Your mornings are simple, the kind that do not require much thought because everything falls into place on its own. You wake up, take a moment to gather yourself, then get dressed and make your way down the hallway.

There are already sounds coming from the kitchen by the time you arrive. The quiet rhythm of someone preparing breakfast, steady and familiar.

When you step inside, your mother is by the stove. She turns when she hears you and smiles, her expression warm and joyful.

“Good morning.”

She sets a plate in front of you without asking. You sit down, as you always do.

“I made your favorite! It’s a special day!”

Your father is already there, relaxed, finishing his drink. He looks up when you arrive, nods slightly, and speaks with a huge grin.

“It is. I’ve been chosen as the Emperor’s official supplier! Can you believe it? THE EMPEROR!!!”

He laughs, clearly proud of himself, and your mother reacts the way she always does, amused but not surprised. She pats his shoulder, claims she always knew that he would achieve great things. The conversation moves forward easily after that, flowing from one topic to another without pause, without effort.

You eat and talk until your best friend, Maggie, barges into your house, as per usual. She's not the discreet type. When she hears the news of your father's appointment, she convinces you to head to the Border Forest to pick black trumpets. Your mom makes the best mushroom tarts in town, and Maggie would use any excuse to get her to bake one.

You are used to roaming through the forest. It's almost routine for you. Usually, there are mushrooms everywhere, but today you barely find anything. All the best spots are unusually empty, as if someone had been here before you. As you head deeper into the woods, something catches your attention. A movement just outside the edge of your focus. It is small, unfamiliar, and fast. But strangest of all, it is not something you recognize.

You watch it for a moment. It doesn’t belong to anything you know, and before you really think about it, you follow it.

The animal leads you past the stream that marks the border. You know you are not allowed to cross realms, but curiosity gets the best of you. The further you go, the less familiar your surroundings become. Everything feels different. You are so focused on this new world that you don’t see the ground shift beneath you until you fall, spraining your ankle.

You are too far away from home to return before dark, and there are lights ahead, so you decide to keep going. The people you eventually meet do not dress like you. They move and speak differently too. They ask questions, simple ones, but more than you are used to answering.

They are kind. It is obvious to them that you are lost and confused. They give you food, medicine, a place to rest, and you stay with them for a few days, long enough to understand that their lives do not follow the same quiet structure as yours.

When your injury is better, you head back home. At last. You know your family will have been worried. Your father probably sent a search party. Your mother must have cried all the tears in her body.

You step inside your house. There are already sounds coming from the kitchen. You take a deep breath as you prepare for the drama about to unfold.

When you enter, your mother is by the stove. She turns when she hears you and smiles, her expression warm and joyful.

“Good morning.”

She sets a plate in front of you. She doesn't seem surprised to see you. Not even a trace of concern.

“I made your favorite! It’s a special day!”

You’ve heard that already. Your father looks up, nods slightly. He is unfazed, despite the fact you have disappeared for days. He speaks with the same huge grin.

“It is. I’ve been chosen as the Emperor’s official supplier! Can you believe it? THE EMPEROR!!!”

He laughs. You don’t.

You already heard this. Not something similar. This. The same words. The same tone. The same timing.

It's as if nothing had been interrupted. As if you had never left.