It was already nighttime, and Raquel had fallen asleep in his bed.

After scavenging the forest for food, the only thing we managed to bring back were fruits. That was all we had for lunch. Once we finished eating, we spent the afternoon restoring the room to how it originally looked before he decided to mess it up just to draw a magic circle in the center.

Of course, after all that effort, he was exhausted. We had dinner using the remaining fruit we gathered earlier, and soon after, he went straight to bed. I considered suggesting that he take a bath before sleeping, but the house didn’t have a bathroom. He had mentioned earlier that he could bathe in the river, but it was quite far from where we were. And out of worry—especially since it was nighttime and we were in the middle of the forest—I chose not to let him go. I had no idea what else might be lurking in these woods.

I wanted to ask him if there were wild animals around, but before I could, he was already fast asleep.

I sat at the edge of his bed, beside him, and gently ran my fingers through his hair as he slept. His steady breathing softened, and a calm expression settled on his face. Seeing him like this, so peaceful and vulnerable, I couldn’t help but wonder—how did such a small boy end up here, alone, summoning someone like me?

After a while, I stood up and walked over to the window facing the forest. There were no artificial lights outside, but for some reason, the night still appeared bright. When I looked up, I realized why—two moons hung in the sky, one small and one large. Their combined glow bathed the trees in a soft silver light, making the landscape eerily beautiful.

For about two hours, I stayed by the window, observing the quiet forest, waiting to see if anything would stir. But nothing did. The silence stretched on, undisturbed.

That’s when an idea crossed my mind.

What if I gathered more food for breakfast while he was asleep?

I turned my gaze back to Raquel’s sleeping face, then back to the forest. It was a little scary venturing out alone at night, but the area didn’t seem too dangerous. As someone who trained in taekwondo, I was confident I could defend myself if needed. Still, just in case, I grabbed a knife before stepping out to gather more fruit.

I walked cautiously through the woods, my ears alert for any sounds. Soon, I reached the spot where we had scavenged earlier and began filling a basket with fruit. After collecting a decent amount, I hesitated.

I didn’t want to keep feeding him just fruit.

I decided to go deeper into the forest, hoping to find more ingredients—maybe something I could use to cook an actual meal. As I ventured further, I was surprised to find mushrooms, wild lettuce, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and other edible plants. This forest had an unusual variety of food growing in it. Was it natural? Or was it influenced by magic?

Just as I was about to go even deeper in search of more ingredients, something strange happened.

A thin red string appeared around my index finger.

I stared at it, following its path, but I couldn’t see where it led. However, I could tell—it was tracing my steps, leading back to where I came from.

It reminded me of the moment Raquel summoned me. Just before we exchanged names, this same red string had appeared.

So, was it connected to Raquel again?

I decided to ignore it and continued forward.

But before I could take another step, a sudden, searing pain shot through my chest—just like before.

I gasped, clutching my shirt. Was this pain related to the string?

Out of instinct, I tried pulling on it, hoping it would ease the pain. Instead, I was violently yanked back.

I barely had time to react before I was suddenly lifted off my feet, the string pulling me through the air. I clung desperately to the basket, but it got caught in the branches as I was forcefully dragged away. Despite my tight grip, I had no choice but to let go.

That’s right—I was literally being pulled through trees, passing through them as if I were a ghost. The basket, however, did not. It remained caught in the branches, left behind.

I didn’t understand what was happening, but by the time I regained my senses, I was back inside the house—right next to Raquel.

I sat up quickly and turned to look at him. Had he done this? Had he pulled me back somehow? But contrary to my expectations, Raquel was still asleep, his expression completely peaceful. And yet, the string was clearly connected to his index finger.

I stared at it, confused.

Why had the string appeared? Was I only allowed to go a certain distance away from him?

And more importantly—I just passed through solid objects. The hell? Was I some kind of ghost in this world? It didn’t make sense because earlier, I could hold physical objects. I had helped arrange the room, after all.

What was going on?

I had no answers. Only more questions.

And what about the food I had just gathered? I dropped it somewhere close by. Maybe I could still retrieve it.

I stood up and headed toward the door, determined to get my basket back. But the moment I tried stepping outside, the red string emitted a burst of electricity.

A sharp jolt surged through my body, along with the same piercing chest pain from earlier. I stumbled back, clutching myself.

“What the hell?!” I gasped.

I tried again—only to be met with another painful shock.

No matter how many times I attempted to leave, the string reacted the same way, sending painful currents through me. It was as if an invisible force was keeping me trapped here, bound to Raquel’s side.

Frustrated and confused, I finally gave up and sat down on the floor.

I had no idea what else to do.

So, I decided to wait until Raquel woke up.