The capital of the Kingdom of Sharpi was noisy and alive. Carriages rolled along the cobblestone streets, pulled by horses trotting with steady steps.
Nobles dressed in elegant clothing strolled along the sidewalks, chatting with an air of superiority.
Children raced across the squares, playing tag and bursting into loud laughter.
The sun shone high overhead, lighting up the stone and timber buildings that made up the city.
Everything was peaceful… until…
BOOOOM!
The sound was deafening.
The light was so blinding that several people had to cover their eyes.
"What the hell was that?!" a woman shouted, stumbling back in fear.
"Call the guards!" a man yelled, pointing toward the center of the square.
The light slowly began to fade, and when it finally disappeared, the crowd was left gaping.
Right in the middle of the plaza stood a short-haired brunette girl… completely naked.
"What…?" a noble muttered, eyes wide as saucers.
"There's a naked girl!" a woman shrieked, pointing with disgust.
"How shameless!" another exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand.
◇◆◇
Shawn opened his eyes slowly, feeling his head spin.
'What… what happened?' he thought, blinking several times.
Shawn looked around and realized a ton of people were staring at him.
Way too many people.
'Why are they looking at me like that?' he thought, confused.
Then he felt cold.
Really cold.
Shawn looked down.
And froze.
He was naked.
Completely naked.
'What?!' he thought, panic starting to take over.
But what confused him even more was that when he looked between his legs… there was no penis.
'What…?' Shawn thought, heart pounding.
Plus, his chest looked… a bit different than usual.
'Wait, wait, wait,' he thought, fear mixing with confusion. 'What the hell is going on?'
"Shameless little hussy!" a deep voice bellowed.
Shawn looked up and saw two guards in medieval armor approaching.
One of them tossed him a somewhat clean rag.
Fwip!
It landed in his lap.
"Cover yourself with that!" the guard ordered, scowling.
Shawn snatched the rag and covered himself as best he could, shame flooding through him.
'What the fuck is happening?' he thought, hands shaking.
Then the comments from the crowd started reaching him.
"What a shameless little tart!" a woman said, glaring.
"Crazy witch!" another yelled.
"Slut!" a third snapped. "Thinks she's so gorgeous she can just strut around naked!"
"Look at those golden eyes," a man murmured with a crooked grin. "Body's a bit underdeveloped, but still… I'd be willing to 'help' her out for a night just to see what face she'd make with those eyes…"
Shawn felt rage rising.
'Why the hell are they treating me like a woman?' he thought, teeth clenched.
"You need to come with us," one guard said, pointing toward a nearby building.
Shawn nodded, having no idea what else to do.
As he walked, he looked at the buildings around him.
Stone and wood, slanted roofs, small windows.
'I'm seriously in a medieval world,' he thought, reality starting to hit hard.
In the distance he could see a huge castle towering over the city.
'Probably the capital,' he thought, staring in awe.
Originally Shawn had expected to appear in a forest…
Or a monster-infested place where he could test his new powers.
He'd even fantasized about saving a damsel in distress!
But showing up buck-naked in front of a crowd…
'Damn it, I just got to this world and I already lost every shred of dignity.'
Shawn glanced at his arms while walking.
Pale and rather slender, but what caught his attention most were the eight small black stripes on his right forearm.
'What are these…?' he thought, frowning.
Discreetly, he checked out his butt and chest while following the guards.
'Why the hell did I get stuck with a girl's body that has literally nothing going for it?' he thought, frustration boiling.
'God… if you were going to give me a girl's body, I wouldn't complain so much if it was at least a decent one!!'
Shawn touched his hair.
Short.
Very short.
'I've got the classic short lesbian haircut from my world!' he thought, tears prickling his eyes. 'This is awful!'
Finally they entered a building where the crowd thinned out, replaced by several armored knights.
"Why did you bring this young lady here in that state?" an officer asked, frowning at the guards.
"She appeared naked in the public square right after a beam of light vanished," one guard explained. "We gave her that to cover herself."
The officer studied Shawn curiously.
"Are you a mage?" he asked.
Shawn thought for a second.
'Technically performing miracles could count as magic,' he thought.
But then he remembered how casually they used the word "mage."
The stupid women outside had called him that too.
'Being a mage is just a regular job here,' Shawn realized, an idea forming.
'Saying I'm God's messenger would probably skyrocket my status!'
He opened his mouth—then his rational side mentally slapped him.
'Wait,' he thought, frowning. 'God sent me here to work for a reason. He said there's no faith in this place.'
Shawn took a breath, ready to answer.
But just as he was about to speak, a girl coming down the stairs spotted him.
She looked like a knight—light armor, sword at her hip.
When she saw Shawn's pitiful state—the rag barely covering him, tears in his eyes—she shouted:
"Move!"
The guards stepped back, startled.
She hurried over and asked in a firm voice:
"Who's the bastard that made such a young, beautiful girl cry?"
Shawn let out a weak, bitter laugh.
He pointed at himself and asked in a small voice:
"You think I look beautiful?"
The knight misunderstood completely.
The weak tone and forced smile made her think Shawn had probably endured endless torture and humiliation from a kidnapper.
She hugged him tightly.
"Calm down," she said softly. "Everything's okay now."