An Other World

Rain continued to poor outside, and the pitter-patter of raindrops was all the sound that echoed in the small, dark shelter. Two days had passed since the pair had first taken shelter within its walls. Since then, they'd done their best to recover and make the place as habitable as possible. The drafts were sealed, the dust was cleared, and the bedsheets had been washed and replaced with the clean set that had been packed in their bags. There were even some old clothes in decent condition that they'd discovered.

It wasn't much, but it was a significant improvement over the dilapidated state the shelter had been in when they'd first entered.

Val sighed as she flipped over a page in bed, trying to distract herself. Her ankle was feeling better, but they likely needed another day of rest before they would be ready to return home.

She'd been reading through one of the books that was left behind: a journal that someone named "Erika" had written. The entries spoke of a young woman's journey as she traveled through the wilderness of the world, documenting the beautiful sights and strange phenomena. It was frankly very interesting, even if some parts were written in a frustratingly familiar, yet completely foreign language.

Unfortunately though, it wasn't enough to completely distract her from the awkwardness that had hung in the air ever since their bath.

She glanced over at Cael, who was currently lying down on the other side of the room on their bedroll, resting as peacefully as he could.

They'd been dancing around each other since then, and it had only gotten worse as time passed. Even their conversations had grown stiffer, and Val couldn't take it any longer. This wasn't the way she wanted things to be between them.

It also didn't help just how strange their surroundings were. The magicless area still continued to baffle both of them, and she'd begun to notice faint, barely noticeable humanoid shapes in the corners of her eyes.

It was eerie. Even though they didn't seem to be doing anything malicious, Val couldn't shake off the feeling that they were watching them.

She closed her book, placing it on the nightstand, and made her way over to Cael. Her ankle ached a little as she put her weight on it, but it wasn't bad enough that she needed to stay in bed anymore.

He didn't stir as she carefully lay down next to him. His warmth enveloped her as he shifted slightly in his sleep. She snuggled closer by instinct, burying her face in his chest. Their surroundings weren't exactly pleasant, but she felt safer next to him.

"Cael," she whispered softly. "Can we talk for a moment?"

He stirred a bit, his eyes fluttering open. "Mmm? What's wrong, Val?"

"Is it wrong to want to go back to being ignorant?" She paused, taking a deep breath. "Just a little."

He blinked slowly before turning over to her. "Um, where'd that come from?"

She bit her lip, her gaze falling down to her hands. It'd been in the back of her mind ever since she'd come to realize the truth of her situation and actions. How easy things had been before she had known better. How blissful it was to not know the meaning of 'kissing' or 'lovers' or 'romantic partner.'

How much less awkward things were when she'd just been able to enjoy the comfort of Cael's embrace or blurt out how excited she was without struggling to breathe from nervousness.

"…I don't want this distance between us," she said, her voice soft and fragile. "I want us to be close again."

Cael was silent for a moment, his eyes searching her face, and his lips pressed tightly together. "What are you talking about? I feel closer to you than ever before."

Her heart skipped a beat as a warmth spread through her cheeks. "R-really? I-I feel like things have been different after the bath. That was my fault, wasn't it? I pushed you to do that. And on top of that—"

He pressed a finger to her lips to stop her, and she wordlessly blabbed against it a couple seconds longer until her brain caught up to her mouth.

"Val, things are different, but I think it's good different. I mean, yeah, that whole bath thing was embarrassing, but we got through that, right? We've been fighting all these misunderstandings since we've met, and sure, while I may want to curl up and die sometimes from the sweetness, at least I understand you a bit better now."

"…You want to… die?! I'm sorry! I'm so—"

His finger pressed against her lips once again. She blushed, her heart hammering in her chest.

"Val, please let me finish," he said with a gentle chuckle. "I want you to understand that I'm okay. I'm not upset. If anything, I'm relieved. You're finally understanding me, and I'm learning to understand you too." He paused, looking at her with that warm expression that always seemed to make her insides fluffy.

"B-but, why have you been so distant since the bath? You barely look at me, and the air has been so stiff," she said, looking up into his eyes as she spoke.

His face turned a little pink, his eyes darting around as he scratched the back of his head.

"Because the clothes you're wearing are a little… small."

She blinked, glancing down at what she was wearing. It was a simple, white, magesilk gown that had been in the closet here, but it wasn't any different from the dresses she normally wore except for the—

Oh. The chest area was a fair bit tighter.

Her face heated up.

"A-ah… I'm so sorry. I didn't notice!" She hid her face behind her hands and buried herself further into his side.

"Wait, d-don't apologize! There's nothing really wrong with it, it's just… been a little challenging to keep my focus." He laughed awkwardly. "Um, if anything, I should apologize for making you feel awkward."

Val's breaths grew rapid as she tried to calm down, her fingers still covering her burning cheeks. "I-it's fine. You didn't mean to make me feel uncomfortable. I'm just happy to know that you're okay—we're okay."

He smiled warmly, his eyes softening. "Me too. Though, maybe I'll just lock myself in the bathroom for a bit. Clear the mind."

"Ah! N-no, please don't leave!" She hugged him closer, pressing herself against him even further. "I'm sorry, but I'd feel much safer if you'd just hold me for now. N-not just because I'm scared of this strange place, but I… I just want to feel close to you."

"…"

Cael was silent for a few moments before his arms wrapped around her. 

Ooh, that was nice.

"…Okay." He rested his head on hers. "I won't leave you. You can hold onto me as much as you like."

"R-really?"

He chuckled softly. "Go for it. I'm honestly still sore from running so much, so I don't really plan on moving."

Val blushed, but she nodded as she snuggled in.

"Thank you, Cael," she whispered.

"You're welcome, Val."

***

Cael's eyes snapped open to the sound of thunder booming outside. He groaned as the wind howled through the window, and Val whimpered in her sleep as he held her close to him. It looked to have been night now. The room was pitch black, save for the occasional flash of lightning that illuminated the room.

He sighed. What an insane day. He was just glad they'd finally talked again.

The storm seemed to still be raging. The wind continued to howl, the rain beat down harder against the walls, and the window shook. 

It didn't seem like it'd be letting up any time tonight, but hopefully things would die down enough for the two of them to start the long trek back home tomorrow.

Cael's eyelids grew heavy again. He yawned, rubbing Val's shoulder as he began drifting off to the sound of the storm. They'd need the rest should they actually—

*THUD*

He instantly snapped awake.

That hadn't been thunder. That'd sounded like something had just hit the floor.

Squinting his eyes, he looked for anything out of place in this strange magicless place. Shadows swayed in the corners of the room as the lightning flashed, and Val's breath tickled his chest. But aside from that…

Oh, had the journal always been on the ground?

His eyes narrowed on the book. He didn't know how it'd fallen, but he supposed it was possible. The storm could've rattled it loose.

He was about to dismiss the book when something else caught his attention. Something was moving at the edge of the room. A figure. Or, no. More like a shadow. It was ethereally lithe, and it was coming straight towards him.

Crap, what was that?!

His heart pounded, and he tensed as he hugged Val closer to him to protect her.

The corners of his vision began to grow fuzzy as it got closer. He wanted to cry out for help, but his voice wouldn't obey him in the suddenly thin atmosphere.

Why couldn't he just catch a break?!

"…otherworlder, read… please?"

Cael continued trembling for a little while longer before blinking. Wait, had the figure just spoken? He couldn't be certain, but there had definitely been words in his mind.

"…please, otherworlder. Read…"

It was a voice, and it sounded female. It was faint, distant, as if it had somehow come from over the horizon. He stared, his breathing shallow and labored, and watched the figure struggle to nudge the book closer. The voice became louder, more distinct.

"…read, please? The end. Understand…"

What was going on now? First the strange visions from when he had woken up the first time, and now a ghostly figure was telling him to read the book? Was this a dream?

"…Please. Understand this world. For her."

Just like that, the world was back in full color. His body relaxed as his breaths returned to normal and his vision cleared. The figure was nowhere to be seen, but the journal still lay open on the ground.

He swallowed the lump in his throat before cautiously sitting up. Val mumbled something and stretched as he moved, but she remained asleep, which was probably a blessing in this situation. He'd rather her not need to deal with whatever this was.

He carefully extracted himself from her grasp and approached the journal, picking it up from the ground as his muscles softly protested.

Understand the world?

What did that mean? What was there to understand? And why had the figure referred to him as an 'otherworlder'? Did it somehow know he wasn't from here?

Cael thumbed to the end of the book and sat on the floor, leaning against the bed, reading by the flashes of lightning and what remained of the hastily relit candle. There was a lot of advanced writing he still didn't quite know how to read, but he could at least understand the words in his language—

His eyes widened as the thought registered.

His language?