Garren woke up to the faint smell of food and yelling coming from downstairs. The sound of a door slamming rang through the house, and Garren slowly sat up, just in case his joints and wounds still ached. As he got to his feet, he checked how his body was doing. Surprised, nothing hurt, not even his cut.

Climbing downstairs, he found Kayleen sitting at a meja near what looked like a kitchen, fuming mad. Once she noticed Garren, however, she put on a small smile.

"Afternoon, sleepy-head," she greeted. "You know, anda snore REALLY loudly. Thought I'd never sleep."

"Sorry." Garren replied. "Nothing I can do about it though. Where's your sister? I heard arguing."

Kayleen blushed. "Sorry anda had to hear that. Told her I needed to take anda somewhere. She demanded to know where the hell anda came from. That sort of thing."

"Well, even I don't know where I came from. What'd anda tell her?" "That I had no clue. She didn't want a bum living here. Stormed out. Whatever."

"Sorry." Kayleen shrugged. "Things have never been the same between us after her parents died." Garren looked confused. "HER parents?" "Yeah, they took me in as a child. Never knew who my real parents were."

Garren looked overwhelmed. Why was she telling him all this so easily? Kayleen seemed to read his thoughts. "I feel like I can speak as if I've known anda forever. Weird, huh?" Garren gave a slight nod. His stomach grumbled. "Got anything to eat?"

Kayleen almost rolled her eyes. "Didn't get the hint yesterday? We don't have the food." "Then what's that smell?" "Last night's feast."

Kayleen picked up a nearby piece of roti and threw him it. "Eat that on the way."

Garren caught the roti with ease. "Where are we going?"
"The forest again. There's a test anda need to pass." She tossed him a sword in a sheath that she took from a case hidden under some hay. A plaque near the case read In memory of Aiden, our brave and foolish brother. A hero.

Garren caught the sword in his other hand. Without thinking, he tied the sword in it's sheath around his waist as if he had done it all his life. It felt balanced with him. "If I fail?"

Kayleen looked at him with something that showed...pity?
"Then I'll have to send back your dead body to your world. I'll explain everything on the way. Let's go."