"Hey… where are we going?" Michael asked, his voice laced with curiosity and a faint edge of impatience as he followed the girl through the dimly lit streets.
The girl glanced back at him. "The First Test isn't something you can just find anywhere," she said. "We need to speak to certain people—people who can arrange it. Luckily… my brother is one of them."
She paused briefly, then added, "His workplace is hidden. A remote lane. Not many know about it."
Michael exhaled, nodding. "I see… alright. Then let's not waste time. Take me there."
They moved forward together, slipping deeper into the narrow veins of the city where light struggled to reach and silence seemed heavier.
But Michael's mind was far from calm.
Wait…
The thought struck him like a sudden jolt.
I think… I think I've transmigrated.
His steps faltered for a fraction of a second.
No… that's insane.
A dry laugh echoed in his thoughts. William and I used to write about this kind of stuff all the time… characters crossing into other worlds, magic, alternate realities…
His chest tightened.
But for it to actually happen? In real life?
He shook his head slightly, as if trying to force the idea away.
No way… I never thought… not even once…
Yet everything around him—this world, this air, the unnatural familiarity of a language he had never learned—whispered a truth he could no longer deny.
Still, he walked on.
Elsewhere—
Back in the world he once called home, time had moved on as if nothing had changed.
"Alright, guys… it's really late. I'll see you both soon," William said, stretching slightly after hours of gaming.
Tracy looked up, surprised. "Hey, you're leaving already?"
"Yeah," William replied casually, grabbing his things. "And when I come to school… do my homework for me, okay?"
Tracy rolled her eyes but smiled faintly. "Fine."
With that, William stepped out, the night air of his own world greeting him in a way that now felt—unbeknownst to him—temporary.
As he walked home, he pulled out his phone and called Michael.
No response.
He frowned slightly.
Probably busy… maybe doing homework. Or his phone's on silent.
He didn't think much of it.
He couldn't.
Because the truth was far beyond anything he could imagine.
As he continued down the road, he passed by the familiar sweet shop. He almost walked past it—but a voice stopped him.
"Hey, William! Where are you heading?"
William turned.
The old shopkeeper stood there, watching him with a faint, knowing smile.
"Oh—hey, uncle," William said, stepping closer. "I'm just heading home. How was work today?"
The old man shrugged lightly. "As usual. A few customers here and there… nothing special."
William nodded. It felt like an ordinary conversation—simple, harmless.
He turned to leave.
"Be careful," the old man said suddenly.
William paused.
"Once you reach there… there is only one way back."
A strange silence lingered between them.
William frowned slightly but dismissed it almost immediately.
He's probably just saying random things…
"Alright, uncle. See you," he said, waving it off as he continued on his way.
He reached home soon after.
"William, are you back?" his mother called out from the kitchen.
"Yeah, Mom—I'm here," he replied, stepping inside. "Where's Michael?"
"He's upstairs. In your room."
William nodded and headed to wash his hands before making his way upstairs.
Everything felt normal.
Ordinary.
Familiar.
He reached his door and pushed it open—
And in that instant—
Everything shattered.
—
His eyes snapped open.
But not in his room.
Not in his world.
A different sky loomed above him, unfamiliar and vast. The air itself felt heavier—charged with something unseen, something ancient.
"So… you've finally awakened."
The voice was calm, composed.
William turned sharply.
"You… again?" he said, confusion and irritation colliding in his tone. "Why am I seeing the same dream? I just opened my door—how could I fall asleep instantly?"
His thoughts spiraled, struggling to grasp what was happening.
The man before him—the wizard—watched him quietly.
"I'll answer your questions," the wizard said. "But first… understand this."
A pause.
"This is not a dream."
William's expression stiffened.
"You are in another world."
Silence.
"…What?" The word came out hollow. "What do you mean—another world?"
"You have transmigrated," the wizard replied simply.
The word hung in the air like a verdict.
"Your room… is no longer just a room. It is a portal."
William's breathing grew uneven.
"Do you remember," the wizard continued, "the day the old man—the one who sold you sweets—came to your house? April 1st. You performed a 'ritual' together."
William's eyes widened slightly.
"…Yeah. It was just for fun. A joke."
The wizard shook his head.
"It was no joke. That ritual was real. It opened a gateway to this world."
Each word landed heavier than the last.
"You were sent here… for a purpose."
William's fists tightened unconsciously.
"What purpose?"
"That," the wizard said calmly, "is for you to discover."
A long silence followed.
"Survive. Find your purpose. And remember what the old man told you—once you reach here… there is only one way back."
William shook his head, stepping back.
"No… no, this isn't real," he muttered. "This can't be real. I mean—how am I even supposed to process this?"
His thoughts raced, colliding into chaos.
Then suddenly—
"Wait," he said, looking up. "You said my room is a portal, right? Then where's Michael? My mom said he never left the room."
The wizard's gaze remained steady.
"He is here. In this world."
A cold weight settled in William's chest.
"This… is your life now," the wizard continued. "Until you find a way back, this world is your home."
William stared at him in disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding me," he said. "I just got thrown into another world, and now you're telling me to survive on my own? What about my real life? My family?"
The wizard's expression did not change.
"In your world," he said, "there are now two body doubles—perfect replicas of you and Michael. No one will suspect a thing."
The answer only deepened the unease.
"Now go," the wizard said. "Walk your path. I will appear when necessary. Until then… everything depends on you."
William clenched his jaw.
"…and William, you will get an option," he said. "What option?" William replied
The wizard's eyes gleamed faintly.
"You may choose powers."
A quiet tension filled the space.
"These powers are tied to entities," he continued. "But remember—you will not receive them fully at once. You must grow. Level up. At the beginning, you will possess only a basic melee attack… and one magical ability."
William said nothing.
He was listening—but barely holding himself together.
"And this," the wizard added, extending his hand.
A book appeared.
Ancient. Bound in worn material that seemed to pulse faintly, as though alive.
"The Eternal Book of Spells."
William hesitated before taking it.
"This book," the wizard said, "is your key to returning home."
William's grip tightened.
"How?"
The wizard gave a faint, almost amused smile.
"That… even I do not know."
William's frustration flared—but before he could speak, the wizard continued.
"For now, the book will grant you something simpler. Write within it—describe any physical object—and it shall be yours , later when you level up , the book will grant you more an better spells and of course I'm here to guide you whenever necessary."
The weight of those words settled slowly.
Reality bending to ink.
Creation through thought.
William looked down at the book, then back at the wizard.
"Now go," the wizard said, his voice echoing faintly, as if already fading.
"Step forward… and become the author of another realm."