1 From Another World [Part 1]

The last thing he remembered was a blinding white light, his home, his family, all the things familiar too him, all vanished in a blink. Then, there was darkness, and it felt as if he was there for either an eternity or but a moment.

When his sight was returned, he found himself in a golden library, books floating about freely, and one such book floated right before him. He touched the book, and as if reacting to his touch, the book's pages slowly turned over, revealing what lies behind the gold trimmed cover. The words seemed to fly right at him, right into his eyes, pouring into him till it was overwhelming him and his head began to hurt. Then, just as he was about to be able to take the pain no longer, it all stopped, and there was darkness again.

"O, Child of the Lost Ones, I grant you my sight, and I wish your days to be filled with knowledge and enlightenment." Those words were the last he heard before the darkness completely consumes him.

***

Entering his view was a grand fountain, and all around him were bustling crowds coming and going. He could hear the flowing water clearly, and so could he hear the footsteps and laughter of the people around him. He wondered for a while if he was dreaming, but the droplets of water bouncing off from the fountain, their coolness felt when they landed on his skin, it was all too real.

He stared into the clean and clear water of the ever flowing fountain, letting his new reality sink in though it never really did and just felt all too surreal to be accepted. Staring back at him was a reflection of himself, one of a boy, looking to be fourteen or fifteen of years old, with neat short hair of dark brown and big round eyes, seemingly a little late to his puberty. His name was Alex Miller, a Stranger from another World.

***

After finally managing to pull himself away from the fountain, Alex wandered the unfamiliar streets, streets laid with bricks and surrounded by buildings that seemed to belong in the pre-industrial age. Feeling the curious gaze turned his way by his bright red t-shirt and his olive shorts which stood out from the drab and tamed colors worn by those moving about the streets, Alex was beset by anxiety, not liking the attention he's been given. Still, he endured the prying eyes as he willed his legs to take him from one place to the next, hoping to spot something familiar to him.

"Am I dreaming after all?" he muttered to himself, questioning again his seemingly impossible situation.

The last thing he remembered was his school cafeteria. He was eating in the corner as always, alone, preferring to be alone, never quite enjoyed company as others do. Alex was a boy who found comfort in solitude rather than company. However, at this very moment, he do wishes that he have some company, someone whose face he could recognize. Sadly, no matter where he looked, all he found were the faces of strangers.

All of a sudden, violent and angry shouting cuts through the air, calling the attention of all those within earshot, including Alex. Onlooker began to gather at the source and even Alex himself could not help his curiosity. Eventually, he found himself alongside a crowd gathered at the mouth of an alleyway. There, a girl can be seen, small and dainty, wearing a hood though it could not completely hide her long silver hair. She was surrounded by four burly men, all four wearing an emblem of a shield set before a star, and each and every one of them looked hostile to the girl. With pleading eyes, the girl looked to the crowd, silently asking for help, but none replied her plea.

Why isn't anyone helping her, thought Alex, why are they all just watching? He felt sympathy for the girl, as Alex himself have experienced being ganged up upon with no one ever helping him, and anyone around only watched from a distance.

Perhaps it was by chance, or it was due to his clothing standing out from the rest, the girl eventually turned her frightened eyes and landed upon his. The moment the girl and Alex's eyes met, Alex began seeing strange things. Unfamiliar words floated about his vision, and though he was sure he could not read them, he was able to perfectly understand them.

The words say, "Please help! Please help me!"

The urge began to well up inside him. He felt that he needed to help the girl, that he must help the girl, that he could not possibly leave her be. And before he knew it, he was already stepping forward.

"Stop!" Alex said with a strong voice that he did not think he had. "What are you doing to that girl?"

The men surrounding the girl turned towards Alex, surprised at him, and taking advantage of their surprise, the girl dashed out of their encirclement and clung to Alex, and Alex promptly hid her behind him, the smallness of her built and tenderness of her touch made him want to protect her more than ever.

"Shit! Don't tell me-"

"No choice, we'll deal with them both."

The men's exchange swiftly ended and one of them began to emit a violet glow at the palm of his hand. Seeing it, Alex's eyes grew wide at the surrealism of it all and wondered to himself what kind of magic trick is being displayed before his eyes. Then, once more, the unfamiliar words floated before his eyes, and he understood them faster than he could read them.

Before he knew it, Alex was already moving. He was gathering something at the palm of his hands and weaving them together. The unfamiliar words in his sight told him what that something was: Mana.

"[Chain Lightning]!"

"[Reflect]!"

Both the man and Alex shouted at the same time.

From the man's fingertips, sparks of electricity flew out and leapt towards his target, but they were stopped by a transparent membrane-like wall that appeared in front of Alex. The wall flexed upon been struck by the bolts electricity but soon bounced back, sending them back to the man that had casted them.

Defenselessly, the electricity struck the man, and after striking him, they spread towards the rest of his companion and sent them all tumbling to the ground in a spasm. For a moment, there was a sense of wonder at what he had just done, but soon fear over took Alex's mind, fear that these four men were dead and that he had killed them, but the unfamiliar words told him that they were not dead, merely stunned.

"Quickly, we must go." A voiced called out to Alex while he was still taking it all in.

Reflexively, Alex turned to respond, only to be met with the fair and, quite frankly, beautiful face of the girl he had just supposedly rescued. She was still clinging to him and was embarrassingly close, enough to make Alex blush and turn away.

"Please, we can't stay here," she plead with him again, and it was then Alex came out of his stupor and realized the situation he had gotten himself into.

"Y-yes, that's right, let's get away from here."

With her hand in his, they cut through the crowd and began running, running aimlessly, it matters not where they go as long as they get away from that alleyway.

***

And so, Alex returned to the water fountain. Somehow, with the girl's hand in his, he had found his way back to where he began.

"Thank you," the girl said to Alex while he was still trying to catch his breath, the girl herself seemingly haven't even broken a sweat.

"No need for thanks," Alex replied breathlessly, quite elated that he is actually talking to such a pretty girl, something he had never done before.

"That's not true," the girl replied, smiling gently, "You truly saved me back there, when no one else would. You're my hero, and I make no exaggerations when I say that."

Her words made Alex very red and his body temperature rose drastically. To receive those words made him very happy and proud, perhaps like never before in his life.

"In that case, you're welcome," he replied, trying to appear composed though his incessant blushing was giving it away all to easily.

The girl nodded to him, she smile very sweetly. "Well then, I should get going."

"Wait!" Alex called out, saddened that the first bond he made since he came into this world had to be cut so short. "Why are those men after you?" he asked, both curious of what happened and hoping to prolong this sweet encounter.

But the girl only placed her slender finger at his lips and shook her head with a frown on her face. "I can't tell you, and for your own sake, do not pursue this further." Then, apparently noticing the loneliness and sorrow in Alex's eyes, she smiled for him again. "Tell me your name, so that I'll know what to call you the next time we meet."

"Alex, Alex Miller," he replied honestly.

"Alex..." She mutters his name a few times more and committed it to memory. "Well, Alex, you may call me Fitta. I'll look forward to the next time we meet."

And then, after exchanging farewells, Fitta disappeared into the crowds, leaving Alex behind at the fountain, wondering again if all of this was just a dream.

***

In time, Alex found the will to move on from the fountain again. This time, he was less afraid and his head was held high, bravely facing forward. His previous heroic deed had affected him and he now knows what he could be capable of. He's more confident now, braver, and ready to step out into the unknown that is this strange world in which he had inexplicably found himself in.

It'd be a lie to say that he isn't even the slightest anxious when he walked down the unfamiliar streets of this unfamiliar city, even with his new found courage. However, Alex knew that he can't simply hang about the fountain forever. He has to learn more about his surroundings, more about this world, and more about his own circumstance, and the only way to do so, is to venture out into the open. That's right, he thought to himself, this will be an adventure. Such a though brought a little joy and excitement to him and made everything seem more fun, even though in the back of his head he knew this may be a more dire situation than he currently realize. Still, the thought made it easier for him to move forward.

And speaking of adventure, that is Alex's goal at the moment, or to be more precise, the Adventurers' Guild. He had saw it being mention on one of the signs on the streets, signs curiously written in two languages, one in a language he does not recognize and one that he does. He was kicking himself mentally when he had finally noticed it.

"Finally!" he had said, "Something I recognize."

It would seem that this strange place isn't so alien after all, at the very least, it spoke his language. In fact, he regretted not realizing it when Fitta spoke to him with words that he could clearly understand.

Following the signboards, Alex eventually found his way to the so called Adventurers' Guild. To his surprise, it was not merely a building, but an entire district dedicated to the so called adventurers, and in the center of it all, was a large building that stood apart from the rest, the main building of the Adventurers' Guild.

Alex inhaled deeply before stepping into the lobby of the main building. This was his first time stepping in a building of this size other than that of his school, and even then, perhaps it was not as grand as this.

Making himself as small as possible, Alex walked up to the front desk and summoned the bravado to speak.

"Umm, excuse me," he said timidly to the lady behind the desk.

"Yes?" she replied, her demeanor friendly.

"I, um, like to become an adventurer..." Alex blurted out, and having said it, he found himself to sound rather silly. After all, the likes of adventurers and the Adventurers' Guild, such things were supposed to be fiction, belonging more in games than in real life. However, he figured that since places like the Adventurers' Guild traditionally provides some form of guidance within the games he had played, he thought that it might be the same here, though now that he's here, it all felt rather stupid to expect it to be anything like the games.

"I see. In that case, please fill up this form," the receptionist said as she pulled out a slip of paper from under the desk. "Of course, you'd have to be above twelve years of age to apply. You are older than twelve, right?"

"Ah, yes. I'm fifteen." To be more precise, Alex is fourteen years and seven months old, but he didn't see the relevance in mentioning it here and he preferred to be seen as older rather than younger.

Alex took the form, and on it, words he does not recognize were written. It was in the same language written on the signboards that led him here. However, even though he does not recognize them, once he focus, the unfamiliar words floated into his sight again, and though these words he does not recognize, he could somehow understand them, almost as if by some kind of instinct. The unfamiliar words translated the written words on the paper for him, allowing him to quickly understand this language he never learned.

How convenient, he thought, but where did I get such a strange ability? So many strange things had happened since he got here, he still hasn't wrapped his mind around it. When I was fighting those four men surrounding Fitta, the thing one of them used, and the thing I used to counter it, it was almost like magic. No, it was magic wasn't it, only magic could explain something like that. And then this ability, where could I have gotten it? He thought back to the first time the unfamiliar words appeared, it should be the time he first looked into Fitta's eyes... No, it happened even earlier didn't it? It was in that golden library in my dream, from that golden book. Or was it a dream?

There were so many questions he wanted answers to, yet nothing that comes even close to an answer came to his mind.

"Are you alright?" the receptionist asked, bringing Alex's mind back to reality.

"Um, yes, I'm just thinking."

"Is that so? Well, perhaps you would have an easier time with a form of a different language?" The receptionist pulled out another slip of paper from under the desk and handed it over to Alex. It was the same form as the last one, except this time, it was written in the language Alex had been taught since he was a child, the same one written on the signboard alongside the other language.

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

Alex took the form gratefully and promptly filled it with his information, his name, his age, his address, his work experience. It's almost as if it's a resume. Wait, perhaps it is a resume.

Alex filled in everything, all aside from his address, because he was quite sure where he used to live does not exist in this world.

"So, about the address..." he asked timidly.

"Oh, don't worry about it, that section is optional. It's only there to make finding you easier, but adventurers tend to move about a lot and a good number does not have a long term dwelling," the receptionist explained to him gladly.

"In that case, I'm done filling it I guess."

"Thank you, you may return tomorrow to pick up your Adventurer's Licence."

"Wait, that's it!?" Alex was surprised, he had expected there to be something more.

"That's right. Though since you don't seem to have many working experiences, you'll receive a novice class license for all fields and will only be able to take novice level jobs. If you wish, the guild also provides courses you may take to improve your skills or learn new ones. You'll have to pay for it though. Examinations are also held every three months to determine if you're fit to have your rank raised, though an entrance fee is required."

"I-I see..." Alex replied absentmindedly, a little overwhelmed. "I'll be here to pick up my license tomorrow then."

"Ah, just one more thing!" the receptionist called out as Alex was walking away, seemingly having remembered something. "Take this."

From under the desk, she took out another slip of paper, this one smaller than the forms.

"This is the guild pass. With it, you may stay for free at any inn under the guild for three days. We issue this to all newcomers."

"Oh, this will be helpful. Thank you."

"No need for thanks, I am merely doing my job."

After bidding the receptionist farewell, Alex went on his way to find the inn recommended to him. He scarcely believes that everything was going so smoothly.

The inn he had been pointed to was within the Adventurers' District, and after showing the front desk his guild pass, he was promptly given a room, a rather modest room with but a single bed and desk, but more than enough for someone to spend a night or three.

Tiredly, Alex fell onto his bed, wondering for the final time if this was a dream.

"Or am I really in another world? This is another world right? What with the Adventurers' Guild and magic and whatnot. These kinds of things simply do not exist back in the world I'm familiar with."

Though still wrought with worries, his fatigue eventually caught up with him, and Alex soon fell into slumber.

***

In the middle of the night, Alex woke up. He was however not awoken by any noises. Floating before his eyes, the unfamiliar words were urging him intensely.

"Danger! Danger! Danger!" they said, and instinctively, Alex did feel that danger is just around the corner.

Then, faintly, he could hear footsteps coming up to his door and at that moment he knew that nothing good will come of it. And so, he opened the window and leapt out of it before he could stop himself.

"[Gale]!" he cried as he came close to the ground, and a powerful gust of wind stopped his fall and gently places him down.

Soon after his landing, he could hear the door to his room being busted down, and a number of individuals can be heard rushing in, followed by voices of confusion, likely because they could not find Alex where they expected him to be.

Briefly, Alex wondered why would anyone come after him like this, but he quickly remembered what happened during the day, when he helped Fitta escape. They must be here for payback, he though grimly.

Then, his eyes flared up with the unfamiliar words again. "Danger! Danger! Danger!" they said.

Again, his body moved on its own, turned around with his hand raised.

"[Shield]!" And a wall made of pure force appeared before him, stopping a crossbow bolt that was flying straight at him.

Alex cast his sight upwards where the bolt had came from, his heart raced at how close he had been to getting killed just now, or at least heavily maimed. Above, he spots a figure on the rooftop, cloaked and has a crossbow in his hand.

"Danger!!! Danger!!! Danger!!!" the unfamiliar words warned much more intensely now, burning in bright red. Clearly the figure on the rooftop was not to be messed with.

Instinctively, Alex broke into a sprint with every single fiber within his being telling him that he needs to get away. As he ran, he briefly turned back to see if his attempted killer was coming after him, and to no one's surprised, indeed he did.

From the rooftop, the cloaked figure jumped, only to leap forward again in midair, and then he leapt again in midair, and again, and again. Alex though for a moment that the figure could fly, but the unfamiliar words upon his sight claimed otherwise, noting the glow of magic that appeared beneath his feet each time he jumped. The magic seems to be the [Shield] spell, the same one used by Alex to save his life, except that instead of a protective barrier, the figure was using them as footholds to walk on in midair.

Alex eventually escaped into an alleyway, hoping to be able to lose his pursuers there, but after turning a corner, he soon found another cloaked figure standing in his way. The figure waved a wooden staff in his hands and right after that a large boulder appeared between them out of thin air, blocking Alex's path. Immediately, Alex tried to turn back and find another way, but it was too late, the first cloaked figure had already caught up.

"W-what do you want!?" Alex asked, pretending to be brave with little success, the trembling in his voice giving him away.

In response, the cloaked figure removed his cloak revealing himself to be a young man in his mid-twenties, and beneath the cloak he was wearing a dark mantle with what seems to be chainmail underneath. On the mantle, an emblem can be seen, one with a shield set before a star, the same emblem worn by the ones that was after Fitta.

"Alex Miller," the young man called out with a commanding voice, surprising Alex with the strength of his tone and the fact that he knew his name, "you have committed the crimes of obstruction of justice and assault of four officers. As the officer of the Strangers' Administration, I hereby place you under arrest."

***

End of Chapter 1