So back in March, under the name everwinter810, I asked for some story prompts, and there was one I really liked by @Mrgoblinging7. Well, Senior Goblin, I have finally written the story.
(It’s still fucking ongoing, but I’ve gotten a great idea of the worldbuilding and story arcs.)
It is not merely a story, but an entire SW-GTS-Size-Content-Related Universe, which I am currently calling the Ariaverse… for reasons yet to be revealed… evil laugh.
Anyway I just wanted to say that, and now, after way too much time, I proudly present the first chapter of many, of a story I’ve dubbed “Reformidance Rising”.
Chapter One: Encounter
It was a dark and stormy night.
Such a line may appear rather trite and overused, but it must be stated that it really was a dark and stormy night.
Rain poured from the skies, thunder rumbling in the background, providing a comforting sound to those fortunate enough to be inside and asleep. The city was drowsy and quiet, one could imagine the place eagerly guzzling the water from the sky after many dry, hot days. The moon was hidden behind the clouds, and the streetlamps didn’t do much to penetrate the all-encroaching blackness.
Unfortunately, the rain provides excellent cover.
Jeanette had found this out the hard way, as three men grabbed her and dragged her into an alleyway, knocking her to the ground. She hadn’t seen or heard them coming, but she supposed that didn’t matter now.
Her rear and her elbows ached, and her purse had been ripped from her body. She looked up at her attacker, light blue eyes wide with fear.
“Alright, look,” the nearest man said, his lilting voice cutting through the rain remarkably well. “We know you’ve got at least two hundred cash worth of loot on ya. So I’m gonna try to make this real quick and easy.”
Jeanette slowly crawled back, pushing a lock of her sopping-wet red hair from her face. Her chest rose and fell as she tried to reclaim her breath.
“W-What do you mean?” she managed, her voice high and fearful.
One of the men pulled out a small knife, a low growl escaping from his throat.
“He means you’re gonna hand over that necklace, that purse, and just about everything else that can get us anything.”
“And you’re gonna do it quickly,” the third man added in a nasally voice that didn’t carry quite as well as his friend’s, “Or we may have to make things… difficult.”
“M-My necklace?” Jeanette squeaked nervously. Her hand went to her sternum where the simple necklace rested, cold against her skin. “T-This was my mother’s necklace… I can give you everything else just – just please, not this!”
The second man knelt before her, placing the knife at her throat. She felt the icy blade press into her soft neck, and her heart froze with its touch.
Slowly, the man brought the knife under the necklace, a silver claw curling over its prey.
“Now,” the first man said genially, “my friend here has a poor temper. I would highly recommend submitting to his instructions, or we’re going to have to escalate matters.”
“Listen to 'im, toots,” the second said, his face curled into a cruel smile.
Tears started to pool up in Jeanette’s eyes. The man’s hot, rank breath washed over her face, and the rain battered her head as she realized she had no other options.
“A-Alright,” she said quietly.
As she unclasped her necklace, the man snatched it from her violently, shoving back and forcing a cry of despair and pain from her lips.
“Well,” the first man said. “That was rather easy.”
They all started to laugh, but were interrupted by a bright flash of blinding blue light. Jeanette felt a strange tingling sensation spread across her body, and her eyelids suddenly felt heavy. She realized she was falling unconscious a second too late…
After what felt like forever, she opened her eyes.
“Ugh…”
She sat up, and she felt like something was off. For starters, she wasn’t outside anymore. She was on a large flat area, surrounded by what looked like giant versions of desktop appliances: a lamp, a few stray pencils, and the like. Her attackers were nowhere to be found, and she felt light-headed.
“H-Hello?” she said quietly, unsure where she was.
“Oh! My goodness, you’re awake!”
A loud voice spoke from somewhere. Jeanette whirled about to find its source… then her jaw dropped. Standing over her was a boy with tousled silver-white hair, round glasses, and a shy expression. The boy was also a giant. He was easily over 50 feet tall, and he was looking down at her, eyes wide.
Suddenly, Jeanette got the bizarre feeling that the things on the desk weren’t gigantic.
“Um… y-yeah, I shrank you,” the boy (or young man, whatever one would call a male of around sixteen) said softly. “Sorry. I-I noticed your predicament earlier and thought I’d step in to help.”
Jeanette stared up at the giant in awe, observing his face. His face was boyish and young, with big blue eyes and a diffident grin.
“You’re… enormous!” she exclaimed.
“Y-Yeah… sorry about that. I cast a shrinking spell to deal with those guys earlier, but you got caught in the blast. I’m trying to conserve some energy so that I can put you back… if I can…”
“W-Wait… shrinking spell? H-How? Magic isn’t real… unless…”
The boy looked rather embarrassed at this.
“Well… magic is real… just not very common. I’m not a very good spellcaster, I know… but I’m trying to get better!”
Jeanette looked up at him silently. Her mind was racing with these new revelations.
Magic is real. I’m tiny. I’m talking to a wizard. A giant wizard…
“You okay?” The boy tilted his head, genuinely curious.
Jeanette stared up at the giant. He was kind of cute, she noticed, with a big shy grin and a likable aura. But that wasn’t what she was interested in.
“So… you’re a giant now. And I’m a tiny woman.”
She raised an eyebrow up at him.
“Yes…” the boy said hesitantly. “That is the issue at hand…”
He noticed Jeanette’s face. Then he blushed.
“Oh.”
Jeanette didn’t understand what it was. But as she looked around the room, at the gigantic pencils and other items around her, she felt a strange tingly feeling in her chest. The idea of being so small and insignificant was… exhilarating, in a strange way.
“This could be interesting,” she said after a moment.
“You’re not… nervous?” the boy asked hesitantly. “I would have thought you’d be, you know… freaking out and stuff.”
Jeanette crossed her leg over her knee. She look up at the boy curiously.
“What’s there to be nervous about?”
The boy coughed.
“Um… you do realize you’re around 3 inches tall, right? That’s… miniscule. Tiny. Itty-bitty. If I were you, I wouldn’t take this so lightly – what are you doing?”
Jeanette had gotten to her feet, and walking around the desk and looking around curiously.
“So… magic?” she squeaked up at him.
“Uh… heh… yeah…” He scratched the back of his head shyly.
“That’s so cool!” she said excitedly, comparing her height to that of a nearby pencil. It was at least double her height, and she had to strain herself to lift it up. “Everything looks so different from down here!”
“Um… yeah. You are now small. That’s kind of a foregone conclusion.”
Jeanette laughed.
“Yeah, I guess.”
She looked up at him, and a thought occurred to her.
“What’d you do to those other guys?”
The boy’s face darkened. He glanced behind him.
“L-Let’s not worry about that.”
“Oh… o-okay.”
They were silent for a moment.
“A-anyway,” the boy said, clearing his throat. “I think I should be able to get you back to normal. Um… hold still. I don’t wanna hit a pencil and stab myself.” He raised his left hand, and closed his eyes. Jeanette tilted her head as she waited for him to say a magic word, or click his fingers, or something, but nothing happened.
“Um… is everything oka-”
Suddenly, wings – huge, shimmering wings like those of a dragonfly – spread from the boy’s back, and strange markings appeared on his face, glowing blue. Jeanette let out a squeak of fear, and a strange tingling sensation spread across her body…
Then, suddenly, it was over. She sat on a desk, looking down at a short boy of roughly sixteen. She was normal-sized again. The whole thing had happened in a few seconds.
“That was…” she managed, her voice shaky and stunned.
“Yeah. Sorry about that.”
He wasn’t looking at her, but his eyes were directed towards his small, pale hand.
“Um… i-it’s okay, really! Just… um… what…”
She flushed slightly as the boy finally met her eyes.
“What are you?”
He offered her a shy smile. “My name is Cornelius,” he said, “and that’s really all you need to know.”
Jeanette tilted her head. “Is that so? A strange kid appears out of nowhere, saves my life by shrinking me to doll size, and then puts me back without any explanation, and all I need to know is his name?”
The boy – Cornelius – looked at her, a strange look in his eyes. Then he sighed, and he shook his head.
“Ma’am,” he said quietly, “it isn’t safe. The fact that I’m speaking to you know could get both of us in big trouble. Just… go home, and forget that you met me. Please. It’d be a huge weight off my conscience.”
He adjusted his glasses, and sighed again. “I’ll show you out,” he said in a voice so quiet it may as well have been a whisper.
He led her to the door, and opened it with a gesture that clearly said thanks for coming, now get out. Jeanette stood still.
“Tell me what’s going on!” she demanded. “Who are you? How are you able to mess with people’s sizes like this? What did you mean magic is real? I demand answers!”
The boy didn’t meet her eyes.
“Goodbye, Miss Jeanette,” he said, lightly forcing her out onto the front steps. She tried to step back in, but he shut the door in her face.
She sighed and turned around. The rain had stopped, the morning sun (great, she’d been there all night)sparkling off the dew and droplets like stars brought down from heaven itself. Birds chirped merrily, and the sounds of car horns and morning chatter were already sounding as the city began to awaken from its short slumber.
Jeanette sighed again. She had to get home. She was grateful it was the weekend. Having to go to work like this would have probably killed her.
She started off towards her apartment, and could see it a few blocks away when she placed a hand to her sternum and realized she had lost her mother’s necklace. She must have left it at the boy’s house.
Groaning, she turned back, and headed off towards the run-down suburban neighborhood where Cornelius’s home had been. To her dismay, she couldn’t remember which building it was. She knocked on each of the doors, but none of the people who answered were the boy she was looking for.
Angry tears filling her eyes, Jeanette turned around once again, and started back towards her apartment.
I’ll find him, she swore to herself as she walked. I’ll find him, and I’ll get some answers.
Looking back, Jeanette would realize that had she kept her head down, and forgotten about what had happened, her life would have been so much brighter in the long run.
She wouldn’t have had to deal with the trauma, the sleepless nights, the hours spent crying alone in her bedroom. The nightmares, the interviews, the pain. The knowledge that she could have saved so many people.
But she’d made her choice. And, whether she knew it or not, her life would be forever changed from it.
