The old man presses the side buttons of a golden pocket watch. One identical to that of Sirius's.
-Is that...?
A boy explodes from the ground, reaching towards the sky.
"ZORA!"
Sunlight sinks into his skin as he's welcomed to his new world.
His breath is heavy, and he stares up at the sky.
...
-It's... a human. Is he... like me?
The boy bends over and coughs forcefully. Dirt expels itself from his throat, tears welling in his eyes.
Once the hacking fit concludes, he frantically places his hands over vital body points. Shoveling air into his lungs, he grabs his neck, stomach, and limbs as if checking that they're still there.
The boy wears very comfortable clothing. Loose-fitting pants and an oversized hoodie. Apart from them being covered in grime, it seems like something one could sleep in.
Controlling his breathing, he gazes out into the world.
Taking in his surroundings, he continues patting himself down. Dust clouds puff off his clothes.
His movements are slow as he takes it all in. It's not a particularly beautiful sight, it's just a park, but his honey-hued eyes don't avert.
The boy's mouth hangs open. His fear seems to have subsided, as he doesn't seem alarmed. He seems to be more in disbelief, almost happily so.
Spotting Sirius and the old man, he stares at them. His awestruck expression morphs into a straight and tense one. His eyes nervously dart from side to side.
The boy swallows and prepares himself for the encounter.
He attempts to walk towards them but trips over the hole he's dug. He faceplants into the soil and slowly slides down the hill.
Sirius bites his lip, resisting the urge to laugh.
Embarrassed, the boy stands up and brushes off his muddy beige hoodie. He pats down his dark pajama pants and ruffles his hand through his dirty blonde, somewhat orange, hair.
He approaches cautiously. Honey irises dash side to side, looking for anyone else around.
The old man advances forward, stopping the boy in his tracks. He freezes in place, turning into a statue.
"Uh- Oh shit... H-hi..."
"..."
The boy is panicking. He sounds and appears to be the same age as Sirius, though his voice is slightly higher-pitched.
"Look, man, I don't know what's going on here! I was just talking to this really nice, pretty lady, so if you could send me back to her, that'd be really great-"
"Welcome, Witch Spawn."
The old man repeats the same words he had said to Sirius.
"...Witch Spawn? What is this...? Why am I in a park?"
All sense of nervousness is gone.
"Eat this," the man extends his hand, revealing a pastel red gummy.
...
The boy's face deforms in disgust.
"You're trying to drug me?! Seriously?! Man, I was just buried alive! And now you're trying to drug me!?"
"Perhaps I need a new approach to this..."
"You!" The boy points at Sirius. "Are you in on this?"
Sirius points to himself, still confused.
"Me?"
"Noooo, the person behind you. Yes, you!" The boy speaks as if he's known Sirius his entire life. Very condescending.
"Right," Sirius walks over to them. "Uh, no, I'm not really in on this." Sirius faces the old man. "Look, man, I think you need to stop being so vague. It really does sound like you're trying to drug people."
"So... he's not trying to drug me?"
Sirius leans over towards the boy.
"I thought the same thing when he offered me this thing."
"What even is this thing...?"
"It's called a 'linguistic'."
An appalled expression twists the boy's face.
"...A linguistic??! What kind of bowel movement drug name is that?!"
"That's exactly what I thought!"
"The hell... So, what does it do exactly?"
"I don't really know how it works, but it makes you able to speak and understand the language here."
"Huh?" The boy looks concerned for Sirius' well-being. "Pardon me... Eating this will make me understand a language?"
"Yes," The old man butts in, obviously feeling left out. "Consuming this very legal substance will allow you to speak the most common language in this world."
...
The boy completely freezes.
An excited smile spreads across his face. His eyes sparkle with light not thought possible.
"Did... you just say... this world?"
"Yes, I believe I did-"
"Like- I'm in a different world? Other than Earth?" His words are fast, containing overwhelming excitement.
"Correct. Is that witch not explaining herself as well as she used to..?"
The boy's mouth gapes open.
He closes his eyes and bends down, his entire body trembling.
"You... okay man?" Sirius asks. "I know you probably don't believe it, but-"
"YESSSSSS!!!!!!!"
The boy flings his body backward, arching his back into the shape of a lowercase r. He yells at the top of his lungs, pure joy radiating from the scream. His demeanor beams with childlike wonder.
Then, in a complete tonal shift, he sinks to his knees and presses his palms together.
"My prayers have been answered. Thank you, God. Truly. Thank you..." He sounds like he could cry from happiness at any moment. He perks up and pops back onto his feet. "Wait, if I'm in another world... Does that mean I have powers?! Have I awakened?! Can I shoot fireballs?!"
He swings his arms around, trying to expel fire from his hands.
Sirius contains a chuckle with a grin. Never has he seen such unrestrained positivity and joy. He wishes he could have reacted like this.
Unfortunately, the old man interrupts the boy's magic training.
"You're getting a little too ahead of yourself... For now, would you mind eating this?"
He once again offers the gummy.
The boy stops flailing his arms and purses his lips, unsure of what to do. He looks at Sirius for approval. Sirius gives a quick nod, confirming that it's probably alright.
The boy sighs and steps up to the elder.
"If I die from this, I will be extremely upset."
Grabbing the gummy from the man's palm, he instantly pops it into his mouth. Hardly any hesitation.
He swallows swiftly, then looks around.
"...Nothing happened," he says, disappointed.
"Well, we would need to go into town to find out if it worked," Sirius replies.
"Alright then, let's go!"
The boy immediately attempts to run off.
"Wait!" The old man grabs his shoulder. "Before you go, take this."
The man opens the boy's hand and gently places the pocket watch inside.
"Hm? What's this?" He immediately starts fiddling with the buttons.
"You'll find out in time."
And with that, the old man turns and begins to saunter off.
"HUH?! Oh, come on! You can't just say something all mysterious and walk away!"
The boy's plea proves deaf to the man. He continues his forward retreat, drifting off into the field.
...
"He did the same thing to me," Sirius mentions. "Not sure what it does, but it's counting down to something."
Sirius pulls out his watch and turns it over. They both examine the backs of their watches.
Sirius: 22921149 seconds remain.
The boy: 22926321 seconds remain.
"Huh... So cool... Anyway, can we go explore town now?"
-We, huh... He wants to come with me...? Why?
Excitement returns to his voice as he stuffs the watch into one of his pockets. They could easily catch up with the old man, but the boy decides to let him be mysterious.
"Uh, yeah... Sure, but do you mind if I lead the way? I should probably go find a clinic."
Sirius raises his disfigured arm.
The boy's face flushes and repulses.
"What the fuck happened to your arm!?"
"Did you not notice it the whole time we were talking??"
"No!? That thing is disgusting!" After examining it for a moment, the boy shakes off his surprise. He pats Sirius on the back. "Let's go."
"Yeah..."
The pair begins walking south toward the other side of town. Supposedly, begin to walk south.
The boy has accepted his situation so fast, Sirius is both impressed and concerned. In a matter of seconds, he had accepted he was in a different world, and now, has grouped together with Sirius like they've been doing so their whole lives.
Sirius isn't used to having company, but he welcomes the boy's presence. Things might be more interesting with him around.
"How did that even happen?? Don't tell me some secret organization kidnapped and tried to torture you, but before they could hurt you any further... You escaped. Managing to flee into the park with a mangled arm, you arrived just in time to witness my rebirth."
"...N-No, not quite..."
As the boy twirls in circles, admiring the scenery, Sirius briefly relays his tale of the girl and the wailian.
"Wait, so there are monsters in this world, too?!"
He seems to have forgotten what a monster did to Sirius's arm. His face somehow beams even happier.
"I guess so. Though I only got here like an hour or two ago. So, I'm not really sure if they're classified as monsters."
"Wait, really?! So, did you come out of the ground too??"
"Yes, it was horrible. I thought I was going to suffocate..."
-Again...
Flashes of his death in that hospital room cross his mind.
The boy gives an unsteady look.
"Did you... die, by chance? Then wake up here?"
"...Yes."
"I see..." A melancholic air grabs hold of the boy. He almost seems disappointed by his answer. Quickly shaking it off, he refuels himself on wondrous bliss. "Did you meet with a pretty lady?"
Sirius tries to match the boy's energy.
"I did! I'd love to speak with her again..."
"Yeah..." The boy gleefully shuts his eyes, likely dreaming about her. "By the way, what's your name?"
"Oh, right... I'm Sirius. You?"
"Korlin. Happy to meet ya."