(From Manahu's perspective)

  Almost a month has passed since Titla arrived in this world. Her nightmares have become less frequent, and in general, the days have been calm—except for one night when a Beast of Silence approached the cabin while I was asleep. Fortunately, it was only one, so it wasn't a problem. Titla was curious to see what they looked like, but it was too dangerous, and by the time it was safe to go out, the body had already disintegrated. I tried to draw one to show her, but I'm a terrible artist.

  On another occasion, we noticed one of the tetloch was female. She gave birth. I wanted to release them along with their mother so they could grow and I could hunt them later, but Titla convinced me to keep them a little longer—at least until they no longer depended on her. Since their fate would be the same anyway, I agreed.

  We were outside the cabin practicing magic. A few days ago, snow started falling, and it began to accumulate on the ground and the trees.

  "M: ...Good. So far, you've been using mana on the rune inscribed in the staff to cast the spell. That's not bad—in fact, your mana control is even better than mine. And considering you come from a world without magic, that's even more impressive."

  "T: That's nice."

  A dry response... This attitude started when the snow began falling. Is she sick? That would be bad. Healing magic can't cure every illness. Still, she doesn't seem seriously ill, so I'll just ignore it for now.

  "M: What comes next is trying to cast a fire spell on your own. Using magic is very similar to using mana, but the main difference is suggestion."

  "T: So I just have to imagine it?"

  "M: Exactly. But you need a clear image—as if you can see it before you create the spell. Some people use chants or say the spell's name to help themselves. Others don't need them."

  "T: So... do you have bad imagination for... rocks?"

  "M: No, it's not that. No matter how strong your mind is, the body is still a limitation. Things like the amount of mana you have and which types of magic you can use depend on your ancestors and are set at birth."

  "T: So... training doesn't help at all."

  "M: T: Of course it does. The amount and ease of using mana—and other things—can increase with training. Though... you're partly right. No matter how much you train, you'll never be able to use magic for which you have no affinity. And even if you do have affinity for it, how easy or difficult it will be depends on how strong that affinity is."

  "T: I see."

  "M: sigh Alright. Now, try launching a fireball from the palm of your hand. Imagine the fire from the campfire... or a wildfire."

  I closed my eyes, trying to push the memories away.

  "M: Like this... [Fireball]"

  A fireball shot from my palm and struck my barrier.

  "M: Now you try. You've been practicing with fire all month, so it should be easy."

  Slowly, Titla extended her arm. I didn't expect much, but if she could use fire magic, she should at least manage a small flame.

  "T: [Fireball]"

  A sphere of fire the same size as mine appeared in her palm. It didn't shoot forward, but still... this was far more than I expected.

  "M: That's... wonderful, Titla. Reaching low-level proficiency in any type of magic in less than a month... it took me over three years. Though, to be fair, I was a child and I don't have much affinity for fire. But... that doesn't take away how impressive it is."

  "T: Thanks."

  Not even a jump... not a smile? Maybe she really is sick.

  "M: Alright, now let's try other types of magic, okay? How about water? It's the most common elemental magic among humans."

  "T: Sure."

  A small sphere of water, a small rock, and a gentle gust of wind. Impressively, Titla demonstrated the ability to use all the elemental magics. They were weaker than her fire, but maybe that was because she'd been practicing with the staff all these days. Still, the mere fact that she could use them all...

  "M: This is more than wonderful, Titla. It's... it's... Just being able to use all the elementals is already rare, and with that level of affinity, it's even rarer. I wonder if you can also use light and darkness—or even space."

  My voice filled with excitement as I realized what kind of rarity stood before me.

  "T: Hmm?..."

  I looked at her. It's unusual for me to be the excited one instead of her. Normally Titla jumps, shouts, smiles, or does something when it comes to magic. When she saw the tetloch babies, she was more excited than she is now. Right now she seemed barely paying attention, with such a... disinterested expression. It was simply strange. She seemed... distant, as if her mind were somewhere else.

  "M: Don't... don't you understand how rare and impressive this is?"

  "T: Is it?"

  "M: sigh Alright... class is over for today."

  "T: Huh? What? But..."

  "M: It's fine... You don't seem particularly interested today, and I'm a bit tired anyway. Better we go to sleep."

  "T: ..."

  The next morning after breakfast, Titla was lying in bed, stroking one of the tetloch babies that was peacefully asleep on her chest. Maybe because they were born in the cabin, but they were strangely accustomed to human company.

  "M: I already told you not to put that thing on the bed."

  "T: Munchi."

  "M: Huh?"

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  "T: His name is Munchi."

  Great. She even named them. I have a feeling she won't want to get rid of them like we agreed.

  "M: Whatever. I don't want it on my bed."

  "T: What does it matter if you don't sleep in it anyway?"

  "M: My roof, my rules."

  "T: ..."

  And despite that, she stayed in bed petting Munchi. After a while she set him aside so he could go feed with his mother and sat on the edge of the bed.

  "T: Will time pass the same way?"

  "M: What thing?"

  Her sudden question caught me off guard. What did she mean?

  "T: You know my phone can also tell time."

  "M: Uh, yeah, you already explained that. What about it?"

  "T: Well, I noticed something strange. As the days passed, I realized dawn was coming earlier and earlier—at least according to my phone's clock. So I did some tests with the shadow of a stick at the same time of day."

  "M: Okay... and what happened?"

  She paused before answering.

  "T: ...Every day the shadow shifted a little more. At this point, my phone is ahead by about five hours. According to my calculations, days in Auren are twelve minutes shorter than on Earth."

  "M: That's... curious. We use the same units for time, but I guess ours are a bit shorter..."

  "T: No, it's that the planets rotate at different speeds."

  "M: I don't understand."

  "T: Never mind."

  "M: ...Well... one more difference between worlds. Just adjust that thing every day to keep good track of time."

  "T: ...Yeah, I suppose."

  In the afternoon we continued training, and my suspicions were confirmed: Titla can also use Light magic. I almost fell over when she succeeded. We tried space, but nothing happened—maybe she doesn't have the capacity, or it's still too early. It's not for nothing that it's the rarest and most difficult magic. And darkness... I have no idea how it works, so we didn't try it. Even so...

  "M: ...I'm telling you... this is magnificent. You might... no, you definitely are at the level of a hero or a contracted one."

  "T: Is it that rare?"

  "M: Of course. Maybe not so much the number of magic types, but high affinity for all of them—yes. Even Hero Arnulf, who could use the same types as me, was considered a great rarity for having strong affinity in all of them."

  "T: I guess that's good."

  For some reason, I just couldn't convey the excitement I myself was feeling right now.

  "M: Alright, what's going on? You don't seem very interested in continuing practice. We can leave it for another day if you want. After all, you were the one who wanted to learn magic. But if you don't..."

  "T: No, it's not that I don't want to... it's just that..."

  Titla looked away and lowered her head. I understood. She wasn't sick—something had made her sad again. Another nightmare?

  "T: It's just that... by now, in my world... it's December 23rd."

  "M: December? Oh, you mean the last month of your calendar? What about it?"

  "T: Well, during these dates—in two days... families gather for a celebration called Christmas. They have dinner the night before, exchange gifts, celebrate, talk, laugh..."

  "M: Hmm... that sounds quite similar to Creation Day here."

  "T: I wonder... how is my family? What are they doing?... They must... be so sad and worried..."

  My eyes widened as understanding hit me. Of course—until now, I thought Titla's problem was only how she felt about herself. But the worry for the well-being of loved ones can be even greater than worry for oneself.

  "M: They... must be fine. I'm sure they miss you. From what you've told me, it sounds like you have a good family and friends waiting for you."

  "T: Yes... they are... and that's exactly what worries me. If they hated me or I hated them, I wouldn't have any problem staying here. I'd even think it would be better—at least then I wouldn't miss them and they wouldn't miss me. But..."

  Her eyes began to fill with tears, and her voice cracked.

  "T: They must be desperately searching for me everywhere. They might even be sadder than I am, not knowing what happened to me. What if they think I was kidnapped or died? Even if they search everywhere... they won't find me. Not even a body to mourn. And if I return... how many years will it take? Will they have lost hope? And if... they lose the will to live?"

  "M: No... don't think about that. Just... hold on to the hope that you'll return and..."

  And she broke.

  "T: HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME NOT TO THINK ABOUT THAT? Even if I return now, what if time doesn't pass the same in both worlds? What if I come back hundreds or thousands of years after they've died?... I might not even find their graves."

  "M: I don't..."

  I didn't know what to say... Titla closed her eyes tightly, gripping the staff. She fell to her knees on the ground. I could see her struggling to hold back the tears. Then... I knelt on the ground and gently placed my hand on her shoulder.

  "T: I miss them, Manahu. I miss them so much."

  "M: ..."

  After saying that, Titla buried her face in my chest and finally burst into sobs. It caught me a little off guard, but this wasn't the time to scold her. I hesitated before gently stroking her silver hair. She cried and cried until, despite the cold, she fell asleep. I carried her to the bed and lay down on the floor to sleep.

  The next day Titla spent in bed petting Munchi. She only got up to go to the bathroom. She hadn't been this bad even in the first days. I suppose once the initial fear passed, all that remained was sadness. Apparently this "Christmas" is a really important date. She said gifts are exchanged, right?... and there were two days left. That's tomorrow... wait, maybe "that" is a good idea... though I'm not so sure.

  The next morning:

  "M: Hey, Titla, wake up."

  "T: I don't want breakfast."

  Without leaving the sheets, she rolled over in bed to turn her back on me.

  "M: It's not about that. I have a surprise for you."

  After a few seconds of silence, Titla emerged from the sheets and sat up. She looked awful—dark circles, irritated and dull eyes. Had she been crying all night?

  "T: What do you want?"

  "M: Here."

  I extended the staff, and Titla looked at it without any emotion.

  "T: I don't want to practice either."

  "M: No, I'm not giving it to you for that. It's... a gift."

  "T: I don't understand... Weren't you supposed to already be mine?"

  This damn girl... in any other moment I would have scolded her, but not now. Anyway... did she really expect me to just give her this staff like it was nothing to a stranger? Though, well, that's exactly what I'm doing right now.

  "M: No, I was only lending it to you. But now I'm giving it to you."

  "T: I knew it was too good to be true."

  A slight expression of annoyance formed on Titla's face when she realized it hadn't been hers all this time. But almost immediately her gaze changed to surprise.

  "T: Wait... didn't you say this was a gift from your mother? Are you... sure?"

  "M: It's fine. I'm bad with fire magic and I can't use earth. Go ahead—it's all yours."

  "T: ..."

  And as if it were the first time she held it, she took it gently and stared at it for a few moments. A faint smile formed on her lips. After a while she finally got up to eat breakfast. She ate slowly and without much appetite, but at least she was eating. After a while longer she spoke.

  "T: You did it wrong."

  "M: Huh? What did I do wrong? This is what we usually eat for breakfast. Are you sure your palate...?"

  "T: The gift."

  "M: You didn't like it?"

  She shook her head... Seriously, she didn't like it? If so, I'd ask for it back.

  "T: No, it's not that. It needs to be wrapped."

  "M: Huh?"

  "T: When you give a Christmas gift, you have to wrap it—to hide it and to preserve the 'Christmas magic'... And you also have to say 'Merry Christmas,' not just 'Here.'"

  "M: 'Christmas... magic?' don't know what that is, but I doubt wrapping it would have hidden what the gift was... but I'll keep it in mind."

  "T: Good. I hope you do it right next year."

  Next year, huh? I guess she doesn't plan on dying anytime soon... I smiled slightly.

  "M: You'll see—I will."

  The rest of the day Titla seemed a little more cheerful. Not back to her usual self, but at least she ate and went out a bit to play with the tetloch... That night while she slept, I sat at the table reading another book, hoping to find some way to send her back to her world. Suddenly a question arose in my mind.

  "M: Why am I doing this?"

  I have enough problems of my own. I don't owe this girl anything. She's just a nuisance. I should hand her over to the empress so they can use her as a soldier or whatever... and did I really just give her my mother's staff?

  It could even be that everything she's told me is a lie—a plan to gain my trust and kill me. But... if that were the case, she would've already done it. A spy?... No, not that either...

  I know why I'm helping her... I've seen that look in her eyes, that pain she's going through... I know it well. It's not something you can fake. She's telling the truth. That's exactly why I promised to help her return. For me it's already too late—no matter how much I regret it or try, nothing will change the past. But... for her it's different. There's hope. There are people waiting for her. And if she could come here, there must definitely be some way for her to go back. I just have to find it. And after that... maybe my sin will be forgiven. Maybe... I can forgive myself...

  I kept reading until I fell asleep...