"T: Am I dead?"

  "??: No, this isn't a dream and you're not dead. Thanks to me. You're lucky I found you before the [Beasts of Silence] did."

  I turned to him, confused.

  "T: Beasts of Silence?"

  "??: Definitely not from around here, huh? The beasts I told you to be quiet for—the ones I had to go kill because you didn't listen. They're blind, but they hear extremely well. They also absorb mana and life energy. Fortunately they only exist in this forest."

  "T: I was... I'm scared. I thought you wanted to hurt me... Mana, huh? So... it's true. You used magic to heal me."

  My gaze fixed on nothing.

  "??: Uh... yeah. You've really never seen healing magic before?"

  I shook my head. He sighed.

  "??: Alright. Since you're calm now and know you shouldn't make noise, it's time for answers. What are you doing here? Who are you? Yesterday you said you come from another world—what did you mean? Ti... Ti..."

  I noticed he was trying to say my name but had probably forgotten it.

  "T: Titlauili. Titla. And I... yeah, I think... I come from another world."

  "??: You mean you come from the stars?"

  "T: No, well... more than another world, I think I come from another reality. See... where I come from, magic doesn't exist. Well, it exists as a concept, but only in fiction..."

  "??: So you're saying you're an 'outsider'? Are you trying to trick me?"

  The young man's gaze turned somewhat hostile and sharp as he slowly moved his hand toward the sword sheath. My heart began beating faster little by little.

  "T: Wait, wait no... I'm not lying. I'm telling you the truth, I swear. What... what's an 'outsider'?"

  "What you claim to be—beings from other realities. But those are just stories and fantasies. So I'll give you one more chance. Tell me the truth—are you a soldier from Steelson?"

  "T: Steel...son? N... no, I'm not a soldier. I'm just a student. I swear I'm telling the truth. Please just let me prove it."

  I tried to pull my phone out of my sweater, but it wasn't there. I searched the other pockets—nothing. Then I remembered I had taken it out yesterday; it probably fell when I passed out. I looked around, but nothing. I turned to the young man.

  "T: You—did you see my phone? Uh... a small black rectangle. Please, with it I can prove I'm telling the truth."

  He raised an eyebrow, then stood up from the chair and went into another room. Moments later he came out with my backpack and tossed it toward me. I barely caught it.

  "??: I put that thing inside."

  I stayed silent for a few moments staring at my backpack. Then I opened it. Inside was my laptop, notebooks, a half-full water bottle, a pencil case, and... some gifts I had bought... I felt a sharp pang in my chest. After rummaging for a few seconds I found my phone. I unlocked it and showed it to him.

  "T: This... is a phone. A tool that lets you communicate over distances, search for information, take photographs, and well... lots of things really."

  Wait... this isn't considered blasphemy or forbidden or anything... right? I started to panic, thinking I might have made a mistake. But when I looked at the young man, he only looked confused and curious.

  "??: I've never seen or heard of a magical tool like this. What are 'photographs'?"

  "T: Huh? N... no, it's not magic. It's technology. It works with electricity. Look, I'll show you... just stay standing there. I promise it's harmless."

  His gaze showed suspicion, but he simply raised his wand, made a small motion with it, and stayed still.

  "??: Alright. Go ahead."

  I immediately opened the camera and pointed my phone at him to take a picture.

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  "T: Done. Look."

  I turned the screen. He approached to look at the phone and see his photo.

  "??: This... is me? Is it a painting?"

  His face couldn't hide his confusion and curiosity as he studied the screen.

  "T: It's called a photograph. Yeah, it's like a painting. Look—I'll show you photos from my world."

  I opened the album with vacation photos. Sadness grew stronger with every picture of my family and friends, wondering when I would see them again. I fought to hold back tears. Meanwhile the young man watched attentively, fascinated by everything shown in the photos. When I scrolled to a picture of an airplane he became even more curious.

  "??: What's that?"

  His voice pulled me out of my small trance of sadness.

  "T: This is an airplane."

  "??: Air... plane?"

  "T: Yes, it's uh... a vehicle that lets you fly."

  "??: They can fly without magic?"

  "T: Yes. Like I said, in my world magic doesn't exist. It's 'just' a steel machine."

  He stayed silent, staring at the airplane in amazement. Then I remembered another album. If the airplane wasn't enough to convince him, this would be. I opened the album with photos I took when I visited the German space agency.

  "T: These are called rockets. Similar to airplanes, they allow flight—but not through the sky, but outside the planet... and this..."

  I scrolled until I found pictures of lunar base replicas.

  "T: These are bases we have on our moon."

  The young man's eyes opened in surprise and he stood up abruptly.

  "??: You're saying people live there? Your kind actually conquered the sky... without magic?"

  "T: Well, yes. Though I've never been. Usually only scientists or very important people can go, but I'm studying hard to prepare myself so that someday I can—"

  Excitement and determination began to flood me, but my words paused as I remembered my current situation again—realizing that I would probably never fulfill that dream. My expression turned sad again as I looked at the phone screen.

  "??: You okay?"

  "T: No... I still can't believe I'm really in another reality. My family, my friends, my dreams—everyone is there waiting for me. I don't... I don't know why I'm here or how I got here. How am I going to go back? I can go back, right? If I came here I can definitely return. Please—you can help me, right? Tell me please. Tell me. Tell me how I can go back. HELP ME."

  I clutched my head and panic took over again as I fully became aware of my situation once more. I could feel all those sensations again. Everything was confusing and spinning. Without realizing it, I was clinging to the young man's coat, pulling him and begging through tears for help to return to my life.

  "??: Hey wait—quiet, you'll attract the beasts again! Hey! Calm down. LISTEN TO ME."

  He grabbed me by the shoulders, shaking me, trying to snap me out of it, until

  clap

  I brought my hand to my cheek. I blinked. The sound and sensation were enough to momentarily pull me out of the chaos. The world stopped spinning. I looked at the young man, confused and incredulous at the unexpected slap.

  "??: Sorry—" he said, still holding me "—but you need to calm down. If you keep screaming like that the beasts will come back. Now breathe. Relax your body. Close your eyes..."

  "T: B... but—"

  "??: Close!... your eyes."

  His voice was firm but calm. After hesitating a little, I finally closed them.

  "??: Good. Breathe deeply. Focus on the air coming in. Feel it traveling through you. Feel every movement of your chest—"

  I tried to follow his instructions. I closed my eyes, tried to relax my body, and focused all my attention on my breathing. At first it was hard, but after a few seconds I started to manage it. My breathing became regular, calmer, more rhythmic. I could feel the air filling every corner of my lungs. Little by little the fear and anxiety lessened. In the middle of it I felt a warm sensation on my cheek and the pain disappeared. After a while I finally calmed down. Though I still felt fear, uncertainty, and sadness, it was manageable—at least for now.

  "??: Better?"

  "T: Yes... thank you."

  "??: ... Sorry."

  His gaze drifted away. He really seemed regretful. I gave a small shake of my head.

  "T: No, it's okay. You were right. I was too worked up."

  "??: Good. I believe you—at least for now. I've never seen or heard of these technologies, not even the concept. So I'll assume you're telling the truth, even though it's still very hard to believe. So... how did you get here? Tla...ti?"

  "T: ...Titla... I don't know. The last thing I remember is that I was on my way home after shopping with my friends. I heard a strange voice—it seemed to come from inside my own head. After that, an intense light appeared around me and... nothing. That's the last thing I remember. Then I woke up in this bed."

  "??: Hmm... What did the voice in your head say?"

  "T: I don't remember. It caught me completely off guard. But I think it said something about 'needing'..."

  "??: Did you have any kind of... vision?"

  "T: No, I don't think so. Why?"

  "??: ... Never mind..."

  He stayed thoughtful for a few moments, and then I interrupted.

  "T: How did you find me?"

  His concentration seemed to break. He took a few seconds to answer.

  "??: Well... I was... coming back from the capital. I was watching the shower of shooting stars. One caught my attention—it was bigger and brighter than the rest. It fell quickly toward the ground with a huge flash, but no sound. I thought it was strange. I approached, expecting to find a huge impact crater and fire like I've heard happens when a star falls. But instead I found you. You were asleep. Amazingly you didn't have a single wound. I tried to wake you but you wouldn't open your eyes. That's all I know. I was curious—who were you and what the hell was that? So I brought you here to find out more—"

  "T: I see... I thought you were the one who brought me."

  "??: No. Even if it were possible, my magic is nowhere near that level."

  "T: That means... you can't send me back either..." I looked at the floor sadly, closed my eyes to push the feeling away. After a couple of seconds I turned toward the young man's eyes. "Thank you... for helping me, uh..."

  "M: Manahu. Manahu from Cuavitra."

  "T: Thank you... Manahu."

  Silence took over the cabin. After a few seconds Manahu stood up from his chair with a sigh.

  "M: Well, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. Want some breakfast?"