They charged.
Hundreds of them.
The ground trembled beneath their steps—limbs scraping, claws tearing, jaws unhinged. The mist had broken them free, and now they wanted me.
I didn't hesitate.
I drove my spear through the first one's skull before it even landed. Its body dropped with a thud.
Another came from the side. I turned, ducked, jabbed. It twitched once, then stilled.
A third lunged. I sidestepped and swept its legs, plunging the pointy end straight down as it hit the ground.
But they kept coming.
I fought my way backward, step by step. Breath sharp. Hands steady.
Too many. I couldn't kill them all. Not here. Not now.
My heel hit the edge of the path—good. I turned and sprinted into the forest, weaving between the black, bone-like trees, leading them exactly where I wanted.
They followed.
Monsters weren't smart, but they were hungry. Desperate. Predictable.
I passed the first trap—an overhead deadfall rigged with sharpened stakes. Waited one second—then crack—three bodies slammed into it. Silence followed.
I kept moving.
The next was a pit, deep and narrow, hidden by scattered debris. I jumped clean over it. The shriek that followed as something fell in almost made me grin.
Almost.
But they weren't stopping. Not yet.
The ones behind slowed—cautious now. Some peeled away, circling wide. I'd killed a dozen, maybe more, but my arms ached, and my legs felt heavier with every step.
Still not enough.
I reached the last trap—a wall of twisted stakes buried in the ground, slick with the bile-like slime the monsters left behind. I vaulted over it.
Another followed too fast—skewered itself mid-jump. I watched it twitch, then drop limp, black smoke rising from its wounds.
I staggered to a stop, breathing hard.
I leaned against a tree, the spear still firm in my grip.
This wasn't over.
I waited.
Minutes passed. Maybe more.
But the sound never stopped.
In the distance, I still heard it—the dragging of limbs, the low hissing, the crunch of claws against stone. No matter how many I killed, they just kept coming.
Endless.
The mist hadn't just woken a few… it had woken all of them.
I glanced back at the crude shelter behind me—the walls I built from broken branches and jagged stones. The spot where I nearly died, and the fire that had kept me sane for months.
I clenched my jaw.
It wasn't safe anymore. Would never be again.
I couldn't fight forever. Eventually, they'd wear me down. Tear through the traps. Swarm what little I had left.
This place... it had kept me alive.
Now it would become my grave if I stayed.
I looked down at the spear in my hand. The wood was cracked, the tip stained black.
"It's just a shelter," I muttered. "Just sticks and rocks."
But I didn't move.
Not right away.
The silence behind the trees was pressing in now. That kind of silence that came right before everything exploded. Like the world was holding its breath.
I couldn't win this.
And I hated it.
My hand trembled—but only for a second. I turned away.
No final glance. No lingering goodbye.
I ran.
Past the dead trees. Past the smoke of burned-out fires. Past the monster corpses I had dragged back for food.
Into the unknown.
Wherever it led… it had to be better than here.
Because if this world wanted to break me, it would have to catch me first.
I ran for quite a long time.
The ground cracked beneath me, but the sound behind was louder—hundreds of monsters screaming, chasing.
Then I heard it.
A shriek above.
I looked up.
Wings.
Dozens of them.
The flying ones had found me.
"Of course they fly," I muttered, and sprinted faster.
I ran—miles, maybe more—but no matter how far or how fast, they kept chasing. Relentless. Like the world itself wanted me dead.
I ran. Through swamps, lungs on fire—still they chased. Claws, wings, snarls. No matter how far I went, they kept coming.
Then, something changed.
The air shimmered ahead. Light—faint, flickering. Like a dying star trying to lead the way.
I slowed, just enough to see it.
Glowing words drifted in the air.
[Captain... Ark?]
I froze.
"…What?"
Another flicker. A thin trail of light, twisting through the trees, leading somewhere. It didn't feel like the mist. It didn't feel like anything from this place.
Maybe it was a trap.
Maybe it was help.
Maybe I was finally losing my mind.
Either way, I followed. Because what else was I going to do—get eaten?
The light stopped in front of a swirling ripple in the air. A portal. Gentle, pale. Like it didn't belong in this world.
More words flickered.
[Take care.]
I heard the monsters again. Screeches, pounding feet, tearing across the ground.
No time left.
I whispered, "Screw it," and jumped in.
Wind.
Soft… gent- gentle..?for the first time in forever.
I lay still, face pressed against grass that didn't bite or burn. It brushed my cheek like a memory.
Then came the smell—clean. Fresh. Like rain had just passed through. Like home.
I opened my eyes slowly.
No red sky.
No mist.
Just blue. Clear, perfect blue. Clouds drifted lazily above me. Real clouds.
My hands sank into the grass. It was cool. Alive.
I didn't move. Couldn't.
Was this real? Did I finally snap and imagine all this?
My heart beat so loudly in my ears it hurt.
Then I heard a bird. A damn bird.
I closed my eyes again and just breathed.
I turned back.
The portal was gone.
Not closed—gone. Like it was never there.
Just open forest now. Blue sky overhead. Wind brushing through leaves.
I stood there for a while, staring at the spot.
No noise. No red mist. No monsters.
Just birds chirping somewhere distant, like this world had never heard of suffering.
"...Huh."
I didn't know if I should be relieved or terrified.
But whatever that place was—whatever followed me—
It couldn't reach me now.
I looked around again, half-expecting something—anything—to jump out.
Nothing.
"...Hey," I muttered, eyes scanning the trees. "You still there? The... glowing text thing?"
No answer. No more floating words. Just rustling leaves and warm sunlight on my skin.
I waited a moment longer, then scratched the back of my head.
"Seriously? You drop cryptic letters mid-death chase, pull me through some random portal, and now you're just... gone?"
Still nothing.
I sighed.
Figures.
What is wrong with these weird mysterious people.
I felt weirdly light, like I'd lost a ton of weight all at once. My knees bent on their own before I even thought about it.
Woosh
"Ugh?!" I gasped as I shot up way higher than I meant to. The wind whooshed past my ears, and for a second, I could see the whole damn forest spread out below me.
My stomach flipped as I landed hard, nearly losing balance. "Holy crap... that was—different."
I staggered a bit, breathing fast. Gravity here actually felt normal. Not like the crushing weight trying to squash me before.
It was like I'd been holding down a panic for months, and now finally got to breathe.
wind whipped past me, and for a split second, I saw everything.
"Wow"
Trees but with leaves. Mountains in the far distance. And—what the hell was that?
A huge serpent, easily the size of a bus, was tearing through the trees below… chasing someone.
A girl.
She was running like her life depended on it—because it probably did.
My heart skipped. I wasn't even fully back to myself yet, but—
I landed with a hard thud, barely keeping my balance. My body moved before I had time to think.
Of course. Peace didn't last long.
I dashed.
The wind felt lighter here. Trees zipped past like blurs, the ground barely touched beneath my feet. Everything was happening so fast—and yet I could see it all.
There it was.
A massive serpent, bigger than anything I'd seen back in that nightmare world. Its scales shimmered like molten obsidian, eyes glowing faintly gold. It slithered after a girl in armor, jaws wide, fangs bared. Fast.
Too fast.
I moved without thinking, sliding between the girl and the serpent.
It stopped—so did she.
For a moment, the forest was quiet.
I stared at the beast, breath caught in my throat.
"Is this… a serpent?" I thought. "A real one? A mythical one? They weren't supposed to exist…"
The stories in my world called them ancient kings of the wild, unkillable legends. Seeing one this close—
It lunged.
I panicked and threw a punch.
A loud crack tore through the air as my fist slammed into its snout. The serpent's head snapped back violently, its entire body twisting as it crashed into the trees with a deafening boom.
The forest shook.
I stood frozen, eyes wide.
"...Huh?"
The serpent lay still. Not moving. Not breathing.
Dead.
"…It died?" I whispered, almost in disbelief. "Just like that?"
I stared at my hand, then back at the beast.
Then at the girl.
I stared at her.
The first human I'd seen in… god, how long? Months? Years? Time didn't work the same back there, but my bones remembered.
She was just a girl. Maybe a bit younger than me. Dirty, scraped up, hair stuck to her forehead from running. She looked like she'd been running for her life.
And I—stood there, like a statue, trying to remember how people were supposed to act.
I should say something, right?
Maybe wave?
I tried to smile.
Her eyes went wide.
"M-MONSTER!!"
She screamed so loudly a bird shot out of the trees.
Then she turned and bolted.
I just stood there.
"…Huh?"
I looked down at myself.
Shaggy hair down my neck. Dirt and blood smeared across my skin. Muscles hard and lean like I'd been carved out of stone. My clothes—if you could still call them that—were barely holding together.
I looked like I'd crawled out of a horror story.
"…Okay. But you didnt have to react that badly."
I jumped over her and stopped Infront of her.
"Wait—I'm not—!"
But she was already running again.
I cursed under my breath and took off after her. Not too fast—I didn't want to scare her more than I already had. But apparently, even holding back, I moved faster than she expected.
She glanced back, tripped on a root, and hit the ground with a hard thud. Dirt and leaves flew.
She scrambled back on all fours, her eyes wide and terrified.
"Stay back! Please!"
"I'm not a bad person," I said quickly, holding my hands up. "I swear, I'm not trying to hurt you."
She froze.
Her mouth opened slightly. She was breathing hard. Her eyes locked on mine—not with fear now, but confusion.
"You… you can talk…?"
Before I could answer—
The ground rumbled.
Steel clanked. Branches snapped. I turned just in time to see a wave of silver and blue charge through the trees.
Knights. A dozen of them.
Cloaks fluttering, armor polished, swords drawn. They shouted something I didn't understand and surrounded me in a practiced formation.
Blades pointed. Shields raised.
I blinked.
"…Okay," I muttered, raising my hands higher. "Am I in iron age or something?"
"Who the hell are you?! State yourself!"
I blinked, surrounded by cold steel and sharp glares.
"Uh…" I raised my hands slowly, then cleared my throat. "I'm Ark. A… high school student."
The silence that followed was louder than the shouting.
A few knights exchanged confused glances. One of them stepped forward, his sword still pointed at me. "High… what?"
"I—I don't know how I got here," I said quickly. "I just woke up in hell like world. Everything was… red. I ran. Survived. Then a light showed up. I followed it then got here. Saw a giant snake chasing her—" I pointed gently toward the girl still on the ground, "—and I jumped in."
More silence.
The girl pushed herself up, brushing dirt from her clothes with shaking hands. Her eyes flicked to me, then to the knights.
"He's telling the truth," she said. "He… saved me."
That seemed to carry more weight than anything I'd said.
Still, the knights didn't lower their weapons. Not until another voice cut in, firm and clear.
"That's enough."
A girl stepped out from between the trees. She wore no armor, just a soft blue cloak draped over riding leathers, a thin silver circlet resting on her brow. Blonde hair braided down her shoulder. Graceful, composed. But something about her presence silenced the entire clearing.
The knights immediately stepped aside and lowered their heads.
"Princess," one of them murmured.
So that's who she was.
She looked at me, gaze sharp. "You saved my servant?"
I glanced at the girl, who gave a tiny nod.
"I—I guess," I said. "I didn't know she was your servant. I just saw the serpent—"
"And you stopped it," the princess said, cutting me off, her voice unreadable. "Is that true?"
"I didn't really have a choice," I muttered.
She studied me for a long moment, then finally spoke again. "Then you will come with us, Ark. High school student."
The way she said it made it sound like both a title and a question.
"For now," she continued, turning toward the woods, "you are a guest of the Kingdom of Elaria. And we have much to discuss."
I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.
I just want to go home.