Having barely escaped his horrible death. Gideon ran quickly into the woodland, disregarding the noise he was creating as he stepped on the dried leaves that had piled on the ground.
His eyes were wide with fear, and his face was heated. He had lost track of his current location since dread had taken over his thoughts.
Because he couldn't see where he was going, he failed to see the roots protruding on his path. And before he knew it, he was hurtling through the air before landing on his face. Fortunately, the ground he hit was covered with dried leaves, so his injuries were minimal. But his physical condition was the least of his concerns at the time.
Gideon sat up, holding both of his head temples, and vomited on the ground after a few seconds of groaning. His entire body shook, and his fidgeting eyes were fixed on the ground. "I'm going to die here..." he murmured to himself in a broken voice. There was no trace of his calm and humorous-sounding voice. "I'm in the middle of nowhere, wearing nothing but my clothes and surrounded by fucking monsters!" His body shivered more. "I'm not going to make it... I'm going to die soon."
He raised his head as he heard the howling once more. He recognized those cries as coming from the enormous Unicorn wolf's pack, which he had previously encountered. Gideon's eyes, which were already lifeless, grew much more lifeless as he shook his head. He realized he had lost all hope, and tears began to fill up in his eyes.
While sobbing, he rubbed his head against the dry leaves on the ground. "Chosen hero my ass! Keiram called me a hero... Who am I kidding? He's probably dead. The person who summoned me here is fucking dead. And I'll be dead soon... Because I am a fucking weakling." He chuckled, but there was no humor in his chuckle. "It's over... I won't make it out of here alive... I'm going to die... sooner or later... there's no hope for me... I will die..." His eyes were broken, and his usual easy-going demeanor had vanished. "I want... I just want to go home."
He remained silent, his eyes open, tears streaming down his cheeks, watering the brown leaves beneath. The only thing that could be heard was the gentle flow of the wind and the swaying of the trees around the area. He was motionless, his forehead pressed against the ground, and his hands on his temples.
His eyes were the first to move, and they blinked. "It's soothing... the wind," he said as he lifted his head from the ground. "If I want to keep feeling this relaxing wind, I should try to survive... no matter how difficult it is," he exhaled, wiping his tears away. "Calm down, Gideon..." He smiled once more when those words left his mouth.
Those were the words his late big brother, Gian, would always tell him when he was losing his cool. Gideon's unfortunate weakness was having such a fragile mind when dealing with great mental stress. And the only person who could have removed that weakness was no longer alive... Gideon had been without him for nine months.
Gideon's chest rose as he inhaled slowly. He remained motionless while closing his eyes, exhaling and opening them again. His gaze wandered around the place, and his face returned to its usual composed expression. "Your stupid brain cannot function properly if you continue to act like a fucking retarded." He smiled calmly and raised his hand to scratch his head. None of those expressions were genuine... but convincing enough to fool himself. "I've only been here a few hours and I'm already crying like a pussy," he forced a chuckle, a hint of breaking in his voice hidden by his forced high-pitched, soft laugh. "I can imagine big brother Gian laughing at me right now because of how pitiful I look; it's a good thing he's not here, or he'd smack my head again."
As if he hadn't just had a complete breakdown moments before. He stood up and placed both hands on his waist, his gaze wandering around the area. His brow was turned upwards. His face displayed an optimistic smile and managed to conceal the majority of his true emotions. With the exception of his eyes...
He shifted his gaze to the waste on the ground. "Man, what a mess," he said as he walked away from the scene, turning his back and stretching his arms. "As far as I recall, Keiram summoned me here using magic; perhaps that summoning gave me magical abilities that I haven't discovered yet, and little did I know, I actually have some kind of hidden magical powers. I should explore that matter first, trying won't hurt anyway, especially if it would definitely help a lot in my current situation," he said, resting his crumbled fist on his palm. "Because why not... I don't think I'd lose anything by giving it a shot."
Gideon's very first night in Eteria had arrived. And as the darkness fell, the common occurrence of a howling beast nearby became more frequent and closer to his location than during the day. The rustling of various beasts could be heard everywhere. The massive and swift Unicorn wolves dominated this section of the forest, patrolling with such speed and hostility. Resting on the ground for the night would be dangerous as a result.
"Fire magic!" he exclaimed as he raised his right hand in the air. He shook his hand, but nothing occurred. "Nothing from the prominent elemental magic?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. "And I'm pretty sure it's not also physical enhancement magic," he said, but he was cut off by a series of sounds nearby.
Gideon cautiously turned his gaze downward when he heard a sudden howl just beneath him. Holding the tasteless Ilagina fruit that he had just picked before dusk, he was perched on a branch at the top of a large tree.
"So, they won't try to reach me when I'm on top of a tree, even though they're probably aware that I'm here," he said as he took a bite from the tasteless, green fruit the size of his hand and looked up at the sky. "At least, the moon and sun here are similar to those we have on Earth, so it still feels like home... to some extent." He said in a melancholy tone. "I wonder what mom and dad are up to right now; I'm sure they're looking for me everywhere... and they're worried... I want to go home..." His voice broke again, but this time he interrupted it with a forced chuckle. "I'm talking to myself again; I'd definitely lose my sanity if I stayed in this stupid forest for too long."
Some parts of the forest, particularly those not crowded by massive trees, had been illuminated by the light of the full moon. And, because of his elevated position, he could see the routes ahead. This included the unknown entities roaming the woods. He indicated the route he intended to take the following day with his finger.
"Only if I can, I'd travel through that path right away, it's properly lit up, and if I happen to encounter some wolves, I'll just climb and once they leave, I'll continue my journey again." He leaned his body against the trunk of the tree and groaned at the relief of resting his back against something. His supposed white T-shirt was stained with dirt, and his black pants had turned brown. "Too bad I don't have that kind of physique... the wolves would definitely catch me before I even started climbing... the disadvantages of being physically weak, huh?" He closed his eyes. "I'll just continue my journey tomorrow."
After a short while, serenity returned to his location. The sound of wolves howling all around him began to fade, giving way to the soothing sound of the wind caressing his grimy face as the moon hovered directly over him.
Gideon had fallen asleep. But after a short while, His eyes opened, and started to move around. And before he could move, a bright white light engulfed his entire body. This meant, in the world of Eteria, that he had learned a skill. All of his physical prowess was enhanced passively, making him stronger, quicker, and more resilient than before. His physical abilities improved, but only enough for him to embark on his journey. But as he became stronger, this skill would grow. The instant the light went out, his brain knew immediately what kind of present he had been given. Additionally, his subconscious knew right away what the name of the ability was and how it functioned.
"Will of the otherworldly hero." He mumbled the ability's name in a low but soothing voice that contrasted sharply with Gideon's gentle and humorous tone. "Although I find it unfair and illogical that I am the only one who has this power up, it will be useful, so I'll gladly take it," he punched the tree. And the punch he delivered left a crater on the tree's trunk slightly larger than his fist. "A little underwhelming for a skill with an epic name, but for now, it's more than adequate."
But he still lacked both mastery and power. Even with his newly gained skill, he would die if he attempted to fight the Unicorn wolves. Contrarily, outrunning them was a quite different matter.
His gaze was drawn to the direction Gideon intended to take. He stood up after a brief moment of silence, his face strict, in contrast to Gideon's usual gentle expression. A side of Gideon that could only be seen when he was sleeping. The personification of Gideon's physical abilities. Hunter Windleaper.
"You've been doing an excellent job on your own; rest for the time being, but when morning comes, it'll be your turn again... After all, you need to get stronger for your own good."
He clambered down the tree trunk without a second thought and sprinted in the direction Gideon had intended. To execute Gideon's intended strategy.