An offer

After a day like today, sleep should feel like a blessing. My body is exhausted—the good kind, like after a long hike. When was the last time I felt this way? Years, probably.

But now, alone with my thoughts, I wish I wasn’t.

An entirely different world. How? Everything I knew—gone. Years of studying, years of trying to understand the universe, wasted. This isn’t just a new place. It’s a new reality. Every assumption I had about how things work is meaningless here.

No. This has to be a dream. A vivid, elaborate dream. I just have to sleep, and when I wake up, everything will be back to normal.

Just… go to sleep, Nate.

I can’t.

Counting, deep breaths—none of it works. My mind won’t stop racing.

Am I really here? Is this my life now? A stray in some isolated village, with nowhere to go? How does this even end? Do they let me stay? Throw me out? And if they don’t, what happens if the church finds me? That… that can’t end well.

And what do I even tell them? That I got here by magic? No one here seems to believe in magic—which is insane, given everything I’ve seen. And if they do believe me, the church probably has a fantastic, well-documented way of dealing with people like me.

I’m trapped.

And what if the implant breaks? If it fries my brain, fine, that’s one thing. But what if it just stops working? No translation. No communication. Just me, alone.

I have to actually learn this language. I can’t rely on the implant forever. And even if I do, what then? I’m too weak for physical labor, and I have no idea what kind of work I could even do here. How do I survive?

I squeeze my eyes shut.

This is where I die.

Not in a retirement home. Not from old age. But here, in a world I don’t understand.

What did I do to deserve this? Should I have listened to mom? Stayed religious like she wanted? Would that have changed anything?

The itch.

I trusted a sound in my brain. How stupid do you have to be? I should’ve seen a doctor, gotten meds—anything but this. And now, either I’m too far gone to come back… or this is real.

I cover my face with my hands.

No. No, no—

My face is wet.

…When did I start crying?

I wipe my eyes, frustrated. I have to think. There has to be something I can—

A knock at the door.

“Nate, can I come in?”

I flinch. My throat feels tight. “Io?”

“Who else, dummy? This is my house.”

I clear my throat. “Yeah… come in.”

The door creaks open, and she steps inside, holding a mug. Steam curls from it, carrying a scent I don’t recognize.

I blink. “What’s that?”

“Black tea.”

I stare at the dark liquid. My brain feels sluggish. “…Tea?”

“Yes. Drink.”

I take the cup automatically. “Where did you even get tea?”

She sighs. “I’ll explain later.”

I was really losing it. It had been a long time since I’d panicked like that.

“Thank you,” I muttered. “You have perfect timing.”

“See? You’re learning. You’re welcome.” Io’s voice was light, but her eyes were sharp, watching me closely.

I hesitated. “I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but… why are you here?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Well, you sounded distressed.”

I exhaled, rubbing my temples. “Yeah… sorry about that. I just couldn’t calm down.”

“Is this about earlier?”

I frowned. “Earlier?”

“The forest.” She folded her arms. “You were completely lost, didn’t speak the language, tried to pass yourself off as a sage… and those clothes of yours aren’t like anything I’ve seen before. You’re clearly troubled by something. My guess? You’re lost.”

My clothes. Right. A shirt and jeans were probably a few centuries too modern for this place.

“Why didn’t you say anything about them before?”

She shrugged. “Some people are very particular about their garments. And in some cases, clothing has religious significance. I didn’t want to be rude.”

That was… surprisingly considerate. “Right. Thanks for that. And yeah, you got me. I’m lost.”

Io exhaled, shaking her head. “I had this theory,” she said slowly, “that you were here to infiltrate our village. Maybe bring the church with you.”

My stomach dropped. “…What?”

“That’s why there’s a guard outside your window,” she continued, unfazed. “You didn’t think I’d just let a complete stranger waltz in without precautions, did you?”

Damn. That’s… annoyingly smart. And probably exactly what I would’ve done in her place.

“But,” she went on, “after today, that seems unlikely. Still, I want insurance.”

Of course. She’s calculating. Weighing her risks. And I’m the unknown variable.

“…So what happens now?” I asked.

She studied me for a moment before speaking. “You seemed surprised when I kept looking after you all day. Want to know why?”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah. I’ve been wondering.”

She tapped her fingers against the mug in her hands. “I said you were interesting… but that was just an excuse.”

I tensed slightly. “…What do you mean?”

Her expression was unreadable. “The truth is, I think you could be useful to me.”

Something in her tone sent a shiver down my spine. “Useful how?”

“In the morning, you barely understood me. But now, we’re having this conversation. Or was that just an act?”

“No! No, I… I really didn’t understand anything.”

“So you’re telling me that in a single day, you’ve reached this level of fluency?” She narrowed her eyes. “You must learn fast.”

I swallowed. “You could say that.”

She tilted her head. “Can you do arithmetic?”

I frowned. “Uh… yes?”

“And how quickly could you learn another language?”

I hesitated. “After today? Probably within a day. Enough to hold a conversation, at least.”

She tapped a finger against the table, thoughtful.

“Why are you asking me this?”

She smirked slightly. “Do you have a place to stay? Somewhere to go?”

I shifted uncomfortably. “…No. I really don’t.”

“Then you’ll be my assistant.”

I blinked. “…What?”

“The chief agreed to let me take you in. You’ll work for me.”

That was fast. “Assistant in what, exactly?”

“I handle trade, manage the village’s finances, and deal with all kinds of logistical issues.”

That made sense. She carried herself like someone who kept things running.

“Trade? With other villages?”

“Mostly with the others.” She didn’t say “humans,” but I caught the implication. “My people are scattered. It makes us harder to get rid of, but it also makes it harder for us to find each other.”

I nodded slowly. “But don’t the merchants avoid you? You know, to stay on the church’s good side?”

She scoffed. “Plenty do. But some value coin more than doctrine.”

Clever. Trade was all about leverage. And she had found a way to use it.

I sat up straighter. “Alright. I’ll do my best.”

Io smirked. “Good. Now get some sleep.”

As she left, I took a deep breath.

Maybe… just maybe, I had a chance here.

###

Another shiver.

Is he troubled again?

Annoying. But I should do something. I don’t need to check inside to know—he’s not sleeping. He’s restless, thoughts tearing at him. I can’t exactly blame him, but if he’s going to stay in my house, I’d prefer if he didn’t spend the night unraveling.

I glance toward my small stash of trade goods. Maybe giving him something warm to drink will help. I still have some tea left. A rare commodity in these parts.

It’s still a miracle I got my hands on it.

That clever merchant, trying to cozy up to us, had presented it as a gift—tea in exchange for our wheat. A trade that benefited us more than him, which makes me suspicious. I still need to figure him out.

But right now, I need to figure out Nate.

Another shiver.

Is he… sobbing?

I pause.

He really is lost.

I had planned to leave my offer for the morning—let him sleep on things, let him adjust. But maybe it’s better to act now. If he truly has nowhere to go, no plan, no future… Maybe giving him something to hold onto will ease his mind.

I grab the mug and step toward his door.

If he’s going to stay, he might as well start learning what that means.