Aki's head pounded before his eyes even opened. He groaned, rolling onto cool grass that clung damply to his shirt. Sunlight flickered through the trees above, too bright and too green, and the air smelled sharp—pine, earth, and… was that smoke?
He sat up fast, brushing dirt off his jeans, and froze. These weren't the concrete walls of his apartment. No hum of traffic, no rumble of trains. Just towering oaks and birdsong that sounded way too crisp to be coming from a phone app.
"Ren?" Aki's voice cracked.
A few feet away, someone stirred. A mop of messy hair lifted, followed by a groggy face that broke into a grin.
"Aki? You alive, man?"
Aki let out a shaky laugh. "Barely. Where the hell are we?"
Ren stretched like he'd just woken from a nap, not like they'd been dumped into an alien forest. "Definitely not Tokyo. Unless Shinjuku got a serious forest makeover overnight."
Relief rushed through Aki at the sight of his friend—then panic rushed in right after. He scrambled up, clutching his backpack like it might explain everything. "Okay, maybe this is a dream. Or food poisoning. Or both."
Ren nudged a vine out of the way and froze. Golden motes shimmered in the air, drifting like fireflies. He stuck his hand through them and jerked it back.
"Uh. Aki." His voice was tight now. "That's magic, right? Like… actual magic."
Aki blinked hard. "Unless Tokyo decided to open a Harry Potter theme park without telling us—yeah. Magic."
A sudden rustle made both of them spin. A figure peered out from the brush—slender, with pointed ears and hair the color of moonlight. Wide eyes met theirs for half a heartbeat before she vanished back into the trees.
Aki's throat went dry. "Ren. That was an elf."
"Cool," Ren said too quickly. "Totally cool. Not terrifying at all."
Aki stared at him. "You're freaking out, aren't you?"
"Me? Nah." Ren's laugh cracked. "I mean, yeah, maybe a little. But if this is a dream, at least it's a high-budget one."
Aki almost smiled despite himself.
They followed a faint trail until the trees thinned. Beyond lay a town—stone cottages, wooden watchtowers, a dirt road leading to a sturdy gate. Smoke curled from chimneys, and somewhere a hammer clanged against metal.
"Holy crap," Aki whispered.
At the gate, a round-faced halfling in a hat nearly too big for his head waved them over. His eyes flicked to their sneakers, then up to their confused faces.
"You two look about as lost as a cat in a bath," he said cheerfully. "First time in Millhaven?"
Aki hesitated. "Uh… yeah. First time."
The halfling tipped his hat. "Name's Pip. Lucky for you, Millhaven's friendly. No one bites unless you ask 'em to." He winked and motioned them through.
Inside, the streets buzzed. A vendor hollered about fresh peaches. Kids darted between stalls while a dwarf at a forge shooed them away with a hammer the size of Aki's arm. Lanterns floated above the square, glowing softly against bright banners painted with strange symbols.
Ren whistled low. "Okay. Yeah. This is real."
Aki's stomach growled at the smell of bread. He unzipped his backpack and dug out two slightly squished onigiri. He handed one over.
"First meal in another world," he said, trying to sound braver than he felt.
Ren took a huge bite, rice sticking to his cheek. "Still tastes like home." He grinned, crumbs falling. "We're gonna be fine, Aki. We've survived high school group projects. We can survive this."
For the first time since waking, Aki laughed. It came out shaky, but real. Whatever this place was, at least they weren't alone.
And maybe—just maybe—that was enough to take the first step.