"—Where am I?"
That was the only thought running through his mind.
The crowd around him stared with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. He looked down at himself—hoodie, jeans, sneakers—completely out of place. The people surrounding him wore robes or armor, their hair in unnatural hues of blue, green, and silver.
"It seems… I've ended up in a different world."
His reaction was surprisingly calm for someone who had just been transported to another world.
As he wandered through the bustling market, he gradually realized something unusual—he could understand the language.
"At least I won't have a language barrier," he muttered under his breath.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
No signal.
"Figures," he sighed. "Not like I could use my money either…"
After aimlessly walking through the market, he found an old inn that looked like it hadn't been maintained for years. The walls had cracks, and the wooden door creaked with every slight movement.
"This place… maybe I can work here in exchange for a room," he thought. "I need time to figure out what happened to me."
Stepping inside, the interior was just as worn as the exterior. Behind the counter stood an elderly woman, her once-youthful beauty now eroded by time.
He approached the counter cautiously.
"Excuse me," he said, choosing his words carefully. "I lost all my money to a thief. Could I stay here if I work for you in return?"
The old woman studied him with sharp, knowing eyes before speaking in a slow, measured voice.
"Your clothes… They are quite strange. You must have traveled from a distant land, no?"
"Indeed. I do have some spare money left, but… would you be willing to help me?"
The old lady sighed.
"Looks like I have no choice. You can help with the chores."
"Thank you very much!"
She handed him a key, and Kazuki headed to his room. It was small, with only a bed and a wooden table. He collapsed onto the mattress, staring at the ceiling.
Everything had changed in an instant.
He had just been heading to a convenience store… and now he was here.
"I guess I'll have to sleep hungry tonight."
After having a sleepless night he went downstairs and asked the old lady for the chores.
He finished it with a rush and got ready to go out.
"Granny I finished all of it."
"Young men are so fast. If I had to do it then I would've taken alot more time."
"Granny, I have some questions. Can people around here use magic?"
"Why? Do you not use magic in your country?"
"No, our people can't use magic. Which type of magic can you use around here?"
"Hmm, it's been a long time since I've used my mana, but I'll show you."
The old lady slowly raised her hand halfway, palm facing upwards. A faint glow flickered to life at her fingertips. Like embers dancing in the wind. Flames erupted from her hand like it was awaiting her command. The air shimmered with heat casting shadows of them in the wall.
The flames are unnaturally steady without any visible fuel source. That shouldn't be possible. Heat transfer, combustion- none of it made sense. Is energy being pulled from the surroundings? No- that wouldn't be possible since there is no temperature drop. What is causing it?
The old lady looked at him and smirked.
"There are 7 types of magic. This one is the fire type. The other 6 are wind, water, ice, earth, dark and light. Most people can only master 2 types at most."
"Can you teach me, granny?"
"You're asking too much of an old person like me—"
"Please granny, it'll be really helpful for my travel."
Old lady let out a sigh.
"Alright, but I can only teach you fire magic basics—"
"That should be enough." His tone was neutral, calculating.
If I can understand the fundamentals, I can reverse-engineer the process.
"Come with me, young man."
The old lady led the way. They stepped outside, the air colder than inside the inn. The backyard stretched before them, a patch of dirt and stone surrounded by weathered wooden fence.
"Close your eyes and feel the mana in the air. Magic is all about visualization and mana control. The more mana you can gather the more complex magic you can use. Now, if you have the affinity for fire magic, you'll be able to use it."
"Are people born with elemental affinity?"
"That's right. Now close your eyes and try to convert the surrounding mana into a ball of energy. Then use it to visualize a fire ball."
Kazuki closes his eyes and lifts his hand halfway, palm facing upward, just like the old lady.
Mana? Energy? I think I get it. We didn't have mana back in my world. But since they have mana here they learnt to convert it through their affinity. But- the big question is can an outsider like me convert the mana? Might as well just try.
He paced his breathing down and tried to gather up all the mana through his visualization. But it failed, he wasn't able to produce the flames.
It made him confused as he was too confident that it would work.
Seeing that he failed to use fire magic, the old lady tried to confront him.
"It's okay boy, maybe you have different elemental affini—"
"I'll try one more time."
"Eh—?"
"I've figured it out. I'll try it out in my way."
He lifted his hand again. But this time instead of lifting his hand halfway, he lifted it upwards fully stretched.
Mana itself is the element. Instead of trying to gather mana, I should imagine gathering the air. Then convert it into fire. Since this world works differently, it's logics are different. This should be all.
The surrounding air suddenly shifted towards the stretched palm of his hand.
The old lady took a step back narrowing eyes.
The breeze swirled unnaturally towards his fingertips, yet no flames appeared.
Then, all at once—
Whoosh!
A burst of sapphire blue fire erupted in his grasp, crackling with intensity that dwarfed the old lady's demonstration. The heat surged outwards, warping the air, the dry ground beneath him darkened as if scorched by the sheer energy. The flames weren't just burning- they were roaring in palm of his hand with such terrifying efficiency.
The old lady's breath caught in her throat.
Kazuki observed the flickering sphere in his palm, his expression unreadable.
"That should be enough." He muttered.
The sheer heat suddenly dropped and cold wind roared through the place, such as it was trying to compete with the intensity of the fire.
The old lady swallowed hard, with a fearful expression in her face.
"What in the world was that boy?"
"I guess it was a bit overkill?"
"Overkill- that word is like a fly in front of a giant..."
She fell into her knees and looked at him in the eyes.
"Are you sure you're just learning?"
"Yes, it's my first time." His expression unchanged.
Struck with disbelief the old lady contemplates if it was all real or just her dream.
After a little while she finally comes to her senses and accepts his power.
"You have alot to explain to the townsfolk and his majesty in the castle- that wasn't just ordinary magic. You're probably the strongest fire magic user in the entire natio- no, the entire world..."
"Drawing attention was not my intention. But I can't avoid it now I suppose." He sighed while scratching his head.
I definately need to learn how to control the intensity of the elements.
Two figures suddenly hopped behind him-
Aiming for his neck they swang their sword.
The wind from the rushed blades touched his neck.
Kazuki turned to face his assailants—only to see their blades stopped mid-swing, caught effortlessly by a single figure.
A woman, her form imposing, her hands unflinching against cold steel.
The attackers gritted their teeth, but she didn't budge.
She wasn't human. That much was clear.
Kazuki's eyes narrowed. Who—or what—was she?