The day felt calmer than usual. Neir only realized the reason after sitting in class for a few minutes—Jaron was absent.
She glanced at the empty desk in the corner. The classroom atmosphere was more comfortable without that kid. Was he sick? Suspended? Or just skipping on purpose? Well, not her business anyway.
Soon, Alarisse arrived slightly late, but with her usual smile.
"Sorry, children. I'm a little late," she said while placing some papers on her desk.
The lesson began. Today focused more on reading and writing practice, something Neir was starting to grasp, although she still sometimes had to sound out words slowly.
Alarisse pointed to some letters on the large wooden board with her small stick.
"Alright, who can read this word?" she asked.
Several children immediately raised their hands enthusiastically. Neir glanced at the letters and tried connecting each syllable in her head.
However, in the middle of it...
Crunch... crunch... crunch...
Neir stopped reading instantly. The sound was clear in her left ear—like someone intentionally stepping on dry leaves repeatedly.
She reflexively looked around, but all the students seemed serious about reading. No one was eating.
Only then did she realize where the sound came from.
Dani.
Neir sighed, then bowed her head slightly while whispering very softly, "Dani, what are you eating?"
There was a brief pause before Dani's voice sounded in her left ear.
"Crackers."
Neir frowned. "Crackers? What's that?"
She tried to imagine, but had no idea. Clearly, it sounded crunchy—like something being snapped, but not bones.
Still in a super soft voice, she asked, "That's food? Why does it sound like something being broken?"
Dani chuckled softly. "Yeah, it's food. Tastes good. Wanna try?"
Neir scoffed quietly. "You're asking me to eat something that doesn't even exist here? How?"
Before she could reply, the sound of Alarisse clapping her hands grabbed her attention.
"Alright, now let's move on to longer words!"
Neir quickly dismissed thoughts of Crackers and refocused. Still, in her heart, she grumbled in annoyance.
"Next time you want to eat, don't be so noisy, Dani!"
Dani, of course, laughed without remorse.
---
Back to the Lesson
A boy named Elric went to the front and tried to spell. "Ja... smi... ne?"
Alarisse nodded. "Good! That's the name of a fragrant flower. Now, who can make a sentence with the word 'jasmine'?"
Neir bit her lip, trying to think. Her hand almost went up, but another child answered first.
"I like jasmine because it smells nice!"
"Excellent!" Alarisse smiled. "Now, Neir, try making another sentence."
Neir blinked, then finally spoke, "My mother sells fish, not jasmine."
Some children giggled, and from her seat, Tira glanced at Neir while holding back a laugh. "Maybe your mother should try selling flowers too, so it smells better," she whispered softly.
Neir glanced at her briefly and whispered back, "Fish can smell good too... when it's fresh."
Tira immediately covered her nose, pretending to be disgusted. "Eww, still, I prefer the smell of jasmine."
Alarisse gave a small smile seeing their interaction. "That's also a correct sentence! Good, Neir!"
Neir let out a soft sigh. Well, at least her answer was right.
The lesson continued with several new words. Children took turns reading, sometimes wrong, sometimes right, but the atmosphere remained light.
In between, Tira nudged Neir's desk softly with her foot to get her attention. "Hey, are you starting to like school?" she asked in a half-whisper.
Neir glanced at her briefly, then shrugged. "It's alright."
"I like it! Because there's good food at the canteen," Tira whispered with a small giggle.
Neir huffed. "Did you come to school or to eat?"
"Why not both?" Tira grinned, then refocused on the board before Alarisse noticed them.
When the break bell rang, Neir sighed in relief. Learning was fun, but still tiring.
---
Neir sat under the large oak tree behind the school. This spot wasn't truly secluded; occasionally, students and volunteers passed by, but it was quiet enough to be alone. Tira was probably still at the canteen as usual and might come here later. But that wasn't something she needed to think about now. At least, in this atmosphere, she could speak more freely with Dani.
Dani's voice was the first to sound in her head. "So, we're going to Mr. Gharrick's house again later?"
"Yes," Neir answered while staring at the tiled footpath in front of her. "Even though time is limited, at least we can find out what to do next."
Dani didn't respond immediately. Neir could sense his presence in that other world—leaning against the wall of his narrow room, having just finished eating, and now removing the plaster covering his left eye.
At that moment, Dani saw the world through Neir's eye. He observed the scenery behind the school—the clean footpath, a shelter in the corner, and several students walking leisurely. On the other side, Neir saw Dani's world—a narrow room with dull walls, not many belongings inside, only silence keeping him company.
Maybe it had only been three days since this sensory exchange happened, but it felt like they were starting to get used to it.
Dani tapped his fingers on his phone screen, while Neir continued watching with intense curiosity. The light from the device's screen flickered in Neir's left eye, as if something was moving inside it.
"That... is that the thing from before?" Neir asked, tilting her head slightly.
Dani, who was looking at his phone screen, heard Neir's voice in his mind. He glanced to the left briefly—and immediately realized it was Neir who was seeing.
"Yeah, this is a phone," he answered casually.
Neir observed the changing light of the screen. "Yesterday you said it was like instant mail, but I see you doing other things with it too. So, what can this thing actually do?"
Dani gave a small nod. "Not just for sending messages. You can make calls, look at pictures, read news, write messages, even play games."
Neir's eyes sparkled. "So... it's like a book that can change by itself? Or a magic box that can speak and show pictures at the same time?"
"More or less like that," said Dani, though he knew Neir couldn't see his expression directly.
Neir kept staring at the screen through Dani's left eye. Even though she couldn't touch it, her curiosity kept tingling.
---
Neir observed the phone with a curious expression. "So this thing can do many things at once?"
Dani nodded. "Yeah, you can hear people's voices from far away, see their faces too with certain features." He swung his phone slightly.
Neir squinted, still trying to understand. "The technology is so advanced... so this is from a more advanced place, right? Maybe from another country in Aurië?"
Dani almost choked. "Wait... so you think I'm still in your world?"
Neir furrowed her brow. "Aren't you?"
Dani let out a long sigh. His hand reflexively touched the skin around his left eye—where the plaster he had just removed was. For the past two days, he had been seeing another world he never knew. How could Neir still think they were in the same world?
"Neir... I'm not from your place. I'm from Earth. A different world."
Neir blinked, then nodded slowly. "Oh... so your place isn't in Beysolun, huh?"
Dani fell silent. "Huh?"
"I thought you were from another region. So where is Earth? Outside Aurelion?"
Dani frowned. "Aurelion?"
Neir looked at him with a confused expression. "Yeah, the continent we live in."
Dani began to understand. So Beysolun was just a regional name? He thought it was the name of Neir's world. "So Beysolun isn't the whole world?"
Neir shook her head. "Of course not. This world is vast. There are many other places outside Beysolun."
Dani sighed. "Neir, my place isn't just far from Beysolun. It's not even just outside... Aurelion, or whatever it's called. My place isn't in the same world as yours."
Neir frowned. "You mean... like Ferlin?"
Dani grew more confused. "Ferlin?"
Neir nodded. "Yes, a city near Beysolun. Where Miss Alarisse is from."
Dani was a bit surprised. So that was her name? He had seen that woman before but didn't know who she was.
Neir continued, "She's our class guardian at the open school."
Now that he thought about it, that woman was indeed beautiful—blonde hair neatly styled in a hime cut, plus a simple light blue dress that still looked elegant. But compared to Neir's mother... for some reason, the impression was different. Neir's mother felt warmer, more alive, and... more interesting in his eyes.
Dani massaged his temples; for some reason, he was thinking about unnecessary things. Getting back on topic: "Listen, Neir. This isn't just about being far or a different country. My place is... another planet. A world completely different from yours."
Neir stared at him without blinking. This time, her expression began to change from confusion to surprise. "Another planet...?"
"Yeah," Dani nodded. "In the sky, above your world, there are many stars. Well, one of them is the sun that lights Earth. And in Earth's sky, there are other stars, one of which might be your place."
Neir fell silent. Her mind seemed to be trying to process Dani's words. At first, she thought Earth was just a distant region in Aurië, like Ferlin or other lands she had never visited. But if it's from another planet, then Earth isn't part of Aurië at all.
She bit her lip, slightly hesitant. "But... if that's the case, then we shouldn't be able to talk like this, right?"
Dani rubbed his face. "Yeah, that's why it's weird. It should be impossible, but the fact is we can see and hear each other."
Neir looked down. Now everything was starting to make sense. No wonder Dani's world felt so different—not just an unfamiliar city or country, but indeed his entire world was completely not part of Aurië.
"So... if I wanted to go to your place, I would have to cross the boundary between worlds?"
Dani swallowed. He himself didn't know the answer. But one thing was certain—their connection wasn't as simple as he thought.
Neir looked at him with an indescribable expression—a mix of skepticism and curiosity. "So... if that object is from your world, and we can exchange sight and hearing, that means this exchange involves something very significant..."
"Yes," Dani nodded slowly, even though he himself didn't fully understand this phenomenon yet. "And I think this isn't just a coincidence."
They both fell silent, realizing that what was happening wasn't just a minor anomaly. This wasn't just about them—this could be bigger than they imagined.
Before they could continue the discussion, the sound of approaching footsteps was heard.
"Neir!"
It was Tira's voice.
Their conversation was cut off, but something had changed—their understanding of the situation had deepened. And new questions were starting to emerge.
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