Kaito lay still on his bed, the soft moonlight filtering through the inn room window. He wasn't able to sleep. His consciousness, split between two worlds, meant that while his body on Terra was resting, his mind was still active on Earth. He didn't possess the desire for true rest, and simply needed to pass the time by letting his mind wander. Durandal had advised him to stop training in his mental realm until his consciousness was whole, fearing it would risk a mental illness.
Just then, Nysera teleported in, her usual large wizard hat and mage robe shimmering into existence. In this world, where cleaning and clothes-repairing magic was readily available, the need for multiple sets of clothing came down entirely to aesthetics. With numerous enchantments, even the plainest-looking clothes would be more comfortable than anything on Earth. It's normal to sleep in the clothes you're wearing prior if it's comfortable enough.
"Go back to your room and go to sleep, Nysera," Kaito said flatly.
"I don't want to..." she replied, her tone as emotionless as ever.
Kaito sighed. "I'm mentally exhausted at the moment. Can we save this for another day?"
Without a word, Nysera stripped off her robe, revealing a simple set of black underwear. "How about this. I'll let you touch my body if you let me touch yours. It's an equivalent exchange."
"Sorry, but I'm not an alchemist, so I have to decline," Kaito deadpanned.
"Alchemist? Are you saying that if you were an alchemist you would accept?" Nysera asked, a hint of genuine curiosity in her voice.
"No, nevermind. Can you please just leave?"
"Are you not tempted by my body?" Nysera continued, her curiosity unflagging. "I've heard that boys would love a chance like this. I noticed that you weren't interested in Rin or Ysoria's bodies either."
She paused for a moment. "In that case... are you perhaps a homosexual? Not that there's anything wrong with that."
Kaito, a little ticked off, snapped back. "I'm not!" He let out another long sigh. "Fine, you can sleep next to me. Just put on your clothes and don't do anything weird. I'll be awake the entire time."
Kaito moved over a bit, and Nysera, fully clothed again, lay down next to him. An awkward silence hung in the air, neither of them doing anything.
"Hero," Nysera finally said, her voice a soft whisper. "What's your world like?"
"Well... it's vastly different from this one in terms of technological advancement, but it's also similar in many ways," Kaito began, grateful for a distraction. "For one, magic also exists in my world, but unlike this world, it isn't widely known or used by everyone."
"How does your world's magic system function?" she asked.
"I'm not entirely sure myself. It works off intent and imagination, with spiritual and other types of energy to fuel it, and with languages to evoke it. There are no hard rules to it. When a spell is evoked using a specific language that matches or is compatible with the spell's property, the effects are amplified or take on a new aspect. Most of the time, the spell doesn't need to be spoken aloud to be cast. A simple gesture or a trigger within the mind would achieve the same result."
"I see..." Nysera mused. "On Terra, there is only one common language, from the ancient time to the present. How does your world function? Does your world possess some piece of technology that could help you understand each other's words?"
"Well, there are technology to translate different languages, but it's not perfect. We simply live with the fact that we aren't able to perfectly understand each other all the time," Kaito explained. "But regardless, our world is deeply connected despite these differences. Well... mostly"
"In one myth, it's said that ancient humanity once spoke a single language and, in my understanding, used a unified system of magic. But humanity tried to build a tower to reach God, and as a punishment for their hubris, God cursed humanity to speak different languages. As a result, the cooperative project of humanity was ruined, and the tower was abandoned. With it, the unified magic system was fragmented into differect aspects represented by languages."
"That's an interesting story. Say, Hero, does your world also have a Demon King?" Nysera asked.
"I think so? Our world is split into a Dark Side and a Bright Side," Kaito replied. "Humanity lives on the Dark Side where spiritual energy is thin, so numerous powerful monsters and beings prefer the Bright Side. Thus, the Demon King never really bothered with, much less terrorized, humanity like in this world. As a result, it's mostly peaceful despite the numerous threats that I feel could wipe out humanity with a sneeze."
"I would love to visit your world to see it for myself, Hero," she said, her voice barely audible.
"I'm not sure if you can, but I'm willing to give you a tour if it comes down to it," Kaito said, a gentle smile on his face.
He turned his head to see that Nysera had fallen asleep. He smiled, her sleeping face reminding him of his own little sister. He then gently carried her back to her room, his mind finally at peace.