A New World

Caelum gazed out at the horizon as the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting streaks of orange and red across the clouds. The fading light bathed the world in an ethereal glow, making the trees and distant hills look almost surreal. A gentle breeze stirred the leaves, carrying with it the soft chirping of birds as they settled in for the evening.

It was a peaceful moment, but…

Caelum sighed. His mind was far too preoccupied for him to enjoy the view.

He estimated that several hours had passed since—well, whatever had happened. A summoning, maybe? That was the only explanation that made any sense.

One second, he had been walking back from his part-time job at the restaurant feeling absolutely exhausted. The next, he had found himself standing in a circle of candles and staring at a girl who looked just as shocked as he felt.

And now? Now, he was here, wherever that was.

He leaned back slightly, glancing at the cottage behind him. He had a decent look at it earlier. It was strange but well-built. The stone walls reminded him of European-style buildings, but the sloped roof was tiled in ceramic shingles that bore a resemblance to traditional Chinese and Japanese architecture.

Beyond the cottage, the forest stretched toward rolling fields, and in the distance, he could just make out a city. It was too far to make out any details, but the sight of civilization—even if it wasn’t his civilization—was a little reassuring.

"Is this a dream?" Caelum muttered under his breath.

It certainly looked like one. The scenery was beautiful, almost impossibly so, but nothing about this place matched the world he knew. This wasn’t Japan, nor was it America, France, or anywhere else he had ever seen.

In fact, he was about ninety percent sure that this wasn't even Earth.

The magic had been his first clue—real magic. There was no other way to explain what had happened. The glowing symbols, the surge of energy, the way his entire body had felt like it was being yanked through existence… That wasn’t something that could be easily brushed aside.

Then, there was the girl, Valeria.

Her voice had an odd cadence to it; it was a rhythm that was unlike anything he had ever heard. And he had heard a lot of languages.

Now, he was left trying to figure out what to do next.

Denial wasn’t going to get him anywhere. He had already come to terms with the fact that this was real somehow, but that didn’t mean he had a clear path forward.

He figured that the city in the distance was probably his best bet. It was possible that there was something there that could help him, and maybe even a way back home.

He would try to communicate that to her once she was done bathing.

"…"

Caelum immediately regretted letting that thought linger. His face burned as he quickly pushed the memory away.

After they had finished eating, Valeria had went to her bedroom and—without a single shred of hesitation or privacy—stripped her clothes off into a hamper.

It was something that had left him feeling more than a little flustered.

He wasn’t sure what the cultural norms were here, but he had assumed she was capable of feeling shame given her earlier reaction to the food. And yet, she had shown absolutely no self-consciousness about her own nudity.

Did people here just… not care?

Either way, the last thing he needed was to dwell on that.

Instead, he distracted himself with the thin book he had in his hands. It had a rough, cardboard-like cover with illustrations that reminded him of a children’s book.

Valeria had handed it to him before heading off, presumably as a way for him to start learning the language.

Honestly? It wasn't a bad idea.

If he could pick up at least the basics, it would make things a lot easier when they reached the city.

Flipping through the pages, he studied the unfamiliar script. Some of the symbols bore vague similarities to the Latin alphabet, but the way they were arranged made no sense. Were they phonetic? Logographic? A combination of both?

"Let’s see," he murmured, attempting to match the words with the accompanying pictures.

However, the more he tried, the more frustrating it became. There was no clear pattern and no obvious connection between the sounds and letters. It was like trying to decipher a puzzle without knowing what the pieces were supposed to look like.

After several more failed attempts, he sighed and closed the book.

"…This isn't working."

Without a frame of reference to work with, he was completely in the dark.

Still, he had to try. Because if he wanted any chance of getting home, he needed to start somewhere.

"Caelum?"

The sudden voice startled him, and he spun around. Valeria had somehow managed to sneak up behind him and was now peering over his shoulder with a curious expression.

"Crap! Wh-where did you come from?"

She blinked, tilting her head. "Crap?" she echoed.

"Wait, no, no, no. Don't say that," he said, shaking his head. "That's bad. Well, not as bad as other profanities, but it's sort of bad!"

Her expression shifted; confusion and perhaps a little bit of hurt flickered across her face. "Bad? Vov O feu e dev bisv?"

Hearing the unfamiliar words, he forced himself to calm down. "Sorry, I didn't mean to call you bad. I just… meant…"

His words trailed off as he took in her appearance.

Valeria wasn’t wearing the dress and cape she had been earlier. Now, she was in a short-sleeved nightgown that clung to her figure and exposed her shoulders and legs. The fabric was thin too, almost transparent in places, and offered fleeting glimpses of what lay beneath.

Heat rushed to his face, and he quickly averted his gaze.

Clothing aside, Valeria was a sight to behold. He had admittedly thought she looked pretty the instant he had first seen her, but it had been overshadowed by the chaos of her crying and the whole magic summoning.

Now though… well, it was impossible to ignore.

She was beautiful.

She had a slim, petite frame that gave her an almost delicate appearance. Her long dark purple hair that had been tied up in a braided ponytail now hung loosely around her shoulders in still damp, flowing locks. Her golden eyes glowed faintly in the twilight, and her skin had a pale, almost porcelain-like quality despite the occasional blemish and light scar on her arms and legs.

It wasn't just her appearance either—it was her entire presence. She exuded an aura of kindness and innocence that made Caelum feel strangely at ease despite knowing so little about her.

"Caelum?" She smiled at him. It was warm, inviting, and made his heart flutter.

He swallowed, feeling his cheeks heat up, and quickly turned his gaze back to the book. "I'm fine. You just… surprised me."

Valeria briefly studied him before walking around the bench and sitting beside him—close enough that their shoulders nearly touched. He instinctively scooted over, trying to give her more space, but it was pointless. She simply scooted closer again until they were practically pressed together.

He did his best to ignore the warmth radiating from her skin and the scent of her freshly washed hair.

Deep breaths, Caelum. In and out. Just like Auntie taught.

Once he regained some semblance of composure, he risked a glance at Valeria. If she noticed how much she was flustering him, she didn’t show it. Instead, she seemed focused on something else entirely.

Without warning, she opened the book in his hands and pointed at the words and illustrations inside.

Ah. She probably wanted to teach him now.

He steeled himself and pushed past his embarrassment. Learning her language was important.

He had ranked pretty high in his class before all of this. He could handle learning some simple words.