The moment his fist hit the darkened wood, the doors gently swung open to reveal an entirely unexpected interior.
Arin wasn't sure exactly what he'd thought he would see. An elegant study, perhaps, with a plethora of ancient scrolls or mystical tomes lining the walls. Or maybe a more formal office of some kind, with imposing furniture and grand displays of wands, or cursed weapons, or whatever passed for enchanted tools in this world. Regardless, a residence befitting the post of a 'master'.
His experiences over the last few hours had prepared him to expect surprises. He had long since come to terms with the fact that he was now in a world where elements of fantasy were simply part of reality.
Still, no amount of mental preparation could have readied him for the sight he was met with.
Beyond the doors was a glade.
Mellow sunlight – reminiscent of early mornings – filtered through the canopy of the trees in the distance, dappling the grassy clearing with specks of soft gold. Small wildflowers swayed gently in clusters, and a butterfly flapped its wings lazily as it flew from one bloom to another. A low, rhythmic gurgle told of the journey of some small brook, somewhere out of sight.
Alone in the middle of the glade sat a beautiful man. Reclining against a weathered stone outcrop, he languidly turned a page of the simple-looking book he had been holding in one hand. His long, white hair was loosely tied at the back, with a few stray strands falling forward and framing his deep-set features.
To Arin, the scene looked like something out of a fairytale. So far, the only other people he'd seen since coming to this world were that pale-haired youth in the clearing and the wide-eyed boy downstairs. Both of them, in spite of their peculiarities, had ultimately given the impression of ordinary people.
The man before him, however, bore a strong resemblance to the proud and immortal high elves he would sometimes come across in the fantasy-themed media of his own world. It wasn't even about his appearance. There was something in the air, something about him that just felt… different.
But after all, the man did not have the classic pointed ears or starlit eyes that characterized those fictional elves. When he did finally turn his head towards the door to face him, Arin noticed his pale red irises.
'Well, Rin? Aren't you going to come in?'
Arin was startled out of his daze by a deep, yet gentle voice. The man was smiling lightly now, a mildly quizzical look on his handsome face.
Nodding in response, he stepped into the room and onto the springy grass. The white mouse at some point had transformed back into a silvery snake, albeit a much smaller one this time. Arin felt its cold, dry form quietly wrapping itself around his ankle, hidden out of sight.
'Take a seat,' the man offered. Since there was no seat to speak of, Arin assumed he meant the grass, and chose to sit down a few feet away from where the man reclined. He'd considered declining, but had ultimately decided against it. He didn't want to seem impolite in front of the person he needed help from.
The man didn't say anything more. He just stared silently at Arin with a small smile. It was a beautiful smile, but something about it felt almost... disinterested.
Arin shook his head to clear it.
Alright. Might as well get right into it.
'I'm not 'Rin'.'
Pausing, he stole a quick glance at the man to gauge his reaction. Seeing that none was forthcoming, he quickly continued, 'I think I've already… died. In an accident. The moment it happened, I found myself here, in this body. I… I don't know where Rin is.'
Arin stopped to clear his throat. He found a strange sort of nervousness settling into the pit of his stomach as he awaited the man's reaction to this bombshell. The last time he had felt something similar was in the early days of his job, when he'd been elected to visit an important client with a woefully unfinished prototype. It was the same feeling of bracing himself for the anger that would be directed at him for something that was entirely out of his hands.
After a long pause, the man nodded. 'I must admit, it's pretty apparent that you aren't Rin,' he said. Yet another smile graced his face as he tilted his head and continued, 'Well, then? Why are you telling me all this?'
Arin blinked, taken aback.
'Uh. I don't exactly know anyone here, and thought someone knowledgeable, as I assume you are, might be able to help me understand what's happened.'
Meeting the man's gaze directly, he added, 'I know that Rin lives here, and is familiar to you, so I also expected you might be interested in figuring out whatever has happened to your… student? Was he?'
Arin cut himself off, wondering if he had been too straightforward. The man's lackluster response had completely thrown him off.
'He was,' the man said simply. Raising an eyebrow, he then said, 'Such things are rare, but not unheard of. Still, you were right to assume I'd know something about it. I'm probably the only person here who would.'
So, it had happened before? There were other people out there who had gone through the same thing?
Relieved, Arin leaned forward to ask, 'Then, you will help me, won't you?'
'Help you with what?'
'Help me get back to my own world, of course!' Arin exclaimed. 'I've seen that this world has spells, magic, whatever. I'm sure there must be some way for me to return!'
Feeling so much lighter now, he smiled, 'Additionally, I might not necessarily be dead in my world, but even if I am, surely there is a way to turn back time, or heal my body, or something! Since this has happened before, I'm sure someone, somewhere, has thought of a way!'
For the first time, the distant, polite smile on the white-haired man's face flickered. A look of interest flashed in his red eyes as he spoke, 'You'd like to return to… your own world, is it?'
Looking at Arin, an amused expression slowly spreading across his face, the man said, 'It will not be as easy as you seem to think.'
His smile now widening into one that finally seemed genuine, the man leaned closer and asked in a low voice, 'Would you like to know what happened to those people who were found to be living in someone else's body?'
Without waiting for Arin's response, he spoke with a pleasant-sounding laugh.
'They were all… executed.'