Adam had just finished drying himself when the men returned, accompanied by another man in white robes lined by golden strips. The man in question had a white wooden staff with a golden gemstone embedded at the tip, and he eyed Adam with a frown. Adam was sure that the man did not limp, nor was he old, therefore the man wasn’t using it to help himself walk or keep upright.

Still unable to communicate, Adam eyed the two men he was familiar with, giving them a confused and concerned look. The bald man then hurried the robed man, leading him to Adam who was still sitting on the stool. Surprised by the suddenness, Adam probed the minds of the men and found them harboring no hostile or ill intentions. That said, the man in the white robes was frustrated, as if he didn’t want to come in the first place.

Assured, Adam leaned against the wall behind him and allowed the men to come near. The man in robes looked at him from top to bottom with curious and judging eyes, inspecting and scrutinizing. Afterwards, the robed man turned to the bald one and told him something, and it made the other man nod.

Adam tensed as the robed man raised his staff and pointed it at Adam’s forehead. Before he could glance at the bald man for a clue, the golden gemstone within the tip of the staff began to glow. It surprised Adam but it didn’t seem to faze the others in the room. In fact, everyone else looked as if this was routine.

Sensing no danger at first, Adam was content to just accept whatever they were doing, but the sudden psychic reaction that followed after a few seconds made him reconsider. Something was trying to get into his mind and change something within, triggering his innate mental defenses. Because of this, Adam was brought down by a sudden, painful headache, causing him to fall from the stool and onto the floor.

The men quickly moved to help him but found Adam screaming as he held his head, begging for the man in robes to stop. The man in question didn’t seem to care. Rather, he looked annoyed at what he was witnessing. The gemstone glowed brighter as the man leaned in closer, placing the tip of his staff right above Adam’s head.

The pain within Adam soared, and it seemed poised to break through. But Adam wasn't about to surrender now. He mustered his power to the best of his ability, and just as he was about to strike down the man in robes, he noticed something.

He stilled his mental defenses, reducing much of the headache he was experiencing. Afterwards, he went and felt where the psychic attack was aiming for. He found that it was trying to get into the part of his mind that held knowledge, specifically the section that involved language and learning.

Adam frowned. This was the second time he was experiencing an attack on his mind, and it was also the first time it had almost worked. However, it didn't seem like it was trying to harm him, unlike the first attempt by his parents' murderer.

After what seemed to be an eternity of pondering, Adam allowed his mind to be entered by whatever influence the man in robes was exerting. He stopped his mental defenses and closed his eyes as he laid on the floor, unmoving and without the pain.

As soon as the psychic influence ran its course, he began to understand.

"Is it over?" He heard someone say.

"That wasn't supposed to happen, was it?" Another added.

"The little sea shit is fine. Wake him up. It's done." One more joined.

Adam opened his eyes and found the same two men looking down on him again, giving a familiar scene.

“He looks alright.” The man with one eye said.

“Thank the gods then, he looked as if he was about to die.” The bald man said.

Adam’s eyes widened as he realized what was happening.

“I can understand you.” Adam said with bewilderment.

“Aye, and we can understand you now too!” The man with one eye chirped rather cheerfully.

The two men helped Adam up and sat him back on his stool. The robed man looked at Adam with a frown before turning away towards the door, “10 gold. Leave the payment on my desk.”

“We agreed the price to be 5!” The bald man complained.

“And I used more mana than I should! That man has enough willpower to rival a Holy Knight,” The man in robes shot back, “My price is only reasonable.”

The door slammed behind the man in robes, leaving Adam alone with the two men.

“So much for that discount.” The man with one eye said.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Meh, leave it be. Maybe we owe him that much for what he did, but… well, I don’t know.” The bald man replied, sounding defeated.

The two men turned to Adam and began to introduce themselves.

“The name’s Baran, son, I am the portmaster of Silvershore.” Baran said with a crooked smile.

“And I’m Fred! Pleased to meet ya. I’m the headmaster of the workers here.” Fred said as he posed dramatically.

Still processing the fact that he could now understand the local language after what the robed man did, it took Adam a few seconds to respond.

“I’m.. Adam. Adam Sun, nice to meet you two.” He said as he extended a hand, a gesture that confused the two men. Baran, however, took the hand with his own and they shook, awkward as it may have been.

Noticing their hesitation and confusion, Adam began to explain as he withdrew his hand, “It’s a gesture of greeting from back home.”

Baran nodded, “First time I’ve heard of it. Where are you from anyway?”

Before Adam could answer, Baran turned to Fred and asked him to go fetch the food he had requested from the kitchen. Fred was quick to comply, running off and leaving the door slightly ajar.

“So… what’s your story?” Baran asked as if changing his initial question.

“I…” Adam hesitated. Would Baran believe him if he told the truth? He was unsure. After all, saying that he survived a raging storm and towering waves with the help of a sea monster sounded unbelievable, even to him. It sounded more like a bad hallucination than reality.

Baran didn’t seem to mind that Adam was slow to answer. In fact, he seemed to understand. There was a sparkle in his eyes. A calm yet sincere gaze that assured Adam that the man he was speaking to bore no ill will or intentions. Anyone else would’ve only seen the dirty, grumpy looking man, but his psychic sense allowed him another angle. The angle of unseen humanity. Fred seemed like a friendly guy too.

“I lost my way in a.. storm, yeah. Got thrown overboard. Lost everything else.” Adam explained. The vagueness was intentional. He had a sneaking suspicion that he was in a place far away from home, or nowhere close to home for that matter. The unknown language. The glowing gemstone. That robed man. The weird dock. The clothing and currency. Even the room he was in felt alien to him, as if he had gone back in time. Had he? It was either that, or he had actually been thrown into another world entirely.

Both were ridiculous, and both were possibilities that he had started seriously considering. And it terrified Adam.

“You’re lucky to be alive then,” Baran said, “Ships that lose themselves to the maw of the Unending Storm usually sink with all their crew and cargo. You, son, are the first ever exception.”

Adam managed a weak smile, "Guess I'm lucky then."

"Blessed more like," Baran quipped, "Where do you hail from anyway?"

Adam did not answer. Not immediately. He contemplated what to say, fearing that saying the truth would only earn him more questions and confusion.

"I... don't remember." He finally said. It was still probably a terrible answer, given how Baran was looking at him as if he had just told him the stupidest thing in existence.

The awkward interaction was briefly forgotten when Fred returned with a plate of freshly cooked food on one hand and two small stools on the other. He somehow managed to bring them with mere grip. Impressive.

"Order's here!" He happily announced as he waltzed through the door and set the plate down on the table next to Adam.

"T-thank you." Adam said as he looked over his meal. It was grilled cod, some mashed potatoes, and a small bowl of soup with a strong sour smell. It looked and smelled delicious.

The men sat on the stools and watched as their rescued guest devoured his meal, not that Adam minded their audience either way. Adam was hungry, and the hospitality being given to him felt genuine, and thus he obliged. The plate was emptied soon after, leaving nothing but crumbs and some grease on the surface.

Finally leaving the plate alone, Adam leaned against his chair and sighed a heavy breath. It felt as if he had been through hell, and was still on his way back. The meal was a sweet reprieve from the stress and pain, but it was about time to conduct himself properly.

Adam had one simple yet heavy question on his mind: what now?

Adam eyed his saviors. Baran and Fred looked back at him with concern in their eyes and confusion in their minds. It was time for a lengthy discussion, but Adam was reluctant to start the conversation. Fortunately for him, Baran gave himself the honor.

“You have some sort of talent, don’t you?” Baran asked, surprising Adam with his question.

“Talent?”

Baran smirked, “I have an eye for people, kid. I can see it in your face that you’ve got something special to hide.”

Baran shifted on his stool, placing one hand on his knee and an elbow on the other. “To survive the Unending Storm, you either need to be blessed by the gods, a demon, a fish, or a mage. I’m inclined to think that you’re neither divine, evil, or a fish.”

Fred smiled in silence, nodding. Adam, on the other hand, felt himself cornered. If the man in robes from before gave him an idea as to his current situation, Baran’s question confirmed it. He was in another world. But first, he needed to do some tests. The scientific method was the way to go.

That, however, could wait. The silent anticipation of his companions warranted his attention, and his answer. Adam contemplated between honesty or feigned ignorance. After peering over the minds of Baran and Fred, he decided to be honest. After all, these were honest men according to his telepathy. Surely his power was not wrong.

Adam stood and raised his hand, pointing an open palm on the bed beside him. Incredulous, the men watched, and then they saw. The bed creaked as it was lifted into the air by an unseen force, following the motion of Adam’s hand as he raised the limb ever higher.

“So, you’re a mage?” Fred said, sounding innocent and amazed.

“But I don’t feel any magic from you.” Baran pointed out.

“I don’t know what a mage is.” Adam admitted, causing the men to look at him with even greater confusion on their brows.

The bed continued to hover in the air, suspended between the ceiling and the ground as if forgetting that it needed to fall. Seeing their bewilderment, Adam decided to take it up a notch and began raising the stools on which the men were sitting. A few seconds later, two stools were orbiting a floating bed in the middle of the room, with two very confused spectators watching it all unfold.

Baran, seemingly satisfied in spite of his bewilderment, turned to Adam with a smirk.

“You’ve got an unusual talent. Seems like you’ll do just fine here, son. Welcome to Port Silvershore.”