My breathing was shallow and quick. I started to feel dizzy and light-headed.

‘Wha– what happened to me?’

Staring at myself in the mirror, a stranger stared back. My face and body were now lean and sharp, a stark contrast to my old, more rounded form. My skin was pale, and my once short, light brown hair was now a long midnight black, like my mother's. I was even a bit taller.

However, what froze me in place and sent a chill down my spine were the two white, pearl-like orbs that now filled my irises. Their once emerald green was gone. There was a certain power to them, something unsettling. Even though they were my eyes, they felt like someone else's—or maybe something else entirely.

Gathering myself, I walked out of the bathroom to meet the prince at his desk. Meeting his eyes, I asked in a cold, somber tone, “What did your spell do to me?”

“What? What are you talking about?” Confusion plastered his face. My fists clenched unconsciously, anger seeping into my voice.

“Don't play dumb with me! What the hell did your spell do to me? I look like a completely different person.”

The prince lingered for a second, staring at me with growing confusion. I could see he was trying to find the right words to not set me off more than I already was.

“Do you really not know what happened to me?” I asked, my voice wavering between anger and desperation.

“I'm sorry, but I have no clue what you are talking about. What happened?”

Taking a deep breath, I sat down on the wooden chair in front of his desk, rubbing my temples.

“My body... It's different. My hair, eyes, physique—all of it. That spell you used to bring me here changed everything about me.”

The prince stood up and walked over to one of the bookshelves, grabbing an old, torn book bound in leather. He flipped through a few pages, then placed the book on the desk and met my eyes.

“This here is the summoning spell. We've translated all of it, but there is no mention of it being able to change the biology of the summoned. What has happened to you is something I do not understand.”

“First, you're not sure you can send me back home. Now, you don't even know what happened to my body, thanks to your spell. What do you know, huh?”

Unable to hold in my temper any longer, I stood up and slammed my hands on the prince's desk. The desk trembled and collapsed under the pressure of my hands.

‘How… how did I do that?’

I took a step back, glancing down at my hands in confusion. I hadn’t even hit the desk that hard, and even if I had, I shouldn’t have been able to destroy a desk made of such thick wood. My new body held more mysteries than I thought—it was more than just my physical appearance that had changed.

“How did I do that?” I asked, looking at the prince. He was wide-eyed in shock but also intrigued.

“I didn’t sense any mana buildup around you. So perhaps it was merely just your strength that did it. Fascinating. Along with your appearance change, the strength of your body has increased—maybe even more than that. Perhaps your senses are better as well.”

The prince seemed to be enjoying this more than I was. It's a strange feeling, being summoned to a different world, seeing a complete stranger in the mirror, and now crushing a desk with my bare hands.

“Great. Magic and now a new body with super strength. What's next?” Sitting back down on the chair, I rubbed my face with my hands. A new body I can deal with—still very, very strange but not as bad as being in a foreign world. How long am I going to be here? Will I even be able to go back home? Too much is happening all too fast; it's hurting my head.

“Listen, I know a lot has happened in only a few hours, but why don't you get some rest? We have plenty of guest rooms. I'll take you to one, we can call it a night, and talk about getting you home in the morning. That sounds good?” The prince looked at me with warm eyes.

“Yeah, that's fine.” Feeling that we would not make any progress today, I took his advice.

The prince led me through the maze-like hallways filled with stained windows, various paintings, and sculptures. Arriving at the room, he left me to be on my own. The room was similar to his, with a soft red carpet and a king-size bed. A few bookshelves lined the marble walls, and a desk sat in the corner. A large window in the center of one wall filled the room with moonlight.

Realizing I didn’t change, I walked over to the dresser next to the bed and found a black tunic. After quickly changing, I lay on the bed. I quickly sank into the soft mattress, the silk sheets soft on my skin. Staring at the marble ceiling, plenty of thoughts filled my mind—some of my mother, sisters, friends, my home. My eyelids fell closed, and I drifted into the embrace of sleep.

***

Slowly drifting awake, I realized it truly wasn’t a dream—the new body, the new world. Letting out a deep sigh, I got out of bed. As I did, a beautiful maid entered the room. The petite maid was dressed in a red and black outfit. Her bright blonde hair, tied in a neat bun, contrasted well with her blue eyes and darker complexion.

“Good morning, sir. Your Royal Highness is expecting you in his study. Allow me to guide you.”

Her monotone voice and indifferent expression made me feel a little awkward and unwelcome, to say the least.

“Uh… okay.”

Walking through the grandiose hallways, we arrived at a large black wooden double door. Entering the study, I saw it was filled with bookshelves, much like his room. Along some of the walls were miniature statues of what I assumed were important family members or figures. A large telescope was seated near the large window, offering a wondrous view. It was a study that wouldn’t look out of place in my world.

‘This guy sure likes to read.’

“Ah! Good morning. Now that you are here, I realized that due to the intensity of last night's situation, you did not mention your name. Would you mind telling me so I can properly address you?” the prince asked kindly, with a smile.

“Oh, yeah. It’s Ezra. Ezra Cyprus.”

“Nice to formally meet you, Ezra. Please, skip formalities and call me Bel.”

The prince—I mean, Bel—took his seat in the leather chair. I followed suit, sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk. From what I’ve gathered, Bel is a very curious man. He seems particularly interested in the changes to my body, especially since they weren’t caused by his spell. He also wants to know more about my world and how it works. Last night, when I mentioned that we don’t have magic in my world, he seemed genuinely shocked.

“Let's cut to the chase, Ezra. I've consulted with some high-level magic circle specialists within my connections. The magic that brought you here is very old. It's going to take time to figure out a way to get you back, but it's possible. I can't say when exactly, but it’s not in the near future. You are going to be in this world for a while.”

‘Damn. Damn, damn.’

Okay, so this is not exactly what I wanted to hear, but he said it's possible. It's just going to take time. I suppose that's better than not being able to get back at all. This is fine. I'm already here and can't do much about it. Bel is using his connections to find a way back. This is good, right?

‘Yes, this is good. I just have to bide my time. I can do that.’

Bel then shifted through a few pieces of paper on his desk and spoke again.

“Since you'll be here for a while, the room you stayed in will be yours, along with the rest of the palace. You will also have a personal maid—she brought you here today. Her name is Sylvie. Whatever you need, ask her and she will get it for you. Also, anything you need or desire from me, feel free to ask. Trips around the city, or—here’s one I figured you might be interested in—a magic instructor.”

My heart beat faster when he mentioned magic. Would I be capable of using magic even though I'm not from this world? But aside from that, it's not a bad deal. Living in a palace doesn’t sound half bad. Beats living on the streets, that's for sure.

“Thank you, Bel. I appreciate everything you're doing for me. But on the topic of magic, do you think I’ll be able to use it since I'm not from this world?”

Bel gave me a devious smirk and smiled widely.

“I do.”

A shiver went down my spine. Standing up, I looked at Bel with a smile.

“When do I meet the instructor?”