The sound of Ardyn's loud exclamation drew attention from the passers-by. Some of them paused in their tracks to look at him, a few of their faces displaying a mixture of confusion and concern. Panicking, Evan instantly made the light sphere he conjured dissipate into the air, erasing all evidence of his magic.
Meanwhile, Ardyn had taken a few steps backward, still gaping at Evan with his mouth open in shock. Unconsciously, he pinched himself again and he yelped at the pain it produced. This was really not a dream, oh god.
After breaking out of his quick trance, Ardyn noticed the stares of the people around them and the look on Evan's face. Realizing that he had reacted loudly, his instinct told him to resolve the situation immediately.
"I'm really sorry," he apologized to the townspeople. "I hope I didn't startle you."
"It's all right, young man," one woman said with a chuckle before all of them went back to their respective ways, returning to their ordinary chatter.
Ardyn let out a small sigh of relief. "Sorry about that," he said. "I reacted exactly the way you predicted."
Evan was relieved as well. "It's all right," he assured. "You must have a lot on your mind now."
Ardyn nodded.
"I'm sure you have many questions in your head, too," Evan said. "Don't worry. I'll answer them all the best I can. Would you like to talk about it somewhere private?" He hesitated a little. "That is… if you trust me enough?"
Ardyn sighed heavily. This was really too much to take in.
But if he refused Evan now, he would probably never get the chance to have his questions answered. He needed to know what kind of world this was and how he was going to fare here from now on.
I guess I can only find out through this guy, Ardyn thought to himself as he looked at Evan.
I should stop treating him like a strange man from now on. He has already helped me enough.
"Okay," Ardyn decided, nodding his head. "If it's okay with you."
"All right." Evan smiled. "Let's go to my secret place. I'll tell you everything I know there."
***
"A lighthouse?"
"Yep."
Ardyn watched as Evan opened the door with a golden key from his pocket. He hummed to himself as he pushed the door open, revealing a bare room with only a staircase in the middle.
"Are you afraid of heights?" Evan asked.
"Nope. I'm fine with it," Ardyn responded as he entered and then closed the door behind him. "So people don't usually come here?"
Evan began to climb up the steps. "No. The lighthouses are powered by magic spheres and are replaced once every month. The door here is usually locked, prohibiting people from coming inside and turning this into a makeshift home."
"Magic spheres?" Ardyn said, puzzled.
"Magic spheres are contained magic," Evan explained. "Everybody on the planet uses them. We depend on them for almost anything. For example." He paused in his tracks for a moment to gesture towards the stairway railing.
Ardyn followed his gaze and saw a brightly-lit sphere at the end of the banister. "That's what a magic sphere looks like?" he said curiously, reaching towards it with his hand.
The ball was, as expected, smooth and cool to the touch. Ardyn felt something vibrating slightly from his fingertips, sending a chill through his arm. It was like cold steam was diffusing from the object, tingling his skin.
Startled, he retracted his hand.
"Wh—What…"
"What's wrong?" Evan asked in concern.
Ardyn curled and uncurled his fist, looking bewildered. "What was that feeling? It was like… I could feel something strange radiating from it."
"Ah. That was magic, of course." Evan smiled and held out his hand. Almost instantaneously, the small ball of light that Ardyn saw in town earlier conjured itself and rose from his open palm. "Here. Try touching it."
Ardyn's mouth opened in awe. "It's really pretty. Can I really touch it?"
Evan nodded encouragingly. "It won't hurt you. I promise."
Ardyn swallowed, then reached out. When his finger tapped against the little ball, he felt the same vibration earlier with the magic sphere, but this time it came along with a cool, overwhelming gentleness, as though the essence of the wielder was pouring out endlessly.
When Ardyn tried to pick it up with his fingers, the feeling grew stronger, and he felt like he was being enveloped with warmth and kindness. As if the ball connected him to the purity of Evan's soul.
"Whoa," he choked out, eventually pulling his hand away. "That's… That's so cool…"
"Well?" Evan asked, closing his palm, causing his magic to instantly dissipate into the air. "How did it feel?"
"It felt… really strange," Ardyn muttered.
"Magic is a part of one's soul," Evan explained. "You can choose to have it harm someone or not. You can also control who can be harmed and who can be unharmed. Basically, it all depends on you and your mindset. But keep in mind that it doesn't always work, especially when using large-scale attacks. Small-scale magic like this is fine."
"Man, I wish I could have powers, too," Ardyn said, his tone brightening by the second. As someone who loved to read fantasy books since childhood, he'd be lying if he said he had never once imagined himself as a hero. When he was a kid, he used to annoy his mom for superhero costumes and even pretended to use his magic power on his dad, who acted as a villain.
He wasn't a kid anymore, but the prospect of magic as a reality right before his very eyes was bringing up all those nostalgic memories again, making his heart race in wonder and anticipation. This was like a dream come true, honestly.
But at the same time, it wasn't. Ardyn's excited feelings dampened when it slowly dawned on him that this may be his reality from now on. The new reality for him, an average guy who only knew how to play games and hang out with friends.
In this world, if he were destined to stay here, he would never survive. He had no powers, he had no family, he had no place to go home to. This world was a world filled with nameless strangers who may very well cast him out the moment they knew about how clueless and helpless he was here.
But what can I do? he thought to himself with a sigh. I'm here now. There's nothing I can do about it.
A dead person can't return.
Maybe if I keep thinking this way, it'll hurt less.