GalaxyTL
I was born and raised on a planet called Earth, in a country called Japan. The city I lived in was close to the sea, and I often went to the beach after school or on days off.
But that day.
Even though I was told not to go to the sea because a typhoon was coming, I went. Because the day before, when I was playing, I’d forgotten my water bottle. I thought I’d be fine if I just went and grabbed it quickly. But… I was swept away by the waves.
I remember hearing the gurgling sound of the water, and it was hard to breathe. But that’s all. There was no time to think. But I knew one thing, that I was going to die like this. It wasn’t even like I didn’t want to die or that I saw my life flashing before my eyes. I couldn’t do anything, just being swept away, and I don’t even remember when I lost consciousness.
And when I came to, I was washed up on the beach. I was incredibly exhausted and drenched, but surprisingly, my clothes weren’t dirty and I didn’t have any injuries, so I thought it was a dream and tried to go home. But something was different.
This place I thought was the beach was actually a riverbank, and the surrounding scenery was of a forest I’d never seen before. Was there a forest near my house? Ah, maybe it was that mountain I could see in the distance, I thought at first.
I thought I’d get to a familiar place if I kept walking, so I continued on. But no matter how far I went, there were only trees, and I was soaking wet, cold, and tired, it was awful. And when I finally reached an open area… There was only a small, dilapidated cabin. I was incredibly disappointed.
But there might be people there, so I can’t worry about that. First, I have to ask for help. Thinking that, I knocked on the cabin door.
And when I saw the woman who came out of the cabin, I felt so incredibly relieved. That’s why I completely forgot about explaining myself and just burst into tears.
I noticed she had foreign-looking features, and she was making a puzzled expression, but it didn’t matter. I must have been quite a hassle. Because someone came and suddenly this unknown kid was standing there, soaking wet, and crying loudly. But it can’t be helped, right? I was only six back then.
That woman was Ravi.
Ravi, even with an annoyed look on her face, took me to the cabin and heated the bath. I didn’t have a change of clothes, but she washed what I was wearing, and gave me food. I could understand her words somehow. I knew it wasn’t Japanese, but I could understand it for some reason, and I was speaking Japanese, but it came out in the same language as Ravi’s.
Thinking about it now, I should have realized at that point that this was a different world. But at the time, I just found it a little strange, and didn’t really pay it any mind.
And so, I let her take care of me. Ravi’s treatment of me was rough, but she didn’t abandon me, a lost child.
A few days later, this strange incident happened where I was surprised by a strange bug in the house, and I ended up freezing it. Ravi had a look of shock on her face. But I think I had an even more shocked look on my face. Because no one would think that if they pointed at a strange bug and said, “Whoa, a strange bug!”, a strange beam would come out of their finger, right? We both made quite a fuss. “What was that!?” we asked each other. Heh, it was such a silly exchange when I think about it now.
We somehow calmed down, had tea, and slowly exchanged information. Well, I was still little, so I just answered what she asked me.
This is what Ravi told me. I have magic power, and the bug was frozen by my magic. Humans who can use magic are rare and easily targeted by kidnappers. I’m a very valuable existence, but it’s not strange for me to exist.
When I heard that… I despaired.
Because I realized, there was no denying it now, that this isn’t Japan.
It’s even a different world. Even though I was just a six-year-old kid, I know you can’t use magic in Japan. An adult, Ravi, was seriously telling me that this was magic, that wouldn’t happen on Earth. Well, maybe it would in some strange religion…
Anyway, I realized that I can’t go back to my world, to my home, anymore. Even though I’d been pretending not to notice.
So, what happened after that? Well, I went wild. I cried and screamed and took it all out on Ravi.
『 Who the hell are you!? Send me back… Send me home! 』
『 Yes, yes, then go home on your own. Take care. 』
We had those exchanges almost every day. I’d leave the cabin, get lost somewhere, and cry again. And then…
『 …There you are. Come on, let’s go home. Have dinner and go to bed. 』
How she found me, I don’t know, but Ravi would always find me. She’d say that with an exasperated look, then offer me her hand, and I’d always take it and go back to the cabin.
Before I knew it, it felt natural to think of Ravi as my only family and that dilapidated cabin as my home.
Even so, I was lonely and sad every day, I cried secretly in bed at night, and I wanted to go home. But as I grew older, I came to accept it, and more than anything, I had a place where I belonged, so I endured. Ravi, my only place of belonging.
And yet.
“It’s not a joke. From the beginning, I was acting to bring you here.”
What are you saying…? From the beginning? When was that…?
“Fufu, do you still trust me? I was indeed worried about you. But that’s worry for a product. It’s only natural, right?”
Product…? What? Me?
“I didn’t want to take care of a brat. Who would take care of a kid with no background if it wasn’t a mission? And I was ordered to make you trust me. I got a hefty reward, but it was quite tough.”
No, that’s a lie…! After a fight, you always said it, didn’t you? That I’m like your little brother. That you’d never abandon me. That you’d take care of me until the end!
“You didn’t doubt a single thing I said. You’re really an idiot… You’re an idiot, Licht.”
You were the one who taught me all of it!
That there are bad guys in the higher ups. That humans with magic power are rare, so I’ll get caught by the castle people. You were the one who taught me about the horrors of human trafficking.
“It’s the fault of the one being deceived. …Though the deceiver is many times worse!”
What’s with that laughter? I’ve never heard you laugh like that. It’s creepy, Ravi.
The door closed, and the sound of the lock clicking echoed. Silence fell upon the room.
Wait. Wait. Hurry up and remove these chains. We promised to go to the mine together, didn’t we? …Stop messing around—
“…D-Don’t go! Don’t go, Ravi! Don’t leave me… Don’t leave meeee!!”
—Don’t leave me alone.
I can’t believe this. I don’t want to believe it. I clenched my fists tightly and punched the ground repeatedly, until my hands hurt.
The throbbing pain in my hands made me realize that this was no dream.