Chapter 1: The Day I Was Spirited Away (And Blamed a Book)
The day I fell into a fantasy world, I was running away from my responsibilities.
Which, in my defense, included:
A failed presentation
A phone with 2% battery
A mysterious book that would not stop glowing
Normal people would panic.
I did panic.
For exactly three seconds.
Then I tripped.
And landed on him.
“Oof—WHO ARE YOU AND WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING ME?” the stranger yelled.
“I could ask you the same thing!” I shouted back, scrambling up. “You appeared out of nowhere!”
“I was standing here peacefully!” he said. “YOU fell from the sky!”
We both paused.
“…Did you just say sky?” I asked.
“Yes?”
I looked up.
There was no sky.
There were three moons, a floating bridge, and a dragon-shaped cloud that looked judgmental.
I screamed.
He screamed louder.
The ground trembled.
“Great,” he said. “You activated it.”
“Activated WHAT?”
“The portal,” he replied. “Also probably the curse.”
I blinked. “Why is there always a curse?”
His name was Rayan—which he announced dramatically, like I was supposed to clap.
Apparently, he was a reluctant guardian, which meant:
He didn’t want the job
He was bad at it
And now he was stuck with me
“I didn’t summon you,” he said suspiciously.
“I didn’t WANT to come,” I snapped. “I was trying to escape Excel sheets.”
We stared at each other.
Then the glowing book in my hand snapped shut on its own.
A deep voice echoed from nowhere and everywhere:
“The Bond is sealed.”
Rayan went pale.
“Oh no,” he whispered.
“What?” I demanded.
“You’re tied to me now.”
“TIED HOW?”
“Magically. Emotionally. Possibly romantically.”
I choked. “EXCUSE ME?”
Before he could explain, arrows whizzed past us—missing my head by exactly one panic attack.
“RUN,” he yelled.
“WHY IS EVERYONE SHOOTING AT ME?”
“Because you’re glowing!”
“I AM HAVING A VERY BAD DAY!”
We ran through glowing streets, laughing and screaming like idiots while hooded figures chased us.
Between breaths, Rayan said, “You know, most chosen ones are braver.”
“I AM BRAVE,” I yelled. “I JUST SCREAM LOUDLY!”
We ducked into an alley where the walls whispered secrets and the shadows moved on their own.
My heart was racing.
Not just from fear.
He looked at me—hair messy, eyes bright, smile nervous.
“This is dangerous,” he said quietly. “Staying with me could get you killed.”
I swallowed. “Funny. Leaving you feels worse.”
For a moment, the world held its breath.
Then the ground shook again.
“Bad news,” Rayan said cheerfully. “They found us.”
“Good news?” I asked.
“There is no good news.”
And that’s how I learned three things in one day:
Magic is real
Someone wants me dead
I might be falling for the most annoying man in two worlds
