The sound of water guided Ryoma along the forest path. Light filtered through the canopy in soft ripples, dappling the moss underfoot. The air was clean and cool; each breath calmed the faint tension in his chest.
He parted a stand of ferns—and stopped.
"...Jack?"
A white lab coat fluttered near the riverbank. The boy wearing it turned at once, dark eyes steady beneath a fall of neatly cut hair. Beside him, a small slime wobbled once, glossy and unusually clear, as if the light settled inside it.
Jack raised a hand in casual greeting. "Good timing."
Relief loosened Ryoma's shoulders. "I'm glad you're safe."
"Likewise," Jack said. "No hostile encounters, plenty of data. And a volunteer." He tipped his chin at the slime. "He decided to follow me."
Plorp. The slime offered something like a solemn nod.
Ryoma smiled faintly. "You adapt quickly."
Jack's mouth curved. "Survival is a branch of science. You mentioned a suitable site?"
"Yes." Ryoma pointed upstream. "A terrace by the cliff face. If we hollow it, it will serve as a proper base."
Jack's eyes brightened—just a little. "A controllable environment. Excellent."
The two of them fell into step, the slime bouncing behind with quiet enthusiasm.
Letters and Manuals
They paused at a bend in the river where smooth stones made a low shelf. Both boys set down their leather bags and produced the thick book labeled letter. The script wasn't Japanese, but reading it came naturally.
"Gain, Kufo, Lulutia…" Jack traced the crests with a fingertip. "Their documentation is surprisingly complete."
Ryoma nodded. "This world is Seilfall. We're in the Rifall Kingdom's Forest of Gana. The area is 'comparatively safe.' We are to secure shelter and read the remainder after."
Jack flipped with quick, precise motions to a section titled Research Notes. His gaze sharpened. "Safety, then experiments. Understood."
To demonstrate a practical entry, Ryoma filled a canteen and whispered, "Clean." The muddy water cleared at once.
Jack watched the transformation with open interest. "Practical, reproducible, and low cost. Magic earns high marks."
The Terrace by the Cliff
They followed the river until the trees opened to a flat terrace of firm earth bounded by a natural rock wall. The cliff face rose like a clean sheet, dry and sound. The river curved close enough for convenience but far enough to avoid flooding.
"This is the place," Ryoma said.
Jack swept the site with an appraising eye. "Elevation is good. Runoff routes are clear. Rock quality…" He stepped closer, knuckled the wall, and listened. "Dense, uniform. Ideal."
"Then we begin," Ryoma said.
They spread their manuals and discussed a layout: a main living room, a bedroom for each of them, a high vent, a drainage trench, a small research alcove, a storage nook, a safe hearth near the entrance—then, at Ryoma's gentle insistence, a quiet room deeper in for a shrine.
Jack sketched as Ryoma paced distances with measured steps. His drawings were clean: lines, angles, and tidy annotations. "Arch the main ceiling to distribute load. Keep the drainage channel on the low side. Ventilation above eye level, downwind when possible."
Ryoma inclined his head. "Understood."
Magic and Stone
"Break Rock."
The cliff's face softened beneath Ryoma's palm, crumbling to coarse earth. He pulled back, breathed, and again guided power forward—narrowing the flow as Jack had explained earlier. The energy obeyed with less waste, precise and smooth.
Jack turned a palm toward the dust, formed a light current of Wind, and let the grit drift away from their lungs. "Control improves with a tighter channel. You stabilize quickly, Ryoma."
"Your explanations are easy to understand," Ryoma replied.
They advanced in a rhythm: soften, clear, shape. Ryoma raised low walls and shelves with Rock, Jack marked lines and corrected angles before they became problems. The slime watched from the shade, its surface shining faintly each time they purified water or rinsed tools. Now and then, it pressed itself to damp stone, then left it looking marginally cleaner when it pulled away.
By late afternoon, a proper entry chamber stood: a smooth arch overhead; a shallow trench along one wall; a hand-wide vent near the ceiling that let in a cool thread of air.
"This feels… pleasant," Ryoma said, brushing stone dust from his sleeves.
Jack nodded once. "Cozy was the design requirement. We are on schedule."
They branched two narrow halls. One opened into a modest room large enough for bed, chest, and shelf—Ryoma's. The second widened into a tidy alcove with a low stone counter and two shelves—Jack's lab-to-be.
The Divine Alcove
Deeper still, they carved a small, quiet room—no more than a few steps across. Ryoma stacked a smooth pedestal at the far wall and shaped three simple figures from spare stone: a dignified old man, a smiling young woman, and a boyish god with a lively tilt to his head.
"Not perfect," he murmured, "but it feels right."
Jack brushed stray dust away and tested the pedestal with a level palm. "Stable. Composition is durable—granite-like. A suitable shrine."
Ryoma arranged a small ledge beneath the statue for offerings—a leaf, a smooth river pebble—and stepped back.
"The Divine Alcove," he said softly.
Jack aligned the figures until the room felt balanced. "Appropriate." He paused, then added, "And deserved."
Ryoma smiled. "Perhaps they're grateful as well."
A gentle hush gathered there; not empty, but restful. It felt like a promise to use this second life well.
Tea, Fire, and Lessons
They set a low hearth just inside the entrance, lifted a hood, and tested a thin chimney channel toward the vent. With Clean water and a handful of leaves and berries, they brewed a mild, grassy drink that warmed the hands and steadied the nerves.
"Magic control lesson, version one," Jack said, notebook open. "Less power; more purpose."
Ryoma followed his cues, directing energy along narrow lines. His spells answered immediately, their edges sharpening when his image grew clearer. "This is comfortable."
"Image discipline reduces waste," Jack said, satisfied. "You learn quickly."
Then Ryoma guided Jack through simple body control: quiet steps, planted turns, keeping the center aligned on uneven stone. Jack copied the motions with attention to cause and effect, then repeated them slower until the balance settled into place.
"Better," Ryoma said. "Again—no rush."
Plorp, the slime offered, as if to approve.
Status Pages
When the fire had softened from bright flame to low glow, Ryoma opened the manual to the page that had listed his current abilities and statistics the previous night.
"Jack," he said, "yours should be here as well."
Jack turned pages until a sheet edged in fine lines presented itself. He read carefully, eyes narrowing with interest.
Name: Jack MercerGender: MaleAge: 8Race: Human
Physical Energy: 2,480Magical Energy: 61,200
Everyday SkillsHousekeeping 6 / Etiquette 5 / Calculation 7 / Teaching 4 / Observation 6 / Notetaking 7
Combat SkillsUnarmed Combat 2 / Staff Mastery 2 / Dagger Mastery 1 / Stealth 2 / Body Control 3
Magic SkillsFire 1 / Water 1 / Wind 1 / Earth 1 / Neutral 1 / Lightning 1 / Ice 1 / Poison 1 / Wood 1 / Light 1 / Dark 1 / Space 1Healing 1 / Barrier 1 / Alchemy 1Magic Detection 1 / Magic Control 1 / Magic Recovery Speed 1
Crafting & KnowledgeMedicine 5 / Herbalism 4 / Cooking 3 / Blacksmithing 1 / Woodworking 2 / Architecture 3 / Materials Knowledge 4 / Research Methods 5
ResistanceMental Pain Resistance 6 / Health 5
Special / UniqueArcane Analysis 1 (Magical Structure Scan / Biological Composition Insight)Learning Aptitude 3 (Faster growth during documented experiments)
TitlesSeeker of Truth / Beloved Child of the Gods
ProtectionsProtection of Gain, the CreatorProtection of Kufo, God of LifeProtection of Lulutia, Goddess of Love
Note: Skill levels—1–2 basics; 3 established; 4 experienced; 5 top-tier; 6+ mastery.
Jack exhaled once, short and content. "The structure is consistent. Satisfying."
Ryoma glanced from the page to Jack's calm profile. "Your research skills are formidable."
"You are well beyond normal in both energies," Jack replied with the same even tone. "Between us, we cover many gaps."
Ryoma smiled. "Then we study together."
Jack's answer was immediate. "Agreed."
House Rules
They set a small notebook on a shelf carved from the wall and wrote carefully:
Test new magic outside first.
Clean up before sleep.
Keep detailed notes: experiments, meals, maps,
Eat together when possible.
The First Night
Night flowed down the river and pooled in the trees. The sky brightened with countless stars, more than Ryoma remembered seeing in years. The cave's air hummed with a faint, fresh thread through the vent. The hearth's last warmth pressed gently against stone.
"Tomorrow," Ryoma said, "shelves and storage. Then food gathering."
"And controlled experiments," Jack added. "Jars, labels, and minimal explosions."
Ryoma huffed a small laugh. "We will also mark a garden patch. Herbs first."
"Garden now, farm later," Jack agreed. "Agriculture is… humanity's reliable magic."
They slid a fitted stone across the entrance and left a small gap for air. Ryoma settled on his bedding in the new side room; Jack lay in the main chamber for now, close to his future lab.
"Ryoma," Jack said into the quiet.
"Yes?"
"Let's become very good at living well."
Ryoma's reply was steady. "Yes. Together."
Outside, water moved over stone. Inside, the hush of the Divine Alcove lingered like a blessing. The boys slept deeply.