Becoming A God In Another World With My Crush

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The afternoon sunlight stretched across the wooden floorboards of the small cottage. Outside, the wind rustled gently through the trees, stirring the dry brown grass.

Inside, it was quiet.

Iris sat at the dining table, reading the ancient book Eli had shown then earlier , half a page turned before she lost focus again. The book was full of old maps, sigils, and entries about places and creatures she barely understood. She kept flipping back and forth, rereading the same sections. 

"Soultethered beasts are rare, typically born of the Abyss. Feeds on memory, not flesh." 

"What," she whispered flatly. "What does that even mean?" 

She groaned, pressing the book against her forehead as if it would make the knowledge easier to understand. 

Across the room, Xander lay curled in one of the spare beds. Eli's medicine had knocked him out nearly an hour ago, whatever it was, it worked fast. 

He hadn't even gotten the chance to make a sarcastic comment about how herbal tea shouldn't taste like tree bark. 

Eli had left shortly after, something about gathering a few things from town before their journey to Iasora. 

Now the cottage felt… empty and calm. Like the calm before a storm they hadn't even seen on the horizon yet.

Iris glanced over at Xander, chest rising and falling in a slow, easy rhythm. 

"Must be nice," she mumbled. Then she looked back at the book and sighed. "Gods, I hate this place." 

The sun had dipped just past the treetops by the time the door opened. 

Eli stepped into the cottage, arms full of what looked like a bundle of supplies, and kicked the door shut gently with his foot. 

"I was gone longer than I expected," he said, brushing a few leaves from his shoulder as he set the bundle down on the wooden table. "The vendor in the outskirts had almost nothing left." 

The soft crinkle of parchment and cloth broke the silence as he unwrapped was was inside. 

Bread. A wheel of rough-looking cheese. A lot of something soft and purple that might've been a fruit. A strange bunch of yellow pods. 

Xander stirred on the bed, eyes fluttering open slowly. He blinked at the ceiling, then at the movement across the room. 

"…is that cheese?" 

Iris, seated cross-legged beside the fireplace with the book still resting in her lap, didn't look up. "You're awake." 

"Yeah...uh." Xander sat up, groaning slightly. "What'd I miss?" 

"Eli's back. With food and stuff." She said it dryly, but without venom. 

Eli glanced over at her, pausing for a moment before speaking. 

"I am… sorry," he said, quietly. "I understand your anger. None of this is fair. None of it is deserved. You were not meant to suffer for our world's failures." 

The silence after his words lingered longer than the one before. 

Iris's fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the book. Her jaw worked as though she might ignore him entirely. But finally, she gave a small sigh and shut the book with a soft thud. 

"I know," she said. "And I get it—it's not your fault either." 

She looked up at him, eyes tired but no longer blazing. "Still sucks, though." 

Eli gave a slow nod. "It does." 

Xander stood, rubbing the back of his neck as he eyed the food. "Well… at least we won't go into death ruins on an empty stomach. That'd be tragic." 

Iris glanced at him. "You don't even know what half of that stuff is." 

"I'm choosing to be brave." 

She let out a breath that might've almost been a laugh, then reached over and pulled the bundle closer. 

Xander's reddened as he adjusted his glass, 'I made her laugh,'

They were just finishing what Xander generously called "dinner" when Eli stood and walked toward the shelf near the door. He pulled something out from under a folded blanket, wrapped in soft yellow fabric, tied together with a bit of twine. 

"Companion of the Ka–"

"Iris," She corrected, chewing on a piece of bread.

"Iris," he said, his voice gentle. "I have something for you." 

Iris raised an eyebrow, suspicious as he stepped forward and placed the bundle into her hands. 

Iris blinked and began to untie the twine, the soft fabric falling away to reveal a dress. 

Milky white. Short, landing just above the knees. The material shimmered faintly, light as air. It was sleeveless, with delicate straps that crossed at the back and looped through a silver ring at the center. The waistline was cinched with a simple braided cord. It looked almost like something out of a museum—elegant but old. 

She stared at it for a moment, stunned. "...This is beautiful!" 

"It's for you," Eli said. "I remembered a tailor who owed me a favor. It's not much, but I thought it would be more suitable for the journey ahead." 

Iris frowned, clutching the dress awkwardly. "You... used your money for this? I know I've been wearing my uniform for, what, three days, maybe four? But you didn't have to do this." 

"I did," Eli replied softly. "Because I should have prepared for your arrival. You were pulled from your world into this one, and I left you in clothing that was never meant for this realm's weather or terrain. I can't undo that. But I hoped this would be a start." 

For a long beat, Iris said nothing. 

Then she sighed, smoothing her hand over the fabric. "It's… really nice." 

Xander, who had been silently chewing on something vaguely chewy and fruit-like, glanced over. "You're not gonna cry, are you?" 

"Shut up, nerd." 

She stood, dress still in her hands, and gave Eli the smallest nod. "Thanks. For this. I guess... I appreciate it." 

Eli simply bowed his head once in return. "It was the least I could do." 

Xander narrowed his eyes at her, then leaned toward the remaining food. "Okay but like—did anyone get me a cool cloak or dagger or something or...?" 

"Xander." 

"I'm just saying. She gets divine couture and I get... chewed bark disguised as dinner." 

Iris didn't look up. "Priorities." 

Eli reached once more into the satchel by his side and pulled out a carefully rolled parchment, secured with a simple leather strap. He walked over to Xander and held it out.

"This is for you," he said.

Xander blinked as he took it. "Thanks...uh, what is it?"

Eli gave the faintest twitch of amusement. "A map. Of Alcazar. It holds all the known cities, towns, and the safest roads. You must understand the land you walk if you are to journey through it."

Xander untied the strap and carefully unrolled the parchment across the table. The map unfolded to reveal a sprawling landscape drawn in dark ink—mountains, lakes, trails, and names written in a language that somehow felt both unfamiliar and easy to grasp. There were dozens of tiny villages and markings he couldn't yet place: a temple icon near the east coast, a large star over a city labeled "Vareen," and a faded note in the corner—too smudged to read fully.

"Whoa," he breathed. "This is… actually kind of cool."

"I charted it myself," Eli said. "Some paths may no longer exist, but it will serve you better than wandering blindly."

Xander gave him a nod. "Thanks. Seriously."

As he tucked the map gently under his arm, his eyes drifted across the room—landing on Iris.

She was still by the fireplace, holding up the white dress by its cord, twisting it lightly between her fingers. There was a faraway look in her eyes, like she was imagining a version of herself that wasn't stuck here, wasn't scared, wasn't being dragged into someone else's destiny.

For the first time since they'd arrived in this realm, she was smiling genuinely.

Eli began tying up the now mostly empty satchel, carefully packing the remaining supplies inside. The soft sounds of cloth brushing against parchment filled the space as the evening settled deeper.

"Rest well," he said suddenly, voice calm but firm. "We leave tomorrow morning."

Xander looked up from where he was staring at the map, blinking. "To Iasora, right?"

Eli nodded slowly. "Yes. But we will not be heading straight there."

Iris frowned. "Why not?"

"There is… somewhere else we must visit first," he said, tightening the straps of the bag. "The cave."

Xander paused mid-fold, exchanging a look with Iris. She was already narrowing her eyes.

"The cave?" she echoed. "I thought we couldn't go back through it. You literally said it's impossible."

Eli looked at her, expression unreadable. "It is. You cannot return through it. But you must still go."

Xander straightened, brows furrowed. "Okay... why? What's in the cave?"

There was a long pause. Eli's gaze shifted, distant.

"One of the Veylith Crystals," he said.

The room went still.

Iris's eyes widened. Xander stared.

"You're kidding," Xander muttered.

"Then…" Iris's voice was slow, uncertain. "That means… that crystal which brought us here..."

"Yes." Eli's voice was quiet. "It called to you. Drew you in. Because your presence was already bound to it."

Xander let out a breath, leaning back against the wall. "Okay. Yeah. That's... that's just great. As if this place didn't already give me enough reason to need therapy."