The sun was already beginning to set. Alone, as usual, I walked for twenty minutes, absorbed my thoughts
The sun, now burnt orange, was already beginning to slip behind the buildings, casting a melancholy, fading light. The street smelled of warm asphalt and the crushing weariness of a long school day. Alone, as was the usual routine, I walked the twenty-minute route, my headphones muffling the emptiness, my brain numb from the final equations.
The journey was purely mechanical, a day dying slowly, just as it had begun. A perfect emotional neutrality.
Arriving home, I unlocked the door with a sharp click, tossed my keys onto the tray-an automatic gesture, without the faintest thought of who might hear them. I headed toward the kitchen, my stomach rumbling with neglected hunger.
A Post-it was stuck to the fridge, a bright, almost aggressive yellow contrasting with the brushed steel. The anticipation of solitude hit me before I even read the words,"Mom and Dad went to a restaurant. Your brother and sister are spending the night with friends." Again. Another empty, silent evening, where only the faint hum of the heating would provide any semblance of company for my thoughts.
I grabbed a glass of water, ignoring the sad remnants of yesterday's pizza, and went upstairs. My homework awaited, a mountain of frustration I needed to climb before midnight. "Cheer up, there are only nine differential calculus exercises left," I told myself, but the inner voice lacked any conviction.
It was while looking for my history textbook, shoved into a dark corner of the shelf, that my fingers met a foreign texture. A book.
It had no title. No publisher's mark or imprint. Its cover was made of absolute black velvet, so dark it seemed to absorb the dim light from my desk lamp. A relic, out of place.
"I've never seen this book," I whispered, lifting it delicately. It was unnaturally heavy, and cold to the touch, like a stone dropped in snow. The first crack in my routine had appeared. "I couldn't have checked this out... or maybe my memory is already failing me."
Intrigue pulverized my discipline. I put my school obligations aside. With an almost superstitious caution, I opened the black book.
The interior was not paper, but a kind of rough, bone-colored parchment. The writing was an unknown, strange calligraphy, made of sharp loops and symbols that resembled no earthly language. It was viscerally alien.
And then, it was more than a sound. It was a shock. A voice, without lips or throat, reverberated with deafening power at the center of my skull. It was strangely familiar, potent, almost melodic-the echo of a soundtrack my subconscious recognized.
"Ignis! Ignis!"
The world imploded. The walls of my room melted into glaring lines of light. My head spun, a brutal nausea twisted my stomach, and the silence turned into a high-pitched shriek that saturated my eardrums. I was no longer held by gravity; I fell into total emptiness.
The next instant, the air slapped my face. It was cool, heavy, and loaded with intense smells: manure, spices, and street food. I landed hard on something rough and uneven-dirty cobblestones. The daylight, an overly bright blue, blinded me.
I was no longer in my room.
I was at the bottom of a bustling street, dizzy, my consciousness clinging on. Around me, the sounds of crowds, carts, and bells resonated. The sky was not the sky of my city; it was violently clear.
In front of me, blocking the exit, stood a massive, muscular man with emerald green hair and piercing eyes.
"Wanna buy some appas?" he bellowed, his voice hoarse.
"The word took a moment to register, floating in my panicked mind. Apples? He was selling apples. Beautiful red apples in a cart. But why call them "appas"?"
I stood frozen. The atmosphere was decidedly medieval, the guy was strange, and the word hit me head-on.
"Sir, excuse me, but may I ask you a question?" I asked, my voice trembling so much I barely managed to articulate. I was desperately trying to mask my terror.
The green-haired man sighed, clearly annoyed. "Make it quick, kid. But after, you buy appas. A guy's gotta make a living, right? Got it?"
"Yes, got it," I replied, swallowing hard. "What is the name of this country and this city?"
The merchant looked at me with utter contempt, as if I were the biggest idiot. "You an outsider, or what? This is the Capital City of the Kingdom of Lugnica! Now, take your appas!"
The name. Lugnica. It was an electric shock, stronger than the landing.
"I hadn't been teleported to some generic fantasy world. I had been abruptly thrown into Re:Zero. The green-haired man, the "appas"... it was the opening scene, Natsuki Subaru's introduction."
"I understand," I murmured, the word escaping as a breath of dread and excitement. I was a side character dropped into a scenario I knew. And I had no local currency.
The merchant scolded me sharply: "Understand what, kid? Are you going to pay, or not?"
Fear suddenly turned into adrenaline and resolve. Without waiting for his answer, I mumbled an apology, quickly skirted the cart, and started running. I had to leave behind the furious merchant and the brutal evidence:
My new life had just begun, and it had a name ,Subaru. I had to find him, and fast.
I ran as far as possible from the yelling merchant, plunging into the capital's flow. I was a visible ghost in this medieval city. My black T-shirt, gray jogging pants, and sneakers violently clashed with the linen tunics and chainmail surrounding me. Everyone's eyes human, and what seemed to be demi-humans were fixed on me. Their curiosity wasn't malicious, just complete, because I was a living anachronism.
I spent the next long while walking, getting lost, absorbing the sights and smells of Lugnica. I saw magicians, carts pulled by strange beasts of burden instead of horses, and wanted posters for a certain "noble." Every element reinforced the evident lore.
It was upon approaching a bustling square that I slowed down. My eyes were drawn to a strange mark on a large stone wall: ice crystals powdered and scattered across the stone, like frozen sparks. They were there for no reason, except... active magic. I moved closer, my heart tightening: if magic was visible, the tension was mounting.
That's when I saw them.
A small blonde figure, fast as lightning, burst from the crowd and dashed across the rooftops ,Felt. And right behind her, pursuing with desperate grace, the most improbable sight , Emilia, her long silver hair flowing as she ran.
The time for observation was over. I had to act.
I charged through the square, ignoring the curses of the passersby I bumped into. I turned into a dark alley, the smell of sewage mixing with palpable tension.
I arrived at the same moment as the half-elf.
The scene, frozen like a tableau, was exactly what I had feared, yet it took my breath away ,Emilia faced three massive, unpleasant thugs. But the most crucial detail was right beside them, crumpled on the ground , a young man in a black and orange tracksuit, clearly hurt.
It was Subaru.
"Hey," I called out, my voice strangely loud in the heavy silence of the alley.
Emilia, suspicion peaking, immediately raised her hand. Ice spikes formed around her, ready to strike.
"Who are you? Are you with them?" she asked, her voice laced with magic.
"No," I replied, raising my hands in peace. A tone of familiarity seemed like my best weapon. "I just came to lend a hand to... this idiot."
My gaze drifted to Subaru, who tried to sit up despite the pain. The thugs were still ignoring me, focused on Emilia.
"I have to say," I continued, pointing to my own black T-shirt and grey pants, then to Subaru's outfit, "that your fashion sense is particularly terrible, even for someone from our... world."
The downed Subaru, visibly stunned, glared at me, his eyes wide with a mix of pain and sudden anger.
"Who are you calling an idiot? And where did you get that 'our world' from?"
The absurd exchange shattered the tension. It was done. I was here, and I had allied myself with the idiot in the tracksuit by insulting him. It was the best possible introduction.
The thugs, annoyed that our conversation was stealing the spotlight, finally turned towards us. It was at that precise moment that a blue-grey light burst from the crystal around Emilia's neck.
Puck appeared.
The spirit of ice materialized, small, fluffy, and yet radiating a terrifying aura. The temperature in the alley instantly dropped several degrees, and the thugs staggered back.
Puck, his small, adorable voice contrasting with his glacial threat, pointed a paw at the three bullies. "You've upset my precious daughter, haven't you?" His blue eyes glowed. "Listen carefully, you little rascals: if you don't clear out now, I won't just freeze you. I'll haunt you, and your children, and your children's children. I'll set up a little depressing winter atmosphere in your kitchens forever."
The thugs didn't need a second invitation. They bolted, their faces pale with terror, leaving a trail of panic.
Emilia, relieved but not relaxed, deactivated her magic. She maintained a cautious distance from me.
"Whoever you are, this was not your fight," she stated, her tone now cold and scrutinizing. She leaned closer. "You said this boy came from the same place as you. And you saw the thief, didn't you?"
"Yes," I confirmed, giving only the bare minimum. "It was a quick little girl with yellow hair. She looked like she was carrying a leather satchel with a black and red gem inside. She ran away over the rooftops." I stopped there. No specific badge description, no mention of the name. I couldn't risk derailing the main scenario.
Puck affectionately nuzzled Subaru's forehead, who was still passed out. "He has a funny smell, doesn't he, Lia?"
Before Emilia could answer, Subaru snapped his eyes open with a huge gasp.
His expression flipped from confusion to immediate, burning shame. He was half-lying down, his head... no, his entire face was resting on Puck's soft, fluffy thighs, which he had obviously mistaken for Emilia's.
Subaru violently pushed himself away, screaming: "HAAAA! Who is this?! What was I doing on... on its lap! Where's the Goddess?!"
Puck let out a high-pitched giggle. "Hey, you're not going to snub me, are you? I'm much cozier than my daughter!"
Emilia sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Honestly, this boy is..."
I couldn't hold it in. The relief, the sheer absurdity of the situation, and the total humiliation of Subaru made me burst into thunderous laughter. This was the point of no return.
Seeing me laugh, Emilia cracked a small smile, almost against her will. Puck, delighted by the mood, chuckled. Only Subaru was on the verge of implosion, his Isekai dignity in tatters.
"My insignia..." Emilia murmured, bringing everyone back to the original problem.
Subaru straightened up, ignoring his painful body. He pointed a finger at Emilia with sudden determination, ignoring my mocking laughter.
"Don't worry, Miss! I will help you get it back! That's what heroes do!"
Puck crossed his paws. "That's generous, but we might need him. Or both of you. As meat shields!" he added, with a mischievous wink.
I laughed even harder at Puck's joke.
This was the beginning. The point where adventure, danger, and meat shields became a reality.
END OF CHAPTER