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Hitaru had a dagger.
Nothing else.
The weapon was small and easy to hide. The metal was cold. The hall where he stood was cold as well. The place was the same as always: damp, silent, and without windows.
He had been there before.
He had arrived in that world without understanding anything.
He had been captured.
He had lost any value as a person.
The King had been present through all of it.
Now Hitaru was once again standing before the throne. This time on his feet. Without chains.
He took a step forward.
The sound of his boots echoed through the empty hall.
The King remained seated, distracted, spinning rings around his fingers. He did not look ahead. He did not seem worried.
Hitaru tightened his grip on the dagger. His hand trembled slightly.
He leaned forward.
He was not going to retreat.
He was not going to wait for another opportunity.
Before that moment, before the King, before the dagger, before everything, it had all begun somewhere else.
Several meters above the forest, space distorted. The air vibrated irregularly.
The rain intensified.
A portal began to open.
Blue light illuminated the trees. Sparks burst from its edges.
From within it, a human body fell.
"AAaaa… shit!" he shouted as he fell out of control.
The body crashed through the branches of a pine tree. The wood cracked one after another. Dull impacts. None of them stopped him.
His arms stopped responding.
The branches ran out.
The body hit the ground.
The impact was direct.
The left shoulder struck first.
A dry sound shattered the silence.
"Aaagh…" he gasped. "My arm…"
He was breathing with difficulty. The shoulder was not out of place, but it hurt enough that he could barely move it.
Then he heard footsteps.
Several.
Fast. Chaotic. Splashing through water and mud.
"That doesn't sound friendly…" he muttered.
Using the arm he could still move, he got up and started running. He didn't know where. He just moved.
He pushed through bushes. Branches struck his face and body.
The air burned his chest.
Something brushed against his side.
He felt an immediate sting.
He touched it. Blood.
He kept going.
He saw a spear stuck in the ground. He tried to grab it.
He didn't make it.
A rope tightened around his ankle and lifted him off the ground. The world flipped upside down. He was left hanging headfirst.
A trap.
The footsteps were getting closer.
With effort, using both hands, he tore through the vine rope.
He fell again onto his left shoulder.
A crack.
The shoulder dislocated.
He stood up again.
He didn't get far.
An arrow pierced the palm of his left hand.
He screamed.
When he looked up, he saw smoke in the distance.
A village.
He forced his body one last time. He ran to get a better look: small houses beside a large river.
The water rushed violently.
It was too far.
He dropped to his knees.
He couldn't go on.
He was not in his world.
He was in Mantara.
He knew there were creatures there. He knew he was not alone. And he knew he could not face them.
He stopped moving.
Something covered his head with a sack. Hands grabbed him roughly. Arms and legs were bound.
The moon illuminated the place.
The river made a constant noise.
A blow to the head knocked him unconscious.
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Comment:
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my novel. I'd like to say that if you liked the chapter and want more, please support it by adding it to your collection and leaving a comment, so I can know you enjoyed the chapter and want more. With nothing else to add, thank you for reading and, above all, for supporting my content.
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