Adam woke up groggily. Having every bone in his left arm broken from the recoil of a mysterious power he'd never used before would do that to a person. There was no way such a power came without a price, after all.
Still, he couldn't just lie there like a broken sack forever now, could he?
No—much as he wanted to keep lying there, especially now that the Orc was dead—he still had to get up.
With gentle, tired hesitation, he opened his eyes and was met with the sight of the green canopy overhead, leaves rustling softly above him. Apparently, he'd been dragged under a tree—most likely by Luna. Streaks of afternoon light filtered through the foliage, falling upon his sprawled-out form. His long golden hair fanned around him like a halo, the waist-length strands cushioning his delicate, injured frame.
He slowly propped himself up against the oaken trunk beneath which he'd been resting, its shade offering a quiet, cool reprieve. As his back came to rest against the bark, he idly noted something strange:
His left arm wasn't broken anymore.
It didn't hurt at all, despite the fact that he'd just used it to support himself while sitting up.
Wait a minute—
His left arm wasn't broken anymore!?
What? How!?
…Eh. He was too tired to think too hard about something he'd probably get an answer to from the elven girl sooner or later.
Speaking of which—where was she?
As the thought occurred to him, he tried to rise and search for her. It would be downright irresponsible to let her wander off alone. But just as he pushed himself up, a soft breeze brushed his face and the warm sunlight settled on him like a blanket. The combination of both elevated his laziness to royal levels. He slouched back down with a sigh.
Somehow, he just felt at peace—despite having fought for his life only hours ago. The sun wasn't even setting yet, which meant the battle hadn't been too long ago.
Then he heard voices—coming from the other side of the oak.
He tensed, blue eyes widening slightly, instincts still raw from the earlier fight. The tree's trunk was at least a meter in diameter, so he couldn't see who it was. Still, when one of the two voices spoke again, his now fully-awake ears—no longer dulled by sleep—recognized the speaker.
It was his young, elven... ward, perhaps?
That seemed like the most accurate word. Ward.
Adam nodded to himself, still half-drowsy, deciding the term was growing on him.
He strained his ears, trying to pick up on the second voice. He hoped to recognize it—if only to satisfy his own curiosity. Deep down, he knew he should've been more alert. A mysterious stranger talking to his newly declared ward in the middle of nowhere wasn't exactly a situation that screamed nap time.
But he just couldn't muster the urgency.
Maybe whatever healed him had a sedative effect. He'd count his lucky stars if that was the only side effect of the miracle that mended a completely shattered arm in mere hours. The fact that he could still recall events and reason through them at least confirmed there were no mental side effects.
He leaned his head back against the tree, pushing it deeper into the bark. Absentmindedly, his fingers began twirling a lock of golden hair around his right index finger—a habit of his whenever he was trying to focus.
And finally—finally—he caught the second voice.
It was one of the only two voices he recognized in this world. The first voice he'd ever heard upon arriving here. The one that had gushed over him and delivered a surprisingly motivational pep talk when he was completely lost.
He let out a breath of relief.
Well, that settled that. No need to worry.
Come to think of it, there was probably only one person who could've healed him this quickly. Luna had been completely drained after casting her spell earlier—or at least, that's what he assumed they were called in this world. All of it based on his knowledge of anime and video game knowledge, of course.
Honestly, he was a little embarrassed he hadn't figured it out earlier. He admitted that much to himself with a slight flush.
Then came a giggle—soft and airy, with a sparkle that somehow felt audible.
After all, who else could pull off a divine feat like healing every bone in a broken arm in under a few hours... except a literal goddess?
Yeah. He could rest easy, knowing Dea was with his new… ward.
God, he was really going to have to get used to that word, wasn't he?
In the meantime, though, he couldn't just lie there ignoring them completely, now could he?
So, with a heavy heart—and an even heavier body—he heaved himself up and spoke just loud enough to reach them from the other side of the tree.
"I'm awake…" Adam half-heartedly muttered, hoping deep down they didn't hear him—just so he could have an excuse to slack off a little longer.
Alas, fate wasn't about to be that kind to him.
No—rather, now that he thought about it, fate was kind of a jerk.
So, as the two heard him speak, they naturally walked around the tree to him.
"Ah, Adam. Good to see you awake. I see you didn't die! Good job~" Dea said with a giggle, clearly relieved that he was, in fact, okay. Sparkles accompanied her words, which kind of ticked Adam off.
Luna, however, was far more open in showing her relief, having witnessed the absolute clobbering he'd taken.
"Good to see you're alright, Saviour-sama. You really are the epitome of stupidity, though, honestly. What kind of idiot tries to sacrifice himself for someone he literally just met?" Luna said, her voice filled with teasing, clear relief, a hint of gratefulness, and evident admiration and respect. After all, what twelve-year-old—elf or not—wouldn't respect someone who'd just saved their life?
Adam, on the other hand, was slightly surprised. He didn't think he'd done enough to warrant being called a saviour, let alone '-sama.' As a matter of fact, why were there even traditionally respectful Japanese suffixes in a foreign world?
So, he asked.
"Saviour-sama?"
"Well, yeah," Luna replied bluntly. Even if he'd saved her life, she wasn't about to suddenly become some obedient child, now was she?
"You did save my life, after all. Thus, the epithet of Saviour-sama seems appropriate for the present situation, no?" she said, clearly pleased with how mature she sounded.
Adam thought it was kind of adorable, honestly. She obviously wanted to be seen as older and more mature than she actually was, judging by her choice of big words—and she looked so smug about it, too.
But he wasn't having it.
"None of that 'Saviour-sama' stuff. I have a name, and you're gonna use it," Adam said, a faint irk mark practically popping on his head. He wasn't about to let a kid call him '-sama.' It made him feel old. And besides, children should be children, dammit!
So, he flicked Luna's forehead as he said it, hoping to shatter the mature façade she was putting on—a façade that definitely hadn't been there when she was sulking alone on the rock before.
As his finger collided with her forehead, the polite act vanished. Her head jerked slightly backward from the flick, and she responded exactly as a twelve-year-old should.
Namely, by yelling.
"Hey, what the hell was that about!? I spent all this time thinking up polite words to show my gratitude, and you flick me in the forehead!? Yeah, you're right, you don't deserve to be called Sama! You're just Adam. Just that!" she huffed, rubbing the now-red spot on her forehead and sticking her tongue out at him.
Now this Adam could deal with.
So, he laughed.
"God, the gap moe between now and earlier is killing me," he wheezed between ragged breaths. Watching him laugh, Luna's stoic pout cracked, and she broke into giggles too, plopping down next to him and continuing to laugh.
And in the back of her mind, her curiosity piqued again. There it was—God. Singular. She really had to ask which god he served, the one who refused to acknowledge others. But for now, she simply laughed along with him.
"Speaking of which, the strange lady that healed you and who we've both been ignoring is still just looking. And she seems strangely happy for some reason." Luna said as both of their laughter died down a little.
Adam perked a bit. Oh yeah, Dea was still here wasn't she!
Adam blinked, turning his attention to Dea—who stood there practically vibrating with excitement, hands clasped under her chin, eyes sparkling with barely-contained glee.
"Eeeee~!" she squealed, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. "Adam, you woke up!! And you look so heroic right now, with the sun catching your hair like that and your stoic 'tired but still enduring' expression—oh my gosh I could die!"
Adam froze, mouth hanging slightly open.
"Uh… Dea? You… okay?" he asked, glancing nervously at Luna, who merely shrugged in confusion.
Dea ignored the question, taking a step closer with stars practically bursting around her head. "You were amazing earlier, you know! Taking down that Orc with that risky move, even though your arm completely shattered—so reckless, so tragic, so cool! I knew you were special the moment I saw you, but this—this just confirms it!!"
She clapped her hands together, eyes misting slightly. "My champion… my beautiful, golden-haired Adam… how are you real!?"
Adam turned bright red, sputtering incoherently.
"Wha—would you stop… worshipping me like that?! You're literally a goddess!" he protested, waving his uninjured arm frantically.
That, however, immediately caught Luna's attention.
"Goddess? This woman?" she asked incredulously, pointing at Dea with an unimpressed stare. "Are you sure you didn't get brain damage from the Orc or something?"
Dea let out an exaggerated gasp, clutching her chest in mock offense. "Luna! How rude! Of course I'm a goddess! Look—sparkles, ethereal glow, miraculous healing—check, check, check!" She wiggled her fingers, sending a brief shower of golden sparkles swirling around her head for dramatic effect.
Luna's brow twitched. "That… proves nothing," she deadpanned. "For all I know, you're just a weird magic user who's obsessed with this idiot."
Dea's eyes went wide, mouth falling open. "Obsessed?! I—I am not obsessed!" she cried, cheeks turning faintly pink. Then she paused, tilted her head, and added softly, "Well… maybe a tiny bit… but in a dignified, goddess-like way!"
Adam buried his face in his hand again, groaning. "Oh god… this is so embarrassing…"
Luna crossed her arms and leaned in toward Dea, studying her suspiciously. "So… if you're really a goddess, prove it. Heal all his wounds—he still has bruises everywhere. And… What's your domain anyway? Goddess of what? Acting like an idiot?"
Dea puffed out her cheeks, glaring at Luna. "I'll have you know, I'm the goddess of miraclesand fortune—really, I'm quite versatile!"
Luna rolled her eyes. "Sounds fake."
Dea bristled. "It's not fake! Ugh, fine—here, watch."
She gently tapped Adam's shoulder, and instantly, the lingering aches and deep muscle bruises he hadn't even noticed began to vanish, warmth spreading from the point of contact. Adam's eyes went wide.
"Ah… okay, that… actually feels amazing," he muttered, flexing his arm experimentally. He could practically feel the fatigue leaving him, like he'd just woken from a ten-hour nap.
Dea beamed triumphantly. "See?! Goddess magic~!"
Luna scowled. "Tch. Fine… maybe you are some kind of weird divine being. Doesn't mean you're not obsessed."
Dea shot her a glare. "I prefer the term devoted, thank you very much!" Then she turned back to Adam, leaning in way too close, eyes sparkling again. "And honestly, can you blame me? You're so brave, so cool… the way you fought that Orc, even though your arm was completely shattered… it was tragic and heroic and so beautiful…"
"Dea…" Adam warned, face bright red.
"…and then you just collapsed under the tree, blood soaking into your hair, looking like a fallen angel—"
"Dea!" Adam nearly yelled, mortified.
Luna sighed. "Gods, just marry him already and spare us the torture."
Dea's eyes sparkled even brighter. "Really!? Do you think he'd accept—"
"No," Adam interjected immediately.
Dea pouted. "Aww…"
Adam let out a shaky sigh, glaring half-heartedly at both of them. "Okay. Enough. Let's just… move on to another topic, alright? We can figure out the… divine fangirling… later."
Dea huffed but nodded, practically floating beside him, while Luna rolled her eyes again, muttering, "Unbelievable…"
"You know I was keeping an eye on her while you passed out, thinking she was up to something shady. But then you woke up and as I was about to ask you about her and then you dropped this bombshell on me. I mean really, a goddess?. Well that definitely validates my paladin theory", Luna says with a huff, clearly still unimpressed by Dea's divinity. Honestly, in her mind, maybe the divine weren't all they were cracked up to be now that she was looking at Dea.
"Paladin theory?" Adam asked with a curious glint in his eyes.
"Dude, you literally have a goddess healing your injuries. If you're not a Paladin then there hasn't ever been one." Luna rebuked cheekily.
"Fair", Adam replied.
"It's a bit more nuanced than that. While I have given him blessings, he isn't technically my paladin. I just gave some to him because I like him." Dea said, clarifying a bit.
"Definitely obsessed". Luna quipped.
"God, help me," Adam muttered, slapping his right hand to his forehead. He was still hesitant about touching the left, despite its miraculous healing.
"Already did~!" Dea chirped, flashing a brilliant smile that sparkled far too cheerfully for Adam's current mood.
Adam groaned, dragging his hand down his face. Luna let out an exaggerated sigh beside him, clearly sharing his pain.
"Ward, you have my permission to roast her into oblivion if she makes another joke like that," Adam said flatly, glaring at Dea out of the corner of his eye.
"Don't call me that," Luna snapped, crossing her arms. Then she glanced at Dea, eyes narrowing. "But… fine. I'll do it. For everyone's sanity."
Dea puffed her cheeks out, pouting theatrically. "Don't gang up on me, you meanies~! I worked really hard healing that whiny golden-haired lump you call a saviour, you know!"
Adam let out a strangled noise, pointing accusingly at her. "Whiny!? I nearly died!"
Dea leaned in, grin widening. "But you didn't~ thanks to me~!"
Luna buried her face in her hands. "I already regret agreeing to this."
"Get used to it," Adam said, shoulders slumping. "She's impossible."
Dea just giggled, twirling a glowing lock of hair around her finger as golden sparkles drifted lazily into the air. "Impossible? Maybe. Adorable? Definitely."
"God help me…" Adam muttered again, to which Dea only gave a finger-gun wink. "Already did—twice now!"
"Okay, that's it," Luna grumbled, cracking her knuckles. "Next time, I'm not holding back."
"Bring it on, pointy-ears~!" Dea teased, fluttering her fingers with mock menace.
Adam buried his face in his hands again, letting out a groan that could've been mistaken for a death rattle.
"God—nope, never mind, didn't say that word!" Adam blurted, quickly slapping a hand over his mouth. He let out a shaky breath. "Anyway… let's just move on, alright? Before you vanished, weren't you going to explain this world's power system?"
He said it so casually that Luna blinked, head tilting slightly.
"…Did you just say 'this world'?" she asked, an eyebrow arching—then twitching, like it was struggling to stay arched at a dignified angle.
Adam shrugged. "Yeah? I'm not from here. Thought that was obvious by now."
There was a long pause.
Luna stared at him, frozen. Her lips parted slightly, eyes narrowing, widening, then narrowing again—like she was trying to calibrate her internal maturity levels in real time.
"…You're not from here," she echoed slowly, voice unusually high-pitched. She cleared her throat and tried again, crossing her arms. "Right. Of course. You're from another world. Naturally."
Adam frowned. "That's it? No screaming? No panic?"
Luna didn't answer at first. Her mouth opened like she might say something—then she clamped it shut. Then opened it again.
"…Y-you already fight monsters twice your size with glowing hair," she finally said, faltering only slightly. "Being from another world just… barely cracks the top five weird things you've done so far."
But her voice cracked on "barely," and her foot tapped the ground in a little jittery pattern.
Adam gave her a look. "That sounded kinda like panic."
"I am very calm, thank you," Luna snapped, then winced, realizing how snappy that sounded. She coughed, attempting to regain her composure. "Totally unshocked. Just… absorbing data. Like a mature person would."
But Dea looked like she'd just been struck by lightning. Her mouth fell open, eyes huge, sparkles flickering around her as if she'd lost control of them.
"You… you just said that—out loud?! To her?!" she sputtered, voice rising in pitch. "Adam—do you even realize what you're doing?! You… you can't just—just tell people you're from another world! That's—mortals don't—you—oh gods!"
She began wringing her hands, pacing in tiny, frantic circles. "This is… this is divine-level information! Adam! You can't just—oh no oh no oh no…"
Adam frowned at her, unimpressed. "What, you want me to keep lying forever?"
Dea froze, pointing a trembling finger at Luna. "She—she could… I don't know… tell someone! There are rules—sort of—divine boundaries—Adam!!"
Luna blinked, glancing between them.
"…A-am I supposed to be shocked by this?" she asked, voice wobbling just enough to betray her inner chaos. "Because you're both making it sound like I should be shocked."
Dea nearly wailed, hands flying to her head. "YES!! This is… this is cosmic-level information! You can't just… announce it like you're commenting on the weather!"
Adam rubbed his temples. "Well… too late. Luna, I'm from another world. Dea, chill out before you explode. Besides… you technically never said I wasn't supposed to tell anyone."
Dea spluttered, sparkles flickering around her in frantic bursts. "That's… that's… implied! Divine secrets are… supposed to be secret!"
"If it matters, I won't tell or talk about it to anyone Adam hasn't already told," Luna interjected, though her voice was slightly strained—like her mouth was moving on autopilot while her brain spun in circles.
Dea paused mid-panic, blinking at her. "You… you promise?" she asked, voice trembling slightly, sparks dimming as she tried to steady herself.
Luna shrugged stiffly, arms folded. "Yeah. I don't exactly have a list of people to gossip with in the middle of monster-infested nowhere. Besides… if it's that important, I can keep my mouth shut."
She said it with a dignified tone, chin raised. But her ears were twitching.
Dea let out a shaky breath, shoulders sagging. "Oh… thank the stars…"
Adam sighed, rubbing his temples again. "See? Crisis averted. Now can we please move on?"
Dea huffed, glaring at him with a mixture of lingering panic and exasperation. "You're lucky she's level-headed… reckless mortal…"
Luna smirked faintly—though her voice was still a little tight. "Yeah, yeah. Divine tantrum over. Now… power system talk, right?"
Dea puffed her cheeks. "It's not a tantrum, it's… cosmic-level crisis management…"
Adam rolled his eyes. "Semantics. Just… start explaining already."
Dea sighed, glancing between them. "Fine… but you'd better pay attention this time. Both of you."
Inside though, Luna's brain was in overdrive. Her thoughts were shrieking, racing like sugar-fed gremlins.
Another world?
'That's fine. That's fine. If Dea is a goddess, then theoretically, that could happen,' she justified internally, clinging to logic like a safety blanket.
Don't scream. Don't sparkle. Don't look amazed. Be cool, be mature, you are twelve and a half years old now—
And even as Dea launched into the lecture, Luna sat as still and proper as she could… while mentally kicking her legs under the metaphorical table and whisper-screaming "OHMYGODS HE'S FROM ANOTHER WORLD!?"