Chapter Text

My World to Yours

by Minyator

Prologue: Youth & Childhood Crushes

This is for the imaginative dreamers, sometimes your dreams are real. This is YOUR story.

“Are you ready to go yet, ____?” Namjoon turned to look at me, “The owner of this cart said they’re going to the harbour. We’d best get going now if we want to catch a boat to the second continent.” He seemed to hesitate for a bit before smiling, “You can do this.”

I smiled back, “Yeah, I sure hope so.”

“That didn’t sound very genuine,” I felt myself become nervous as he laughed.

This was the first time I was leaving the first zone, my home, and my family. By now, all of my friends had all but left to go on their own journeys; some to the imperial palace to work under the King and others had their more personal paths to forge. All these years are the Royal Academy of Adventuring led me to join The Guild, finally able to join a respected organisation that allowed me to travel the world—to help people from every zone and to find out everything there is to know about myself, my missing memories, and my true origins.

I muttered to myself, remembering the lessons I was taught. Out of the eight zones, we live in the One to Three cluster. Essentially two continents separated by an island. The continents represent our Zone One and their Zone Two. Our continent is much larger, however their island has better agricultural value and also a real city. Going there will be dangerous- I hadn’t realised I’d been saying all this out-loud, but I carefully caught myself before I went too far with the internal monologue and creeped my dear companion out. It seemed Mrs Berger’s class in my youth was one that I’d never forget.

He seemed confused, “____? Is something wrong? You’ve been talking to yourself, it seems. You should tell me if this is too much for you to-”

I turned to Namjoon, “Let’s go.”

It would be best I got serious about this. Lest he thinks I’m not ready for this journey we have ahead of us; one that, I’m sure, will occupy my memories for as long as I live.

Five years ago…

“The world we live in is separated into various zones, each with their own timekeepers and special governments,” The teacher, Mrs Berger, the wife of a great official of the sixth zone, wasn’t as frenzied as usual but that was only because the class was always a little less rowdy on a Monday morning. She continued, “But we live under a kind and capable King who has created an Adventurer’s Guild to help our zone prosper under his watchful eye. This is why a humble teacher such as I have come from the sixth zone, and I am able to teach you young students in such a different land!” Her babbling was painfully unbearable to anyone who had working ears, I thought to myself as I stared at the clock, it ticked painfully slow, and my eyes drifted to the boy sat in front of me, a childhood friend. He seemed absolutely enthralled by this boring spiel. I didn’t understand so I watched him instead.

“____, what are you staring at?” Lihwa poked me with a pencil, I irately took my eyes off the boy in front of me and looked at another boy, the one who just poked me and pointed at him.

“You know who I’m looking at,” I said, harsher than I wanted to sound. Mrs Berger heard.

“Am I hearing whispering?” Mrs Berger said aggressively, quickly taking penguin-like steps towards our desks with an expression of pure contempt. I knew better than to open my mouth in front of her. She already hated me enough. Thankfully, someone intervened.

“Lihwa dropped his pencil, Mrs Berger,” Bella said, her afro being decorated with flowers by her mother the day before. Strangely, Mrs Berger still hadn’t said anything about it yet but after this interjection, I knew she would. Knowing this cruel hag, seeing a happy child in her class is probably the worst thing imaginable.

I stopped her before she could say anything, “May I go to the bathroom?” Mrs Berger turned to me before giving a passive-aggressive nod. I got up and left the classroom, distantly hearing the conversation between Bella and Mrs Berger. Unsurprisingly the woman was complaining about the flowers and as brave as ever, Bella replied by saying she’s proud to have the flowers her mother grew in her hair; after all, her mother is a famed botanist.

‘Mother, huh?’ I thought to myself, Bella’s lucky to have one. But then again, having three big sisters care for me isn’t too bad. Maryam, Farima and Hilda aren’t the best at parenting, but they’ve been good to me. I leaned against the wooden wall of the school hallway, my back slide down and I sat down and held my face, muttering to myself as I wallowed in self-pity, “I mean, raising a kid they found in the middle of another zone with no memories, not even the ability to speak...” Before I knew it, I was crying. There came a faint voice, then a hand on my head and a handkerchief.

“Hey, ____, why are you crying? I thought you looked pale earlier, but this is beyond what I expected,” I looked up to see him. It’s Namjoon. The only son of the Kim family, well-known for their contributions to our zone, and not only that but he’s my childhood crush. I stared. He was staring right back at me and asked, “Did you need to go to the bathroom?” I shook my head no, as he helped me stand up, “You’re not okay, are you, ____?”

Sniffling, I replied, “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? We can go to the healers if you’re-”

“No,” I swipe my sleeve and dry my tears, “thanks for the offer but I said I’m fine.”

We’ve been close friends for a long time, but I was not about to let him think I was a cry-baby. After all, I’m not your average orphaned fantasy protagonist who wants to be a hero. Or rather, an adventurer in the guild. I wanted to be this amazing person’s equal, not someone he needed to protect. I would stand by his side and fight, not be his Mary Sue-esque friend. We have enough stories like that anyway. Wait, do we? What am I even talking about?

Present day…

“Lihwa got lucky,” I sighed and sat on the cart, sitting next to Namjoon who was as caring as ever, making sure I was seated securely. The horses didn’t seem to like me very much.

“How come?” he asked, sitting down next to be and securing our unimpressive cargo onto the cart too, looking out onto our picturesque town and the fields surrounding.

I sighed, “I mean, somehow his magical aptitude was so good that he got selected to be a mage for the King as soon as he graduated. Yet he never paid attention in class.”

The old man driving the cart huffed as it started to move and Namjoon looked out into the distance as our picturesque little town began to fade out into the distance, “You must miss him and your other friends.” Truth be told, I would miss Lihwa and Bella, my two sidekicks, but they were the least of my worries because I was leaving much more important people too. Most agonising, I’d leave the three women who dedicated their lives to me. But I tried to give a smile that didn’t reveal my bittersweet inner feelings.

“I’m going to miss everyone back in town but at least I have a friend with me,” I nervously put my hand on his shoulder, and it was his turn to smile. It was a slow and painfully long journey to the harbour. I could feel the dry wooden cart carving holes into my leather pants. Somehow though, my constant fear of splinters wasn’t as frightening as my fear of never being able to come back. To never see the people I love again.

Our zone was a peaceful little continent, full of bustling towns that were too big to call villages and too small to call cities. The first zone of this world, inhabited only by humans. Many would move here from the second zone, the closest continent to ours, simply because they viewed it to be safer and less corrupt.

“Deep in thought?” Namjoon asked, evidently unaccustomed to seeing me so deep in thought and definitely worried. I was often criticized for being too happy-go-lucky and he’s known me since I was seven, surely knowing me for over a decade must’ve led to him memorising my mannerisms of worry. He noticed I wasn’t answering so he continued, “You can still turn back, it was my idea to go to Zone Two, are you not comfortable with it?”

“I am,” I lied, “you shouldn’t worry about me.”

Shamelessly lying isn’t the right thing to do but it’s better than having to reveal my worries. The things we heard about the second continent certainly weren’t reassuring, but I understand why Namjoon wants to go and help there. It’s his good heart that’s kept me friends with him for so long; Hilda always said people who are kind attract other kind people. I wouldn’t really consider myself the kindest, at least not on the same level as my childhood friend who’s sat next to me, but I do try to be, and Namjoon is the exemplar example that I wanted to follow.

He seemed melancholic and said, “I know you think I’m doing this because I’m a nice person but it’s not true,” it was almost as though he was ashamed, “truth is that I’m only doing this because it’s going to help me increase my ranks in the Guild faster. Most people wouldn’t accept to go to the second continent on their first adventure. They’d stick to helping others with magic-related troubles here in our zone or at least travel further to Zone Four to be able to use magical items within the island, which is much safer, but I chose to go to a Kingdom we have political disagreement with, somewhere dangerous with hostile creatures just because I wanted to be recognised.”

He was right, there were horrifying creatures lurking around the second continent. It was mostly populated by humans however unlike our continent that remains consistently developed throughout, they are more developed in their Capital; a big city where their royal family resides and problems other than petty crime rarely occur. However, we were going to assist the villages: the most deprived areas of the second zone that were overrun by inhuman creatures that terrorised the farms and trading hubs.

“You know I want to increase my rank too,” he didn’t seem to believe me, so I spoke louder and more confidently, “plus, I hear Zone Two has very nice weather this time of year.” And it seemed like my childish answer satisfied him as he gave me a warm smile, revealing his dimples and he pat my head, just like old times.

After a couple of hours, I laid back into the hay of the back of the cart, feeling it prickle my back through the linen shirt the Guild provided me with before I left. However, though it was uncomfortable, I was too tired to care. I looked at Namjoon who had taken out his map from his satchel and was looking at it intently through the glasses his family had gifted him before his departure. He seemed to have noticed my glances and turned to look at me questioningly. I smiled, “I’m going to get some shut eye. I doubt I’ll be able to sleep on the boat and we’re going to be arriving for our first job soon so I should rest.”

“Go ahead, we might not be able to find an inn at the village we’re going to so you’d best sleep now if you’re tired,” he said as he put the map back in his satchel, taking in the view of the sunset. I looked at it too but realised my lids were too heavy to keep them open. Before I drifted off though, I heard Namjoon say my name, “Oh and, ____?” I hummed to let him know I’m listening but I’m not quite sure what he said because I fell asleep immediately.

When I woke up, we were at the harbour. It was night and I couldn’t see very well, still in that sleepy haze but Namjoon was speaking to the cart owner—friendly small talk—but he was likely extrapolating information about the harbour’s pricing. Smart move.

After going to speak to a short, older man who seemed to be selling tickets, he came up to me, “Let’s go, I found a cheap boat we could hop on, even if the guild provides plenty of money, we should save some for a rainy day.” I nodded and followed him as he handed the cargo to a young man who secured it into a hatch under one of the boats.

Once we got closer to the boarding area of the boats, I realised how crowded it was, even at nights. Ships arriving and some leaving, a large lighthouse distantly visible that nearly blinded me at one point. The lights were illuminating Namjoon’s dark black hair that he pushed back with ease, as water splashed towards us, dampening our heads.

“Are those… dolphins?” I stared at the creatures in the water that made ripples and splashes in the water, “But they’re glowing, what are they?”

“They’ve likely been enchanted to show the way to the captains of these ships,” Namjoon explained, “I had seen them in our textbooks before.” A dig at me I assumed so I elbowed him gently, yet he didn’t mind, a loud childlike laugh escaped him as he dragged me by my arm up the wooden stairs into the boat and by the time we found our room, he took off his boots and jumped into the bottom bunk. It was a decrepit little room, but I didn’t mind. I had just woken up, so I didn’t bother climbing up to the top bunk to sleep. I just sat in the small, uncomfortable armchair in the corner of the room and watched him rest, knowing that he is probably the most hard-working human in all of the lands.

I hadn’t realised I was so tired that I’d sleep too but when I woke up from my unbearable sleeping position in that same armchair, I saw daylight seeping in through the small glass window at the corner of our room as the booming sound of the ship’s bell echoed through the room. Though I attempted to see out of it, it was too fuzzy so instead I leaned towards my sleeping friend and said, “Namjoon? Wake up, we’re here, I think. They’re ringing a bell.”

Namjoon got up, his face becoming slightly pale at the jump. He quickly put his boots back on and said, “Our luggage, let’s go get it.”

I opened the door and rushed out. Once we got to the top of the boat again, my eyes widened as the vast blue sea answered my call. Seagulls noisily flapped past me and I, for the first time, saw flying fish jump into the air. Suddenly, I felt someone tap my back and I turned around, Namjoon smiled, “You should see the harbour here.”

My jaw nearly hit the ground as I was faced with a city I had never even imagined of. Large blue and green buildings, some shorter red and yellow ones along with the wooden sign reading, “Welcome to Zone 2!” I grabbed onto Namjoon’s arm to ground myself, he seemed to have noticed I was in shock because he reached to put his arm around me.

“We’re finally here,” I struggled to get the words out, “no turning back now.” Namjoon’s grip tightened but I pulled away, ready to collect our luggage and become a true adventurer.