Aresando didn't turn around immediately, but a knot twisted in his stomach. The guard… what did they want? And why were they watching him?
"Jade," he said, his voice more serious now. "Let's go sit somewhere. I think we need to talk."
She nodded, her ears dipping slightly, sensing his mood. She quickly led him toward a nearby inn: an elegant building of stone and pale wood, with wide windows and a terrace overlooking the plaza.
"The Silver Siren" read the sign, adorned with an engraving of a mermaid raising a goblet.
Without wasting time, they climbed to the first floor and took a seat on one of the small balconies, beneath a trellis draped in wisteria. From there, the plaza was visible but far enough to offer some privacy.
A waiter — a young man with short faun-like horns — quickly brought two glasses of water and a tray of small spiced pastries.
Aresando rested his elbows on the table, his thoughts still on the guard.
"Okay," he began in a low voice. "Jade, you know the royal guards better than I do. If one of them is watching me… what does that mean?"
Jade, who had been quiet until now, bit her lower lip. "It could mean a lot of things," she admitted. "But the guard you saw wasn't just a regular recruit. That armor was decorated… high rank. Maybe an officer."
Aresando sighed and leaned back in his chair.
"Remember what Valkirya said," Jade continued, her voice softer now. "In this world, someone who appears out of nowhere could be seen as a threat… or as a savior. It depends on who notices you first."
He nodded slowly, but all the while, his fingers absentmindedly played with something in his pocket.
Without much thought, he pulled out the mysterious coin. Jade didn't pay attention to the object, her golden eyes still focused on him, worried.
Aresando began to flip the coin between his fingers, trying to ease his nerves. He tossed it lightly into the air, catching it again. With a smoother motion, he spun it quickly between his fingers, a small dexterity trick.
There was no flash of light, no sound.
He simply… vanished.
In the blink of an eye, Aresando was no longer there.
Jade froze, her eyes wide. "Aresando?!"
But he didn't answer.
He was gone.
________
"where did it go!?" Jade said shocked
Apparently she was the only one to witness the scene since it literally lasted the blink of an eye.
At a certain point you can hear the door on the ground floor opening with exaggerated power.
"JADE , ARESANDO ARE YOU HERE!?"
Valkirya's voice was full of concern.
"Yes I'm here," Jade said waving her hand.
Valkirya leaps to the first floor.
" I thought you were lost but luckily you're goo-"Valkirya said before noticing Aresando's absence.
"WHERE? WHERE DID HE GO!?" she said worried.
Jade explained what happened with concern and fear.
"I see... After all, the magic of the Coin is unknown, apparently he discovered how it works, namely it is a portal." Said Valkirya calmly.
"Aren't you worried that he might get hurt?" Jade says with concern.
"naaa trust me, he'll definitely be fine, the only problem is that if he comes back, where will he come back...?"
"You say there's a chance he might never come back?" Jade says sadly, putting her tail between her legs.
The bartender hands Valkirya a drink.
"After all, from what I can understand, there is none of that in his world. I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to have a quieter life there..." Valkirya says, sipping her drink.
"I hope he comes back..." Jade said with a melancholic tone, even though they've been together for less than 2 hours, she already misses him.
________
Slowly Aresando opens his eyes, he was lying on the floor of his grandfather's garage, he felt the cold floor and the coin Still in his hands.
"ahhh my head hurts"
"i suspected that this coin had something more to show, but I never expected a portable portal or at least at this point I expect it to also become a bike."
Aresando blinked hard as his eyes adjusted to the dim, dust-filled light of the garage. The faint scent of old oil and aged wood curled in the air. For a moment, he sat still, the cool weight of the coin pressing into his palm—its edges strangely warm, as if it held a memory of where he had just been.
He rose slowly, brushing off his coat, and took a long look around. The garage was cluttered but meticulously organized. Wooden crates lined the walls, shelves brimmed with weathered tomes, strange metallic artifacts, and tools whose purpose he couldn't begin to guess. In the far corner, under a faded canvas tarp, something large and glimmering peeked through.
Instinctively, he flicked the coin between his fingers again, feeling the pulse of energy hum faintly through his skin. It was subtle, but it was there—a whisper from the other world. Here, inside this garage, the connection lingered. The magic from that realm seeped faintly into this space, as though the walls themselves remembered.
He stepped toward a wooden workbench. Laid out carefully was an assortment of items: faded maps of lands he did not recognize, letters in an unfamiliar hand, and—most curious of all—a worn, leather-bound journal. On its cover was the same symbol etched into the coin.
His chest tightened. He flipped the journal open. The first page, in deliberate, precise handwriting, read:
"To whoever finds this: if you're holding the coin, you carry the burden now. My name is Renaldo, and I was once the Guardian of the Veil. If you are my blood, then everything here is yours to understand and protect."
Renaldo. His grandfather's name.
Aresando's breath caught. His pulse quickened as the weight of it settled on him. The coin spun slowly on the table, as if stirred by invisible fingers. When it finally stilled, its gleam seemed deeper, darker—and far more dangerous.
He wasn't just an accidental traveler.
He had inherited a legacy.
Aresando was still flipping through Renaldo's journal when a dull thud made his heart jump. One of the old shelves tilted slightly, and from a precarious stack, a book tumbled down, smacking the floor with a loud, echoing slap.
"Oh, shi—" he muttered, pressing a hand to his chest to steady himself.
He bent down and picked it up. The cover was thick, dark green, edged with worn golden filigree. The title, engraved in elegant but slightly eccentric script, read:
"The Practical Guide to Solarnis — Travel, Adventure, and How Not to Get Yourself Killed"
Aresando raised an eyebrow. "Well, at least they're honest."
He flipped it open. The first page exploded with color — a vibrant map of Solarnis, the very realm where just hours ago he'd nearly been skewered by an overly enthusiastic guard. Weird markers and scribbled notes were scattered across the map: a tavern labeled "Beer's decent here (probably)", a castle marked "Don't enter without pants",
"Ok I understand that my grandfather was an idiot.."
And — more importantly — a surprisingly accurate caricature of Valkyria, a woman wielding a sword almost as big as she was. Next to it, in careful handwriting: "Valkyria, Swordswoman,Don't piss her off. Ever."
Aresando smirked. "Ah, Valkyria… I can already imagine that when I get back she'll beat me up..."
As he flipped to the next page, something shifted. The paper shimmered slightly, and from the edges, glowing symbols began to write themselves. A new section blinked into existence:
"ACTIVE PORTALS — Status: 1 available (Renaldo's Garage)"
His eyes widened.
"Wait… don't tell me this dusty closet is an actual working portal?"
As if answering him, the coin in his hand vibrated softly. Behind the workbench, a thin slit of light tore through the air — a crack between worlds. Small as a window, but just enough to peek through: the blue rooftops of Solarnis, rippled skies… and someone waving their arms frantically.
Valkyria
And judging by the way she was glaring, she wasn't exactly thrilled.
"Oh, no… not again."
Yet despite himself, a crooked grin spread across his face.
Maybe today was about to get way more interesting..