My world gradually resolves out of inky darkness and into blurry shapes as my eyes slowly start to open. Relief floods through me in bursts. The all-consuming pain that was my everything moments ago is gone; my pulse no longer hammers in my ears, and I'm no longer wheezing out in a pitiful attempt for air.

The sky above is picturesque, a gentle blue with fluffy white clouds in small clusters. The ground at my back is hard, like concrete, and pleasantly cool. I’m lying flat, and I can feel that both my arms are safely at my side. I take a deep breath for what feels like the first time.

What..? No hospital? Laying outside, maybe? Someone pulled me out of my apartment then?

I worry that sitting up might be a herculean task, but I rise without pause or pain.

I can move!

The ability to move once again is such a welcome one I might cry.

Glancing left and right I figure I’m in some sort of circular plaza. The ground under me is a red cobblestone. I don’t see any of the normal asphalt streets or sidewalks that ought to be right outside my apartment. Perhaps I am some distance away from home after my mishap.

There are decorative planter boxes with colorful flowers and shrubbery sprinkled all around. Whoever curates this place has taken care to make it quite lovely. It’s nice here, pleasant even, but problematically, I am alone—no neighbors, no paramedics, no nothing.

Something is indeed still wrong because as I'm looking about the area, I note that my hands and wrists are tinted red. Strangely enough, that sort of makes sense considering what was just happening.

Alarmingly, I am wearing something I couldn’t remember putting on; it's white and feels sort of like… a sheet, maybe? It seems to cover most of me.

Was I wrapped in this and dragged out of my apartment?

Persistent footsteps break the tranquility of this space. Movement in my periphery jerks my attention towards a pillar at the edge of this open area. Beside the pillar sits a stone bench, and judging by the figure heading my way, they must have been sitting on that very bench just a moment ago.

They are still far enough away I can't make out much detail about them; they’re a man probably if their broad shoulders and large stature are any indication. As the person nears, I note they wear a sort of blue business-like suit. Their face and hands are an ocher white, and their brown hair is slicked back.

Considering what I had just been up to, my instincts scream to do something—anything—to get away from this stranger. I don’t appear to still be in danger, but I was in danger just moments ago, at least by my reckoning. I scramble backwards while trying to stand up. My legs wobble for a second as I get my feet under me.

Something is… off about the man approaching. Something about this guy’s face just doesn’t seem right. A familiar rush of panic starts to bleed into my thoughts as my heartbeat speeds up.

The strange man stops in his tracks and holds out his hands placatingly.

“Whoa, it's okay; everything is okay. I know you’re probably going through a lot right now, but I’m here to help.”

Those are certainly the right words to be saying, but it doesn’t really matter for the state I'm currently in. Now that the man is standing so close, I can really start to see him. His chin is overly wide, and his remaining features look like those of a boxer who has been through perhaps one hundred too many matches, or like someone has crunched up rocks into a human shape and shoved a skinsuit over them.

Too many thoughts are ricocheting around my head at once to make sense of this.

“W-what the fuck?” is all I can manage to reply, and it’s both rushed and harsh.

“Listen, I’m Evans. I know this is hard, but I swear I’m here to help. You have questions, I know, and I have answers. Just stay calm."

Evans, if that really is his name, turns towards the largest flower pot collection, which holds glimpses of more plaza on the other side, and cups his hands around his mouth as he calls out.

“Mellisa! A little help, please!”

Without much intention, I begin to backpedal away from this guy. Something is very, very wrong in my life at this moment. Wake up in a strange place after nearly dying? Check. Strange man? Check. It’s red flags all around, and I really don’t want to be here.

“Coming!” singsongs a jovial voice from very close behind me.

I snap around, taking in the sight of a woman rapidly approaching.

She is all smiles. Her long, blonde locks bounce as she advances. Her face looks much more normal, which is reassuring. Except… her ears are too long and pointed. Those same ears are lazily bending out horizontally from her face; it’s certainly not normal.

"Oh, hi there! Hold on now; just breathe, okay? Everything is okay; you’re safe.” Says the willowy, elfish-looking lady while holding out her hands like the man named Evans had done before.

“What is going on?" I nearly scream at the pair, “Who are you and where am I?"

I change directions with my backward steps to better keep an eye on the two of them. Evans is keeping his distance; he hasn't moved, but he looks ready to spring into motion if need be.

The woman, Mellisa, on the other hand, takes a few steps forward, making exaggerated, deep breathing sounds like she is trying to get me to copy her.

“Well, for starters, everything is fine. You’re probably a bit confused. I imagine you went through something painful, and the reality is that whatever that was… well, it killed you. Your previous life has ended, but you’re in luck. This is your second chance. You’ve been Reborn.”

 

***

 

"So, um, I’m Evelyn,” I say quietly, dejectedly.

I’m sitting on a stone bench across from Evans and Mellisa. They’re trying to be reassuring, but it’s understandably not really working.

Ten minutes ago, I was freaking out, but now I’m just sort of feeling numb from revelations.

I can’t help but gaze over my arms, bending to check my elbows and hiking up this ridiculous toga thing I'm currently wearing to check my legs. Yup. My skin is red. Not red as in circulation problems or burns red, just red.

It’s a soft sort of red, like coral red or something. I don’t hate it, but it’s beyond weird. I’ve got some other incredibly strange changes too, namely, horns.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Evelyn. I’m sorry this started out so poorly. Do you want some more water?” says Mellisa while gesturing to my now empty glass.

“No…”

I’d rather be directing the topic back to an important subject.

“So. This isn’t actually like, you know.. like the afterlife?” I ask.

They both seem to consider for a moment before Evans answers my question.

“Not like you’re thinking. No. Not heaven or hell or purgatory or anything like that. Or at least, not like any afterlife people seemed to think back on Earth. It’s just a different world.”

The elf girl pauses for a moment to briefly glance at Evans.

“Everyone has their own ideas, of course, but who can really say what's true?" she says.

The two look like they’re making a real effort here. Still, I'm rather unsettled with so much new information being thrown at me at once.

“So we’re going to make sure you’re okay. Talk a bit. See if maybe you’d like to pick out a nice new set of clothes and get out of the awful togas we arrive in, and then maybe see if you’d like to talk a bit more over some food. Just take things slow today. You arrived early, so there is no rush before dark to get you settled in,“ says Mellisa, the elf.

“Alright, I can do that.”

With a few seconds to spare, I can actually take a look at the building this courtyard is nestled in. It's a two-story affair with what looks like clay shingles on the slanted roof. The walls are mostly some sort of brick, which is a soft shade of orange. Wooden banisters line the upper floor’s exposed hallways, which wrap around the entirety of the building’s open courtyard. Beside the orange brick, green and white trim makes up the shutters, support pillars, and rainwater spouts.

Mellisa and Evans turn to me after finishing a silent sort of conversation.

“One of us needs to stay here. I take it you’d rather I escort you than Evans?” asks Mellisa.

That makes me sound like a mistrustful asshole even though Evans was the one who stalked up on me the moment I arrived.

“Yeah, uh… I mean, no offense, Evans, just… thank you, Mellisa.”

Awkwardly, slowly, and unsurely, I get up to follow Mellisa.

As we’re making our way inside, we snake around a few hallways until we come across a middle-aged woman with hair far too thick to be normal. I want to call them vines. They’re definitely vines. Green vines for hair.

“Hey Joann, I’ve got a Newcomer here; can you please fill in for me at the landing pad?” asks Mellisa in a tone that betrays a familiar and casual rapport between the two.

“Of course, and hello there, Miss. Mellisa is going to help you get settled; everything is all right,” replies the part-plant lady.

As we’re walking about, Mellisa gestures towards what appears to be a hotel continental breakfast setup. “Snacks are stocked here. Help yourself whenever; it’s always open.” The room has lounge chairs and small dining tables. It’s like I’ve walked into a cheap motel lobby, and my mind stutters for a second with the whiplash.

Continuing on, we arrive at a backroom storage area featuring mostly shelves with clothes of various sorts.

“All of this is free; it’s all taken care of for new arrivals. It’s yours, and you owe nobody for anything. Once we’ve got you a change of clothes, we’ll pick you out a room you can stay in for the time being.”

I nod, and then spend a few minutes grabbing some trousers and shirts. Mellisa doesn’t offer any input, she just sort of leans against the entrance to the room, waiting. I decide speed is the order of the day and get the most essential items. It is all surprisingly normal? No fast fashion, but still trousers and shirts like I'm used to. Well, not business attire wise, but the sort of comfortable stuff I’d go grocery shopping in. They even have a semi-stretch sports bra. I was expecting some sort of medieval torture contraption. Thank whatever god created this place; everything even has pockets.

When I’m done, I walk back to Mellisa, juggling everything I just looted, ready to continue my welcome tour. What else am I going to do but go along with things?

She nods and heads out of the room with me hot on her heels.

“We’ve also got plenty of rooms right now until you decide you want to go somewhere different.”

With new clothes folded in my arms or hanging from wooden hangers, I follow Mellisa up a staircase.

The rooms I’m briskly shown are small but functional. They’re numbered much like an apartment complex might be. Without any sort of discussion, I’m given a key to a ‘Room 206.’ Mellisa steps out for a minute while I change into something else, and I toss the toga I was wearing onto the bed. 

A small bedside mirror shows me that the blue trousers I’ve chosen fit relatively well, and the grey tunic with brown stitching is perhaps a bit too loose. Overall, it suits me; my black hair is more shiny than it was on Earth, but it complements the gray nicely. Once I slip into a pair of sandal-ish leather things, I call out to Mellisa that she can come back in.

We don’t stay long however, Mellisa leads us to a second-floor lounge with well-worn leather sofas, where she plops down and motions for me to join her.

“So. As we were talking about in the courtyard. Magical world full of magical people. I can remember what it was like when I was Reborn here; I'm sure you’re still bursting with questions.”

Tentatively, I give her a slight nod.

“I’ll let you lead this discussion then. Ask me your burning questions, and don’t be afraid to ask anything you think is dumb or weird.”

I do have a lot of questions. It is hard to even know where to begin. A stray thought of mine reminds me that I have work tomorrow. Considering the commute, I think the office will have to do without me. There are going to be some pissed-off project managers when they find out I’m dead.

Serves them right.

I’ve got better things to do now anyway.

“So all this…” I say while gesturing everywhere and nowhere. “Is sounding very Narnia slash Lord of the Rings-ish but not very video gamey? If that makes sense, Magic is used by everyone. Like all the time?”

“Ah. That’s a pretty common notion. While magic can certainly make life seem very abnormal compared to what we were used to, it’s nothing like you’re thinking.“

Mellisa, my very kind blonde elf ambassador, seems like she was ready for this question and continues on.

“In terms of what you might compare this to back on Earth, books and movies are a poor example. It’s also certainly nothing like a computer video game. There are no menus, spawn points, or game-like things of any kind. This world is much like you remember Earth to be, just with magic in the mix.”

“...and I have that magic too?”

“Yes. Like everyone else, magic is tied to you. Once you’ve had a good night's sleep, we’ll help you get your very first glimpse into magic and help you feel how it connects to you. It's a simple, painless process, kind of like meditation.”

Despite how out of place and nervous I feel, this is rather exciting.

“What kind of magic are we talking about? Like whimsy magic or sciencey magic?” I ask.

Mellisa’s quick smile is terse.

“Don’t worry about that right this moment; I promise we’ll talk magic tomorrow. For now, let's help you come to terms with your situation.”

Mellisa lets our conversation go silent; I’m left to decide where to take it.

“My situation? Well… I’m red… and you’re elfy?” I drawl out as if it’s a question.

“Yes. An apt observation. Everyone in this world is in a body that they’re somewhat comfortable in. How and why I could not tell you. You’re in the body you are because, well… well you already know how you ended up here.”

“Because I died? But why this?” I say, pointing at my red-skinned arm.

“Right, so this world contains a multitude of what you might call races; yours is simply one that suits you. As for why? It’s one of life’s mysteries,” she explains, or rather doesn’t explain.

“While many of the people here are born into this world, all Newcomers are Reborn after their death on Earth. Those Reborn find themselves in a body they can be comfortable with. Those born here sometimes experience slight changes as they grow into adults, but for whatever reason, tend to maintain the race of their parents.”

This is, so so so bizarre.

“So people are born here too? We’re not all just from Earth?”

“Yes, perhaps most people, in fact. That being said, there are a very large number of people who are Reborn. So you’re in good company. Evans and I are Reborn, of course, as is everyone here at what we affectionately call the Newcomer Building. It helps to have someone who has been through what you’ve been through.”

I can’t fault that sort of logic. We did just mention video games and Lord of the Rings; someone born in fantasy land probably wouldn’t know what we were talking about.

“There is no easy way to say this next part, but all Reborn died a similar death,” explains Mellisa.

My face starts to burn with shame at that thought.

“We… did? W-what do you mean similar?”

This could be getting very weird, and I’m not okay with it.

Mellisa looks a little distraught when speaking about this.

“Everyone’s death that brought us here, as far as we are aware, was a very unfortunate death. Not the tragic sort of unfortunate, mostly. More that… Folks here tend to be very embarrassed about the way they died. Or perhaps they think it’s humorous. You won't find anyone who peacefully died of old age.”

“Oh.”

Well, no wonder I'm here then.

In short order, I find out a few important details of my situation. Technology-wise, we’re nowhere close to industrialization. This world apparently just doesn’t have a billion-year history of burying and compressing plants and animals into coal and oil, or however that works. That complicates advanced machining and electronics.

Between magic and ingenuity, we do, however, have it much better off than even a king of Earth’s medieval era ever could. Clean water. Hot showers. Food to go around. Mostly, at least, but Mellisa tells me life is not as cushy as I’m used to.

I bombard her for a while longer and learn as much as I can. A magic world, it seems, has threats outside of the usual. Travel is difficult because Monsters lurk inside the forests, and the seas are a terribly dangerous place. Trade is limited for the same reasons, but the world is apparently chock-full of settlements and even many great cities, despite the difficulties.

Eventually, the call for evening meal comes around, which I'm grateful for, and I’m encouraged to return to my room for the evening to digest dinner and my situation by my lonesome.