“Hm?”

My mother blinked at me as I spoke. I think briefly, ‘Children venturing from their families was common in Evelyn, wasn’t it?’

I expected an easy agreement because it was something a lot of other families allowed. Still, something told me it wasn’t going to be easy convincing my mom.

“I don’t know Leon…” She pressed a palm to her cheek, “It's dangerous…”

“I will defend myself!” I quickly retorted, earning an even more unsure glance from my mother as her ears drooped. “You know the nature of this continent, Leon.”

Nature of this continent, hm?

I thought about it for a while, and nothing super important came to mind.

Evelyn was a continent for shounen lovers and was packed with action. Kids left home early to make a name for themselves and their families because the only way you could gain presence in society was by making a name for yourself. People fought and won countless wars, trained their talents to rival even the strongest sorcerers, and even then couldn’t reach the top.

That was probably the hardest thing about it. Evelyn had a competitive nature when it came to trying to make a dent in society.

I scratch at the contents of the first book for a way to get out of a situation like this… The main character was an orphan and therefore had no obligation to stay in the place where he was raised, but here was a different story.

I have a family and a doting mother who cares about me… Of course, I care for her too, but I want to survive…

Surviving means I can’t live as a useless side character!!!!

“But-! But-! I have to!!!!” I impulsively yell-shouted, causing my mom’s ears to drop and Tatertot to turn his attention to me.

The attention of the two focused on me caused me to slightly freeze up. I could feel Tatertots– Eitan’s gaze on my back and the crushing weight of my mother's stare.

“I don’t understand, Leon? Why must you go? It is much safer here than…”

I listen to my mother as she begins a lecture, her words caught in her throat at the very last moment.

“...Out there…” She finished, her tone noticeably dropping as she turned away from me. Her dress whirls around her as she starts to ignore my presence.

My cheeks were round with a pout, she wasn’t listening at all! She didn’t understand how crucial it was for me to be out there and survive!

I opened my mouth to protest once again, but the fear of rejection stopped me first. I quietly shut my mouth and proceeded up the stairs, only pausing midway up the stairs to look back at Tatertot, staring at me expectantly.

“I’m going to bed Ta- Eitan. You go home.” I dismissed him with a dejected voice, wavering with the stutter. My voice didn’t sound as clear as I hoped it to be, but Eitan clearly got the message and proceeded to tidy his things.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

My eyebrows furrow as I go up into my room as quietly as possible, despite the turmoil brewing within me.

The bed welcomed me first as I threw myself onto the mattress. Normally in a situation like this, teenager-modern-me would’ve sulked in my bed for an hour before getting up to do something productive; however now I just felt… oddly calm.

My legs sat pretzelled as I supported my head with one hand. Dumbfoundedly staring out the window to the sky that was darkening by the second.

“How do I get around this…” I muttered to the silence of the room. It was like navigating a boulder in a video game….

“Gah! No point pondering about it now!” I push away the useless thoughts about comparing this world to the present, and I pull out the diary that the previous Leon wrote in. Flipping open to the most recent entry and then to an empty page, I rummaged through the desks for a quilt and ink to jot down an entry for the day.

Entry number…. #,

The feather felt ticklish and alien to me compared to a pencil, but it had to make due… I just wish Evelyn was a little bit more modernized because the ink ran out quickly.

Note: Buy a pen if I can find one when I can.

Today is the first day I woke up in Evelyn, but I'm still me. I have settled for now, and am slowly getting used to living here…

Note: Tatertot’s real name is Eitan, in case I forget again.

I got hit in the streets with a dragonfly. Tatertot apparently owns a dragonfly??? I think. My home is some sort of semi-bakery that gives bread to the neighbors…

I am a beast of some kind, but I have not found out what.

The feathers of the quilt tickled my nose as I grumbled at the numerous ink blotches forming all over the page, making the entry seem the same as the other messy entries. Gosh, Leon really needed a new thing to write with.

Mistook a group of men from outside the kingdom for women… Felt really embarrassed. First time encountering something that followed the ‘original work’ in men. Large boobs.

A cloud of scribbles found itself drawn next to the last word. I didn’t really want to include that, but it was necessary for the future, maybe.

Asked Mom if I could start adventuring today, and she said no. I will find a way around it.

I end the entry at that, not elaborating further as I shut the book close, getting a noseful of concentrated ink smell in my face. The quilt and ink were put away, and the diary was secured where it originally was, somewhere in the drawers.

Pulling off the green vest and my boots, I crawl back into bed and huddle under the blankets.

How could I convince my mother to let me go out?

My brows twisted in knots as I shut them tightly, trying to not imagine her angry or disappointed expression at my persistence. She needed to know that I had to go out and pave a new life for myself! I can’t wrap my head around why she won't agree!

My eyes cracked open, half-lidded glaring bullets into the walls as I grew irritated.

What could I use to convince her… A plot point perhaps? But we are too far into the past and telling her the future might result in consequences….

If I meddle with the future with my nonsense, maybe the world will end… Or most likely scenario, she would think I’m not getting enough sleep and lock me in Uresanthia for the rest of my life.

Pulling at my locks of gold and kicking ferociously in bed, I shake my head. This cannot happen whatsoever! If I am left here to rot, I will rot as a side character and blend into the background!!! Even worse, I’ll indulge in the pleasantries of life and forget where I even came from!!!

I needed action! Adrenaline! The rush of finding new things like I was back in Texas– I wasn’t meant for a peaceful life as a side character!

After my fury died down, I sat listless in bed for a long time. Staring at the darkness of my room and occasionally the back of my eyelids. I don’t know how much time passed like that, but more time had passed, and the hall outside my door drew sounds of voices.

The first voice I recognized was my mother, perhaps talking to someone– or herself. The name ‘Leon’ had escaped her mouth in a hushed, worried tone, yet the rest of the sentence was so quiet that I couldn’t hear.

I rolled over onto my side, clasping the pillow my head rested on over either side of my ears, my eyes screwing shut.

The soft murmurs of voices outside my room faded as my mind drifted about, instead finding home someplace else.

When I opened my eyes, the world was bright. My hand brushes over the right of my eye, combing through my hair before finding its way back to the shell of my ear.

My ear is normal again. It feels human-shaped. Maybe this was really just a very realistic dream?

I stood before a grassy field by myself. It's familiar, maybe a field that was a few paces from my backyard. But from here, I couldn’t see any buildings. There is not a tree in sight, only grass, clouds, and the sky.

‘Did I make it back?’

The words echo through the field as my open palm reaches toward the sky, occasionally trying to grasp at the clouds. Before I knew it, my body fell backward and hit the ground with a thud. The grass sprawls around my body as I lay there, staring at the vibrant blue of the sky contrasting against the green grass.

I really made it back…?