By the time we’d arrived and the man had prepared our dinner, it was already getting to be sunset… or should I say, something that looked like sunset.

I hadn’t noticed before—probably because of the thick mists and neverending canopies my day had been made up of—but it appeared the world didn’t have a celestial body exactly like the sun. Instead, it had a single, unmoving moon, which regulated the day/night cycle through transitioning radiance. It was a crimson red, which gave it sort of a foreboding air, but it still emitted white light and warmth like a sun would, so I guess it wasn’t all that different.

We’d gotten to the man’s ‘house’ sometime in the evening, but as the man hadn’t had any food stockpiled, I’d had to meander around his place for a solid hour before anything was ready to be cooked and served.

He, true to his childish nature, didn’t live in your traditional home. No, he lived in a quaint little, two room tree house that he’d seemingly constructed on his own. Given that this world apparently had stuff like giant snakes, it made sense you wouldn’t want your house on the ground, but in my mind, it was childish nevertheless. Therefore, I liked it.

Anyways, his tree house was situated along the stream we’d been following up until that point, which lead to a cliff face with many very small but pristine waterfalls coming out of some crevices. We were sitting on an attached patio that stretched over the stream, so it created an amazing scenic view of the landscape that surrounded us, or at least, it would’ve if my eyes weren’t laser focused on something else.

“Is this really food? Like really, really?” In front of me was a plate full of atrocities other worldly delicacies that the man had tracked down for us to eat. And while it looked like he had spent a sincerely admirable amount of time in the preparation and presentation of the meal, he would’ve had no way of knowing that, as a person from another world, the course wouldn’t seem the least bit appetizing to me.

“What’s up? Don’t tell me this isn’t up to par with a Seraph’s divine palette?” With a slight chuckle the man poked fun at my clear disinterest in consuming the meal set out in front of me.

That ‘meal’ primarily consisted of: a viscous pink fluid that was captured within something that looked like a recently picked plant stem as a drink; a large amount of light blue herbs speckled with oxygen-choking, yellow spores, garnishing what appeared to be a distinctly odiferous and criminally tough piece of meat from a recently felled animal the man must’ve hunted during my downtime; and two large, barbed insectoid legs that were likely meant to be eaten like a crab’s—sucking out the insides like some alien monster.

Maybe the meal would be acceptable for someone who’d been more adventurous in the culinary world to consume without a second thought, but for me, a sheltered girl who came from a household that stuck with our very limited cafe menu for meals, it was incredibly intimidating. But even then...

“Grr! Screw it! I’m too hungry to be worrying about these types of things!” In no time flat, I caved and opted to consume this foreign feast.

I didn’t merely consume it, however, I shoveled it into my mouth in such a rushed, inelegant fashion that my initial hesitation seemed almost trivial and nonexistent. Well, in reality, what I was doing was only trying to prevent myself from thinking about what was going into my mouth, by getting every last morsel in and down before logic could find its place to kick in. That, and I was starving.

“So, how is it?” After my first wave of chaotic consumption, though, the man butted in, causing me to slow down my pace and actually taste the food.

“Hmm… I guess it’s pretty much as disgusting as I expected it to be. Yeah, absolutely repulsive.” When my mind finally comprehended what was being forced down my throat, a gag reflex rose to the surface of it and almost caused me to break my steel-willed composure, but I was effectively able to spit out a casual, but brutally true remark, and find the will to continue scarfing down my dinner.

“Ahaha, that hurts! I don’t know whether to be amused or ashamed.” Surprisingly, despite its blatant harshness, the man was still able to laugh off my jabs at his food. Although, the way he talked hinted to me that he might’ve been a bit disappointed that I wasn’t truly enjoying the dinner he’d spent so long preparing…

“Dammit! Now I feel guilty and stuff…” Not able to look the man in the eyes, I muttered to myself just quiet enough that he wouldn’t be able to hear me.

Oh well, I’ll just make it up to him later.

Dinner went by, and I felt like a football player had just tackled my gut. It wasn’t the food’s fault, either. Okay, it was partially the food’s fault. For the most part, though, the feeling was a consequence of my own frustration and an equal repulsion at myself for acting in such a brutish way. Sure, it was nice to let loose and slob out, but I figured it’d probably be best if I kept some kind of minimum standard for myself.

Plus, I acted that way in front of a stranger who was offering his help to me. ...Well, he didn’t seem to particularly mind, so I found it wasn’t worth worrying about. I was just being myself.

After dinner was sufficiently cleaned up, we both sat in silence as the red moon was gradually growing dimmer. I didn’t know every bit of detail on how this world’s time system worked, but I rolled with the assumption that it was probably only a few short minutes until night.

“Welp, I guess it’s just about that time then, ain’t it?” The man was the one who broke the silence, standing up and stretching out his arms like he was preparing for something.

“Time for what exactly—”

“The name’s Elklin Peakswill! Put it here, lass, because this will be the official start of our partnership going forward, you got that?!” Full of an energy that repudiated his age, the man—Elklin Peakswill—finally got around to introducing himself in a rather eventful manner, ending the introduction with one hand prepared for a handshake and the other with its thumb pointing at a wide smile.

While I was impressed by his dedication to our blossoming partnership, my face immediately morphed into one akin to the type that would be born if a serial killer was about to round the corner, and I meticulously recoiled, shaking my head and shivering.

“Uh… lass, what’s wrong?”

“Your hand is that of a demon. As soon as I grasp it, you’ll pick me up and subject me to relentless pain! I’ll be used as your forest plow again! ...No, you’re not gonna get me this time!” I was, of course, joking with Elklin to make him feel bad, but some of the hesitation was real. Up until that point, every time I reached for his hand, I was met with a hazardous trip through the woods. And yes, while I found the ability to take those trips with a grain of salt, it was the end of the day and I was tired. I wasn’t going to take any chances.

“H-Hold on, I actually wanted a hand—”

“Anyways~, it’s my turn to introduce myself, isn’t it?” I blew Elklin off and got started with my own introduction with a single goal in mind: to surpass his introduction in almost every possible category. All day he’d been beating me in charisma and moxie, so for once, I refused to fall short.

In order to do this, I hoisted myself up upon the wooden guard rail that lined the patio and stood, using it as a pedestal for my announcement. After a moment or two of flailing and almost falling over, I gained my balance and with all of the energy left in my body I spoke.

“It’s April Fallow! A-P-R-I-L Fallow. Lost and ignorant, I have no idea what the hell is going on right now, or where I’m at! But I do know where I’m going. I’m going on the adventure of a lifetime, the likes of which I’d previously thought impossible. The likes of which I’d always dreamed of. And you know why, right? It’s because, I am April Fallow, an envoy from… ANOTHER WORLD—Wh-Wh-Whoa!” As my introduction concluded so did the patio rail’s stability, as it detached and, still as one whole piece, began to fall over the edge. Unable to react in time, I blinked in dumbfoundment before plunging into the stream along with it, unintentionally earning myself a much deserved bath. One that would, hopefully, wash away the embarrassment of flubbing my introduction so hard, and the overall cringe that resulted from it.

I wasn’t upset though. Not only had this world ripped the ability for me to become upset at it right out of my soul through the happenstances of precisely half a day’s time, but in the end, I succeeded. I beat him in both charisma and moxie. It was an introduction of unmatchable energy, and I was proud of it. The embarrassment was a small price to pay for that.

Now, all I had to do was swim to the surface and see Elklin’s reaction… I mean, the stream wasn’t moving that fast, so it should’ve been easy. That was, if I didn’t have two protruding wings amplifying the strength of the current on me. Two protruding wings that were actively going against my ability to survive. Why did I even have them anyways?! Why did I—

Fwoosh!

Before I knew it, a familiar blade of air cut through the water, parting it enough for me to regain the ability to think clearly. In that time, I scrambled up to the stream bank and flopped down on my back, gasping for air. Once I’d fully recovered, I stayed laying there, gazing up at the beautiful night sky and appreciating just how different this world really was. There wasn’t even a single star I could recognize.

The moon’s color had changed: it was a dazzling, cool blue.

“Another world, huh?” After awhile of laying there, Elklin caught up to where I was and equipped with his signature beaming smile, extended his hand to me for the fourth and final time of that day. This time, I didn’t hesitate in grabbing it. “Well then, April, let me be the first to welcome you to this gloriously messed up world of Creation.”

“Creation… That’s a rather unoriginal name, isn’t it?” Finding my bearings as the man pulled me up, I stopped for a second to mull on the world’s name then shook my head. “Nah, I’m glad to be here.”

“Of course you are, after all, if you’re looking for an adventure, there’s no better place to be than Shelter Spire! ...Although, that’s a rather controversial opinion.”

“Shelter Spire must be this giant mountain we're on, right?” At being given a name of our location—no, at having my ambitions affirmed— excitement rose within me.

“Yup, for the most part. To be more exact though… Shelter Spire is the dungeon that resides within this mountain.” The man gave a knowing nod to me with a sly look on his face. He was purposefully hyping me up.

“Don’t just shut up about it! Tell me more!” A dungeon within a fantasy world meant monsters and puzzles and most of all, adventure. It meant that I’d have the ability to work towards an immediate goal, and despite not knowing any details whatsoever, it meant my resolve was solid. Without needing any further information, I’d decided. “Nevermind, don’t spoil it for me… I’m gonna conquer the Shelter Spire—”

“Thought you’d say that.” Elklin’s hand swifty touched down upon my back, making me choke on my words. “Look, I’m just as excited as you, maybe even more so, but we’re gonna have to slow our roll. Let’s head back and review some stuff, then tomorrow we can start getting you prepared to take on the world, okay?”

“You’re seeming a bit too quick to believe everything I say.” Something about Elklin’s enthusiasm made me realize that he’d never once doubted anything I said. Surely, if someone came to my world and said they weren’t from Earth, I’d think they were insane. So, why then? Why was he so insistent to believe me.

Well, I suppose the answer shouldn’t have been too hard to figure out.

“Listen here, if you go through life doubting and mistrusting every which way, you’re never gonna get anywhere. So, I chose to trust you.”

It just wasn’t in his nature to doubt people.

“Besides, people have been told to be summoned to this world all the time. It’s not exactly an unheard of oddity.”

“—Eh?” To the veritable bombshell Elklin just dropped on me, my brain failed to register a proper response.

“Considering how incredibly inept you appear, you weren’t exactly making it a hard sell, either.”

“—Eh?” To the hastily inserted jab at me, my brain failed to register a proper response. However, the man started walking back to his house.

“So you coming or what? It’s getting late and—”

“Stop moving so fast! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!” But I couldn’t contain it. Everything that day had been so sporadic, so rapidly stupid, that I finally got fed up with it all and reverted to the mental age of a child.

“—Eh?” This time it was Elklin who responded with befuddlement.

“Give me a moment to process everything, okay? Stop moving so fast!” My infantile distress continued, yet Elklin seemed unphased.

Sigh... “Guess I’ve got no other choice.” As always, without any warning, Elklin picked me up. I felt like I knew what was going to happen: he was going to take off, with me under his arm, and forcibly drag me out of my stupor and to his house. However, even that expectation was betrayed. I was soon found lifted over him with one of his hands on my stomach and the other grasping onto my legs.

“Hm… this is a new way of carrying m—”

“Fly! Fly like the Seraph you are!” I was launched. Sent flying like a spear piercing the night sky. My target: an open window up on Elklin’s treehouse. Throw accuracy: 100%. Throw strength: maybe a bit too much.

Not long after being tossed, spinning through the sky, I felt my back make contact with a wall, which I soon slid down only to land on a bed. My reaction was a mixture of being impressed, relieved, and a growing resentment at being thrown again. But more than that, my body—my everything—was undeniably exhausted. So, at the end of the day, I stole Elklin’s bed and prepared for some much needed rest. I almost missed Elklin vaulting his way into the house.

“Elklin, I hope you know this bed is mine now.” Mustering up the last of my energy, I prodded Elklin, my expression an unchanging beacon of fatigue.

“That’s fine but…” Elklin trailed off.

“But what?”

“Call me Peak, everybody else does. I’m known as Peak of the Peaks.”

“Hmm… alright. Peak it is. That’s much easier to remember than Elklin, anyways.” I was a bit thrown off by the fact that Peak knew other people—I thought he was alone up here—but it wasn’t any pressing matter for me. In just a few seconds, I was off snoring, anyways. Sleeping people can’t exactly worry, can they?