The bright light that enveloped me disappeared, and I found myself in a new environment. The air was cool, and the smell of steel and fresh concrete filled my nostrils. I stood in a dark room, dimly lit by a flickering lamp. As I looked around, I noticed that I was not alone. Several men and women in military uniforms stood around me, staring at me suspiciously.
*Where am I now?* I wondered as reality slowly sank in. I recognized the uniforms and the serious faces—I was in the universe of "Attack on Titan." *This can't be true! I've watched the anime up until the third season, but then it became too boring,* I thought as I assessed the situation.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" asked one of the soldiers, who looked very familiar. His face was narrow, with sharp features and a determined expression. I recognized him as a member of the Survey Corps, but I couldn't quite remember his name.
"I... my name is Kael," I stammered, still overwhelmed by the sudden change. "I was... teleported."
The soldiers exchanged skeptical glances. "Teleported? What kind of nonsense is that?" asked another, whose face was marked by scars. "Are you an enemy from outside the walls?"
*Enemy from outside the walls?* The question sent a chill down my spine. I shook my head. "No, I'm not an enemy. I said I was teleported here. I don't even know how it happened!"
"Don't let him escape!" shouted the leader, and I felt my nervousness turn into fear. I was trapped in a world where anyone who wasn't from within was a potential enemy.
They searched my clothing, and I felt vulnerable and helpless. "Nothing unusual," muttered one of the soldiers as he rummaged through my pockets. "He isn't carrying anything that suggests he's an enemy."
I noticed the soldiers' expressions change as they examined my clothes. "Where do you come from?" the leader asked again, now with a slightly less aggressive tone. "What do you know about the walls and the Titans?"
"I'm not from here," I explained hastily. "I only know about the Titans from the anime. I've watched up until the third season, but I can't help you!"
The soldiers looked at me as if I had gone crazy. *Anime? What's that?* I thought as I tried to gather my thoughts. I knew I couldn't tell them everything. I had to be careful not to be perceived as a threat.
"He speaks in riddles," muttered one of the soldiers. "What is an anime?"
"It's a kind of story told in pictures," I explained, even though I knew they probably wouldn't believe me. "I'm a fan of these stories, and I... I fell into this world."
The leader of the soldiers, whose name I had forgotten, seemed to be pondering. "Why should we believe you? You could be a Titan spy pretending to be a human."
"I'm not a spy!" I shouted. "I'm just here because I fell into a portal. I want to harm no one! I'm not like the Titans!"
The soldiers looked at each other, and I could sense the doubt in their eyes. They were trained to recognize and eliminate enemies, and I was a stranger who had intruded into their world. *I need to find a way to earn their trust before it's too late.*
"Let's take him to the basement," the leader finally decided. "There we can keep a better watch on him and find out what he really knows."
I was taken into a dark, damp basement. The walls were made of stone, and the air was filled with the smell of mold. The soldiers closed the door behind me and left me in the darkness while they stood guard outside. *This is not good,* I thought. *I'm trapped, and no one knows I'm here.*
As I waited for them to come back in, I thought about my situation. I was in a world where survival was a daily challenge, and I needed to find a way to adapt. I knew I couldn't just give up. I had to come up with a plan to escape and maybe even find a way back to my own world.
After a while, the door opened, and the soldiers stepped back in. They looked serious and tense. "We are going to ask you some questions," said the leader. "Be honest, and maybe we can help you."
"I just want to go back," I replied. "I have nothing to do with the Titans; I was teleported here, and I don't know why."
"If you really come from another world, you might have information that could be useful to us," said the leader. "But we need to make sure you're not deceiving us."
"I understand that you are suspicious," I explained. "But I'm not hostile toward anyone. I have no control over where I am."
The soldiers seemed to contemplate this, and I could sense their hesitation. *Maybe I can help them if they just give me a chance.* "I've heard stories about the Titans, and I know how they attack. Perhaps I can help you understand them better."
"That doesn't sound like a lie," one of the soldiers murmured. "But you need to tell us more."
I began to tell them what I knew—about the nature of the Titans, their weaknesses, and the battles that people fought against them. As I spoke, I noticed the distrust in their eyes slowly fading. They seemed interested and more attentive as they heard that I had information that could be useful to them.
The leader nodded as I spoke. "Maybe you actually have something valuable to offer, Kael. But we need to be cautious. If you really want to help us, you have to prove that you are on our side."
With that last statement, I knew I had made a small but crucial step in the right direction. *Maybe I can make a difference here,* I thought. *I must do my best to earn their trust and find a way back home.*
But at that moment, I felt the pull of the portal again, and I couldn't help but wonder where I would land next. Would I be thrown into a new world again, or would I be able to stay in this world to help and maybe even become a hero? The uncertainty gnawed at me as I stood in the darkness of the basement, waiting for my next challenge.