ALTHEA
"I am not the Althea you know." I said to them. Miguel and Jane exchanged glances, their expressions shifting between shock and confusion.
Jane reached out hesitantly, her fingers brushing against my arm. "Althea… what are you saying?"
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. "I need you both to listen carefully. What I'm about to tell you will sound impossible, but please, just hear me out."
Miguel folded his arms, skepticism written all over his face, while Jane nodded cautiously.
"I am not the Althea you knew," I said slowly. "I may look like her, and I have her memories, but I am not her. My real name is Sienna Carter. I was born in another world called Earth. I was a chef, and I had just landed my dream job at a five-star restaurant. But before I could even start, I got into an accident."
Jane's eyes widened. "An accident?"
I nodded. "I was walking home when I saw two kids run onto the road. A car was speeding toward them, and there was no time to think—I ran in and pushed them out of the way." I swallowed hard, the memory vivid in my mind. "The last thing I remember was the pain of the impact… then I woke up here, in Althea's body."
Silence filled the room.
Miguel let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking his head. "This is ridiculous. People don't just switch bodies or come from another world."
I met his gaze firmly. "I know it sounds crazy, but I'm telling the truth. This is not my world and I am not the real Althea."
Miguel sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "Even if I believe you, what difference does it make? We're still stuck here. And now that Lord Hawthorn has to send one of his daughters to marry Duke Ravenshade, it'll probably be you."
My hands clenched into fists. "Then I'll make my own choice."
Jane's eyes filled with worry. "You're not thinking of running away, are you?"
I hesitated, then shook my head. "No. Running won't solve anything—it'll only make things worse. But I will find a way to take control of my own fate."
"Dear, even though you are not my Althea. I still see you as my daughter, don't hesitate to call me mum." Jane said to me, her eyes were red with tears.
"Okay, mum." I smiled. I haven't been with my parents since they died when I was just finishing high school. "Thank you, dear. But you still need to rest and heal well. If you want to do anything." She made me lay on the bed gently and covered my body with the scratchy blanket.
I hid the fact that I was completely healed for another week. Whenever Miguel has gone to work in the stable and mum, in the manor. I always used that chance to see what I can do with my magic.
The other day. When I was hungry, I kept thinking about some delicacies on earth, and began to crave actual bread with its softness and fluffiness, not the stone hard bread I have been eating for the past three weeks.
Trying my luck with my magic, I closed my eyes and waved my arm like those wizards in movies do, while thinking of an egg sandwich.
I opened my eyes to see a purple magic circle appearing before me. Then the food I just imagined appeared on top of the circle.
My breath hitched as I stared at the egg sandwich floating before me. The golden yolk glistened between the layers of soft bread, the scent of warm butter and eggs filling the small room. My stomach growled in response.
I hesitated for a moment before reaching out, my fingers trembling as they brushed against the sandwich. It was real. Warm. Soft. I took a cautious bite, and my eyes widened at the familiar taste. It was just like the ones I used to make back on Earth.
A surge of excitement ran through me. I had done this. I had created this with magic.
I swallowed hard, my mind racing. This is incredible. If I can summon food, what else can I do?
For the past week, I had been experimenting with my magic in secret, testing small things—moving objects, creating tiny sparks—but this was something entirely new. I had willed food into existence, and it had appeared.
I took another bite, my thoughts spinning. Trying to think of what else I can create with my magic.
Medicine. It is obvious everyone is suffering from different nutrient deficiency, if I could just test myself and figure out what i need.
Finishing the sandwich, I brushed off the crumbs and sat on the floor. I closed my eyes again, imagining equipments, medical equipments specifically. Something I can use for test, maybe a blood test. I decided to tweak it, I hope it will work.
I thought of a diagnostic analyser that uses blood tests to find out everything about the person health wise.
I opened my eyes and saw my magic circle get to work. Hovering in front of my was a complex magic circle, it had symbols and signs. Hoping it would work, I quickly got a pin to prick myself and allowed my blood to drop in the middle of the circle.
The analyser magic circle glowed, the signs and symbols began to move. Then it stopped a a hologram screen popped up above it.
THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME!
I looked at the screen to read the information, it was in English, maybe because of my real life from earth. How convenient.
At the top, it displayed my name: Althea Vale. My gender: female, age: eighteen, and blood type: O Positive, Rh Negative. Below that were my blood test results. I saw the complete blood count, which clearly showed very low hemoglobin and low RBC. My white cell count was normal, so there was no sign of infection. As for cholesterol… well, I wasn't surprised it was out of balance after nearly dying from broken ribs and blood loss.
Scrolling down, I checked the liver enzymes—thankfully, they were normal. Next came the vitamins and minerals section. At the very bottom, I found a list of diagnoses.
Anemia—I'd already suspected that.
Iron deficiency
Vitamin B12 deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency
And several other low vitamin and mineral levels
I couldn't help shaking my head at how extensive the deficiencies were. It was a wonder I was still alive, especially given the miserable diet I'd been surviving on. The rock-hard bread alone wasn't doing me any favors.
But now that I had a clear idea of what was wrong, I had to figure out how to create something to address these problems—maybe a pill or supplement that could fix all these deficiencies.
I reached out, placing my hands over the analyzer magic circle, then closed my eyes. My plan was to combine the analyzer circle with a creation circle, willing into existence exactly what my body needed to heal.
The magic circle geared again and this time a bottle appeared. It seem to contain pills. A text appeared on the hologram screen : Healing pills, take continuously for a weak to attain good health.
For a week? Great.
Keeping the pills aside I decided to customise the magic health circle even more. This will be like a clinic. I thought of everything a hospital can have and added it to the circle, one after the other, some I have never seen before or even used but there is always a first time.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my excitement as I began adding more and more features to the magic circle. It was like an ever-expanding blueprint, responding to my thoughts and visualizations. I pictured x-ray machines, CT scanners, vision scanner. Symbols and runes danced around the circle, merging and rearranging themselves to accommodate each new addition.
When the glow finally subsided, I was left staring at a much larger, more intricate formation. The circle pulsed with energy, and hovering just above it was a faint, translucent holographic interface—like a menu waiting for me to choose a function.
"Wow," I breathed, stepping back to admire my handiwork. "It really does look like a mini hospital."
I reached out tentatively, tapping the hologram with a fingertip. A new panel popped up:
> Welcome to the Custom Medical Circle
Available Functions:
1. Full Body Scan
2. Targeted Healing Protocols
3. Medicine & Supplement Creation
4. Emergency Surgical Tools
5. Records & Database
My heart pounded. This was more advanced than anything I had on Earth—like the pinnacle of technology and magic combined. If I can use this to help myself, I can use it to help others too. The thought sent a thrill through me. When mum and Miguel come back, I will do a check up on them too, I guess they will find out my powers now.
First things first: I needed to see if this new "clinic" actually worked beyond basic diagnostics. I hovered my hand over the holographic interface and selected "Medicine & Supplement Creation." Immediately, a smaller circle formed on the floor, glowing with that same purple light. Time to test it on something simple.
I grabbed the bottle of pills I'd made earlier, then placed it into the circle. "Analyze and improve," I commanded, focusing on the concept of refining the formula to make it more potent and easier to absorb.
The circle flared, and the pills dissolved into shimmering particles. The hologram displayed a flurry of chemical symbols—some I recognized, others completely foreign. After a few moments, the particles reformed into a new bottle. This one was smaller, labeled in crisp English:
> Enhanced Nutrient Tablets
Dosage: One pill per day
Duration: One week
I took the bottle, my hands trembling with excitement. "That's… amazing," I whispered. This was no longer just some fluke. I really could create advanced medical supplies with my magic.
I wonder what else I can make apart from the mini portable hospital.