Chapter 7 - First day in Another World

“It can't be.” Tiberius moved his legs and arms slowly, as if he were trying to swim upward.

"No!" he exclaimed, opening his eyes and taking a deep breath. He had a nightmare about the previous day's events. He was free-falling from the sky, unable to breathe due to the wind, and colliding with the ground because no one was there to save him this time.

He stood up, sat on the bed, and held his face in both hands. He attempted to shake things up and forget what had happened.

A minute later, he stood up and walked to the bathroom, rubbing his eyes. After washing his face and coming to his senses, he went to the kitchen to grab something to eat. He forgot, however, that he had nothing in the fridge.

"I hate this," he said, opening the fridge door and finding nothing. This was a situation he would face frequently. SinHe would be tired at work, and thoughts of the projects would divert his attention to anything other than buying goods. Most mornings, he'd wake up, not find anything, and walk a few blocks ahead to get breakfast while cursing himself.

Suddenly, remembering something, he patted his pockets and felt something in left one. It was the bills given to him by the servant. And the medallion, of course.

He only needed the money and the map he left in the kitchen from yesterday. He checked the money, and after seeing it was still 700 Velm, he looked at the map and tried to find a place to have breakfast and a place where he could purchase daily goods.

For someone who is used to entering the place he wants to go and expecting the app to navigate him, it was a lot harder than he expected to find the places he thought of. He couldn't understand many of the symbols and names on the map.

After a few minutes, he gradually began to understand some symbols. Like the circles. They were probably plates, because nothing else could match it. Then there was a cloud. This was either a bakery (they are terrible at shaping bread) or a cigarette shop. Next, a rectangle. Probably a bookshop.

This would go on forever to find each one of them correctly, so he decided to go out and ask someone. This would be quicker; he might even purchase a newspaper and learn more about this place.

He took the map and went to the front door. He put his shoes on and left the building after locking the door. He didn't see anyone while walking down the stairs, but he did see an old man as he exited the building.

The person stared at him confusedly. It was too obvious that he was looking at Tiberius, since the man didn’t seem to hide it.

The person was holding a newspaper, and after staring at him for a few seconds, he lifted the newspaper to his eye level and looked it up. A few times, he checked the news and Tiberius.

“Are you—” the man began to talk, “—the one who moved the sword?”

“I guess I am,” said Tiberius with a smile.

“Did you receive anything from Gods?”

The question confused Tiberius. Was he supposed to get something in return just because he moved a sword?

“No.”

“Another failure, huh? Well, at least you are still better than those with a huge ego. They talk about how they are going to move the divine sword and gain access to immortality and Gods’ divinity, but most of the time, they are not even chosen.”

Tiberius didn't know how to react, so he just gave a kind smile.

“You are not from around here, are you?”

“No, I am not. I am from a different world; at least that’s what it seems.”

“You—” He stopped for a moment, squinted his eyes, and slowly continued his question, “—live here now?”

“Ah, yes. King gave me an apartment here until I can find my way back.”

“King, huh?” The old man mumbled to himself.

“Excuse me?” Tiberius kindly asked.

“Nothing. Just don't make too much noise in the apartment; I don't like my nap getting interrupted.” He said, slowly walking into the building.

“Sir, could you help me with this?” He showed the map to the man.

“What is it? Can't read a map?”

“Well, I could, but symbols here are just absurd. I can't understand them clearly.”

“Hmm. Give it to me.”

Tiberius handed the map to the old man, who explained some of the symbols, their meanings, and what he should be aware of. Even though the man appeared to be an annoying old man who would stab kids' balls with a knife for being too loud, he was surprisingly friendly and helpful.

After Tiberius understood where he needed to go, he thanked the man and exchanged their names for future interactions. The man's name was Shoan.

…

It took him more than half an hour to get to the shop where he bought the map yesterday. He couldn't confirm the time yet because he hadn't worn a watch and his phone was on his desk at work.

While on his way, he noticed that, like the old man, people stared at him as if he were an alien. He tried to not mind it, but the more people he passed, the more looked at him. His height was the main reason why they were checking him out, but when he arrived at the shop, he realized there was more than that.

Some people here had newspapers and would check the news as well as him, and worst of all, they would whisper to one another. Some of them were pointing him out to their friends, while others were following him with curiosity.

The number of people was increasing by the second. Hundreds of people have checked him out, and dozens of them were following him.

He hurried into the shop where they had bought the map the day before. He wanted to go to a restaurant and eat breakfast first, but the strange actions of the people terrified him.

"What's up?" Tiberius asked the shopkeeper.

“Hey, erm, Rovshen’s friend, right? H-how can I help you?” He replied with a slightly shaky voice.

This confused Tiberius. This man saw him yesterday and was confused rather than scared. But today, it didn't make sense why he was acting so scared.

“Today's newspaper, please.”

The shopkeeper took one from the shelf and handed it to Tiberius. He took one of the 100 Velm bills and put it on the counter.

“It's on me.” The shopkeeper refused to take the money, still having a fearsome expression on his face.

“No. No, I want to pay. You gave the map for free already. I don't want to trouble you.”

“O-okay,” said the shopkeeper. He reached for the money and gave back his change.

“Thank you,” Tiberius said with a smile, still not understanding why he was acting scared.

He only understood everything after reading the newspaper.

“Mysterious Tall Man Claims He’s Not a Daha, Wields Sword Before the Gods.” This was the headline news in the country.

His eyes widened as he gulped loudly. The whole country knew about him and that was the reason they were checking the news while looking at him.

He read what the rest of the news was reporting about the situation. It was basically everything. From his free fall in the sky to his visit to the king’s castle. Even with some details with a man named Rael protecting him from the gods’ wrath.

“Shit,” he muttered. He had never been the center of attention for anyone, much less an entire country.

He wanted to leave the shop, but there were hundreds of people waiting for him outside the door. He wasn't sure what they would do if he came out.

“Are there any backdoors I can use?” He asked the shopkeeper.

“We don't have one.”

“Hmm, then, do you have any idea what these people are waiting for?”

“I mean, you moved the sword, so they are excited to meet you but also scared.”

“Scared? Why?”

“Because you are different. You say you are not daha; you are tall and bigger than the rest of us. You came from the sky and moved the sword.”

Hearing this, Tiberius recalled what Rovshen had said. They were going to treat him differently, but how differently? That was the main question, and it appears they will fear him for the time being.

“But I wouldn't worry about getting hurt if that is what worries you. You must be powerful, and the sword is proof of it. No one would think of messing with you.”

This seemed to calm Tiberius down, but there was one issue. He was not as strong as people believe. He lacked magical abilities and had no understanding of how the world worked. What was he going to do now? Was he supposed to inform everyone that it had been an accident? He is not strong and somehow pulled the sword?

He was not the type of person who would lie for attention or anything. He would rather be known as a weak person than a liar.

"Maybe I can persuade them," he murmured, taking a deep breath and opening the door to leave the shop.

As he opened the door, he found himself in front of a hundred people, if not more. Some of them were scared, worried, and hateful, while others, particularly children, were smiling.

“Are you the one that moved the sword?” Someone asked, not giving time to Tiberius to explain himself.

“Yes, but—”

“Did you receive anything from the Gods?” Someone else interrupted him to ask.

“Not actually—”

“Did you feel the power of the sword?”
“How did you move it?”

“Why couldn’t you pull it fully?”

“Why are you tall?”

“Are you an alien?”

People continued to ask questions without allowing him to breathe. They weren't physically touching or pushing him yet, but having everyone speak at the same time made it nearly impossible to do anything.

Some people began to look out their windows or step outside onto their balconies in response to their voice.

Tiberius attempted to answer the first questions but became overwhelmed by the number of questions and eyes on him. He, who has been out of sight most of his life, was now in front of hundreds of people in another world

This went on for more than a few minutes. They had already begun to touch him on the arm and wrist, attempting to feel his body. It had become uncomfortable for him to remain there, so he intended to either flee the crowd or simply enter the store until things calmed down.

At that moment, the sound of hoofbeats rose. Every second, it got louder and louder until the horse and the person riding it appeared behind the crowd.

"Silence," the rider said, but no one paid attention except a few who turned around and saw him.

When he realized no one was paying attention to him, he became even angrier. Yes, angrier, because the moment he came into view, he was already enraged for an unknown reason. He raised his hand to the sky, and as he did, lightning came out of his hand with a loud thunder.

KRA-KOOM!

The loud noise scared everyone, including the horse that the man was standing on. The horse stood up on two legs and let out a sharp whinny. The man pulled the horse's reins and controlled it with one hand.

The crowd turned around to see what was causing the loud noise, and what they saw scared them more than the lightning itself. The person standing on the horse was none other than the prince of Virelia, Prince Yareth.