Unknown Variable

All the commotion in the kitchen had died down. I stood there, frozen, grappling with the scene I had just witnessed. The girl was busy sheathing her sword—or rather, her knife. As she attempted to fit it back into its sheath, it seemed like it wouldn't fit. But then, just as I was about to question my sanity, the sword transformed into a knife—the exact same one I had picked up earlier. To my astonishment, the knife in my hand was also reverting to its original state.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in my kitchen?" I demanded.

She glanced at me, her eyes assessing with a mix of curiosity and disdain. "Really? Is this how you act? Pathetic."

She introduced herself as Emery and went on to explain that the reason I was attacked was that I was an unknown variable in Malgog's plans—well, the Malgog of this world. "I already dealt with Malgog in my world," she said. "Since you're just discovering your abilities and I've been training mine since I was five, I'm a bit ahead of you."

"But who are you?" I pressed.

"To put it simply, I'm you, but a lot better," Emery replied, her tone dripping with confidence.

"Yeah, and a girl," I retorted.

"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed. You really aren't too bright, are you?" Emery said, almost amused. "But we don't have time for this. We need to get out of here before more of Malgog's minions show up."

"What about my parents?" I asked, feeling a pang of concern.

"They'll be fine," she assured me. "Didn't you notice? They didn't even come into the kitchen. They're not aware of what's happening because they can't see past the magic veil of this world."

Emery's words were a blur as she continued, "Malgog wants to merge our worlds, and you and I are going to stop him."

The gravity of her words sank in. I was left grappling with the enormity of the situation, realizing that my ordinary life had just been shattered and replaced by a battle against a merging of worlds.