The second day was about the same as the first one, except this time I brought my own lunch. Small pieces of some kind of bread that had a much higher density than I was used to and tasted salty. They were meant to be eaten on their own, so they were a bit dry, but it was very filling and didn't take up much space in my pockets.

  Today I was as tired as I was the first day. No, I think the exhaustion set in even earlier today. You would think I would gain some stamina, but no, my body is a cruel joke. We stayed out of the denser parts of the forest today, so we didn't see many rare plants, but I got better at recognising the plants and taking their useful parts undamaged. Though the amount I gathered was still neglible compared to the more experienced apprentices.

  Terron seemed much more relaxed today, though he was filling things out on his clipboard every now and then, mumbling about how weird it was to see so few monsters in these parts. I didn't have time to observe the wildlife today. Eyes on the ground, spying even those little plants that everyone in their right mind would walk over, because in my mind plant gathering had become a competition and I was determined to not stay last place forever.

  Spending so much time outside made me think about how different it was compared to my previous life. My memories were still foggy and mostly inaccessible, but I remembered life being much more fast paced than this. Every hour had to have some purpose, if it wasn't being productive, it was filled with intense entertainment. It was also mostly inside. Rushing from one destination to the other.

  Though I missed all the sensory input, especially during the evening hours, being outside like this also had a certain something. It wasn't as fun as the video games in my past world, but it felt healthy. I was sure that by just breathing the air over here I could extend my lifespan.

  But talking about lifespan, I had no idea how advanced medical care was over here. They might be able to cure an awful lot with the alchemist potions and magic, but in the fantasy stories I read, they didn't know about most less obvious diseases. It could also be that they relied on magic so much that they forgot normal healing.

  Well, best not to dwell on it. I'm sure the doctors here would do whatever they can, and its not like I got some advanced medical knowledge myself. I know how to spalk a leg and how to clean a wound, but thats about it, and I'm sure such simple things are not some kind of lost knowledge.

  The third day I was supposed to go plant sorting in the herbalist building. I forgot, so I automatically walked to the meeting place, but Roodon caught me and led me to the building without saying a word. Roodon being early? Surely the stay at home herbalists were less lenient with tardiness. I caught a glimpse of my familiar group before I left, that seemed a lot less familiar all of a sudden. Nicchy hadn't arrived yet and there were two strange apprentices. And Sallo of course. I dont think he saw me.

  The main building was a lot less welcoming than the group. I wasn't assigned a specific mentor and instead had to figure it all out by watching everyone, but every time I tried to do things, someone yelled at me. No one really told me what I did wrong and how I could do better, just that I had to stay out of it and watch from the sidelines. It was the most useless I had felt since coming to this world.

  The bin where we threw our plants in the last two days was actually open on the lower side. Plants slowly slid out into a smaller bin where the sorters would grab them and place them somewhere else. It was here that my plant knowledge was really lacking. I thought I learned a lot the past two days. I could identify nearly every plant I gathered by name, but here were so many plants I had never even seen before, and I didn't just need to know them by name, I needed to know which part or parts were actually needed, for what they were needed, what method should be used to conserve them, and probably even more things I couldn't even think about.

  Eventually I just picked a person that sorted what seemed like a common plant. I followed the whole route and memorized it, so I could sort that plant, and only that plant, myself. Then I only got yelled at for standing in the way and not being fast enough. That is, until someone yelled at me for putting too many of that plant in the same place. Apparently that plant had multiple uses and sorting should be balanced.

  Working here made me tired, maybe even more than walking in the forest all day, but in a different way. Only halfway through the day and I couldn't care less about the yelling and what I was doing wrong. It made me reconsider becoming an alchemist. But what else? I don't think switching apprenticeships is something easy to make happen here, and I'm already old for being an apprentice. I need to fit in here, not just do whatever I want. Push through a bit, I'm sure it will be easier when I'm more skilled.

  Maybe I'll even be everyones boss and no one will make me do anything. Thinking about the future feels so surreal when I don't have a past here. Like I will just disappear the way I came. Funny how my previous world still feels like 'my' world and 'my' life, even though I disappeared from there and my memories right now are much clearer than any from before I came here. But its definitely real. I went through so much effort and exhaustion, and if it was a dream I'd just skip over the boring parts. Time moved way too slow for that.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The plants that were sorted were taken to store or prepare for storage by other herbalists. This would never be part of my alchemist training. I guess there were some herbalist specific things too. The building was so large, I'm sure there are many parts I don't know about yet. And this wasnt the only building. There were a few more spread across the city, each with a slightly different purpose. Guess I missed orientation day for that. Not that it mattered, getting to another part of the city every day would be too hard on foot, and I was already lucky to be able to live with Carch, no way I would get that same luck just asking strangers to move in with them. But I don't think it would have mattered. With how early they made kids choose an apprenticeship, I don't think they actually care how many of them find their calling. Eiter you have a job, or you don't. No second thoughts allowed.

  When the day was done, so was I. No way I had to spend the majority of my time here. I knew it would be less as I progressed my apprenticeship, but there wasn't something like a timeline, so it could take forever.

  As if Carch knew how stressful this day would be, he was waiting to take me on a walk through the city. Through the park, to be exact. In a ring around the middle of the city they used to have a patch of grass. Then some people planted flowers. And trees. Soon it became a project of the people to maintain this piece of nature without monsters. Not too long ago they even demolished some houses to make the park even bigger. You could truly feel how much it was appreciated. I should contribute a bit on my free days.

  The park was beautiful, and it didn't feel like you were surrounded by the city on both sides at all. It also wasn't some random collection of plants, like its origin would suggest, there was truly put thought into this. The path was gravel, and on both sides was grass growing, surprisingly green, though visibly less so under the shadow of trees. Trees were spaced out, so there was plenty of sunlight shining through, even more than on the city streets, which were often narrow with two story buildings on both sides. Every now and then you passed a pretty bush, or some flowerbed. The more delicate ones were surrounded by a small fence. Never once I saw signs not to pick the flowers. Either it was allowed and just not a problem, or people over here had common sense. I could feel all the stress melting away. Truly an oasis in an already not that busy city.

  I wanted to go back. It was nice here. In the park certainly, but the rest of the world was also pretty alright. Maybe even more so than my old one. But I still felt this longing. I felt out of place here. I was out of place. I should be trying to blend in more. Make some history. Find my place. But I couldn't even imagine that really happening. When I imagined myself 30 years in the future, I would have a decent job, friends, maybe even a family, but that feeling would still be there. It wasn't my choice to be here and as far as I knew I had no way to go back. Were the people here even aware of other worlds? In my world they were certainly not. Maybe the magic here had a clue, a way to travel worlds, but I couldn't even find the courage to ask how to turn on the light. It must have been showing on my face.

  "Whats bothering you?"

  Carch looked in my direction, probably had been for a while, but I hadn't noticed because I was staring at the ground.

  "Nothing. I just miss home. Isn't that weird? I cant even remember clearly and I still miss it."

  Those words came out without thinking. I had been trying to keep it secret exactly how few memories I had, and also... to talk about my home like this? Someone is bound to notice inconsistencies if I keep talking like that, mixing truth with lies.

  "Its not weird to miss something you know you had, even if you can't quite remember what it was." He paused a bit. "Old people often think fondly of their youth, but it has been so many years, I doubt they remember properly. And in their age they made children work during the night, so it can't have been that good!"

  It made me think a bit. What if my world wasn't as good as I thought is was because I'm only remembering the good parts? What if I manage to return and get homesick for this place? But I felt such a strong pull, can feelings this strong even be wrong?

  "Maybe..." I answered, as to not let the conversation grow silent, but not willing to explain my entire thought process.

  Carch smiled. He had a very reliable vibe right now.

  "You just live here until you start remembering things. I'm sure it won't be long now, kids are resilient, you'll bounce right back!"

  Kids? Was he calling me a child? I'm pretty sure I wasn't one. Then again, I can't remember my age. But I'm pretty sure I did adult stuff like renting houses and paying taxes. I certainly felt like I haven't been a kid in a long time. But I did do an apprenticeship. I never saw an adult apprentice. Maybe because everyone learns a trade as a child and stays in the same place for the rest of their life? What happened to the adults that didn't do an apprenticeship?

  I felt like running away. Far far into the woods, to that place that felt so comfortable and then keep running. Keep running until my legs give out. Who am I kidding? My legs would give out long before I reached that place. And running would be a dumb thing to do. I was safe here. I had someone take care of me, even if he thought of me as a child, and I was set up to get a job somewhere in the future. It would be dumb to leave that behind to go to the forbidden danger of the nightly woods. The people here certainly seemed to think that wasn't something you could come back alive from. But I already did on my first night here. Was I just extremely lucky? But those were thoughts for later. For now, I needed a mirror. I just needed to know what I looked like.