—You can live a different life. Want to try?
A small voice echoed from the emptiness.
The moment Mia saw the source of the voice, startled words spilled from her mouth.
"What are you talking about?"
She couldn't help but speak with a trembling voice. She couldn't believe what was happening, nor could she understand why a tiny floating creature was talking to her. What was going on? Was she dreaming?
The creature was about 30 centimeters tall, about the size of a Barbie doll.
A tiny fairy was speaking to her, smiling as it fluttered in the air.
—Oh dear, no need to be so formal.
"W-Who are you...?"
—Me? I'm Mithys, a half-blood fairy of the Peridot Clan, from the Fairy Kingdom Muria and the Crystal Stone Kingdom Sibareth. I came here through your peridot ring.
"…What?"
—I said you can drop the formalities. So, do you want to live a different life or not?
"How is that even possible...?"
—Just say yes. I'll handle the rest.
The so-called fairy spread its transparent green wings and flitted teasingly around Mia, who tried her best to organize her scrambled thoughts.
Let's see.
She had been polishing a big peridot ring—her birthday gift—when this fairy popped out...
'This isn't Aladdin. Am I just this exhausted from working so many part-time jobs?'
Mia rubbed her eyes, hoping it was a dream. But no matter how much she blinked, the fairy remained.
—You don't trust me, huh?
"Um… no, I mean, yes?"
—Fine. If you don't believe me, I'll show you.
Before Mia could answer properly, she felt like she was falling endlessly.
Or maybe flying?
It felt like someone had grabbed her by the back of the head and yanked her into the air, like the weird sensation you get on a roller coaster.
When she opened her eyes, Mia realized—
She was floating among the clouds.
No way. Just a moment ago, she had been in her room with that weird fairy…
She barely had time to process the fact that clouds were brushing against her cheeks before—
Her body plunged downward at terrifying speed.
"Aaaaaahhh!"
Expecting her spine or ribs to shatter at any second, Mia tried to brace herself—but surprisingly, her body felt light. No pain at all. She wasn't hurt.
"What… what the heck…"
She sat up and looked around. All she could see was a wide green meadow.
Above her, the clouds she had just fallen through drifted lazily across the sky. The grass in the vast field sparkled so brightly under the sun it almost hurt her eyes.
'Where… where am I?'
Had that bizarre fairy somehow transported her to another world?
A chill ran down her spine. No matter where she looked, it was just endless fields of green.
"Uh…"
Suddenly, about a hundred meters ahead, a bright red door appeared—just the door, hanging in midair, like a house entrance ripped out of its frame.
It almost seemed to beckon her in.
'...Guess I'll go check it out.'
Without even realizing it, Mia found herself running toward the door. She grabbed the round doorknob and yanked it open.
And then—
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong!
A chorus of loud bells assaulted her ears, like an alarm for intruders. Mia clamped her hands over her ears in shock.
In that instant, a man appeared in front of her.
A bright blue man.
There was no better way to describe him—his face and hands were normal, but everything else was blue.
A blue hat, sky-blue hair down to his shoulders, tight-fitting blue clothes and shoes, all shimmering with a silvery-blue hue.
The man's sapphire eyes narrowed warily at her.
"Who are you? Why did you barge into someone else's house without permission?"
His sharp voice rang out. Mia stumbled back.
"This… this is your house?!"
"That's right."
"...And you are?"
"I asked first."
The man frowned and scanned her from head to toe.
"I'm sorry… but I really have no idea where I am."
"You... you're not from here."
The man observed her with a curious glint in his eyes. Mia, too, took a closer look at him.
A small, sharp face. Tall and lean. He looked like he was in his mid- to late-twenties.
"In that case, I'll forgive your rudeness."
Rude?
Mia opened her mouth to ask something else, but the man simply gestured for her to follow and turned away.
Only then did Mia realize she was inside a massive mansion.
From a distance, it had looked like just a floating red door. But the moment she stepped through, it had expanded into a fully-formed space. Some kind of magic?
"Aren't you hungry?"
The man glanced back at her, his sky-blue hair fluttering.
"...A little."
Honestly, she wasn't that hungry, but she did feel strangely hollow inside.
Mia couldn't shake the feeling that this man held some kind of authority here.
He stopped in front of a spiral staircase in the middle of a grand hallway.
The stairs spiraled downward endlessly. Looking down made Mia dizzy.
"You want me to go down there?"
"Don't want to?"
"Who knows what's down there..."
The man laughed heartily.
"You know, what I'd really like to know is—where are we? Who are you? And why am I here?"
Mia's rapid-fire questions made the man shrug.
"Like I said, I should be asking you that. Anyway—are you coming to eat, or are you staying here alone?"
Mia hesitated.
Down below, she could see a soft orange light glowing and faint strains of music drifting upward.
She glanced around. The mansion, made of gleaming white marble, was luxurious—but there was absolutely nothing to do alone here.
Well, better than sitting around doing nothing...
"I'll come."
"Good choice. Girls who play hard to get aren't charming."
The man winked playfully and started down the spiral stairs. Mia followed.
The staircase was deeper than she expected.
Still, the farther they descended, the brighter the orange light became, and the louder the sounds of chatter and music.
"We're here."
"Whoa…"
Where were they—an underground world?
No, this wasn't just a basement.
Mia found herself in an enormous cavern.
Thousands of torches lit up the space, casting warm light across the stone walls.
And gathered around tables were moles.
Actual moles—cheerfully clinking frothy mugs of what looked suspiciously like beer.
It was peaceful, almost fairy-tale-like.
Mia's heart pounded, feeling like the heroine of a storybook.
The moles all turned to look at Mia and the man.
"Hey there, everyone! Brought a guest today," the man called, raising a hand.
The moles smiled warmly at Mia and bowed their heads toward the man.
"Come on, let's grab a table," he said, pointing to one covered with red velvet in the corner.
As Mia approached the seat he indicated, she froze.
"This... this is food?"
On the plate lay fruits—apples, bananas, grapes—but they were transparent, enormous, and glittering.
Crystals?
Gems?
"If you want, take them. They'd fetch a high price in your world, wouldn't they?"
"Why are you giving me these?"
"Hospitality. Sending a guest away empty-handed would be a disgrace."
The blue-haired man snapped his fingers elegantly.
Suddenly, moles scurried from every direction, bringing platters of food—roasted meats, fragrant drinks, delicious-looking fruits.
The aroma was so mouthwatering Mia could hardly stand it.
Only then did she realize just how starved she was. Living alone, her meals had always been meager.
A feast like this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance!
She was about to take a big bite when—
A sudden thought struck her.
'Wait. In fairy tales, eating food from another world means you can never go back, or you age a hundred years overnight!'
"Something wrong?"
The blue-haired man asked, noticing her hesitation. The moles tilted their heads curiously.
Feeling guilty, Mia stammered.
"I, uh… I just lost my appetite."
Even as her eyes darted longingly toward the food, she forced herself to say it.
And at that moment—
BOOOOM!!!
A deafening roar shook the ground.
It felt like the entire world was cracking apart.
The cavern's ceiling—the blue sky—split open with a loud crack, and torches began flickering out one by one.
"SH-SHI-SHIIII!!"
The moles cried out in panic, scattering in all directions.
Chunks of rock rained down from the ceiling.
"Kyaaaah!!"
Mia screamed as the world around her shattered.
The image of the blue-haired man blurred—
as if the TV screen had cracked. Everything twisted and distorted.
Mia squeezed her eyes shut and screamed.