From Real to Realm

Vesperia started giggling as Val attempted to look angry. The scrunched up expression she saw instead was just too much for her to stay serious.

With a mild grumble, Val got out of bed as her mother had asked. It was still a struggle to stay upright on her own, but she was stubborn.

The outfit Vesperia laid out was different today—a cute dress, but not overtly frilly. Val remembered not being a big fan of wearing dresses in her previous life and that wasn’t changing.

It’s not that I necessarily hate dresses. I just never felt like myself in one.

With a little back and forth she was able to convince her mother to choose something else.

“A doctor we trust is coming by this morning to see you,” Vesperia said while laying out Val’s new outfit.

“Are they coming to look me over? Make sure nothing else is wrong?”

Vesperia nodded. “We just want to make sure nothing is lingering behind, that you’re truly back. If anything is lingering… hopefully we can do something about it this time.”

The pain of being so helpless during Val’s original illness was showing in Vesperia’s expression.

I can’t imagine being forced to watch a loved one decay in front of me, especially if I couldn’t do anything about it.

“Hey, don’t worry. Aside from being a little weak, I feel pretty good all things considered.”

Once Val was finally dressed, Vesperia helped her to the dining room for breakfast.

The tension of last night’s first introduction had all but vanished. Everyone seemed determined to rebuild what was lost, even if it meant it wouldn’t necessarily be the same. The conversations were jovial this time around.

During breakfast Val learned about her family’s careers.

“Wait, so you work as an instructor in a nearby school?”

Volde nodded as he chewed. “Yes. It’s for younger children though, usually ten years or younger. I mostly teach them things about the history of our city, the world, and anything in between. I build the foundation for their next steps after they go to the next instructors as they get older.”

“Dad taught all of us, but our teachings didn’t stop when we got home. He made sure to give us the personal touch,” Maxwell said with a roll of his eyes.

“Of course I did.” Volde said, sipping his drink. “I wanted to make sure my children were more prepared than others. Can you really fault me for doing so?”

“It didn’t help me decide what to do when I got old enough to work. I still don’t really feel any specific calling,” Maxwell said with a shrug.

“Then what do you do for work?” Val asked.

“I just do general labor wherever it’s needed. I get passed around a lot between different shops. I’m not necessarily signed on with anyone in particular.”

“I help mom with her jewelry commissions when I’m not in class,” Celestia offered. “It’s not a lot of work, but I enjoy making things.”

“Depending on who makes the commission request, it can pay very well,” Vesperia chimed in. “I always make sure to give Celestia a portion of the pay when she helps me.”

Throughout the rest of breakfast, the conversations split into smaller groups.

Occasionally someone would chime in on another conversation causing partners to be switched. Nothing felt forced, it was natural, but Val could tell her family were trying to avoid the elephant in the room.

I have no clue what some of the things they’re talking about are…

I feel like a child all over again.

Her confusion must’ve shown as conversations continued. Occasionally they would pause to explain something, or to go into greater detail, making sure Val would understand.

Just a few minutes after breakfast ended there was a knock on the front door. Celestia was asked to check who it was since everyone else was currently working together to clear the table.

Val had originally offered to help as well, however a three way echo of no’s from her family halted that idea.

I feel so helpless… I hate this.

I need to get strong and healthy as soon as I can.

“It’s Wilhelm!” Celestia said as she entered the dining room

Val wasn’t sure who Wilhelm was, so she turned to see.

Following behind Celestia was a stumpy old man with a soft smile. Val couldn’t help but smirk at the man’s poor luck—it was her first time seeing someone with a receding hairline in this world. If only he could take all that facial hair and place it elsewhere.

“Oh my. I didn’t expect to see you down here, Valnarei,” Wilhelm said, hastily cleaning his glasses. “When I got word you were awake, I came straight away. I never thought I’d get to see you like this again.”

Val sat up straighter in her chair. “I heard it was rough going for a while there. I’m up though, ready to begin my journey of regaining strength.”

“Hold on now,” Wilhelm said with a hand up. “Being ready is well and all, but your body might not feel the same way. Let me give you a quick check up, only then, will we decide on further steps.”

It wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but deep down, she knew they were right. Jumping headfirst into things could only make things worse if she wasn’t careful.

“Sweetheart, we were all anticipating losing you to that illness,” Vesperia said. “While it’s a miracle you survived it, we need to make sure nothing is lingering.”

“We… I… can’t go through seeing you like that again, alright?”

The frustration Val felt deflated rapidly at the look her mother gave her. It was such a mixture of every emotion the woman had felt for months, watching her daughter decay.

Val luckily never experienced watching that happen to someone, so she could only imagine how hard it was on Vesperia.

“Alright. A check-up might be a good idea. What do you need me to do?”

The check up was actually much simpler than Val expected.

From what she could remember in her past life, a check up required questions, little tests, and a lot of checks.

This time however, all Wilhelm did was raise his hand before it began glowing green. Once the glow was steady he waved his hand over her body.

Is he healing me? Or is it like, trying to find something in particular?

It didn’t last long at all, maybe a few minutes before he stood up. The smile that split his face was large, like he was on the verge of bursting with excitement.

“Nothing! There’s nothing left of the illness!” He turned to Vesperia before grabbing her hands. “She’s completely healthy!”

Then with a cough he tried bringing his enthusiasm in check. “Aside from being malnourished, but that will be easy to fix.”

Vesperia hugged Val tightly. “Thank the gods… my baby girl is healthy…”

She wiped a tear away. “I prayed for so long.”

“Yes, thank the gods indeed. I don’t know how she made such a drastic recovery, but it has to be divine intervention of some form.”

Val didn’t reply but couldn’t help but internally smirk.

You have NO CLUE Wilhelm.

“So, what’s next? Regaining my weight and strength is important, but I’m not sure how to go about doing so.”

“Well first you need to make sure you stick to a proper diet,” he said. “Gaining weight isn’t hard, but gaining the right kind of weight is a bit trickier.”

“As for your strength, I have a routine in mind you could follow.” He looked to Vesperia. “Why don’t we sit down with your mother to go over the finer details?”

Vesperia nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. I help cook, so knowing exactly what foods to cook would go a long way. I also want to be present for her rehabilitation, so knowing the routine is important,” she gave Val a knowing look. “It’ll also help me make sure you’re not overdoing it.”

Yikes, I’ve only been here for a little over a day. She’s got me dead to rights already.

Am I really that predictable already?

Wait… are there similarities between my personality and the original Valnarei?

For the next half hour the three of them went over the recommended diet and exercises.

Volde and Maxwell both came in to say goodbye to the girls before heading to their jobs. Vesperia made sure to give them the good news briefly before they left. As such, it resulted in the first time Val saw Volde actually cry some while hugging her.

Maxwell didn’t shed a tear, but you could see some of the stress melt away from his expression.

“I will be dropping by every month to do additional check ups. It’ll also be a good way for me to make sure you’ve been following what I laid out for you.”

With a stern smile Wilhelm placed his hands on Val’s shoulders. “Be mindful of your limits Valnarei. You just came back from the brink of death, we don’t need any setbacks, right?”

Val smiled before nodding. “Right, no more setbacks.”

With what felt like a natural conclusion to her check up, Val and her mother walked Wilhelm to the front door. Vesperia tried to pay him but surprisingly he refused any offer.

“Once Valnarei is completely healthy, no longer needing my check ups, then we can discuss payment. I don’t take payment for half jobs, and she’s still in progress.”

It was a large difference compared to what Val remembered of health care on her original world.

It was nice to see someone willing to see things through before accepting payment.

With a final goodbye and good luck, Wilhelm stepped through the door, and Vesperia let out a heavy sigh before turning to Val.

“This doesn’t feel real.” Her hand slowly reached up to cup Val’s cheek. “I honestly never thought I’d get to see you walking again, let alone have Wilhelm clear you for rehabilitation.”

Before Val could respond someone burst through the front doors.

A short brunette stood in the doorway, loose strands of hair clinging to her sweat-damp skin as her braid swayed behind her. She didn’t look far from Val’s age. Her chest heaved with each breath, forehead slick with sweat as her wild eyes locked onto Val’s. Her sun-kissed skin was flushed with exertion.

Without a word she ran up to Val, embracing her in a tight hug. The girl’s head barely reached Val’s collarbone, and Val stood there, unsure of how to react.

“Be careful Lynesia, she’s still weak.”

“I thought I’d never get to speak to you again,” Lynesia whispered. “That it was only a matter of time before I’d get word you passed.” She pulled away looking into Val’s eyes with a teary smile.

“Sweetheart…” Vesperia gently touched Lynesia’s forearm. “We should probably go sit down, we need to talk about something important.”

The confusion in her face was evident quickly.

Val didn’t blame her, Vesperia was asking her to sit down, that alone would make someone pause. Combine that with the look Vesperia was giving her? The hesitation to do so was warranted.

“Why? What’s wrong? She’s fine, right? I mean… she’s right here.” Lynesia had gripped Val’s hand tightly, almost uncomfortably so.

I have no clue who this is, but it’s obvious the original Valnarei was important to her.

Val could see the struggle Vesperia was going through. The way her lips parted, but nothing came out, was a clear indicator she didn’t want to just drop Val’s “amnesia” on the girl.

She can’t do it.

I guess I’ll have to step up.

“I can’t remember anything.”

Such a short declaration.

It could have been done with more finesse, maybe a light build up to the reveal. However, Val could read the room. Vesperia was too heartbroken to say it to the girl, so it fell on Val to do it.

When she said it, the grip on her hand only tightened more before the girl turned to her.

“You don’t remember anything?”

The wild look in the girl’s eyes was begging Val to correct her. Maybe she thought she’d misheard Val the first time. It was obvious just how much denial Lynesia was holding onto.

Anything to avoid accepting the truth.

“Breathe,” Val said softly. “I don’t, but it won’t change anything. I just need some help relearning is all. Maybe I’ll regain my memories later on, but at this moment, nothing.”

Even with the gentle reminder to breathe, Val could see the girl panicking.

Her eyes were flicking around wildly, back and forth, her breathing had picked up again. The grip on her hand was tightening before loosening once again.

It was a lot to process depending on how close they were in the past.

I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.

Having someone completely forget you.

Thankfully Vesperia found her resolve. Without a word she approached Lynesia before embracing her. The poor girl clung to Vesperia in return, burying her face in the woman’s shoulder.

Val didn’t say anything, or intrude on the hug either. At this moment Vesperia was likely a rock for the girl, something to ground her.

When she finally let go, she turned to Val, eyes watery. She studied Val’s features, like she was making sure she was real.

To make sure the person in front of her was truly her best friend.

“W—what’s the plan then?”

Val was caught off guard by the change in Lynesia’s tone.

“Oh, uh rehab mostly. I will be following a diet to regain weight properly, while doing physical rehab to regain my strength.”

A sudden clap from Vesperia startled both the girls.

“Why don’t you come help her with her rehab everyday? It’ll be perfect, you can rekindle the bond you had before while telling Valnarei all about your shared past?”

It was a solid idea.

Val was going to need help for a while until she regained her strength. Celestia could help if she wanted, but her brother and parents had other things they needed to do as well. If Lynesia had the free time, then it would benefit everyone.

“I don’t know…” Lynesia said, taking a deep breath. “Let me think about it? I’ll come by in the morning to give you my answer. It’s just… it’s a lot to take in.”

Both Vesperia and Val nodded. However, Vesperia let Val take the lead on answering her.

“Of course. No pressure at all. The offer is always open to you.”

“Thanks, I guess.” She said, voice still shaky. “I—I think I should go back home, I’m feeling a little… overwhelmed right now.”

This time Vesperia stepped forward to take the initiative. Wrapping an arm around Lynesia she guided the girl outside, likely to escape the emotional tension inside.

Val was left sitting on the steps in the foyer, waiting for her mother to come back inside.

I wonder what they’re talking about?

Maybe mother is trying to calm her down, or maybe convince her to help me with rehab?

A few minutes later Vesperia re-entered the house, closing the door behind her.

“So, who was that?” Val asked. “I get the feeling she’s more than just a friend?”

“Childhood best friend actually,” Vesperia said softly. “You two grew up together, practically attached at the hip. It’s been hard on her as well, seeing you decay for so long. I never expected her to rush over so soon. Poor girl must be confused right now.”

After what was another emotionally charged morning, the rest of the day fell into normalcy, or at least as normal as Val could guess.

Vesperia made the decision to start rehab tomorrow. She also needed to go shopping, to grab the right ingredients for Val’s new diet.

Celestia was the one put in charge of helping Val if she needed it. She decided Val would get a more in depth tour of the house today. Celestia made sure to take her time, allowing Val to keep up easily. The two story house was deeper than its width. Aside from your usual bedrooms with attached bathrooms, there was a small library and a garden.

“It’s a little… dilapidated.”

“Yeah, it is,” Celestia said, touching a decayed plant. “Mom never left your bedside, so she didn’t have time to care for any of the plants. Now that you’re back, maybe we can all find time to do it, together?”

Val smiled. “I’d like that.”

The library would likely be a good spot to check out in the future, depending on what it contained. Stories were fine, but Val was hoping for some more historical tomes. Something she could read in her spare time to learn about the world.

After a while, Vesperia returned from her shopping trip. Celestia helped take things into the kitchen while Val was once again told no when she offered to help.

Since she wasn’t allowed to help, she made her way to the library to begin browsing some of the books. Unfortunately, from what she could tell, they were all fiction.

Is it hard to have non-fiction books? Or maybe it’s more of a controlled thing?

Val wouldn’t be finding out any time soon, but for now it didn’t hurt to read something to pass the time.

Dinner was ready soon after everyone had gotten home. The meal was different from the one yesterday though. Some of the new dishes were more in line with the diet the doctor had discussed with Vesperia.

No one complained though, thank yous were echoed around the table as Vesperia laid everything out.

The majority of the conversations were on the casual side, asking everyone how their days went. When it came time for Val to offer her days experience, she was forced to bring up Lynesia.

“I—I met Lynesia today.”

“Oh,” Volde said, swallowing slowly. “How did that go?”

Vesperia sighed. “It was up and down. She was elated to see Val up and moving, but the poor thing struggled with the news of her memory loss.”

Val gulped. “It was hard… I’ve seen the same look from all of you. It hurt not being able to help her.”

Vesperia gently reached over to squeeze Val’s hand. “It’s not your fault. Don’t worry, we will all get through this, together.”

Thankfully the rest of dinner went much smoother after revealing Lynesia’s reaction. As of right now, no one was sure when they’d see the girl again. It was still up in the air on whether she would come to help in the morning or not.

Honestly, Val couldn’t blame her if she didn’t.

When dinner was finally over, Val eagerly wanted to get in bed. Back to back emotionally charged days were beginning to weigh on her. Hopefully the next few months would be more stable.

She had a goal now though, get through her rehabilitation.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!