The Other Side: A Second Chance [Dark Isekai Drama]

I palmed my eyes and sniffled. "I don't even know… Wh-where to start…" I breathed. I was trembling all over. I couldn't stop. I tried to compose myself, but it was hard. I wanted to go away, to crawl inside myself, and let Truth take over.

That's not happening, the calm goblin voice said. You need to let this out; you have to tell someone.

But I didn't want to, thinking about it hurt.

You're lying. You do want to tell someone, but you tell yourself that you don't because you're afraid they'll reject you. That they'll hate you.

I gripped my skirt tightly. Was this the Truth? I noticed that this other, calmer voice in my mind and the other goblins had quieted. Were they the Master, Shaed?

Don't be foolish. You're projecting your true feelings onto something else that isn't you, or that you can claim isn't part of you. Varis is waiting for you. Tell him everything. Luna, trust yourself.

"Luna," Varis said softly. "Momma always told me it's good to start from the beginning." He reached out and placed his hand on top of mine. "Why don't you start there." He gave me a gentle smile.

I snorted. "It's a long story, though…"

Varis nodded. "Well, we might have time…" He glanced at the clock. We only had about twenty minutes—no way near enough time. "Eh, maybe not."

I sniffled and wiped at my eyes again; the damn tears wouldn't stop coming. "I'm afraid, wh-what I'll say will make you hate me…"

Varis frowned. "Why would I hate you? You're my sister."

My heart fluttered, and I looked away. "It's because I've been lying, not to you, but to everyone, and myself… I'm a big liar. A fake, a fraud… I-I'm not Luna, I never was, I'm just pretending!"

Varis blinked. "How so?" He asked.

"Because I am! I'm not Luna, I-I never was… I-I'm… I'm…" I couldn't say it. I wanted to tell him my name, my real name, the one I've always had, the one that haunted me, the one that should've died.

You are lying to yourself again. You are lying to him still.

"Who are you then?" Varis asked.

I choked up. "I'm a pathetic loser," I said instead. "I'm not your little elf, sister, Varis. I'm a pathetic loser of a man pretending to be your little sister!" Anger flared up in me, and I locked eyes with his. His green and blue eyes widened with confusion, but he said nothing.

"I'm some dumbass born and raised on another world, Earth." I gestured to the ceiling. "I was human, a fat kid who thought one day he could write a story or even draw a comic. But that's not what my parents wanted; they wanted me to study science, become a biologist or something. It was cool but not my passion, so instead I told them to screw off and tried to chase my dream, and guess what? I fucking sucked at it. My teacher, Mr. Woods, showed me just how awful I was, told me I wouldn't ever get anywhere. He threw my work in the trash because I fucked it up. I wasn't good enough, I was never good enough, and my parents…" I trailed off as memories of my old parents resurfaced.

I choked up and took a deep breath. "My parents told me so, they were right. I wasted all of that money, all of that time, and I got fucking nowhere. When I met up with some friends online I thought I could maybe do something with myself, so I started hosting Dungeons and Dragons games, get my art skills going in there, and well… This girl and her buddies, who I thought I was best friends with, one day just left. Told me the day after a great game that everything I did fucking sucked. I sucked and should just stop…" I fell silent, taking deep breaths. Varis looked at me, stunned, his ears twitching as he tried to process everything I said.

"Not all of them were shit," I continued after a moment. "I-I had a group, th-that I thought was real. They stuck around but… After what happened with the last one, I-I began to fear that everyone around me was fake. I still do… Everything I tried, I was never good enough. I fuck everything up that I touch. At work, I'd make stupid mistakes and get chewed out by managers, somehow I hadn't gotten fired at the time, hell even video games I played I'd somehow find a way to fuck up, I wasn't good at anything, I'm still not good at anything–"

"That isn't true!" Varis cut me off. "You're good at a lot of things, Luna!"

I paused, and my ears flattened. "What do you mean? My magic is all over the place, my brain is all fucked up…"

Varis shook his head. "I-I don't know much about wh-what you're saying, but…" He tightened his grip around my hand. "Compared to me you're smart, and you've been getting better with magic. Y-Your math is good, you read better than me–"

"That's because I'm older than you, Varis," I said flatly. "Do you want to know how old I really am?"

He paused and blinked, his mind seemingly having difficulty processing what I was saying. He finally locked eyes with me and silently nodded.

"When I… Left my old world when I was twenty-seven years old. My old world, Earth, and time were faster there. At least, the way time was recorded was different from Enora. One year there was a little over three hundred days, compared to our four-hundred and eighty-eight," I said, recalling the calendar and doing some math in my head. "So, if I did the math… Uh, by four-hundred and eighty-eight, twenty eight hour days, ninety minutes, uh…" I stopped as the numbers lined up in my mind and clicked into place.

I was twenty-seven when I died on Earth. But with how long I've been here on Enora, I would… Huh. I'd be about thirty-eight in Earth years, but if I convert the number of Earth days and divide it by Enora's total number of days, I get… Huh… on Enora I'm technically twenty-seven…

I snorted and laughed. Varis blinked. "What's funny?" He asked, perplexed.

"I'm still twenty-seven!" I howled and fell into a fit of giggles. I was laughing so hard that tears streamed down my cheeks. "You can't be serious, that's so fucking funny!" I howled at the absurdity of it all.

"Luna, you're scaring me…" Varis said warily, and my fits ceased.

I took a deep breath. "S-Sorry…" I sighed. "Varis, I'm twenty-seven years old. I haven't lived as long as Momma or Papa, but… I've been around."

Varis blinked. "So, you are human–uh, were a human, I mean? You were a man? Bu-but you're a girl, now, a-and you don't look like an adult."

I lowered my gaze. "I died… In the other world… I tried to save someone…" I snorted. "And I somehow fucked that up too!" I laughed pathetically and face-palmed. "Oh, fuck, I really do screw everything up!"

Varis watched as I laughed mournfully and smacked my knees. His expression showed no hint of humor. Instead, he was confused and deeply concerned. "Luna…" That was all he said as my wheezing turned to coughing and sniffling.

"Everything about me is a joke," I said solemnly. "I can't even die correctly. Instead, I woke up here, spent three years trapped in my own body as a baby, then just as things started to get better." I snapped my fingers. "A war kicks off, and some god guy shows up in my head and says I'm some hero like this is some shitty anime."

"Luna!" Varis shouted abruptly, and I flinched. His face had now twisted into anger. "Stop it! Stop saying mean things about yourself!"

I slowly blinked as I watched him ball his small hands into fists. "But it's all true–"

"No!" He barked. "It's your dumb mind goblins like you said! I-I don't know everything you said, I don't know what anime is or… whatever. But I don't believe it. You're not bad at stuff. You don't mess up everything, you're good at everything!"

I frowned. "Varis, that's–" I started, but was cut off by a sharp pain in my shoulder as Varis thumped me, not too hard, but enough to make it sting. "Ouch!" I yelped.

"Shut up!" He said. "I'm saying nice things to you!" My heart fluttered at those words. I then nodded and said nothing. "Luna," Varis said, lowering his voice. "You are awesome… You're always nice to me, you're super smart, you like to play with me, and do boy stuff. In school you're always ahead of me and Isa even said a lot that you're like super smart!"

I opened my mouth to object, but he raised his fist at me, with a wink, and I shied away.

He continued, "I don't understand everything, but… Maybe you are older than me. I don't get what you mean by you were a human and a boy, but maybe that's why you like to do boy stuff with me." He shrugged. "But, uh… You are great at a lot of stuff. I'm… I wish I was like you." He frowned and blushed. "Maybe not the whole awakened stuff… that sounds bad…"

I sighed, but couldn't help but smile slightly. "You're not the best at giving uplifting speeches."

Varis flinched briefly but returned my smile. "You're the brain!" He said. "I'm supposed to be the, uh… Muscle?"

"Brawn," I said, relaxing a little. "I'm the brain and you're the brawn, but you had the right idea."

Varis nodded. "I'm… Sorry that I can't say much," he said. "I'm sorry you're hurting."

My heart melted, and I leaned over and hugged him. "It's okay, this… This is something I always had."

"Always?" He asked as he gently returned the hug.

I nestled my face against his chest. "Yes, weren't you listening?" I asked with a light chuckle.

Varis blushed again. "A-a bit! Y-You said a lot!"

I sighed. "I've been like this since I was born," I said. "My memory isn't entirely perfect, but I can still recall most of my time as a baby." This was true. Much of my time as an infant seems hazy now, as many days were just repeats of each other. Time had become a blur, which probably also didn't help my new baby brain, which was still being built. But I'm not a neuroscientist.

Varis blinked. "Oh, wow… That… That sounds boring."

I snorted. "Believe me, it was." I laughed and pulled away from him and sat up straight beside him. I noticed Varis was blushing even harder as he tugged at his shirt. I arched a brow. "What's on your mind?"

He jerked a bit and scratched the side of his neck. "So, were you really a boy before? Like me and Papa?"

I felt my cheeks flush a little. I don't know why, but my heart began to beat hard in my chest. "Uh, yeah," I said, nodding. "Well, not exactly like you and Papa. I was Human. Where I was, there were only Humans."

"Only humans?!" Varis gasped.

I nodded again. "Yep."

He blinked and looked up thoughtfully. Then he looked at me and said, "Wow, I can't imagine you as a boy."

My heart skipped once again, and my cheeks burned. "Oh, oh?" I said. "Why not?" Not that I was offended, but genuinely curious.

He shrugged. "I dunno, you're like Momma. Momma likes to do some boy things, but you talk and walk like her, and just, uh… Give off a feeling." He shrugged. "I dunno how to describe it."

"We-well I was," I said, my cheeks still burning. "I wasn't like Papa, though, I wasn't really, uh, manly? I think that's a good word for it. The most I could do manly wise was grow a big beard."

"You had a beard?!" Varis gasped. "Oh, I can't wait till I can grow one! I want a cool mustache like Papas!"

I snorted. "Mustaches and goatees are nice, but… Beards kinda get in the way." I waved a hand dismissively. "I had one for a while, but didn't really like it. It got dirty all the time whenever you ate or drank anything, and if you miss something in it and it dries, it gets all crusty and gross."

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Varis giggled. "Like when Papa drinks milk and it gets all over his mustache?"

I snickered and nodded. "Yes, exactly like that."

"What's it like being a girl now?" He asked, and my heart nearly gave out for some unknown reason.

I sputtered and blinked, then blushed. "Uh, it's… It's not, uh… eh, it's not bad!"

Varis pursed his lips. "Are you okay?" he asked.

I fidgeted with my skirt and took a few calming breaths. "Yeah, I'm fine."

You were hoping he'd ask this question, weren't you? A goblin mused.

Yes, yes, you were. Go on, tell him how much you like being Luna and how you feel more right in this body. Another teased.

My blush deepened. "I-I like it," I said honestly as my heart hammered away. Each pulse echoed in my ears as I licked my lips, "My old life, I… I never felt comfortable as a boy." As the words left my lips, the thumping of my heart faded, and I felt light as if a weight had been pulled off of me. "I always wished back then I had been born as a girl," I continued, feeling the words resonate within me. "I never felt like I was the true me, like someone else wearing a boy's skin. But… Where I was from, magic and the like didn't exist. Wanting to change yourself wasn't easy, and I was always too scared to try…"

Varis blinked. "Being a boy isn't that bad," he said, and I frowned. I immediately had to remind myself that he was a young kid. I doubted he understood the nuances of gender identity.

I sighed. "You're right, it isn't, but being a boy didn't feel right with me."

Varis blinked, then nodded. "Okay! Like how I don't like chelin but you do!" Varis said, referring to a stringy bean-like vegetable we've had at the Yogi's Maw restaurant back home. He smiled triumphantly.

I sighed. Not precisely that, but if it helps him somewhat understand, sure.

"Yeah, sort of," I said, going along with him, then fell silent. I felt light… Empty. But, a good kind of empty? Like a weight had been taken off of me.

You've finally accepted the truth. A part of me thought. You like being who you are now, and you've always wanted this. To be your true self!

Is that really it? This feeling may be because I could finally confide in someone else about where I truly came from. About who I really am–

Who you were, you mean. Do not lie to yourself; you've finally stepped out of that door. There is no going back into that closet now.

The conversation died shortly after that. A silence fell over the room, save for our soft breathing. Varis's hand rested gently on my upper back despite everything I told him. He seemed to treat me no differently. It was probably because he didn't understand it, or maybe he simply loved me the same. A cynical part of me expected it was the former; the kid was only nine, for as mature as he was, I didn't think he truly understood. Then again, it still felt nice to finally admit what I've held in for years and not be judged by it. It was liberating.

I was terrified that I would be rejected, that he would no longer see me as his little sister, but he didn't. He accepted me, and for that, my heart soared.

Now it's time to tell the others. The calm voice urged, and the dread returned.

Varis was one person, probably the easiest person to tell this to. But the others? Isa, Father, and eventually Mother… I don't know how they would react. Isa was the one who had initially brought up the idea of awakened dreamers, like Varis; she may be the easiest to speak to. However, that didn't mean she would take it well. Would she accept me knowing I wasn't Luna?

What did we tell you? An irritated goblin grumbled. You are Luna, you always have been. Just because you tell them you've been hiding your past doesn't mean you'll immediately become a different person.

My jaw set, and I clutched at my skirt. My thoughts were right, but at the same time, I couldn't shake the fear. Maybe I wouldn't be different, but they may see me as someone else. I was afraid they would treat me differently and start treating me like a stranger.

Or, they'll treat you no differently, like Varis. The calm voice said.

The irritated one snorted. Or with respect. They may no longer see you as some snot-nosed kid.

I grimaced. It may seem odd, but part of me liked being seen as a kid. At least, back before everything went to hell. I enjoyed reliving the stress-free life of a seven-year-old.

Well, it's time to grow up. The irritated goblin huffed. The world doesn't need any more useless kids; it requires someone who can act. And you can do so. Everyone should start seeing you as you truly are.

Hold on now. The calm goblin stepped up. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Luna, we should tell people we can trust—ones who'll understand.

Footsteps echoed from beyond the bedroom door, many of them. Varis and I straightened up when the door clicked and swung open.

"I don't understand the meaning of this!" Aunt Saria protested as she was pushed into the room, her hands clutching her medallion tightly.

Varis and I stood up from the bed and moved to the edge of the room, as Isa, Father, and Uncle Aenorin followed behind.

Saria smoothed out her suit and skirt before facing the other adults, her other hand still gripping her medallion. "Aenorin, Slyran, will you seriously let her push me around like this?" She gestured angrily at Isa. "What has gotten into all of you? I was working and in a meeting for Seven's sake!"

"Saria, please be quiet," Aenorin said in a low voice.

But she went on. "Don't you see we're on a tight deadline? The storm will be here in under eight hours. I need to get back out there and–"

"Saria, shut up!" Aenorin barked, and his wife fell silent, her eyes widening.

Varis and I shrank away to a corner of the room. Seeing us, Father stepped around Isa and Saria and walked over. "C'mon," he said hushedly. "You two should step outside."

Varis blinked and looked at me, then back up at Father. "But, I want to see what's going on."

Father shook his head, and I heard Saria growling from behind him. "Aenorinal," she said, using my uncle's full name as she began to seethe. "Don't you ever, ever speak to me like that!"

I reached out and took Varis by the hand. "We should listen to Papa," I said. "He and Isa can take care of this."

Varis looked back at me, hesitation visible on his face, but he sighed. "Okay, but… Where do we go?"

Father nodded to the door. "Just outside, I won't be long."

"I wouldn't be talking to you like this if you hadn't gotten involved in all of that Aerinite krek, Sariana," Aenorin snapped back, causing Saria to gasp and step back, hand squeezing her aerinite medallion desperately.

"Both of you!" Isa said, raising her voice. "Sit!" She pointed towards the beds just as Father began to walk my brother and me to the door.

Saria and Aenorin grumbled as they wandered over to the bed Varis and I were just sitting on and took a seat. Just then, Father opened the door to the room and ushered both of us outside, then stepped out and pulled it shut, muffling the angry voices on the other side.

"Is Aunt Saria in trouble?" Varis asked, turning to look at our father.

Father shrugged. "We don't know yet, as of now we just have questions."

"What happened out there?" I asked curiously. "Did you guys interrupt her during a meeting?"

Father looked at me and thought briefly, as if he were deciding whether to tell me. "Yeah," he said with a nod. "Excuses for a 'family emergency' came in handy." He then held up a finger. "But you two don't need to worry about that. Isa and I have things covered. However, I have questions for you two." He walked us further down the hall, away from the bedroom door, where the muffled voices began rising.

He positioned us with our backs to the wall and crouched before us. "Were you able to talk to him again?" He asked in a whisper.

"Venra?" I asked for clarification, and Father hissed, held a finger to his lips, and nodded. "Yeah," I said hushedly.

"What did you learn?" He asked, leaning in.

"We learned a lot!" Varis whispered excitedly. "Luna had me write everything down!"

Father arched a brow and looked to Varis. "Is that so? Well, nice thinking." He reached out and patted Varis on the shoulder. "Tell me, though, what'd he say?"

Varis took a deep breath, readying himself to spill his guts out, but I held up a hand to stop him. "I'll tell him," I said, and Varis blushed faintly and nodded. I gave him a small smile and looked to Father. "It's a lot, but there's some good news," I said and began to tell him everything, except for Truth's appearance and discussion, instead describing it as if I had never once left the conversation.

"So to sum it up," I said at the end. "The storm we'll just have to weather, but Venra's willing to help us with Momma. He seemed to know a lot about what's happening with her, but to treat her, he'll need to find a place for us to take her to."

Father sighed and nodded. "As part of me feared," he muttered. "Of course, it wasn't going to be this easy. But, this gives me hope." He smiled, reached out with both hands, and clasped mine and Varis's shoulder. "You kids did good. If you don't mind, I'd like to see those notes you took, Varis. I know Isa would like to read them as well."

Both Varis and I smiled at each other, and my brother nodded and began to take out the notepad. Muffled shouting came from the bedroom as if on cue, and the door clicked and swung open. "Slyran!" Isa barked from within. "I need you to come in here, if you may."

Father lowered his head and sighed, then glanced at each of us and grinned. "I'll be back out shortly. Sit tight, don't wander off, okay?" We both nodded, and he squeezed our shoulders and stood up. "Alright, bad or good constable?" He asked Isa.

"Bad," Isa said with a growl.

"What does that mean?!" Saria yelled half-whining, though no one responded to her.

Father stuffed his hands into his pockets and sighed, then side-eyed us. "Actually, kids, wander a little further down the hall... I'll be back shortly." He then began to make his way toward the bedroom door.

"Papa wouldn't hurt her, would he?" Varis asked me as we walked down the office hall. The dim magrite lamps flickered ever so slightly as we passed them. With the faded walls and chipped plaster, the place felt like a set for a horror movie, the only signs of life being the muffled argument coming from our room down the hall behind us.

My ear twitched as I processed my brother's words, and I shook my head. "I don't think he would. Aunt Saria just seems to be stubborn, is all. You know how Isa got in school when you refused to do your problems?"

Varis shuddered. "She can get scary."

"Very scary," I agreed. "I bet right now Papa is just having a very stern talking with her."

We stopped at a T junction at the far end of the building. The bedroom door was still visible, but from where we were, I could block it by holding up my thumb. Not wanting to stray too far, I gestured for Varis to stop, and we both leaned against the wall on the corner.

"Why would she be so stubborn?" Varis asked. "We're family, aren't we? Why would she not want to be helpful?"

I thought for a second, then shrugged. "I don't know, either she's telling the truth and didn't do anything wrong. Or, that archbishop guy really did something to her." I whisked my finger in the air near my head.

Varis grimaced. "That's scary, I don't like that kind of magic." He huffed. "Messing with heads sounds wrong."

I nodded. "That I can agree with," I said, remembering how the Master wiped my memories a couple of times, and how violating it'd felt.

"What'll happen if she does something bad?" Varis asked nervously. "Aunt Saria seemed really nice before, and I don't want Papa or Isa to hurt her."

I frowned and shook my head. "I don't think they'll do anything to her. At least, not physically, Papa was a constable. He'll maybe arrest her or something," I said, but frankly, I didn't know what would happen either. Though flashes of memories from the prison, Isa gouging the soldier's eyes out, stabbing the doctor, and father fighting ruthlessly. Each flicker of the past made me feel dread mounting within me.

My gut churned. My family was fully capable of violence, even though it had been directed at those who meant us harm. The brutality of it… I could still see Isa plunging her clawed thumbs into the man's skull, his screams echoing in my ears. I felt like I was going to vomit again.

Deep breaths, Luna, deep breaths, and count to ten. The calming voice said, and I did just that.

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. Focusing on the now, I tried not to think about what had happened. "I'm sure everything will be alright," I said before looking to my brother, whom I smiled comfortingly at.

The explosion in our room caused the building to heave and tremble. A klaxon alarm wailed as smoke billowed beneath the door, and my world started crumbling. My mouth hung open mid-sentence as I looked back down the hall where we'd just come from, and I heard gunfire coming from within the room.

One shot, then a second, a third, followed by a shout, and suddenly the door buckled and splintered outwards into the hall as a body was thrown through it. The splintering door and body slammed into the floor with a loud crash.

"Papa!" Varis screamed and shoved past me, sending me tumbling forward, still shocked and dazed.

I stumbled forward and caught myself on the wall. "Wh-what's happening?" I muttered as I saw Varis running down the hall toward the smouldering room. "Wh-what's happening?!" I cried and ran after him. "Varis!" I shouted as a figure stepped into the busted doorframe.

My Aunt Saria, her dress smoking and bloodstained, her aerinite medallion glowing brightly as three bolt wounds in her chest now slowly stitched themselves closed. She stood over the crumpled figure on the floor and looked at my brother and me. Her eyes were blackened and crazed-looking, her lips stretched into a wide, horrific smile.

"Varis!" I screamed once again as I chased after him, cursing my little legs for not being able to keep up with him.

To my horror, the one who had been thrown through the door was our father. Sprawled out on his back among the shattered remains of the door and pieces of wall, he rolled onto his side and looked at us, eyes wide with fear. "Kids!" He forced out between gasping breaths. "Run! Th-that's not Saria–"

Aunt Saria flicked a hand into the air, and like a puppet pulled by its strings, my father cried out as his arms yanked upwards. His body lifted off the ground, his entire weight suspended on his arms, which Saria then splayed out in either direction with a subtle flick of her wrist. My father howled in agony as his arms and limbs were stretched beyond their limit by nothing.

Varis screamed alongside him as the horrific snapping of bones like sticks reverberated down the hall. "Stop it!"

It was like a nightmare. No matter how hard or fast I ran, the hallway seemed never-ending. I couldn't reach him, I couldn't heal him, I couldn't save him. I wasn't fast enough, I wasn't good enough. This was all my fault, I shouldn't have let them get her, I should've stayed in the room with them, because me… Because of me.

My family is going to die