Chapter Two: Never-Ending Dream

Her smile made me feel relieved that I had said yes. She looked so happy, as though she had never imagined anyone would agree.
My heart pounded loudly in my chest as I found the courage to speak again.“Where is this place? Why are you in my dream?”
This time, she turned her gaze to the great tree and answered with calm certainty.“This… isn’t a dream.”
I remembered her saying something similar before, but the world around me looked like something torn from a fantasy novel. And besides—her presence alone was proof enough that it had to be a dream. I’d never been close to any girl in real life, let alone resting my head in one’s lap. If this wasn’t a dream… then what was it?
“This is a different world from yours,” she continued, her voice soft yet steady. “A world too cruel, where only strength matters. You were brought here for a reason, to fulfill a goal that only you can achieve. Your journey will be filled with trials that could break anyone’s spirit… but I believe you can do it.”
I could only gape, my mouth hanging open, her words far beyond my comprehension.
Being summoned to another world was something my friend Ridi and I used to joke about, just to pass the time. Could this be some elaborate prank he had set up? If so, he’d gone above and beyond—because everything felt too real.
“…Alright.”
Trying to play along, I slipped out of her lap and sat up to face her.“If I’ve been summoned to another world, then I can be sent back, right?”
In the games I’d played, summoned heroes usually had to defeat the demon lord before returning home. But this girl had asked me if I could save the demon lord instead. Where on earth had she gotten her script?
Yet she showed no doubt as she clasped my hand and whispered, “Do not worry. When the time is right, you will return to the world you came from.”
Her words faded into the background. All I could feel was the warmth of her hand against mine.
To hell with my own world, I thought. I want to stay in this dream.
The scenery shifted soundlessly, as if my thought alone had changed it. The great tree vanished, the plains transformed into farmlands, mountains appeared in the distance, and a dirt road stretched out just to my right.
“Now,” she said gently, “let’s go home and let you rest. You must have so many questions.”
And so my never-ending dream truly began.
I stared at the changing landscape, panic creeping up my spine, until she lifted me to my feet with a reassuring smile.
“It’s not a dream,” I whispered to myself. How could this be?
Then I heard it—the steady beat of hooves, the creak of wood being dragged. I turned toward the road where the tree had once stood and froze.
A cart approached, but the creatures pulling it—
“AAAAHHHHH!” I screamed, ducking behind her.
“T-those aren’t horses… those aren’t horses…” I muttered, peeking out just enough to see the beasts.“Don’t be afraid,” she said calmly. “They’re ground dragons. They’re very friendly, once you get to know them.”
Ground dragons. That’s what she called them.
They were the size of horses, but with scales and dragonlike faces that looked as if they had stepped out of a myth. They stood on two legs feathered like giant birds, but their eyes burned with a predator’s sharpness.
How could she expect me to stay calm?
While I trembled, she looked genuinely delighted.
“I’ll ask them for a ride. Follow me, and be polite to the travelers.”
Without hesitation, she waved energetically at the passing cart.
From behind, her figure was impossible not to notice. She wore a flowing black dress long enough to sweep the ground, her black hair cascading like a waterfall nearly to her ankles. She was breathtaking—every part of her.
Black upon black: her hair, her eyes, her dress, her shoes. It was as if the color itself defined her.
She turned back and smiled at me, waving as if to say, Hurry, we’ve found a ride.
I hesitated, still nervous about the ground dragons, but she ran to me, took my hand, and whispered, “I told you not to worry. I will protect you.”
No girl had ever said that to me before. Shame and relief tangled inside me, but my fear melted away.
The cart stopped. The driver, a burly man with broad shoulders, muscular arms, and a sleeveless fur shirt, looked down at me with a bold smile.
“No need to worry, kid. This is the best time of year for picking up strangers. Nothing dangerous about it.”
He climbed down with easy energy and waved us over.
“Come. Meet my family.”
Behind the cart, a little boy peeked out, then darted away.
“Mommy! Mommy! There are two weird people talking to Daddy!” he shouted.
Oddly, hearing him call for his mother calmed me. If they had children, they probably weren’t kidnappers.
“Oh, how cute…” the girl beside me cooed, already cradling the small boy as if she had known him forever.
How can she adapt so quickly? I forced a smile, hoping not to frighten the children.
The man beamed proudly. “This is my wife, Winta de Meleanta, and my children, Bani and Bini.”
He scooped the twins into his arms as he introduced them. They were adorable—Bani, the boy, and Bini, the girl—both no older than four.
Winta, seated gracefully in the cushioned cart, smiled with noble poise.“Good day. I am Winta de Meleanta. It is an honor to meet you.”
Her gaze fell expectantly on me.
“O-oh… my name is…” My voice faltered. For a second, I almost forgot my own name.
“My name is… Sora. Sora Hiramoto. It’s… nice to meet you.”
My chest tightened. What if telling them my name means I’ll never be able to go home?
But Winta only smiled warmly and nodded. Then her attention turned to the girl beside me.It hit me then: I don’t even know her name.
“Name…” the girl muttered awkwardly, as if struggling to recall it.
Don’t tell me she doesn’t even know her own name!
Before I could speak, she tugged me a short distance away and, flustered, traced letters into her palm. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Finally, she looked up at me with pleading eyes.“Can you… give me a name?”
I froze. The one who had brought me here, the one who seemed to know everything, didn’t even remember her own name? My future in this world suddenly seemed a lot more uncertain.
“Please,” she begged softly. “I can’t remember. Would you give me a temporary one?”
Her expression—so vulnerable, so beautiful—made my chest ache.
Hope. That was the only word that came to me. She was the reason I’d chosen to stay, the only thing I could rely on.
“Hope,” I whispered. “Why don’t you go by Hope for now?”
Her face lit up, and she ran back toward the cart, shouting with joy, “Hope! My name is Hope!”
The driver looked skeptical but sighed. “You’re lucky it’s Mighty Week, or you’d have a hard time finding a ride out here. Girl, you sit in the back. As for you—” he pointed at me with a grin “—you’re up front with me. Man to man.”
And just like that, my new journey began.