Rupture: Rise of the Demon King by Milo Woods

his room to find Mori leaning outside on the wall.
    “Are you ready?” he asked.
    Mori nodded. Her silver rapier hung on her hip, reminding Seeko once more that this was all too real. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
    “Lead the way. I don’t know where we are going,” he said.
    She headed to the castle gate and Seeko followed.
    / / / / /
    A few hours later, most of which was taken up with Mori explaining this new world to Seeko, the pair reached the caravan. The owners were awaiting their arrival. The sun was close to the center of the sky, with no clouds overhead to shade it. Seeko breathed in the warming air. Spring was in full bloom now, and the Irenic grasslands blossomed with new life.
    Fifteen miles behind him lay Asilis, and before him sat the trio of wagons in series on the road. Mori approached the lead wagon and Seeko followed.
    One of the wagon owners, a male, stood near the lead wagon with a woman. “The hero,” the man said. “Here to save us.”
    The woman said, “You’re a little short.”
    The man and woman both laughed.
    Seeko rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have to be,” he said. “Let’s just get this over with.”
    The two nodded, still humoring themselves. They hopped into the first wagon and Seeko stood next to it, noticing the pack animals for the first time. Two large, fox-like creatures were tethered to each wagon. Seeko swallowed and took a step back. Their frames were bulkier—for strength, Seeko assumed.
    “Uh, Mori … what are those?” he said, gesturing toward the creatures. Their tails were wrapped to keep the fur away from the wagon riders.
    “Oh … those? Kitseans,” she said. She looked at Seeko, seemingly puzzled at his fascination. Then the air was full of her melodious laughter.
    “What?” he said as he tore his eyes from their beautiful white hides.
    “You’re like a child, fascinated at little things.” She laughed again.
    “Well, what do you expect?” he replied, looking back to the kitsean. “I’m not from here. I’ve never seen magic or giant foxes.”
    “Foxes? Is that what they’re called back where you are from?” Mori walked past him and the caravan shifted into action.
    Seeko walked with the group, watching the horse-sized fox pull the wagon. “Yeah, back on Earth, they are only the size of a small dog,” Seeko said. “Oh—I guess you don’t have dogs here.”
    “‘On ‘Earth’? That’s the name of your planet?” she said, giggling again. “That’s like naming Kismetia ‘Ground.’ Plus, we do have dogs here. They’re good pets, for those who can afford them. Actually, I have one, back home.”
    “Oh.” Seeko looked down at the ground. Making a fool of myself. He walked behind Mori silently, enjoying the landscape. The world was even more alien to him now than before.
    After walking for another hour or so, Seeko looked back toward Mori and found himself gawking at her legs. She was wearing a short skirt, after all. He watched her hypnotic walk for a while before his gaze drifted to her red hair. Suddenly, he realized that he was checking her out and quickly looked away. What was he doing?
    “Hey, Seeko,” Mori said, looking back to him.
    “Huh—Huh? Yeah?”
    “Tell me about your world,” she said. “What’s it like?”
    Seeko scratched his head. “Well, it’s more advanced, and people live a lot more luxuriously than they do here. I’ve never had to explain it before, so let me think about it.”
    She smiled. “Tell me how you lived from day to day,” she said, drawing near him.
    “Okay, I’ll start with where I live—lived,” Seeko stated. “I lived in a huge city, with tall buildings that pierced the sky. My home was a two-story apartment with my foster family.”
    “Foster family?”
    “I was adopted. I don’t know who my real parents are; they abandoned me. My foster parents brought me in and cared for me.” Seeko looked away. “I’m glad they did, even if I never