The rain fell relentlessly, drenching the streets as Alexander made his way home in the dead of night. The dim streetlights offered little help, casting long, trembling shadows that seemed to stretch toward him with each gust of wind. His footsteps splashed in the growing puddles, the sound lost in the cacophony of the storm.
In the distance, the roar of a speeding car broke through the downpour. It was coming his way, the headlights slicing through the rain like twin beams of fire. Inside the car, a man and a woman were locked in a passionate embrace, oblivious to their surroundings. The woman, straddling the man, had her hands entwined in his hair, while the man squeezed his girlfriend's butt cheeks, kissing her passionately. "Mmmh ... " she moans softly into his mouth.
Suddenly, after glanced at Alexander in front of the car, the man, startled, reached for the steering wheel. The car swerved, tires screeching, but it was too late.
Alexander froze as the blinding white light engulfed him, erasing everything else from view.
Alexander Graves opened his eyes to the unsettling sensation of cold earth beneath him. A dense fog clouded his vision, and for a moment, he thought he might still be dreaming. The last thing he remembered was the blinding white light and a woman's piercing scream.
He had planned to spend the evening in his usual routine— grading math tests, then dinner, a book, perhaps a late-night movie, after returning his small, tidy apartment today. Instead, because of those two bastards, he found himself lying on the ground, disoriented and utterly confused.
Shaking his head, he pushed himself up onto his elbows, the damp, coarse soil clinging to his hands and clothes. The air was thick and heavy, carrying the scent of wet earth and something more—something metallic, like blood. A deep sense of unease settled in his chest as he glanced around, trying to make sense of his surroundings. The landscape was shrouded in a mist so dense that he could barely see a few feet ahead. Gnarled trees, their branches twisted and barren, loomed like skeletal sentinels around him, their roots clawing at the ground.
"What the hell is this place?" Alexander muttered to himself, his voice sounding unnaturally loud in the stillness. His breath came out in visible puffs, the air colder than it should have been for any familiar season. The only thing he knew for certain was that this was not the world he knew.
A sharp, throbbing pain in his temples made him wince. He reached up to rub his forehead, only to freeze as his fingers brushed against his skin. Something was different. His skin felt smoother, more youthful, and as he examined his hands, he noticed that they looked… younger. The lines and calluses from years of teaching were gone, replaced by the unblemished hands of someone in their prime.
"What's happening to me?" he whispered, panic rising in his chest. He scrambled to his feet, stumbling slightly as the world around him spun. The landscape seemed to shift and warp in the fog, the trees bending and swaying as if they were alive. He took a hesitant step forward, then another, moving slowly through the fog. After what felt like an eternity, the fog began to thin, and Alexander caught sight of something ahead—a flicker of light, dim and wavering.
As he drew closer, the light grew stronger, revealing the outline of a small, dilapidated building nestled among the trees.The structure was old, its wooden walls weathered and cracked, with ivy creeping up its sides like the grasping fingers of some ancient monster. The windows were dark, their glass shattered or missing entirely, and the door hung ajar on rusty hinges. Cautiously, Alexander approached, peering through the gap in the door.
"Hello?" he called out, his voice trembling despite his efforts to stay calm. There was no response, only the soft crackle of a fire from within. He hesitated for a moment, then pushed the door open with a creak, stepping into the dimly lit interior.
The room was small, barely more than a single chamber with a stone hearth in one corner and a rickety wooden table in the center. A fire burned low in the hearth, casting flickering shadows across the walls. The air inside was warmer, but it did little to dispel the chill that had settled deep in Alexander's bones. He glanced around, searching for any sign of the person who had lit the fire, but the room was empty.
"Is anyone here?" he called again, louder this time. His voice echoed off the walls, but still, there was no answer. He approached the table, where a single, tarnished silver goblet sat. The liquid inside was dark and still, and Alexander felt a strange compulsion to touch it, to drink it even. He resisted the urge, shaking his head to clear the intrusive thought.
As he turned away from the table, something caught his eye—a piece of parchment lying on the floor near the hearth. He bent down to pick it up, noticing that it was partially charred, the edges blackened and curled. The writing was difficult to make out, the letters scrawled in a hurried, almost frantic hand.
"Beware… the Blood… Seek the Academy… Power lies within…," Alexander read aloud, the words sending a shiver down his spine. The rest of the text was too damaged to decipher, but what little he could read was enough to fill him with a sense of dread.
"The Blood?" he murmured, folding the parchment and slipping it into his pocket. What did it mean? And what was this Academy it mentioned?
With renewed determination, he opened the door and stepped back into the foggy night. The mist had thickened again, but now there was a faint path visible through the trees, a trail that seemed to lead deeper into the forest. It wasn't much, but it was something.
Time seemed to lose all meaning as he continued on, the path winding deeper and deeper into the woods. Finally, after what felt like hours, the trees began to thin, and the path opened up into a small clearing. In the center of the clearing stood a massive stone structure, its walls covered in moss and vines. The building was ancient, its architecture reminiscent of a long-lost era, and yet it seemed to pulse with a strange, otherworldly energy.
He approached the entrance, a pair of massive wooden doors bound with iron. With a deep breath, he reached out and pushed against the doors. They creaked open slowly, revealing a dimly lit hallway beyond.