A Surprising World

Valeria hesitantly opened her eyes.

"…"

Someone stood in the summoning circle. But it wasn't her mother.

Instead, there was a boy.

He looked about her age, with light-tan skin and messy, ashen brown hair that stuck out in odd angles like the thistles outside the cottage. His clothing was unfamiliar and strange, and he was wearing shoes that looked far more different than anything she had ever worn.

However, his face was what caught her attention the most.

His features were sharp, as if they had been carved from stone, and his stormy grey eyes held a wary confusion in them. He was taller than her by a fair bit, and while his build seemed to be a bit on the wiry side, he definitely seemed more capable physically than she was.

But as striking as he was… he wasn't her mother.

The realization struck her like a hammer to the chest.

Where was she? Why wasn't her mother here?!

Her mind raced to try and make sense of what had happened. Had the spell failed? Had it gone wrong somehow?

"Ohw era uoy?" the boy asked, breaking the uneasy silence.

Valeria blinked, still struggling to process the situation.

"Can you repeat yourself? I didn't understand you," she replied, speaking slowly in a hope he would recognize her language.

The boy's brow furrowed, and he took a step forward. He looked like he was about to say something else, but suddenly he stopped, and his gaze fixated on the summoning circle beneath his feet. The moment he saw it, his expression turned from confusion to shock, and then finally to anger.

"Tahw eht lelh?!" He gestured wildly at the circle and then to her. "Idd uoy od siht?"

Valeria's heart pounded. She didn't know what he was saying, but it was clear that he was upset. She raised her hands in a placating gesture, trying to convey that she meant no harm.

"I'm… not going to hurt you," she said shakily.

He seemed to calm down slightly, but he continued to glare at her. He was still visibly on edge.

Valeria took a deep breath, trying to keep herself from breaking down. She had no idea what had gone wrong or why this boy had been summoned instead of her mother, but it was clear that something had.

What was she supposed to do now? Could she reverse the spell? Was that even possible?

If her parents were here, they would have known what to do. Her father would have calmly assessed the situation, and her mother would have reassured her and told her everything would be okay.

But they weren’t here.

Panic surged through her veins. She had been so consumed by excitement—by desperation—that she hadn't even considered the possibility of failure. And now, she had not only failed to bring back the person she needed most, but she had also summoned someone completely unfamiliar who clearly didn’t belong here.

She had stolen him from wherever he came from. Worse, she had likely just ruined his entire life.

The thought made her nauseous.

Her vision grew blurry as a wetness gathered in her eyes. She tried to steady herself, but she was shaking uncontrollably now.

"Uoy kaoy?" the boy asked. His voice cut through the haze. He no longer sounded angry—in fact, his tone almost seemed concerned. But it was too late.

Valeria couldn't hold back anymore.

She had just ruined everything.

Everything.

Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she sank to her knees.

She had been alone for so long just surviving in this empty world. This had been her chance, possibly her only chance, and she had squandered it.

"Oi."

Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice. She hadn’t even noticed him moving closer, but now he was crouched at her level. His stormy grey eyes studied her with something she couldn’t quite place, and he gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Uoy alirght?"

She tried to respond, but her breath hitched and made it impossible to form words.

"Theabr rof em. Pede theabrs, ni dan tou."

She blinked, uncomprehending. The words meant nothing to her, but his voice was steady, and his touch was warm.

It had been so long since someone had touched her.

The warmth seeped into her skin, grounding her. Before she even realized it, she was leaning into his touch and allowing herself to feel something other than the crushing weight of her failure.

For a moment, she didn't feel so alone.

She took a deep breath and forcibly composed herself. She couldn’t break down. Not now. Not in front of him.

Val looked up at the boy and smiled weakly. "I don't understand," she whispered. "But… thank you, I think. For trying to comfort me."

He gave her a curious look, as if he wasn’t quite sure what to make of her response. Then, he slowly pulled his hand away and stood up, leaving the lingering heat of his touch on her shoulder.

"Hoshino Caelum," he said, tapping his chest with his finger. Then, he pointed at her. "Ruoy enam?"

The girl sniffed and wiped the last remaining tears from her eyes. She didn't understand his language, but she could guess what he was trying to say.

"My name?" she asked, pointing to herself.

The boy nodded. "Ruoy enam?"

"Valeria. My name is Valeria," she said.

His lips moved silently as he repeated it under his breath, testing the unfamiliar syllables. "Valeria."

It was strange to hear her own name spoken to her after so long. Yet, despite the odd pronunciation, the sound of it was strangely comforting.

Her voice was a little hoarse from crying, but she tried to keep a hopeful tone.

"Valeria," she repeated with a nod. Then, she pointed at him. "Is your name… Caelum?"

She could've sworn she saw him blush a little before nodding back at her. "Caelum. Cael."

Then, he extended his hand towards her.

Valeria hesitated as her golden eyes met his grey ones. She didn't know where to go from here. She didn’t understand him, she didn’t know how to fix this, and she didn’t have a way to undo the spell.

But she knew that she couldn't stay on the ground forever.

She reached out and took his hand. His grip was strong, and he helped her back to her feet with ease.

Brushing herself off, she studied him more closely now that the tension had eased. He wasn’t as intimidating as she had initially thought. Instead, there was something about him, an energy she couldn’t quite place; it was calming.

"…"

Her emotions had settled down a fair amount now, but the guilt still remained. He was clearly out of his element and uncomfortable, and it was all because of her.

She looked around the room, and her eyes settled on the remnants of the summoning circle. The spell was broken, and its components were spent. Even if there was a way to somehow reverse it, she didn't have what she needed anymore.

Her stomach twisted at the thought.

If there was a way to send him back, she would likely have to find out where he came from and who he was. Even then, it would take weeks, months, possibly even years.

"Valeria?"

Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice. Caelum was looking at her with a mix of concern and confusion, as if he wasn’t sure how to approach her. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure either.

"Right," she muttered to herself, taking a deep breath and forcing a calm smile. Before they even began thinking about a way to get him back to his home, they needed to establish some form of communication. She doubted she could learn his language given her track record, so that meant she needed to teach him how to speak hers.

"Umm, Caelum?" she started, not sure how to convey her idea. When he turned his attention to her, she pointed at herself and then at her mouth, miming the act of speaking.

She hoped he would get the hint at what she was trying to do, but he just stared at her blankly.

"Uoy yrnhug ro tihomseng?" he said in a confused tone.

She sighed and her shoulders slumped slightly. This wasn't going to be easy.