THE MOMENT
"How did this get here?" Drake kept walking after he'd picked up the old cellular phone. It was a small rectangular shape, the size of a candy bar, with a number pad and screen on the front. It was caked with dust and dirt, as if it'd been there for years, if not decades. It was already old technology on his Earth when he found himself in a new fantasy world, but it had no business being in a magical forest after he'd been casting spells for almost two weeks.
Of course, he had unusual technology in the form of his node and slate, but that was because he was special and from another world. Upon waking up there, he had the opportunity to choose a Class and chose wizard. He learned to cast magic and even discovered the local wildlife was useful for target practice. He didn't get any system messages about leveling up, but he did feel stronger and more knowledgeable as he progressed from killing slimes and rats to goblins and wolves.
He'd slept in caves and under unfamiliar stars, and after everything he'd experienced, he had no doubts he was now in a fantasy world separate from his home Earth. But that only made the phone's presence that much more unusual.
"That guy's a magical girl with the Uni-Court?" Drake was traveling alone across an open plain when he found the phone, and there was no one else around. The sudden voice startled him enough to whirl around in a panic, and he saw two teenagers. A young man in a forest-green blazer next to a young woman with green hair in a ponytail and a red poodle skirt.
"No," she giggled and shook her head. "But he still has working ears," she said before stepping forward with an outstretched hand.
"Hello, my name's Monica and I represent Sharp Development," she said. Drake shook her hand, but she didn't give him a chance to give his name until she asked a question. "On behalf of the company... what are you doing here?"
If Drake hadn't been surprised out of his thoughts, he might've been able to register their wardrobe more thoroughly. They looked more like average, contemporary, private school uniforms than any magical flowing garb or shining armor. But he understood a larger organization was asking about his presence, likely on land they owned.
"Hello... uh, my name's Drake," he nodded. He had no real idea how he arrived in a new world. But he did learn something in his short time there. It took a few life-threatening close calls, but he was starting to understand how to trust his gut. As soon as Monica asked, there was an insistent thought in his mind that he would've ignored in the past. It was a ridiculous hope that they might believe him. And yet, his instinct was yelling at him to be honest. "I.. I don't know how I got here... but I'm from a different world," he said.
"That's swell!" Monica smiled. "That explains everything. If you could step through here," she gestured at empty air, but as Drake watched, a tall black portal opened beside her. "Someone on the other side will get you squared away if you tell them what you told me. You don't have to go home, but you can if you like."
"Who are you.. what's through there?" Drake asked. It wasn't a conscious choice, but he still took an uneasy step backward. He couldn't see anything through the apparent portal. From his perspective, it looked like a hole to nowhere.
"You can trust me," Monica smiled and reached forward to put a friendly hand on his shoulder.
"DON'T TOUCH HIM!" Drake had all but forgotten about the other teen until that moment. He looked up to see Monica's hand hovering inches from his shoulder, but frozen. He didn't know what was happening, but he decided to move just the same. Once he was clear, Monica dropped her hand and shook her head.
"You don't have to be a mega-cube about this," she smirked. "I'm working and trying to get done so we can spend time on other things."
"What happens if she touches me?" Drake asked the teen who'd stepped forward next to Monica.
"If she touches you, she can compel you to go through the portal, but I'm sure you'd rather go through on your own, right?" Kirk asked.
"What's on the other side?" He'd already asked once, but now he had someone actually handing out answers.
"Sharp Development is a multiversal corporation, and you'll find one of their lobbies on the other side. They have people who can help you go back to your Earth or pick out another Earth to live on." It sounded promising, but Drake still had questions. The three of them were still standing out on an otherwise empty plain under a darkening sunset.
"How did you find me... and what did you mean about me being a magical girl?" He was sure to hold on to that tidbit as soon as he heard it. Magical girls were pop culture on his Earth, but the implication now was that they existed in real life.
"You're on private property," Monica laughed. "It's a magical preserve, and someone's been killing our wildlife. I was sent to find out who and why."
"Magical Girls have kind of overrun the multiverse right now," Kirk followed up with a nod. At least someone was answering Drake's questions. "With the strange killings happening here, a rogue magical girl was one theory."
Drake was confident he was well within the smarter half of any given population, and now that the initial fright was wearing off and his questions were being answered, he found himself in the midst of several realizations. He was under the impression he was killing wild creatures, but they were a counted population. If the enchanted forest he'd spent his entire time in was private property, he realized he had no idea what the actual rest of the world looked like. Especially considering the way Monica and her friend were dressed, and the mention of a corporation. He was missing important information.
"I found this...," he held out the phone to show them. If he could go anywhere, maybe this was an Earth he could come back to. "Do you know how this got here? What does the world outside this preserve look like?" he asked.
"Oh wow, that's ancient," Kirk chuckled as he glanced at it.
"What kind of bonehead question is that?" Monica asked. "This world is the preserve; the entire Earth, you brain."
"Hey, relax, he doesn't know," Kirk said. Monica seemed to shrink a bit after that, and Kirk continued.
"Sharp Development owns this whole Earth. If you visit the lobby, you'll get a better idea of just how big the company is."
"And this?" The answer wasn't what Drake expected, and it only left him with more questions. And somehow, the phone was even more unexplained than before.
"Tourists," Monica shrugged. "The company does tour groups through the preserve too; some dopey Moe must've dropped it without realizing. Those groups go through a few dozen Earths at a time, and it was probably too much trouble to track down."
"Oh." Of all the explanations Drake could've gotten, he didn't expect a boring one. "I guess I'll take a look now." He nodded and finally went through the portal. "See ya-" his farewell was cut off by the portal closing, leaving Monica and Kirk alone.
"You see? You so can too be assertive. Just keep doing what I tell you."
