Small Joys

Dark, wet and smelling of a week of stale air mixed with the filth lingered like a fog. It tried to curl his hair that was brushing against him. But he ignored the disgust that it involuntarily tried to tear out of him. There were worse things before him.

It wasn’t the first time that he found something like this. The reality was far more common than he wished. Even though five was more than he would normally discover. It’d be a singular individual smuggled over the Veil. One person was difficult enough to manage. ‘What group is running this sort of operation to get five mages over? And a child no less. Stealing them away from their homes…’

They all looked starved still, more so after the small bit of food he had. Yori would have given them more if there were any. If it were possible, he would have found a fast food place nearby or even a conbini.

He sat down with them, trying to see if there were any injuries. If they had been brought over for use as sorcerers, he couldn’t have imagined that they would have harmed them, much. Other more subtle options of coercion worried him more. But at least at a glance, they looked untouched, even if their health was something to question.

Listening, it seemed that their hearts finally started to calm. There was still the hint of anxiety that he could sense; they must have still feared him. He was a stranger. There was no denying that, and much like he didn’t know their circumstance, they didn’t know his. Even if he did hopefully earn them a little trust.

He worked up the most comforting and charming smile he could give, despite the situation. “It’s a little crowded in here. You can’t go far, but would you like to step out into some fresh air?” The smell alone had to be getting to them. It could strip paint from walls.

There was a lot of hesitation from them. Not quite the reluctance he would have expected. Fear gripped them all. Though there was more than that, the unknown and comfort of what they knew kept them nailed down. It might have been a prison, but it was the place they understood. He could only imagine what the other side of the Veil looked like. He never had the orders to go to that side, not that his going would serve any purpose.

But to his surprise, it was the young boy who shakily stood up. He had to be sitting the whole time. Yori offered up a hand for support. He hesitated long before accepting. The others watched. There seemed to be a little jealousy in their eyes and a hint of awkward cowardice. “You’re all welcome outside.” But they didn’t take a step.

Once the boy found his footing, though he was a little stiff, he started walking. Yori kept pace with the kid, matching each step mindfully. “Mister?” A pause came from the child as he looked down. “Is it like everyone says?”

He paused to kneel down to see the boy properly. They stopped several meters from the dock threshold. The stories that he heard about the other side of the Veil, he could only imagine to be mostly fantasy. The reality he guessed had to be far less extreme than the rumors he’d been told. People claimed it had massive floating islands, monsters the size of buildings, mana flowing like oceans on the wind, some even claimed that Mado, their version of Japan, floated in the clouds with Mt. Fuji constantly erupting natural mana to keep it in the air.

It didn’t help that few could even keep their memories of the other side. The natural influence of the Veil saw to that being erased in time. Yori was surprised that the rumors weren’t more insane with how spotty people’s memories had to be.

What little he did know to be the truth presented a far tamer image. Reports were vague thanks to the Veil’s meddling. Even though they were helping, it didn’t care, all knowledge had to be purged. Everyone’s basic understanding of Mado and by extension the other Earth was it was just a copy. But a copy with mana completely gone free unlike Yori’s Earth. In his mind, it was easier to see the Veil as a mirror that reflected two overlapping worlds. One that tried to reject mana. The other accepted. Just as it wished.

He could only imagine what the opposite side imagined his Earth to be. But he gave the boy a comforting, easing smile. “What do they say?”

They looked away like they were in trouble. His hair covered over half his face. “It can’t be that bad. You’re not going to upset me. I promise it’s probably not like what you’ve heard.”

“There are not rivers flowing with metals, and blood raining from the skies?”

Yori had to lean back a bit. Those were far more vivid and strong imagery than he anticipated. It made him wonder what tiny bit of truth those spawned. But he gave a brief soft laugh. “Not in the slightest. It’s just water that pours from the sky and runs in the rivers. It might be a little boring from what you’re used to seeing.”

“Really?” The boy almost seemed excited, turning back to him. “You don’t have giant birds the size of dragons eating people?”

He laughed a little more heartily this time. “No, the biggest bird here would probably struggle to carry away a cat, let alone eat one.” Yori omitted that it was mostly an accurate statement. Unaffected, his world didn’t have such things, but things could invade from the other side of the Veil. And then his job began. “Feeling better about seeing it?” They nodded firmly to him. “Hope, you’re not disappointed.”

Walking him out of the storage, the night sky wouldn’t give him much to look at, especially in the alley. But a child shouldn’t be huddled in a corner of a metal box either. Yori kept him close. A child really shouldn’t be wandering around Japan at night, especially a mage.

“Woah, everything’s so black and tall! Are there no stars?”

“They’re there, you just can’t see them in the city.”

“Is the mana blocking it?”

“No, it’s not as thick on this side. It’s the lights. But kinda boring, eh?”

“No, mister! I’ve never seen anything like this! We don’t have anything this tall!” Yori was a little surprised. He figured something as tall would be in Mado, given how many Japanese were sent, but perhaps mana gave different solutions.

He smiled and gave the kid a pat on the head. “If you’re happy, I can’t ask for more.” Small warmth was all anyone could hope for.