The silence that followed was heavy.
Steve remained motionless, among broken trunks and bodies scattered across the clearing floor, watching as the survivors regrouped. The metallic smell of blood still hung in the air, mixed with the damp aroma of the forest. The enemy soldiers were all neutralized. None moved. None breathed.
Still, Steve couldn't relax.
He just watched.
The way those strangers moved... organized, experienced, almost indifferent to the massacre they had just caused. For them, this didn't seem like a victory — it was just another completed task.
His heart beat too fast.
While Steve tried to process everything, a man with an unkempt beard approached with calm steps, as if he were strolling through a common market and not on a battlefield. His expression was calm, almost relaxed, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened there.
— You alright, boy? — the man asked, extending his hand.
The voice was firm, but carried a strange lightness.
Steve took a second to react. Still frightened, he looked at the extended hand, then at the man's face. Finally, he accepted the handshake. The man pulled him easily, helping him stand.
— I'm Dagon — he said, with a half smile.
Before Steve could respond, a voice echoed through the clearing.
— You can come out! The field is secure!
It was the blond swordsman. He sheathed his sword naturally as he made the announcement. Soon after, the denser brush at the edge of the clearing began to move.
Three figures emerged from the forest.
The first was a woman with dark hair, wearing a simple white mask. Her posture betrayed exhaustion, and even with her face hidden, Steve could feel the weight in her eyes.
The second was a woman of older appearance, clearly over thirty. She had orange hair and wore simple clothes, typical of a healer. Her gaze was attentive, evaluating everything around.
The third figure didn't walk — he ran.
A young mage with brown hair burst from the forest, wearing typical conjurer's robes. He ran straight toward the blond swordsman, almost tripping over his own feet.
— Master Finn! — he shouted. — Are you alright?!
Steve just watched.
His eyes went from one face to another, trying to understand who these people were, where they came from, and why all of this seemed so... coordinated. He felt out of place, like someone who had invaded a scene that didn't belong to him.
Dagon noticed this.
Naturally, he put an arm over Steve's shoulder.
— Hey, don't be shy, boy — he said, with a tone almost too friendly for the situation. — Everyone here is good people.
Steve swallowed hard.
— I'll introduce you to everyone — Dagon continued, pointing to the masked woman. — This is Jelím.
The woman only inclined her head slightly.
— This one here — he pointed to the healer — is Keara.
— Don't introduce me like that, Dagon — the woman responded, crossing her arms, visibly irritated.
Dagon laughed.
— And this brave and handsome young man before you is Finn.
Finn, the blond swordsman, responded only with a serious nod.
— Pleasure to meet you.
— And the other mage is... — Dagon frowned. — I forgot.
— Damn old man — the mage grumbled, leaning against a tree. — My name is Fog.
Steve blinked a few times, trying to keep up with everything.
— Pleasure to meet you... I'm Steveeeee — he said, drawing out his name nervously.
That's when something changed.
A strange weight fell over his body. His legs grew weak. His vision began to spin, as if the world were moving away from him in spirals.
— H-hey... — he tried to speak, but his voice didn't come out.
Before he could realize it, Steve began to fall.
In the middle of the collapse, something appeared before his eyes.
A notification.
---
Warning
User: incompatible
---
Steve's heart raced even harder.
The sound of voices around him became distant, distorted. His body didn't respond. The last thing he felt was the ground approaching too fast... and then everything went dark.
---
Consciousness returned slowly.
Steve felt first the cold air touching his face, then the strange weight on his head, as if it were resting on something too soft to be the ground. A soft, slightly sweet smell entered his nostrils.
He opened his eyes.
The blue sky appeared above him... but was soon covered by something blocking his vision.
Something very specific.
Steve blinked a few times until he realized where he was. His head rested on the healer's lap, and his line of sight was completely obstructed by Keara's breasts. Blood instantly rushed to his face.
— H-hey?!
In an awkward jump, Steve got up too quickly, almost losing his balance. His face burned with embarrassment as he avoided looking directly at her.
— S-sorry... I... I didn't...
Keara just laughed lightly.
— Good that you woke up — she said, with a gentle smile. There was something in that smile that made Steve remember his mother. A strange warmth appeared in his chest, pushing away some of the panic.
Around them, the rest of the group waited. Some were leaning against trees, others sitting on the ground, resting as if this were just a common break on a journey.
Steve looked at everyone, still trying to orient himself.
That's when Finn approached.
— Good that you woke up — said the blond swordsman. — We've been waiting for about two hours.
— T-two hours...? — Steve murmured.
He looked at his own hands, opening and closing his fingers slowly. His body seemed normal now, but his mind was in chaos. The notification... those words... still echoed in his head.
User: incompatible.
Before he could organize his thoughts, Finn took a step forward and knelt before him.
— Please — he said, with a firm voice. — We need your help to locate the Death Cult village.
Steve frowned.
— Death... cult? — he repeated. — What's that?
— It's the village where those corrupted soldiers we just defeated came from — Finn explained. — They came out of there.
Steve's confusion only increased.
— So... why that name?
Before Finn could answer, Fog spoke, leaning casually against a tree.
— They received that name because all the inhabitants of that village are descendants of Gorlith's bloodline.
Steve felt a chill.
— Gorlith was a man who betrayed the kingdom and the sacred services — the mage continued. — He allied himself with a demon in exchange for eternal life. When he was discovered, he was cursed and expelled. He, his family and followers came to hide in this forest.
Fog let out a crooked smile.
— From what we see today, they reproduced quite a bit.
Shock took hold of Steve.
Finn took another step forward.
— Besides that — he added — they have the custom of making human offerings to an entity they worship.
Steve's gaze changed.
Something inside him contracted, recent memories returning with force. Screams. Blood. The village. The people.
— So, Steve — said Finn — we ask for your help to find their village.
Heavy silence fell.
Steve stared at nothing for a few seconds. When he finally spoke, his voice came out empty.
— I'm sorry... I won't be able to help.
Finn's eyes widened.
— What?
— Don't you understand?! — indignation exploded in his voice. — Lives are at risk! You have to help us!
Steve's thoughts collapsed. Everything he had lived since arriving in that world passed like a whirlwind in his mind.
— I'm sorry — he repeated, standing up. — I can't.
He took a deep breath.
— My life is unique. Being alive now, away from those people... is already a miracle.
Finn clenched his teeth.
In a quick movement, he advanced and punched Steve in the face. The impact threw him to the ground.
— Coward! — he shouted. — We just want you to take us there! Nothing more!
Steve got up slowly, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. A crooked smile appeared on his face.
— I'm not a hero — he said. — I don't have powers. I'm just a seventeen-year-old who wants a life away from problems.
He took a deep breath.
— Yes, I'm a coward. But I'd rather be a living coward than a brave dead man.
Steve looked at everyone.
— Thank you for saving me. It was a pleasure meeting you... but I'll follow my own path.
Without waiting for an answer, he turned and began walking toward the forest interior.
Finn closed his eyes, took a deep breath and let the anger escape.
— Let's go — he said to the group. — We'll find another way.
Dagon, however, watched Steve walk away with a serious look.
— Wait a moment.
He followed after Steve.
— What do you want, old man? — Steve asked, without turning around.
Dagon stopped a few steps from him.
— You're a player from another world... right?
Steve's world stopped.
His heart raced violently. His blood froze. His legs weakened.
How... does he know that?
The sound of the forest became distant as fear took over everything.