"I brought you all here to ask for help," continued the floating being, dancing in the air like a leaf carried by the wind. "I need you to save my world."
The hall, once completely white, vanished like mist dissipating under the sun. Jamie suddenly found himself miles above the ground. Below him stretched a vast green and blue planet.
"My na is Aetheron, and together with Nytheris, we govern day and night in Kjarnheim," the tiny god continued, his voice echoing through the surrounding void. "But a few months ago, Nytheris disappeared. Without his power, I've been gradually losing control over this land. Soon, it will succumb to chaos and destruction if I don't find my brother."
As Aetheron paused, they began to descend slowly, approaching the ground until they were just a few ters away. Jamie found himself face-to-face with a complete stranger, so close he could see his reflection in the other's eyes.
"That's why I summoned the best people from your world, those without magic, who could receive my blessings and inhabit the bodies of my followers," Aetheron explained, a gentle smile illuminating his face.
'What does he an by the best? Could he an good people?' Jamie pondered, his analytical mind working quickly. He knew he couldn't be considered a good person. Perhaps soone who followed rules, but not necessarily good.
"I can't explain much more. My powers are failing," concluded Aetheron. "Save Nytheris and I will return you to your hos. Wake up."
Jamie blinked twice, not understanding what had happened. He was no longer in the white room nor floating thousands of ters above the planet. Now, he found himself in a different place. In a different body, he could feel. There was sothing deeply uncomfortable about inhabiting this new form.
Finally, he began to notice his surroundings. His body was pressed against a cold wall.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
Jamie finally realized why he was being pinned against the wall. A tall man, appearing to be about fifty years old, was holding him by the neck, pushing him forcefully.
Without getting a response, the man pulled him back again and slamd him against the wall with even more power, making the wood tremble and a crack echo through the room.
He didn't know what to say; he didn't know this man. Looking more closely at his face, he noticed similarities to his father, but the silver armor and long beard made it hard to be sure.
The boy tried to absorb as much as he could from his environnt and understand his situation.
He seed to be in so kind of office. The room was almost entirely made of stone and wood, with a rustic style punctuated by subtle silver details. Jamie and the man were not alone.
Sitting in one of the chairs was a woman with long black hair. Her neck and fingers were adorned with golden jewels, and her attire made it clear she was a lady of high society. Her gaze conveyed deep disdain for Jamie without needing to say a word.
Finally, there was a detail Jamie was desperately trying to ignore. An orange cat floated in the air, its fixed eyes evaluating him attentively.
'What ss am I in?' the boy thought as he stared at the ghostly cat.
"Um... I'm sorry for my actions?" said Jamie, searching for a way out of that problem.
The man stared at him with cold determination before dragging him by the neck to the office door. Without ceremony, he threw him out, making him fly down the corridor like a rag doll.
"I'll decide your punishnt later. Get out of my sight." Those were the last words spoken before the boy felt the impact against the floor.
Jamie fell heavily, landing on his backside. He groaned as he stood up, dusting off his clothes and trying to regain a bit of dignity. The pain still pulsed in his body, but the environnt around him caught his attention. He was alone in the corridor—or almost. An orange cat stood beside him, watching him with bright, fixed eyes.
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"Can you talk?" Jamie asked, without much hope. However, after eting Aetheron, he thought it wouldn't hurt to try.
The animal remained motionless, its expression vaguely cartoonish. In a surprising movent, it stood on its hind legs and began to walk slowly, waving one of its little paws for Jamie to follow.
"I'm going crazy; I'm following a ghost cat. What are the chances I've been drugged?" Jamie murmured to himself as he followed the cat down the corridor.
Their footsteps echoed softly against the stone walls, reminding him of ancient castles he had briefly visited in Germany. Everything there exuded dieval grandeur, with torches interspersed along the walls. The strangest part was silence.
'If I'm in another world and a castle, shouldn't there be servants?' he thought, noticing that no one was in the corridor or the rooms they passed.
Finally, the cat stopped in front of a door and pointed to the inscription above: "Jas Frostwatch."
'The sa na? But the last na is different,' Jamie thought as he passed through the entrance.
The room was small but cozy. The stone walls maintained a pleasant temperature, while an arched window allowed natural light to flood in, bathing the environnt in a warm orange glow. So wooden furniture filled the space, including a simple work desk and a rustic wooden bed covered with thick, neatly folded blankets.
Jamie approached the desk, where a heavy leather notebook rested. Behind him, the orange cat struggled to climb onto the bed. After a few jumps and scratches on the wood, it settled on one of the pillows.
"Wait a minute... couldn't you float?" Jamie asked, perplexed, observing the cat's effort.
"Oh, right." The cat clapped its paws as if it were obvious. "Pleased to et you. I'm Jas."
"Jas?" Jamie repeated, surprised, staring at the feline's extended paw.
He tried to shake it, but his hand passed right through as if the cat were made of smoke.
"Seems like I can't touch people," comnted the cat, wrinkling its nose as it analyzed what had happened.
"First, who are you, cat? Who am I, and where am I?" questioned Jamie, the confusion evident in his voice.
"I'm you—or rather, you are ," the cat replied with a shaky smile that soon turned into a gesture of despair. It rubbed its paws on its head as if struggling to understand its own words.
Jamie sighed, shaking his head in an attempt to untangle the ntal knot the cat had caused. Then, the feline leaned forward, placing a paw under its chin as if thinking.
"I'm the original Jas of this body you're using. I'm a sort of guardian that will accompany you on your journey," the cat explained with a sly smile. Jamie nodded, accepting this madness as if it were an inevitable truth.
Looking around the room for a reflection, Jamie found no mirror in sight. Only a basin with a bit of water rested beside a table. He knelt, seeking to confirm his appearance, and there it was: the familiar face from his original world. The sa look, the sa hands, the sa body.
However, with a few minor differences, his cheeks were sunken. His eyes were downcast. It was possible to see that his hair had been cut haphazardly, and there was still so swelling from bruises on his face and parts of his arm.
'Beyond these small differences, we're completely identical,' he thought.
Turning to the cat, Jamie inquired, "Who was the man who wanted to kill ?"
"He didn't want to kill you. I think," the cat murmured, the words fading into uncertainty. "Maybe just give you a beating. He's my father—or rather, your father now."
"And what did you do to make him react like that?" Jamie continued, raising an eyebrow.
The cat, expressing resignation, replied, "Maybe I broke a millennia-old tradition of our family, but I had no choice."
Jamie sighed deeply, at which point the cat, apparently eager to escape that topic, murmured, "It's better if you follow ; it'll be easier to explain."
With no alternative, Jamie followed the small feline guide, passing through winding corridors until they ca upon a spiral staircase that seed to climb into infinity. Step after step, they ascended to the top floor, where Jamie finally understood the strange architecture of the place: they were at the top of a tower.
From there, he could see a city covered in snow. Outside the city, vast fields, frozen lakes, and in the background, an imposing ice-covered mountain were visible.
"This city is Frostwatch; our family has been responsible for defending it for dozens of generations. During the Passage, the heirs assu responsibility, becoming Paladins of Aetheron to protect the city and the south from the Magicless of the north," the cat explained.
Jamie looked at him, already sensing the broken tradition. "Sothing tells you didn't follow that path."
"Maybe... but not entirely," the cat replied, lancholic. "During the Passage, I couldn't choose to be a paladin. My only option was to beco a Cleric of Aetheron." Remorse was almost tangible in his voice.
With a last look at the icy expanse, the cat explained, "Shortly before we swapped places, my father discovered my class. Aetheron, however, intervened and placed you in my body."
Jamie leaned against the tower's parapet, observing the vast snowy territory that was now sohow his. "So... Am I a cleric?”
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