Just a moment ago,
I was in a quiet café, savoring that rarest of luxuries—a peaceful morning.
The hum of low conversations, the gentle clink of cutlery, and the soft jazz murmuring from overhead speakers created a cocoon of calm. My book—some obscure fantasy novel with far too many apostrophes and not enough commas—lay open in front of me. A cup of steaming tea fogged my glasses every time I leaned in too close.
Outside the café window, life moved on in its usual, frantic rhythm. People bustled past in coats and scarves, coffees in hand, their eyes glued to their devices as if doom would strike the moment they looked up. But not me.
Not today.
This—this was my moment.
No deadlines. No Zoom calls. Just silence, tea, and imaginary dragons.
I took a slow sip, letting the steam warm my lips. I turned the page. A group of high schoolers passed by, laughing about something I'd already forgotten how to laugh at. So young. So stupidly full of dreams. Once, that had been me.
Now I was in my mid-twenties. Not ancient. Just… old enough to feel the weight of work emails and back pain from the office chair I swore I'd replace six months ago.
Maybe things wouldn't feel this hollow if I had someone waiting at home.
I sighed. My thoughts wandered too much these days.
I shook my head and tried to lose myself back in the book. The main character had just drawn his sword when—
A flash.
Blinding. Sudden. Violent.
Like someone shoved a flashlight directly into my retinas. I shut my eyes tight.
"What the hell—?"
When I opened them again…
There was no café.
No book.
No tea.
No window.
No jazz.
Just… white.
Endless, blinding white.
I stumbled backward instinctively, but the floor—if it could even be called that—was solid. Around me, enormous golden pillars floated in the void like pieces of some divine architecture museum. They shimmered faintly, suspended in the whiteness without rhyme or reason.
I blinked. Once. Twice.
"This is…"
My voice sounded strange. Small. Like it didn't belong in this space.
Wait. Waitwaitwaitwait—
No way. No way this is happening. This is some kind of isekai setup, isn't it? The kind with gods and chosen heroes and destiny and—
No. I did NOT die reading about dragons in a damn café. I refuse.
Just as I was about to have a full-on identity crisis, a voice descended from above. Calm. Motherly. Not loud, yet it echoed like a lullaby inside my bones.
"No need to worry, child."
I turned, and my jaw nearly dislocated.
Descending from the light was a woman. No… not a woman. Something more. Something other.
Her silver hair floated behind her like ribbons of moonlight caught underwater. Her gown shimmered with green and gold like it had been stitched together from dragon scales. Ember-hued eyes radiated warmth and power all at once—eyes that glowed even brighter than the void around us.
Yep.
Totally a goddess.
Without thinking, I dropped to one knee and bowed my head.
"My lady… if I may… Could you please explain what's happening?" I asked, trying my best to sound polite. Okay. Play it cool, Kaito. Pretend you watched enough anime to not screw this up.
Her voice was gentle. But her words?
"If you're worried about your demise, rest assured—you are not dead. You were summoned here to fulfill a divine request. A request no one else is capable of completing."
I blinked. Slowly. "A divine… request?"
She must be joking. This is a mistake. I don't even do overtime voluntarily.
"I'm just a regular guy," I protested. "An office drone. I can't even win a badminton match without wheezing. What could I possibly do for a goddess like you?"
At that, her smile faded.
Suddenly, she didn't look so radiant. She looked… concerned.
This was not the face of a divine being who had everything under control.
"What I was told… is that you are a great swordsman," she said slowly, voice trembling ever so slightly. "Sir Kaito. Chosen hero of the Seventh Flame."
My brain short-circuited.
"…I'm sorry, what?"
Great swordsman? Lady, I can't even hold a pen for more than thirty minutes without needing a wrist brace.
I was about to open my mouth to explain that I was probably not that Kaito, when another voice rang out. This one younger, and much more panicked.
"My lady, the fault lies with me!"
Another woman appeared—much younger than the goddess. She wore a plain white robe and looked like someone had caught her red-handed in the middle of a magical crime. Her eyes were wide, her face pale.
"What are you talking about, Akaya?" the goddess asked, her tone sharpening.
The girl bowed so low I thought she'd fold in half.
"I was preparing the summoning circle for Sir Kaito of the Flameblade Order. But I—" she winced "—accidentally pulled this human instead. He's… an Earthling."
The word Earthling made the goddess's expression go whiter than the void we were standing in.
I blinked. Again.
Why do I feel like I just became someone's delivery mistake?
"Excuse me?" I said, raising a hand like a kid in class. "I hate to interrupt your cosmic HR meeting, but can I please be sent back now? I have a meeting at noon and I'm already out of sick days."
The goddess looked at me, her expression torn between pity and regret.
"Unfortunately, that may not be possible," she said. "The Earth is… beyond my jurisdiction. The summoning circle was imperfect. And once it activated, the gateway closed."
Her voice softened.
"I'm truly sorry. There is… no known way to return you to your world."
For a few seconds, I just stood there. Silent.
Then I slowly, quietly sat down on the white, glowing floor.
And held my head in my hands.
This cannot be happening.
I was sipping tea.
Reading about fictional heroes.
And now I'm the wrong guy in a cosmic screw-up fantasy that I didn't sign up for.
***
Suddenly, more people appeared—each dressed in the same simple robes as Akaya. They looked tense, whispering among themselves while occasionally glancing my way like I was a particularly complicated math problem they didn't want to solve.
I just sat there. On the glowing floor. Alone with my thoughts and zero comfort from the robed panic committee.
Cool. Guess I'm the human equivalent of a summoning circle typo.
Seriously, how does someone even mess up a summoning circle?
Eventually, one by one, the others vanished. No doors. No exits. They just... disappeared, leaving me alone with the goddess once more.
"I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience Priestess Akaya has caused you," she said, back to full divine composure.
Inconvenience? That was an understatement. I wasn't just misplaced—I was permanently yeeted from Earth via magical fumble. With no return ticket.
She continued, "While it's unfortunate that I cannot return you to your world, we have done what we can to make amends—if you're willing to hear me out."
"Yes, please… whatever you can do." I tried to keep my tone neutral, even if hope was in short supply. It's like getting on a flight and halfway through the pilot says both engines gave out and your best bet is to pray and not scream too loud.
"I'm glad you understand our situation," she said, visibly relieved. "To begin with, I am the Dragon Goddess Aurelya. I have partial or full jurisdiction over approximately fifty different worlds. You may choose from among them, and once you've made your selection, I will conduct an appraisal of your natural talents. Based on that, I will grant you a blessing suited to your abilities. It's the least I can do."
She looked genuinely embarrassed. Poor goddess. I mean, it's not like she personally fumbled the ritual.
At least I was getting some say in where I ended up. That was something.
Akaya returned a moment later, carrying a massive, leather-bound tome that looked like it weighed more than her. She handed it to me with trembling hands, then gracefully summoned a study desk and chair from thin air. I stared wide-eyed as the furniture materialized—though, to be honest, nothing surprised me anymore at this point.
She bowed deeply to Aurelya, then quietly slipped away.
I looked down at the book in my hands. "Can I take some time to go through this?" I asked.
"Of course," Aurelya said. "This is an important decision. Take all the time you need. Just summon me when you're ready." She smiled gently—and vanished in a golden flash.
And then… it was just me.
Alone in a glowing void, skimming through what was essentially a divine travel brochure.
The text was in a strange language, yet I could understand every word. Okay, weird flex, brain, but I'll take it.
The worlds listed inside ranged from standard fantasy to full-blown apocalypse fuel. I skipped anything that included phrases like "eternal blood wars," "mandatory trials of agony," or "devoured by ancient sky serpents."
Eventually, one entry caught my eye:
Aurethria.
A world where Goddess Aurelya was actively worshipped in a human nation called Elarwyn. No immediate red flags. No "cursed by fire" nonsense. Just… magic, peace, and fantasy races.
Elves. That alone was tempting. I may or may not have imagined a certain pointy-eared girl in flowing robes.
The world had dwarves too. Beastkin. Monsters, of course—but most dangerous ones lived far off in an untamed land called Vel'Kharan. Good to know what to avoid.
Magic was the backbone of society. It fueled everything—combat, construction, even daily tasks. But what really intrigued me was how magic worked.
You didn't just use magic. You studied it.
Scrolls. Ancient scrolls had to be deciphered and fully understood before a spell could be learned.
Finally. A system where being a nerd pays off.
Yeah… this was the one. If I couldn't go back to Earth, then Aurethria sounded like the next best thing.
Only one catch: Aurelya didn't have full authority over that world. Other gods ruled other regions. So there was a small chance this request would get denied.
Still, I'd made up my mind.
I looked up—no idea where I was supposed to look—and called out softly, "Lady Aurelya?"
A flash of golden light. She appeared again, as gracefully as she had vanished.
"So, you've made your decision?"
I nodded. "Yes. If possible, I'd like to go to Aurethria."
Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "A fine choice. But before I can send you there, I need to appraise your abilities to determine a proper blessing."
She stepped closer and extended her hand toward me. Her eyes glowed briefly, scanning me like some divine MRI machine.
Then she blinked. Once. Twice.
"Interesting…" she murmured. "I've never seen a soul quite like yours."
My stomach dropped. "Is something wrong? Please don't say something's wrong."
"No, no," she assured me. "Just… unexpected. While most of your attributes are, well… below average, your intelligence is off the charts."
Well… guess years of books, trivia nights, and Wikipedia rabbit holes finally paid off. Sucks that everything else about me screamed 'liability,' though.
She smiled, a little more confident now. "But I believe I know just the blessing to suit you."
She stepped forward, placing her hand gently on my head. Her touch was warm—comforting, even.
"I, the Dragon Goddess Aurelya, bearer of the First Flame, bestow upon you the blessing: Scholar's Insight. May it guide you, Sir Kaito, and aid not only your growth, but the good of the world around you."
Light surged through me—bright and overwhelming, yet not painful. I could feel something settling in my mind, like a door unlocking inside my brain.
When she lifted her hand, I bowed deeply. "Thank you… for the blessing. And for the second chance."
She looked almost bashful. "Please, don't thank me. I can never truly make up for what was lost. But I'll do everything I can to ease your journey. As a small adjustment, I'll restore you to the body of a sixteen-year-old. And with Scholar's Insight, you'll be able to understand any language in Aurethria—written or spoken—and decipher the true meaning behind every word."
A blessing made for a bookworm. In a world where scrolls are the keys to power? Yeah, that might just work.
Also… being sixteen again? Not gonna lie, that sounded pretty great.
"Once you're ready," she said softly, "I will send you to the outskirts of a safe town in Elarwyn."
I gave a nod. "I'm ready whenever you are."
"Very well. Then brace yourself."
She closed her eyes. A magic circle appeared beneath my feet, glowing a vibrant green. As the light enveloped me, she gave me one last instruction:
"You must never speak of this meeting. Nor of your origins. And while I cannot interfere in the affairs of Aurethria… you may visit any temple built in my name should you ever need guidance."
"I understand. And… thank you. For everything."
She smiled, radiant and gentle, as the light consumed me.
Then—just like that—
I felt solid ground beneath my feet.
Grass.
I opened my eyes.
I was standing in the middle of a field.
Alone.
Trees swayed in the breeze. Birds chirped in the distance. A gentle sun warmed my skin.
No glowing void.
No goddess.
Just a brand-new world…
…waiting for the wrong guy to make something out of a cosmic mistake.