love in other world

Episode 5

Alex woke up and saw Ena lying next to him, blood trickling from her head. His heart raced, but he pushed his panic aside, focusing on what needed to be done. He grabbed Ena’s scarf from her bag and tied it around her head to stop the bleeding. "Get up, now," he urged, his voice sharp.

Ena slowly regained consciousness, and Alex’s gaze shifted to Oliver. His leg was sprained, and the two soldiers who had been with them were nowhere to be found. Without hesitation, Alex grabbed a piece of cloth and tied it around Oliver’s leg, propping him up against a tree. "Stay here," Alex told Ena. "I’ll go find the soldiers."

After searching for a while with no sign of the soldiers, Alex returned to find both Ena and Oliver asleep. He sighed, setting up a tent, gathering dry wood, and starting a fire. He cooked what little vegetables they had, woke them up, and served the food on leaves. Ana and Oliver thanked him, the warmth of the fire and food providing some comfort.

Once they were settled, Alex decided to sleep outside, keeping watch. He knew the dangers of the wild and needed to be alert in case any animals approached. Despite his injury, Oliver insisted on staying outside with him. "You’re more than just a friend, Alex," Oliver said. "I won’t leave you."

"Just sleep," Alex replied. "Your leg will be fine by tomorrow." But neither of them could sleep. Alex’s mind was restless.

"Where’s the locket?" Alex suddenly asked, breaking the silence. Oliver searched his pockets but didn’t find it. Panic flickered in Alex’s eyes. "How will we find the magician without it?"

Oliver’s face brightened. "It’s night. The locket will shine brighter in the dark. We won’t find it in the morning."

Determined, Alex stood. "Let’s go find it."

The two ventured deeper into the forest, but after hours of searching, they hadn’t found anything. Just as they were about to give up, Alex noticed something—a faint green light in the distance.

"There," Alex pointed, his voice low.

They hurried toward the light and arrived at a glowing lake. The water shimmered brightly, reflecting the locket beneath. Alex’s heart raced. He motioned for Oliver to stay behind. "I’ll go get it."

Without wasting any time, Alex dove into the water and swam down, retrieving the locket. He emerged, breathless but triumphant.

"We’ll check the lake tomorrow," Alex said, his voice steady. "Ena’s alone, and we can’t risk it tonight."

The two made their way back to camp. As they lay beneath the open sky, the smell of something delicious filled the air. Alex and Oliver exchanged confused glances. They were sure no one had been awake long enough to cook.

Ena appeared, a sly grin on her face. "Get up, how long are you going to sleep?" she teased, holding a pot of rabbit curry. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"How did you catch a rabbit?" he asked.

Ena shrugged casually. "I used to help a woman on her farm. Sometimes she’d ask me to catch a rabbit for dinner. It was easy enough."

Alex nodded. "But how’s Oliver’s leg?"

Oliver stretched, smiling. "It’s fine now."

After washing their faces, they sat down to eat. Ena served the food on large leaves, though she didn’t eat. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Aren’t you hungry?" he asked.

Ena blushed. "I ate already. I was starving."

Oliver laughed. "What’s there to be embarrassed about? Everyone’s hungry. You didn’t break any laws by eating first."

Ena smiled sheepishly. "I suppose you’re right."

As they ate, Alex couldn’t resist bringing up the previous night. "You missed quite the view, Ena," he said with a grin.

Ena’s face tightened. "What do you mean? We were together."

"No," Alex said. "We went out to find the locket. You were asleep."

"You left me alone?" Ena’s voice was laced with anger. "Both of you?"

Alex and Oliver quickly apologized, playfully grabbing her ears as a sign of regret. But Ena didn’t let them off the hook so easily.

"Fine," she said, finally relenting. "Now, tell me what happened."

Oliver had lost his locket on the way, so we decided to go back and look for it. As we walked, a faint light appeared in the distance. Curious, we followed it, and soon, we found ourselves standing by a lake. The water shimmered under the soft glow of the lost locket, casting a mesmerizing reflection.

Oliver’s eyes widened with wonder. “This view is really worth seeing,” he said, his voice filled with awe.

Alex nodded. “Yes,” she replied simply. But in her mind, she felt differently. She had seen countless lights before—city buildings glowing every night, streets illuminated with endless flickers. This wasn’t anything extraordinary to her.

She let out a small breath and said, “It doesn’t matter. What’s important is that we found the locket.”

Suddenly, Ena said, "Oh, that means the magician is in that lake!"

Alex and Oliver nodded. "Yes," Alex replied. "We will go back there after eating."

"Okay," Ena and Oliver agreed.

Ena sighed in relief. "Finally, he has found the magician. Now he will tell us."

But then, a thought crossed her mind. What if the magician never gave the mirror to Deni, and we are searching for him for no reason? She quickly shook her head. No, I shouldn’t think like this, nor should I tell them. Both of them are very excited. I don’t want to ruin their enthusiasm by saying anything.

Alex and Oliver finished their food, packed the necessary things, and started walking toward the lake.

As Ena walked, she started feeling tired. She sighed and said, "How much farther do we have to go? I got tired so quickly."

Alex looked at her with a grin and said, "I can carry you if you want."

Ena shook her head. "I’m not that tired that you need to carry me."

Alex chuckled. "I was just joking. You get annoyed so easily." Then he added, "Come on, let’s rest for a while."

The three of them sat under a big tree. Ena leaned against the trunk, closing her eyes for a moment. Alex handed her a bottle of water. "Here, drink some," he said.

Ena took a few sips and let out a relieved sigh. "I feel much better now. My throat was completely dry."

Alex and Oliver also drank some water. Then Alex turned to Ena and asked, "Your head isn't hurting too much, right?"

Ena shook her head. "No, it's fine."

After resting for a while, Ena stretched and said, "Alright, let’s go now. We need to reach on time."

Alex stood up. "Then let’s not waste time. Let’s go!"

After walking some distance, they finally reached the lake. Ena took a deep breath and smiled. "Finally! We made it!"

But then, she hesitated. "But... I don’t know how to swim."

Alex smirked. "Well, you’ve jumped into the water at least once before."

Ena quickly waved her hand. "That was different! Let’s forget about that."

Alex shrugged and said, "No problem. Oliver will stay with you, and I’ll go check out the lake."

Oliver sighed and said, "Why do I always have to stay behind?"

Alex laughed and walked toward the water, while Ena and Oliver stood at the edge, watching the gentle ripples on the lake's surface.

Oliver looked at Ena with curiosity in his eyes. "What do you think, Ena? Could a magician really live in the water? Do you think magic actually exists? If I were a magician, I could do anything without any trouble."

Ena smiled, her eyes shining with excitement. "That would be amazing! Just imagine how fun it would be."

Before they could continue, the water stirred suddenly, ripples spreading across the surface. A moment later, Alex emerged, his wet hair clinging to his forehead as he took a deep breath. Ena and Oliver exchanged glances before turning to him.

"What happened? What did you see?" Oliver asked eagerly.

Alex ran a hand through his damp hair and sighed. "I completely forgot to take the locket."

Realizing the mistake, Oliver quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out the locket, handing it over with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Alex. It was my fault."

Alex took the locket, shaking his head slightly. "It doesn't matter," he said calmly. Then, without hesitation, he inhaled deeply and dove back into the water, disappearing beneath the surface once more.