“Freaks…” My words slipped and were caught in my throat as the two men stared at me confusedly.

I quickly composed myself, sweat sliding down my face as I scrambled to gather my bearings.

“I- I meant–! Sir! Sire!”

The words fell out in short stuttered bursts as I trembled violently. The one in the cloak only raised a brow, giving an ear to my woes.

“But, are you two adventurers-?”

I managed to finish my words, anxiously waiting for an answer from one of them.

The man with darker hair smiled, nodding his head, “Yes, we are.”

“We came here to Uresanthia from Creabara to pick up someone else who will join us!”

He pointed at himself, then the guy beside him. I nodded very smartly as if I knew where Creabara was.

“How do you get started on your adventure!” I blurted out, quite informally. I wasn’t sure what the speaking formalities were as a little kid in Evelyn, because the main character was an adult when the story began.

I get a pass because I'm fifteen!

“Well,” The brown-haired man tapped his chin, “I suppose it was a sort of calling.”

“A calling?”

“A calling for adventure, to seek thrill and see what others haven’t.”

I tilted my head, trying to make sense of his words.

“If you want to make a name for yourself and survive, adventure is necessary.” He tapped his arm. I stood puzzled for a moment before the lightbulb came to me.

He is talking about the hero's journey! One thing I vaguely remember from my English class.

“The call to adventure!” I blurted out, “Can I have one too?” This caused the two men to chuckle at one another. A big hand found itself ruffling my already tousled locks.

“You’ll find your way someday, kid.”

“Bye-bye~” The dark-haired man waved before turning around. A huff of air escaped me as they walked away.

I didn’t actually get any answers besides them being adventurers, which was pretty obvious.

Weighing my options, I decided to return home to formulate a much better plan. I made a mental thought, ‘Have to find a call to adventure that will allow me to travel where I need to go.’

Retracing my steps back to the street where my house lay, I attempt to conjure a plausible excuse that would give me my mother's permission to leave home for an extended amount of time. Obviously, I could not tell her that ‘The world is actually a novel I read and I had suddenly ended up here!’

Weaving through the townspeople, I spot a familiar figure just a few meters ahead.

Tatertot!

I still didn’t know his real name.

I purposely bumped my shoulder into his to allow a very smooth transition from walking to conversing, and guess what? It worked.

“Leon? What’re you up to?”

Tatertot seems to act like those standard NPC background characters with little to no contribution to any events. Maybe I could swiftly get information from him to adjust to the world quicker….

“I’m trying to find out about adventuring outside the kingdom,” I reply. We both fall into the familiar position of walking alongside each other. I lead the way, and Tatertot follows closely behind.

“Oh. That's nice.” Tatertot skipped whilst following me, “Why’d you ignore me earlier?”

I had totally forgotten I slammed the door on him. I just transmigrated a few hours ago, it was the shock acting out! Not me!

“Em… My tummy hurt really bad…?” I whistled, trying to avoid his pouty gaze. “I’m not mad at you, I swear…”

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

“You better not be! Don’t do that again!” Tatertot exhaled, poking my side as I jostled with a dramatic ‘Yeow!’

“Whiiiiich reminds me…”

A cough bubbled from my throat as I awkwardly skated around the idea of trying to figure out Tatertot’s real name. I couldn’t let him know I replaced the real Leon now could I?

“I was thinking we should give eachother nicknames.” I smoothly thought up on the spot on how I could slip by and get this boys real name.

He gave me a quizzical look in response, tilting his head as we walked, “Is Leon not already a nickname?”

I shook my head, taking the bullet that I might potentially get a silly name for the rest of my life. “Leon is shortened off of Leonardo, so it doesn’t count!”

Tatertot seemed to question the idea momentarily before going along with it. The corners of my mouth curve up as my chance arrives!

“How about I call you… Arrrrrr……..”

“...”

“KrispyKreme.”

We stopped walking as Tatertot stared at me with blank eyes, “What does that word mean?” Ah, I forgot that English sounded very strange here.

“Um…. Don’t worry about it? How about you propose a nickname…” I quickly added on, “Like a hero name a famous person goes by! It isn’t their real name.”

Tatertot’s expression shifted back into a smile as he nodded.

“A hero’s name! Uh-huh….”

“I think… I would want to be called just Eitan.”

“Eitan?” I repeated after him as he smiled.

“I don’t want a hero name or a nickname, I want to just be ‘me.’”

I briefly stared at him walking by my side as we turned the corner and into the street where my home resided. My face turned and looks back up ahead where I slightly nodded, and even subconsciously smiled a little.

The sun had began to set, dipping lower than it did when I came to. The rays peek behind the tall buildings further into the cities. Eitan and I’s shadows blend into the approaching darkness.

I knew I could’ve found his name if I looked through the diary a bit more, but asking in person felt more ‘real’. The conversation from there trailed off into nonsensical names that neither of us took a liking to, but still made us both laugh.

We eventually arrived at our destination, my home! Eitan and I slipped inside as some adults and other people shuffled in and out. At the front and the center of the small crowd was my mother, who was giving out her bread to the locals and neighbors.

I chose to sit at a small table in the corner of the first floor, occasionally glancing at the people coming in and going out. Eitan followed me and sat across from me.

“So, Eitan. Have you ever had any ambition to explore outside the Kingdom…” I whistled as I threw my hands behind my head, slouching back in the wooden chair.

“Um… sometimes,” He shortly thought up, “But nothing beyond a few short trips. Maybe to pick up some sort of shiny gem?”

“Why do you ask?”

My gaze fell from the candles on the walls to Tater–Eitan.

“I want to explore the continent and become an adventurer.” I proclaim, crossing my arms over my front.

I closed my eyes and expected some sort of shout like ‘Wow! What! You’re leaving me!’ or an ‘Excuse me? It’s very dangerous!’ However, Eitan seemed ecstatic about this information.

“Really!? You will explore the continent!?” Eitan reiterates, standing up from his seat and hovering before me.

“Hah… Yes. I want to make a name for myself.” I agreed, a little nervous at his enthusiastic behavior as he gave me the look of ‘I'm so proud of my best friend…’

“I want to have a team of people I can trust and rely on, and we embark on journeys together around the continent– or even the world!” Explaining my ambitions with jazz hands, Eitan beamed and agreed.

“I agree! You have to formulate a solid team to face the dangers outside of the civilizations, strategize how to face your targets, and much more!” Honestly, Eitan seemed more interested in adventure than I did, and I was taken aback just a bit.

“Of course, I thought about all those things!” I did not.

“But Eitan, If you are so excited about MY adventure, why don't you go on one yourself?” I questioned the boy before me as a thoughtless face greeted me.

“It's very simple, really.” He began,

“I don’t wanna!” I expected a more detailed response as I smacked my face four times. He says this all with an idiotic smile, mind you.

“Haa… Is that really all there is to it-?” I squint, not believing him after he says all these smart strategies and points when you start a journey.

“Of course! I just say the logical things, y’know. You have to have strategy, wits, and courage, yeah?”

Eitan noticed a blade of grass stuck to his shirt, grabbing it and placing it between his nose and upper lip as he leaned onto his arms. “Uresanthia has many adventurers come through, so my words are only assumptions based on watching.”

Surprisingly, Eitan was a bright kid. Maybe a little naive, but bright nonetheless.

I leaned back in the chair, my arm hanging over the top tail as the warm aroma of freshly baked bread and spice enveloped me. My mother came over holding two plates and placed them before me and Eitan, serving us a plate of freshly baked bread and a curry stew.

“Thank you Miss Hym!” Eitan chirped before beginning to chow down. I mumbled something amongst ‘Thanks,’ to my mom before scooping the stew with the bread.

“First proper meal in this world,” I thought as I bit into the toasty bread.

I wasn’t sure how foreign foods would taste to me, a Texan accustomed to half-baked foods and fatty oils. When the taste of the stew fitted itself onto my tongue, I felt the flavors of each ingredient melt into my mouth.

It was delicious!

I eagerly chow down on the curry and bread. Faintly, I hear the laughter of Eitan and my mother, but I don’t care.

“Slow down! It isn’t going anywhere!” Eitan jokingly tried to grab at my hands like he wasn’t the same, except just a tad bit slower, and I simply broke from his weak grip to continue.

Cocoa-colored stew sauce smears my lips and cheeks when I finish, innocently staring at my mother who comes by once again with a rag, wiping at my mouth in a fit of chuckles.

“Once again eating as if you’re famished,” My mom laughed, placing a cup of water for me before whisking away to rinse the rag.

Hmph.

I lifted the cup of water to my lips as Eitan focused on his meal. Wondering how I would tell my mom that I wanted to set foot out of this home, and wanted to instead explore the continent over growing up peacefully in the cities.

Sliding out of the chair and trotting over to the kitchen, I placed the cup of water near the structure that I assumed was the sink, and turned to my mom.

“Ma?” I called out, a small hum in response coming back to me.

I stood silent for a moment, unsure of how I should approach her with my decision. A mature voice, or a childish voice? If I asked too maturely, would she think I heard it from the streets? If I asked like a child, she would brush it off.

Secondhandedly, I decided to just be straightforward. The words escaping out my mouth.

“I want to go on an adventure outside the kingdom.”