I woke up to the scent of damp earth and the faint rustling of leaves. My head throbbed, every movement sending a wave of pain through my skull. Blinking against the sharp sunlight filtering through the trees, I tried to recall how I got here. My memories felt like fragments — a flash of light, a sudden pull, and then… nothing.
The forest around me was unfamiliar. Towering trees stretched high above, their leaves shimmering with hues I didn't recognize. Birds that looked like they belonged in a fantasy painting flitted from branch to branch. I pushed myself to my feet, testing my body. Everything seemed fine, though my mind raced with questions.
"Where… am I?" I whispered, my voice small in the vast emptiness.
I took cautious steps forward, each crunch of leaves underfoot making me hyper-aware of the silence around me. There was no village in sight, no path, nothing that looked remotely familiar. Panic threatened to rise, but I forced it down. Thinking clearly would help. I had to figure out this world before it figured me out.
After wandering for what felt like hours, I spotted movement ahead. A man was tending to a small fire near a clearing. His robes were simple, and his posture relaxed, but there was a sharpness in his eyes as he noticed me.
"Hey there," he called out. "You look… lost. Are you hurt?"
I hesitated, unsure of what to say. A lie seemed safer than telling the truth — that I had literally come from another world. "I… I don't know," I replied cautiously. "I woke up here. I think I'm… lost."
The man studied me carefully, then nodded slowly. "Stranger, you seem like you've been through something. Come, rest by the fire. You look exhausted."
I approached, keeping my distance, and sat opposite him. I observed everything: the fire, the trees, even the way he held his hands. There was something about him — an aura, maybe, or the way the air seemed to hum faintly around him. I couldn't quite place it.
"Name's Kael," he said, offering a hand. "And you?"
I hesitated. Giving a fake name was probably best. "Lorin," I said.
"Lorin, then. You're lucky I found you. This forest isn't kind to strangers." He gestured toward the trees. "Monsters… they're not like what you might imagine. You should keep your guard up."
Monsters. That word struck a chord. I remembered the faint images of strange creatures, enormous and terrifying, from the fragments of memory I had. My stomach clenched. Monsters were real here — real enough to be a threat.
"I… I've never seen anything like them," I admitted carefully, not wanting to reveal too much about myself.
Kael nodded knowingly. "Few have. But you can survive if you learn. Come with me. I'll show you a place to rest and teach you a few basics."
Basics. I had no idea what those were, but I didn't argue. I followed him, careful to watch every movement, every gesture. If this was the first human I met in this world, I couldn't afford mistakes.
Along the way, I noticed subtle signs of power. The way Kael's steps barely pressed the ground, how the fire he carried seemed to flicker without wind, and how his eyes glinted with intelligence. This man knew more than he let on. I made a mental note to watch and learn.
By evening, we arrived at a small cabin on the edge of the forest. Kael handed me a simple meal, and I ate slowly, observing him. "You'll need more than food to survive," he said. "This world has rules. Strength is measured differently here. You need to understand the system before it's too late."
"The system?" I asked, curiosity piqued.
"Yes," Kael replied, his eyes serious. "Power, skills, levels… all of it. You'll want to know it if you want to live, Lorin."
I nodded, trying to keep calm. "I… I want to learn."
Kael's lips curved slightly. "Good. Tomorrow, we start. First lesson: how to sense your inner energy."
Inner energy. Another term I didn't understand. But that was fine. I would learn. Slowly. Carefully. And no one would know the truth about me — not yet.
As night fell, I sat by the fire, staring at my hands. The forest was alive with sounds I had never heard before, and somewhere deep inside me, a faint warmth began to stir. Something inside me responded to the energy in the air. I didn't understand it yet, but I could feel it.
I was no longer in my world. Every instinct told me to survive, to adapt, to hide. And somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew — this world was about to test me in ways I couldn't even imagine.