After a few hours, Kiliffia finally woke. "Goddess? Am I alive?"
"What silly thing are you saying? Of course, you are alive. Can you eat?" Kana felt very relieved that Kiliffia had finally woken up. She had been very nervous this entire time. But now, seeing her friend able to speak, Kana felt as if an unseen weight had finally lifted off her shoulders.
"Maybe just a little bit..." Kiliffia answered.
Kana handed Kiliffia some water and some dried rations. The two talked about this and that while Kana nursed Kiliffia back to health. Three days passed, and finally, word came back from the academy that they will be arriving soon to allow the both of them to leave.
Kana stood outside the tent and placed her token on the ground. A bright light emitted from the spot where the token was before five figures suddenly appeared. In the front was a large bear man that Kana had seen before. The large bear man stepped forward and bowed his head to Kana. "Miss Kana, I am Dean William, the Dean of the Academy. I am truly sorry for what had occurred here today. Those who were responsible for the mix-up were already dealt with and have been fired from the academy. You and Miss Kiliffia have also been fully accepted into the Academy as well and do not need to take the final written exam. I have also arranged for the two of you to be in the same dorm room as well. If there is anything else you would like us to do, please let me know."
Kana looked at Dean William and let out a sigh. She had planned to complain, but seeing how he was going above and beyond, she couldn't find it in her to tell the bear man off. "The only thing I wish to do is spend some time exploring this place. So I will ask you to please take care of Kiliffia for me. She still needs a few days for recuperation. And make sure she gets a full check up."
"Of course, We will make sure Miss Kiliffia receives the best of care. But Miss Kana, you wish to stay in this realm?" Dean William was a little surprised. There was not much of anything in this place from what he could see. Even he felt a little reluctant to send a team in to explore this place since it seemed so desolate.
"Mmmm… I only ask that you supply me with a backpack with some survival gear and every few days send me some restock. Other than that, I wish to take a look around. On my first day here, I ran into a large worm-like creature which means this magic realm has life in it. And if there is one kind of monster, there must be more. I think exploring this place would be good training for me." Kana replied. She did not know why but she felt that there was something more to this place than meets the eye.
"Alright, but I can not let you stay here more than a month. Classes officially start in a month's time. So whether you are ready or not, I will be sending a team to retrieve you. Also, you must check in three times a day." Dean William pulled out a magic tool and handed it to Kana. "This magic tool was developed in the past few days to work in situations like this where there is no portal out. Even the portable portal that we have brought can only be used one time. Once activated, it will stay open for thirty minutes before closing and then self-destructing. This is to keep anything from going through it and infiltrating our world."
"One month should be enough." Kana smiled and took the magic tool.
"Goddess Kana, are you not going back with me?" Kiliffia asked as she walked out of the tent. It seemed she had overheard Kana's conversation with Dean William.
"Mmmm… I plan to stay here and train a bit. I will be back in a month, I promise." Kana replied. She walked over and gave Kiliffia a hug. "Go back and rest. You do not need to worry. This place does not affect me in the slightest. Dean William will keep you updated on how I am doing. Right, Dean William?"
"Yes, of course." Dean William replied with a smile. He was happy that Kana was not going to push the issue of what happened. So he was willing to accommodate any of Kana's wishes.
"Then please be careful." Kiliffia had a worried look in her eye, but she knew Kana was not going to change her mind.
About an hour later, Kiliffia, Dean William. And the rest of the instructors left, leaving Kana with the things she asked for. Kana looked out over the blazing sand dunes and finally took a step in a random direction. "To think I would ever be traveling in a desert environment all by myself, in some kind of magical realm..."
Kana chuckled to herself as she took a sip of water. "In my past life, I had to struggle to survive, so things like going on an adventure such as this would have been just a dream. But now here I am wandering around some strange hostile environment just because I had a strange feeling..."
As the days passed, Kana continued her trek through the desert. Every so often, she would feel some vibrations underfoot but nothing that would make her feel as if she was about to be attacked. It was on the seventh day venturing out by herself when she finally spotted something unusual sticking out of the sand. It was not another sand dune but an actual object that looked to be uncovered by the winds. From a distance, it did not look all that big, but when she got closer to it, she realized it was getting bigger and bigger until finally, she had to tilt her head all the way back to see the top of the structure. "A building? Maybe some kind of monument? Looks kind of familiar..."
--AN: Amazing start to the week with voting! I will start posting this week's bonus chapters tomorrow. I just want to say thanks for all your support it means a lot!--