[Nanahoshi Pov]
How did all this happen?, How did I end up here? Why did I end up here? Why me? For what purpose?...
My name is Shisuka Nanahoshi, I'm 17 years old and I'm an average Japanese student or well...I was, until that incident happened 10 months ago.
I still remember it vividly, it was getting dark, I was coming back from school with my boyfriend Akihito from high school and then that message came.
"Hey, where are you? I'm waiting for you at my house" was the message that appeared on my boyfriend's phone.
Normally I wouldn't have said anything, but it turned out the one who sent the message was a stupid bitch named Aharen Nakamura.
What's that stupid girl doing talking to my boyfriend?!
Obviously I didn't just sit back and confront my boyfriend and he just excused himself by saying that she was a friend, obviously I'm not stupid and we started arguing.
The problem was that we were in the middle of the street, so a friend of mine called Kuroki Seiji tried to intervene so we would calm down, but my anger was such that I didn't even care.
And that was the problem, as we were near the sidewalk on the street a truck headed straight for us, I assume it was a driver asleep at the wheel.
"c-careful!!" A fat man suddenly shouted, pulling me and Kuroki out of the way.
The last thing I remember was feeling Akihito hugging me and then when I opened my eyes I had come into this world...
The first thing I saw was a completely desolate and dry wasteland, and it was like that for days.
I Walk, walk and walk without stopping until I no longer had the strength to even stand up
I even thought I had died and was in purgatory or something, it was whole days of walking in a totally infertile area and the sky always remained cloudy and my body felt heavier than usual.
Who knows how many days later I fell completely exhausted, I was dehydrated and my stomach was burning, I thought I was going to die again and my short life flashed through my head.
My mother, my father, my little brother, Akihito...
I wanted to see them again, even if it was just once, but I couldn't. I didn't know where I was, and with those last thoughts, I lost consciousness.
When I woke up I had a tremendous surprise.
Before me was a tall, muscular man with silver hair, yellow lizard-like eyes, and what appeared to be scales on his cheeks.
He spoke to me in a language I didn't understand and when he saw that I didn't respond he simply walked away.
But my survival instinct was stronger and with all my strength I began to follow him.
I didn't know if he was a good or a bad person, I didn't even know what his intentions were, but I was on the verge of collapse again and he would probably be the only help I would have for a long time.
He was initially reluctant to let me follow him, but he never made a real attempt to get away from me.
And so after a couple of hours he just let me walk by his side but being so weak I fainted again.
But even all that wasn't as surprising as what I saw when I woke up.
A green light came out of the man's hands and I instantly felt better...
And even after that, water flowed from the man's hands, from which I drank...
At this point I thought I was actually dreaming so I let myself go for a few moments.
But days passed, and I realized the harsh reality.
I had been teleported to another world...And not just any kind of world, I had been teleported to a world of swords and magic...
Just like in isekais or more specifically like that Isekai of the boy who when he dies reappears at a certain point in his life.
And just like in that anime, what happened to me had no explanation, it took me more than half a year to learn this language and only then was I able to communicate with the man who was with me.
Apparently his name was Orsted and he is very very powerful...
But not political power or anything like that... this man possesses enormous power, an inhuman combat power that he almost never uses for the same reason.
According to him, he and an entity calling itself "Hitogami" have been at war with each other for centuries.
And Orsted's only purpose in this world is to defeat him, but even with all that he offered to help me with whatever he could to return to my world.
And he also helped me start looking for my friends, he believes that we were teleported to this world by some god or person from this world
At first I wanted to call him crazy, but seeing this man's abilities and the way this world develops, I discarded that idea completely.
With each passing day I realized more and more how absurd this world was, it was not a place I wanted to stay in and therefore my only priority would be to figure out how to return to mine.
The fights on my travels with Orsted were so constant that I stopped taking them seriously.
Apparently Orsted is cursed with a curse that makes all living beings in that world hate him, I am an exception for obvious reasons.
But besides that, this false god Hitogami has apostles and contacts them through dreams
So fights were the order of the day on our journey with Orsted always easily defeating them and...killing them.
Always the same way, burying his arm in their chest.
"A good apostle is a dead apostle" is what Orsted always says.
According to Orsted, these guys can't do anything physically to Orsted no matter how hard they try, but being guided by Hitogami they can become annoying Therefore, they should be eliminated immediately upon finding them.
And so, together with Orsted we traveled the world on foot and using a rare magic called teleportation circles, we were able to travel all over this world in months while I tried to find my boyfriend or Seiji.
But because of my Asian or "exotic" features, many men of this world tried to flirt with me in every city we went to to the point of becoming annoying, So Orsted gave me a robe that keeps me warm when it's cold and warm when it's hot, three rings that can conjure protective barriers, and a white mask to cover my face, This last one is just a normal mask that looked like porcelain but it is quite resistant and does not need threads or anything to stay fixed on my face.
Months passed and I began to get a little impatient about the whereabouts of my companions until today.
We had arrived at the outskirts of the Asura Kingdom after unsuccessfully exploring part of the Millis continent.
We were supposed to travel through the lower jaw of the Red Wrym to go to the conflict zone and search there, but after two weeks of walking we came across that group...
A group of seven people, two men and five women, were traveling in a cart in the opposite direction to us.
As usual, the poor group of people were scared to death by Orsted, even being at a considerable distance his curse affected them.
Except for one child...
The boy looked to be no more than 10 years old, wearing a green tunic and black boots as well as a refined sword at his waist.
The boy, unlike his group, seemed more cautious than fearful and was also confused by the fearful reactions of his group.
Will it be possible?...
When we came face to face with the group, Orsted stopped in his tracks and looked at the boy.
"Paul Notos Greyrat..."You shouldn't be here," Orsted muttered, and the boy went on guard.
Something I forgot to mention is that Orsted apparently knows everyone in this world for some reason he never bothered to explain.
Obviously the boy did not know Orsted and when he was called by his full name by a stranger he was on guard.
Things escalated to the point where the boy lunged at Orsted.
He was fast...My eyes couldn't follow any of his attacks, the image of the child practically blurred from my sight at every moment.
But Orsted was faster, with his bare hands he repelled the boy's sword attacks until he was completely exhausted.
But I noticed something in the child's eyes.
He wasn't scared, he was determined.
As if it weren't the first time he faced people much stronger than him and even with that he would continue fighting.
That was his look, not that of someone fighting out of simple fear Unlike his companions who had not moved an inch since we were here.
He was fighting to protect his comrades, and the look in his eyes... it was fear, yes.
But a rational fear. He was scared of being cornered by someone as powerful as Orsted.
I'd never seen anyone other than me not fearing Orsted. Could he be from my world in the same way?
No, he can use magic and fight just as fast as the men here, but I have a hunch.
When Orsted knocked out the kid, I used this opportunity to get close to him.
"Hey... I feel like that kid could be from my world too," I whispered in Orsted's ear.
He raised an eyebrow and looked at me out of the corner of his eye.
"Impossible. Paul Notos Greyrat is always born in this world and dies in this world. There's no way he's from yours either."
"Well, yes, but... he doesn't fear you, right? He's not acting like the other people there," I muttered as I looked at the group of women and the elf in the distance.
Orsted frowned as he seemed to consider my words and then nodded.
"...fine, but if he tries anything, I'll have to knock him out," Orsted declared.
"...I thought you would kill him" I murmured in amazement.
"No, he's not an apostle. He isn't one in any loop. Besides, his offspring will be important for the future of my plans," he declared.
I didn't ask any more questions about this since he's never bothered to tell me, so I just nodded seriously.
I slowly approached the boy, who, upon seeing me, became wary.
So I took off my mask to relax him, and a look of recognition appeared on his face.
[You...are Chinese?] He asked...in English!!
Yes! I knew it! My intuition never fails!!
I've found another person who was transported to this world just like me!!!
...
[Paul Pov]
"Nnngh!..." I moaned in pain as I sat on the ground.
"Are you okay? If you feel bad, I can ask Orsted to heal you," a black-haired Asian woman said with a big smile.
What happened next was so fast and sudden that I'm still having trouble processing it clearly.
I'm currently in the lower jaw of the Red Wrym. I'm sitting on the ground, and in front of me is a girl from Japan.
Many people wouldn't see anything wrong with this, but that's not the case for me...
Why was this girl somehow summoned from my old world to this one for no apparent reason...
"No, it's okay," I muttered as I used intermediate-range healing magic.
The bastard hit me so hard I think he left me with a bruise, so I'll have to be careful.
Speaking of Orsted's lizard-face, he's retreating to the side and silently watching us like a falcon watches its prey.
My teammates are about fifty meters away from us.
Even at that distance, I can see the worried faces of Roxy, Hilda, and Laws, but none of them dare come any closer.
Apparently, this is because Orsted has a curse that makes everyone in this world fear him, with me and this Japanese girl being the only exceptions.
"I see that you can also use magic like the people of this world...how is that possible?" She asked and approached me curiously.
"I...well I..."
[I was reincarnated in this world or so I think...What I mean is that in my previous world I died and woke up in the body of a baby that is me.] I muttered in English.
Nanahoshi raised an eyebrow as she processed my words and then she nodded to herself.
"That... is interesting, so they summoned you too, huh? Or should I say they summoned your soul" she said while scratching her chin.
Honestly, this is one of the topics I least wanted to talk about, not because of discomfort but because of how complicated it all was.
"I don't know, maybe it could be like that or not, there was no light at the end of the tunnel or anything, I just closed my eyes in my old world and woke up in this one, that was all" I said with some nervousness.
This seemed to please Nanahoshi who nodded with a big smile and then moved closer to me.
"I see, and what was your name in your other life? How old were you? And what was your age when you died?" Nanahoshi started bombarding me with questions and I only became more uncomfortable.
[My name was Julian, I was 17 when I died and I was American] I said in English
[Wow...so we're the same age? What a coincidence, huh?...] She said with a toothy smile and got up from the floor
[something like that, but I've spent ten years in this world so my mind is 27 years old] I muttered in embarrassment.
[That doesn't matter, what matters is that now that I've found someone just like me, we can finally work together to get back to our world!] She declared with a beautiful smile and extended her hand to help me up.
"..."
Returning to my previous world... I'd never thought about it, should I do it?...
I took Nanahoshi's hand and stood up while looking at her conflicted.
If I return to my other world... I'll be able to see my parents again, I'll be able to return to John and thank him for everything he did for me...
But also if I leave...
With this thought I looked behind me, towards my group.
Roxy and Laws were in place, both with sweat running from their foreheads as they looked at me anxiously.
The girls in the wagon are no exception and Hilda seems to be on the verge of tears from worry.
If I return to my old world... I'll leave all these people behind, if I return I'll never see my mother from this world, nor Philemon, nor my teacher again...
I was undecided.
If I go back I can return to my original family, but if I go back I will abandon my current family, I will abandon my friends...
With all these thoughts in mind I turned around again and looked at an anxious Nanahoshi who was still holding out her hand to me.
[...I'm sorry, I would like to see my family again in that world but I can't abandon my current family either, I don't want to go back] I declared firmly.
The smile on Nanahoshi's face disappeared, she looked at me for a few seconds with an unreadable expression and then put her mask back on and took two steps away from me.
[I hate this world, nothing that happens here makes sense, the food is horrible, as is the hygiene and housing, In this world there are monsters and races that should only be in fairy tales, it's not something for me, that's why I will return to my world] She declared in a cold tone, as if her friendly side had never existed.
"[I understand and I understand you, but I also have my own problems... luckily I was reborn as a powerful person, if you need help with anything just go to the Asura Kingdom in the capital Ars, There I can help you with whatever you need] I said with a small smile and she just nodded.
[I'll consider it...could you also try to find my two friends please? Their names are Akihito and Seiji" she said almost like a robot which gave me chills.
"Of course, it was nice to meet you," I said and extended my hand for a shake.
"..."
Nanahoshi stayed in place for a few seconds and then quickly returned the gesture.
After that she walked towards Orsted and apparently explained the situation to him because he stared at me.
And then he nodded and started walking towards me again.
"Paul!!" He shouted into the distance and started walking towards us but I gestured for him to stay back and Orsted stopped about three meters away from me.
"So you're a reincarnated person..." He muttered as he looked into my eyes.
"Y-yeah, let's put it that way," I muttered slightly nervously.
"Hmmm..." Orsted narrowed his eyes as he analyzed my words and then frowned deeply.
"Tell me...have you ever heard the name Hitogami?" The man murmured as he waited for my answer.
A murderous aura enveloped the man, my heart started beating a thousand miles an hour and my instincts screamed "run!"
"Hitogami?...no, why the question? Is he some kind of god?" I asked with the best confused face I could muster which made Orsted only frown more.
I gulped involuntarily as the man looked at me and then he closed his eyes briefly and turned away.
"You're welcome, let's go Nanahoshi" he declared and started walking.
"Wait!...Isn't there some way for us to communicate in case something happens? First of all, who is this Hitogami you're talking about?" I asked as I approached him.
Orsted looked at me sideways and then looked at Nanahoshi and sighed deeply.
"Hitogami is the reason for all the evils in this world, he is an evil god who manipulates people by getting into their dreams, if you ever dream about him you better tell me immediately" Orsted said in a terrifying way, now he must have looked like the others in my group by the way i was shaking.
"O-okay, I'll tell you, but for that I need to contact you first" I said
"Hmm...okay" he said and from his tunic he took out a ring with a green stone embedded in it.
"If Hitogami contacts you, infuse mana into this ring and you will contact me," he said, and I took the ring and put it on.
"Okay, thank you very much" I declared and the man just nodded and started walking until he got lost in the fog with Nanahoshi.