“Not sure you can? I'm sorry, WHAT! You drag me to this world or wherever I am, and now you’re telling me that you can’t send me back home? Did I hear you correctly?” My fists clenched involuntarily, and my voice grew louder as I took a step toward the prince of Zelrick, still standing on the stone platform.

“I said, not sure. We believe there is a way; we just don't know how to do it. As I mentioned earlier, the spell is ancient, and the magic used hasn't been seen in thousands of years. We weren't even sure the spell would work in the first place.” The prince held his ground, meeting my gaze. I halted, my skull pounding. I needed to breathe and take a moment to process.

“Right. Just give me a second. I need to breathe.” I started to focus on slowing my breath, inhaling through my nose and exhaling through my mouth, my chest rising and falling steadily. Lying down on the cold stone sent a chill through my body. Okay, let's think about this.

I tried to piece together what Bel had told me.

I was summoned here using an ancient spell lost for thousands of years. I'm obviously not in my world, and to make things worse, he’s not sure if he can send me back home. But he is my only chance of getting back. He is a prince, after all; he should have some connections that can help, right?

I stood back up, dusting off the back of my pants.

“You said we’re close to your home, right? And that we can continue our talk there.” If I'm already here and not leaving anytime soon, I should get a lay of the land. But I need to be careful; I don’t know these people, and I’m alone here. They might not try to hurt me, but I still need to be cautious.

“Of course. When we get back to the palace, you can get cleaned up and have a change of clothes. You might stand out if you remain in your current attire.”

The prince raised his hand to help me down again. He seemed kind, but his smile always put me on edge; it felt practiced, not genuine.

He gave a slight nod to the three hooded men, and they began to lead us out of the temple.

Walking through the grandiose door, about twenty feet high, I felt like an ant. The door was carved with intricate designs of flowers and vines weaving in and out, filling the entire stone surface.

But what truly left me in awe, was beyond the door. The forest was beautiful, with gargantuan trees stretching as far as the eye could see. Luminescent flowers and plants scattered throughout, bringing life to the forest, flowing like ocean waves. As the trees and flowers lined the hills, what was equally awe-inspiring.

Was with the lack of light pollution, each star in the night sky was visible. An aurora borealis lit up the unpolluted sky, and the large bright moon made it quite easy to see, even in the middle of the night.

We made our way to a plain wooden carriage.

“You’re a prince, yet we are riding in a ragged old carriage?” I muttered, giving the prince a confused look.

“Well, of course, I have access to grand and beautifully crafted carriages, but I didn’t want to draw attention to myself whilst riding into the forest in the middle of the night.” I nodded in agreement with that logic.

***

After a silent awkward carriage ride that felt like forever we finally made it.

As we approached the city, it was enclosed in grand stone walls hundreds of feet tall. The bright sky illuminated these walls, revealing massive banners draped down, etched with what I assumed was the royal family insignia. The banners were black, trimmed with the same crimson red as the prince's uniform. The insignia depicted a dragon with five swords forming a star behind it. The gold etching caught the light just right, making it seem as if it were glowing.

Entering the royal city was just as breathtaking. The roads were uncracked, almost polished cobblestone, and dimly lit by light posts lining all the streets. All the buildings seem to have been made from brick,wood or polished stone and marble. Even though it was night, the city was still quite lively. The aroma of cooking meats and spices filled the air from the food vendors, the soft music playing filled my ears with a nice melody, the mingling of voices of hundreds of citizens going about their night. It felt normal, almost like a city's nightlife from my world.

Approaching the palace, I was stunned by its beauty. It was unlike anything I had ever seen, made of polished marble with gold accents. The structure was grand and complex, with intersecting bridges leading to other buildings; I felt like I’d need a map just to find the bathroom. Standing tall and reaching far into the sky on each of the palace’s four sides were watchtowers, made of the same marble with gold trim and cone-shaped roofs.

Inside the estate were lavish gardens, with the same luminescent flowers from the forest lining the pathways. They cast a purplish and blue hue on the stone pathways leading into the palace or to what I assumed was a training ground for one of the other buildings.

“It's... beautiful,” I said unconsciously, my eyes wide and my jaw practically dropped to the floor.

“It really is, takes my breath away every time I see it. Do you not have structures like this where you are from?” the prince leaned in, wide-eyed with a grin of curiosity on his face.

“Maybe in some parts, but nothing really this lavish.”

Thinking more about it now, from what I've picked up on, this world is not nearly as developed as mine.

The fact that we took a carriage here says a lot. No cars, no people looking down at their phones, even fashion was different. The prince was right. I would have definitely stood out in my current clothes if not for this carriage that took me all the way here.

The prince then took me around the palace to what was just a plain marble wall. He pressed his hand against it, and it began to glow. My heart skipped a beat. And I stumbled back, the marble then rumbled and flowed down into the ground, revealing an opening.

“What was that just now?” I asked, licking my dry lips.

“Magic? Have you never seen magic before?” The confusion on the prince's face was unmistakable.

“I've seen magic tricks, sure—street magic with hats and bunnies. But not like this. What you did just now was something out of a fiction book.”

I realized that in the shock of being summoned here and my desperation to get back home, I had glossed over the fact that magic was real and right in front of me.

“Fascinating, so you’re from a world without magic. Tell me more about your world,” the prince said, stepping closer, his curiosity evident.

“I think we need to focus on how you’re going to get me back home first.”

My curiosity about this world was growing, but I had to prioritize. I needed to know how long it would take to return home, or if it was even possible. I couldn't let doubt creep in now.

“Right, right, let's go in. This entrance leads straight to my chambers. We can talk more there.”

The prince then led the way through the dark tunnel. Shortly after we entered, he raised his hand, and a glowing orb of light formed. Engulfing the dark hallway with light.

It was still unbelievable to me that magic was real. Could I– do it? No, no focus, Ezra. Don't get distracted, even if it pains you not knowing that you could potentially shoot a cool fireball out of your hand. Focus on getting back home.

Entering his chambers, it was not what I was expecting. The walls were filled with bookshelves, each completely stuffed with books. The walls were the same polished marble as outside, red soft carpet beneath my feet. It felt like walking on a cloud. In the middle of the room was his messy desk; books and papers were everywhere on it.

‘Not very organized is he?’

The prince walked over to his dresser, which was right beside us, and handed me a change of clothes.

Giving him a slight smile and a nod, I went into the bathroom that was attached to his room. Setting the clothes on the beautifully crafted countertop,carved with intertwining circles and loops making a nice pattern, I finally had a moment to myself.

Leaning on the door I closed my eyes and breathed.

After taking a second to get my thoughts together, I turned on the sink and splashing myself with cold water. It was refreshing, a part of me hoping this was all a dream, but it wasn’t. I took a glance at myself in the mirror.

My eyes widened.

My heart started beating relentlessly at my ribs.

Stumbling back, hitting a small wooden table and making a loud bang.

“Everything fine in there?” the prince's voice sounded right outside the door.

“Yeah…. Everything is— fine.” Everything was not fine. What the hell happened to me?