The portal shimmered like liquid glass as Ren, Hana, Daichi, and Yuto stepped through it together. Light enveloped them, warm and dizzying, and for a moment, they could barely see anything. The sensation was like falling and floating at the same time.
When their feet finally touched solid ground, they blinked, adjusting to the sunlight. They were no longer in the quiet streets of Tokyo. Around them stretched a city that felt familiar yet different. Skyscrapers towered higher than any they had ever seen, and cars that looked faster and sleeker than Japanese models zoomed along wide streets.
"Where are we?" Daichi whispered, his voice filled with awe.
Ren looked around, scanning the surroundings. Street signs, advertisements, and shop names were everywhere, but none of them could read them. The letters were strange, not Japanese at all.
"They… they are speaking a language we don't know," Hana said nervously. A woman walked past them, calling out something that sounded urgent. The four friends exchanged worried glances.
Yuto held his tablet out, trying to use a translation app, but the device could not pick up the strange sounds properly. Every word they heard was like music without meaning.
Ren took a deep breath. "We need to stay calm. Let's try to communicate with gestures and see if anyone understands us."
They walked cautiously down the street. People stared at them, some pointing and whispering. A man with a dog looked at them curiously, then spoke quickly. They shook their heads. Nothing made sense.
After a while, they found a small café and decided to enter. Inside, the air smelled of coffee and pastries. A barista behind the counter greeted them with a friendly smile.
Ren raised his hands, trying to ask for water. The barista blinked and pointed at the menu. Hana mimicked drinking, hoping to get the idea across. Slowly, the barista nodded and brought glasses of water.
Daichi whispered, "This is going to be harder than I thought. We can't even order food properly."
Ren drank his water, thinking. "We need a way to learn the language quickly. Otherwise, we won't survive here, and if anyone notices something strange, it could be dangerous."
They sat by the window, watching the city move. Cars, people, and even the traffic lights operated differently than they were used to. But as strange as everything seemed, Ren noticed one familiar feeling: the energy of the place was alive, and the portal had brought them to a real parallel Earth, one similar to their own but undeniably different.
Suddenly, a loud noise made them jump. Across the street, a group of teenagers ran past, shouting. They wore bright clothes and carried strange devices. The friends could not understand the words, but the gestures made one thing clear: the world had rules they did not know yet, and even small mistakes could attract unwanted attention.
Hana gripped Ren's arm. "We have to be careful. We don't know anything here."
Ren nodded, determination setting in. "We'll figure this out. Step by step. First, we survive. Then, we explore. And later… maybe we can find a way to understand the portal better."
Daichi sighed. "Step by step… sure, but I'm not ready to fight over food yet."
Yuto adjusted his backpack. "Let's keep moving. We need to find somewhere safe to stay, learn the language, and observe. This is like being in a game without instructions."
The four of them stepped back onto the street, moving cautiously through the busy crowd. They stumbled over words they could not speak, gestures that sometimes confused people, and the constant hum of a city that felt alive. Every glance, every sound, reminded them that they were far from home.
But despite the confusion, Ren felt a spark of excitement. This was no longer Tokyo. This was a new Earth, full of unknown possibilities, challenges, and dangers. And it was theirs to explore… together.
For the first time, the weight of the magic book seemed real. They were no longer just curious teenagers—they were travelers between worlds, stepping into a reality where nothing would be the same again.