Its just a normal day in your home. Peace and quiet as usual in your neighborhood.
You are in the kitchen, just minding you're business as you make yourself lunch.
There are so many options in the world, is what you think to yourself, what are you going to make for lunch, you think.
And then you snap out of it. your just making lunch, not starting a brain twister.
So you go to the counter to get everything ready.
You want to begin, but then you suddenly hear a "poof!". Its coming from your living room.
Oh dear! Did somebody break in? you are frozen in place just thinking about the sound you just heard.
You go to the living room to find out for yourself what the sound was.
And there you see... A boy. but not just any boy, this one has... Navy blue hair? his choice of attire also baffles you. just what is he wearing? Some sort of black suit jacket, but with golden details going over it, the detail intrigues you. the white ends of his sleeves suggest he is wearing some sort of formal white undershirt. on his legs, he dons blue shorts, appearing to be made from simple navy blue fabric, and shoes with golden buckles on them, with his white socks extending from from his shoes. He seems to be almost your height, yet he appears to be younger than you...
This reminds you of something... A fantasy action game or something.
He is rubbing his eyes as if he's seen a flashbang explode in front of him.
Seeing the presence of this stranger, you say: "Hey there, are you ok? You just appeared out of nowhere, what's going on?"
He finishes rubbing his eyes, and now he is making eye contact with you with his deep, silver eyes.
"Oh my goodness! It worked! Um... Hello! I'm sure you have many questions: "Who am I?", "Why am I here?", "What do I want from you?". But i can promise you, all of those questions shall be answered in due time. For the hands of fate have chosen you to be the destined hero that shall save the world from the ancient demon king that threatens to destroy it! Through your journey, you shall meet many strong and loyal allies, like me! And you shall forge you name into histor-"
Suddenly he looks around the room very confused. Its like he has never seen a house.
You are just as confused as him.
"Ancient demon king? Destined hero? What are you talking about? do you know that you just appeared out of thin air?"
He does not respond. He is stuck in position staring around the room.
"Hold on, this is wrong. Why do the walls look... Different? All smooth and... White? I swear by the gods, I was in the school dungeon not too long ago!"
You are even more confused now.
"Hold on, everything in this room is strange."
He points to your TV.
"Why is that window not only strangely on a table, but it also has no outside view? Its just black?"
Then he looks down on your coffee table, from witch he picks up your phone.
"And what is this thing? A glass slab? It does not feel like glass at all..."
He unintentionally turns on the phone by holding it the way he is.
"AHH! WHAT IN THE-"
He drops your phone on the carpet. You scramble to pick it up. Phew, no cracks on the screen.
The blue haired boy just continues acting weird.
"What is..." As he points at your action figure of Venom on the shelf.
"What god is that? I have never seen any god depicted like that!"
"That is just a action figure of Venom, a fictional character, not a god or whatever you are thinking. The place you are in now is my home, not a dungeon. How did you get here?"
He ignores your question and starts saying stuff like there is nothing wrong.
"Your home? Yes hero, it was my intention to get to your home, the world needs you! But everything in this room, no, everything in this house makes no sense! Have you been living isolated or something?"
You have no words as you are trying to understand the whole situation. The boy walks up to your window and grasps the curtains.
"See? There is a whole world out the-"
As he opens the curtains, the street of your neighborhood is revealed to him.
You can very clearly see the shock on his face.
"What- What am i looking at? Hero? What is going on? Where am I?"
A car passes through the street.
"Not to mention... How are those... strange-looking carriages moving like that? Why would you cast invisibility spells on a horse? It just looks absurd!"
Finally, you have thought through the situation.This boy is from another world, does that mean magic is real in some places? Your mind is suddenly cooking with questions.
"This is just the world I live in. Those are cars, not carriages with invisible horses,the dungeon you mentioned is also not in this world. There has been a strange mix-up somehow. I know its a lot to take in, but I think that is what happened."
He looks at you like the last part of your sentence was complete nonsense.
"A... Car? Please refrain from speaking nonsense to me. And what is this whole thing about "Your world, my world"?
Suddenly he lets out a loud gasp.
"No way, are YOU a god? Did you create all of this?"
You try to remain calm despite the situation you are in.
"No, I am not a god, I did not create this world. This is just the real world, as I know it. Just like your world is real to you. We are in a situation where you somehow crossed over into this world."
The boy looks panicked.
"No, that is impossible! I'm dreaming, or no, this is not a dream, its a nightmare! This is not real! let me just look over the spell again..."
He pulls out a book and with haste, starts going through the pages.
"Oh no... Oh no... I used the wrong chant! Instead of bringing you to me, I somehow got both of us here. Its fine! I can just use my own magic to bring us both back! I'm not a grand mage or anything, but I can do it!"
There he goes, he is standing in a weird position, closing his eyes.
"By the grace that has been granted to me by my birth, I call upon the gods to bring us home!"
Nothing happens. He is just standing there in his position.
"I understand you believe in magic, but in this world, magic as you know it doesn't exist. We will have to find another solution for this situation. Don't worry, i'll help you."
The boy looks shocked.
"What? Help me? What are you babbling about? Off course magic is real! I mean, how else did I get here then? Come on, there is SOME way to get magic here, right?"
"No man, there is no-"
"A wizard... That's it! We will just travel to the nearest wizard, he will be able to help us!"
You are baffled by how unknowing the blue haired boy is handling this.
"Listen, that might be a solution in your world, but here, there are no wizards, they simply do not exist here. this world runs on science and technology, not magic. We need to find a more logical solution to this."
Suddenly his face is now surprised, finally realizing the situation. He starts stuttering.
"But... How did I g- Did I even do the right thing? I did so much and this i- Hero? Am I- Where is-"
He collapses to his knees on the ground and starts crying.
Seeing his current state, you feel a sense of compassion. You crouch down next to him.
"Hey, its ok, I know this feels overwhelming, but you will make it, ok? I'm here for you."
You help him to the couch and both sit down. You give him a pat on the shoulder to calm him down. He is crying less now.
"So, i'm not in Galcadia anymore? What is this world?"
"I'm not sure how or why you ended up here, but this is Earth. Its a world without magic or anything you probably are familiar with. This is the modern world, and here, and we don't have wizards, knights or gods. We use science and technology to explain and understand things."
You continue to see his confusion and worry.
"But don't worry; We will find this out together. Can you maybe tell me a bit more about your world, Galcadia?"
Looks like he is feeling a bit better now. he still has tears going over his cheeks, but it looks like he is crying less and less.
"Oh! right... I have been the chatterbox of questions so far, and I think you have the right to ask me some questions now. So is there anything you want to ask me?"
You start to think of what to ask to the boy, but you decide to start with the basics:
"Who are you? what is your name?"
He wipes away his remaining tears and takes a deep breath.
"My name is Lorian, Lorian Glennmason. I am 17 years old, i'm a student at the Landgus Magic school, i'm also quiet the accomplished bowman, can you see?"
He points to a quiver full of arrows he is carrying on his back and a bow he is carrying in a holder on his back.
"And who are you, oh destined hero?"
"I am [your name], its nice to meet you, Lorian, i'm unfamiliar with your "destined hero"business, i'm just an ordinary person from this world."
"So do you anymore questions?"
"Yes, I do, can you tell me more about your home world, Galcadia?"
Lorian stands up and takes a serious stance.
"Before there was nothing. No seas, no land, no trees, no sky. But then, powerful gods emerged from nowhere! And they created life as we know it. Then they decided to create inhabitants, us, humans, elves, orcs, fairies, kobolds, and all the creatures the world came to know. That is how Galcadia became what it is. At least, that's what my history teacher taught me. I was born in a small village called Arcos, but my parents eventually moved to the great walled city of Claygib. and with that, my parents sent me to magic school. Teachers might not call me the best student, but i'll swear that i'll succeed!"
"That is an intriguing history, Lorian. Now, you keep referring to me as a"destined hero". Why is that?"
Lorian sits back down next to you.
"Common word in Galcadia is that there is a prophecy, it speaks of an ancient demon king. One day, he shall break free from his realm and Galcadia shall be ravaged. There is only one man who can stop him; A single chosen person, a hero destined to slay this demon king, somebody that shall journey through all of Galcadia to save it. And I... Well, i'll tell you later."
"I see, Lorian. Its a lot to take in, but I appreciate that you are willing to share it with me. Now, is there any way we can get you back?"
"Well, considering magic does not work in this world, our only hope is that my teachers realize i'm missing, and then they hopefully find out where I am. Then we both can go back!"
You are perplexed by the thought of being a hero.
"I appreciate your trust in me, Lorian, but i'm just an ordinary person. I have no knowledge of magic or heroism. When you teachers come back for you, we can explain the entire situation to them."
Lorian coughs before making a surprised face.
"But the spell brought me to you! Magic might not be real here, but it does not lie!"
And after that he becomes quiet .
"Oh, right. I should probably tell you how i got here, but please, not a word about it against my teachers, ok!?"
"Don't worry Lorian, your secret is safe with me, go ahead and tell me."
Lorian starts fiddling with his hands as he speaks up.
"So, um, I was in the school library studying for my exam, and then i saw this book on the top shelf, it was old and dusty, but I decided to give it a read. Anything to impress my teachers would have been helpful then. And then I found it, I saw it. The spell to summon the destined hero that can save Galcadia! I was exited, so exited! Maybe I could have had some credit in saving the world! So... I kind of snatched the book and ran to the courtyard and down into the dungeon. I'm actually not allowed to be there."
He starts blushing.
"But it was the only place I could do it undisturbed. I do the spell, I see the flash, and well, I think we both know what happened after that."
"I see, Lorian. Looks like excitement, curiosity and recklessness got you here. It'l all work out, lets try to make the best of your stay here, alright?"
Lorian chuckles nervously.
"Ha, so, that brings me to my next request that I will have to ask. Can I... Can I stay here until they come to get me? I'm not going to be a bother, I promise that! I can even help you with your household chores! I'l even help you maintain your... "Action figure"!"
You decide to be accommodating, after all, who knows what would happen if he went out alone.
"Alright Lorian, you can stay here, but you will have to adapt to the world around you and follow my rules. No strange spells, and you will have to learn about the world as well. Oh, and my action figure does not need any great care or anything, its just a thing."
"Really? Thank you! I'l promise, i'm going to my best to adapt, but you are going to have to teach me. As for your thing about no strange spells, well I can't really use any like we just found out."
Wow, you have worked yourself into one heck of a situation.
You think to yourself what kind of experience this will be. this feels odd, its almost as if you just have been sucked into a book full of fairy tales.
Lorian stands up.
"Hey hero, do you have a weapon rack somewhere for my bow and quiver?"
"Well, we don't have traditional weapon racks like how you know them in your world, but I think we can find a solution for that."
Lorian ends up placing his bow and quiver over a coatrack.
You spend the rest of the afternoon trying to teach him things about Earth. He seems to be very eager to learn.
Eventually it gets dark outside.
"Oh, it seems to be getting late. We should get to bed. So, where do I sleep? I don't mind if i have to sleep on a hay bale or something, its just for a few nights!"
You think of an idea to get him a place to sleep, he obviously still has to adjust, you don't have a hay bale and even if you had you wouldn't let him sleep on that.
"I have a camp bed and a sleeping bag, you are sleeping in my room."
"Camp bed? Sleeping bag? What are those? Are they for sleeping?"
"Yeah, a camp bed is like a portable bed you can easily set up, and a sleeping bag is like a cozy cocoon to sleep in, trust me, its much more comfortable than sleeping on the couch or a hay bale."
You get the camp bed and the sleeping bag from your garage and hint at Lorian that he has to follow you.
Upstairs in you room you start setting up everything.
"Alright, i'm sleeping on this?"
"Its slightly more complicated than that, you need to physically get in the sleeping bag, rember when I said its like a cocoon?"
You help Lorian to get in the sleeping bag.
"This is... Weird. Do all people in your world sleep like this? Oh, what am I doing, I should not be bothering with questions, just go to your sleeping place. Good night!"
You try to ask Lorian if he still has more questions about the modern world, but he seems too tired to ask anything. You decide to leave it and let him sleep. He has had a long and hard day.
You go to your bed and go to sleep. Its also been quite a day for you.
As you drift into sleep, you can't help but still have what happened today. The room is silent, and the only sound is the gentle hum of the night. The modern world is now seen through the eyes of a visitor from a distant realm. It's a strange feeling, and you wonder how you are going to help Lorian tomorrow. What caused this unexpected encounter to happen?