I lounged on my side on the sofa, a curated cookbook in my right hand. Every now and then, I plucked a grape from the nearby bowl and popped it into my mouth. Pure bliss.

Beside me, Lu clutched my laptop, endlessly searching online for the knowledge she craved. Periodically, she’d grab a handful of snacks from the bag beside her, munch them down, dust her hands off, and dive back into her research.

Five days had passed since I took this form. That meant four days since Lu woke up.

During these four days, we rarely left except for meals. Lu was eager to learn about this world. And I’d been feeling uneasy lately—I just didn’t want to go out.

Snap.

I gently closed the book, slid off the sofa, and walked to the window. I peered outside but saw only the usual street scene—nothing new.

“Amelia? What’s wrong?” Lu asked, her eyes flickering with a hint of confusion.

“…No, nothing,” I replied after a moment’s thought. I pulled the curtains shut. “I’m probably just sensitive. I keep feeling like someone’s watching us.”

I turned back and sat on the sofa, shaking my head. That was the real reason I’d avoided going out—this constant sense of being spied on.

The feeling was strange… deeply unsettling, like eyes always on me. I’d checked outside repeatedly, even using my superhuman vision to scrutinize distant skyscrapers carefully. But I found nothing.

This started on the second day. Early that morning, after waking, I quietly untangled Lu’s limbs from me. As I walked from my bedroom to the living room, that eerie sensation hit me. Yet no matter how many times I looked, I saw no signs of spies.

“Could it be pursuers?” I wondered silently. But it seemed unlikely. I’d asked Lu carefully. She remembered clearly: her sealing happened due to her own carelessness. The last mage used all his power—after casting the seal, she watched his body turn to arcane ash.

Interdimensional communication drains time and energy. With that mage gone and no one left to report back, even if enemies knew of Lu’s sealing, they couldn’t pinpoint the exact time.

Of course, another possibility existed—enemies discovering me years ago. But logically, that shouldn’t be likely. Only four people know I’m here. Amelia opened a one-way temporary portal for Lu. The pursuers came with her. After crossing worlds, they shouldn’t instantly locate our coordinates with their strength.