Jihoon Lee didn't believe in magic.
He didn't believe in monsters, or gods, or fate, or any of the other things people whispered about when they thought no one was listening. He believed in deadlines, in coffee that was just a little too bitter, in the awkwardness of small talk, and in the cold, hard fact that life didn't care how tired you were—you still had to get out of bed in the morning.
So when he woke up on the cold, stony ground beneath a violet sky and realized he had absolutely no idea where he was, his first thought wasn't, "I've been transported to a fantasy world."
His first thought was, "What the hell did I drink last night?"
But the headache didn't feel like a hangover. It felt like someone had taken a hammer to the back of his skull, and the ground beneath him wasn't a dorm room floor or a bathroom tile—it was rough, uneven stone, covered in tiny glowing specks that pulsed faintly like they had a heartbeat of their own.
He groaned, pushing himself up onto his elbows, blinking rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the strange light. The sky above him wasn't blue. It wasn't even gray. It was some strange mix of deep purple and deep blue, like someone had spilled ink across a canvas and then set it on fire. There were no clouds. Just endless, swirling colors that didn't make any sense.
"What…?" he muttered, his voice hoarse. "Where am I?"
He looked around, his heart starting to pound harder with every second that passed. There were no buildings. No streets. No people. No signs of civilization whatsoever. Just jagged cliffs in the distance, a dense forest of blackened trees to his left, and a flat, rocky plain stretching out in every other direction.
And the air… it felt wrong. Thicker. Heavier. Like breathing through a wet cloth. It wasn't cold, exactly, but it wasn't warm either. It was… unnatural.
"This has to be a dream," Jihoon said, more to himself than anyone else. He slapped his cheek lightly, wincing at the sting. "Ow. Okay. That hurt. So either I'm having a really weird dream, or—"
A low, guttural growl cut him off.
Jihoon froze.
The sound came from somewhere nearby—close enough that his body reacted before his brain could catch up. Adrenaline surged through him, sharp and sudden, and he scrambled to his feet, heart hammering in his chest. He spun around, eyes darting wildly, searching for the source of the noise.
And that's when he saw it.
At the edge of the tree line, just barely visible through the shadows, was something massive. Too big to be a dog. Too strange to be a bear. It had thick, matted fur the color of ash, eyes that glowed a faint, sickly yellow, and claws that looked like they could tear through steel. It was crouched low to the ground, muscles tensed, watching him with an intensity that made every instinct in Jihoon's body scream at him to run.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," he whispered.
The creature took a step forward.
Jihoon took three back, his legs shaking so badly he almost fell over. He turned and started running without thinking, his feet pounding against the rocky ground as he sprinted in the opposite direction. He didn't know where he was going. He didn't know if there was anywhere safe. All he knew was that he needed to put as much distance as possible between himself and that… thing.
The forest loomed ahead of him, dark and foreboding, but he didn't have a choice. He dove into the trees, branches whipping against his face and arms as he ran, his lungs burning with every breath. He could still hear the creature behind him, its growls growing louder, closer, with every passing second.
"Come on, come on, come on!" he panted, weaving through the trees as fast as he could. He tripped over a root and fell hard, scraping his hands and knees on the rough bark of the forest floor. Pain shot through him, but he forced himself to his feet, ignoring the blood dripping down his palms.
He didn't stop running until his legs gave out and he collapsed beneath a tree, gasping for air. He pressed his back against the trunk, heart pounding in his ears, and tried to listen for any sign of the creature. For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of his own breathing and the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Then he heard it again.
Footsteps. Slow. Deliberate. Getting closer.
Jihoon's eyes widened in terror. He scrambled to his feet and kept moving, deeper into the forest, farther away from the path he didn't even know he'd been on. He didn't know where he was. He didn't know how he'd gotten here. All he knew was that he was in way over his head, and if he didn't figure out what the hell was going on, he was going to die.
He didn't stop until nightfall.
By then, his legs were trembling with exhaustion, and every inch of his body ached. He found a small clearing surrounded by rocks and collapsed onto the ground, too tired to care about the dirt or the cold. He stared up at the sky, which was now completely dark except for a few faint stars that seemed to shimmer unnaturally, and tried to make sense of everything that had happened.
But nothing made sense.
One moment, he'd been walking across campus. The next, he was in a world that looked like it had been ripped straight out of a fantasy novel. A world with glowing crystals, strange skies, and monsters that shouldn't exist.
"What am I supposed to do?" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "How do I get home?"
There was no answer.
Just the sound of the wind and the distant rustling of leaves.
Jihoon closed his eyes, trying to block out the fear and the uncertainty. He needed to rest. He needed to think. But as tired as he was, sleep didn't come easily. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the creature from the forest, its glowing yellow eyes staring at him with hunger.
He finally drifted off sometime after midnight, but his sleep was restless and filled with strange dreams. He dreamed of fire and shadows, of voices calling his name from the darkness, and of a power that pulsed inside him, waiting to be unleashed.
He woke up with a start, his heart racing, as if he'd just fallen from a great height. The sun was just beginning to rise, casting a pale orange glow over the forest. He sat up slowly, his body stiff and sore, and looked around.
The clearing was empty, but the feeling of being watched hadn't gone away.
Jihoon rubbed his eyes and tried to shake off the lingering fear. He needed to figure out what to do. He couldn't just sit here and wait for something to find him. He needed food, water, and—most importantly—a plan.
He stood up, brushing the dirt off his clothes, and took a cautious look around. The forest was quiet, too quiet, but there were no immediate signs of danger. He took a deep breath and started walking, sticking to the edge of the trees where he could use them for cover.
As he walked, he couldn't help but notice that the world around him felt… different. The air was charged with energy, like the atmosphere itself was alive. He could feel it buzzing against his skin, tugging at him in ways he couldn't explain. And then there were the crystals. They were everywhere—embedded in the ground, scattered across the rocks, glowing faintly with an otherworldly light.
"What is this place?" he murmured, picking up one of the smaller crystals and turning it over in his hand. It felt warm, almost alive, and when he held it up to the light, it shimmered with a rainbow of colors.
He didn't have an answer.
But as he continued walking, he began to notice something else. Strange symbols carved into the trees. Faint trails of scorched earth. And the air… it felt heavier, denser, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
He didn't know what any of it meant. But he had a feeling that whatever this place was, it wasn't just a random fantasy world. It was something more. Something… ancient.
And whatever had brought him here, it wasn't an accident.
It wasn't until later that day, when he stumbled upon a small stream and bent down to take a drink, that it happened.
The moment his lips touched the water, a sudden, blinding flash of light erupted around him, and the world seemed to explode in a kaleidoscope of colors and sounds. Jihoon cried out, stumbling backward, his vision swimming as the light consumed everything.
And then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped.
Jihoon fell to his knees, gasping for air, his body trembling with a power he couldn't explain. His mind was racing, flooded with images and sensations—flames and ice, lightning and shadow, ancient words and forgotten languages. It was like someone had opened a door inside his mind and poured out everything he'd ever imagined, and more.
"What… what is this?" he whispered, his voice shaking.
And then he felt it.
A presence. Deep inside him. Vast. Ancient. Unimaginably powerful.
And it spoke—not with words, but with understanding.
You are the key.
You have been chosen.
The world has waited long enough.
Jihoon didn't know what it meant. But he could feel the power coursing through him, like a river of fire and lightning. And in that moment, he realized the truth.
He wasn't just in another world.
He was the one who was going to change it.
To be continued…