In This World of Unknown

After being left perplexed at the selflessness shown to him, he took a moment before following the man, walking through the tunnels of the great walls before exiting through a door that led directly to the south district.

As soon as Klaus opened the door, the sunlight beamed through–opening Garzgania to his eyes for the first time; though clearly in the medieval era, it was a beautiful city. Trees occupied spots next to the large, stone-and-brick buildings, with roads paved by smooth stone and neighbored by flourishing, bustling businesses.

The streets walked full, though Klaus led him through the quiet, unoccupied pathways behind the establishments.

"It's quite a lively city, as you can see," Klaus said.

"Yeah," he responded, glancing to look at the streets.

It wasn't just humans that walked the width of the streets; humans with animal ears walked around as if completely normal, some even teetering far more on the side of "animal" than "human." It was difficult to make out in his brief viewing of the people, but he could see elves and even dwarves.

Some of the occupants of the city were dressed in armor, light, or heavy, leather, or metal–all varieties.

This really is a world of fantasy, he thought in surprise.

"Come on, kid," Klaus ushered him.

As they reached a quiet section of the city, they stopped in front of a humble cottage, tucked away in a district that was decorated by flourishing nature that stood behind the houses.

"This is your home?" He asked, looking up at the exterior.

"That it is," Klaus confirmed, unlocking the door with a key he retrieved from his pocket.

Upon the door being opened, Klaus stepped aside, ushering for him to enter as he hesitantly did.

It had a comforting, natural smell to it of grapes and pine. Though the exterior was of gray brick, the interior was laid with wood.

He looked around at the living room that he sat at the front of the humble home, finding a few paintings hung on the walls, but what mainly occupied the walls were odd, unknown badges and heirloom weapons.

"It's not much, sorry," Klaus said, closing the door after walking in.

"...It's nice," he muttered.

"Hm?" Klaus looked at him.

"Nothing," he brushed his own words off.

After letting out a sigh and stretching his arms, the middle-aged man walked away towards the back of the house, which sounded to be the kitchen by the sounds of utensils being fiddled with and flames being cast.

"Make yourself at home," Klaus called out from the kitchen.

Being told that, he looked around a bit before sitting down on the firm, umber couch, still a bit hesitant about this all.

"It's been a bit since I've cooked for somebody else," Klaus said from the kitchen.

Though he didn't want much to do with the man who showed him only kindness, he definitely missed a real, warm meal, prompting him to accept the hospitality.

"You should use the bath–it's down the hall!" Klaus called out from the kitchen as the sound of the flames cooking something fragrant were heard, "I'll have your meal done by the time you're out."

"...Alright," he scratched his head, getting up.

He didn't really care one way or the other, but while the man was showing him hospitality, he felt the least he could do was show some respect.

As he got up, the insignias sitting above the unlit fireplace caught his eye for a moment; one was of a copper metal, one silver, and another gold. After staring at them for a moment, he moved down the hall of the small, but welcoming home before entering into the bathroom.

After removing his clothes, he looked at the round, porcelain tub in confusion as he tried to figure out how to fill it with water.

…There's no piping in this era right? So…how do I…? He questioned.

What caught his eye was a small rune embedded on one end of the tub, prompting him to push it before warm water magically poured into the tub to his surprise, catching him off-guard as he watched the tub fill.

It was his first time witnessing something truly fantastical in concept, besides the existence of other races, though it was a small thing. Still, it held his interest for a bit as he fiddled with the orange-inscribed rune.

…Is this magic? He thought.

After filling the tub up to a normal degree, it automatically stopped supplying water on its own, to his surprise.

Getting in, the water felt as if it carried a rejuvenating element, though it was likely just because it was the first instance of fresh, hot water he'd been soaked in since the old man's spring.

Just what is this world? He thought as he sat in the tub, looking up at the ceiling.

Sitting there, it began to hit him just how absurd the situation was.

He was in another world–one of magic. Yet, his heart didn't move. It felt no different to him, really.

The world still felt gray from his perspective, still shrouded in a plastic hollowness that he couldn't escape from.

I don't understand what you want from me, old man, he thought.