?????°???°?????

  It was morning. I could feel the warmth on my skin. My first night had ended and, luckily, nothing happened.

  I quickly got out from under the table and stood up. I stretched my arms and legs as far as I could, letting out a long sigh. Looking around again, now that it was brighter, the environment didn't seem so scary anymore.

  My first thought was: food. Looking around, there was nothing usable. Everything was moldy, showing the place had been abandoned for a long time. With no other options, I’d have to eat that bitter fruit again. I sighed deeply, a tired expression on my face.

  I just wanted a simple bread roll. Life’s cruel.

  I thought about tidying the place, but since I planned to leave soon, I gave up on the idea.

  'Maybe I could become a janitor somewhere?' Wishful thinking...

  I decided to explore the second floor. Since it was daytime, the fear of going up had lessened. Slowly, I climbed the stairs, careful of the broken parts.

  At the top, I saw a long corridor full of open doors. I entered the first one on the left, a bathroom, of course. The first door on the left, as always. Unlike the downstairs bathroom, this one had a mirror. Cracked, but still usable.

  I stared at my reflection, clearer than what I had seen in the lake. I definitely looked feminine, especially in the face. My arms were slim, completely different from the person I used to be. Even with this appearance, looking into my eyes, I could still tell I was a man. My voice wasn’t feminine either. It sounded like a young boy with low testosterone.

  People might mistake me for a girl at first glance, but that changes once they hear me speak. Well, just because I'm in another body doesn't mean I'll change how I act. I’ll keep acting like an adult man, even if no one takes me seriously in this body.

  I stared at the mirror and tried to smile. My fangs were visible, but not in a scary or ugly way. In fact, it was a nice smile. My teeth were very white. Such a well-maintained body! You wouldn’t expect that from something wild and fierce, like that man described me.

  I made a more natural smile.

  "Not bad. I can pull off a friendly expression pretty well. That'll help me a lot. Maybe just a little more practice," I said to myself.

  'Looking approachable might help me be welcomed. But first, I need to get out of here.'

  °??──────??°

  In a short time, I managed to explore the second floor. I checked the rooms, but there wasn’t much of value. I found some clothes, well... only one that wasn’t completely ruined.

  I put on a sleeveless dark blue tunic and noticed it looked like a dress. But it was just a tunic, I think my appearance made it seem like a dress. Anyway, it’s temporary. I’ll find better clothes soon. Though, I have to admit: the blue suits me.

  "Not bad..." I said, admiring myself a little.

  The tunic was short, going just below my knees. The previous owner must have been young, maybe a child.

  Upstairs, there was a huge hole in the ceiling of one room. Whatever had been here was big. When I looked through the hole, I saw a large trail on the ground, like something had dragged itself away. I need to be more careful where I go. I was lucky nothing was here. I have to remember I’m not in my world anymore.

  I returned to the hole and jumped through it. When I landed, I realized I didn’t take fall damage—or maybe the height wasn’t enough. My legs are really strong, even if they look like bamboo stalks.

  I was ready to leave, but when I turned toward the gate, I froze. My legs gave out and I fell to the ground.

  "W-what?!"

  A lilac sphere of light floated in front of me, with a crown of pinkish-red energy above its head. It wasn’t big, small enough to fit in my hand, but it was unlike anything I’d seen before.

  "What are you?" I asked, still nervous.

  The creature stayed still for a moment. Then, a white speech bubble appeared above its head, like a comic.

  "[Hi! My name is Merlin. I'm a spirit. Nice to meet you!]"

  A message popped into the bubble. With no voice, I couldn’t tell what it was really thinking. It called itself Merlin, huh?

  "My name is Victor..."

  "[What a lovely name! I was expecting a girl's name, but that doesn’t change how nice it is!]"

  It twirled in place, seeming excited.

  I tried to suppress my fear. It didn’t seem to want to hurt me. I stood up, trying to stay calm. Just because it was acting cute didn’t change the fact it scared the life out of me.

  "Ah, no. I’m a man, even if my appearance says otherwise."

  "[Got it, got it! I’m a girl... I think. Anyway, how did you get here?]"

  "You think?" Well, who cares. I figured I’d tell her everything. She was the first sentient being I met who could talk. Maybe she knew what was going on.

  I told Merlin everything: from what I was doing before ending up here to the mansion I found. She stayed completely still the whole time. A thinking emoji popped into her speech bubble. That surprised me. For a second, I wondered if they had smartphones here.

  "[Let me see if I got this. You were in your home when suddenly you appeared in this place, in a body with different properties than your original. {Confirm/Decline}]"

  Two buttons appeared: a green "Confirm" and a red "Decline."

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  "...Huh?" I stared, confused.

  "[Just kidding. But I honestly have no idea what happened to you, Mr. Victor.]"

  "So you don’t know either. That’s fine. I’ll figure it out somehow."

  "Is there anyone else like me here?"

  "[There are people from other worlds, yes. But not like you. Usually, they’re summoned, reincarnated, or just appear here in their original bodies. But you were changed, weren’t summoned, and you didn’t die. You’re not reincarnated either.]"

  So, others are brought here from other worlds. But why did I come in such a weird way? Not teleported, or my body wouldn’t have changed. Not reincarnated, because I didn’t die. And invocation is out of the question, I’d still have my original body, and I’d appear at the summoning site, not in the middle of nowhere.

  I chuckled, not because I was happy, but because I was nervous. Thinking about this would just give me a headache. Better to shelve that for now.

  "Alright! Let’s forget that for now. Do you know any nearby towns?"

  "[Not exactly close, but the closest one is Cirgo. About two days north.]"

  Two days?! No way I’ll survive that trip unprepared. No food, no water, and the forest is full of dangers. If I reach it, I’ll be half-dead.

  "Any other option?"

  "[Well, you could stay here.]"

  "So there’s no way around it, huh?" I replied without hesitation, confidently.

  'If that’s the only option, I should gather fruits. I can use the wine bottles from the mansion to carry lake water! With care and luck, I can make it!'

  I grabbed everything I could quickly, using the cloths I slept with as a sack. I’m good at domestic stuff. Sewing too. Using some thread and needles I found upstairs, I made an improvised bag. It took a while, so it was probably around midday now.

  Now the hard part: walking to Cirgo.

  "Let’s go!" I shouted, faking excitement.

  "[Me too?]"

  "Of course. I need you. You’re my guide now. I don’t know anything about this place."

  Merlin seemed nice and not aggressive. It was good having her nearby. I wasn’t scared anymore. I could even talk to her like any normal person. Just think of her as a super-advanced phone, a phone with a mind, talking through a messaging app with emojis!

  "[Alright! Guide Merlin, activated!]"

  Merlin started spinning quickly. I guess that means she’s excited. Calm down, Victor. Everything’s fine... perfectly normal... he... hehe...

  °??──────??°

  A few hours passed and night came again. Everything was going smoothly, no monsters so far. But there was something I kept thinking about: Merlin.

  I was curious about how spirits worked. Were they once alive and now ghost-like? Or were they born this way? Would asking be rude? I couldn’t read her feelings just from the speech bubble.

  I never imagined how hard it is to deal with a sentient being with no facial expressions. She seemed stable now, but I didn’t know what she might do if angry. For now, I decided to avoid that topic. I’d just talk about normal stuff until the right moment.

  "Hey, Merlin..." I looked to my side and saw a sleeping emoji in her speech bubble.

  "Are you sleeping?"

  No answer. She was really asleep. So, spirits sleep. That was new. I hoped she’d wake soon. I hate being alone in places like this.

  If another lunatic tries to kidnap me, I’m not holding back. Though, I wonder if that guy is okay. If he’s someone important, maybe they’ll send people after me. Bah! Let them come. I’ll punch them all and call it self-defense!

  Then a raindrop hit my head. Rain, what luck.

  The sound of the rain grew louder. It was kind of relaxing, but I might catch a cold. Fortunately, I found a small cave that served as shelter.

  These caves don’t seem natural. I think someone made them as hideouts. But who brings a pickaxe into the forest? Whoever it was, they made this rock look exactly like a real cave.

  I sat on the damp cave floor, leaning against the stone wall. The rock’s coldness pierced my thin tunic, but it was better than getting drenched. Merlin kept floating beside me, seemingly unaware of the storm.

  "You really chose a great time to nap, Merlin," I murmured, trying to find some humor in the situation.

  The rain fell endlessly. I could hear it echoing from the cave entrance. I closed my eyes, letting the sound calm my thoughts. Worries about my new reality, the mansion, the strange man, they all seemed far away now.

  Merlin hadn’t moved. Still asleep. What a responsible “guide,” huh?

  Suddenly, she stirred. Her speech bubble now had an emoji with open eyes and a little "ZzZ" in the corner, she was waking up.

  "[Good morning, Victor!]"

  "Morning? It's already dark outside, you know," I replied, amused by her time confusion.

  "[Ah. I lose track of time when I sleep. How long was I out?]"

  "About six hours, I think."

  "[Sorry. I needed to recharge. If I didn't sleep , I might've vanished for a while.]"

  "Then I'm glad nothing happened. Let's keep going after the rain stops. For now, let’s rest."

  Night had fallen, and I was tired from gathering water, food, and sewing a bag. I lay down on the cave floor, using a stone as a pillow. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad. Almost comfortable.

  “[Victor, sorry to ask… but what did you do in your world?]”

  Seeing Merlin’s question made me nervous.

  “Huh? Why now?”

  “[I was just curious. It’s not every day you meet someone from another world.]”

  That question touched a sensitive spot. What did I do…

  My mother had me very young. We struggled. I had trouble finding decent jobs, and when I finally managed to get one, I was fired after a few years. My father? I never knew him. It was a harsh world… and yet, strangely enough, thinking about it now, I wasn’t that sad about having left it behind.

  “It’s hard to explain. I didn’t do anything remarkable, I guess. I wasn’t respected. I couldn’t keep a job. I was a failure, someone who never received life’s blessing. I think the best way to put it is this: I existed, but no one cared.”

  I let it all out, not caring whether Merlin would judge me. I wasn’t exactly a great person by society’s standards, but I always tried to keep to myself. My life was sad, and the few happy moments never lasted long.

  I was used to being ignored, but I still wanted to matter. But who cared about my feelings? Maybe my mother… though even she had drifted away, hadn’t she?

  I waited for Merlin’s response, ready to be judged. But to my surprise, she opened up instead.

  “[I feel the same. I don’t do anything, and no one knows I exist. To them, I’m just one more spirit among billions. But I think that simply by existing, we’re already able to feel sadness and joy.]”

  “So… existing just to be sad is a good thing?”

  “[Hehe. That’s not what I mean. If you didn’t exist, could you feel sad?]”

  “No… I guess not.”

  “[Exactly. Because we exist, we can feel and seek happiness. Even if the chances are small, they still exist. If we didn’t exist, we wouldn’t be able to feel or achieve anything.]”

  “…”

  “[That’s just what I think. Everyone has different experiences and ideas, in the end.]”

  “I think I understand… a little.”

  My existence is a gift because it gives me the chance to be happy, if I fight for it. What doesn’t exist can never do anything, so I should keep trying as long as I’m alive.

  It was the first time anyone had ever said something like that to me. Friends share their feelings and try to help each other, so… does that mean we’re friends?

  I wished someone would care or tell me that everything would be okay. It didn’t matter who.

  “[You seem like a very sad person, but I don’t blame you. Still, do you think what I said made you feel a little better?]”

  Maybe, just maybe, Merlin and I could be real friends. Was it childish to think that?

  “Yes. Thank you, Merlin. I feel much better now.”

  “[That’s great! I’ll keep trying too.]”

  Without realizing it, I was smiling. Something inside me had awakened. Hope, that’s what I was feeling now.

  It’s true. Now that I’m in another world, I can try again. I can be someone here, someone I couldn’t be before.

  With that thought, I felt like I could sleep in peace. I never imagined that the first person to truly listen to me and comfort me would be a spirit. But I was happy.

  “Hey… Merlin, is there any chance we could be friends?” I asked, embarrassed, but I asked anyway.

  “[But aren’t we already? Then yes, let’s be friends! To be honest, I was so lonely that I was really happy to meet you. Now I’m even happier knowing we’re friends.]”

  “O-okay, let’s sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a big day!” I said, quickly turning toward the wall to hide my embarrassment.

  Reading her reply was embarrassing, but it made me feel warm and relieved. Friends…

  ‘Damn it, Victor! You’re an adult. Don’t get so excited over this!’

  I lightly tapped my cheeks twice and tried to calm down. I guess today was better than yesterday… Happiness, huh? How do you even reach something like that…?

  ‘Wait a second… I… don’t think what I said is completely true. What’s wrong with me? Damn it, I don’t know.’

  ?????°???°?????