I sat there silently, the warmth of the tea fading against my hands as her words sank in.
So this really was another world…
No matter how I tried to rationalize it, nothing about this place matched Earth. The pointed ears, the strange fruits, the lack of any modern technology—and now dragons? It was too much for it to be the past.
My mind began racing. If dragons existed here, and elves were real, then this was a completely different world with its own history, its own nations, and its own people.
A world that had evolved along an entirely different path from humanity's.
I looked at my mother—Elicia von Remdell—and felt an odd mix of awe and confusion. Her calm expression made it seem like everything she'd said was perfectly normal.
To her, this was not fantasy. This was simply… reality.
"So," I said after a moment, trying to sound casual, "the Harmando Kingdom—was it built by this first king, August de Harmando?"
She nodded, smiling softly. "Yes. And his descendants still rule it today. King Arean Harmando, whom I mentioned earlier, is said to be the twelfth in his line. The royal bloodline of August still guides this land."
The room fell quiet again. My heart was still beating faster than usual, but not out of fear this time. It was something else—a strange mix of excitement and disbelief.
I was really here. In another world.
I glanced out the window. The late afternoon sun bathed the forest and the distant village in a soft golden hue. The wind was calm, the air cool and refreshing. Everything looked peaceful, almost too peaceful.
A faint smile crept onto my face. "A world of elves, dragons, and ancient kingdoms… not exactly what I expected after dying."
My mother gave me a puzzled look. "Did you say something, dear?"
I quickly shook my head. "Ah—no, nothing, Mother."
She laughed softly, brushing my hair aside. "You've been through a lot, Arnold. Rest for now. The world will still be here tomorrow."
Her words lingered in my mind. The world will still be here tomorrow.
A new world.
A new life.
And this time… I wasn't going to waste it. After hearing my mother's story, another thought crept into my mind—a thought that sent a strange thrill down my spine.
If this was truly a fantasy world, then… did magic exist here too?
The question lingered for a moment before I finally decided to ask.
"Mother," I said, trying to sound casual, "does magic exist in this world?"
She looked at me with mild surprise, then smiled softly. "Of course it does, dear. Why do you ask?"
I leaned forward, my curiosity burning brighter than ever. "Do you… know anyone who can perform it?"
Her smile widened. "Why, yes. I do." She placed a hand on her chest and said, "I am also a magician."
My eyes widened in disbelief. "You are?"
She giggled lightly at my expression. "Would you like to see?"
I nodded so fast that even I was embarrassed. "Yes! Please!"
"Then wait here for a moment." She stood, her long white hair swaying gently as she left the room. I heard the soft creak of a door opening somewhere down the hall, followed by the faint sound of wooden drawers sliding open.
When she returned, she was holding something that looked both simple and extraordinary—a staff.
It was carved entirely from dark wood, smooth and polished, with elegant black inscriptions spiraling along its length. At its top was a glowing red crystal, pulsing faintly like a living heart. Even as someone from a scientific world, I couldn't help but admire its beauty.
"This," she said softly, "is my staff."
Then, without warning, her voice took on a formal, almost divine tone.
"Oh goddess of the underworld and the sky, grant me the power of water and cast the unwanted away."
The air in the room shifted. A faint chill brushed against my skin.
Then—right before my eyes—a sphere of water formed above the stone floor, shimmering in the air, defying gravity itself. It floated perfectly still, like a living droplet of glass.
My breath caught.
My scientific mind couldn't process what I was seeing. There was no mechanism, no hidden wire, no explanation.
No force, no equation, no known law of physics could make this possible.
In all my forty-three years as a scientist, I had never witnessed anything that broke the rules of nature so completely.
For the first time in my life, I was speechless—not from logic, but from awe.
I simply stared at the floating sphere of water, realizing that everything I knew, everything I had studied, everything I believed about the universe… meant nothing here.