Arlo nodded, casting an uneasy glance at Sylvia before continuing. "...Yeah, I'm going to be heading away for a while, so you won't be able to see me as much. It could be a day, or it could even be as long as a week. I'm not exactly sure."

Sylvia’s brow furrowed with concern. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's business-related, but everything's fine," Arlo reassured her.

Sylvia, however, wasn't entirely convinced. "It's not dangerous, is it?"

"No, it's perfectly safe," Arlo said, meeting her gaze with a reassuring smile.

"Can you tell us where you're going?" Sylvia pressed.

"I can't do that."

As he sat there, watching the faces of the two women he cared for the most in the world, Arlo couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt and regret. He hated keeping secrets from them, hated the idea of causing them any more pain or worry than they had already endured.

"But I promise you, I'm doing this for a good reason, and I'll be back as soon as I can."

Sylvia met Arlo's gaze, the two staring at one another for a long, tense moment. Finally, she lowered her head, clenching her hands into fists at her sides.

"Do... do you really have to go?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Arlo stared silently at Sylvia. Even though he had tried to brace himself for this reaction, actually seeing the pained look on her face made him have second thoughts about leaving. Sylvia had just gone through a horrible, traumatic experience.

As strong as she was, even she would need someone by her side to help her through the aftermath. That was why Arlo was glad that at least Serena would still be here with her. Surely with Serena's support, Sylvia would be okay - that was what he had genuinely believed.

But now, seeing Sylvia's crestfallen expression, Arlo realized he had been far from right in that assumption.

"Actually, never mind what I just said..." Sylvia muttered, raising her head and forcing an understanding smile onto her face. "Just... be careful out there, okay? Come back to us soon."

Although she was smiling, Arlo couldn't help but feel his heart ache as he looked at her. It was obviously a forced smile, one intended to ease his worries rather than reflect how she truly felt.

'I'm such an idiot, aren't I?' Arlo berated himself silently. 'I thought I was doing the right thing by going to the magician's guild to get that spell and make some money trading. But is leaving them really the best choice right now?'

He would be abandoning Sylvia and Serena, even if only for a short time. And Sylvia needed support now more than ever as she recovered.

'I don't want to leave her, not until I'm sure she's doing better...' Arlo thought, clenching his jaw. 'But I can't stay here either. Vielle has matters to take care of back in her world. And I need her help with the trading, so I'd rather not separate from her now...'

Arlo lowered his head, pondering intensely as he tried to figure out a solution.

'So what do I do? Bring Sylvia and Serena with us to the other world? It's not an easy secret to keep, and they have their own lives here - well, had. Sylvia is off work because of the accident, but Serena still has university classes to attend...'

'Not to mention, I'd be exposing them to greater risk,' he realized grimly. 'If the government or hunters association finds out I can use magic, there's no telling what lengths they'd go to in order to get their hands on it. Keeping Sylvia and Serena in the dark might be safer for them...'

Arlo began tapping his foot anxiously as countless thoughts raced through his mind.

'But what if keeping this secret from them ends up making things worse in the long run? There's also the matter of those guilds from the other world taking an interest in Vielle. I've booked a hotel for Sylvia and Serena to stay at while I'm gone, but I'm sure the guilds have enough connections to track that down. What happens then, if I'm in another world and Sylvia and Serena have to deal with the guilds on their own?'

Arlo sat there in tense silence, his mind awhirl as he pondered the potential consequences of each choice. Revealing the truth now would mean there'd be no taking it back. But continuing to hide it could lead to even bigger problems down the line...

As the seconds ticked by with Arlo lost in thought, Serena and Sylvia exchanged worried glances.

"Arlo? Is everything alright?" Sylvia asked tentatively.

"Yeah, you kind of spaced out there..." Serena added, concern clear in her voice.

But Arlo remained silent, absorbed in his own internal debate as his heel tapped an agitated rhythm on the floor.

The longer Arlo's silence stretched on, the more uneasy Sylvia and Serena became. Suddenly, Arlo's foot stilled. He looked up at them, his gaze resolute.

"Sylvia, Serena - can you two keep a secret? A big one?" he asked seriously.

"Of course, you know I still haven't told Mom about that time you broke-" Serena started to say before Arlo cut her off.

"And Sylvia? Can I trust you to keep this to yourself, no matter what?" Arlo questioned, his intense stare boring into her.

Taken aback but sensing the gravity in Arlo's tone, Sylvia nodded solemnly. "I won't tell a soul. I promise."

Seeing he had their word, Arlo took a deep breath and tilted his head up to the ceiling.

"Alright then. Vielle, you can come out now," he called.

Serena and Sylvia followed his gaze with bewildered expressions - only for their eyes to widen in shock as a silver-haired girl in flowing robes and a pointed hat shimmered into view, hovering in midair above them. In one hand she held a plate of food, and in the other was a half-eaten slice of bread.

"It's the girl from that video!" Serena exclaimed. "She's real?"

"So that’s her…?" Sylvia murmured, clearly impressed.

Now that her presence had been revealed, Vielle descended gracefully to the ground. She set the plate on the table and quickly finished off the bread in dainty bites, her cheeks puffing out adorably as she chewed, before turning to face Serena and Sylvia.

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"Hello, it's a pleasure to officially make your acquaintance," Vielle greeted them with a courteous nod. "As Arlo said, my name is Vielle. I'm his... business partner, of sorts."

Serena and Sylvia stared at the fantastical scene in mute astonishment for a few beats. Then they turned to Arlo, obviously awaiting an explanation.

"Arlo, this is the girl Serena saw in that video, right?" Sylvia asked.

"I knew she had to be real! I wasn't imagining things," Serena declared. Then a sly grin spread across her face. "Wait, is she your girlfriend? Is that why you've been keeping her a secret from us?"

"Oh my, our little Arlo is growing up..." Sylvia said misty-eyed, clasping her hands to her chest. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Hold on, you're jumping to conclusions!" Arlo interjected, feeling his cheeks heat up. He jabbed a finger at Vielle. "Did you already forget that she was just flying? Doesn't that seem a little strange to you?"

Serena waved a hand dismissively. "So she has a flying ability, big deal. I want to hear the juicy details! Vielle, spill - how did you and Arlo meet? Is he a good boyfriend? Has he been treating you right?"

Arlo physically inserted himself between Serena and Vielle before the interrogation could continue.

"Okay, stop right there! You're missing the point," he said in exasperation. "The reason I kept Vielle a secret isn't because she's my girlfriend. It's because... she's from another world."

You could have heard a pin drop in the ensuing silence. Sylvia and Serena gaped at Arlo as if he'd grown a second head.

"Another... world?" they repeated in unison, voices colored with disbelief.

Heaving a sigh, Arlo proceeded to lay out the whole story for them in painstaking detail, not leaving out a single pertinent fact. By the time he finished, it felt like an eternity had passed.

"So... do you get the gist of the situation now?" Arlo asked, searching their expressions for understanding.

Serena sat back, processing it all. "Let me see if I've got this straight. You found a magic book on your way home one day that transported you to some fantasy world, which is where you met Vielle. Then you brought her back here and decided to keep her existence a secret to avoid causing a panic."

Arlo nodded. "That about sums it up, yeah."

"And now Vielle is helping you start up a business in her world," Sylvia chimed in, "while that floating trick of hers is actually magic, not an innate ability. Correct?"

"More or less," Arlo confirmed. "I know it's a lot to take in..."

Sylvia and Serena traded uneasy looks, then turned back to Arlo with concern etched on their faces.

"Arlo, honey... are you feeling okay?" Sylvia asked gently, reaching out to feel his forehead as if checking for a fever.

Arlo batted her hand away with an indignant huff. "I-I’m fine, is it really that hard to believe?"

"No no, it's not that we don't believe you!" Serena rushed to assure him. "It's just... it sounds kind of far-fetched, you know? Parallel worlds and magic and all that."

"Well, seeing is believing," Arlo declared. "You two go pack your bags. I'm taking you to Vielle's world so you can see the truth for yourselves."

"Wait, we're going to this other world too? It's actually real?" Serena asked, eyes wide.

"You’re not even trying to hide that you don’t believe me at this point…" Arlo said accusingly. "But yes, it's real. And I want you both to come with us when we go back. So hurry up and get ready, I'll prove everything once you're packed."

The two women shared another long look before Sylvia sighed and stood up.

"Alright Arlo, we trust you. Give us a half hour to get our things together," Serena said.

Serena hopped up too, practically vibrating with excitement. "This is wild! I can't wait to see if it's really legit. Oh, but what about my classes? I don't know if I can miss that much school..."

"I thought that they didn’t care about your attendance as long as your grades are good." Arlo chided. "Time flows differently in the other world. We'll only be gone a week tops."

“My grades are the problem, Arlo… but you’re right, there's no way we can pass up a chance like this!” Serena said excitedly.

With that, Serena and Sylvia hurried upstairs to pack, leaving Vielle and Arlo alone once more. Serena paused at the top of the stairs to give Vielle a friendly wave, which the mage returned with a smile.

‘Aren’t they a little too excited? And it’s not like this is their last chance to go to the other world either…’

Once they were out of earshot, Vielle turned to Arlo with a questioning look. "Are you sure about this? Telling them everything?"

"Yeah, I am," he said firmly. "They deserve to know the truth, especially if the big guilds are going to be poking around in search of you. I'd never forgive myself if Sylvia or Serena got caught up in a mess because I left them in the dark."

Vielle studied him thoughtfully, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "You really care about them a lot, huh?"

"Of course I do. Sylvia... she's like a mother to me. She worked so hard to raise me. And Serena's just like a sister too, the best big sister I could ask for. They're my family."

At that, Vielle cocked her head curiously. "If you feel that way, why don't you call them Mom and Sis? Why use their names?"

Arlo tensed, his expression darkening. "That's... personal." he said shortly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," Vielle apologized. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

But Arlo sighed, forcing himself to relax. "No, it's okay. The truth is... my birth parents and little sister were killed when the monster gates first started appearing ten years ago. I was the only survivor."

Vielle's eyes widened in shock and sympathy. She remembered Arlo mentioning the gates before, and realized with a pang that he would have only been nine years old when he lost his whole family. Her heart ached for the painful burden he'd been carrying all this time.

"There were so many forgotten deaths back then, in just the initial attacks... I'm terrified that if I start calling Sylvia and Serena my mother and sister, I'll forget my real family. I can't let myself do that."

Arlo clenched his fists, gaze fixed on the floor. "It's stupid, I know..." he said, voice heavy with self-recrimination.

But Vielle shook her head vehemently. "No, Arlo. It's not stupid at all. It just shows how deeply you loved them, and still do. Anyone who would judge you for grieving them in your own way isn't worth listening to."

Arlo swallowed hard, blinking back the sudden sting of tears. He hadn't expected Vielle's instant acceptance and understanding. Something eased in his chest, a knot of tension unraveling.

"Thanks, Vielle," he rasped, offering her a smile. "For everything."

"I don’t recall doing anything deserving of a thanks though?" she assured him, smiling back. "Now, what do you say we get ready for our trip too? The sooner we sort everything out, the faster we can buy that spell from the Magician’s guild."

"Yeah, you’re right." Arlo agreed.

Glancing conspiratorially at Vielle, Arlo felt his smile widen into a grin. The road before them was unknown and more than a little daunting... but somehow, he was certain everything would work out as long as he had them by his side.

-

Arlo and Vielle made their way to the storage room, where countless boxes sat neatly stacked and labeled.

As he surveyed the room, Arlo couldn't help but wonder if Serena and Sylvia would be able to decipher Vielle's writing on the labels. But he quickly pushed the thought aside, deciding that if they couldn't read it, he would simply relabel the boxes himself later.#

"We have everything here," Vielle said, her voice filled with a quiet confidence. "I also brought your bag with the clothes you left upstairs."

Arlo nodded, his gaze drifting over the sea of boxes before them. "Still, it's a lot to transport all at once. Should we place these all into your spatial bag?" he asked, his brow furrowed in thought.

Vielle's nodded. "Yeah, that would definitely help. Honestly, you should get one of those bags for yourself."

"You think we'll be making enough profit to afford one?" Arlo asked.

"That depends on the trading company you go to, but there's definitely a lot of potential.”

At her words, Arlo couldn't help but grin, a sense of excitement and anticipation filling his chest.

"Sounds good to me," he said. "Let's hurry up and store this into your spatial bag while they're getting ready."

Vielle nodded, and with a flick of her wrist, a purple magic circle appeared before them, its edges glowing with a soft, ethereal light. One by one, the boxes began to float off the ground, their contents perfectly preserved as they disappeared into the depths of the spatial bag she pulled out from beneath her robe.