KamiKowa: That Time I Got Transmigrated With A Broken Goddess-Chapter 103: [] 200 Meters Never Felt So Far

A woman in a green dress stepped into the room, carrying a basket of herbs. Her black hair was pulled back in a bun, and her turquoise eyes widened slightly upon seeing Calypso standing.

"You should be resting, my lady," she said.

Calypso stared at her, recognition dawning. "Margaret?"

The woman glanced toward the door, then quickly closed it before turning back to Calypso. "It’s Margot here," she said in a hushed voice. "But yes, it’s me. Thank the gods you remember."

"You came through the gate too! Do you know what happened? Where are the others? Have you seen Xavier?"

Margaret—or Margot—set down her basket and approached Calypso, gently guiding her back to the bed. "Sit before you fall. You’re still recovering."

Calypso allowed herself to be led, noticing now the subtle differences in her classmate’s appearance. Margaret’s hair was styled differently, and her clothes were nothing like what she’d worn at Catalyst, but her eyes and face were unmistakable.

"I don’t know much more than you do," Margaret said once Calypso was seated. "I woke up three days ago in a healer’s cottage outside the city. An old woman named Frida had found me in the snow and taken me in. According to her, I’m her apprentice who’s been studying with her for two years."

"But that’s not possible," Calypso said. "We just arrived."

Margaret nodded. "I know. But everyone here has memories of me—of Margot—that go back years. It’s as if we’ve been inserted into existing lives in this world."

"That would explain why they think I’m this Lady Selene person," Calypso mused. "But why? And how?"

"I don’t know. But I’ve been asking questions. This place is called Frostfall—it’s an entire continent locked in perpetual winter. Hearthome is the largest city, built around some kind of sacred eternal flame that keeps the worst of the cold at bay."

Calypso thought back to the message they’d received. "The gate was called a ’narrative gate.’"

Margaret tilted her head. "Professor Rousseau mentioned different types of gates in class, remember? Including ones not in our textbooks."

"So we’re trapped in some kind of story?" Calypso frowned. "With a specific role to play?"

"Maybe. I’ve been gathering information while treating patients. People talk freely to healers." Margaret began unpacking herbs from her basket, maintaining the appearance of tending to a patient in case anyone entered. "There’s something called the Winter Court pushing north from the southern reaches. They bring storms and monsters with them."

"Like the Heart of Winter," Calypso murmured.

Margaret looked up sharply. "What did you say?"

"When we fell through the gate, there was a message. It said our goal was to destroy the Heart of Winter."

"That must be our way out," Margaret said, excitement coloring her voice. "Complete the story, destroy the heart, and go home."

"But first we need to find the others," Calypso insisted. "Especially Xavier."

Margaret nodded. "I’ve been asking about strangers or newcomers, but carefully. This world has its own politics and dangers. As Lady Selene, you have status and protection. I’m just a healer’s apprentice."

"Tell me everything you know about Lady Selene," Calypso said.

Margaret glanced toward the door again, then lowered her voice. "From what I’ve gathered, Lady Selene is the niece of the High Burner—the ruler of Hearthome. Her parents died, her father in battle and her mother from illness. She’s known for being... difficult."

"Difficult how?"

"Temperamental. Demanding. Prone to dramatic outbursts." Margaret’s lips quirked. "Not entirely unlike you, actually."

Calypso rolled her eyes. "Very funny."

"She’s also politically important. There’s talk of marrying her to someone from another hold to strengthen alliances against the Winter Court."

That caught Calypso’s attention. "Marriage? Absolutely not."

"You might not have a choice if we want to maintain our cover while searching for the others," Margaret pointed out. "Which reminds me—your hair and eyes."

"What about them?"

"They’re different here. Look." Margaret retrieved a small metal mirror from her basket and handed it to Calypso.

Calypso gasped at her reflection. Her hair was still long but now a deep wine-red instead of silver. Her eyes, normally pink, were now a deep purple. Her face was the same, but these changes made her look like a different person entirely.

"This is..." she trailed off, touching her hair in disbelief.

"Part of becoming Lady Selene, I guess," Margaret said. "My hair and eyes are the same, but apparently I have different memories and skills here. I know herbs and treatments I never studied."

Calypso set down the mirror, her mind racing. "So we’re ourselves, but not. And we have to find the others and destroy this Heart of Winter, whatever it is."

"While playing our roles convincingly enough not to raise suspicion," Margaret added. "The people here aren’t characters in a story—this is a real world."

A knock at the door made them both jump. Margaret quickly resumed her healer’s pose, checking Calypso’s forehead for fever.

"Enter," Calypso called, trying to sound imperious.

A servant appeared with a tray of food—a bowl of thick stew, dark bread, and a cup of something steaming. "Your meal, Lady Selene. And Mistress Agna says the books you requested will be brought up shortly."

"Thank you," Calypso said, watching as the servant placed the tray on a small table near the bed.

After the servant departed, Margaret spoke again. "I should go soon. People will talk if I spend too long with you."

"We need a way to communicate," Calypso said. "And a plan to find the others."

Margaret nodded. "I’ll come back tomorrow to check on your recovery. Meanwhile, learn what you can about Lady Selene and this place. The more we understand, the better our chances of finding everyone and completing whatever task this gate has set for us."

Calypso reached out and squeezed Margaret’s hand. "I’m glad you’re here. I don’t think I could do this alone."

"We’ll find them," Margaret promised. "Xavier, Ashley, all of them. And we’ll find a way home."

As Margaret gathered her things to leave, Calypso turned back to the window, gazing out at the strange city that was now, temporarily at least, her home. Somewhere out there, Xavier was alive—she had to believe that. And somehow, she would find him.

Hold on, Xavier, she thought. Wherever you are in this frozen world, hold on. I’m coming.

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