Chapter 6: Returnee

Ki Jung feels something isn’t right as she is waking up the next morning. The bedding is different, there’s light coming in where there was no window, and there are familiar sounds that she hasn’t heard in about a week. It’s like being hit by an out of control truck when the realization hits her; she’s home! She is in her own bed, in her room back in the world she was born to.

Dressing in only her panties and a tee, which need cleaning, Ki Jung flies out of her room calling for her mother, who is shocked to see her daughter alive and well, if a bit dirty. The reunion is filled with tears of joy, hugs, kisses, and an overwhelming sense of well-being. It isn’t long before her younger brother comes in to see what’s going on. The tears return with a vengeance, more hugs are shared, and everyone is so relieved.

The joyous mother bids her daughter sit down while she cooks breakfast. It isn’t much, but it is as good as ambrosia to Ki Jung, if only for the fact that it’s her mother’s cooking. As they eat, Ki Jung tells them of her journey, the badger, the fight with the local bully, all of it. She even tells them about the spell she learned and the ring she bought, which is still on her finger.

While they believe her about the trip across the plains, the idea that spells and rings of storage exist is a bit much to put faith in. So, Ki Jung proves it. First, she takes a boiled egg that her mother is about to peal and eat and, with her permission, casts “Separate” on it. The egg separates into the shell, which remains whole, the inner lining, the cooked whites, and finally the slightly cooked yolk.

Her mother gasps in equal parts of amazement and horror. She easily imagines this being used on a living being. The images cause her to shudder.

Ki Jung notices her mother’s reaction and they discussed it. The idea of using it on a living creature or person isn’t one that need be worried about. This particular spell only works on non-living items. It could disassemble most anything into its separate parts, but it was not capable of working on the living.

Next, she pulls out the items from her ring, one at a time, to their amazement. No one else who has returned mentioned such things ... At least not to their knowledge. With that in mind, Ki Jung decides that it needs to be kept a secret.

After breakfast is over, Ki Jung showers, puts her clothes in the wash, and cleans her gear before returning it to her ring. An SHTF bag is nice, but a SHTF ring that can hold half a cubic meter of goods is far superior.

She adds items that she wished she had available during her time in the First Realm. Personal hygiene items, extra clothing, a pair of boots, gloves, and more are added. When she ends up back there, she will be better prepared. She even takes the money she has saved up and purchases a used, but good quality, sleeping bag and self inflating pad and places them in the ring, too.

Ki Jung is sure that she’ll be back in the Realms at some point. It is a feeling that she cannot shake.

Dojo

Ki Jung heads down to the dojo, the following day. To say they are surprised would be an understatement. It is a joyous occasion. Classes are put on hold so that everyone may listen to her speak about her experiences. She tells them about her trek across the wilderness, the fight with the badger, and finally arriving at the town of Dong Kyu. Until she tells them about it, no one had heard that being in the Realms had an RPG element to it. Though unlike the RPGs they were familiar with, this one was real, and death was final.

The telling and Q&A session take most of an hour, which means that classes are done for the day, for that group. In the end, all classes end up being canceled Ki Jung tells her story five times that day at the dojo. By the end of it, she knows she never wants to be a public speaker. At the same time, she is glad to be able to impart her knowledge to others. It could save their lives one day if they are among the Taken.