Subaru woke to light.
Too much of it. Way, way too much.
The sun stabbed through his eyelids like a divine punishment, forcing a groan from his throat. He rolled onto his side, wincing as the ground scraped against his arm. It wasn't asphalt. It wasn't even remotely modern. The surface beneath him was rough, uneven stone, cool to the touch, flecked with dirt, and carrying the faint scent of moss. ew...
He cracked one eye open wide. The world that greeted him wasn't the one he knew. The alley around him was narrow, hemmed in by tall, weathered walls of pale brick. Ivy crawled lazily up the sides as the smell of freshness spread across the air.
Definitely not Japan.
He glanced around, squinting as the light hit his eyes again. "Okay… this isn't Japan... definitely not anywhere with electricity, for that matter." His gaze lifted upward. Clear blue sky. No streetlights. No skyscrapers. Just a bright sun glaring down on him, tingles of pain brushing across his exposed skin.
He brushed off his tracksuit, standing unsteadily as his mind scrambled to assemble the last fragments of memory. "Alright… so I went to grab a snack, did some rooftop parkour, looked up at the stars… definitely night. Not…" His eyes darted up again to the very obvious daylight. "…not this."
He blinked, the last moments finally replaying. The moon. The flash. The sudden burn. The fall, then his unwilling nap.
"Oh."
A long pause.
Then his expression shifted as his mouth fell wide open, eyes wide. "Oh… OH—!"
"HOLY SHIT!" His voice echoed off the stone walls as both hands flew to his head. "I GOT ISEKAI'D!?"
The declaration rang through the quiet alley, bouncing between the bricks like an overexcited fan theory come to life. Subaru spun in place, taking in the old stonework, the European architecture, the faint sounds of chatter and hoofbeats from somewhere beyond the alley's mouth. excitement starting to eclipse all of his rightfully held doubts and fears.
He froze mid-turn, realisation hitting him again.
"Wait… I actually said it," he muttered flatly. "I said the line. Oh god, I'm that guy now."
He sighed, pressing a hand over his face, dragging it down until it fell away. "Seriously. You'd think being supernatural myself would make me more grounded about this sort of thing. Guess not."
Stepping forward, he peeked out from the alley's mouth. A carriage rolled by, drawn by a raptor horse hybrid (he's not gonna question it) as its driver lay half asleep under the late morning sun. The cobblestone street gleamed faintly in the light
Subaru let out a small, amused breath. "It's… pretty exciting, though," he admitted, a grin tugging at his mouth.
Then it faded just as fast. "Damn. I'm gonna miss technology. And convenience stores. And being a shut-in." His shoulders slumped, nostalgia briefly winning out. whispering "...my job too..."
"Nope! Not doing that. This is my second shot, yeah? New world, new me! Hell, considering my past, I am an isekai protagonist!"
He straightened, grinning like an idiot and cracking his neck for dramatic effect. "Alright, first order of business, info gathering. Figure out where I am, who runs the place, what's edible, and-" He patted his pockets, frowning. "-whether I'm broke or not. Damn it. They couldn't even give me starter gear? Really? I have a really strong feeling they don't take yen here. Ya know!"
He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a long sigh, the tension of uncertainty and excitement twisting in his chest. Then something brushed his skin. Cold. Smooth. Metal, light and faintly warm at the same time. His eyes flicked down.
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
Around his neck hung a thin chain that shimmered with a gold-pink hue, catching the sunlight and reflecting in a beautiful colour. At its centre was a gem, rose gold swirling with bright orange, the colours twisting around each other like molten glass caught mid-spin. It was mesmerising, almost hypnotic, distinct yet inseparable, like a perfect balance of forces. Yin and yang, condensed into a jewel the size of an eye.
"What. When the hell did I get a necklace?" he blurted out, eyes widening in disbelief. His hand shot up and lifted the pendant, flipping it gently to catch a better view. From this angle, he could see the intricate swirls inside the gem, glowing faintly and moving almost like it had a life of its own. "Man, this thing looks expensive… like a crown jewel or something," he muttered, awe creeping into his voice.
Then he tried to get a better view of it.
Quickly, Curiosity turned into frustration. He tugged at the chain, then twisted it, yanked it, yanked it harder, even tried sliding it over his head. The moment the pendant reached his chin, it refused to move further.
"Eh?"
He pulled again. "Eh!?"
No give. He twisted, tugged, prodded, even tapped it against his chest as if the necklace might respond to a little persuasion. Nothing.
"Woa, woa, woa! Hey! Hey! Hey!" he muttered frantically, trying every angle, every motion, pulling, pushing, bopping, twisting, pull it (wait a minute), even mimicking some ridiculous martial arts grip. Slow, fast, hard as he could, as soft as he could. But the necklace stayed firmly in place, unyielding. like space had soul and gripped its life in place.
nope.
"EGAHG!" he groaned quietly, the last bit of effort leaving his throat in a strangled (almost girly sound.) He let out a shaky breath and finally slumped back, staring at the pendant as it rested against his chest, faintly glowing. The rose gold and orange swirled inside, shifting and pulsing, mesmerising in its perfect dance. Was it a lava lamp? Or was it alive? Subaru didn't know.
but that didn't matter because then...
A thought struck him suddenly, an idea so sharp it samurai cut his train of thought in half. His eyes widened, and a small squeal escaped him. (which, yes... was Effeminant as fuck) "Wait… if this is an isekai… which it definitely is… then this must be…" His hands tightened around the gem, voice rising in excitement. "Then this MUST be my legendary artefact! YES! I knew it! Thank you, gods, for remembering to give me my starter gear! Heheh!"
He giggled, staring at the jewel in wonder, his grin stretching impossibly wide. "Man! This is going to be sooo cool!"
Carefully, he let go of the pendant, letting it settle naturally back against his chest. It glowed softly, almost as if approving his action. before dimming back to gem-like normalcy.
Subaru took a deep breath, stretching his arms above his head as he looked down the alley toward the sunlit streets beyond. A sense of purpose bubbled inside him, filling the void of guilt with everything but negativity.
"Well, there's no time like the present! Let's a go!" he declared, voice echoing slightly off the stone walls. He took a careful step forward, then another, feeling the weight of the unknown journey pressing against him, but also lifting him as well.
The streets lay ahead, ready to welcome its new h̶e̶r̶o̶i̶n̶e̶ hero
A/N - small chap but next should compensate. I hope you enjoyed. i love comments so please do comment. please tell me what i should improve, or add. and give me idea's cause im just throwing stuff in for the fun of it.
also also. i may have shoved a... few references (some obvious, some harder.)
i hope you get em :D
anyway
that's all for today
See ya"