The Logical Healer

Paint with all the Colors of the Wind

One week later

It has been a crazy week, to say the least. I am still stuck in this alternate world in a gorgeous body and I have learned a lot. Good thing, learning is kind of my thing already. I have everything written in a secret journal of a sort (they don’t have normal pen and paper here). The papyrus journal is magical and the writing is only visible to the writer’s eyes. I have to write using a weird feather which they call a quill. Thankfully, due to magic, I don’t have to dip the quill in ink every time I write. I just “charge” it when I am not using it by keeping it close to my skin when I sleep.

I stare at my papyrus journal.

· Name: Aanya of Gaya, Daughter of Aadhya who was also a renowned healer. I have completed 19 full moons (moons are the same as human years, I’m guessing, and so that would make me 19 years old - a couple of years older than my real age).

· My mom in this world died after giving birth to Rakshan, my younger brother, who has completed 17 moons, so Aanya and him were basically raised at the temple.

The Inhabitants of Gaya are divided by their occupation/class. Of course, there are the Healers like me (per Rakshan, most healers are women though not all) and Guardians like Rakshan (again mostly men but not always the case), who protect the healers. There are also merchants, scholars, artisans, and the nobility (aka the royal family and the others who own the lands). The artisans/craftsman can work the land or a craft, while the scholars usually teach or are part of the council.

This world is also full of all sorts of “creatures”. Tulsi, my purple talking lizard for example, is a familiar and I received her when I first came to power at puberty. She is there to guide me and is a conduit for my powers. Most familiars are reptiles here as they are great conduits, which really does make sense scientifically.

There are also shapeshifters who come from neighboring lands – dragons, selkies, werebears, werefoxes, and werewolves. They can hide among us and it is hard to know if they are friend or foe though according to Tulsi most find us Gayans quite boring as we do not transform and our “powers”, which to me sounded mysterious and fascinating, are child’s play for them.

My power is one of air and light, which makes sense seeing how I was seeing rainbows and sparkles when I first was transported here. I assume I was transported here, of course as the thought that I died in my own world is too scary to think. Though honestly, other than a few of my mom’s friends, no one would even miss me. Aanya used the air and light to help heal the people and the land. However, for the past decade it has been an uphill battle for my body donor, according to Tulsi due to the limited rains. And now the Gayans are in a state of drought and many of the Gayan people are dying of hunger. This of course, led Aanya to become desperate and seek the help of spells and that brought me to this current state.

Once Rakshan safely transported all three of us to the Pavitra temple using magical protective shields and barriers, I was given a crash course on using my air and light magical abilities including to doing a rudimentary protection shield, beckoning for Rakshan if I was in danger, and using some minor healing magic. I practiced cleansing and closing some cuts and healing some bruises on the orphan kids at the temple. It was really hard to do initially but then when I stopped overthinking, it became so much easier. Tulsi of course thinks it is because Aanya is still present within me. I think it is muscle memory of a sort. I have also been using my knowledge from the real world to help me. I still struggle with all the herbs and potions but again, I am able to pull some random knowledge from Aanya’s brain (like the smell of sage when I first came to this world) which I again contribute to science and the workings of the neural pathways of the brain.

All the science and logic of course goes right out of the window when I first spot a shapeshifting battle near the temple grounds.