10 New World

A year still has twelve months, though each month is forty-four days long. Thankfully, hours and seconds match ours perfectly, and the week still consists of seven days with the same names.

It was a strange world indeed, and I felt I had only begun to scratch the surface of it.

“As I told you,” Alaya continued, lowering her voice, “our king, Karadeilis, is a great mage.”

Now we had reached the part I dreaded most.

“For several centuries he has ruled these lands. Many generations have lived and died under his reign. How he came to power remains shrouded in mystery. Some say he slaughtered the previous royal dynasty and took their throne for himself. Others whisper that he’s one of the last descendants of that very bloodline. And then there are those who believe he’s cursed—bound to immortality by ancient magic.

“Some even claim he’s an alpha werewolf, one of the first and oldest. It’s not impossible—some mages here can shift into animal forms and are what we call ‘dual-faced.’ Whatever the truth is, no one really knows anymore. But one thing is certain: Karadeilis has ruled for centuries, unchallenged.”

Alaya sighed, brushing a strand of dark hair from her face. “To be fair, he governs wisely. Our people live well—no poverty, no beggars. He’s a strong sorcerer and a proven warrior. Every few decades, foolish invaders from neighboring kingdoms try to attack us… and every time, Karadeylis crushes them. These days, such conflicts have nearly stopped altogether.

“The most remarkable thing,” she added, lowering her voice, “is that the king never leaves his castle. Not once. When enemies come, he strikes them down with his magic from the tallest tower. Or he lends his power to his generals so they can fight in his name. For the last hundred years or so, he seems to have grown… bored. And that’s when he decided to take a wife.”

I sat perfectly still, like a mouse cornered by fate, listening to every word that might help me avoid becoming one of those missing brides.

Lost in my thoughts, I realized I had been sitting idle for far too long. Quickly dressing in the clothes provided to me, I went to the kitchen, where the lady of the house was already waiting.

“Alaya, please,” I pleaded softly, “tell me everything you know about my upcoming fate—and… about your world.”

“I figured as much—you’re definitely not from around here,” Alaya smiled faintly, unsurprised by my request. “Alright then, listen carefully.”

From her story, I learned that everything here was vastly different from Earth, though there were also surprising similarities. Honestly, I felt this world wasn’t exactly another planet, but rather a parallel universe closely tied to ours—too many details matched.

As we spoke, it grew dark outside—or at least as dark as it ever got here. The day here lasted twenty-seven hours, and the nights weren’t truly dark, more like twilight. The light came from several moons and a sun that never fully set.

The brighter star, the one that completely dipped beyond the horizon, was called the Sun, while the dimmer one was Volar—it didn’t disappear entirely, hovering low over the horizon even at night.

This planet, oddly enough, was also called Earth. The satellite seen at night was Luna, while the one visible both day and night in all its glory was Latz. Their year had twelve months too, though each month lasted forty-four days. Hours and seconds, thank heavens, matched ours. The week still had seven days with the same names. What a strange world… I still had so much to learn.