Chapter 1: Transmigrated
A sharp gasp pierced the stillness of a dilapidated room, echoing off bare walls and a worn wooden floor. Kai Lorr, a young man in his early twenties, sat bolt upright on a makeshift bed, his chest heaving as he gulped in air like a drowning man finally breaking the surface. His long, jet-black hair, usually neat and tidy, was a tangled mess cascading down his back. Bright, deep-abyss black eyes darted around wildly, taking in unfamiliar surroundings with growing confusion and alarm.
The room was a far cry from anything Kai recognized. Dust motes danced in shafts of early morning light that streamed through cracks in the walls and ceiling. A wooden bed with hay for bedding creaked ominously beneath him, and a broken table beside it leaned precariously on three legs. These were the only furnishings in the abandoned-looking space that now served as Kai's mysterious new accommodation.
"Where am I?" Kai murmured, his voice barely above a whisper as if he feared disturbing the eerie quiet that enveloped him. Confusion clouded his mind as he tried to piece together his last memories, each recollection slipping through his mental grasp like sand through an hourglass.
Life hadn't been kind to Kai. An orphan on Earth, he'd been shuffled from one foster home to another, never quite finding a place to belong. He'd barely managed to graduate high school, the constant moving and lack of stability taking its toll on his education. To keep himself afloat, he'd been working part-time at a convenience store, scraping by on minimum wage and dreams of a better future.
His last clear memory was of walking home after his shift, the neon lights of the city painting the wet streets in a kaleidoscope of colors. It had been a night like any other, until it wasn't. He remembered an orange tabby cat, its fur glowing like embers in the streetlight, playing with something unusual. As Kai had drawn closer, he'd seen it was a stone, but not like any he'd ever seen before. It had emitted a faint, pulsing light that seemed to call to him.
Curiosity had gotten the better of him. Kai had reached out, his fingers just brushing the smooth surface of the stone. In that instant, a blinding light had engulfed him, so bright it had seared his retinas and left him seeing spots. And then... nothing. Until he'd woken up here, in this strange, rundown room.
"Obviously, this is not my apartment," Kai thought as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, wincing as splinters from the rough wood pricked his skin. He stood up, legs wobbling slightly as he found his balance, determined to investigate beyond the broken door where morning light seeped through the cracks.
With each step towards the door, Kai's heart pounded a little harder. What would he find on the other side? More dilapidated rooms? A city? A wasteland? The possibilities were as endless as they were terrifying. But he knew he couldn't stay in this room forever. He had to face whatever waited for him outside.
Taking a deep breath to steel his nerves, Kai pushed open the door. It swung outward with a protesting creak, and a soft breeze immediately ruffled his long hair, carrying with it scents he couldn't quite place – fresh and green and alive in a way he'd never experienced in the city.
What he saw next drew an awe-inspired gasp from his lips, his eyes widening to take in a sight that defied everything he knew about the world.
A vast expanse of lush green stretched as far as the eye could see, rolling hills and verdant valleys painting a picture of untamed wilderness. The grass swayed gently in the breeze, creating waves of green that rippled across the landscape. In the distance, snow-capped mountains pierced the sky, their peaks lost in a haze of clouds.
But it was the details that truly took Kai's breath away. Small butterflies fluttered by, but these were unlike any he'd seen on Earth. Their wings emitted faint, multicolored lights with each flap, like living, flying rainbows. They danced through the air, leaving trails of sparkles in their wake that slowly faded like dying embers.
From his vantage point near the mountaintop, Kai could make out a town in the distance. It was a blend of architecture that defied his understanding – part medieval fantasy with its towering spires and stone walls, part modern with sleek structures that gleamed in the morning sun. Smoke rose from chimneys in lazy spirals, and even from this distance, he could see the bustle of activity as the town came to life with the new day.
"Just where in the world am I?" he muttered, his confusion growing by the second. This couldn't be Earth – or at least, not the Earth he knew. Everything was too vibrant, too fantastical to be real. And yet, here he was, feeling the breeze on his skin, smelling the crisp mountain air, seeing wonders he could never have imagined.
His wonder was abruptly cut short by a thunderous roar that shook him to his core. The sound reverberated through the air, making the ground beneath his feet tremble. Instinctively looking skyward, Kai saw something that made his usually calm composure crumble like a sandcastle in the tide.
A massive winged creature soared through the air, its scales glinting like polished metal in the sunlight. It was easily the size of a city bus, with a long, serpentine neck and a tail that whipped behind it like a rudder. As Kai watched, frozen in awe and terror, the creature opened its maw and let out another ear-splitting roar before banking sharply to the left, disappearing behind a distant mountain peak.
Several heartbeats passed before Kai could shake off his stupor. His legs, suddenly weak, gave out beneath him, and he found himself sitting on the ground, his back pressed against the doorframe of his dilapidated shelter.
"I don't know where I am, but I'm absolutely certain that I am not on Earth anymore!" he exclaimed in a mix of horror and disbelief, retreating to the relative safety of his small, broken room. The walls, previously confining, now felt like a shield against the impossible world outside.
Kai's mind raced, trying to make sense of everything he'd seen. Flying, glowing insects he could maybe rationalize away as some undiscovered species. The strange town in the distance could be explained as an eccentric architectural project. But a dragon – because what else could that creature have been? That was beyond the realm of possibility. At least, it had been in the world he knew.
After taking several deep breaths to calm his racing heart, Kai forced himself to think rationally. Panicking wouldn't help him. He needed to approach this logically, like he had every other challenge in his life. He'd survived as an orphan, navigated the foster care system, and managed to support himself in a world that often seemed stacked against him. This was just another obstacle to overcome.
With a determined glint in his eye, Kai began to take stock of his situation. He was in a strange world with no resources, no knowledge, and no idea how he'd gotten here or how to get back. But he was alive, and where there was life, there was hope.
He scrounged up what he could find in the room – his worn clothes, a bit threadbare but still serviceable; a small pouch containing a few coins of an unfamiliar design; and a pocket knife he discovered under the rickety table, its blade slightly rusted but still sharp. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
Armed with these meager possessions, Kai stood at the threshold of his shelter, looking out at the alien yet beautiful world before him. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come.
"Alright, Kai," he muttered to himself, a habit born from years of having no one else to talk to. "You can do this. One step at a time."
With that, he set off down the mountain, heading straight for the town he'd spotted earlier. Each step took him further from the familiar and deeper into the unknown, but also closer to potential answers.
As he walked, Kai's mind churned with questions and theories. How had he gotten here? Was it the strange glowing stone? Was this all some elaborate dream or hallucination? And if it was real, how was he going to survive in a world where dragons soared through the sky?
'Civilization means information and knowledge,' Kai reminded himself, recalling a phrase from one of his high school teachers. 'And knowledge is power.' That was what he lacked most right now – even basic common sense about this world was a mystery to him. He needed to gather information, or he might not survive long enough to understand his own demise.
The journey down the mountain was arduous. The path, if it could be called that, was little more than a game trail, winding its way through dense underbrush and over rocky outcroppings. More than once, Kai found himself having to backtrack when the path ended abruptly at a sheer drop or an impassable thicket.
As he descended, the air grew warmer and thicker. The forest around him came alive with sounds – the calls of birds he didn't recognize, the rustling of unseen creatures in the undergrowth, and occasionally, sounds so alien he couldn't begin to guess their source. Each unfamiliar noise set his nerves on edge, reminding him of how vulnerable he was in this strange new world.
Finally, after what felt like hours of careful navigation and more than a few close calls on treacherous slopes, Kai emerged from the forest. Before him stretched cultivated fields, their neat rows a stark contrast to the wild tangle of the mountain forest. In the distance, the town he'd seen from above now loomed large, its walls a promise of safety and answers.
As Kai approached the town's entrance, he slowed his pace, taking in every detail. Guards in leather armor that looked like something out of a fantasy movie stood at attention, their hands resting easily on iron-tipped spears. They watched with casual interest as caravans and individual travelers moved in and out of the gates.
For a moment, Kai hesitated. What if they didn't let him in? What if they could tell he didn't belong here? But then he noticed a small group of people approaching the gate, their clothes travel-worn and dusty. Making a split-second decision, Kai fell in step behind them, trying to mimic their confident gait. To his relief, the guards barely glanced at him as he passed through the gates, too busy inspecting a heavily-laden wagon to pay much attention to one more dusty traveler.
Once inside, Kai found himself in the bustling trade area of the town. The cacophony of sounds, sights, and smells was overwhelming after the relative quiet of the mountain. Stalls lined the streets, their vendors calling out their wares in a language that, to Kai's surprise, he could understand perfectly. The air was thick with the aroma of unfamiliar spices and the less pleasant smells of livestock and too many people in too small a space.
As Kai wandered through the market, trying to take in everything at once, a commotion nearby caught his attention. A small crowd had gathered, and at its center stood a young girl, no more than ten or eleven years old. She stood with her hands raised, eyes closed in concentration, her face a mask of intense focus.
To Kai's amazement, a faint light began to gather between her palms. It started as a pinprick, barely visible in the bright daylight, but quickly grew into a sphere of pure, white light that pulsed gently like a heartbeat. The crowd watched in hushed anticipation as the light grew brighter and brighter until, with a final surge, it exploded into a shower of sparks that rained down harmlessly over the awestruck onlookers.
As the performance ended, the girl's eyes snapped open, a triumphant smile spreading across her face. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause, several people tossing coins at the girl's feet.
"This young child has a bright future," Kai overheard a woman say to her companion.
"...that is certain. She can already wield Luminia at such a young age," the man replied, nodding sagely.
"How's your kid? Do you think your kid will be able to pass the Aberthol Academy test this time?" a third voice chimed in, belonging to another man who had just joined the conversation.
"Uh, forget about that kid. He might just be like his father, a farmer," came the disheartened response from the second man.
Kai listened intently, his curiosity piqued. "Luminia," he mused silently. "It seems that is the source of magical ability here." He filed away the term for future reference, along with the mention of the Aberthol Academy. Every piece of information, no matter how small, could be crucial in understanding this new world.
As he continued exploring the town, more questions than answers filled Kai's mind. One puzzling aspect was his ability to understand the local language and even read the initially strange symbols on shop signs and posters plastered on walls. It was as if the knowledge had been downloaded directly into his brain, which was both convenient and unsettling.
His wanderings eventually led him to the town square, a large open area paved with worn cobblestones. At its center stood a grand fountain, water sparkling in the sunlight as it cascaded over intricately carved statues. But it was a building on the far side of the square that caught Kai's eye – a two-story structure of weathered stone and dark wood, with a sign above the door that read "Tuatha's Library" in elegant script.
Kai's eyes lit up; he'd found his first objective. Without hesitation, he crossed the square and entered the establishment, a small bell chiming softly as he pushed open the heavy wooden door.
Inside, the library was a book lover's paradise. Rows upon rows of shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, packed with countless tomes. Some looked ancient, their leather bindings cracked and faded with age, while others appeared brand new, their spines not yet cracked. The air was heavy with the musty scent of old paper and leather, a smell that Kai found oddly comforting in its familiarity.
At the counter near the entrance sat a long, white-haired elder, his thin frame hunched over an ancient-looking tome. He wore thin-gold spectacles perched precariously on the end of his nose, and his gnarled hands turned the pages of his book with surprising gentleness.
Kai approached the counter, clearing his throat softly to get the old man's attention. "Excuse me," he began, glancing around the library before continuing, "I am new in the town; I've lost all of my belongings on the road. I hope you can help me understand my surroundings."
The elder looked up from his book, adjusting his spectacles as he fixed Kai with a sharp, piercing gaze that seemed to look right through him. For a moment, Kai felt as if his entire life story was being read in an instant. Then, the old man's expression softened to one of sympathy.
"It seems you had quite an adventure, eh, young man," the elder said, his voice creaky but kind. "Come inside; although this is not the right place to look for lost and found, you're in the right place if you want knowledge about your surroundings."
The old man closed his book with a soft thump, setting it aside on the counter. "I am Edgar, keeper of the town's library," he introduced himself. "And you, young man?"
"I am Kai, Kai Lorr," he replied, using the name of the orphanage he'd called home for most of his life. It wasn't exactly a lie – the orphanage had been the closest thing to family he'd ever known.
"So it's young Kai," Edgar mused, his gaze drifting to the window, where the bustle of the town square could be seen. "The world outside is filled with danger; you are lucky that you just lost your belongings and kept your life." He turned back to Kai, his eyes twinkling with a hint of mystery. "You are in the town of Tuatha, one of the many small towns in the Eveline Kingdom."
"Tuatha, Eveline Kingdom," Kai repeated softly, committing the names to memory. Each piece of information was a small victory, another step towards understanding this new world he found himself in.
Edgar nodded, seemingly pleased with Kai's attentiveness. "You can go to the first aisle," he instructed, pointing towards a row of shelves near the front of the library. "You can check more about the town and kingdom there. You can also find common basic knowledge in that area."
Kai nodded gratefully, but then a thought occurred to him. In his world, knowledge rarely came for free. "Hm, Elder Edgar," he inquired hesitantly, "how much is the fee for reading?"
Suddenly conscious of his limited funds.
Edgar looked Kai up and down, as if assessing whether he could afford the fee. After a moment, he simply replied, "Don't think about it, just be careful when you use it."
Grateful, Kai thanked the kind elder and headed straight for the first aisle, eager to begin his research.
Hours flew by as Kai immersed himself in the wealth of knowledge available. He learned about Luminia, the life force and cosmic energy that permeated this world, serving as the source of all magic and supernatural powers. He discovered how individuals could harness Luminia through training, meditation, or mystical artifacts, and how each person's innate connection to Luminia determined their magical abilities and potential for growth.
As the bright sky gave way to darkness, Kai reluctantly left the library. His mind was buzzing with newfound knowledge about his current situation and the common lore of this world.
On his way back to his modest mountain dwelling, Kai's heightened senses – which he'd noticed since arriving in this world – suddenly alerted him to danger. A rustling sound reached his ears, followed by the sight of a huge shadow stretched by the bright yellow moon ahead of him.
Kai tensed, aware that his adventure in this new world was far from over. In fact, it seemed it was only just beginning.