Peculiar Greetings

A grey ceiling is all he saw, all the while feeling immobilized as a brick.

“Huh, where am I? This isn’t my bedroom.”

Moving is useless as Haruto feels no control at all, except his eyes. Leering down, he sees nothing under but wood.

“Wait, what is this? Am I trapped? Has someone kidnapped me?!”

Wanting to get out of this unusual wooden bind, Haruto tries to roll. But he feels no sense of arms and legs at all.

“Is this not a coffin or something?!”

He struggles to wiggle but moving was useless.

“What is… wait. Where’s my arms and legs?! I would have felt them immediately!”

Looking at his sides, he sees nothing but wood.

“Don’t tell me the wood I see is my body? What is going on?!”

Haruto’s suspicions are confirmed as the more he looks around, his body is nothing but a glossy wood now.

“What happened to me last night? Okay think back to what happened last night.”

Closing his eyes, he reminisces about last night.

“I was just a regular school guy obsessed with fantasy games and books. Even though my parents didn't like my lifestyle, I can’t resist good stories. Okay, besides that, nothing out of the ordinary happened before going to sleep. Well, before realizing I got left back for my poor grades, my parents are going to disown me for that. Wait a minute? Did I die in my sleep?”

His shape is thin but the place where his legs are supposed to be ends in a jagged pointed tip.

“Am I in Hell? What is going o…”

Whew!

His eyes jolted up as he witnesses streams of blue rays of light flowing like waves going to one point of the room he’s in. There, he saw a young girl with auburn hair in a messy ponytail chanting.

“Um…Luxara…no that’s not it. Luxera…no, not close! Ugh! Luxerian Vocara!”

Her slightly large robe began to move as wind formed around her from completing a drawn chalk circle. She messily looked over a scroll in a panic as the rays of light began to dissipate.

“Come on, where’s the word?! Here we go! Finalis!”

The exact same beams of light grew brighter and fiercer as it began to guide its way around Haruto. Now surrounded, he felt a tingling sensation around his “body”. The sorceress approached Haruto, in awe.

“I did it? I…I did it!

“Did what? You there, where am I?!”

But his pleas seem to not be audible to her. She continued seeing him glow as Haruto’s form feels nothing solid under him.

“Huh…I’m…floating?”

Poof

As the energy coursing through Haruto has vanished, he feels his body was now literally in the hands of the young sorceress.

“I can’t believe I did it! My first true spell! We’re going to do our best, mister.”

“Huh?!”

“Ignium!”

Boom

Immediately, flames formed from Haruto’s form as the young sorceress wielded him. But the flames seems to be too much as the sorceress began swinging Haruto awkwardly.

“Uh..how do I stop this spell? Ahh, it’s burning my home!”

“Whoever you are, please stop this! The flames are hurting me too! Ahh!”

As she continued to swing him around, the flames hurled themselves to the duo, covering them in small flames and soot. Haruto closes his eyes, wishing for this to stop.

“This is a nightmare! Please, I want to go home! I want the flames to stop!”

As she pointed Haruto to a single point of the room, the flames began to be less vigorous. Haruto even feels the high energy from him began to lighten as the flames were no longer hurting him. Little by little, the spell calmed down as the flames fully disappeared.

“Thank you. I’m pretty new to this but it looks like you’re full of hope. Oh wait, let me see if I can talk to you properly.”

Going through a book of spells, she finds one certain spell.

“Telepathia!”

She closes her eyes as Haruto wonders what is going on.

“Hello?! Can you hear me?”

Haruto’s eyes widen as he hears her voice in his head.

“Um… yes…yes I can! Are you talking to me through telepathy?”

Lila is surprised at him guessing the ability correctly.

“How did you know sir?”

Haruto blushes.

“I read and played a lot of games involving stuff like this. Tell me, what is this place and what am I doing here?”

“I am so sorry that you ended up here. My name is Lila and you’re in Luxeria.”

At a loss for words, Haruto listens

“I was doing a spell to summon a being capable of having strong hope to help me conduct spells.”

Sadness shows on Lila’s face

“You see, I’m a horrible sorceress. A majority of people can use what they have internally but I had to use this spell I found from a library book on mythic spells. Thing is, I was just very desperate, I’m really sorry”

Lila begins to have tears form as Haruto sees.

“Lila, don’t cry. Believe me, this is very weird but a pretty girl like you shouldn't cry. I wasn’t as useful back where I’m from. I prioritized playing games and reading fantasy books over my own studies. I can help you along the way, I promise.”

Lila wipes away her tears and hugs him to her face, with Haruto blushing.

“Thank you Mr…”

“Oh, I go by Haruto. I was a student like you back home as well.”

A grin forms from Lila as she gains her enthusiasm once again.

“Nice to meet you Haruto. I promise the moment I improve, I’ll find a way to send you back home.”

“Oh right, I wanted to ask. Did I pass away from my world and you got my soul or something?”

“No, no. You didn’t pass on your world. Your high amount of hope got you here, but you can still live out your years when I improve.”

Sigh

Haruto is relieved.

“I’ll have to check up on all documents and spells on how to turn you back to yourself.”

Haruto’s eyes express happily

“Thanks Lila. Say, what was that you mentioned about me having hope?”

“Hope is what powers our spells here. Seems like you had a bunch to help me calm down that flame spell. I’m sorry for that, I got carried away and wanted to try a basic spell.”

Taken aback, Haruto asks her.

“That was basic? Those flames spread wider than a 4 foot wide table. You want to do some other basic spells like levitation, or immobilizing?”

Lila nods

“We’ll get to that soon enough. I want to ask if you are alright being with a girl like me as your friend for the time being?”

Wanting the chance at something in line with his hobbies, Haruto gladly accepts.

“I don’t mind Lila, I’ll do my best in understanding this world, what I can do to help and guide you.”

“That’s fantastic to hear, Haruto. This world can be dangerous, especially if someone is full of despair.”

Raising an eyebrow, Haruto asks about this.

“Despair?”

Lila’s hands tremble when hearing that particular word.

“Recently, this type of dark magic has began to spread. All types of creatures began to harm others by using the opposite of hope. Oh Haruto, please be with me all the way.”

Haruto tries to wiggle, but it’s worthless.

“I can’t go anywhere since you’re wielding me hahaha.”

Lila chuckles

“But, I will always be at your side Lila.” Haruto adds.

“No goblins, orcs, elves, pixies, lamias, or beastmen will stop us.”

Lila grips him firmly now, feeling a strong connection of hope flow through her.

“I see your prior knowledge of these species can be very helpful. I’m excited to see where we can go from here, Haruto.”

Both satisfied, Haruto sees his first task they should do.

“Same. But first, let’s clean up your room. Probably some levitation spells can work”

“Sure”

“Finis Telepathiae”

“What was that Lila? Hello?” There’s no answer. Keeping a mental check of this spell, Haruto closes his eyes to remember how their talk ends.

Lila begins to hold Haruto steady as he prepares for more energy to course through his new body in a world not his own.