly, looking towards one another as one shook their head.  More words, somewhat heated, then a fierce wind kicked up from the woman.  Her words echoed, full of emotion.  The guards fell back, scrambling for the door.  It slammed shut a moment later, leaving her alone with the terrifying entity in human skin. 

When the woman turned, she was greeted by over a dozen tendrils of shadow surrounding Kimberly, the sharpened points all angled towards her.  Rather than recoil in surprise, or even attack, the woman just smiled.  The baleful presence that had surrounded her dissipated in an instant, leaving them in silence. 

The tendrils hadn’t been withdrawn, and Kimberly’s heart continued to hammer away in her chest.  This woman was someone terribly dangerous, and she was now alone in a small room with her.  She wasn’t even sure how she had managed to detach the shadows from the surfaces of the room, but Kimberly wasn’t about to question it while in danger. 

A heavy sigh escaped the woman as she stepped back, resting against the wall.  She muttered something in a lyrical language, then switched back to what she thought might be the more common spoken language of the city.  This woman, Viola apparently, not that the word meant much to her.

“Kimberly Douglass,” the woman said, pointing at her, then paused.  “Kimbree Li Dougal—”  

What followed was more of the language she couldn’t follow, this time with hand gestures and emphasis being put on certain words and motions.  Kimberly thought she was getting the gist of it despite being unable to follow.  The name that was so similar to hers—the one that they expected her to answer to—must have been the name of the girl she had replaced. 

Was the connection intentional?  Given all the people that seemed to be involved with the ritual in that basement were dead, it wasn’t like she could just ask them.  If any literature detailing what they were attempting still existed, she lacked the knowledge needed to parse it.  That would need to change, and quickly.  If there was any chance that she could find her way home to Heather, she would try. 

The woman stood there for a moment, tapping at her leg for a moment, then snapped.  Something sharp and metallic crackled in the air and her manacles fell loose.  Kimberly blinked, looking down at the fallen metal.  They weren’t unlocked, but instead had been sliced clean through.  Forcing down a swallow at how easily this woman could probably do that to her throat, she remained perfectly still. 

A gentle chuckle resounded and the woman held out a hand, speaking softly in a reassuring tone.  Kimberly stared at it blankly as if it might burn her.  After that display of literal magic it could probably do far more than something mundane as a burn.  Yet, this Viola did seem to be a helpful individual, if nothing else. 

Her hand was warm to the touch, contrasting to how Kimberly’s own were always perpetually cold if it got below seventy outside.  Wherever this strange city was, it wasn’t nearly as warm as Jericho Florida tended in the spring.  That alone was going to take some adjustment time, let alone the language and magic. 

Yet, it was a second chance at life after her old one was cut short, rather literally.  She was still processing that, but it was coming easier than expected.  There was something about this new world that had hooked her curiosity, and she wanted to know more.

Taking the offered hand, Kimberly was pulled to her feet by the surprisingly strong mage.  She continued to offer that same smile as she guided Kimberly to the door and out into the guardhouse proper where they were met by multiple armed men and women.  The one at the forefront was equipped with armor that practically glowed. 

Viola muttered something that sounded like a curse, then began to talk.