"So, wait, you came here on purpose? Uh, why?"

"I didn't come here on purpose, exactly, although if you aren't a native it's actually a really great planet for one of my needs. I'm scouting, more or less."

"Scouting for...?"

"Somewhere to evacuate and, separately, a planet nobody'll miss."

"...somehow I get the impression you're not looking to wreck a planet just for kicks."

"No. Destroyed planets turn out to be a byproduct of my magic. Nasty surprise."

"Oh, wow, yeah. Guess that also explains what you need to evacuate for."

"Yep!"

"Well, I'd suggest you talk to my dad but I have no idea how to get home from here and also home is kind of being invaded by murderous aliens at the moment."

"Uh, since my spell apparently works I can probably get you home. And if this planet is really as dispensable as it looks help with the murderous aliens maybe."

"I went a long way falling between worlds." He rubs his head. "And learned half a hundred languages while I was at it, apparently. How d'you tell how dispensable a planet is?"

"I'll want to land in a few places around the globe and see if they're all, uh." He gestures expansively. "This won't find us, like, an island with people on it, say, and there clearly used to be life here so it's not ideal, but jumping at random could easily kill me or other scouts so I don't want to be too terribly picky. Anyway, it won't be destroyed immediately, it took a long time to get bad with ours, so if there's a tiny enclave somewhere they'll have lots of warning once we run into them."

"Hm."

He frowns absently at the puddle he's sitting in; it obediently dries up.

"...moving between worlds doesn't usually give you random magic powers, does it?"

"Well, uh, I haven't noticed any new ones."

"'Cause I definitely couldn't do this shit," he gestures with one hand and a rippling ball of water appears floating in midair, "before the interdimensional adventure." The water vanishes.

"It's pretty cool."

"Yeah." He glances down at himself. "Wish I could magically appear some clothes, though..."

No clothes appear to grant his wish.

"Can't help you there, sorry." He's wearing shorts with a little bag pinned to them, but only those, and otherwise covered in dried blood swirls and ash markings.

Maybe blood is fashionable where he's from.

"Oh, hey, what's your name? I'm Tias."

"Cor."

"Nice to meet you, I guess. It definitely beats lying at the bottom of a hill for another couple of hours."

He stands up and looks around. "Wow, this place is depressing."

"I know, right, the only way it could be better would be if it didn't even have a dead tree."

Snicker. "Don't get rid of the dead tree, it's scenic!"

"It's very scenic, just doesn't signify that there's no way there's ever been a native here."

"And you don't wanna wreck the place until you know. Yeah."

He squints up at the sky. "Huh, no sun-circle. I guess not every world has those."