The hot water helped soothe my aching muscles, and washing off the grime from the training was surprisingly cathartic. The bathing pool was a large circle, the water went up to my neck, with the outer edge of the pool having a place to sit. One could feasibly swim in here.

At the far end of the pool, across from the door, was a bubbling spring that I assumed was the source of the water, which meant this was a natural hot spring, which meant this city was built near a mountain. "A natural hot bath." I remarked. "Sure beats having to boil it." I checked my hands, they were starting to look a little pruney, so I got out and, after a little bit of looking, found what looked like towels. They weren't too soft or too rough, but they did the job of drying me off.

I heard the door open as one of the servants- a female- came in. I quickly hid my waist area with the towel as she looked at me. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "My apologies, sura, I did not expect to see anyone in here."

"It's fine." I said. "I didn't really expect anyone to come in. I guess that was silly, since this is likely a communal bath."

She bowed while nodding. "Yes, sura." She said. "I came in to clean the bath."

I noticed she was Lacertian like Nash and that she had various cleaning implements.

"I'll get dressed and get out of your way." I said.

"You do not need to rush for my sake, sura," She responded before, without hesitation, she began to undress. I averted my gaze for the sake of being polite while I pulled on my underwear under the towel. By the time she had undressed and dove into the pool, I was already dressed with the towel set aside. I left and took a deep breath.

"Alright, what does that count under?" I wondered aloud. "A lack of taboo toward nakedness, or maybe a God or two poking fun at me?"

I dropped my dirty clothes off to my room and went toward the dining hall. I heard a voice and stopped. It echoed through the halls, a song without words. It was slow, soft, calming. It seemed to come from a hallway I'd not gone down before, and after a moment's contemplation, I followed the sound of the song. It grew louder as I approached, until I came to a door. I reached out without thinking and opened it- which meant I was allowed, since a ward didn't keep me out. I entered and stepped into a large room.

There was an Aelfan with long, golden hair sitting in a chair while spinning thread at a spinning wheel. The song was sad, I actually felt tears in my eyes. I thought about Mom, and I felt regret. How many times had I promised something, only to fail her? How many times had she asked something of me, only for me to ignore her? How many times had I ignored her when she asked me not to argue with her husband, only to scream at him?

A soft sob escaped my mouth, and she abruptly stopped. She stood up, looking startled, and she said, "You are not supposed to be in here." She said.

I took a deep breath and wiped my eyes. "There wasn't a ward on the door, I... don't really know why I came in." I was silent for a moment. "That song, it was beautiful."

She stared at me for a long time, I averted my gaze after a while. After a while longer, she said, "You are not of this world."

I looked at her, startled. "You can tell?" I asked.

She nodded. "My song is a lure, for the lost souls, those who were from their homes untimely ripped. You live, yet you came just as any other... Odd that you would gain entry, perhaps my song was too strong an invitation?"

I shrugged. "Maybe." I glanced away. "Since I'm bothering you, I should go."

"Wait." She said. She strode toward me with grace similar to Lissana and she held her hand out at me. "Yes, a certain strength of spirit, your mind is troubled, you are not here by accident, nor are you here of your own volition. A curse binds your voice, yet..." Her eyes narrowed. "There is little else I can divine of your nature. Living, yet drawn to me as though dead. Truthful, yet speaking as though lying. Kind-hearted, yet darkness surrounds you. Beware, it seems whomever brought you here made it so you appear a villain. What their intentions may be, I am uncertain, it may be that they seek to do you harm, or to turn you to a nefarious end."

"I will keep your warning in mind, miss..?"

"I cannot reveal my name." She said.

"Okay. By your leave..."

She nodded, and I left the room. The moment the door shut, I found myself lifted up and pinned against the wall. Nash leaned in closely, his pupils and eyes narrowed.

"How did you gain entry to that room?!" He demanded. "What did you do in there?!"

"I heard a song, followed it, and the door opened for me." I said. "I did nothing more than speak with the person inside, she gave me a warning and I left because I was bothering her."

"No living being has stepped foot in that room." He said. "Ever. Not even my Lady has, you are saying that you had permission?"

"The person inside presumed that her song acted as an invitation." I said.

He released me and my knees buckled as I hit the ground. Nash pointed to a door and said, "Attempt to open this door."

"You're going to have me try the door and have the ward activate." I said. "Likely to show me the result of just willy nilly attempting doors." I sighed and obliged, the door opened. I blinked, Nash looked startled.

"You must be given explicit permission to open a door by those who have such authority. This hall is one of few where I do not have such authority." He tried the door and was jolted by electricity. He pulled away, hissing and shaking his hand. He looked at me before grabbing my arm and dragging me, painfully away...

I was put in a room and explicitly told to wait, hours passed, daytime faded to night, and by the time the door opened, I'd already nodded off. Nash roughly shook me awake, which almost caused me to fall over. I wiped drool off my mouth and looked at Lissana, she looked angry, yet her expression was relatively stoic.

"Stand up." She said.

I did, and she held her hand at me. Time froze, and I moved to the side. She immediately moved her hand to follow me and shot a spear of ice at me. The moment it touched me, it shattered, not even hurting me in the slightest. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Nash grabbed me and sat me down forcefully.

"This complicates things." She said. I didn't respond, the last thing I wanted to do was piss her off, or Nash for that matter. She was silent for several long moments, then she lowered her hand. "Do you fully comprehend what has happened today?" She asked.

"I do not." I said.

She stood up and looked out the window. She sighed. "Tell me what you saw beyond the sealed door."

I told her what I saw, to the best of my ability and memory. She didn't move as I spoke, not until I had finished.

"The woman you saw is what is known as a Maiden, she represents the influence of the Gods in this world. She is the Maiden of Death." She turned to face me. "The fact that you still live is an impossibility, merely laying eyes on you should have killed you." She looked fearful. "You spoke with her, you had a conversation with her, and yet, you are none the worse for wear. You were able to open doors that I expressly forbade others to open, and what I have seen proves to me a grave fact. You are immune to magic, at least, harmful magic."

"That's... good, right?" I asked.

"It is not." Nash said. "No living creature is immune to magic." He looked at me. "The fact of the matter is, you are an extremely dangerous individual by this fact alone. You should not exist."

Lissana walked over to me and pulled a thin dagger before jabbing it into my hand. "Ow!" I exclaimed. She took my hand and held her hand over the wound, a soft light emanated from her hand, yet nothing happened. She then walked over to a shelf and pulled from it several bottles and handed them to me.

"Drink them." She said.

"Alright." I said.

The first potion, just a small sip made me feel calm, relaxed. The cut on my hand healed, so I put the bottle aside. The other potions, respectively, made me feel stronger, faster, and tougher with just a sip, I could only imagine what the full potion would do. The effects faded within moments, and Lissana sighed. "So, you cannot be effected by magic another puts on you, but potions do definitely have an effect, if more subdued." She leaned back in her chair. "This means that I cannot keep you within my home, my wards are meaningless to you."

"I see." I said. "And my curse?"

"Likely, unassailable." She replied. "If I cannot affect you with magic, then I cannot remove the curse from you. This also means that my having you here is ultimately pointless, the only way I could hold you here is by locking you inside a room, and something tells me doing so would be unwise."

"So, my immunity to magic, except for potions, would technically be my special power." I mused. "Which means if it becomes discovered, then others would seek me out to either learn how it is, or try to use me as some sort of weapon."

She nodded. "It would take time, but a warrior who cannot be the target of spells would make an excellent Magebreaker, the Temples would love nothing more than to have you as a Fiend Slayer, I doubt a God would have any issue with your... power, binding you to their service would be no task at all for even the most basic priest." She closed her eyes. "Right now, the safest place for you is here, where no others may enter without my permission."

"Then, if it is no problem to you, I would be willing to stay until a solution could be found." I said. "And if I would be a burden, I'd at least be willing to do some work so that I'm not too much a drain on your finances."

She opened her eyes. "You would work?" She asked.

"I'm not the best." I admitted. "But it's better than just sitting around trying in vain to think of something to do in the meantime. Plus, if I can't be hurt by magic, then I could clean the more dangerous places if any exist."

"I will consider this." She said. "For now, I will ask that you remain in your room. Cier will ensure you do not leave without escort."

"With permission, would I be allowed to get something to eat?" I asked.

"I will have something delivered to your room." She said. "Make no mistake, Rex, you are still a guest in my home, this development only necessitates further measures, not only for my own security, but yours as well. I would much rather someone be available to prevent you from wandering into a dangerous situation. Not all dangers are magical in nature."

I nodded. "Thank you for the clarification." I said. "I will endeavor to stay within the bounds you have set, after all, it would be rude to do as I please."

With that, Nash had me stand and led me to my room. Cier was already waiting for us.

"Is our guest ready to retire for the day?" Cier asked.

"Refrain from making snide commentary, Cier." Nash said. "He is still treated as a guest."

Cier rested his hand over his heart and bowed his head. "Of course, Nash." He said.

"You will attend to him only when he leaves the room, I am sure you can handle your duties in spite of this?" Nash asked.

"I would do nothing less for my Lady and her Knight." Cier said.

"Good." Nash said.

"Hey, Nash." I said. He looked at me. "I was wondering if there was a more direct way to ask the servants to get me something."

"There is not." He said.

"Huh." I sounded. "Then, if it isn't too much trouble, could you ask someone to bring some tea to my room? Nothing special, just something to help calm my nerves."

Nash stared at me for a few moments, then he nodded. He walked off. I looked at Cier, who averted a cold glare the moment I saw.

"With respect, if you're going to glare at me, please don't hide it." I said.

"I would never." He lied. I crossed my arms. "The insinuation that I would glare at you..."

"Then you won't mind joining me for a cup of tea or two?" I asked.

"I have my dut-" He started.

"And one of your duties is accompanying me when I leave my room." I said. "I was thinking of maybe taking that tea to the courtyard garden, when it gets here, of course. I don't want to cause anyone any more trouble than necessary."

"I see..." He said.

We waited for the tea to come, which Cier took, and we went to the courtyard where Nash had me training. Cier and I sat down at a table, and I poured two cups of tea before Cier could do anything.

"I would have poured the tea for you." He stated.

"I know." I replied. "But where I come from, it is considered polite to pour tea for someone whom you've inconvenienced." A boldfaced lie, but what would he know?

"Very well." He stated. We sat down and he took his teacup and sipped from it. I did the same.

"It's nice, being able to sit for a few minutes and relax." I remarked. "Do you often have time to rest?"

"I rest only when there is no work to be done." He said. "Alas, there is much work to be done."

"Like being forced to watch an ignorant foreigner who can somehow ignore magical wards, all so you can make sure he doesn't hurt himself or others?" I suggested. "Barely here two days and I've already made things too complicated. I liked the idea of having wards up so I could do what I wanted within reason and have direct feedback for where to go and where not to go." I sighed. "Alas, shit's complicated."

Cier took another drink, as did I.

"When we were sparring." I said. "Time froze for me. That is why I was able to react to your attacks, because I had enough time to analyze what you were going to do. I had plenty of time to read your body language, to know how you were going to attack, and I reacted because I don't like pain."

"Why are you telling me this?" He asked.

"Consider it an apology for making things complicated for you." I replied. "You have to constantly be on your guard around me, to make sure I don't do anything stupid, or worse, purposefully malignant. You treat me as a guest on the surface, but underneath that, you're watching me to make sure I'm not some sort of spy using this as a convenient smokescreen. My inability to be seen as truthful regardless of what I say, even if I speak the truth, my inability to speak my own name without choking on a Felgrat, and my overall defenseless demeanor would make me an effective spy, if I knew what I was doing."

I took another drink. "And that's why you have to keep an eye on me, regardless of if you were told to watch me for this exact reason, or if that is what you have determined." I looked at him. "The fact of the matter is, I'm just a lost adult with no clue of where I really am or what the hell to expect. I can only make guesses based on fiction that resembles this world, or what I have written myself. I'm learning that this isn't a story where I'm the hero with a powerful ability, I'm just someone who got caught up in something I don't even understand, and that because of my ignorance, I could get killed."

He grabbed my wrist and pressed his thumb against it.

"Then speak plainly. Are you a spy?" He asked.

"I am not." I replied.

He stared at me for several moments, then he nodded. "You are too emotional." He said. "You would make a terrible spy..."