Sahar had been staring at the ceiling for three, maybe four minutes now, enjoying imagining what life was going to be like in this new World. Even though he hoped to have lots of girls around him and be one of the most powerful people in this World, he told himself that the reality was going to be quite different. Which part of him was right? He could only know that as things progressed.
- I have to say, Nyara is really pretty~" he said to himself with a happy smile.
Sahar waited to be called. He had no idea what he was going to do — he could learn, but there was nothing else he could do. Since he had arrived in the house, he had been asking himself one question on repeat:
Would his adventure in this new World be with Nyara or without her?
There was no way to know. If she was just a girl who mostly stayed at home and very rarely went on adventures, Sahar would try to make a "story" on his own; he didn't feel like doing anything. Maybe there was no magic, maybe there wasn't as much fighting as in fiction, but there was still so much to visit! On Earth, he was born too late to visit the world; but on this new World, Duzmog, he knew absolutely NOTHING. Besides, it seemed that here, people knew nothing of the continent outside the continent, or something like that. He assumed that the sea or an ocean separated these two continents. Did that mean that they had no way to cross this huge body of water...? Or was it something else?
- Too many questions......
....... so few answers.
He was going to have to find out for himself, those answers. He would find them, he was sure! He got up from the bed without hurrying and put both feet on the soft carpet under him. He rarely walked without shoes, but how nice it was... He began to walk quietly toward a piece of furniture, looking at it and touching it. The wood was beautifully crafted and had a cleanliness to it that he had never experienced at home. Smooth as anything, the desk was symmetrical, which was satisfying. A book was laid on it, but a blank sheet of paper hid the cover of it. He took it off and put it next to it, where it wouldn't get in the way. The cover of the book was pretty normal, a somewhat dark red, with only a gold title to "spoil" the almost ubiquitous red. The title was
"For You, Fire Drop".
- …….
He was going to open it when—
- Sahar, you can come!!
Nyara's voice was heard.
He dropped the book and looked toward the door, where the girl's cute figure was visible. She still had her pajamas on, even though it wasn't night yet. Her bright smile invited Sahar to come in, which he did. Nyara turned, leaving the door open, and walked ahead; while the boy followed her down the hallways. The house seemed to be really big. Already, when he had been outside and seen the house, he had found it impressive; and still, he probably hadn't seen anything yet, since it was two stories high!!!
- With how good I am with cleaning, I'm going to be doing ten hours a day, at least..." Sahar sighed.
However, he had no other choice: it was this, or nothing. "Nothing" was a possibility, but Sahar would rather clean up than live outside and possibly die very quickly. Nyara pushed open a door with force and raised her arms.
- Oh, you are there, Az!
Sahar snapped out of his thoughts and looked ahead, to finally see this man—
—who was not there.
There was no one there. Nyara walked over and jumped onto the couch in front of her. Sahar made his usual "bored with the situation and has no idea what's going on" face and sighed, putting his fingers over his closed eyes.
- And…… where is he? he asked.
- Right beside me, ahah!! Hey, stop, ahah!!
Sahar looked at the spectacle, stunned. There was no one next to her. It just sounded like a crazy woman talking to her imaginary best friend and not wanting to admit that he didn't exist.
But Sahar had heard the man's voice before, and it certainly wasn't Nyara who produced it. What particularly surprised Sahar was that the girl's fox ears were down and between them, on her head, her hair was flying around a bit, as if they were stroking her hair... ?
- Ahah, stop!!!
Pushing the "invisible person" next to her, Nyara tried to regain her seriousness, but laughed multiple times, leaving Sahar standing in the middle of the room that must have been a guest lounge. There were just a few sofas that formed an arc, and the same carpet as in the other room. The walls were, this time, painted with designs that he, again, did not understand. The room was lit by a single, simple light bulb hanging poorly from the ceiling, but it did the trick somehow.
- What are ya doing, idiot? Don’t want to sit up? Nyara said, looking at Sahar.
- Uuh… Yeah, sorry.
He approached the couch nearest to Nyara and sat up. Seeing the strange glance of Sahar, Nyara asked what was going on.
- Why are you looking at me like I’m crazy…? Nyara asked.
- Ah… Ah? Oh— Yeah, I mean…
- It’s because of me.
A voice came out of nowhere to interrupt Sahar. He kept his mouth open, trying to find the source of the noise. There was no one in the room except Nyara and himself. The voice came from the same couch as the girl, but there was literally no one there.
So how?
Sahar blinked repeatedly and closed his mouth, saying nothing. Nyara turned her head to the other side of the couch, where there was an empty seat.
- Uh? Why? What, do you think Az is that ugly? Nyara asked. It’s true that he isn’t the most handsome guy ever, but it’s rude!
- Don’t take this opportunity to insult me, Nyaradioative.
- Gngngngngn.
Sticking out her tongue while looking up, Nyara mocked "Az" with her arms crossed. Sahar really didn't understand where that voice was coming from, but he was now sure that someone was there; that "Az" was real. So....
.... Why couldn't he see it?
Nyara fell off the couch, as if pushed with distressing violence. Rolling on the carpet twice, she hit her head on the table, nearly knocking over a rectangular shaped vase. Her feet fell to the floor, and with a sigh, Nyara opened her eyes.
- Fucking asshole.
- Gn, gn, gn! Az did to mock Nyara.
Nyara got up and sighed again before turning her head and looking at Sahar.
- Sorry for all of this, Sahar, Nyara said. It was supposed to be serious, but like always, Az likes to DO DUMB THINGS, RIGHT??
Sahar thought that they must have liked each other. "He who loves well, punishes well" was the phrase that came back to him, for some reason. Nyara sat back down next to the invisible man and patted her thighs, creating a rather awkward silence. Sahar wanted to speak, but didn't know what to say. He was "afraid" to bring up Az's topic, even though Az seemed to know he was the "problem" here. Didn't Nyara know anything? She had to see him, obviously.
- Well.
Nyara, bored of this silence already, talked first.
- What the hell is the problem with Az, then? she asked, arms crossed.
One foot on the couch, she looked at him intently, wanting to know the reason for his "surprised look". The boy was about to speak, when—
- He doesn’t see me, right?
Az talked first. Sahar nodded at his statement.
- W-What?! You can’t see Az… Why??
- Uuuh… What do I know? Sahar answered.
- Weeeeell, true! Nyara said.
She looked at Az.
- Though, isn’t it strange that he can’t see you, Az? she asked.
- But…
- Yeah?
- Almost nobody can see me, you know?
There was silence, no one spoke, and the faces of the people in the room froze. Nyara blinked, her mouth open. Sahar remained seated on the couch. Strangely, he felt like laughing ....... He didn't know why; he just wanted to laugh at the situation. Didn't Nyara know anything about her friend? How long had they known each other? Nothing was right.
- Heeeee...
Nyara finally reacted. With her face as still as ever, she let out that little noise so softly that Sahar didn't hear it. It seemed to the boy that Az sighed.
- Nyara, you are really dumb, Az said.
- Wh-Whaat?! Why is it me the dumb here?! Why have you never talked about it before?!!!
- People probably think you are crazy every time you talk to me, ahah!!
- Uuuh—! Yeah, right!! So have you said NOTHING??!!
- …
- …
- I mean, it’s funny?
- WH—?! It ISN’T FUNNY at all!! You aren’t funny, Az… Azassin!!
- Azassin… Waow.
- Shut the—
- You get along well.
Nyara was about to insult Az when Sahar spoke. He smiled, looking at the minty-haired girl. She gave him a rather dark look, though she wasn't angry with him. She turned her body towards the boy, and returned his smile.
- I think that too!!
Basically, Sahar had thought he was going to get insulted or she was going to do the tsundere; but she did neither. With a genuine smile on her lips, she looked like a totally normal, cute girl.
- Though, it bothers me that we can’t see him, but I guess it’s… liveable.
- Liveable?
- Yeah yeah, liveable. ANYWAY!
She wiped the cute smile off her face and put on a neutral look. Regaining her composure, Nyara looked at the gray-haired boy seriously.
- You probably want to know a lot, am I right? Nyara said.
Sahar nodded.
- I do have some questions about… everything, yeah.
Nyara sat comfortably on the sofa and did not look away from Sahar. Sahar, whose heart was beginning to race, took a deep breath of air. He had so many, but SO many questions on his mind. However, he couldn't ask them all. He was going to have to sort them into three classes: those that were OK, which he could ask, those that were KEEP, which he would only ask if the opportunity arose, and those that were NAH, which he should NOT ask.
- Well.
Sahar lifted up his head, ready to ask some questions.
- In the first place, how does my job… work? I mean, it seems like there is a lot to tidy and clean in this house!
The boy made a kinda angry face, but it was just for playing; it made Nyara laugh.
- You think you will take hours? I mean, even if you don’t anything about house works, it will not take you that much time, don’t worry!
- I didn't even see the second floor, and just the whole second floor gives me-
- Ah.
Sahar was interrupted in the middle of her sentence. A deep voice came out, when all she had said was a simple and useless "Ah". It had not been an "Ah" of surprise; rather, it was as if to correct Sahar. The latter turned to Nyara; more precisely to the invisible man next to her, Az.
- There is something you don’t get, Sahar.
- …
- Except Creel, nobody goes to the second floor, not even Nyara.
- … Oh?
Sahar didn't know what to say. He didn't know who this "Creel" was, either. Another inhabitant of this house? Some kind of roommate? Given the first name, Sahar concluded that it was a man; which disappointed him: he would have liked it to be another girl! Nyara, seeing the surprised look on the white-haired boy's face, shook her head.
- Don't try to understand, she began. In any case, you only have the bottom to do, and we don't get that dirty, so it's an easy job. A little too much for my taste, in fact...... I'd have to give you more housework......
- ... Hey!
Sahar finally snapped out of his musings. Frowning at Nyara, she began to giggle, her hands on the couch. The boy thought she was cute, when she smiled like that...... It seemed to him that a sigh had crept in with her weak laugh, but it was probably just Az. Either way.
- We have a deal, we have a deal!! Sahar said. I don’t want more work than we talked about!
- Eeeh… But it’s OUR house, you are under OUR roof! It’s not nothing! You are from the other continent, after all.
- What if I come from the other side, it doesn’t matter.
- Oh it does. Don’t act like it doesn’t.
Sahar surprised himself: he had pulled his head back in fear. Nyara's gaze had become much more serious, much more threatening. For some reason, this cute girl looked like a violent girl when she was like this. He didn't know her at all, so it was just prejudice; but Sahar didn't like that. If he trusted his guts, he would say that Nyara had a painful past that touched on that famous "other continent", so he shouldn't touch the subject without being careful. Sahar looked at his own hand, and then shook it. He promised himself that he would find out about this girl's past, and help her get better. After that, she will acknowledge her feelings for him, and finally, start her "love story"!
- Hehe, I can’t wait for it to start…!!
It's often the first girl you meet from the harem that becomes the "love story", so Nyara was probably going to be it. That was how Sahar thought. The latter nodded, which surprised Nyara. The boy looked at her and smiled; and she smiled back.
- Anyway, she seems to like me a lot already, so it’s a great start…!
Tilting his head a little to the right, Sahar did not hide his enthusiasm. In HIS world, the Earth, he had never been able to know love, nor a girl very interested in him. He had been mistaken for a gay man many times before. It was true that he hung out a lot with boys; but it wasn't by choice, but because it was either that or being alone. He wished he was more..... beautiful. Feeling a glance at him, Sahar noticed Nyara staring at him, which made him blush. He looked away and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of fresh air. The air here was so nice to breathe! There was a sweet smell in the air; even outside. It was a special smell, but he loved it; it was better than breathing normal oxygen! He didn't know this new World well, but for now, he LOVED it!
- Anyway.
He turned his head to the man he wasn’t able to see.
- Don’t you have a lot of questions? Az asked. I mean, it’s just one, there.
- Oh yeah, sorry, I was in my own thoughts, Sahar said. I wanted to know if I needed to get up to a precise hour or…?
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
- I don’t really care, but it has to be done before dinner, Nyara answered.
- When do you eat dinner?
On Earth, Sahar had parents who forced him to eat two hours before going to bed; in short, at half past six. He thought it was a normal hour, since he had always lived like that, but when he heard the hours of others.... Nine and a half, ten o'clock...... and even sometimes—
- Eleven o’clock.
- …
Even eleven o'clock.
For Sahar, it was so... late. How could anyone eat so late?! Were they going to sleep at midnight? Yes, it was true, Sahar was going to sleep that late, or even later, but at least he wasn't eating when half the normal people were sleeping!!! Well, the problem with eating so early and sleeping so late is that after a little while, often around ten o'clock, you get hungry. That's why Sahar liked to keep a little leftover dinner in the fridge, or the occasional sweet treat; he had always been more "salty" than “sweet”.
Shaking off all thoughts, Sahar nodded again.
- I see, at least I have time… Do we sleep at midnight?
- It totally depends on what we do the next day, but around twenty-two o’clock.
- Only one hour after dinner?
- We enjoy the food here, so we often finish at twenty-one forty. After that, we have to clean up, wash this stuff - which you'll do - and have a Teethclean, which usually takes twenty minutes. Anyway, I'll have ten minutes to myself, now that you're here. Thanks for being our slave!
- Oh, oh, oh. I'm not a slave, okay? You help me not die out there, I help you with the chores, that's it. If I want, I can leave whenever I want.
Which Sahar won't do. Maybe if he finds a more exciting adventure somewhere else, he'll go, but right now he was happy to have such a beautiful girl by his side. Nyara took a bored, but strangely disappointed look.
- The little bird is already having a fit, mooh, she said. If you want to leave, you can, but that would be one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard.
- Sorry to interrupt you two, but, Nyara.
Az's voice came between the boy and the girl. The latter turned her gaze to the other side of the couch, where the man still not seen by Sahar was standing.
- Have you ever thought of a present for Creel? he asked in a voice low enough for the other boy not to hear.
- Did you? Are you interrupting me for that? No, nothing yet, but so what? It's like in a hundred and eight days, we have time.
- Even, you know him, he always said that his twenty-fifth birthday would be the most important of his life…
- It's true, he always said that.......... Well, I'll look it up later, I have time anyway. T I M E. What do you interrupt us NOW about that anyway?!
- I just thought about it and we don’t have anything for him. Not my fault if my memory can be shit.
- Yeah, okay, but we can talk a moment where we aren’t talking to Sahar, right??
- Yes, yes, I got it, damn.
Nyara turned her head back to Sahar, leaving Az on her side.
- So, any more questions, sir?
- Sure thing! Can’t ask everything, but I would like to know…
- Sure, what do you want to know? Nyara asked.
- …
Sahar had no idea what to ask. What question should he ask? What to ask ???? He was going to ask, "Do you have powers, too?" but that was too suspicious. He had to find a way to ask it without them wondering.
- Lots of "asking," in my head......
This world was full of questions, Sahar would like so many answers; but he wasn't allowed to say them all. Some of the questions were too strange, too shady to ask; which was a shame, because they were mostly the most interesting ones. Sahar looked thoughtfully at Nyara.
- Do you have powers as well?
He asked it almost the same way as he thought, because he didn’t find a better way. Nyara seemed… in a lot of confusion.
- What? What do you mean?
- Fuck… Magic or powers don't exist, then…?!
He was disappointed.
Very disappointed.
He was a fan of magic and powers, he would have liked so much to be teleported in a world where magic reigns, where adventures are full of mystery, fights and danger...!
- Ah, you don't have any...... Not-
- There are people without Powers?
As Sahar was about to finish his sentence, his heart missed a beat. He blinked, unmoving, and turned to Nyara, his face frozen.
- ......
With his mouth agape, the boy had just experienced a real emotional elevator. From hope to disappointment to joy so quickly, it was the first time this had happened to him. Smiling at last, the boy had stars in his eyes.
- Does that mean…?!
- Why do you do such a face? Nyara asked.
- I-It is… awesome!!! Does that mean everyone has powers, in this w— I mean, continent?! Sahar asked.
- Uuuh… I am the one who is surprised, here. Does that mean y’all don’t have Powers?
- I… I mean, not really…
Calming his enthusiasm at once, Sahar realized his stupidity.
He had just lied, and it was possible that it would make a mess. Fortunately, Nyara didn't know anything - well, it seemed to him - about the other continent, and neither did Az; in any case, he wasn't saying anything. However, from what he said, everyone had powers in this World; on this continent, at least. It was...... perfect for him! So perfect!! More than perfect!!!
- It means that you have a Power as well, then, Sahar? Az asked.
- I don’t know!!
In his excitement, Sahar had answered without thinking. It took him barely three seconds to realize that he had made a huge mistake. His smile slowly faded from his face as Nyara looked at him strangely.
- But you asked if we had a Power “as well”, meaning you have a Power as well, right…? Nyara asked.
- ……
- Wasn’t what you meant?
- ………….
- And, what the heck is with you not knowing such a thing?! How is it even possible?!!
- …………………….
It was ALREADY a mess. Sahar started to sweat and wasn’t able to talk. He had been too excited about the situation.
He hadn't thought things through.
And now here he was, barely there, already in trouble.
- .........
Still silent as a carp, he used his brain to the maximum to get out of this situation. The solution might be simple, but he couldn't find it. He tried to find the right words, whether it was a lie or the truth. Unfortunately, he couldn't find anything convincing or that wouldn't put him at fault in the future. Should he say that he had expressed himself badly? It was a very simple solution and a good excuse.
- I meant… everyone on this continent, not you… in particular…
- …?
- Like, "Oh, you have powers too, because at home we have them, but here I don't know"........ Well....... that...... eh..........
- .....
Silence returned between the invisible man, the mint-haired girl and the boy awash in his own sweat. Sahar scratched her cheek, waiting for any reaction from Nyara, or even Az. The silence became very awkward for them. The girl coughed, finally deciding to break it.
- I... see. I hadn't seen it... like that, she said. Yeah, everyone here has a power; but some are much weaker, or just less developed. It varies in many ways.
- Like mental health or general health, physical condition, how you train it and how long, etc. Az added.
- Like us, then... Sahar said.
That was a lie, of course. On Earth, the powers were only fictitious. And Sahar had no idea if people on this "famous continent" had powers - and how they worked.
But now he had to lie. He had to be careful what he said, not to get carried away by emotions, to remain credible and not to become incoherent.
He knew that he was able to do it.
- Well, anyway… How do you NOT know if you have a Power or not…? Nyara asked.
- Oooooh, this.
As he regained his confidence, the invisible man shoved him again and made him fall down. What explanation could he give? Sahar did not have enough time to think, so he went on instinct.
- It was when I was little. They told me I wasn’t able to possess a power, so I gave up on trying to find if I really had one.
- And you never tried to control it later, just in case? asked the surprised girl.
- No... I was so... desperate, I just gave up. Plus, I figured since I was like this, I didn't have the mindset to have any... power.
Sahar thought he gave a good excuse. It was coherent, it was possible and it was basically correct. He had always tried to see if he could master a power, even though he knew it was ridiculous. Sometimes, in the garden, he would test to see if he could talk to animals or make objects move with his mind. He thought it was ridiculous, but deep down, if it worked, one day…
- Stupid memories…
Nyara looked at Az before shrugging her shoulders.
- It is…
- …
- … kinda sad, actually, Nyara said.
Sahar looked at her.
- Why did they say that to you in the first place? Were they sure about it? she asked.
The boy turned his head a little bit to the right.
- I don’t know… he answered.
The girl had a big smile on her face, a victorious glance on her face.
- Well, let’s do it!!
- ?!
Sahar looked at her.
- We're going to do a test to see if you have a Power or not!
Sahar stood up, excited.
- You.... Would you do this for me?! he shouted.
Nyara stuck out her tongue, her eyes closed.
- Yes! I don't have anything to do today, so we can do this in one, maybe two hours! Or even longer, I... I don't know.
She scratched her cheek and smiled stupidly. Sahar ran to Nyara and took her hands, which made her cry out in surprise.
- Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you !!!! he said with superhuman speed.
- Hey...! You're welcome…
She moved her head away from the boy's and squinted her eyes. Behind her, Az stood up.
- I'll leave you to it, Nyara, he said.
She turned around, not paying attention to the boy who was still holding her hands.
- Where are you going? she asked him.
- I'm just going to see a friend, nothing else. Can you handle this guy by yourself?
- Facilo!
- Mph. Then I'll leave you.
Az left without Sahar seeing or hearing him. Meanwhile, Nyara looked at him. He opened the door to leave.
- I can't wait to see if I have a Power—
Sahar, excitement visible in her eyes, felt a hand take her mouth and her legs fly off the ground. He had no idea what was going on and didn't have time to figure it out when he felt his back hit the ground. He wanted to let out a scream, but the hand stopped him. His eyes looked up at the ceiling, searching for answers.
- You. don't. touch. her.
A male voice was heard, filled with inexpressible rage. Sahar was forced to close his eyes, hair touching his irises. He managed to open one with difficulty, and saw that in front of him were angry eyes.
- What the...?!
It was Nyara's voice. The boy, who still didn't understand anything, tried to speak, but still couldn't.
- Nyara. What. Do. He wants?
- He's someone who's going to come and help in the house! He wasn't doing anything wrong, damn it! Come on, let him go!
- I don't. Don't know. If he is. Someone. Of. Trust.
- Creel!
- Creel...?
He had heard that name a few seconds, maybe minutes before. Creel... Wasn't he the only one who could access the floor above ?! So, what was he doing... ?
- Creel, you may have no reason to trust him, but I swear that if you don't let him go…
A metallic noise was heard. Sahar, still conscious, thought that it sounded a lot like a blade coming out of its sheath. The voice that had just threatened Creel was simply Az's.
- Az...? Nyara asked.
- ......
- You let go of him. Now.
The hand in front of Sahar's mouth slowly withdrew, finally letting him breathe properly. The boy coughed, finally opening his eyes. Nyara spoke, but he did not listen.
- .
- Thank you, Az said.
Sahar stood up, shaking his head, and looked around.
Except for Nyara, there was already no one there.