Sky City.
Inn(Room no.111).
Michael slowly opens his eyes and finds himself in a different place. The place wasn't a forest but a room and he was lying on a bed.
"What is this place? Where am I?" He whispered.
His body felt normal.
He tried to get up.
The girl opened the door and as soon as she opened it she saw Micheal who was trying to sit on the bed and she came towards him.
She helped settle into supported sitting, pillows propping his back as fatigue eased.
"How are you now? Are you feeling better?" She asked with a worried expression.
Michael flinched.
"W-Who are you?" he asked weakly.
The girl turned and shouted.
"Grandpa! He's awake!"
Footsteps approached.
"Stay calm," she said.
"You were lying unconscious near our path."
The old man entered the room, he looked at him with full suspicion and asked in a cold voice, "You can at least tell me what you were doing in the forest last night, why are you alone and how you got so injured?"
Before he could answer the old man's question, his stomach started rumbling from hunger.
The both hearing the sound of his stomach they look at his stomach and then they both look at each other.
"It looks like you haven't eaten anything since last night. First eat something then we talk." She said and pointed her finger towards the new clothes on the table, "The clothes are over there; you can wear them after taking these clothes off."
"Yes…And thanks again."
They both start going out of the room.
She said, "Come down, the food will be ready there."
"Okay" he replied.
Michael starts changing clothes.
The clothes were simple but clean.
A brown shirt and dark pants.
They felt warm.
After changing the clothes he came downstairs to eat.
Everyone was eating, some people were drinking wine. Michael looked around them.
They are sitting on chairs, he comes and joins them.
The girl offered him bread and water.
"Eat first," she smiled.
"You look like you haven't eaten since, last day."
Michael ate slowly.
Warm food made his body relax for the first time since the nightmare.
Michael ate fast because he was hungry from the last day.
The old man looked at him and asked him again, "I think you have enough to give me a good answer right? So, tell me."
Michael hesitated.
His heart beat fast.
Michael look at him then he thought
I can't tell them the truth about summoning after that accident. I can't trust anyone easily even if they save my life. I have a good story to tell him.
"I… I was traveling with a group," Michael said softly.
"Bandits attacked us last night. I ran away and got lost."
The girl's face filled with pity for him.
"That's terrible…"
The old man looked at him full of suspicion for a few seconds.
Then he nodded slightly.
"…Unlucky child."
But inside the old man thought.
You don't want to tell the truth, it means you are hiding something, well...we just met you can't trust us and..we also can't trust you. It's natural.
After sometime the girl asked gently to him,
"Where are you going next?"
Michael froze because he didn't know anything about this world. He thought, I don't anything about this world and can't trust anyone, only one thing I can do wait for my other classmates to complete their training then I can them to get revenge together...but they will believe me... whatever let's give it try once.
"I… I don't have any plans," he said honestly.
"I have nowhere to go for now."
The girl smiled brightly.
"Then why don't you travel with us?"
Michael looked up in surprise.
"R-Really, I can travel with you?"
"Yes!" she said happily.
"We're going to a town nearby."
The old man's eyes widened.
"Wait—what are you saying?" he snapped.
The girl turned toward him and started making a cute face and eyes like a puppy.
"Grandpa, he's alone. He really needs our help."
The old man pulled her aside and whispered harshly in her ears.
"Are you a crazy little girl? We are going to meet someone important."
"Many nobles want us dead and they're searching us everywhere," he said seriously.
"What if he is a spy sent by them?"
The girl lowered her voice.
"But Grandpa…Looking at him, it seems he wouldn't even be able to kill an ant.. He doesn't look dangerous."
"kind hearted people don't live long," the old man warned her. "in this world…you will never know when someone you trust most might stab you in the back."
Michael looked down and pretended not to hear their conversation but every word stabbed his heart like a sword.
He thought,
"I'm… just trying to survive." He said in a voice cracking.
"Please, you have no reason to fear me." His breath hitched while saying.
The old man looked at Michael again, his sharp eyes scanning his face.
Michael mana follow was weak and he seems no threat to them.
Silence stretched between them.
Finally—
"…We'll see," the old man said slowly.
"But I will keep an eye on you, and remember, the day I find out you are a spy or planning to do something against us. That will be your last day."
The girl smiled in relief.
"Thank you, Grandpa!"
Michael bowed slightly.
"Thank you… I won't cause trouble."
Training Camp – Evening
The sun was slowly going down.
The sky was painted orange and gold, it looked beautiful secen.
It was their 1st day of training.
After a long day of hard training, the ground was quiet.
Most students were tired and resting in their room.
Some were talking.
"It's really harder than school."
"Yeah, in school life was easy...but here it's like hell."
"It's the first day of training then what will be upcoming days."
Some were sleeping due to tiredness in their room, it is different from their world they don't use this type of life.
Some were cleaning their weapons because they want adventure, that's why they are extremely excited.
Jessica sat alone on a small rock near the field.
She was looking at the sunset.
Her white cloak moved softly in the evening wind.
Her face was calm… but distant.
Jessica sat alone on a small rock near the field.
She was looking at the sunset.
Her white cloak moved softly in the evening wind.
Her face was calm… but distant.
Footsteps approached her.
Jack walked toward her holding a water bottle in his hand.
He looked tired from training with sweat still on his face.
He stopped beside her and gently handed her the bottle.
"Here… drink some water."
Jessica looked at him for a second.
"…Thank you."
She took the bottle and drank quietly.
A short silence followed between them.
Only the sound of wind and birds.
Jack scratched his head.
"Training was tough today," he said, trying to start a conversation.
"My arms still hurt."
Jessica agreed with him and nodded lightly.
"Yes."
Jack smiled awkwardly.
"You're really good at healing magic. Everyone depends on you."
"…It's my duty as healer of the team," she replied calmly.
Her voice was soft, but cold.
Jack looked at the sunset too.
"It looks beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yes," she said simply.
Another silence came between them.
Jack took a deep breath and looked at the ground.
"Back in school… when I confessed to you…"
Jessica turned her eyes slightly toward him.
Jack quickly continued.
"I don't regret. Even though we are in a different world and we don't know what will happen in the future…my heart and feelings will not changed for you."
Jessica's fingers tightened around the bottle.
"You still believe that I fall for you?" she said quietly.
Jack looked surprised.
"huh?"
Her eyes stayed on the sunset.
"This world devours the weak. Feelings... they chain you down, make every step heavier."
Jack's smile returned on his face. The smile was soft and unyielding, infused with quiet conviction.
"Maybe they do. But they also light a fire inside—give you a reason to fight harder, to keep standing when everything else crumbles."
She stood smoothly from the stone, handing back the bottle with steady hands to him.
"Thank you for the water."
She turned and walked away from there, without another word and her cloak trailing like a ghost.
Jack watched her going away.
"She's still so cold..." He sighs quietly.