Chapter 1: Entering the realm
"We need a doctor!"
"His leg is badly injured!"
"Help him!"
That's what I remembered before I ended up in this hospital, now your probably wondering how we got into that situation. I am Justus Hawthorne. My friends are Rory, Ethan, Lily, and Bash. We are all living in as roommates, we were living a peaceful, yet boring life
That was until one day we Bash found something again. Yes. Again.
"Look what I found!" Bash exclaimed
"Now what is it?" I said, getting real sick of these "discoveries"
"It's an old spellbook! I think it's from the Native Americans" Bash said showing off his creation
"Well first of all, the Native Americans are used to being called Indians, that name's not insensitive. And second of all, HOW THE HECK DID YOU FIND A SPELLBOOK" I replied
"I don't know! but this looks like a good luck spell!" Bash points to a title in a language none of us knew
"Hey I don't think it's a good idea too-"
"Et vkouh vexj! jonx quo he unehtok fekpx!" Bash said the spell, afterwards a beam of light surrounded him
"WOAH BASH WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
"Hey what do you guys want for- OH JESUS!"
"Hey what's going o- SON OF A GUN!"
"BASH! STOP!"
We all tried to snap bash out of it, but light engulfed all of us, next thing we knew we were in the middle of this forest
"BASH WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?" I yelled
"I DONT KNOW! MY SPELLBOOK IS GONE!"
"LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE! NOW WE HAVE BEEN DRAGGED INTO A CONFLICT WE WOULDN'TVE ENDED UP IN BEFORE!"
Ethan butts in "This is gonna be like one of those isekai animes, where we end up in a new world, get some slaves- er- I mean- party members, and go around slaying monsters and saving some days. It's simple, yet magical"
Rory responds "Yeah... If we were in one of those animes we would've gotten overpowered off the bat"
"Well, uhhhh... IT'S A PARODY! Yeah! A parody of isekai where we don't get overpowered from the beginning!"
I join the conversation "Well where are all those waifus and lolis and stuff you anime fans worship like god?"
"They haven't showed up yet. but i do know how to survive with good reputations"
"But I don't give damn about those-"
"First! We need to only trust who is guaranteed to not betray us by framing us for a crime we didn't commit"
"Hmm, yeah that sounds plausible, we don't wanna be in a shield hero situation"
"Second! When we do get strong moves, DONT USE THEM NEAR IMPORTANT BULDINGS! That's vandalism and will get you sent to jail"
"Mmkay"
"And finally! Don't be a weirdo, sexual harassment exists"
"Yeah, we'll remember"
I look around my surroundings, the forest seemed alive with a symphony of sounds. Birds of vibrant plumage flitted between the branches, their melodious songs echoing through the air. I could hear the soft rustle of leaves as small creatures scurried along the forest floor, hidden from sight. I didn't notice all my friends running off
"Hey wait for me!" I exclaimed
We all ended up in a big clearing in the forest, there was a crossroads, with a sign in the middle pointing in different directions. The left one said "To Appleby". The right one said "To Norbury". The northeast one said "To Putlochry". The Northwest one said "To Atlanta"
"Let's go to Atlanta, I've been there before." I said as we started to walk towards Atlanta. We walked for a couple hours, by then it was around 8:30 PM. We decided to go stop at a nearby town for rest. But as we walked into the nearby town, something was... off.
"Guys i feel like we are being watched..." Rory said fearfully
"Yeah me too..." Ethan said
"I should've thrown the book out..." Bash said regretfully
We finally reached the town of Westbridge, were we finally found out the difference of this world and ours
"Wh- I- this- m- ge- oh- go- HUH!?!!?" I blurted, there were mythic creatures in the town
"SEE? I TOLD YOU THE WAIFUS DIDN'T SHOW UP YET! AND HERE THEY ARE!" Ethan yelled
"I don't know, they act kinda normal to me." Rory said
"Well... They have animal parts so I wouldn't hold my breath." I said
“Guys, let’s not panic,” I said, trying to calm the group. “Remember our rules of survival. We need to stay composed and observe our surroundings. We don’t want to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves.”
Lily, always the level-headed one, added, “We should find a place to rest for the night and gather more information about this world. Perhaps someone in the town can provide us with answers.”
As we made our way through the town of Westbridge, we couldn’t help but notice the seamless integration of mythic creatures and humans. Merfolk with shimmering tails were swimming in the fountains, while kemonomimi strolled the streets, their animal features eliciting both curiosity and familiarity. The lamia gracefully maneuvered through the crowd, their serpentine lower halves winding along the sidewalks.
We located a cozy café tucked away on a quiet corner of Westbridge, and it seemed like the perfect spot to gather our thoughts and seek some insights from the locals. As we entered, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee enveloped us, welcoming us into a warm and inviting atmosphere. The café was bustling with activity, a mix of humans and mythic creatures engaged in lively conversations over cups of steaming beverages.
We found an empty table near the window, allowing us to observe the vibrant street outside. Lily signaled the waitress, a cheerful harpy with beautifully feathered wings, and placed an order for a pot of tea. The waitress chirped happily and fluttered away, leaving us to contemplate the extraordinary situation we had found ourselves in.
“I must admit,” Rory said, his eyes scanning the café’s diverse clientele, “this place is much more accepting than I would’ve expected. It’s almost as if the existence of mythical creatures is perfectly normal here.”
Ethan nodded in agreement, sipping his tea thoughtfully. “It seems that this world has embraced coexistence in a way our own never could. It’s truly remarkable.”
"It's not as remarkable as you think."
An old man with a large beard and old army clothes walks in and introduced himself as Robert
"There is a hidden underground business trying to capture all these creatures and farm them, kill them, and traffic them for profit..."
"Oh that's not very nice" I said
"We have to stop them!" Bash said with an adventurous tone, I tried to steer him away from that thought "NO! What if the police think we are a part of the group when going undercover? We don't wanna end up in a frame-up situation."
"Awwww... okay..." Bash said, disappointed
We decided to book a nearby inn for the night, hoping to gather more information about the hidden criminal organization in the morning. The innkeeper, a friendly centaur named Gregory, welcomed us and assigned us rooms on the second floor.
As we settled into our rooms, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of excitement and trepidation. Our lives had taken an unexpected turn, and we found ourselves in a world filled with mythical creatures.
