After witnessing the giant sand centipede turn to ash, I stood there in shock, my mouth agape, completely stunned by the surreal scene unfolding before me. Meanwhile, the enigmatic man merely smirked in my direction.
"You should see your face right now," the man teased, a hint of amusement in his voice. But my bewilderment lingered as I struggled to comprehend the events that had just transpired.
It was then that I snapped out of my daze and leaped backward, a surge of fear coursing through me.
"W-what?!"
"Hehehe, finally, you moved a muscle," the man chuckled, his dark eyes gleaming with mischief. "Alright, we can talk now."
"W-who are you?!"
The man's smile faltered slightly, a shadow passing over his features as if my question had struck a nerve.
"I'm Adam. And you?"
"Ali... Ali Saifeddine," I replied, attempting to steady my nerves as I faced this bizarre situation head-on. "Just Adam?"
"Heh, yes, just Adam. Do you feel sorry for me? Would you like to give me your last name?"
Frustration bubbled within me at his playful taunts, and I snapped back, "Stop this nonsense!!! Who are you, where am I, what was that creature, how did I fly, and how did you burn the giant centipede in seconds?!!!"
Adam sighed wearily, his demeanor shifting to one of patience as he motioned for me to calm down.
"Hold on, hold on, I'll answer all your questions, so just be quiet for a moment."
Despite my racing thoughts, Adam's mischievous smile returned as he observed me, his gaze tinged with amusement.
"But you're quite brave, aren't you? Didn't your parents teach you not to talk to strangers?" he remarked, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.
My instincts kicked in, and I bolted away, hoping to distance myself from this enigmatic stranger. However, my escape was short-lived as I collided with an unseen barrier, sending me sprawling to the ground.
As I struggled to regain my bearings, I found Adam standing before me, his smirk firmly in place.
"It-it's impossible, how?!"
"Ha, why are you running, kid?" Adam's voice carried a note of amusement as he watched my panicked reaction.
I turned to him, fear coursing through me, as I demanded answers.
"W-what do you want from me?"
Adam's tone softened slightly as he reassured me, "Hehe, don't be afraid of me. You just saved my life a moment ago, so I won't do anything bad to you. You have some questions, don't you?"
Despite my skepticism, I decided to press for answers, my curiosity overpowering my fear.
"...Are you a sorcerer?"
"No, I'm a martial artist warrior."
"A martial artist warrior? What's that?"
Adam's smile widened as he reached out his hand towards me, invoking memories of my inexplicable flight.
"You made me fly before?!!!"
"Hahahaha, yes, that's me. Did you think you suddenly learned to fly on your own?"
As Adam explained, a mix of disbelief and fascination washed over me. Could such extraordinary abilities truly exist?
"And what if I told you that you can gain superhuman abilities like me through training?" Adam's words left me speechless, my mind reeling at the possibilities.
Before I could respond, Adam redirected the conversation, offering tantalizing promises of training and empowerment.
"I mean you'll develop superhuman abilities like me through training."
"Superhuman abilities? That's ridiculous."
Despite my doubts, the allure of such powers beckoned, tempting me to entertain the idea further.
"And what if I told you that you can gain superhuman abilities like me through training?" Adam's confident smile hinted at untold potential, sparking a flicker of hope within me.
His offer hung tantalizingly before me, promising a path to unimaginable abilities. But as I grappled with the decision, Adam delivered a sobering revelation.
"Yes, I do." Here, he gave me a wicked smirk and said, "I know what you're thinking, and yes, I can take you back easily."
"R-Really?! then....."
"But I won't do it."
"Huh?!"
"Haha, I mean why should I? what can I get from doing that, it will only cost me a lot of items."
"Cost you? I saved your bloody life."
"And I saved your life from the centipede right?"
"Go to hell, I bet you are trying to trick me, you can't take me back you don't even know where I am from?"
"You are from a country named Algeria, I mean we are talking now the same language."
".... dang it."
"What now? Cat got your tongue?" said the man with a smirk.
I sighed and said, "But why? What did you mean it will cost you?"
"I think even a child like you already understood that, it's not your same world right?"
"....." I didn't reply; I just nodded.
"Do you think it's easy to just send you back to your world? Traverse between worlds like it's nothing? I will need a ton of expensive items, so why should I take this loss for a kid I don't know."
He was right, and everything was logical, but it was frustrating, so I said, "Then what?"
"Easy, here's the deal. Be my student for the next three years, and if you still want to go back, I will take you back."
".... Why?" I asked, more confused than suspicious. "Why do you want to train me in this? And why three years exactly?"
"I have my reasons. Now tell me yes or no?"
"But I can't. I have a life in the other world, and I can't leave my family for a full three years."
Adam sighed and said, "Okay, how about this? Let's create a clone of you and send it to live in your place in your home for these three years, and when you return, all the memories of the copy will come back to you as if you had lived them."
"Huh?! Is that even possible?!" I exclaimed, wondering if this Naruto-like thing actually existed.
"Of course."
Here, the man reached out his hand towards me and forcefully pulled out a few strands of hair from my head.
"Ahh!!! What have you done?!!!" I exclaimed as I rubbed the spot from which the hair had been plucked with my hand.
Then, he looked at me and placed the strands of hair on a small piece of wood and began rubbing it. The wooden piece started emitting a strong, sudden green light, causing me to close my eyes.
"W-what is happening...?"
After a moment, the light stopped, and I opened my eyes again, only to find something astonishing.
"M-me?! H-how?!"
An exact replica of me, down to the hairstyle and everything, even the clothes, stood before me.
I looked like someone seeing himself in the mirror, but the copy didn't open its mouth in astonishment like me.
I glanced at Adam and then the copy, then back at Adam, several times before I spoke, "Am I dreaming?"
"In reality, no," it wasn't Adam who spoke, but the copy, with my voice, of course. "I should be just as shocked as you, but because I'm the copy, I understand everything."
At this point, I was speechless, literally at a loss for words.
"I have all your memories and feelings. Come on, ask me anything."
After a few moments, I regained my composure and said, "This is something no one knows about me. Three years ago..."
The copy interrupted me with a serious look, "We don't talk about that."
"...Right," I said, somewhat relieved, feeling a bit strange as if I were talking to myself, but worse.
"Hmm? What happened three years ago?" Adam asked, puzzled.
Both the copy and I turned towards Adam at the same time and said sternly, "It doesn't matter."
"Alright, are you now convinced of the idea of the copy? I'll send it to take your place for three years."
Here, I looked down, feeling conflicted. "B-but... Well, okay, I'll become your disciple."
I knew arguing with him was pointless since he was my only way back, so I had to bear it. Plus, there was a part of me that truly wanted to learn these supernatural abilities like him.
Here, Adam laughed loudly and said, "That's good, call me your teacher now, then."
I looked at Adam as if what he said was the silliest thing I had ever heard and said to him, "Are you serious?"
"Don't you want to return to...?"
"Okay, my teacher," I quickly said.
"Hahaha, good student," Adam chuckled. Then, he gestured to the copy and said, "Hey, you, come here."
The copy obeyed Adam strangely and approached him. Here, the man threw something strange to the ground that I couldn't even see what it was.
Suddenly, the thing began disintegrating into pieces, and the debris started rising in the air and spinning, forming a large circle in the air rapidly.
Buzz, buzz.
Electric sparks of a purple hue began appearing before filling the entire circle. The circle now glowed a bright purple colour, and the copy and I stood there astonished, but before we could say anything, Adam pushed my copy inside.
"Let's go now, both of us," the man said and threw another tool, opening that strange portal once again.
"W-wait, what just happened...?!"
I didn't even have time to speak before the man dragged me behind him and said, "Welcome to the True Realm, my student."
And so, my story began in the True Realm.