Chapter One: The Encounter Title: The Chronicles of Time (Book 1)
Natsumi trudged down the heated road, the asphalt about to burn the soles off her shoes. Her book bag slung over her shoulders and her hair messy and dampened with sweat.
“Why...is it...so hot?” She panted. As she arrived at the gates of her house, her exhausted mood instantly vanished the second she saw a giant furball rushing toward the other side of the gate. “Koru!”
“Ruff! Ruff!” Her giant dog barked and danced around, waiting for her to enter and hug him.
“Back down,” she pressed his head down and shooed him away so she could step inside. After closing the gates, she immediately headed towards her dog who laid down patiently for her to approach. “Who’s a good doggo?”
He rubbed his head in her hands as she laughed and kissed him all over.
“I’m going to go inside now since it's so hot. You stay out here, alright?” She gave him a pat on the head then walked inside her cool house, locking the door behind her. Her hands were sticky with sweat, and she reeked! She headed straight to the bath, and made sure to scrub herself real good with her favorite soap and changed into comfortable clothes.
“Hahh...I’m starving...when will Sachi-san arrive with the goodies?” Her mother’s friend, Sachi-san had always treated her like her own daughter. Ever since her parents died in an unknown accident, her grandmother moved in with her at the age of seven. Her grandmother was strict, but also kind; however, she wasn’t the adult that a seven year old child needed. Sachi-san, on the other hand, is always there for her, including her children: a girl and a boy who look almost identical to each other besides their age and eyes.
She provided her with food and comfort, always checking up on her until she started a shop and became much busier as Natsumi grew older.
As she drowned in the cold air that circulated her room, her eyelids grew heavy until she heard a loud thud. Her blankets rustled as she moved around, too tired to move from her bed.
“Wha–?” She mumbled sleepily. “Whazzat?”
Another thud woke her up completely, and she got up, and looked around the house. She couldn’t spot where the sound was coming from which made her confused. She searched only to walk in circles. She walked on her toes, perching and peeking around the house holding her slippers. It was only when her shoulders relaxed she set down her slippers again.
Small pounding drew her attention to her parent’s room, and she turned the doorknob slowly. She coughed when dust greeted her the second she stepped inside.
“Ugh! It’s so...dusty!” She fanned the air, and covered her mouth to not breathe in dust. She opened the window and took a deep breath of fresh air, then coughed again. “We should’ve ventilated this room more.”
No one dared to enter this room ever since the day of the accident as if they were trying to preserve it. Dust eddied every step she took. Her mind was lost elsewhere as she observed the messy room that was unoccupied for the last nine years of her life. Her fingers reached for the surface of the old desk her father used to write on. The deep pencil marks that were dug into the surface of the hard wood from the times when they would write their names down and draw themselves still could be seen.
“Ah, right. Me and dad used to scribble here,” she reminisced. “It was...very fun.”
At every turn, hazy childhood memories popped up, and she smiled.
“I should’ve come back here from time to time.” A sudden noise snapped her out of her trance. “Oh right, that sound.”
The sound was located in this room, but she found herself unable to find the medium. An idea lit up in her mind and she flattened herself on the ground and started patting it down like a maniac.
“You may think of me as mad...but you never know unless you try.” She said enthusiastically underneath her breath with her cheeks pressed against the floorboards. “If this is a movie, then there’ll be a secret compartment underneath the floor…”
A tiny click and she scooched back to find a secret compartment revealing itself. The floorboards slid away to unveil a stone safe with only a key hole on top. She gasped dramatically.
“Two hundred IQ!” Natsumi yelled, pumping her fist into the air. “I knew it! Watching all those dramas paid off! I’ll have to tell this to Sora-san, now he can’t make fun of me!”
Natsumi moved closer to the safe and frowned. “A key…? Is this some kind of treasure hunt dad created for fun? A key…? Where could it be? Ah!”
Her hands fumbled around her neck and she pulled out a necklace buried deep in her clothes and a small key dangled at the center. After removing the necklace from her neck, she inserted the key into its rightful place, praying that it'd fit. It slid in without a fight, and she turned the key with hesitation.
Who would’ve thought that the key her parents handed to her on her fifth birthday would play such an important role? They did say to keep it safe, but at that time she didn’t know what they meant.
’What if there’s something weird in there?” she thought, creeped out. But it was too late. The lid of the safe opened automatically and darkness occupied the interior.
“What? So there was nothing at all?” She pouted disappointedly. “What a let down.”
She regretted saying that. The next second, she jumped back as something shot out of the darkness. A small child’s hand reached out into the air, and moved around slowly, patting the sides of the safe. Natsumi, frightened, kept quiet and looked at the hand in wonder.
Why was there a moving hand in the safe? What was going on? Questions ran through her confused mind. Natsumi was so shocked that she couldn’t budge. But filled with curiosity, she finally approached the safe cautiously, and touched the hand that was groping its surroundings.
“Hello–? Ah!” She shrieked as the hand took hold of her, and grabbed onto her tightly, refusing to release her. She squirmed around, trying to pull her hand away but the grip on her was just too strong.
Out came a young boy wearing an oversized shirt, dragging across the floor. He yawned sleepily, and rubbed his eyes, the long sleeves dangling in the air.
“W-who are you?” She asked, awestruck. He let go of her hand and looked down at her. His beauty was captivating, and with his smooth long black hair and his ruby red eyes, he could be a child model if he wished to.
“What’s this? A girl?” He bent down so suddenly that Natsumi was pushed back against the wall, startled. He stared at her with interested eyes. “...I feel like I’m forgetting something ...hmmm...ah! You must be their daughter! Izanami Natsumi, right? The one I’m engaged with.”
“Yes, I’m–” she stopped short, belatedly noticing his last sentence. “What? What do you mean “engaged with”?”
“It means exactly that,” he said while dusting himself off although his shirt was already–surprisingly–crystal clean. His clear red eyes swept over her, and looked at her closely. “You’re...all right. Didn’t meet my standards, but you’re fine. I’m just glad that I didn’t end up with an obese woman. Your parents told me we're to be married.”
“...huh?” she couldn’t help but feel pissed off. She didn't expect such a haughty kid. Was he insulting her or complimenting her? And in his arrogant tone too? That just fanned her flames. “Well, excuse me, but I never thought that I would have such a tiny partner.”
She grinned at the big height differences.
“Are you mocking me?” He glared at her, offended. He grabbed her face rudely and she found herself leaning forward, their faces so close to each other.
“Urgh!”
“You know that I’m your fiance, right?” He said angrily. He rummaged through his pocket with his other hand and threw a document onto her lap and continued to talk. “I only became short so I could fit in the goddamn box and conserve my energy. It wasn’t so that you could make fun of my height. If anything, just wait till I go back to my original form; we’ll see who’s going to be the short one.”
He shook off his hands and she rubbed her red cheeks. How rude!
She blinked, puzzled. “What do you mean “original form”?”
“It means exactly that.” He snapped his fingers and the safe behind them vanished and the floorboards returned back to their original position. “First, let’s–”
“Whoa!” she exclaimed excitedly. “How did you do that, kid? Some kind of magic trick?”
He gave her a are-you-serious? look. “No? Of course not! This is magic! Real magic! Would you like me to explode that tiny mind of yours so you could understand that what I’m doing is magic?”
Her hair stood up, and she felt provoked. Just why was this kid so riled up by a single question? He sounded so...haughty and toxic.
“Well, I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to tell that you are a magic-wielder that only belongs in the fantasy world.” She said sarcastically, expecting him to retaliate back.
“Magic-wielder huh?” He pondered about the word for a bit then nodded firmly. “Sounds about right. I’m a magic-wielder, a very powerful one at that.”
She almost choked on her spit. Why was this child so serious about this? Is that how she was like when she was younger, role-playing as magical girls who saved the world? It made her shiver in cringe. But what made her feel embarrassed the most was his confident tone.
“R-really?” She looked away from his shining eyes.
“Of course. I’m a genius.” He boasted. It was hard to tell whether he was joking around, or just deluding himself. “I’m the most advanced and powerful magician in this entire world. I can blow up cities in just one wave, and destroy a whole continent with just one snap. How awesome am I? And yet, you dared to call me tiny?”
“...yes, you are the most powerful, oh great magician, and I am your humble servant,” she rolled her eyes. “So, will the most extravagant lord of all magic do me the favor and show me more proof? Pardon my rude request, it's not like I’m doubtful about your words or anything.”
In other words–she just wanted to have an excuse to see more “magic”.
“...okay, you can stop making fun of me now, and treating me as a deluded child.” His mouth formed a straight line, making it obvious that he wasn’t going to deal with her taunts. With a flick of his fingers, fire danced on the tip of his fingers, and he waved it around boldly. His expression was indifferent, and no pain was shown on his face.
“How did you do that?” She reached out to touch the flamed, awestruck, but the fire vanished when he closed his hands suddenly and she withdrew her hands. “What was that for? I wanted to–”
“Ah~! I’m hungry~!” He said with a bored tone, smirking. “I feel like dying~! My head feels dizzy due to my lack of nutrients; after all, I’ve been locked up in that safe for eight years~!”
Eight years? Those words blew her mind, and she was in a daze. Eight years?! Which human could live for that long in a dark box like that without starving or dying of dehydration? Unless...he isn’t human like he claimed to be? She immediately turned towards him, sweating inside. She wasn’t sure whether to be glad or not that she didn’t find a corpse inside the safe and received a snobby child instead.
'Ah, what am I supposed to do with this nonhuman, dramatic, and aggravating child?' She had a strong urge to whack him so he could get off his high horse, but he was just a child which made her control herself.
“Okay...let’s get you some food first, yeah?” She said slowly, still shocked by her new guest. She grabbed the piece of paper off of her lap and stuffed it into her pocket. “Let’s head this way.”