In Hindsight, I should have seen it coming. Even on Earth, there is still discrimination against Women. I hoped this new world would be different and I could fill my curiosity. But I had a harsh Awakening.

  In just one Day, I was kidnapped, tied up, harassed, Slapped, Insulted, and put on display naked for the world to see.

  I made myself as beautiful as possible because who doesn't want to be attractive? I couldn't anticipate that I would regret this decision this early on. I was too Naive. I hoped everything would be fine If I managed to Fulfill my Desire, but as it turns out, I could not have been more wrong.

  The Fortress in the Distance came closer and closer. I could finally make out the banners that were adorning the towering Walls. It was a red banner with a blue cross dividing the banner into four red corners. In the middle was a gold-trimmed black shield embraced by thornless Yellow Roses.

  Soldiers were Patrolling the Battlements. They must have spotted us a long time ago. The Fortress had Four main towers that were positioned in a way similar a star Fortress, but uniquely concave with the outer Towers directly touching the impossibly high Mountain range. This arrangement allowed to shoot the enemy from all sides in a siege.

  A slim Drawbridge, which allowed one to cross a steep Moat filled with wooden Pikes and deep murky water, was already lowered. And the Gate was already Open.

  The Fortress is so high up one can see the whole Crater just from the gate. Only now I realize that I am in a massive bowl surrounded by mountains only accessible by the opposing fortresses. The impact of something enormous like an asteroid must have created this, Crater.

  With just two Exits They would have likely caught me sooner or later, which was a small Comfort. A small river flowed from my assailants Fortress through the middle of the Crater to the opposing Fortress. There must have been a massive lake in the crater before it broke through the Crater walls, and creating Space for the two Fortresses.

  However, my Observations were cut short when the Gate closed behind us, and we entered a well trampled Courtyard behind the Gate. Immediately, all Eyes were on us. I tried my best to cross my legs and hide as much as possible, but my hand was tied behind my back. I could only do my best to cover myself by crossing my legs. The People in the Plaza were whispering amongst each other. Here and there, I could hear a few Familiar words, but they were just the words my three Kidnappers had used. I didnt know jet what any of them meant.

  The horse I was on was quickly guided to the stables, and the short man dismounted me like a haystack. When we reached the central plaza again, I could not help myself.

  I was about to cry, and my legs almost started shaking when a furious young Man arrived. He looked similar to my Kidnappers. He had the same brown Hair and blue eyes and was nearly one and a half heads taller than me. I instinctively shrunk back, but he quickly covered me in a cloak. Now, only my feet were visible.

  After he put the cloak on, I did not look up so they would not see my tears. I am a 37-year-old man on the Inside, and I can assure you I am not crying easily. This was by far the worst Day I have ever had.

  The two men were arguing quite fiercely with each other. The short Kidnapper seemed to be called Joe, while the tall, lean Man name must have been Janus. And Janus seemed to win the argument in the End.

  At the End Joe's Face was an even deeper shade of red than when I had spit in his Face. But after Janus's last words, he looked like a lamb about to meet a Lion.

  Janus took me by the ropes that were still cutting in my Hands and quickly brought me out of view. After that, he proceeded to drag me through an almost maze-like Interior until we came to a heavy door. I stopped crying, but my eyes were still red.

  Janus Knocked at the Door a few times, but Nothing happened. He knocked at the Door a bit harder, but there was still no answer. He quickly shouted for whoever he believed to be Inside and again hammered against the Door.

  I could hear a stuttering question, "J-J-Janus?!" followed by a yelp and Metall hitting the stone floor several times. Finally, after what felt like hours, the Door opened, and behind it was an adult woman with blond hair and brown Puppy-like eyes rubbing her behind while groaning in Pain. When she saw that Janus wasn't alone, she quickly straightened up, reaching a height just below Janus's eyebrows.

  She seemed to apologize while Janus chastised her. Eventually though, he pointed at me, and the Woman's eyes darted to mine for the first time. When she saw my Face, she looked mesmerized until she scowled and began questioning Janus. He seemed embarrassed and started explaining. I could make out the Name Joel and I believe I made out their word for Woman. At least, I hope it means Woman. After all, it's what they keep calling me. I even tried to tell Joe my Name, but his priorities must have been elsewhere... Not wanting to be called just “Woman” I Pointed at Janus and spoke.

  "Janus," then I pointed at myself and said, "Ruby." Both of them were staring at me, so I repeated, "Janus," "Ruby," and then pointed at her. The Woman, a bit surprised, pointed at herself without saying anything. I nodded, and she finally said, "Rika." I repeated "Rika" to show that I understood.

  After this Awkward attempt at a Conversation, I was ushered inside. I was greeted with a sight of utter chaos. The Source of the earlier Disturbance was loads of pots, pans and metal cups lying around the tiled floor. Janus sighed, and Rika tiptoed to a nearby chest in embarrassment. She opened the chest and proceeded to pull out a pair of pants, old boots, socks, a light brown blouse and a red hairband.

  It appears Janus had brought me here to be dressed. I almost started crying again and quickly bowed to both of them.

  But in my attempt to be thankful Janus's cloak came loose. Rika quickly covered Janus's eyes, threw him out despite his protest, and locked the Door.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Janus tried to open the Door and hammered against it, but it would not budge. Rika only scoffed and began to cut the rope that was binding me and helped me dress myself. Though she seemed displeased about something, the more she helped me, the more she sighed hopelessly.

  After I was fully clothed, my feet washed, and my messy Hair bound into a neat Ponytail, Janus was allowed entry again. When he saw me, he looked a bit embarrassed, and Rika hit him with her elbow teasingly on the Side before pointing at me like an artist presenting their Work. It is Interesting how much I can still understand even without words.

  He pulled a Pair of Handcuffs out of a bag he had procured while I and Rika were busy. Rika looked at him exasperated, but he gave her a dry reply and called my Name. This was the first Time he had used it. When I looked up, he slowly took my wrists and put on the Handcuffs he had brought.

  This pair of cuffs had Lether on the Inside to prevent injury.

  And then, the two of us took another confusing route through this Maze-like Fortress until we reached another door. This one was open, and no one was inside. There were just two chairs, an Oil Lamp, and a Table. On the Table was a neatly stacked pile of Paper with a Pen and a basket of Bread with two apple-like fruits.

  Even in this new world, there seem to be a lot of similar plants and animals.

  Janus pulled one of the Chairs back and beckoned me to sit down. I did just that, and he shoved me in front of the Table before taking the other seat for Himself. I noticed I had not eaten anything since I died, which felt like eons ago, and began greedily biting into one of the fruits. They were a bit sourer than a regular apple but had a mango-like flavor. The Bread had a hard crust but was soft and moist inside.

  After my quick meal, he seemed unsure how to proceed with the apparent Interrogation before I pulled out one of the Papers and began drawing. I drew the story of my capture and how I was treated, and I ended the story with a picture of the entrance door of this Room. Even though the pictures were all grey, they had a lot of detail, and Janus began to understand what they meant. Or at least I hoped so because he looked Interested and as if a weight had been lifted from his Body.

  He pointed at the beginning of my story and put a blank piece of paper next to it.

  The Implication was obvious. He must want to know how I got in the crater to begin with. But there is no way he would believe me to be reincarnated. I couldn't pass as a person from his country because of the language barrier. But the same could be said about the Country behind the other fortress. There is no way they wouldn't understand their language at least a bit.

  So, I could only go with Memory loss. I know it seems unlikely for me to just conveniently forget all the things which would brand me as one of their enemies. But I also didnt know anything about this world so I figured it would at least work for a time until I can leave.

  With that Idea I drew myself with an empty head. A bit abstract but I hoped it would get the Idea across.

  Janus seemed to ponder a bit before he began to draw various people working different jobs, a cook in the kitchen, a knight and a farmer. with an apparent blank space that he must have wanted me to fill in. His Painting skills were rather crude and pragmatic.

  He must want to know what I can do what my profession is. I knew this Place was most likely a defensive Fortress built to hold back who ever lived in the other Fortress. The best answer would be a non-combatant but still valuable enough to keep around. If I said that I'm a Fighter, they would not believe me and see it as a lie, and if I'm not helpful, they wouldn't help me in any way.

  Heck, they might continue to see me as a prisoner. I contemplated, and then, without hesitation, I raised the Pen above my left Palm and stabbed it. It hurt surprisingly little, I didn't even wince.

  Janus let out a shout of Suprise before quickly taking the Pen from me and inspecting my Hand. He saw a green light fixing and healing the Wound until there wasn't even a trace left, except for the Blood that had begun dripping onto the Table. Janus was shocked before he smiled and laughed like a crazy person before hugging me.

  I was a bit surprised but figured that he, most likely, really needed a healing mage.

  He then dragged me out of the Room through another maze of corridors to a place that reeked of death and Blood. There, I saw 17 Men lying on Beds with various Wounds that went from minor to life-threatening Injuries. Halfway through the journey, Janus decided I was too slow and carried me in his arms to the Sickbay. He arrived short of breath but was already screaming for someone called Benjamin.

  After a few seconds, a young teen, who just reached below my Chest with blond hair, appeared behind a curtain. His hands and apron were sprinkled with Blood. At first, he looked menacing because of the blood, but then I noticed his small, tired eyes. They were full of grief and hopelessness.

  Benjamin gave us a tired look and began to complain to Janus. But Janus Interrupted him and energetically explained something to the Dwarf while pointing his fingers excitedly at me. At first, the Teen didn't seem to understand, but then He became even more enthusiastic than Janus. His eyes shining with new light.

  He pulled me towards a man on the verge of death. The Poor guy still had the broken tip of a spear in his gut. They must have been too scared to pull it out. He would have bled out quickly without a healing mage or modern medicine. Even though keeping the Spearhead in Place kept him from bleeding out, it raised the threat of Infection and blood Poisoning. It is honestly a miracle that he held out this long.

  However, knowing something and doing something are two very different things. I'm just a Farmer's son who has read a lot. I have experienced seeing Blood when my Father Hunted or butchered Animals, and sometimes, I participated. So, I did not faint, but there are worlds between an animal and a Human. My hands were shaking a bit. I quickly scanned his condition before I grabbed the tip, pulled it out, and promptly applied Healing Magic to the Wound.

  Using Magic feels like Another form of Blood flowing through your Veins. To use Magic, one must have a clear image of what they want to happen. The amount of Magic Power used depends on how clear your Image is, how complex it is, and how long it has to persist. When one uses Healing Magic, it is advised that you focus on the affected Body Part because it is way more Magic efficient to just heal the Wound instead of the Wound and, for example, all the Pimples on someone's Body.

  The Wound closed quickly, and the Man began to awake from his slumber. I saved him. The whole meaning of that sensation hadn't even sunk in, and Benjamin and Janus, in their excitement, had already pulled me to the next patient. After I had taken care of almost all the Patients, I was utterly exhausted. But the Patients and Benjamin all began to cry bitter tears of joy.

  The last patient was a very tall and skinny man. He had the same brown Hair as Janus, but his eyes were closed. He was missing one of his hands, the Wound had gotten infected, and he had a Head Injury. When Janus brought me over, he held the Man's remaining Hand. He must mean a lot to him.

  Again, I scanned the Man's condition with my eyes before lifting and removing his bandages. I hold my Hand to the Man's missing Hand, and after a few minutes, a new hand grew just like the one he lost. Janus was sitting on the patient's other Side, looking at me in utter shock, but I did not pay him any mind. With my last remaining drop of magic Power, I healed his Head Injury. After this Healing spree, I was so sleepy that I fell on the patient's Bed and quickly drove off to sleep.