In the early dawn light, soldiers crowded around the city gate. Commander Toric, an elite soldier who rarely spoke, explained that everyone needed to gather outside Lumina to avoid alarming the citizens. Moving such a large contingent of mounted soldiers through the city streets could endanger children who liked to play outside in the early morning hours.
Commander Toric informed Jason the journey would take nearly the entire day.
Jason found it difficult to meet the sergeant's gaze. His eye were such a dark brown they appeared almost black, hardened by years of battle, and he only had one eye, the other looks to be a polished stone. His short black hair matched Jason's in length. Tattoos and scars decorated his neck and arms. Though Jason couldn't decipher the tattoo symbols, he noticed the ink wasn't the typical black found on Earth—instead, it appeared light blue in shadow but shifted to near-black in direct sunlight.
Jason had observed similar tattoos on others throughout the city. Someone had explained they were created using a magical gem common in the southern regions.
Commander Toric had made his opinion abundantly clear: this expedition was a waste of resources and manpower. He believed they should focus on defending Lumina and the surrounding southern villages. He insisted something significant would happen in the north. While many dismissed him as paranoid, Jason found himself agreeing after the disturbing scroll that had arrived on his first day.
As the sun crested the horizon, everyone began mounting their horses. Some officials rode in horse-drawn carriages instead.
Jason paused, confused when he first saw these "horses." While they resembled Earth's horses, several differences stood out. Most notably, they completely lacked manes—not shaved or cut short, but naturally absent. This gave their necks a rounder, more cylindrical appearance rather than the typical oval shape. Their tails were equally unusual, with the tailbone extending down to their hocks, and the hair carefully braided close to the dock.
The faces were perhaps the strangest feature. Rather than eyes positioned on the sides of their heads, these creatures had forward-facing eyes, creating an unsettling, almost predatory appearance. Additionally, every single horse was massive. The saddles featured two stirrups on each side to assist riders in mounting these towering beasts.
The tack was unlike anything Jason had seen. Rather than traditional saddles, these horses wore uniform-like coverings that protected almost their entire bodies. There were no reins or bits—only an ornate rope encircling each horse's neck. Jason recognized the neck-reining technique from his mother's horses. He felt grateful she had insisted he learn to ride, despite his protests at the time.
After literally climbing into the saddle—which felt more like a curved pad than traditional tack—Jason grasped the circular rope and tested the controls. When he pulled right with one hand, the horse obediently turned its head right. The same happened when he pulled left.
These horses were exceptionally well-trained, Jason realized. His horses back home would have wandered off the moment he struggled to mount, let alone waited patiently for commands. His mother would never have tolerated such undisciplined behavior in her stable.
The smell of all the horses was the same as on Earth. For some, that scent might have been unpleasant, but to Jason it smelled like home—like his mother. It brought a wave of feelings and thoughts of her, making him wonder if she was doing well.
Jason mentally shook off the longing and sadness and refocused on the mission.
He glanced over and saw Tomas stepping into a carriage. Tomas looked so nervous. Jason hated that he had to follow him. Tomas was never meant to see a battlefield, but he had been ordered to go. Still, Tomas seemed excited to leave the city and see the mountains up close—an experience usually reserved for soldiers. Yet behind his smile, Jason could still see the fear in his eyes.
Once everyone was either in the carriages or on horseback, Commander Toric and Ranger Kell—whom Jason had met shortly before—took the lead of the expedition.
Ranger Kell was a wilderness expert, familiar with the forests and the Ironspine Mountains. Some said Kell never really came back to the city, preferring to spend his time in the wilderness. Jason didn't quite believe that. Although Kell might know the terrain well, someone as well-groomed as he should probably be inside more often. His pale skin gave away a lack of sun, his short, neat golden hair looked like a beacon that would make him easy to spot by demons, and his dark blue eyes seemed to scan everything all at once—which must have been difficult.
The only thing about Kell that looked truly at home in the mountains was his horse. It was well cared for but had a well-worn saddle, and its legs bore many scars, as if hit by small branches over years. The horse seemed older than most others.
On Earth, you could kind of tell a horse's age, but here it was unmistakable—horses actually got wrinkles all over their bodies as they aged. Jason's horse had wrinkles around its mouth, chest, and eyes. The person who had given Jason the horse said it was around thirty-eight years old. That was alarming at first, but Jason soon learned that horses here could live up to eighty years.
Everything on this planet just seemed so different from Earth. Jason could see the treeline from the town gates where everyone was gathered. As they got closer, the reason why he could see it became clear.
These trees were insanely huge. Jason had seen Redwoods—the tallest trees back on Earth—but even Redwoods would pale in comparison to these. They looked like ordinary oak trees, but enormous. The base of each tree was as wide as several horses lined up side by side.
Jason began to wonder if elves existed in this world. This forest would be perfect—not only for them to live alongside but to build entire homes inside the trunks.
Now that he thought about it, everything here was big. The grass, the crops planted in the fields—it was as if this world was made for giants.
Jason nudged his horse closer to his personal guard, Sergeant Lysander, whose mount looked quite young and spirited.
Lysander always seemed to have one eye on Jason. He never said anything, just looked at him as if waiting for him to do something. It used to make Jason uncomfortable, but now he simply ignored Lysander's steady gaze.
"Sergeant Lysander, why is everything so big?" Jason asked as his horse moved nearer.
Lysander glanced at Jason briefly, then looked around before sighing. "Everything looks normal to me. It might seem bigger to you because you're from another world."
Jason fought the urge to roll his eyes. He knew Lysander had probably seen him staring wide-eyed with his mouth slightly open before he walked over. But really, "looks normal" was all Jason ever got.
Knowing Lysander was a man of few words, Jason decided to give up on asking him anything else and resolved to wait for someone more talkative—probably Tomas.
Sergeant Lysander always seemed to have a frown on his face—at least, that's what Jason thought at first. Over time, he realized it was just Lysander's facial structure that made him look perpetually angry. Lysander had a deep brow line, almost giving him a cave man–like appearance, and his bushy, dark-brown eyebrows only added to the effect. His head was shaved clean, revealing a few small scars on his scalp.
But it was Lysander's beard that truly hid any trace of a smile. The beard was so thick it covered most of his mouth, and Jason had sometimes spotted crumbs or water droplets caught in it after a meal or a drink. The only reliable way to tell how Lysander was feeling was through his eyes—though even those rarely gave much away, shadowed as they were by his heavy brow.
Given Lysander's appearance—and the way he carried himself, always alert and ready for a fight—he was incredibly intimidating. Although he was shorter than Jason, his posture made him seem much taller, as if he stood well over six feet.
Add to that his near-silence—only speaking when prompted—and Lysander looked like the sort of man who could kill without a flicker of emotion. But Jason knew better. He'd once woken up a bit too early needing the bathroom and seen Sergeant Lysander crouched in the rain, quietly finishing a tiny shelter for a stray cat and her kittens. It was a surprising sight.
The "cats" here, as people called them, looked more like a cross between a dog and a cat. The cats were a little bigger than your average cat on Earth, but the dogs in this world were massive—there were no small, medium, or even simply large dogs here; only extra large, and that was it. They looked as if they could easily swallow a human whole if they really wanted to. Jason considered himself lucky that these giant dogs were herbivorous, content to eat grass and other plants.
What also kind of surprised Jason was that the soldiers had brought a mix of dogs, cats, and this other animal called windtrackers. Jason didn't think that this was their actual name, but it got translated like that, so windtrackers it was.
The creature had a body like a cheetah, made for speed, but its body was covered in feathers instead of fur, which made it a near-silent runner. They even had a long and thick tail that dragged on the ground a bit, the larger feathers sweeping where they walked to make their footprints disappear. The feathers ranged from gray, brown, tan, and black. The colors were clearly supposed to blend in with the forest. Some had dark feathers on their chest that looked almost blue. Jason learned that those were the males. The more blue feathers they had, the older they were and the more likely to find a mate.
The feathers seemed to be water-resistant, like birds. Water rolled off their feathers and legs when walking in puddles of water, unlike the other animals. Their ears were like an owl's—long feathers that moved almost all the time, taking in wind and waves of noise every second. Their snouts were long, unlike a cheetah's snout. It was clear that their snouts were made for smelling. They ate mainly meat but could eat pretty much anything. Their appetite was more like dogs on Earth. They more or less acted like dogs on Earth. They could be around others but didn't mind being alone either. The difference was the way they looked, and they mated with one mate for life. They also preened each other, which was kind of cute to watch.
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After about an hour, the sun was high in the sky and you could see all the soldiers getting hungry.
Commander Toric turned his horse around swiftly and yelled, "Everyone quickly dismount and eat and get some water. We pack up and go in an hour."
Everyone quickly got down from their horses. Jason jumped down with a thud. He reached into the saddlebag that was over the horse's hindquarters. He pulled out a skin of water, some dried meat, and a carrot to give to his horse. Once again, the carrot was huge for no reason. Jason did see that the big carrot matched well with the big horse.
The horse quickly ate the carrot from Jason's hand and walked over to a place where some of the carriages carried big jugs of water for the horses. It was very odd seeing horses line up like they were waiting to check out their food and water in a storage.
Jason shook his head in disbelief at what he was seeing. He looked around and noticed most soldiers were looking at him.
Jason ignored the stares and continued to eat his salty food and drink his fresh water.
After sitting on the ground eating for a bit, Tomas found his way next to Jason. Jason's horse found its way to Jason and just stood there, waiting for him.
"The horses on this world are very odd," Jason said to Tomas.
Tomas cocked his head in confusion and asked, "Really, what are your horses like on your world?"
"Well, they aren't this tall. Maybe the tallest horse in the world is, but it still might not be as tall. Also, the bone and muscles in the tail don't go that far down. Horses in my world don't have wrinkles all over their body with age. It usually just happens around the mouth and eyes, mainly around the mouth. Also, they have a mane. A mane is hair like the tail but in a line along the top of their necks. Since Earth horses have a mane, their neck is more of an oval shape too. The biggest thing that's different is the way they act. You would never see horses lining up like that," Jason explained as he looked at Tomas then at the few remaining horses lined up to drink.
"All the horses seem well trained, or they're just smarter than Earth horses. It's crazy," Jason finished saying.
Tomas looked at the horses and back to Jason. "Yeah, they are pretty smart. I heard that they're the smartest animals besides demons."
Tomas scoffed, "Well, they probably are smarter than demons. Demons aren't that smart." Tomas chuckled.
Jason grinned at Tomas. "Oh, also, horses on Earth live to be like twenty-five to thirty years old."
Tomas almost did a spit take at that line. "W-what? That's such a short life?" Tomas said in an almost grief-stricken voice.
Jason gave a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, Earth only has a handful of animals that live as long or longer than the average human."
Tomas looked at his salty piece of dried meat then took a big bite, almost eating it whole.
"Well, good thing you're here now. You can get your own horse or animal when we get back that can follow you into your old age," Tomas said, trying to give Jason something to look forward to.
Jason was happy for a second, then thought about his family. What if he never went back to Earth? He understood that this was a big thing, and he had to save this world, but what happened after that? Jason didn't know how to feel about that.
Jason shoved that thought to the back of his mind. He needed to focus on here and now.
As Jason and Tomas continued to talk about small things, Jason remembered to ask him about how everything was so big and tall.
Tomas explained that the world was built for tall and big animals. He pointed out how big the animals and horses were. He said that the Goddess made humans smaller so they could build and grow quickly, which seemed to be what had happened. Tomas explained that one tree could build a whole house for a small family with some leftover wood. Tomas was very grateful that the Goddess made humans smaller, so they didn't have to worry as much about food and other things.
The only thing that was weird was that Tomas said if anything was grown inside the city gates, it would grow smaller. All the food that Jason had eaten was pretty much food grown within the city gates. Tomas told Jason that the Goddess made it that way so that they wouldn't overgrow their towns too much and would let the wonderful forest and everything else grow naturally.
"This world is so different from where I'm from," Jason says with a small smile.
"Well, it is a different world," Tomas replies absentmindedly.
Jason and Tomas sit in silence for a few moments. The quiet doesn't feel awkward; it feels just like hanging out with one of Jason's friends back on Earth, something he misses. He shakes his head to clear it of any thoughts that might distract him from his true goal right now.
After a few minutes, Jason hears Commander Toric yell over the seated soldiers, "Time's up! We ride out in five!"
Everyone starts to down their food and stow their water skins back in their saddlebags.
Lucky for Jason, his horse hasn't moved at all and remains by his side. Tomas isn't so fortunate; he has to run to the other side of the small clearing to reach the carriages.
Once everyone is saddled up and ready to go, Commander Toric yells for everyone to follow. The dogs and cats love to trail closely by the horses and their owners, with some cats even lying down on the rumps of the horses. One gray cat basks in the sun filtering through the trees, lounging on the back of a horse that pulls a carriage.
The windtrackers take up positions along the side of the convoy, almost like a protective barrier. Jason could never get used to the windtrackers; they were so quiet and blended in so well with the forest that it was easy to forget they were even there. Some climbed up the trees, moving gracefully from branch to branch. Jason noticed their presence when a large leaf landed on his face. When he looked up, he only caught glimpses of their blurred forms. He thought they blended well into the ground, but in the trees, they were nearly invisible.
-----
After a few more hours—by which point Jason feels like his butt is about to fall off—Commander Toric finally yells for everyone to dismount and get ready to march.
Jason hops down from his horse, takes a few steps forward, and almost falls as his legs tingle with numbness from riding over the rocky terrain.
He noticed the forest had begun to thin out about an hour earlier, and now, through the trees, mountains are clearly visible. Although they've stopped within the trees, up ahead is a clearing that looks like their intended destination.
As Jason and the soldiers start walking toward the small clearing, everyone seems on edge. Tension had been growing the deeper they ventured into the forest, but now every soldier is focused, scanning every corner and shadow. The nervousness of his fellow soldiers makes Jason even more alert.
No one is exactly sure what they're looking for. A demon is the best guess. Everyone had been anticipating a large group of enemies, but so far, the clearing appears empty. The map had been heavily blurred in this area, so they're preparing for a big fight. The scouts had reported seeing nothing when they returned, but now everyone is paying even closer attention, searching for anything the scouts might have missed.
While Jason scans the area, Lysander nudges his shoulder and motions to the side of the mountain. At first, it just looks like a rocky slope, but the longer Jason looks, the more he realizes it's not just a mountain.
He notices the age of the rocks, thick with moss and leafy green plants growing in the cracks. Jason moves closer and looks down—then sees it: a symbol he recognizes from the church steps. It sits beside another symbol he can't identify.
Jason bends down to brush away the moss and dirt that have collected over the years. Yes, it's the symbol engraved on the temple's doorstep—this must be an entrance to a temple. The other symbol is unfamiliar, but Jason guesses it might be an older sign, maybe meaning "entrance" or something similar.
"Set up a perimeter around the temple entrance! I want to know if anything moves in there before we go in," Jason shouts. A few soldiers almost draw their swords in alarm. Jason winces, realizing that yelling might not have been the smartest move—but it's too late.
Nevertheless, everyone listens. The soldiers slowly gather around the rocks. It's obvious that someone—or something—covered the entrance with massive stones. The entryway itself is enormous, easily over fifteen feet tall.
Some soldiers begin climbing around the edges, scraping away moss and vines to prepare the rocks for removal, while others bring up barrels of arrows and ready their bows.
Suddenly, the rocks burst outward from the mountainside. Most of the flying debris is small, but still dangerous, and a few larger stones come crashing down on several soldiers.
A huge demon steps out into the sunlight. It blinks a few times, then seems to notice what it's done—probably on purpose, Jason suspects.
For a moment, no one moves.
Jason studies the creature: black horns, red skin, and black armor etched with red shifting runes. Its eyes are almost glowing a vivid yellow. But what's truly staggering is its size—easily nine or ten feet tall. Jason can only hope all demons aren't this huge.
"Get ready to fight!" Jason yells, knowing he must act fast.
At his order, everyone springs into action, soldiers drawing swords and notching arrows to their bows. The demon's eyes meet Jason's as he shouts. Strangely, they almost look apologetic.
Then, as a group of men charge, Jason watches in shock as the demon does something he hadn't expected—it crouches down, almost as if it's scared.