"Ryker, time to get up. We've got a lot of catching up to do. Breakfast is at the house," Harald said, banging on the wooden door to the shack.

  I jolted up in a daze and, for a moment, I forgot where I was. It came back to me as I looked around at the wooden walls and thatched roof. The sun hadn't risen yet, and it was still dark.

  I climbed out of bed, and attempted to put on my wooden sandals, I struggled to strap them back on the way they were when I woke up yesterday, but I was able to secure them well enough, and as I stood up straight and stretched, I felt amazing. I wasn't sore in the slightest, and I noticed strangely my clothes felt a lot tighter. My shirt came up a couple of inches above my beltline, and my pants felt like they might rip with every movement.

  It was almost pitch black inside, so I made my way out and inspected myself under the light of the two moons. I looked bigger, like I had been hitting the gym hard for the last six months. I liked it.

  I thought for a minute about how this was possible, and then I remembered the notifications I got last night:

  Farming increased to level 3

  Strength increased to level 3

  Fire magic increased to level 1

  I smiled at this realization, and snapped my fingers. A flame burned from the tip of my thumb. I watched for a moment before shaking it out.

  I made my way over to the house and gave a polite knock before opening the door. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. As I entered, the room fell silent. Eldrick, Jorik, Lirael, and Harald were already seated at the table, and Alyndra was making her way to the table with another plate of food. She froze when she saw me. They all stared for a few seconds longer than I would have liked, and I saw a slight smile on Harald's face.

  "Well," Alyndra said as she unfroze and set the plate on the table, "those vegetables seemed to work."

  I smiled at her and took my place at the table. Harald resumed eating, occasionally glancing up at me, while Eldrick, Jorik, and Lirael continued to stare.

  "I don't get it—were you sick or something yesterday?" Jorik said, looking almost irritated by my transformation.

  "Yes, he was, but now he's feeling much better," Harald interrupted. "Now, finish your breakfast. We have a lot to do today."

  He gave me another glance, as if that was directed more at me than his children. I looked at my plate of food and was immediately taken aback. There were two eggs that looked twice as big as chicken eggs, three slices of fruit that resembled watermelon but were blue, and two thick slices of what looked like ham but tasted similar to deer.

  I immediately began eating. It was all delicious and unlike anything I had ever tasted. I ate fast enough to finish at the same time as everyone else.

  "Alright," Harald said, and everyone stood up from the table. As I stood and started toward the door, Alyndra grabbed my arm and said, "Here," handing me some folded-up clothes. "I was making these for Harald, but I think they'll fit you just fine."

  I smiled, nodded, and headed to my shack to change.

  The clothes fit well and were nearly identical to what I had been wearing previously, only in a bigger size. There were also some leather moccasins that fit and were a welcome change from the wooden sandals I had worn yesterday. As I put on the moccasins, I thought about snapping my fingers and burning the sandals as a final insult to the uncomfortable footwear, but decided against it since the whole building I was in was flammable. I tucked the old clothes under my bed and headed out to the fields.

  I spent the day helping Hadvar and his sons finish plowing the field and planting the seeds. Today went a lot differently than yesterday. I handled the plow just as well as Eldrick would on his best day, and when the plowing was finished hours ahead of schedule, we began planting. Harald started explaining the seed placement and spacing, but somehow, I already knew what it should be.

  By the time the sun began to set, everything was finished, and I knew I had upheld my end of the agreement. The smell of Alyndra and Lirael's cooking wafted toward me, and I was eager to see what kind of dish they had prepared. We all made our way back to the house and sat down to eat. This time, it was some kind of stew. It resembled a beef stew from Earth, with vegetables, but the flavor was distinct enough to feel new and exciting.

  The family seemed much more relaxed than they had the previous night. Eldrick laughed and teased his younger brother, who acted annoyed, though I could tell he was having fun. Alyndra and Harald shared a kiss after their meal— the first time I had ever seen them intimate—while Lirael remained focused on knitting something between each bite of food.

  After we finished our meals, everyone made their way to their rooms, except for Harald, who followed me outside.

  He pulled a cigarette out and handed it to me, just watching as I took it. I put it to my mouth, but instead of getting one out for himself, he just continued to watch. I flicked my fingers to light it with a flame, then shook it out. Harald started laughing as he pulled a cigarette out for himself and did the same.

  “I had a feeling about ye when that guard dropped you off.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, taking a drag.

  He continued, “Ye got dropped off by a guard, and instead of going home, ye just stood there looking as lost as a newborn Ashclaw.” He paused to take a hit from his cigarette. “That was my first clue. Then I decided to test ye. I offered ye a place to stay if ye helped on the farm, and ye had no problem accepting.” He exhaled smoke before taking another drag, a smile playing on his lips. “Then ye worked like Jorik did his first day in the fields, and miraculously, somehow, ye wake up the next day stronger and better at farming than Eldrick is on his best day.”

  He stared at me for a moment, puffing on his cigarette now and then, as if waiting for me to respond.

  “I told you I was a fast learner,” I said, trying to still play it cool.

  Harald just nodded and smiled, as though he’d anticipated my answer. “Ye are not from this world.”

  I was shocked to hear those words come out of his mouth. How could this simple farmer from this primitive town know that I was from a different world? I looked down, kicking the dirt around, as Harald continued to watch me.

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  “You’re a chosen,” he said.

  “I don’t even know what that means,” I replied.

  Harald was happy to educate me. “Sure ye do. Ye can learn things extremely quickly, and the only people who can do that are chosen.” He leaned in a little closer and whispered, “You’re not the first one, you know.”

  I stared back at him, shocked. Harald smiled again and turned his gaze to the sky.

  “Seeing as you're from another world, I think it’s safe to assume ye know nothing of this place,” he said. I nodded in agreement, and he continued. “Right now, you’re in Kaedras—the very outskirts of it. Our ruler calls himself the Warden of Kaedras, and his guard, in charge of protecting this land, are called the Emberguard.”

  He looked at me, taking another drag of his cigarette. “That’s who dropped ye off here. And trust me, be glad they didn’t figure out what ye were.”

  "What would have happened if they figured out I was chosen?" I interrupted still not comfortable with calling myself that.

  "Well, they would have brought ye to the warden, and ye would have probably been executed."

  "Executed?" I gasped. "Why would they execute me?"

  Harald looked at me with serious eyes. "Because ye threaten everything the warden has built."

  I waited for him to clarify.

  "When I was a child, the warden took power. He united all the humans. He personally oversaw the construction of Kaedras and protected us. He recruited and trained our Emberguard and made us a force to be reckoned with against the other races."

  "Hold on," I said, stopping him. "Why did you specify humans? And what do you mean by other races?"

  He looked at me, a bit puzzled, before realization hit him. "Ye don't have other races where you're from?"

  A bit shocked, I responded, "We do have other races, but they’re all humans, just from different ethnic backgrounds, cultures, and with different skin colors."

  "Ah, I see," he said, before continuing.

  "To the east, there is a thick forest. No one is sure how far it goes, but it's called Mythandor. The elves live there."

  I laughed and then stopped when I realized Harald was serious.

  "Elves?" I said, a smile on my face.

  Harald just looked at me.

  "Yes, elves. Why is that funny?"

  I stuttered a bit. "U-uh, sorry, it's just that we have stories about elves where I’m from, but they’re just myths and fairy tales."

  Harald stared at me for a moment before continuing.

  "Elves are real, and we are currently at war with them. If ye ever see one, they will not hesitate to kill ye. In their eyes, we are not worthy of the power we currently wield."

  "Oh," I said.

  He continued. "To the south, there’s the Fractured Sea. It has a chain of islands inhabited by a race we call stormkin. They look human, but if ye get close enough, you’ll see lightning bolts inside their eyes. They are masters of lightning magic."

  I motioned for him to give me another cigarette, and he complied. I snapped my fingers and lit it, taking a long drag while trying to process all this.

  He continued. "To the northwest, there are mountains."

  He pointed in that direction, and I looked. You could barely make out the mountain peaks in the distance.

  "That’s Khaerzul," he said. "Legend says it used to be inhabited by titans, but a chosen one killed them all long ago. Now, there’s a race called the Ogruns that live there. They are said to be descendants of titans. I know nothing else about them, though. I've never seen one, nor has anyone I know."

  I continued smoking, waiting for more, but Harald seemed to be done.

  "Is that all?" I asked.

  "That’s all I know of," he replied, which made me feel a bit uneasy.

  "What about the rest of the world?" I asked.

  "I don’t know," he said. "These places I just told ye about are the farthest anyone has gone."

  We stayed silent for a few minutes. I just stared out at the fields watching the fireflies Trying to take all this in. The regions he described to me combined was probably the size of a single continent on earth, I wondered what else this world had to offer.

  "Tomorrow, I want ye to go into the city with Alyndra and Lirael. They're going to try to sell more of our leftover stock from the last harvest. I have a trusted friend who works at the magic academy there. He can explain better than I can what you are and what being a Chosen means for you." He patted my back and started making his way toward his house.

  "Hey, Harald," I said, stopping him. "What did you mean when you said you were counting on me yesterday? Did you mean about getting the fields done?"

  He looked down for a moment, then back up at me. "No, I didn't mean the fields." He turned and went inside.

  "Okay," I thought, making my way to my shack and lying down on my bed. I laid there for a moment, blinking slowly, trying to see if I got another notification. Nothing came. I had farmed all day, but my farming skill hadn't increased.

  "Hmmm, that's weird," I thought. "I wonder what I have to do to raise my skills."

  I felt my eyelids starting to get heavy, and I drifted off to sleep.

  I was only asleep for maybe a few hours when I awoke to a loud crash.

  I jumped out of bed and started putting on my moccasins. I ran to the door and listened. Another crash echoed nearby, followed by men yelling. It was the sound of battle. I cracked open the door and crouched low to the ground. I made my way around the shack and peered over Harald's fields into the distance. I couldn't see much except what the moonlight revealed. The woodline was visible, and I knew that was the direction the noises came from. I waited, trying to be as silent as possible.

  "Hey," Harald whispered.

  I jumped and spun to see him crouched beside me, with Eldrick and Jorik right behind him.

  "Fuck, you scared me," I said.

  Harald pressed a finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet, and we waited. I scanned the woodline, and suddenly the trees were illuminated by the glow of dozens of guards, their swords bursting into flames. They stood in a defensive stance, and a few moments later, I saw several vines shoot up from the ground and ensnare a couple of the guards. They fought fiercely, hacking at the vines with their swords in an attempt to break free. The other guards ignored them, maintaining their positions.

  Then, several shadowy figures emerged from the trees and attacked the guards. The guards swung their swords at the shadows, cutting down many of them before they retreated back into the woods. I looked back at Harald, and he whispered, "Elves."

  I turned my gaze back to the scene and could make out what appeared to be a volley of arrows shooting from the trees into the guards. After the arrows struck, only three guards remained standing, and several swords lay on the ground, still burning. One of the guards yelled something, and the remaining three grouped together, their backs to each other.

  Another volley of arrows came from the trees, but the guards raised their shields and crouched behind them. One of the guards yelled again, swinging his sword toward the tree line. A giant wave of fire shot from his sword and clashed into the trees. I saw several shadows catch fire, frantically trying to put themselves out before collapsing.

  Once more, vines shot from the ground, trapping the remaining three soldiers where they stood. Two shadows ran up and cut them down. The swords all went dark, except for one, which illuminated a shadow standing over the fallen bodies. It stared eerily in our direction until the flame went out. Then, everything was dark and quiet again.

  Harald and his sons stood up. "We're okay. The elves won't bother us," he said, looking at me still crouched on the ground.

  "What do you mean they won't bother us? One of them seemed to know we were here. They killed all the guards—there's nothing stopping them from attacking us," I said, standing up slowly, my eyes still fixed on the wood line. Harald's sons headed inside while he stayed a bit longer.

  "The elves never leave the forest. They'll defend their land, but they'll never lead an assault against us," he explained.

  I looked at him, puzzled. "I thought you said we were at war with the elves."

  "We are," he replied. "The Warden has declared war on the elves. He wants something they have, and they'll defend it with their lives."

  I looked back at Harald. "You told me that if I ever saw an elf, he wouldn't hesitate to kill me."

  Harald nodded. "He won't hesitate, because if you see one, it'll be because you're on their land. You won't see one as long as you stay out of the Mythandor Forest."

  Harald started making his way inside.

  "If they never leave the forest, then why were you concerned enough to come outside?"

  He turned around and replied, "I'm worried about being attacked by the guards, not the elves."

  He turned back and went inside. I watched the wood line for a while longer. It stayed dark for a time, but soon the fireflies started blinking their array of colors again. I made my way back to my bed and got comfortable. I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep.