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Xander woke up feeling… better. Not great, not comfortable, but better.
The aching in his body had dulled slightly overnight, but every movement still reminded him that he had barely survived a hydra attack. He groaned, pushing himself upright with more effort than he would have liked.
The cottage smelled of damp wood and something vaguely earthy, though the scent wasn't unpleasant. The flickering candlelight cast a soft glow on the stone walls, and in the corner of the room, Iris was setting a small wooden table for breakfast.
And, somehow, she was still wearing their Crestwood Heights Academy uniform.
It didn't look clean anymore, though—it was creased, dusty, and splattered with faint traces of dried dirt from their time in the forest. A far cry from the perfectly pressed outfit she always wore to school.
She noticed him limping toward the table and snorted. "Wow. Look at that. The great Kaelhi finally awakens."
Xander shot her a glare as he slowly lowered himself onto the chair, gritting his teeth at the stiffness in his legs and at the stupid title or nickname. "Seriously? You too?"
Iris smirked, her beautiful emerald irises glittering with amusement which made him shiver slightly. "I do not know what you mean, dear Kaelhi."
Xander groaned, resting his elbows on the table as Eli walked in, carrying a few bowls in his hands. The old man moved with careful precision, his expression unreadable—though when he finally placed the bowls in front of them, his face twisted with regret.
"Forgive me, Kaelhi," Eli said solemnly. "The realm has suffered much over the years, and we do not prosper as we once did. I regret that I must serve you such humble offerings."
Xander blinked.
Then glanced down at his bowl.
…What in the underworld was this?
The food had a grayish tint, uneven in texture, and looked far too close to a potion ingredient than an actual meal.
Iris, completely unfazed, grabbed a spoonful and ate it with obvious hesitation, like she had already resigned herself to whatever nightmare this cuisine was.
Xander, meanwhile, stared at his portion like it had personally offended him. He didn't know what he was expecting to have for breakfast in this universe...but it definitely wasn't this.
Eli sighed deeply. "Your honor is great, yet your circumstances humble you. The Kaelhi deserves more, and for that, I must apologize."
Xander shook his head immediately, pushing down the urge to question what exactly he was about to eat as he adjusted his glasses. "No, really. It's fine. You don't need to treat me like I'm special or whatever—I don't even know why I'm supposed to get that much respect."
Eli gave him a strange look. "You are very humble, Young Kaelhi. Truly a wonderous gift to us all, we are truly grateful for your arrival in this realm."
Xander dragged a hand down his face. Not this again.
Xander sat back, absently spinning his spoon between his fingers as he watched Iris and Eli eat. He wasn't particularly hungry, and to be fair, after seeing what passed for food in this world, his stomach wasn't exactly motivated to cooperate.
Iris, ever the survivor, had no such hesitation. She ate with zero complaints, occasionally glancing up at him like he was overthinking this way too much.
Eli remained calm, focused, occasionally muttering something under his breath as he worked through his meal.
Xander sighed, drumming his fingers on the table. "…So."
Iris looked up mid-bite.
Eli did not look up.
Xander cleared his throat. "What exactly… is my place in this realm?"
Eli froze.
His gaze lifted, studying Xander with the same sharpness one might reserve for a strange creature that had wandered into their home. The room felt heavier for no reason.
"You truly do not know?" Eli asked slowly, as if the very idea was unfathomable to him.
Xander blinked. "…No?"
Eli remained silent, his unreadable stare lingering for a long, agonizing moment before he finally exhaled.
"You are here," he said, voice steady, "to acquire the crystals and use their power to defeat the Beast King as the prophesy states."
Iris paused mid-chew, spoon hovering dangerously close to her mouth.
Xander, deciding this was the worst possible time to take a sip of water, immediately choked on it.
Coughing violently, he slammed his cup onto the table, sucking in sharp breaths as his brain tried to process what he had just heard.
"…I'm sorry, what?" he wheezed, wiping his mouth. "You wanna run that back?"
Eli, completely unbothered by his suffering, simply repeated, "The crystals are essential to your fate, Kaelhi. They are the key to destroying the Beast King's reign."
Xander blinked wildly, waving his hand like he was trying to catch up. "You're telling me—I'm supposed to fight a Beast King?"
Eli nodded, as if this was a completely reasonable thing to say.
…He needed to lie down or something because this was just insane.
Iris, still not moving, very slowly placed her spoon back into the bowl.
Xander sat there, still trying to process the fact that he had just been assigned a heroic mission without his consent. His head throbbed, his ribs ached, and now apparently, he was supposed to fight a tyrant using magical crystals he had never even seen before.
Great. Fantastic.
Just what he needed.
He ran a hand through his hair, eyes narrowing at Eli. "Okay, hold up. You're telling me I'm supposed to defeat some terrifying overlord, but you seriously expect me to just know that?"
Eli looked at him like he had just spoken in a language not yet invented.
"…You do not know? But this is your destiny." Eli asked slowly, voice carrying an edge of genuine confusion.
Xander threw his hands up. "No! Not a single clue! Do I look like someone who's been preparing for this my entire life?"
Iris let out an exasperated breath beside him, crossing her arms. "Finally! Now we're getting somewhere."
She turned sharply toward Eli, her patience officially reaching its expiration date. "Listen, old man. Enough with the cryptic nonsense. You're going to explain everything, right now, in plain human terms, or I swear, whatever patience I've built up will completely vanish."
Eli sighed, rubbing his temples like a man who had dealt with a thousand confused Kaelhis before. "Perhaps the journey from the Heavenly Realm to the Earthly Realm has made you forget."
Xander blinked twice. Iris's expression tightened.
Eli looked between them, then finally settled back in his chair. He let out a slow breath, as if preparing himself for a very long conversation.
"Forget?" Xander repeated, his voice slightly cracking.
"Aye, time tends to do that to a god." Eli nodded. "Your spirit has walked these lands many times over the ages. You are the Kaelhi—the one chosen to bring balance back to this realm."
Iris scoffed, shaking her head. "That's ridiculous. We were high school students like five minutes ago."
Eli's gaze didn't waver. "The realm you came from is but one thread in the grand weave of existence. You were sent here for a reason."
Xander rubbed his temples. "This is fucking insane."
Iris narrowed her eyes at the old man. "Then explain it. No riddles, no mystery sage persona—just talk."
Eli sighed again, a long, deliberate breath. His gaze lingered on Xander for a moment before flickering toward the small flames of the candles on the table.
"I will tell you from the very beginning."