I am Mirana Leyton.

That was just about all I knew about myself when I opened my eyes, staring out into a clear blue sky. My eyelids felt heavy, and I had the familiar soreness all over my body you get from not moving for a long period of time. 'Ugh, I feel like shit…. where am I?" I sat up, and looked around where I was located. I was sitting in what seemed like just a regular field of grass.

I frowned, 'Seriously, what is this place? I remember California, and other general things but I can't even recall my own friends and family right now. Did I pass out somehow? I remember my name and birthday, but not what I did before I passed-'

"Miss?"

I snapped out of my deep thought and looked up to see a middle aged lady with brown hair and eyes. Her clothing oddly consisted of a neutral colored blouse and vest, with a long skirt that seemed from a time so….

'...old.'

"...yes?"

The lady smiled and asked, "Are you alright, dear? I was out here taking a stroll throughout the village and I find you here passed out. Do you need help?"

I smiled, a bit relieved, "Yes, actually, would you mind telling me where I am? I can't remember anything before being unconscious and I'd like some help to the police station to get some help." She frowned, "Miss, this is the remote village Tellaro, in the country of Aerugo. That's all I know dear, I've no clue of this 'police station' you're talking about."

"Aerugo? Is this some sort of small, unheard of country like Kyrgystan? I've never heard of it." 'I've never even heard of it from AP Human Geo in freshman year…. huh, another thing I actually remember.'

The lady rose an eyebrow, "Are you so sure? Aerugo is a commonly known, decent sized country, just about as big as Amestris. Where do you come from?"

"California, of the United States of America. You sure you aren't confused?" I questioned, slowly starting to panic in fear that I was far, far away from home.

"Miss, I've never even heard of this 'America' either. I think you're gonna need some help. Let me take you back to the village and show you a map, yes?"

'You've got to be kidding me. America is obviously there on a map, I'll just point it out to her myself and get some help.'

"Alright, thanks. My name's Mirana, it's nice to meet you."

"My pleasure, call me Agnese."

"And here we are, Mirana."

I stupidly gaped at the rural, old fashioned village, 'Am I the crazy one here after all?'

I stared at everything with amazed interest, never having seen anything like this from living in an advanced, modern society. We arrived at a cottage, and Agnese let me inside her home.

"You know, I'm actually glad I have company today. I don't get many visitors these days, especially with times getting so lonely ever since my late husband passed away. It's nice helping a young girl such as yourself."

I smiled, "Well, I deeply appreciate that you're helping me out."

Agnese then pulled out a folded piece of paper from a desk in the corner of the front room, and opened it to reveal a map. "Dear, mind showing me where you're from?"

"Sure," I replied and examined the map. 'Huh….? What is this?'

The map was completely off from the world map I remembered. There was no America, no Russia, no Asia, no Africa, nothing. It was all just countries I've never heard of, Amestris, Aerugo, Creta, Drachma, and Xing, along with many other countries more east of it. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't.

"Agnese, what's the year?"

"It's the year 1914, Mirana. Are you okay?"

It all made sense. Maybe Agnese and the whole village were brainwashed and were just crazy, but how else do I explain that I passed out in California, and wake up here when it only feels like I've been asleep for a day? When this whole village is just off, when there is such a descriptive, absurd map such as this one to prove that maybe, just maybe, I woke up in a place that's impossible to leave from? How was I supposed to get help for something as insane as this?

I hadn't realized I was shedding tears until Agnese spoke, "...you don't remember anything at all, do you?"

My heart shattered, and I sobbed uncontrollably.

I never would've thought that my life was about to get a lot more hectic from that moment on.

It had been a couple months since that day I woke up in this world, which gave me plenty of time to research about it. I only told Agnese that I didn't remember where I was from to not sound totally crazy myself, and she offered hospitality to me. I repaid the favor by doing basic chores and helping out around the village. I learned that there was an unbelievable science called Alchemy, mainly used and practised in Amestris from a history book from her personal library.

'Just a few more months of researching until I make my way to Amestris, and then getting myself home!'

It had already been a long day of doing the laundry, shopping at the food market, and cutting some firewood, which made me exhausted. The little cabin was simple and spacious, it had a connected kitchen and dining room, with two separate bedrooms. I was given my own room, and decided to retire for the night a bit early. Miss Agnese was currently washing the dishes and refused to let me help.

"Goodnight then, Miss Agnese."

"Sweet dreams, dear," she replied.

'I'm glad she helped me. I probably would've been dead or lost by now without her. I'll sure miss her when I leave.'

I smiled as I got ready for bed and went to sleep.

I found myself in a white void, with a door in front me.

"Where…. am I…?" I turned around to spot a being that was just white with no features on its body or face.

"Welcome back, Mirana."

"Who… are you?" I questioned.

"Glad you asked. I am what you call the world. Or perhaps the universe, or perhaps God, or perhaps Truth, or perhaps all, or perhaps one…. and I am also you."

I rose an eyebrow, "Yeah, and I'm royalty."

"Funny, that you would say that. I'm here to give you fair warning, there'll come a time where you'll have to make an unavoidable choice. You want to know why you're in another world?"

"Why?" I asked, anger filling up my chest.

Truth grinned, "Because a spoiled story is no fun without an unpredictable variable added to the mix. I got bored."

"Are you…. fucking kidding me?! You don't have the right to do that, it's my life you're toying with, you can't just mess around with people like that!"

Truth chuckled, "Well, I just did. If you follow the rules of the game, you'll be rewarded. If not, don't worry, nothing will happen except that you get nothing~"

I scowled, "What do you mean, 'nothing'? What's the reward?"

"Your memories. I'm actually being quite merciful here. I'm offering you something without equivalent exchange on your behalf. When you first arrived, I took your personal memories as a toll."

"When I first arrived? What-"

"It's about time that you wake up, now. Just know that when you find the answer to your true desire, you'll get your memories back."

"Wait-!"

"Good luck, Mirana Leyton!" Truth grinned even wider as my vision was enveloped in darkness.

The sound of screaming was heard before I had fully realized I was awake.

'What… what is happening?'

I sprung out of bed and ran into the front room, only to see Agnese barricading the door.

"Agnese? What's going on?!"

She turned to me with a look of terror across her face, "Stay quiet, and hide in the back of the closet! We're being raided and trespassed by some outside group, hurry!"

Before leaving to Agnese's room where her closet was, I turned, "You better come with me soon! If you get hurt I wouldn't be able to forgive myself!" Agnese nodded, then continued to block the windows as well.

I ran into her room, and opened the door of her closet and hid behind some old hanging clothes. It was pitch black, and quiet. 'C'mon, please hurry up Agnese.'

That was when I heard the most terrible, gut wrenching scream, "STAY BACK!" And the sound of something falling followed after. Tears sprang to my eyes as I tried to keep my breath quiet and even.

I heard the sound of the door of Agnese's room open.

"Damn, there wasn't much from this shitty village. There was only a few decent girls this time around."

Another male's voice replied, "You think Boss is gonna be angry we didn't get much?"

"Definitely, unless we find something good to make up for it."

Steps, quick rummaging around the room outside the closet was heard.

"Dario, mind checking the closet?"

I held my breath.

The closet door opened, and I assumed he looked around, then started taking out boxes of the top shelf and floor of the closet.

"Man, nothing…. Hey, what's this?" I felt a tug of the slipper on my foot.

I tried pretending to be not there, just not be apart of my slipper I was wearing and oh God I don't want to die yet.

The man chuckled, "I think I just found something good." I felt a hand grab my ankle, and violently pulled me out from behind the clothes, causing me to fall and be dragged out onto the floor from the closet.

I screamed, "Let me go! I don't want to die! Please don't kill me please-"

"Can you shut the fuck up, you annoying bitch? You're not gonna die. We'll use you to sell as a slave, then yeah maybe you'll wish you were dead by then." The man grinned.

'No.'

I cried.

Even while I currently had nothing binding me, I could easily run out the opened door and out the front door, but I wouldn't be able to. I was weak. I was a weak civilian who came from a country of mostly peace, had no worries about village raids and kidnappings like these. Even if I tried, everything would just get worse.

The other man grinned, "Damn, Dario, we found ourselves a beauty who'll for sure sell for a lot," He locked eyes with mine, "What's your age, girl?"

"I-I'm sixteen." The man whistled at my response.

"A true, young beauty. She'll be worth quite the penny. Especially with those dark blue eyes of hers."

I had my wrists tied up, and they led me outside the cabin.

"Where... are you taking me?" I asked while I was dragged along through the village, or what was left of it. They had set every cabin, every single house on fire.

Dario glanced at me before speaking, "In a truck, to be sold in Xing, probably. That's the only question I'm answering. Don't ask questions, don't speak unless spoken to, and do as we say. If not, you'll face some pretty horrific punishments, girly."

He pushed my back a bit, "Now, walk faster."

It had been six days of nonstop traveling, only a few short breaks a day to eat and do other kinds of personal business. I hadn't showered since as well, and felt absolutely disgusting.

Every night since, I kept having nightmares about Agnese's dead body. When I was taken, I saw her corpse on the way out. All I saw was blood. It was my fault she died, it was my fault that she probably died for nothing, as I have gotten captured. She shouldn't have died, she didn't deserve anything so cruel.

The truck was about the size of half of a school bus, and resembled a jeep, with only two front seats and a spacious back trunk for storage. There were four other trucks besides the one I was currently in, and they all contained goods and stolen items from the village. The truck I was in, however, had three other girls about my age in the same truck. We weren't allowed to speak to each other, probably to prevent us from plotting anything to escape.

It was over an hour ago that Dario, who seemed to be the one in charge of us girls, mentioned that we had arrived in Xing.

'There has to be some kind of way that I can escape…. if I can just sneak around when they're not looking and find something to cut these ropes, I'll be fine.'

I knew they stopped to cook and eat for about thirty minutes to an hour every morning, which would be my chance to take something. It was already what seemed to be about nine in the morning, and they only hung around the only exit in the back of the truck. The one time they weren't there was when they'd eat by the side of the truck, instead of the back.

I just needed to sneak through that opening, cut myself free, and try to escape from there. I really didn't have much of a plan, but from listening in on their conversations, we weren't too far from a six minute drive to some civilization.

The trucks stopped in a forest, and the men got out of the vehicles to do their daily routine. They had the other girls in a different truck today, as I was the only one to be sold in Xing anyways as the rest would move on ahead to other countries. I waited for a bit before I heard the conversation and laughter of the men, while I tried looking outside the opened doors of the truck to see any sharp objects that could be useful.

I spotted a wooden, on-the-go type of table with many types of cutlery on it by the left tire of the truck, impossible for me to reach over with my bounded wrists.

'However…'

Looking down at my bare feet, I was struck with an idea. 'What if….' I scooted myself across to the edge, my bound feet hanging over the trunk of the vehicle. I stretched my legs to the table, and slowly tried curling my feet and toes around the handle of a kunai. I listened carefully as I tried grasping it, not wanting to get caught.

The corners of my mouth curved up, 'I have it!'

I slowly pulled in my legs back into the trunk, and released the kunai from my feet onto the floor. I moved in a way so that my back was to the kunai, and that my hands could reach it to cut myself free.

I felt the cool metal against my right palm and fingers, and I curved my wrist up and pressed the blade into the rope. I continuously sawed the kunai through the bindings, and for what seemed like hours, my hands were finally unbound. I sat up and used the kunai to cut through the bindings of my ankles, and I was finally one step closer to freedom.

And I'm still alive! Writing this here to say;

It's hard for me to make promises and stay committed to updating stories. When I'm writing about a fandom, I get bored eventually and move on to something else, and so on. So, I've decided to write pretty much whatever I want so it doesn't feel like a chore to me, and when I get back to a fandom I've already started a story for, I'll just update and write for that story lol. If you're curious on the progress of any incoming chapters, I have it on my bio of how completed the next chapter is.

Constructive criticism is always appreciated!

~Navi