That day, the rain fell unusually loud. Since childhood, he had always loved that sound. The gentle patter of raindrops hitting the windowsill had always brought him peace, helping him forget about everyday problems. He didn't know yet that this night would mark the beginning of something extraordinary.
***
In his slightly neglected room, he lay on his bed, listening to the rain. He felt safe, surrounded by the sounds that calmed him. Suddenly, something inside him stirred. A strange, unfamiliar feeling appeared—as if someone was pushing him to go outside. It was so intense that he couldn't resist. He stood up, grabbed the first jacket he could find and his old metal headphones, and headed toward the door leading to the terrace. However, before he could leave the house, he heard his mother's voice from the living room.
"Edo, where are you going?" she asked, worried.
Edo's mother meant everything to him. He never had a father, and she had raised him alone, caring for him with an overprotectiveness that sometimes overwhelmed him. Despite that, he loved her more than anything and didn't want her to worry.
"Don't worry, Mom, I'm just going for a short walk. I'll be back soon," he replied, trying to calm her with his tone.
Moments later, Edo left the house, feeling the cold raindrops starting to soak through his jacket. He squinted at the empty street illuminated by the glow of the few lamps. Edo was regular 18 year old man with short but slightly falling on his forehead black hair and blue looking tired eyes. He had no idea that tonight would change his life forever.
***
Walking along the main road, Edo gazed at the buildings he knew by heart. Although this street was one of the main avenues in the town, no one had cared about its appearance in recent years. Suddenly, he felt a strange, sharp pain in his stomach.
"I could use something to eat," he muttered to himself, clutching his stomach. "Maybe I'll find an open shop."
Despite the late hour, Edo reached a store just two kilometers from his home. Inside, it was silent, and the cold fluorescent lights illuminated the empty space. He grabbed a sandwich and a can of cola, paying with the last bit of money he had on him. Leaving the store, he felt a sense of relief.
"At least I'll eat something decent," he thought, opening the sandwich. "Sorry, Mom, but your sandwiches are really awful," he smiled slightly, walking slowly toward home.
As he bit into the sandwich, Edo observed the familiar streets. He had grown up in a dangerous neighborhood, where he always had to be on guard. It was here, when he was nine, that he was beaten by older boys. That experience drove him to start training to strengthen his body. He devoted much time to exercising, determined never to be defenseless again.
Although moving to a better neighborhood five years ago gave him a greater sense of security, his habits and caution remained unchanged. Edo was now passing a dark, deserted alley that always made him uneasy. It was full of abandoned buildings, but unlike other places of this kind, these houses were surprisingly well-kept. The windows weren't broken, the walls bore no signs of vandalism. The only indication that they were abandoned was the boarded-up doors.
"Something's off," Edo thought, feeling a chill run down his spine. "Why hasn't this place been looted?"
His attention was drawn to a light glowing at the end of the alley. It was intense, almost blinding. The boy felt the same familiar feeling—the one that had pushed him to leave his house.
"What the hell is that?" he wondered, standing on the edge of a decision. On one hand, he just wanted to go back home, not wanting to worry his mother, who would surely start calling him soon. But on the other hand, something irresistible urged him to investigate the source of that light.
He began walking slowly toward it, with each step the light becoming brighter. For a moment, he considered turning back, but his curiosity got the better of him. Suddenly, the light shot directly at him, piercing through him. The pain was so sudden and intense that he couldn't stop himself from screaming.
"AAAAAH, DAMN IT!!!" he shouted, falling to his knees, clutching his head.
His vision was completely blinded. He tried to understand what was happening, but nothing made sense. After a moment, the pain subsided, and the world around him began to change. Instead of the dark alley, he saw a bright, sunny sky.
"What the...?" he muttered, still in shock. In his field of vision appeared a strange figure—a tall lizard in black robe, with a sword at its side.
"Are you alright, boy?" hissed the creature.
Edo stepped back quickly, then fell to the ground, staring at the creature in terror.
"Who... who are you?!" he shouted, his voice trembling with fear.
"Calm down, kid. No need to yell," the lizard responded, looking at him with slight amusement. "You're in the capital of the country Ero now, more precisely, in the city of Inormi. A common traveler, huh?"
Edo was in shock. Everything happening around him felt like a nightmare.
"What's with all these travelers...?" the lizard continued with apparent bewilderment. "If you keep walking down this street, you'll find a rest building for people like you," it added. Edo stood there, dumbfounded, barely able to process what he had just heard.
"Sorry, kid, but I have to go. I've got a lot of important things to take care of," the lizard said, glancing at Edo with slight irritation. "You'll manage just fine on your own, I'm sure. Safe travels!" And before Edo could say another word, the lizard disappeared into the alley. The boy stood in silence for a moment, trying to comprehend what had just happened.
It wasn't the encounter with the talking creature that shocked him the most, though it was something that defied all logic. What truly shook him was what he saw around him. His natural curiosity, his habit of carefully observing his surroundings, made the details of this new world hit him with full force.
He was no longer in a place he recognized. This was not his city, not his reality. Around him walked beings that only vaguely resembled humans. Their appearance was grotesque, much like the lizard he had just met. The buildings, though reminiscent of Central European architecture, looked different—their facades were more colorful, richly decorated, as if pulled straight from a fairytale. Edo even noticed that some of the buildings seemed to almost be alive, pulsing gently as if they were breathing.
The sound of hooves clattering on the cobblestone streets gave the place a particular atmosphere that Edo couldn't ignore. It was like something straight out of his favorite video games, where he had spent countless hours. Everything seemed so improbable, yet disturbingly real.
"This must be a dream," he muttered under his breath, pinching his arm hard. To his surprise, he felt pain.
"Am I dead? Was the sandwich poisoned?" he began talking to himself faster and faster, trying to make sense of what was happening. "What the hell is going on? I was just in that damn alley a moment ago...! How...?"
Deep down, Edo already knew. Everything he saw, everything he was experiencing left no doubt—he had arrived in another world.