Three Displaceds walks into a cave [one-shot]

by Ryoup

Rating: teen
Tags: Human, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Original Character, Comedy, Violence, Crossover
Length: 19521

Three displaceds end up in a cavern during a snowstorm, a veteran, a well established and a newbie. Now they have to endure themselves, while the storm lasts so they can go home to their worlds.

It happened all of sudden, one second I was running from the timberwolves, on the other, bam! I’m into a freezing plain! I hate my life, I just want to go home. Ahm? What was that?
One minute I was enjoying the most perfect tea there was in the company of the princess, the main six and many other characters from the show, then everything went white and now here I am, is this the frozen north? Someone used my token? Wait, is this a scream? Better check it out.
I was in my hand-made hammock enjoying the sun, carving from a small piece of wood and waiting for the kiddo to get back home until I felt a shiver going through my spine. In sheer reflex I put my hand in my sword and grabbed the other which was leaning against the pillar. What 's going on? Why am I in this frozen hell and who in the Lord's name is screaming this loud? Is this a Void Dweller doing? Better go cautiously.

Important: Hi! I have been wanting to do this for a long time, and now, after finishing mentaly the story I decided to start. This story is focused for those who want to know or enter into the rabbit hole that is the Displaced multiverse. Do you know what that is? No? Great! Let's find out together with our newbie! You DO know what it is? Welp, it’s not gonna kill ya give it a peek right? I mean you have gotten this far already.

Published 2022-09-25 18:50:00 UTC
Last updated 2022-09-25 18:50:00 UTC

The Cave

I gotta run, my god I gotta run! I look back, my vision blurry due this snowstorm almost blinded me from my chaser, a vague, almost imperceptible figure chases me relentlessly.

I yelled and screamed at it, shaking my hands, little flames coming out of my fingers, but the flames didn't last much in this temperature.

The creature roars, I feel my own being trembling with the intensity. I gaze ahead just to see a rock on my way, I will not make it! It's too big! I said mentally slowing down letting my hands fall ahead and before I noticed again flames emerged. This time they were bigger than ever and destroyed the rock.

I chuckled at this scene and looked at my finger, the rock was melting and yet I felt no heat. I wiggle one finger under my leather gloves.

The ground behind me shook violently and I lost my balance, falling aside. The cold snow melted and wetted me. I shivered feeling the cold liquid over my arms. Fuck I’m gonna freeze here!

The roar sounded again and I had to protect my ears this time. I try to get up, my body already giving in from the cold.

The creature gave one step towards me and I almost lost my balance again, doing my best to dry myself since it isn't wise to be wet during a snowstorm.

I gaze at it, even almost being at my arm's reach, the storm yet blurred it. I put my goggles on to avoid more snow to get in my eyes and I see it.

Towering over fifteen meters at my front was a white-pearl dragon, blue flames coming out of its mouth in what I can only hope to be fire.

C’mon Lyia! Do something! Move your fat-ass! Run! I kept screaming mentally but my body didn’t move one centimeter and then I saw its paw raising. That's how I’ll die? I survived the crazy technicolor horses to end like this? To an overgrown lizard? NO! I yelled and pointed my hands at it.

“GO AWAY!” I screamed, two large labared of flames left my fingers and engulfed the beast, it seemed like the storm ceased while the creature roared in pain.

“GO AWAY!” I screamed again, feeling my chest getting colder, my breath getting uneasy and my vision tipsy. I can feel my arms in one second and in the other I don’t and the flames stopped coming out of my fingers.

I fell on my knees, seeing the dragon shaking his body to get rid of the few spots of fire on his body. It hurt him, or at least looks like it. I look down, my hands getting a strange tone of blue, or is it purple? My head is spinning and the freezing temperature seems to finally start getting to me. Personally I don’t know how I endured that long in this freezing hell, it’s like what? Minus one hundred degrees at minimum…

I looked up one last time, the sound of the storm ceased, the cold stayed, but my skin is already numb from it. I expected to see his paw falling on me, but his eyes stared at the horizon behind me.

Then a purple blast hit him in the chest and the beast lost its balance and fell backwards! From the many things I could do, I just chuckled before letting myself fall backwards too.

It’s… so cold, I fell and felt an arm around me, holding me, but it is so cold… I… I don’t want to die… mom… dad…

1

Dang it, I think I hit it too hard, I said to myself while approaching the girl ahead of me, she wears ahm… leather? I think so, a leather armor with some pieces of metal around her shoulders, her hair red like fire. Neat, I told myself knowing damn well I don’t know what she is.

Well, she is strong enough to hurt an ancient dragon, it was like, what? Fifty? Forty foot tall, big one nonetheless.

Then she started to fall and I ran at her to stop, barely making it.

Oh no, her lips trembling with a blue color, her eyes barely opened, yeah, not everyone is a undead like me, she is totally having hypothermia right now. Damn it, I can't warm her, my body is cold-stone right now due to this storm!

I grab her in my arms, trying to think what to do, why am I here? She called me? If yes, why did I arrive so far away from her? What's going on!

My thoughts are interrupted by a roar while the beast starts getting up. “Shiet.”

I pointed my hand at it, opened it and closed in a fist, immediately two massive hands of snow emerged from the sea of snow beside it and grabbed the dragon. Better figure this out in home, Celestia will warm you up.

I extended my hand and a dark blue tear-like cristal popped in front of me. I smiled at the dragon before touching it. The cristal got red in an instant and exploded in red sparkles.

“Shiet!” I yell trying to protect me and her from the little, but damaging explosion.

My token got negated! How?! Is this a trap or something?! I’m stuck here and she is getting worse by the second! Her fingers trembling from what I can only hope to be reflex and not her nerves freezing!

I get up, using my magic to levitate her just a bit to put her on my shoulders, then I felt it, a wiggling sensation going all over my body, for some stupid reason I gaze down, seeing my black cloak and the culprit found, and amulet-like stone wrapped on my waist with the symbol of a black spider in a red background.

“SHIET!” I scream, looking up just to see the tail of the dragon a few inches from me. I barely had time to throw her up before I got hit.

I flew away, rolling in the snow for a long time before stopping, when I got up I could see the girl laid on the snow where I was.

The dragon roared at me and a torrent of blue flames flew in my direction. I put my hands on the ground and a wall of snow grew in a heartbeat. I gotta help her, shiet I need backup. I put my hand on my waist, where I kept the tokens of my friends and started activating them, which one? I don't know, all of them!

They glown for one second before stopping No way! I don’t have a backup either!? Okay this went from a problematic situation to an Imma die situation here really fast.

“Can’t we talk this out, mister dragon? What did she do?” I yell trying to not lose concentration on the spell. I hate the north, magic always sucks here.

I continue to think and rethink a way out of this, I must help that girl, the storm is going to kill her in minutes! I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice a hole in my wall. Before I could think anything the flames pierced it and I could just raise my arms to protect myself. Gonna hurt!

The flames never got me, then I lowered my arms to see a figure in front of me.

“Shiet” I mumbled seeing a tall figure wearing pieces of blue cloth around its neck and shoulders, a loose blue worn-pant. His hair was gray in a high ponytail style, but what got my attention wasn't none of that, what got my attention was what he was holding! In one of his hands he had a katana swung at the direction of the dragon and on the other a massive single-edge, green-black broken-blade on his other, that is twenty inches wide!

I had to blink and clean my eyes to confirm that I wasn’t seein things, that blade is broken isn’t it? many parts of it popped into existence and it’s what I think it’s full length.

I got up and I saw a wind wall in front of him deflecting the flames.

“H-hi”

“Get her.” He said in a hoarse severe tone while pointing his massive blade towards the girl.

“I can help you, we can beat it to-.”

“The girl doesn’t have time.” He pointed its blade in the other direction. “There is a cave there, get her there now.”

I hesitated for a second, I don’t know him or what he is, but he seems to be handling it quite well. I nodded, even though he wasn't looking at me and I started sneaking towards the girl.

"Sorye" I heard him yelling while running towards the dragon. I peeked back just to see him walking on the dragon's neck delivering many cuts to it, blood mixing with the snow and soon the storm got red.

I didn't think much of it, just approached the girl and levitated her body. A swirl of snow formed around my waist and I flew towards the cave direction.

took me a good whole minute to reach it, but there it is, menacingly staring me back is a jaw-shaped entrance of a cave.

I don’t have time to be afraid, this poor girl is freezing in my arms! I ran in, my hand raised ready to blast anything or anyone, but luckily the entrance seemned empty.

We adventured a bit more inside it until I saw piles of wood around some low thin stones. I put her over one stone and approached the firewood.

“C’mon Aby, you can do it! C’mon just a spark!” I shout while snapping my fingers, trying to start a fire in this freezing hole. Celestia could do it in a blink of an eye!

I repeated this process for half a minute until I lost my temper and levitated one wood to the ceiling and blasted it with magic. A scorched piece of wood fell. I blasted it again, weaker this time and I did a little jump of excitement when I saw the fire coming to life.

I quickly gathered it around the center of the stone we are going to use as benches/beds, grabbed this girl and put her close to the flames. I even warmed myself, getting otherwise dangerously close to the fire to warm me up so I can warm her with my now not-so-cold body temperature.

I hugged her until my body heat was over, then I repeated the process again and again, seeing her little gasp and cough as a sign of improvement.

Then it snapped to me, where is the old man? What if he got lost! I walked towards the entrance of the cave, the storm somehow got even worse. I thought of leaving, but I can’t abandon that girl. I raise one hand towards this ghastly storm and blast it. A purple laser pierce between the snow and ice and explodes in the sky. I repeat this process a couple of times before I hear some really deep coughs coming from inside.

2

I cough heavily, falling on my knees, I keep my sword on its sheath and shove the massive blade on the ground, I breathe in, and out, mist forming instantly every time I exhale.

I look up to see the deceased dragon, his head missing, fucking hell I’m no longer young to beat this kind of creature this sudden. I try to get up, but my knees fail and I cough a bit of blood.

“Bastard, didn’t see your claw back there.” I shout at the dead creature one last time before getting up, I look around, the battlefield an utter mess, I try to remember where I sent that woman with the kiddo. My eyes stretch trying to discern anything in this storm.

I grab my sword and use it to cut the storm, my arms muscle begging for a break, with one swung and it’s done, for one second I could see it. See that that’s not the way.

I breathe in and repeat, again the wrong direction. I shake my arms trying to send more blood or ease the tension build up on it, cursing the universe and my old age.

I prepare myself to repeat the feat when a thin-weak purple laser pierce the sky and explodes at distance.

“Shrewd.” I say outloud to myself while getting my blade from the ground, I glance over it and smile joyfully.

“Thank you for having my back Juliet.” I shake it and the rest of the blade disappears and it returns to its broken state.

I put the blade against my shoulder and walk towards the laser. Before leaving, I grabbed my bag I hid before the fight, opened it and grabbed a red cristal, damn it, it’s the last one, kiddo probably have been wasting my things.

Not having another reason to waste any more seconds and already feeling this cold environment affecting me I gnawed the crystal, a warm sensation filled my body and in seconds the cold ceased.

I continued my way, thinking how smart it was of her to blast a signal on the sky, yes it’s risky but she seemed to be-

Wait, is that another blast? She is out of her mind?! What stupid cunt! The entire north is going to see it. Fucking hell, traped with an animal, I see.

After the third blast emerged I cursed myself before starting running towards it.

3

It is so cold, I can’t feel my fingers, I can’t feel my arms or legs, and I barely hear my heart pounding faintly. I died? I try to open my eyes, but everything is black, everything but a little yellow dot in the distance.

Moved by an unholy desire I tried to grab it, I wanted it, I don’t know why but I needed it! I tried to move my arm, it hurted like hell, I heard snaps and cracks and I felt a strange sensation of relief when I identified the sounds as ice breaking.

I threw myself towards the yellow dot, a warm sensation greeting my face. I took off the goggles and I felt a jolt of pleasure piercing through my spine as my eyes also got warmed up.

I extended my hand at this now-bigger dot and smiled in joy when I saw it moving towards me. It engulfed my hand, then my arms and soon all my body.

The warmth, almost addictive, got me numb, I closed my eyes and smiled, Is this heaven? I thought to myself. I stayed like this for… I can’t tell, one minute? One hour? The sensation was indescribable, impossible comfortable and enjoyable.

I cough, feeling the last bit of frost leaving my body. I opened my eyes and this time everything was a yellow and red mist , it was mesmerizing in a strange way, the way the colors mixed and unmixed, the way they moved frantically, almost explosively.

I sat down and started looking around through this yellow-red filter of colors. Heaven is a rocky cave? By my side I saw a little unlit campfire, though it was clearly burned a bit. Is it recent?

I scratched the back of my head and something got my attention. I decided to check it, looked at my hand and stared emotionless at my hand surrounded by fire. I repeated the process with my other hand and yes, it was too surrounded with fire. I just looked down to my lap to confirm my fears, my whole body is surrounded by fire.

“Fuck.” Those were the only words I could form, in a snap of a second my heart pounded really hard and I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

“FUCK!” I scream this time, getting up and struggling to get this fire out of me. I scream to a never coming pain from the fire, probably already burned my nerves, or the ice did, it doesn't matter, what matters is taking this hellish fire out of me.

I raise my hands trying to beat my head to put the fire out when I feel it, or better, I didn’t feel my hair, my fingers just went through my head.

Panic would not start to describe what I was feeling, at any moment I expected to go blind, or pain start, but it just wasn’t happening. I continued my struggle, swinging my arms and legs but it seemed like glue, stuck on my body.

Then I glanced at the campfire, and again for some ungodly reason I swung my arm that direction and the fire around me quickly left my body to hit the campfire and lit it.

My hands were shaking frantically and I fell on my butt. I hugged myself and looked down looking for any burn, my hands, gaps on my armor and my face, but nothing felt anormal or hurtful.

Then I prepared to check my hair, I breathed in heavily and gulped a couple of times before letting my fingers explore my head.

“I-I- I’m not bald!” I shouted childish while frantically scratching my hair in an attempt to prove to myself it’s here and I’m not hallucinating.

“Yeah, you aren’t” I heard someone talking ahead of me. The voice was feminine and dull, I jumped back, raising my fists in a futile attempt to look… menacingly?

“Oh, and you’re quite a fighter ain’t you?”

“Who are you!” I said, raising my voice trying to discern the figure hidden in the darkness of the cave. “I’m not afraid of you!”

“That’s how you greet your savior? My my, what the kids are learning these days.”

I let my guard down for a second, she saved me? So I'm not dead? Thank god.

The figure walked in, she was tall and I gulped unconsciously due to that fact. She wore a long cloak and between the crack in the middle I could see she was wearing some kind of purple cloth. The hood hid her whole face and not gonna lie, it was really dope and frightening at the same time.

She shook her arms in the long sleeves of her cloak, revealing pale-white hands she used to put down her hood. Her face also had the same ghastly white-pale tone, her hair, white-snow, fell over her backs. How did she keep that amount of hair in that small hood?
“Hi kiddo.” She said with a weirdly gentle smile while raising her hands to calm me.

“Who are you?” I said lowering my fists a bit calmer now. She put her hand in front of her belly and nodded at me.

“You can call me Lich Queen, or by my human name, Aby.” She greeted me in a chic tone.

“Li-lich? Like a zombie!?” She chuckled at it.

“Yeah, you can say that, but stay calm. I ain't going to eat your brains or anything, I’m chill.”

It didn’t do much to ease my nerves but if she was the one saving me, it means she had many opportunities to off me, and didn’t, so I just nod and sit in one of the stones near the fire.

She looked at me until I sat down, then she also sat near me.

“You're so cool.” She said giggling, “I saw you using fire back there against the dragon, you’re some kind of pyromancer or you control other elements too?”

“I-I’m just Lyia, do you know what is going on? Where are we?”

“Oh, so you didn’t summon me here? That explains that I wasn’t called by a token.”

“Token- Tolkien? What are you talking about?! Do you know where we are? Why are there talking horses and how do I get to go home?” Her eyes wide.

“You’re a novice, ahmmm, tell me, how long have you been here?”

“About five days or so- look, I gotta go home, I have finals in about a week and my sister's birthday is this weekend. I Have been missing for days, my family is probably crazy after me!” She laughed? She is laughing!

“Oh geez, the simple things in life, right? Girl, I have a lot to tell you. I’m so excited! you’re my first tutoring!”

She said, her last words sounded alive and not as dull and lifeless as before.

She raised one finger but stopped and stared back at the entrance of the cave. I followed her gaze but I only saw the merciless storm raging out there.

“Wh-”

“Shh, something is coming.”

I gulped, feeling my stomach swirl in an urge to puke. I had to calm myself to avoid an incident and before I noticed she was up and walking towards the entrance.

I pondered if I should go with her, and after noticing how dark and lonely this cave is I made up my mind and followed her.

One of her hands glowed in a purple tone and the other in a blue-iced color. Her eyes fixed on the storm as if she could see through it.

“Stay calm and prepare to run if I say so.” She whispered at me and I nodded, not knowing exactly where to run actually or if she somehow saw me nodding.

Her eyes analyzed the storm for some time, maybe she was seeing something, maybe not, but I know now I’m seeing something! A fading dark silhouette is moving in our direction. I gulped and stayed between her and it, rubbing my finger to do my thing if needed to.

I was so concentrated on snapping my finger that I didn’t notice when he emerged from the storm.

He wore some pieces of cloth around his upper body and a bad looking pant, what got my attention was the fact he was walking belly to lower-chest naked in this storm! He also got one massive blade resting on one of his shoulders and his other hand rested at the pommel of his other sword around his waist.

This alone would be enough for me to run away, the only fact that he is a human, I mean I hope so, was enough to stop me from running.

“Hi-hi.” I said breaking the tension, he gazed at me and his old face smiled for a moment, he nodded and walked in ignoring Aby.

When he passed for us I saw a bag resting at the back of his waist with something written at it. Normally that would not be a big deal, but the fact that I recognized the letters made me smile immensely. God I never knew I would like to see the latin script again.

“H-hey! Wait!” Aby yelled at him, but he just ignored her and walked in. I followed them.

“Hey dude, I’m talking with you! Can you at least look at me!” She shouted louder this time, he didn’t even bother looking at her. He threw his bag in a corner near the campfire and laid there.

“You talk too much undead.”

“Un-UNDEAD!? I'm a lich! You should-"

She was interrupted when he pierced his massive blade on the ground at his side, leaned back and clicked his fingers on the pommel of his swords. He stared at her then at me.

“Which one of you caused this?”

“WASN’T ME!” I shouted in defense instantly, Aby rolled her eyes.

“Neither me.”

“Shit, it’s worse than I thought.”

“Wait, so you know?”

“I have a vague idea, now let’s stay quiet, we don’t want to be spotted by our host.”

Aby seemed as if she wanted to say one more thing or two, but she chose to just sit around the campfire. I sat between them.

4

I don’t like him, he stinks of edgy-lord and all, and worst of all, I don’t know what character he is and he doesn’t look very talkative.

I decided to just sit down and clean my mind. okay Aby, stay calm and think, what Twilight would do…

I closed my eyes and massaged my temples. I felt someone poking my sides and I saw the girl looking at me a bit puzzled. I quickly gazed at him, he now got a little piece of wood and is carving it with a small knife.

“Miss, can you explain what's going on?” Oh right! I’m supposed to teach her about everything!

“Of course! I mean, about this.” I point to the cave around us. “I know as much as you do, now about this.” I point at me, then at them. “With that I can help you.”

“Help me?”

“Yes! I mean, you got powers didn’t you? Fire and everything.”

She blushed and nodded.

“Wait, she is a newbie?” He said, now looking up at us and giving his carving a break.

Lyial looked at me, then at him, clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation.

“Well, there is no easy way to tell this, but you're displaced.”

“I see… what the hell is one displaced?!” She yelled, raising her arm and all. Dang it, I’m having a déjà vu here. I peek at him and he is now looking at Lyia.

“Can you please tell me your name? Or do you prefer to be called oldman?” He looked at me, breathed heavily as if pondering and noded

"Name is Maicon.”

“Thank you, didn’t hurt right? Jezz.”

“Aby, is Aby isn’t? What about the displaced thing, I don’t want to be one or whatever, what it is and how do I get rid of it.”

“Oh no no girl, it isn’t a curse or anything, it's a gift, and you don’t just get rid of it. Okay, how do I… where you were, before coming here?”

“Running from timberwolves.” She said, trembling.

I laughed with nostalgia, but I didn’t expect him to laugh either.

“No way, a Chandra Nalaar fleeing from timberwolves? Now that's a thing I would like to see.”

She smiled and leaned towards him.

“You know Chandra?”

“Yeah, I used to play that game when I was young.”

“So that's her character?” I ask and he nods back.

“Those goggles and armor are unique, there is no doubt.”

“So I’m Chandra?” She asked, a bit excited and frightened while looking at me and him.

“Yes! You got all her power and abilities and got sent to this world, or at least another world, the one with the timberwolves.” She nodded a bit slowly, absorbing all the information she could. I get it girl, I have been through it.

“The worlds are filled with magic creatures like ponies from a show, do you know it?”

She shook her head.

“Aww shit, you’re one of those ponies lovers aren’t you? From all things, a lich ended loving those horses.” He said meanly and sarcastically. Okay, I don’t like him.

“They are scary, I mean, talking horses and all! They also chased me in the woods!”

“Oh chuckles, bad first impression I see, but they are cool and can be valuable friend-”

“Don’t let her brainwash you, she is a pony lover, everything she says is biased.”

“It’s not biased, it's a fact! They are really kind and just want to be your friend.”

“They were not very friendly when I met them.”

“Believe me, they were more scared of you than you are of them.“ She just raised an eyebrow to me.

“Anyhow, you got teleported here during a comic-con or some variant of geek event right?”

She blushed before nodding at me.

“But your costume wasn’t complete or you found some gadgets that just worked with your cosplay right?” She nodded again, then touched her goggles.

“Tell me, did this guy you buyed those goggles off be a shady-edgy merchant with a lot of awesome things?” Maicon said gaining our attention

“You too?” I asked and he shook his head.

“Nah, but it’s a common displacer.”

“No, he wasn’t… edgy at all, nice looking guy, wearing a yellow-suit and a goofy hat holding an old-fashioned cane and doing tricks to catch the attention of clients.”

"Never heard of this Void Dweller, ahm, good luck with that.” I thought about questioning him on the Void Dweller thing, but chose not to.

“So you see, there are some people who like to bring you to worlds like this and give you abilities.”

"People?" Maicon questioned me.

“Yeah, that's not the best term, but she barely knows what’s going on, let’s go slow on her.” He clicked his tongue and leaned towards us.

“Chandra.”

“My name is Lyia.”

“‘Kay Lyia, basically there is some douchebags who like to kidnap people from their worlds and lifes for mysterious reasons, which normally orbit the fact that they are bored as fuck, those with actual plans for their displaceds normaly forget to tell them the plan and the displaceds end up fucking everything up, which rarely is part of their actual plan.”

“I-I got kidnaped?!” She said hysterically looking at us.

“Good, you scared her.”

“She has all the reasons to be scared, and she was kidnaped, Void Dwellers rarely give you an alternative.”

She curls herself, hugging her legs and gazing at the campfire.

“Why? Why did they do it?”

“They have their reasons, but hey! You can see it as a gift! You can do whatever you want to do and you even earned some cool powers!”

“But I want to go home, I-I’m scared, I want my family.”

“Pfft, girl, Earth is a mess, pollution, war, genocide, and many others shit going on that if I dared to list we do stay a long time here. Here in Equestria you can have a new beginning, you can choose to be whoever you want to, and francally, the family thing is overrated.”

5

I personally don't bother myself with such effort as hating pony-lovers like this lich, we live in a free multiverse right? But a man has to draw some lines and follow them, and when that woman said family is overrated my body moved on its own.

I got up with a jump and walked towards her, she seemed to notice it and also got up. She looked at me up and down with her fists closed. When I got really close, a few centimeters between our faces I put my hand on my katana.

“You know what, lich, I normally don't bother myself creating preconceptions about people, too much work and all, I just let them tell me. But you earned my preconception, lemme guess.” I took a step towards her and she stepped back.

“You probably doesn’t give a fuck about human lives, or on the contrary, you care too much.” She frowned her face, I took another step towards her and she stepped back again.

“You probably had shitty parents.” Her eyes went wide. “Or one good parent who died early in your life due to bad luck or the action of your other parent.”

“Probably no sibling, if so, also is an asshole.” She didn’t answer, her shoulders just lowered.

“You had a shitty job with, to few, to none friends. Your only pleasures in life were the show of ponies and your cosplay games/film.”

“Literally no one on the planet would give two fucks about you if you disappeared mysteriously or died drunk on a random alley. I lie, the bank, you might owe them some money.

“Then you ended up here, in a world of magic and talking horses, this is literally heaven for you, and the best part? There is no one waiting for you home, no one to cry or look for some Aby who disappeared.” I stared at her eyes, she is playing tough, but I can see her eyes twitching.

“So, before you start assuming everyone also had a shitty life like yours and would abandon their worlds in a heartbeat, you should start thinking, not everyone has a shitty life, and not all of them would choose to abandon their worlds. I also had a shitty job and it wasn’t enough to abbadon Earth.” I point at Lyia.

“Can’t you see she wants to go home and not live in this utopia of yours? That she is scared and confused, that not everyone would enjoy this.”

I’m not bigger than her, she is a good five centimeters taller than me, but I don’t give a shit, I stuff my chest and stretch my shoulders.

“Tell me I got something wrong, about your family, life, anything?”

She said nothing, just gazed at me, then at Lyia and then at the campfire.

“Good. Very good.” I humpf, walking back to my spot. Fucking hell those fuckos get worst by decade.

I peek at them, while she sat down in her place and Lyia approached her.

“I’m sorry, for presuppose you would abandon your Earth without a second thought.”

“N-no, I’m cool.”

Aby raised her head and looked at Lyia, her eyes a bit wet.

“Do you love your parents?” I chuckled internally and Lyia looked puzzled for a bit.

“I- what kind of question is this? What do you mean?” Aby nodded and went back to stare at the flames.

“Yeah, what do I mean…”

Lyia looked at Aby, then at me, clearly confused and desiring to finish her introduction. I just shrugged, put my hands on my bag and grabbed a gray stone with a rune on it. I let it between my legs and l leaded towards the wall and closed my eyes.

“You better sleep, this is going to be a long night.”

“But I-”

“Go sleep kiddo.” She gazed angrily at me.

“I’m 22.” I opened my eyes, looked her up and down and nodded.

“Go sleep kiddo. Long night. Our lich here and I will stay vigilant, she doesn’t need sleep after all.” I said with a bit of poison expecting a reaction, she just nodded and continued gazing at the flames.

I woke up with a wiggle between my legs and I quickly poked the stone to stop and got up.

Lyia is sleeping really near the campfire while Aby is looking at the flames with a piece of wood on her hand, her eyes blank, she is not looking at the fire, she is looking beyond it. I almost felt bad for her, until I remembered it was my doing and that she deserved it.

She didn’t seem to notice me so I just moved on. The cold breeze of this never ending storm hit me and my entire body shook.

“Fuck, it’s so fucking cold.” I cursed myself noticing my crystal effect ended. I’m going to die in minutes if I leave this cave, yet my stone detected something approaching.

What if it is a hunting squad? Maybe assassins, I can’t fight out there, so they will have to fight here. I chuckled while checking for displaceds and receiving no as an answer.

“Maybe it’s not displaceds after all, maybe I’m just a paranoid freak, anyhow, I’m going to prepare myself.” I told myself hiding on a crack inside the cave, the stone is painfully cold but I can’t help but stuck myself in here knowing damn well something is coming, and there are many things in those universes that can kill a displaced like me.

I hear noises, voices coming and I prepare myself, hand on the pommel of my katana I breathe in, and out, I’m one with the wind, I repeat to myself, I’m one with the storm.

The erratic sound of the snowstorm for one second synchronized and sounded like a melody, my vision got dark as something passed through the light coming in from the outside and I ran out of my hideout.

Two masses of brown fur were in front of me, I swung my sword hitting one of them in the back, he screamed and I heard a boy! being screamed by the other.

I saw the other turning and running towards me. I just shook my sword and a wall of wind erupted right under him, levitating his belly and I promptly slashed him there.

He fell aside, his heavy body doing quite a noise.

“RUN BOY, IT’S A YETI!” The seemingly elderly one shouted, trying to get up while the smaller one looked at me and the exit. “RUN!” The older yak repeated, and the smaller just runned heads down towards the exit.

I let him take a few steps while I raised my sword to decapitate him as he passed me, but when he was about to pass me, I saw out of the corner of my eye the other yak throwing his body towards me. That cut should’ve been lethal!

I had to abandon my plan and lower my sword, but he was too close to dodge or attack, and in this snap of a second the only thing I could do was point my sword to his head.

Then he hit me, my katana piercing his skull but doing nothing to stop his momentum and before I could take my sword off his skull he fell over me.

I cursed in all and every language I knew while doing my best to move this mountain of fur and muscle off top of me.

when I achieved it I took my sword from his skull and gazed at the storm in front of me.

“MONSTER! MONSTER! MONSTER!” I heard the other yak shouting while he continued his run.

“No you ain’t.” I said to myself, breathing in and taking a posture of combat, spreading out my legs and turning my body as I concentrated in his voice. I’m one with the wind.

I lunged forward, swinging my sword and again cutting the storm in half and I could not help but smile while I saw his body being cut in two a few meters ahead of me. It only lasted a couple of seconds and quickly the storm returned to its raging form again.

I kept my katana on its pommel and put my hand over my chest. I’m getting old, I was pretty sure that yak would not be able to move after a hit like that on his belly.

“Tha fuck you did?” What? I turn just to see them both looking at me.

“WOW! That. Was. Dope!”

6

“That was amazing! You beat that thing!” I said cheering him up, but before I could approach him Aby raised her arm to stop me.

“Did you know what it was?” She said pointing at the big furry beast on the floor.

“Of course I do, yak’s if I ain’t wrong.”

I looked at Aby and her face was completely horrorized, as if he did something really really bad. Maicon shook his head equally confused.

“You murder! You just killed them in cold blood!

“Nah, I ain’t having none of this now.” He shook his hand in disdain towards Aby.

“I saw it! He was no threat! Just a boy running for his life and you executed him!”

I glanced at each of them, then at the deceased… yak?I felt my stomach swirl for some reason.

“We don’t know who sent them here, or why.”

“Well shiet.” She pointed at the dead yak “I betcha now we ain’t going to find out.”

“Oh you didn’t like it? Bet you ain't going to like this either.”

He said, grabbing the yak by his fur neck and dragging him inside the cave.

“Hey hey, what are you doing?” I looked at this scene, too confused and frightened to say a thing.

“I’m hungry.”

I never knew eyes could widen like Aby’s eyes right now, her mouth opening and closing as if trying to find the right answer or wake from a really hard hit on the head.

When he passed by us, it took Aby some good time to wake up and run after him, as if she believed he was joking or something.

“No you ain’t!” She yelled walking in, I followed her and we both found Maicon throwing the yak body around the campfire.

“Stop! This is hideous on so many levels!”

“I call it nature, you should check it out some time.”

“I don’t get it, what is going on?”

“He wants to eat the yak/I’m going to eat the yak” They both said at the same time and I got even more confused and Aby seemed even more pissed.

“So? I’m hungry as… well, as a hungry displaced.” He grinned.

“First of all, that's not a thing, second of all that yak could talk! He is sentient”

“Was.” Maicon said, walking around the corpse poking it with his sword.

“You don’t have respect for him? What if he was your dog? Would you eat your dog?”

Maicon stopped whatever he was doing and frowned his face while looking at her.

“Of course not.”

“So?”

“So what? This ain’t my dog.”

“Still horrible, we should bury them, not eat them!”

“Thats easy for you to say, you’re a lich, you don't feel hungry, or this fucking cold here.”

They both stared at each other for several seconds before Maicon looked at me.

“You hungry too girl, your call.” He said putting his blade on the neck of the yak, that scene turned my stomach.

“He could talk? Dunno men, this feels kinda messed up.” He widened his eyes and raised his hands as if we failed to see or comprehend a basic mathematical problem resolution.

“He is dead already!”

“She called it, two to one, you lose.” He squinted his eyes.

“I fail to remember when this became a democracy.”

Aby pointed her hand towards the yak, and walked towards him.

“She called it, you say a but and I’m going to rot his body and dry him until he turns into dust.”

He looked at her, then at the entrance of the cave and finally at me before grabbing the yak by its neck and throwing him further into the cave before walking back to his spot and sitting down.

Aby nodded at him when he passed by her and also sat down on her spot. I sat in the middle again.

No one said a thing for some time, Maicon started carving a piece of wood and Aby seemed to be praying, glancing at the yak from time to time.

”Sooo, since we are going to be stuck here for now, what about continuing our talk from yesterday?”

They both looked at each other before Maicon moved to get more comfortable and Aby stopping her prayers.

“What do you want to know?”

That question sank in me for more time than it should, what do I ask? There were just too many, too many.

“How do I get home?” Aby frowned her face, which wasn’t a good sign, I looked at Maicon and he just looked at me.

"Sooo? Don’t tell me there is no way home?”

“Of course there is, if you were really powerful you could do it alone.” Maicon shrugged as if that was the most natural thing in the world.

“Can you do it? You are really strong! Please help me!

“Hell naw! I mean, it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I’m not that powerful. Besides, do you know where your Earth is- of course you don’t, you’re a newbie.” He questioned and already answered the question while I shook my head.

“To go to your home you would need to open a portal and then go through it, it’s really egg-head stuff, you must know where you are and where you want to go. Big brain thing.” Aby said, Maicon nodding to everything.

“So what are we waiting for? How do I find my world?”

“Wow wow wow, wow, hold your horses okay, I’m not up to another quest of finding my world, last one didn’t end well and I got stuff to do.”

I looked at Aby and her sad expression said it all.

“Sorry kiddo, also got stuff to do.”

I looked at them, not knowing how to react or what to say, they were the only people I talked to in this infernal week and they just… just.

“So you’re just going to let me down? Really?”

“Look kiddo.”

“I HAVE A NAME!” I shouted hitting the stone I’m sitting on.

“‘Kay 'kay, jezz, look Lyia, until we can go to our world you have us okay, I have been waddling around the multiverse for a long time already and she is a lich, so she probably also did the same, how long you have been on this ponies-technicolor-hell, Aby?”

“Ten years alredy” She said, raising her head in pride, Maicon’s eyebrows just fell flat and he coughed.

“Yeah, you got me Lyia, that's a hell of help you have here.” He said pointing at himself. I can't figure out who has the bigger head.

“Ten years is a lot, okay? I have seen a lot of things.” Maicon raised an eyebrow.

“How long have you been waddling around them, mister old-edgy-man?” He chuckled.”

“Four centuries in about a month or two.” My eyes widened and Aby bursted into coughs.

“Four what? What are you? Your character is immortal or what?”

“Sadly, many of us don’t have the immortality of a lich like you, I’m pretty mortal.”

“Said the four centuries old swordsman, you gotta be shitting me.”

I look at him, he really looks old, but I would not give him more than sixty years. He got some scars on his exposed belly but that doesn't quite count as a testament of age right?

He and Her are arguing about something I didn’t hear about due to being lost in my thoughts, and I mumbled one question unconsciously.

“How?" When I realized what I said and how they both stopped arguing to look at me I covered my mouth in shame.

“Nah you gotta a point kiddo, now I think that's a good time to tell you about your powers.”

“You already did it, I’m Chandra Nalaar and all,” I said, wiggling my finger in an attempt to make some sparkles, but it didn't.

“Yeap, those are your power of character, now about the powers of being a displaced, power that all of us have.” I looked at him wanting him to continue, he looked at Aby and she shook her head. He sighed.

“Longevity, as for me it's more visible, you’re not immortal unless your character says so, but you indeed age slower than normal.”

“I didn't know that.” Said Aby and he shrugged.

“And probably never would, it does nothing to you.”

“So, I’m going to live centuries?”

“Can't guarantee you’re going to survive it, but yes, very unlikely that old age is going to kill you directly.”

I would have jumped in cheers any day of the week had I known before I was going to live centuries, except now.

“I’m going to be like this when I get home?”

“Your powers get weaker in our original homes, but yeah, you’re going to live a lot, maybe two hundred or so.”

“I see. Next.”

“Next…” He told himself, “Next, is our ability to sense another displaced.” I looked at Aby and she nodded.

“Like a sixth sense?”

“Kinda of, it’s a really complex ability that just some master, and even few share, It’s really strong being able to do this and the best exemple I can do it’s that it’s like sonar, you sent a signal and if you find a displaced you'll sense him, although, if the displaced is alert they can detect you back.”

“I see, but why is it so strong? I mean look at us, we are kinda of a big deal in this world of talking horses.”

“Well, you see, some displaced don’t maintain the ahmm… human form after coming here.”

“What?”

“The winged unicorn is quite popular.”

“Alicorn.”

“That one! Well, they change their form and it gets hard to find they among the horses-”

“Ponies.”

“-ahm… right, ponies, it gets hard to find them and this ability helps a lot, I found a Leon once hiding among them.”

“Leon?/Lionwhat?” Me and Aby said at the same time.

“Yeah, Leon, from re4, you know, capcom and all.”

“No way! Really? He was like a hor-pony or could turn into one?”

“Nah, full on the most shitty of the four, normal pony.”

“Earth pony.”

“You ain’t forcing me to say that.” Aby rolled her eyes and I laugh of a idea of the name.

“Okay, how do I do it?”

“That's the neat part, you don’t, it takes weeks to train to be able to do it, and you’re going to need another displaced to train with you. He will be your focus.”

“So you're not going to teach me?”

“Are you crazy? You already know it exists, that’s like, a hell of a leap ahead of the others that don’t know.”

“Forced to agree with him, some displaced may never find this ability ‘cause they never look for it, I mean, how do you learn something you don’t know you can learn? The first one to discover this thing was an egg-head.”

“Heard it was a Doctor Manhattan, by the way how did you find out about it?”

“A friend told me, you?”

“Same.”

They both stared at each other as if they were about to start punching each other while I’m stuck trying to process everything, so now I also have a radar on me despite my longevity?

“For the next ability is a silly one that isn’t universal, some displacers chose not to give it to the displaced they… displace.

“And it is?”

“Universal language, what are we speaking right now?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“What language are we speaking, what are you hearing?”

I looked at him a bit uneasy trying to figure it out exactly what he meant by that.

“My god.” Aby rolled her eyes. “Are we speaking in mandarin, japanese or polish?”

“No? Clear and out loud French, all the time.”

“We ain’t but you hear as if we are, by the way you’re from continental France?”

“The what?”

“European France, or those pseudo colonies in the americas.”

“Oh,no no, I’m from Europe." He seemed a bit disappointed.

“Well, I’m from South America, and she.” He said pointing at Aby, she just smug and crossed her arms.

“You’re from the States ain’t you?” Her eyes widened.

“How?! What gave me in?” Maicon laughed.

“Nothing, that’s just my standard guess since an ungodly amount of displaceds come from the States, but I think it makes sense, the bigger point to kidnap people happens in the States.

“So I'm not speaking French right now for you guys?”

“English here.”

“Spanish.”

“Dope… so if I speak English right now.”

“Nothing will change for her, but I will notice you’re speaking in English and not Spanish.”

"That's rad.”

“Rad? Wait until you find a poor soul who displacer didn’t give him this ability, that’s one of the funniest shit ever. Especially what is left from his world.”

“Cool, next-”

“My time!” Aby shouted from behind me while she stumbled to walk in front of me.

“The next ability is the best of them!” I looked at Maicon and he seemed equally confused as me.

“It’s called tokens!” Maicon threw his head back and started cursing in a language I didn’t know.

“What is it? You talked about them before.”

“They are the stupidest traps ever.” Maicon said, shaking his head and going back to carving up his piece of wood.

7

But of course he doesn’t like tokens, and here I was starting to like him. Edgy-lords… I have been warned of them but I didn’t expect them to be this bad.

“No they aren't! They are the coolest thing ever!” I say staring at Maicon crossing my arms.

“Okay, so what are they?” Oh yes, silly me.

“They are a part of your own power that can travel through the Void so others displaced can summon you to help them with their problems or give and earn advice since they can kinda work as a cell phone. Yes, I think the terminology works, cellphone.” I chuckled with the last words.

“Help.” Maicon said with sarcasm and shaking his head.

“Void?”

“Yes, the between worlds, the nothing, the everywhere and nowhere, the home of the displacers, but I think Void is the most popular name.” Lyia nodded with each of his words, absorbing information like a sponge. I’m so proud of her.

“So, the Void is basically the between planes in Magic the Gathering where the eldrazi lives?”

“Yes!” Maicon said, snapping his fingers and she nodded.

“Anyhow, going back to the tokens, they can have a myriad of forms and sizes, normally having something to do with your character.”

“So… you use them to summon others displaceds Like Bolas did in the War of the Spark?” She said cheerful, not gonna lie, I kinda feel bad not getting their references but I got used to it.

“Ahm. No? I don't know what this is.”

“How!? They butchered mah girl!” She said pointing to herself and I leaned towards them knowing from experience she is going to explain it.

“They killed Chandra?!” He said genuinely surprised, so Chandra is a big deal?

“Oh, I wish! No, they just threw years of development and romance in the trash!”

I looked at him and he looked at me and we both nodded equally confused, Lyia got up after noticing it.

“I’m Chandra Nalaar, and I never liked womens, my crushes-and I’d had my fair share, were brawny, big-muscled, decidedly manly men like Gideon Jura.” I gazed at her while she spun her hand and wiggle her waist, Maicon looked at her horrorized.

“Wah, she is lesbian!”

"Technically she is pan, but nooo, now she is straight as fuck and they just dumped the romance between her and Nisha! Jesus Christ!”

She shouted moving her arm violently, she was angry, her fists closed and all. Then I saw that her hair was on fire! I gazed at it, hypnotized by the unique movement of the flames and when I looked at Maicon he just nodded at me, so it’s normal?

“Easy now, breathe in and out.” He said, giving his carving a pause.

Lyia did it, stopped her rant and started to try to calm herself down and soon her hair went back to normal.

“Sorry, it’s just that… they fucked the lore, that’s all.”

“I get you, every franchise has or will have one of those.” She nodded at me a bit sad before sitting down again.

The silence took over, me and Maicon giving her a pause to process everything she had heard and after a couple of minutes she looked back at us.

“When do I go home? I mean, my world, the one with ponies.”

“Call it Equestria.”

“Okay, when do I go to… my Equestria?” I looked at him quietly, trying to find and answer but Maicon spoke first.

“When my boy arrives, that will mean there is no one to ambush us and we will send you to your universe, by the way some displacedes like to call their universe Shards instead of Equestria, but you do you.” Yeah, have heard of it, but chose not to call it Shards, Equestria sounds better.

“I see… now, how do I make a token?” I smiled, I waited the whole time for this moment.

"That's simple! You just close your eyes and project your essence out of your body, you may choose to arbitrarily give it form, but it does its own magic alone and collapses in something so you can just focus on projecting your essence.” I spoke, doing as I said, extending my hand and when I opened my eyes a dark blue tear-like cristal floated in front of my hand.

“WOW! That's awesome!”

“I know, right?”

“So, how do I use them?” She said approaching me and poking the crystal, that was adorable.

“Simple, close your eyes and send it to the Void, it’ll eventually fall into one Equestria.”

“Only displaceds can summon me?” I opened my mouth to answer but then it occurred to me, I didn’t know by fact if it’s true or false.

“There are precedents of Shardlings activating a token, though, it’s really hard for them to do it.”

“Shardlings?” Lyia and I spoke at the same time.

“Yeah, some of us like to call the natural inhabitants of the Shards that.”

“Ohhh, okay, now I do it!” She said excitedly “Or I also gonna need to train and learn it?” Her excitement faded.

“I highly recommend you not to do it.” Said Maicon poking the wood with his knife and blowing wood pieces off his work.

“Well, I highly recommend it! I have been on so many adventures and met so many people! Yeah you find some jerks at times.” I glanced at Maicon, he just snorted at me.

“But the friends and connections you make are just to importanted! You have to make friends with others displaceds, they are good pals to count on. I had my butt saved many times due to them!”

She looked at me, with a silly smile and lost in her thoughts as she peeked at the campfire. Them she looked at Maicon

“What about you? Why do you think I should not do it?” What? But what about what I just said!

He stopped carving the piece of wood and rested it over his lap, put his hand on his back and took another small piece of wood and started carving it up.

“It’s not wise to send it across the multiverse. Simple.”

“Why?” She said firmly. “You both said you ain’t going to help me go home, so why shouldn’t I look for help?”

I smiled at him, happy that she made a good point and sad that she felt that way about me, isn’t that I don’t want to help her, it’s just that I got plans. Life happens…

8

I looked at both of them, Aby smiling as if she had some kind of superiority or upper hand on this arguing, Lyia do, you don’t.

“Look kiddo.

“My nam-”

“I’m four centuries old, I’m old okay? I earned it. Just some people can claim to be older than me, so everyone else is a kiddo to me. Capeesh?”

She furrowed her face in disapproval but nodded.

“Good, now kiddo,” She squinted her eyes. “You should hear the old men in a profession where men die young. Don’t do one token.”

“What do you mean by that?” I breathed in heavily before continuing.

“May seem unlikely, since we got those powers and all, but displaceds dies in buckets around the multiverse, since we got here, a bunch of them already died and got displaced in one Shard.” She looked at me a bit puzzled, what I expected, but I can’t say the same for Aby who seemed equally puzzled.

“We are hard to kill, not immortal, I mean some are but you know what I mean. The reasons vary from stupidity, as testing if they can handle one of their magics and power in their heads, to feuds between them or simply being hunted down.”

“Hunted down?” Aby said, questioning me.

“Yes, as you said back there, this is a new life and all, you can do whatever you want. And some chose to hunt displaceds around the multiverse as some kind of sport. If they got their hands on your token, you’re a dead person.”

“W-well, I can call my friends, they would help me.”

“Believe me, that's everything they want, more displaced for them to kill.” I said tiredly, reclining me back to the stone-wall behind me, letting some old memories fill my mind.

“Look, I have never met those hunters, but I’m pretty sure I can handle them.” Aby said, touching the stones and trinkets she had tied up around her waist that I can only presume to be tokens.

“So what should I do? find my way home alone?” Lyia said, gazing at the floor crestfallen.

“Well, as I said, that’s one reason to not do tokens. Hunters hunt in groups and are infamous, there are three or two groups now on the multiverse having their fun, there are also solo hunters, and since you can’t deny a summons.”

“Technically you can, just don't go.”

“Well smart ass, you can’t easily tell who is summoning you, someone in danger or psychos ready to go for your throat. By the way, tell me a displaced that did and sent a token and wouldn’t answer a call?”

“Well.”

“And with your token they can narrow it down to your original Shard, so even if you ignore them, they’ll just travel to your home and… and fuck everything up.” Lyia nodded and Aby crossed her arms.

“You know quite a lot about them, lemme guess, a friend of yours told you about them? Or you survived one of their attacks?” She said cocky, Lyia nodded and also looked at me.

I sighed heavily and started carving this wood.

“Me and my friends, we were hunters back in the day.” Lyia stepped back away from me and Aby eyes widened in realization.

“Yo-you killed people?!” Lyia said, her voice shaking while she started rubbing her fingers.

“Yes, I have killed my fair share of displaceds, but me and my friends only killed those who deserved. We just do a good-ass beating on the others.”

They both gazed at each other, obviously trying to get a silent consent between them.

“Why didn’t you kill them then? As I said, this world is a new beginning, what stopped you from just becoming an asshole.” She said analyzing me putting herself between me and Lyia.

I stayed silent for some time, just the sound of the wood being carved filing the air. After I finished a part of it I rested it on my lap and put my hand over my blade beside me. Aby shoulder raised and I saw Lyia’s hand shaking a bit.

“'Cause of her." I said, caressing the blade and smiling genuinely for the first time since I got here.

For some reason they seemed to ease up, Lyia even stepped ahead.

“Your… you’re not talking about this blade right?” I shook my head. Aby now stepped closer in a clear attempt to stay between me and Lyia.

“I wanted to question you about it, it clearly doesn’t fit your clothing, or your seemingly fast combat style. Is it some gadge you buyed to look cool and ended in an Equestria or is it from someone else's character?”

“It was my wife's weapon. That's what she bought during the event that brought us here, I bought a flute and bam, here we are.

“Wait,” Aby spoke. “You both got displaced togueder?” I nodded.

“It’s rare, the Void Dweller probably only wanted my wife, but she insisted on me buying that flute so my cosplay would also be complete too. Then bam! We got displaced”

Silence followed for some time until Lyia broke it.

“It was… from your wife?”

“Yes.” I whispered to myself.

"What happened?"

I looked up to see Aby, I was ready to throw something at her, maybe this wood I’m carving right now, but then I saw her eyes. Those weren’t eyes of mockery or doubt, but of compassion and sympathy.

I breathed heavily, pondering if I should tell, but knowing my wife, she would like to.

“One day we decided to go home, I mean we always wanted to, but we were newbies, no one to help us and all.” I chuckled in nostalgia while pointing at Lyia. She looked a bit sad, or guilty would be the best word?

“We, along the way, met a bunch of freaks we soon called partners, my group, my squad, my friends.”

“We found a way to go home, none of us were super strong, so the other alternative was to find the Void Dweller who brought us here and force him to tell us something.”

“Force?” Lyia spoke.

“Yeah, the majority of Void Dwellers are self-centered assholes, and the one from my wife and me weren’t different.”

“He was really pissed off that we found him in the Void and didn’t tell us what we wanted, he said he wanted to have more fun seeing us struggle on the multiverse and all.”

Lyia took another step closer, passing by Aby.

“Then?” I dead-gazed at her.

“We fought, we were ready for that situation, we had our ways to extract information from a dead corpse.”

Aby eyes widen while she understands what I mean by that.

“You tried to kill a Void Dweller?!” My face twitched while the laugh of that psycho echoed in my head.

“Correction, I didn’t try to, I killed him.”

That information seemed to impact Aby much more than Lyia, as she started gazing around in fear of something.

“So you won?”

I shook my head.

“I was the sole survivor of that battle, I saw my friends dying one by one, and when I killed him and the space around us started to collapse, I only had time to save my wife's body and grab the information to go home.”

I peeked up, they both looked at me with distinct expressions.

“I’m sorry.”

“You killed a Void Dweller, they didn’t seek revenge?”

“Oh totally, I mean, they also hate each other's guts too, and some wanted to give me a gift or so, but since I couldn’t tell them apart I had to hide and flee whoever they sent after me.”

“Why would they send assassins after you?”

“‘Cause me and my friends weren’t part of one of their plans, we were autonomous, and even though some didn’t mind his death, you can't let some randoms arrive, mess up with your home, kill one of your kind and let it slide.”

I looked at Lyia.

“You’re not strong enough to go home by yourself, I fear. If I were you, I would start praying for your displacer, your Void Dweller, be in a good mood and willing to let you go without a fight. 'Cause when you fight one of them, someone's gonna die.”

“Why… why didn’t you go home?”

Lyia asked me, and I asked myself as I do every time this question enters my mind. After some time I answered.

“I wasn’t fast enough, time is a strange and unstable thing, you normally have a year or so to find your way home until a paradox of time happens.” I stared at both of them.

“It took us two hundred and fifty eyars to find a way home and more than a decade to find the Dweller. It was just too late for me.”

They both gasped, I particularly heard Aby saying I can't go home then.

No one spoke for some time. It was just me caressing my wife’s blade until I got uncomfortable with it.

“So uhm, Aby right? Let’s continue the token speech.”

“I thought you didn’t like them.”

“I don’t, but if she is going to use that, it’s on her.”

Aby cough, a bit awkwardly she approached Lyia.

“You okay there?”

“I- I only have one year.”

“H-hey, cheer up, yes you do, but you got a huge help with us here informing you about a lot of stuff.” Aby said, trying to cheer her up. They looked at me and I smiled at them in agreement.

She wiped her dry tears and nodded in agreement, suddenly shaking her arm in renewed excitement.

“Okay, how do I do it?” Now that's the spirit.

9

Aby smiled at me with proudness, Maicon also smiled and went back to carve his piece of wood.

“Okay girl, now do it!” Aby said, shaking her hands towards me. I looked at her confused and repeated what she was doing, which seemed only to make Maicon laugh.

“Oh? So the edgy-lord can laugh, hmm?

“Ah shut up.” He answered her and they both finished with dry laughs.

“Okay Lyia,” Aby said, looking back at me. “Close your eyes and focus.”

I did as said and tried to focus on my… essence, whatever that is.

“Soo? So? Are you feeling it?” Aby said happily

“I’m feeling…”

“Yes?”

“I’m feeling…”

“YES?”

“I’m feeling thirsty.” I have never seen someone so disappointed like Aby right now, I laughed while I saw her gazing at me incredulously.

“Focus Lyia! It's important you learn this!”

“She is a Chandra.” Maicon said and when our eyes met somehow I understood what he meant.

I closed my eyes and started again.

“What do you mean by that?”

“With Chandra, everything is about feelings.” I see, I understand… I understand that I didn’t understand anything! Help! Don’t look silly please, they didn’t notice.

“So Lyia, focus on what makes your heart pound stronger, what moves your actions, what do you desire."

“Go home.” I said unconsciously

“Focus on that! Visualize your objectives! Extend your arm and grab it !

I did as said, and a warm sensation quickly sparkled on the base of my spine and in a heartbeat runned right into my right hand.

When I opened my eyes I gazed in awe at what floated some centimeters of my hand.

A fancy red-decorated candle with pattern of fire engraved on the wax floated at my reach. I looked at them, Aby was smiling ear to ear with thumbs up. Maicon had an enigmatic smile, a mix of pride and disapproval.

“Should I?” I asked and they both nodded. I grabbed the candle.

It’s hard to describe, it just felt right, as if this candle is part of me, once lost now united.

“Pretty sick right?”

“Yeah.” I said to whoever spoke to me, I was too occupied looking at the patterns of the candle when it hit me.

“Why a candle? This has nothing to do with Chrandra.”

Aby looked at it them at me.

“Well Lyia, since you probably didn't think in a form to your token it just took one on it’s on.” I agreed with her and then looked at Maicon.

He gazed at it thoughtfully for some time before nodding.

“Candles represent hope in some cultures, and kiddo, I can’t think of someone needing more hope than you.”

I liked this, can’t put it in words, but I did.

“So, how do I send it?” Aby smiled even more.

“Now that’s the best part, you must create a speech that a displaced will hear when he finds your token, take mine for example,” she coughed to clean her throat and Maicon's smile faded.

“I’m the cold incarned, I’m the freeze of life and death, call my name if you-”

“Imma stop you right there.” Maicon said, pointing one arm at her.

“What gives? I’m in the middle of something here.” She said holding the crystal awkwardly.

“That’s cringe.”

Aby opened her mouth as if that was the most offensive thing he ever said to her.

“No, it isn’t!”

“Yeah, cringe as hell, doing this in your room is a thing, but in front of someone? Really?”

She is a lich, so she is an undead, so there is no blood circulation under her skin, yet she got red like a tomato.

“That’s the best part of the token!”

“Nah, it’s cringe.”

“Pfft, you’re just old! That's it.”

“That too! But c’mon, that’s weird as fuck, why the long speach? Is this some kind of competition I’m unaware of?” He said, shaking his hand in the air, trying to make a point.

Aby got even redder, she was basically crushing the crystal on her grasp and was breathing erratic.

“Look, it’s not that you need the long speech to make it work,” He looked at me. “How do we activate your token?”

“I don’t know? You light it up?”

He smiled and gesticulated at Aby

“See? Didn’t hurt right? Jezz?”

“So, how do I send it?” Maicon signed me to give the token to him and I did, Aby, now less-redder, observed me.

He just took the candle and broke it in two and it quickly turned into dust.

I was about to question him when I heard Aby screaming behind me, her crystal floating around her while she grabbed her hair in disbelief.

“Why did you do that? You said if she wanted to send it she could!”

“Not now, it’s dangerous. Use yours to teach her, I mean, sending is the easiest part.”

It took me a good second there to realize what just happened, and I couldn't help but let slip an ahm, when I realized he broke my token.

I turned to Aby to continue the lesson, a bit sad that I wouldn't actually do anything.

She looked at him filled with anger, but after noticing me she tried to smile and continued the lesson, emphasis on the tried.

“So, after creating a token and leaving your message-”

“It’s not necessary, a displaced will instinctively know how to activate a token.”

“As I was saying, after you do your awesome and necessary message,” She said, now staring back at him. “You just do this.” She casually continued resting her finger on the upper part of the crystal and moving it up. The crystal shone white for a second and imploded, disappearing.

“You didn't do it.” Maicon said in utter disbelief.

“What now? I did okay? As you asked.”

“I stopped her from sending her token so you could show her, SHOW yours, you moron! Which part of, is dangerous now, you didn’t hear?”

They spend a good minute arguing about that until they stopped,

“So I just move my finger up?”

“Kinda of, like you did to summon it, but desire to send it away, doesn’t matter where, just away.”

I nodded to her and turned to Maicon.

“Any more power of the displaceds?

“Yeap, two more.”

“Two?” Aby asked, confused.

“Basically, to resume it, you got stronger, sturdier and faster than a normal human, note, you’re not super strong, just fifty percent stronger than you used to be, or your character at least. That's how I grabbed that yak by its neck so easily.”

“I didn’t notice it.”

“Well , you’re a mage, strength isn’t much your thing right? Fifty percent of nothing is still nothing.” Aby pointed her tongue out to him.

“But don’t start trying to punch holes in trees, okay? Think about Captain America. He is the strongest a normal human can be, you’re not a captain america, this barely is an ability actually, just a thing that indeed happens and many times goes unnoticed.”

I nodded a bit excited. So I’m also strong? That explains how I could lift a timberwolf and throw him at the others at that time…

“Last ability?” Aby said curious and I quickly nodded with her.

“Well, this is something you’ll need to find your home, so watch and hear carefully.“

He put his hand on his bag and grabbed a bottle of canteen, I licked my lips.

He drew his katana and let a drop of water fall over the blade.

“The multiverse is a vast place, so vast that some say it’s hard to comprehend it, so we, the displaceds can do this- and this is between us okay? You can be killed if some powerful displaced finds out you’re sharing this information, okay? I’m gonna deny everything you say.”

Me and Aby agreed with him, he looked really serious about it.

“We can compress our multiverse into something understandable and visible for our brains.” He said as he got up and moved his katana, making the drop dance on it.

“Visible? Like, the whole multiverse visible? Isn’t it ever expanding?”

“I heard that once upon a time it was, but now it stopped and believe me, it’s quite finite, just ridiculously big.” Maicon said, now also moving his body as if to mimic the droplet on his blade. Me and Aby had to give him space as he… danced his way through us?

“It’s even a tradition among experienced displaceds, that you ain’t not a big deal until you walk to each edge of the multiverse, like the Far Lands in minecraft, get it?”

I nodded, a bit uncertain by what he meant by it, Aby seems to understand as her eyes widened in realization.

“You did it?” Aby asked, he continued moving the droplet, now getting faster and faster.

“‘Course, done with my friends a long time ago, took us a few decades , almost a century to do.”

I got a bit sad, if it took him that long, I would not make it in less than a year.

I was so concentrated in my thoughts I didn’t notice when he stopped, since Aby had to poke my shoulder.

He stood near the campfire, the droplet on the point of his sword, he swung it and cutted the droplet in two. The droplet stopped in the air, its two parts shone before merging and expanding like a big bubble and literally in a blink of an eye everything got blue, as before, it seemed that a filter surrounded me.

10

I looked around, the space around us looked half-solid, half-liquid, but untouchable. I swung my hand on it , and it seemed to affect the space, but I felt nothing, not even the characteristic cold air this cave had a few moments ago.

“What is this?” I said, looking at them, they both had a bluer tone of… well, everything. Cloth, skin and hair. I even touched my eyes to see if there was something on it.

“This is my representation of the multiverse,” He said walking past us, and we followed him. “Each displaced has a way to visualize the multiverse, I have heard it varies drastically, from a board of chess to a tree, one ocean of colors to a giant vitruvian corpse, even though is possible to two displaceds visualize the multiverse the same way, a tree is the most common of them.”

“How many of them see this as a tree?”

He stopped, looked at us, “Ten, if you mean those alive then five, that I’m aware of of course” He continued his walk and in no time we reached the end of this bubble.

“Here we are at, on the edge of our multiverse” We followed him and it totally freaked me out, everything inside this bubble was blue, but the things outside it were normal!? How am I differentiating them apart!

“Wait wait wait, our multiverse? Do you mean there are others beside ours?” He nodded and I freaked a bit more.

“The Void Dwellers kidnap us from our multiverses and throw us in this one, so this happens.” He said pointing ahead.

We both looked, waiting for something to happen, then all of sudden another bubble emerged from the floor and went right through the ceiling.

“We came from one Multiverse like that,” He looked at Lyia. “If you desire to find your world, you'll have to leave this multiverse, which is an insane task even for the majority of the Void Dwellers to conceive.”

“It was moving.”

“It's a question of perspective, for them, we are the one moving, but yes, that's why time is a valuable resource, if the multiverse you came from go away, or move too much it’ll be impossible, I mean, near impossible to find your world in an acceptable time.”

We both looked amazed at the other bubble as it continued moving through the ceiling and floor until the last bit went through.

Maicon closed it fist and again, all of sudden the bubble shrinked, now having a maximum of twenty yards, with us at its center.

“We are here.” He said, pointing to one particular part of the bubble, which got yellow to highlight from the rest.

“Near the center of the multiverse, a problematic area to be, honestly.”

“How many universes are there?” Lyia said, looking around the bubble in awe.

“Oh, alot, like, alot.”

“A number?” He looked at me a bit troubled.

“Do you know what a googol is?”

“No?”

“An acquaintance of mine, a nice guy, also a displaced, chose as his mission to visit and catalog all the universes in our multiverse.”

“And?

“Something between one to two googols of Shards at his estimates, he is still doing it.”

I looked at Lyia and she also seemed to not know what a googol is.

“Welp, one day you’ll know, just be aware that it is a big-ass number.

We continued to look around, some parts of the bubble sparkled for a fraction of a second from time to time and he told us that that is an universe where a displaced is entering or leaving.

One thing got my attention while I gazed at each edge of this bubble.

“You can travel through the Void, and it’s quite risky, but really fast. How did it take you a century to go from one side to the other?” I said pointing to my left and right.

“Nah hah ahmm.” He said, denying it with a finger. “It isn’t about visiting each border, that’s easy, it’s about visiting all the universe on its way.” He snapped his fingers and a really thin-half-faded line of yellow color popped from one edge of this bubble to another.

“Visit each of the Shards, that’s a fucking ton of worlds already, besides the fact that you may end in the middle of… how do I put this, problems.”

“Sometimes it’s a dead universe, nothing to see, others is a normal one and other you and your friends just pop in front of a group of displaced planning a war.” No way.

“Things go south pretty quickly when that happens, so yeah, what takes more time is the problems you find, the actual travel may last just… maybe some couple of years, the rest of the time we fill with adventures and problems we got ourselves into.”

“Wait wait wait, war? Like, the Wars of displaceds? You know that?” He nodded at me and clapped his hands, the bubble poofed instantly and everything went back to normal.

He walked to his bag, grabbed his canteen and another rock, broke the rock into the canteen and shook it before approaching Lyia.

“Take this, this will allow you to visualize my map since you’ll not learn how to use that ability in time. By the way, one drop of water will do the work, don't spend it all.” He said, handling her his canteen. She grabbed it cautiously, thanking him all the time.

“And keep it low okay? I got into some feuds with other displaceds out there that know my visualization is a drop of water, if someone found out about this you’ll be a target, Capeesh?”

“Capeesh.” Lyia answered, holding the canteen marveloused.

Maicon stared at the ceiling, and smiled.

“The snowstorm is ending, soon we will be able to return to our worlds.”

“Wait, you said you know about the war, tell me about it! No one I know knows a thing or is willing to tell me!”

He sat down on his spot and looked at me and for one second I believed he would answer me, then he whistled to Lyia.

“If we have time, first we help her.” I wanted to press more about the war question, I really wanted to, but after Lyia rushed past me and sat down around him I sighed in defeat and did the same.

“So, let’s recap, you know your powers, what you are and in general, what’s going on, so now I’m going to give you some tips on survival.“

Even though I personally don’t fall in flowers by him, he seemed really wise, and knew some important stuff. Maybe that talk about his age isn't bullshit too, so I gave him this. I want to hear your advice that helped you last this long.

“First of all, don’t use unknown, or create and send tokens away.” Oh, right…

11

By the face of Aby she didn’t like my advice, I smiled at her and nodded lightly, she snorted, but smiled and nodded back.

I grabbed the first piece of wood I was working on and let it on my lap and started working on the second.

“Golden tip here, know that thing about dying a hero or living enough to become a villain?” They both nodded.

“Bullshit, the world isn’t white and black, it’s a hot-gray mess, if everything is going to hell, flee, if you think you can’t win, flee, if something big seems to be about to start, and you feel uncomfortable-” I point at Lyia.

“I flee.” She said looking back at me

“Good, that mentality will take you a long way.”

“Hey, so you’re telling me you lived this long fleeing from everything?” Aby said, I expected more poison on her question but it seemed to be a genuine question, not mockery.

“I’m not as young as I used to be, and those who want my head are some really dangerous men. Wanna know one of them?”

They both agreed simultaneously.

“I once beat a Superman, he never got over it and now he hunts me every time he has an opportunity."

“Wait, a super-man or The Superman?”

“Ahmm… dunno, there are a lot of franchises, displaced can be from games, to books and movies just to start, so there are many supermans types around the multiverse, the one I’m talking about is the man of steel, the one from DC comics.

They both looked at each other, then at me, then looked at each other again and finally looked me up and down before saying in unison.

“How?!”

I cough laughing at them, remembering one of my hardest fights.

“You see, they are really menacingly, especially his type, hard to beat, even harder to kill, but in the end,” I point to my head. “Then, like me and you, are just a geek who likes comics and movies and books and shit.”

“If you see you’re fighting a psycho then run, those probably know how to kill, the rest? When I fought him he was confident, probably ended all his problems with his muscles because he only knew how to do one thing, fly in my direction with both fists together like in the comics or some ill balanced punches.”

“The poor bastard probably never had a fight on Earth and just because now he was strong he thought everything was easy and shitty.”

“Yes, he threw my sword three kilometers away, I know, and he was still the man of steel and I broke a hand punching his perfect smile, but some parts of his body that weren't that much made of steel, like his articulation and windpipe.”

“His what?”

“Firstly I dislocated his right arm, the bastard was left-handed so things didn't change that much. Then I started cutting him near his eyes and soft skin.”

“But you said you lost your sword.” Lyia said, slowly looking at the massive blade by me.

“Nope.” I said, shaking the knife in my hand and showing how I hid it in my belt.

“As I said, when you just have a hammer all your problems start looking like nails, he just punched at me with little to none experience and I kept dodging.”

“When opportunity showed I tried to dislocate his other arm but he saw it, things got messy and honestly I don’t know how I survived when we piled up on each other and I just remember him screaming when I dislocated his leg.”

They both gasp in awe, yes I occulted the fact he did in fact landed a punch in me at the beginning of the battle and shattered the bones on my left shoulder, but hey, my point stands.

“So what do you learn?”

“Learn?” Lyia said out loud, confused.

“Yeah? Learn, what this old man just teched you so you last longer?”

“That you should’ve fleed?”

Well shit, that’s on me, I set the bar too low.

“Y-yes, that too, but what I mean is, use your brain, I mean I get, it’s a cliche, brain over muscles and all, but remember, the good bulk of the displaceds you’re going to face are just geeks having fun, especially the strong ones. They never have been in a fight their entire lives before being displaced.”

They both noded.

“And would help if you knew some kind of martial art before getting here, you don’t happen to…”

“Nope.”

“Neither here.”

“Well, I knew capoeira from Earth, so it probably saved my life during that fight. You both are the mage type,so you should train to improve your weakness, like your melee combat.”

“You don’t expect us to melee a Superman right?” Lyia said a bit awkwardly.

“Hope not, but if the day comes to be and your magic fails, you must learn to defend yourself.” Aby nodded firstly, then Lyia did.

“Another tip?”

“Should've said first to- Oh yes, the first thing you do in a fight is identify your opponent's power level.”

“Like how? Now you’re going to tell me we can feel their power like ki or chakra?!” Lyia said a bit overreacting and looked at me and Aby.

“No, that’s when knowing what character they are as displaceds help. I know you're a Chrandra, that alone is a lot of info.” I look at Aby “And she is a lich, they follow a pattern, so unless her character is built differently I have a vague idea of what to expect.”

“So the more I know about pop culture the better?”

“I thought so in the beginning, but soon you learn that some displaceds break the formula and have the power but not the appearance, or a mix of many powers at same time.”

Lyia’s eyes widened and Aby nodded.

“Wowwww, that’s straight up op!”

“Yeah, I have met one of those.”

“Reality bender?”

“Reality bender.”

I felt a bitter sensation on my mouth and I spit to the side.

“Worst type to fight, hard to hurt, hard to study and even harder to kill, or you ambush and kill them fast or you have a problem.”

“But anyhow, this is how I divide the displaceds, from level D to A, and obviously there is the S tier, you surely heard something similar already.”

They both nodded and I felt a relief for not needing to explain more stuff.

“To put it crudely, the D tier are for those displaced who basically don't have any power but the displaceds one, you know, ability to create tokens and alike.” They nodded.

“They aren’t that common, but you may stumble onto one or two of them. Again, no power, some characters of this class are The Punisher from marvel, Leon S. Kennedy from Resident Evil, ahmm, dunno, basically normal humans, Mr. Satan from Dragon Ball Z also fits here I think, the most infamous of them in my opinion being the Batman from DC comics.

“What! Batman is a D tier? I thought about saying something when you mentioned The Punisher, but Batman? Really?”

“Why shouldn't he be a D tier?”

They both shared a quick look at each other.

“Because it’s The Batman?”

“You see, there is a chance that you, after being displaced gain some memories from the caracter, let’s ignore the existential crisis it cause and only focus on that, The Batman still a man, you’re not in a HQ kiddo, better, you’re not on a Batman HQ.”

“I have seen my fair share of them during my life, and just two of them deserve to be called B or A tier, those being equally smart and shrewd as The Batman itself.”

“Remember, you’re not looking at the Batman, but at some dude who likes him alot and very unlikely is as smart as him.”

“I would fear a Punisher more, since he is dependent on his weaponry to hurt others, which is quite more dangerous than… batarangs.”

“They can explode!” Lyia said and I faked a surprised face.

“OH no! They explode! Anyway, you all didn’t see me cutting a storm in two a few hours ago?”

"Haa! Pride is the first step to losing to Batman!” I rolled my eyes.

“Whatever, not gonna have this discussion again, Batman, D tier.” Lyia looked a bit reluctant but nodded with Aby who laughed her ass off during the whole situation.

“The C tier is those between super-humans and normal ones.

“Like?”

Ugh, I hate C tier, should just merge with D tier, is a gray area of subjectivity, but whatever, my old friend insisted in creating this tier and in his memory I maintain it.

“Daredevil is a good exemple, he is super, but not that super, Domino from marvel maybe? Kinda? Some versions of John Constantine.”

“Wow wow, really?”

“Look, again, the displaced isn’t the caracter, is just a dude with their body and power, between that and fucking John Constantine there is a big between, rarely the displaced gain memories and years worth of training in a blink of and eye. Yes it happens but it is the exception.”

Lyia continued to look grumpy, but signed me to continue, Aby continued to laugh from the situation.

“Next is the B tier, here where the big chunk of the displaceds reside, you.” I pointed at Lyia, “and me are base B tiers.”

“Base?”

“As said before, there are some Batmans out there I consider B or A tier, so crudely speaking you can level up your tier” I said, making quotes with my fingers.

“How do I level up?”

I rolled my eyes, again that's on me, I set the bar to low.

“You don’t, it’s more a feeling than anything else, you can be a D tier and brag about being A tier, more quickly than correctly, if you feel confident that you may win a fight against a A tier in general you can call yourself A tier.”

“Can I?”

“Dunno? You’re up to fight a Hulk? I know one that never denies a good brawn. Or do you prefer a Thor? Maybe a Superman?”

“Okay I get, I’m a small fish.” Her smile faded a bit , she is young and naive, maybe she is for now a C tier?

I looked at Aby, she gave little slaps on Lyia’s back to comfort her.

“Well, promptly, B tier, those super-super, basically eighty percent of the characters here, The thing, The Scorpion King, that scorpion thing, that one, ahmm, that abomination, you know what I mean. Many wizards from Harry Potter would also be a B tier, as I said, this tier has a bunch of displaceds, Static Shock is one I’m yet to see.

“My brother in Christ, Static Shock? Good god you unburied it!” Aby said out loud.

“You saw the cartoon too?” I questioned and Lyia continued

“Who didn’t?

“Unlucky fellas.”

“Indeed.”

“Agreed.”

We all continued agreeing and talking about how we missed that cartoon but Aby quickly put us back on track.

“Okay, we are already taking too long, A tier, basically Hulk level of power, Thor, Thanos,” Lyia raised a finger, “By the way Thanos wasn't born with the infinity stones.” She lowered her finger.

“You get it, Invisible Women, Doctor strange, sorry I’m more using from Marvel 'cause they are… were? They had some good movies back on my Earth.” They nodded saying that they had the same on their Earth’s, lucky fellas.

“You said you're A tier right?” Aby questioned me, and after looking at her I remembered.

“Oh yes, well, I’m a B tier base, at this state? old and all, maybe even C, but I have here,” I point at my head, “my biggest weapon, that’s why I’m A tier, and if you have a problem come get me.” I said to no one in particular.

“By the way Aby, you are a A tier, lich's are by standart A tier due to their ability to absorb vital force, quite overpowered.”

“Really? So I'm stronger than you?” She said cocky

MY GOD, if I had a penny each- I grab the piece of wood I finished carving a few hours ago and show her.

"What about it?” She smug.

“Try extracting my life essence.” Her face faded and she seemed agitated.

“What? I wou-’

“Try already."

“W-well, I don’t like doing it s-”

“Wait,” I raised a finger. “You’re telling me you’re a lich that doesn't feed on life essence and so losing your biggest trump card?”

“I-I just chose to feed on already dead creatures or sick ones, in terminal state.”

I looked at her incredulously, expecting her to laugh at any moment and say she got me, cause she did, but no, she meant it. MY GOD, PONY LOVERS!

“Well, congrats B tier, now if you had the guts to try to absorb my life essence you would notice I sculpted in this piece of wood a rune to protect me from this kind of magic, isn’t gonna last much, just the necessary amount of time.”

“You’re telling me I'm a B tier?”

“Without your overpowered magic ability to drain others' lives? Yes I’m, you’re just a magician without it, and not a Doctor Strange level one.”

She looked like she wanted to say something, but just chose to nod at my words and stare at the campfire for a couple of seconds.

“So if I can, level up,” Lyia said, also doing the quote thing with her fingers. “can I become a S tier?”

“No, the S tier dudes are too much. Basically the difference between a S tier and A tier is quite as much as the difference between a D tier and A tier.”

“They are the strongest things, Doctor Manhattan, Superman Prime, The Eldrazi, basically ancient gods, by default their power level is just too much, you don’t fight one of them, if you see then, run, and I mean it, run cause if he chose to kill you you’re a dead person.”

“So, how do you beat one of them?” Lyia said, a little fear in her voice.

“You pretty much don’t, isn’t worth the risk, but you can try cutting the heads off, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.”

“Did you kill one of them?” Aby said, I knew she would be the one.

“Yes.”

“So, how are you alive?”

“The Void Dweller I killed, they are between top A and S tier, some going even further than S tier, but since I’m here you all know mine ain’t alive.”

“I basically was with my friends,” I put a hand over my wifes sword. “and we were all A tier. So yes, that helped.”

"I’ll have to train harder, I must get stronger." I heard Lyia whispering to herself, me and Aby exchanging some looks.

I kept my things in my bag and slapped my hands together.

“Welp, I think it settles the important parts, other rules, avoid the center of the multiverse, it’s a crowded place, and don’t go south… or would it be down? Yeah, down, don’t go there, filled with shitty universes.”

“Down?”

“Yeah, down is relative I get it, but try to stay in the middle if you’re in doubt.” I said to Lyia, she just looked at the canteen for a couple of seconds, then nodded.”

"Any more tip?

“Lemme see… I told you about running, knowing your opponent’s tiers and all, I think the last tip is, don’t be the hero.”

“What?”

“I mean it, everyone has their own problems and that is already a lot, if you start trying to fix all the troubles you find, it will just eventually kill you.” I point at Lyia. “You’re not the hero, wanna know where the heroes are?”

Aby nodded a little hesitantly.

“Five meters under the floor, with fancy statues of them on their Shards, living on the hearts of dead people, cuz they died and could not protect their friends anymore.”

“So-”

“Not telling you to run from everything, that’s a lesson I learned after paying a big price, but you have to choose wisely your fights, and even wiser those where you may not survive, don’t risk your lives for randons, but friends, true friends.”

They stood in silence, Lyia just stared at the canteen, scratching gently it, while Aby touched the tokens on her waist, gazing at it thoughtfully.

I gave them time to digest everything, Lyia spent most of the time gazing fixedly at the canteen while Aby’s finger danced between the tokens she own’s while she stared at the campfire.

“Welp, enough of this.” I say while clapping my hands together finishing my carving on this piece of wood.

12

I woke up from my thoughts when Maicon clapped his hands, Aby also woke up like me.

“Anything more? We are leaving.” He said getting up, wearing his bag and grabbing his gigantic sword.

“Wait wait? Already? But we just met! I have many doubts! Where do I find my Dweller, how do I beat him if he is a jerk or-or how do I train this universe visualization thingy?” I asked him while I followed and walked around him.

“Ah, the pleasures of being young and naive, don’t fear, I have a feeling you’re going to find your way.” He winked out of the corner of his eye. “So go to the entrance.” I nodded and walked ahead, but I peeked back and I saw Maicon whispering something to Aby and pointing to the deceased yak.

When I approached the entrance, I noticed the storm really looked more weak, now I could even see some meters ahead in the snowstorm, though it was still cold. I hugged myself trying to stay warm.

“Come on, we have time! Tell me about the wars.”

I heard Aby talking, walking by him, they both smiled while she gestured to him to talk. He gazed at me, then beyond me and grinned.

“Well, we have time until my ride arrives.” Ride?

“Yes!” Aby giggled in joy and I approached them curious about that war thing.

“So, what do you want to know specifically?”

“Well, everything! No one's talks about them, I mean some of my friends do, but never about the details of the war.”

“Wars? Like what? War of Marineford style or World War II style?” Maicon chuckled, I think he understood it.

“There were four great wars that raged on.”

“Four great wars? wow they… we? I mean, that’s more than on Earth.”

“Welp, Putin is trying to raise the score for Earth, soo."

Maicon and Aby looked at me puzzled.

“Putin? like the Russian president? What about him?”

“Yeah, crazy fuckoo ready to start World War III.”

They looked at each other and seemed even more confused. I rolled my eyes and shook my hand at them.

“Anywho, we are running out of time.” Aby said, looking at the storm getting even weaker. “So start talking!”

“Well, as said there were four wars, the first one was a classic brawl between the good and evil, quite cliche, a dude wanted to be bad, the other didn’t like it and they started recruiting to beat each other.”

“It was called… ahmm, fuck how they called it?”

“War of Understanding!” Aby said doing little jumps of joy. “Wait, you were alive during it?”

“Nah hell no! I’m not that old!”

“War of Understanding? What does that mean?”

“Dunno, I think we’ll never,” Maicon smirked, “Understand it”

“My god, that was bad.”

“Jokes apart, that wasn’t in my opinion a war, A real war, more like a bar fight, I mean, that was as much a war as Captain America Civil War was a war! They had their groups and fought.”

“But the worst part is, no one died! They created some kind of bubble, so when you died you would just leave the battlefield.

“Who won?”

“The good guy.” Maicon rolled his eyes. “I think the name of the leader was Auric or something. I never figured out what character he was.”

“What about the second war?”

“War of Shadows if I’m not wrong, happened sometime before me and my wife got displaced.”

“What about it?”

“Not much, is War of Shadows for a reason, I don’t know who won, it was between some Darth and a Lee, but I heard many powerful displaceds died or got really wounded.”

“Was bigger?”

“Again, maybe? I wasn’t there.”

“So the good guys won? I mean, If the baddies had won, the multiverse would be affected right?” Aby said.

“Good, bad, I said before and repeat, people tend to be much more gray than black or white.”

“So it doesn’t matter?”

“Of course it does, many powerful displaceds died there, it opened way to other displaceds gain space as me and my friends.” Me and Aby nodded, waiting for him to continue.

“Well, the third war, War of Chaos, now that was a war! They had armies and everything!” I smiled internally.

“So if the first two wars were like civil war, the third were like Avengers Endgame?!”

Aby snapped her finger and pointed in agreement with me. We looked at Maicon to confirm, but he looked really confused.

“End-what?”

“Avengers Endgame? Like, the best movie ever? The end of an era in cinema?” He just blinked at us.

“Common, there is no way you didn’t see that movie!”

He just looked at us emotionless until his eyes widened and then he put a hand on his forehead.

“Fuck, ahm, well, how do I put this, I got displaced in 2016, so yeah, I lost some movies.” It took me a good minute to understand it, Aby didn’t.

“NO WAY! Dude, that movie is-”

“Don’t wanna know.”

“Bu-

“Don’t, please.” He said, trying to smile, but failing.

“It’s a good movie.”

“Don’t doubt.”

“Don’t wanna know?”

“Do we have time? Or you want to know about the wars?” We both raised two fingers.

“Wars, good, but a quickie, which year you got displaceds.”

“2020” Aby said.

“2022” I said, a bit embarrassed that I’m the oldest.

“Okay, going back, third war, armies and everything, so many displaceds had armies with them.”

“Armies of what?”

“Oh many kinds, basically their character could create or summon them, I happily named them NPC’s, but the real fun was in fighting displaceds, NPC were way too easy

“To-too easy? Wait, you fought?” Maicon smirked.

“What can I say, they were beating the living shit of each other, no one would notice if five characters showed up in the middle of that mess and had their fun.” Aby was in ecstasy, hands trembling and everything.

“You were there?! You’re a living piece of history!”

“Yeah, me and my group realized that was happening, so we teleported to the battlefield to have some fun, not gonna lie that was intense, we all almost died a couple of times, then the S tier started beating each other and we decided to leave the field.”

“So you didn't choose a side?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Do I look like a man of choosing sides?”

“Nah, you look like a fucking anarchist.” He pointed his finger at her before continuing.

“The last war was-”

He stopped as a thunderous-like sound echoed and the storm ceased. The sun is filling the cave much more intensely now than before. Maicon sighed gazing at it, but Aby quickly stood between him and the exit.

“Nah you ain’t, finish that phrase old man.”

“Okay okay, the fourth war was called, well, the Fourth War.”

“Really? What happened? They ran out of creativity?”

“Nah, I heard some called it the Black Crusade or Cameos , no I don’t know what that means, but I know one thing, that was savage. I think that half the displaceds at time fought there.” Wait, half?

“Like, half of what? He grinned.

“Half the multiverse of course, that was the biggest event of the century. There were just a ton of people there. I saw an S tier being overrun by A tiers! I think he killed fifty or so before they killed him.”

“What he was?”

“Old King Thor.”

“Shiet.”

“Yeap, that was a bloodbath, people were dying like flies, the both sides even stopped fighting when S tiers flyed over them, killing each other. I wish I stayed further.

“What happened?”

“It started right after I lost my friends and wife to the Void Dweller, and I realized I couldn’t go home. One of my acquaintances contacted me trying to convince me to fight for one side, the others did the same right after.”

“Yes?”

He breathed heavily, yet staring at the exit of the cave.

“I grabbed my wife's blade, wielded mine and teleported to the middle of the battlefield and started letting out some steam. I barely remember what happened, but I remember cutting, cutting again and again, caring little for the teams or sides. The last thing I remember is when, lost in my fury I pierced the chest of one S tier, I think it was a Hal Jordan, he coughed some blood and everything went black. I woke up in my Shard the next day.”

Aby looked at at him astonished, looking him up and down.

“After the fight, fucking god knows who won, a new group of displaceds formed, they call themselfs the League, they are trying to avoid another war like that.”

“Wow, they seem like some cool dudes.”

“Nah, they are basically supremacists, they believe that the displaceds are superior than the Shardlings, and that they should spill less displaced blood. They control a big deal of the core of the multiverse already, soon another group will rise to challenge them and a fifth war will begin, though I believe all displaceds will be part of that war.”

“There is a new war coming?” Aby said in a mix of excitement and dread.

“Maybe yes, maybe not, depends if someone will oppose the League.”

“But they are bad, aren’t they?”

“They don’t necessarily oppress the Shardlings, I mean yes, some do, but it ain't a rule. The sole purpose of the League is to avoid a war and protect displaceds.”

I looked at Aby, she stared at Maicon, as if analyzing him.

“Hey old man, where have you been?”

I trembled when I heard this new voice, I looked to the exit and there was a person there!

He was bigger than me, wearing some worn clothes and a white fuzzy hair, he had two swords tied around his waist and a straw between his teeth.

I instinctively looked at Aby, she looked equally surprised, but before me or her did say anything, Maicon walked up to him.

“You little runt, I almost froze here! Where were you?!” Maicon rushed at him and grabbed him by his hair, shaking him a bit.

“Gah, go suck an egg! I had to find you and kill some dudes to rescue you and this is how you repay me?!” He shouted freeing himself from Maicon grasp

They continued cursing each other for some time, time enough for me and Aby to recover from his arrival, other displaced?

“Girls.” Maicon said, dragging him near us. “I present to you, my kiddo.”

“I ain’t no kiddo! Fucking hell.” Maicon rolled his eyes before letting him go.

Me and Aby just looked at him, a bit awkward to say something.

“Nice to meet you too, now move your ass old man, I’m tired.” The boy said, yawning and walkin away.

“Wait, I have to say goodbye.” Maicon said, turning to us.

“Goodbye? Are you sick or what?”

He ignored him and approached us.

“The thing trapping us here is dead, according to my boy, you can go home now.” He said to Aby and they both shared a silent nod. Then he gazed at me.

He didn’t say anything at first, then put his hand on his bag and took out a red scroll.

“This token is from an acquaintance of mine, he is cool and he knows people, he may help you in your journey.”

I took it, the scroll was smooth as silk and I felt an urge to open it. I didn’t.

Then I felt him messing with my hair and I heard his laugh.

“It was nice to meet you kiddo.” He said, walking towards the young boy, one piece of wood resembling a sword in one of his hands and his massive blade on his shoulder.

When he arrived he stayed by him and turned to us.

I looked at Aby, she gazed at him with a smile and crossed arms.

I approached her, she noticed me and looked down at me.

I closed my eyes, breathed in and out and in a second a red-decorated candle popped in front of me. Her eyes widened and I grabbed it.

I blushed, a bit embarrassed before whispering to the candle.

“Lit this, and I will help.” I did as said, desiring it to disappear and before I noticed the candle shone for a second before popping out of existence.

When I looked at her, she was on the verge of crying, her eyes wet, biting her lower lips and hands together.

“Thank you for teaching m-.” Before I finished, she grabbed me in a hug.

“Hey Aby, tell her how to go home!” I heard Maicon yelling, when I turned to him I noticed the boy had disappeared, and floating around him was a piece of half-torn paper.

“Oh yes.” She said, trying to recompose herself. she snapped her fingers and her token appeared on her hand.

“To return to your Equestria, just hold your token and activate it while remembering it, you’ll be there in no time.”

I nodded.

“Hey kiddo.” I turned to Maicon, his body was translucid, his lower body gone and the paper even more torn.

He flicked the piece of wood at me and I barely garabed it. I looked at it a bit puzzled until I looked at him, he smiled paternally at me.

“My token, break it and I’ll help you, no fancy phrase or anything.”

I wiped some tears on my eye and I reclined at him. I felt one arm on my shoulder and I noticed Aby at my side smiling at him.

“Tony Stark dies in Endgame.” She yelled at him, in a fraction of a second his eyes widened and he opened his mouth, his face flooded in a sea of emotions.

“FU-” Were the only words he spoke before disappearing in a splash of light.

“Dirty.” I said to her, we both looked at each other for one second before bursting into laughter.

“He will get over it.” She snapped her finger and another token of hers popped in existence, but this one floated in my direction.

“Now it’s my time.” She said, holding her crystal, it shone.

“Wait.” She flinched, “I want to hear your speech.”

Her eyes softened and she nodded happily at me.

“I’m the cold incarned, I’m the freeze of life and death, call my name if you crave for help to smite your enemies, for I, the Lich Queen of Azeroth shall destroy the impious and protect the weaks!” She chanted in trance, the crystal shone brightly this time and in an explosion of colors she disappeared.

I stood there, smiling to myself like a fool, as if they would pop back to me.

I sat on the ground and wiped my tears. I’m a Chandra, everything is about emotions, I told myself, snapping my finger, a little flame surging on my finger.

“I can control it.” I whisper to no one in particular.

I look ahead, the sun emerging from between the clouds.

“Thank you guys.”

A candle popped in front of me, and I laughed one last time before lighting it up. I felt my body getting lighter, and in a heartbeat everything went black.

Author's Note

I have always thought the Displaces stories are a bit, meh, I mean the Idea is good, but instead of sending someone with Hashirama powers, isn’t just better and more interesting just send Hashirama? I mean, unless he is a villain, it seems way more interesting using the actual character instead of a Displaced.

Anywho, hope you all liked it.