– Zeythara –
When we stepped outside, a short man stood before us—unkempt beard, hazel eyes, dressed in rough peasant clothes. The way he looked at me made my stomach turn. He was openly staring, almost drooling.
Seriously?
We're in different bodies now, playing different roles… yet I'm still Kaelric's—this world's "Kol's"—wife.
And he dares to look at another man's wife like that… ah, men.
I rolled my eyes inwardly.
He noticed.
"Did that woman just roll her eyes at me?" he sneered. "Kol, looks like you haven't taught her proper manners."
He raised his hand, about to strike.
Kaelric stepped forward to stop him—but I was faster.
I grabbed the man's wrist, twisted it sharply. He bent forward with a cry of pain. Without letting go, I seized his head and struck upward with my leg.
He collapsed to the ground.
The people passing by—men and women alike—froze. All eyes turned to me. Shock. Fear. Disbelief.
It was clear: in this place, women being beaten was normal—but a woman striking back was something they had never seen.
The corner of my lips curved slightly.
– Kaelric –
Stupid woman… she's going to expose us.
This was no longer the Zeythara I knew. Her powers were gone. And in this world, actions like that came at a brutal cost.
I had to do something.
I spun her around and slapped her.
She hadn't expected it. She stared at me. In her eyes was a single message:
You will pay for this.
"Stupid woman!" I shouted.
"How dare you attack my friend? Just because I showed you a little leniency, you think you can act out?"
"Kaelric…" she hissed, furious.
One of the onlookers stepped forward, pulling up his trousers with a grin.
"Looks like Kol can't control his wife. Send her to me—I've got ten women already. None of them talk back. They know their place."
I clenched my jaw.
"No need," I said coldly. "She's my property."
I turned to her.
"All women have gone where they belong. And you're still standing here—"
I never finished my sentence.
I hit the ground.
– Zeythara –
"Pathetic herd of men," I said sharply.
"Who do you think you are to humiliate a woman? If you love the fields so much, then go work them yourselves!"
I turned to the women.
"My sisters… how much longer will you bow your heads to these men?"
They just stared. Empty. Hollow. Unmoving.
I don't want to call my own kind foolish…
but whatever these men have done to them, they've torn their spirits out.
Kaelric hitting the ground shattered the silence. Everyone around us stepped back; no one dared to help him. For the first time, I saw clear hesitation on the men's faces. The women, however… were hollow. As if they had forgotten how to speak, how to resist, long ago.
"Look," I said, my voice calmer—but far more dangerous.
"When one of you falls, the world doesn't end."
The men began to murmur. The man I had knocked down tried to stand, but his knees trembled.
"This woman…" one of them muttered.
"She's trouble."
Yes, I thought. I am trouble.
Kaelric got back on his feet. His face was hard, but his eyes were uneasy. He didn't come closer to me; he kept a deliberate distance between us.
"That's enough," he said to the crowd. "Disperse."
They hesitated. Then, slowly, they backed away. No one met my eyes. The women lowered their heads; the men acted as if nothing had happened.
That was the power of order.
When Kaelric approached me, his voice dropped.
"Don't do that again," he said. "Not yet."
"Until when?" I asked. "Until they allow it?"
He didn't answer.
He grabbed my arm and pulled me along. We walked through a narrow dirt path. Around us were low-roofed houses, cracked walls, silent windows. This place didn't smell like poverty—it smelled like obedience.
We stopped in front of a house.
"Go inside," he said. "This is where we'll stay."
"Are you giving me orders?" I asked.
He looked into my eyes. This time there was no mockery—only tension.
"I'm trying to survive," he said. "For both of us."
I went inside.
The house was small. One room. A hard bed. A broken table. Old farming tools hung on the walls. The window was barred.
"This world," I said quietly, "makes me angry."
"This world will kill you," Kaelric replied. "If you keep acting like Zeythara."
I turned to him.
"I am Zeythara," I said. "Even without my power."
Silence fell.
Kaelric looked away.
"That's exactly why I'm afraid," he said. "Because you don't know how to kneel."
We didn't speak for a while.
Then shouts came from outside. Men's voices. Orders. Women's footsteps.
I looked through the window. Women were being driven toward the fields. Silent. Heads bowed.
One of their hands was shaking.
"I can't leave them like this," I said.
"You have to," Kaelric replied. "For now."
I closed my eyes.
The storm waits.
But it never forgets.
When I opened my eyes, my decision was made.
"If there is no lightning in this world," I said, "then something else will rise."
Kaelric looked at me. For the first time, he smiled—but it wasn't a victorious smile.
"Now," he said, "we truly begin."