Kaelen's eyes snapped open. Cold air rushed into his lungs, filling him with an urgency he couldn't quite place. He sat up with a jolt, hands gripping the ground beneath him—soft dirt and the smell of pine filled his senses. For a moment, he was disoriented. Where was he?
The last thing he remembered was the fire. The heat, the screams, and then… nothing. But here, everything was so still. So quiet.
He looked around, taking in his surroundings. He was in a dense forest, trees towering above him, their branches swaying gently in the breeze. The light that filtered through the canopy was dim, casting long shadows over the ground.
He rubbed his eyes and froze. His hands. They were… smaller, and more delicate than before. His fingers didn't feel like his own. He pushed himself to his feet, stumbling slightly as he caught sight of his reflection in a nearby stream.
The face staring back wasn't his.
"What the…?" he muttered, stumbling back, heart racing.
His reflection was that of a boy—no more than thirteen, maybe fourteen years old. Wild dark hair, pale skin, and sharp features that looked nothing like the man he'd been before. He touched his face, half-expecting it to disappear, but the reflection mimicked every movement.
This was real.
Kaelen… The name echoed in his mind. The god—Solvren. He remembered now. He'd been sent here. Into this body. He was no longer Kaelen Stormrider, the man who had struggled all his life. He was someone else now.
A sharp voice suddenly broke through the stillness.
"Kaelen! Run!"
The command jolted him, and he turned toward the sound. It came from somewhere deeper in the woods, a woman's voice—filled with fear. He hesitated for a second before his feet carried him in that direction, driven by instinct. The ground was uneven beneath him, roots and branches snagging at his legs, but he pushed through.
"Mother?" he called out, unsure of why the word felt so familiar on his tongue. He didn't even know who he was calling for, but something deep inside told him he had to find her.
As he reached a clearing, the scene before him stole his breath.
A woman, her long dark hair tangled and wild, stood over a fallen man, blood pooling around his body. Her face was pale, her hands shaking as she held a dagger. Surrounding her were men—dark figures dressed in armor, their eyes cold and unfeeling. They were closing in on her.
"Kaelen!" the woman screamed again, turning toward him. Tears streamed down her face, her eyes filled with a mixture of terror and desperation. "Run!"
Kaelen's heart pounded in his chest. His body wanted to move, but his legs were frozen in place. He didn't understand. Why was this happening? Why was he in this moment, in this body?
One of the men, taller and broader than the others, stepped forward, raising his sword high above his head. The woman screamed again, lunging at him with the dagger, but she was no match for him. With one swift motion, he knocked the weapon from her hand and struck her down.
Kaelen felt a surge of panic. He had to do something. But he was just a boy. What could he possibly do against armed men?
His mother—if that's who she was—lay still on the ground, blood staining her clothes. He couldn't hear her breathing anymore.
Something in him snapped.
Before he could think, Kaelen turned and ran. The trees blurred around him, his legs moving faster than they ever had. His breath came in ragged gasps, tears stinging his eyes as the sounds of pursuit grew louder behind him.
The men were following him.
He darted through the forest, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and fear. This wasn't just some random nightmare. This was real. His mother had told him to run. And now, he was running for his life.
Branches tore at his clothes and scratched his skin, but he didn't stop. He couldn't. He needed to survive. His mother had died to give him this chance, and he wouldn't waste it.
Just when he thought he couldn't go any further, he stumbled into another clearing. He collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. His legs felt like they were about to give out.
He looked up, expecting to see the men closing in on him, but instead, he found himself alone. The forest was silent again, the threat seeming to have vanished as suddenly as it appeared.
But he knew better. They weren't gone for good. They would come for him again.
He sat up, his mind racing. The memories that weren't his own flooded back in pieces, fragmented and confusing. This body he was in—it belonged to someone else. A boy named Kaelen. A boy whose family had been killed in front of him. A boy who had just lost everything.
This is where it begins, he thought. This is the world Solvren sent me to. The world I'm supposed to save.
But what did a fourteen-year-old boy have to offer? How was he supposed to bring balance to a world in chaos when he couldn't even protect his own family?
The weight of the task ahead pressed down on him, but something else flickered in his chest—something small, but burning brighter with every passing second.
Determination.
He wasn't just Kaelen Stormrider anymore. He was this boy. This body. This new life. And he had been given a second chance for a reason.
Wiping the tears from his face, Kaelen stood up, his legs still shaky but steady enough to move. He had to keep going. There was no time to mourn or question the situation.
Run, his mother had told him.
And so, he ran.
The sun had begun its descent behind the mountains, casting long shadows through the trees as Kaelen continued moving, his breath ragged but steady. The forest seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction, unfamiliar and haunting. Every rustle of leaves or snap of a twig set his nerves on edge. The men who had chased him—who had killed his mother—could still be out there, waiting. Watching.
His legs were tired, his body aching from the run, but stopping wasn't an option. He didn't know this place, didn't know where to go, but he couldn't risk staying in one place for too long.
Focus.
The voice in his head was faint, almost a whisper, but it was there. Solvren's words still echoed from that strange limbo between life and death. "You were chosen because of your will to survive," the god had said.
Survival. Kaelen clenched his fists. That's all he had now. It wasn't just his will—it was his reality. He was a survivor, and he had to keep moving.
But the more he pressed on, the more the weight of everything that had happened began to sink in. His family—the one in this world—was gone. He could still see the terror in his mother's eyes as she shouted for him to run. He could still feel the panic rising in his chest as those men had closed in.
And then there was the other world. His old life. The rejection from the job interview, the fire, and... his death. It all felt like a blur, but it wasn't. It had happened. He had died, and now he was here. Alive. But different.
The wind shifted, a cold breeze brushing against his skin. Kaelen shivered, pulling the worn cloak tighter around his shoulders. He couldn't ignore it any longer. This body—this place—it was all real. This wasn't some dream or delusion. He wasn't in the world he once knew.
He was Kaelen Stormrider, but he was also someone else now. Someone with a purpose. Bring balance. Restore peace.
The words felt heavy. Impossible. How could he, a boy with nothing, hope to do that?
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of running water. It wasn't far. Maybe just beyond the next line of trees. Driven by thirst, he quickened his pace, pushing through the underbrush until the river came into view. The sight of it—clear, flowing, and cold—was a relief. Kneeling by the edge, Kaelen cupped his hands in the water and drank deeply, the cool liquid easing the dryness in his throat.
As he sat back, he caught sight of his reflection again. It was still disorienting, seeing this face staring back. The boy in the water had sharp, determined eyes, but they were filled with uncertainty, too. Dark hair clung to his forehead, and there was dirt smudged across his cheek. He looked younger than Kaelen had ever felt in his own body.
He let out a long breath, trying to steady himself. He needed a plan, but the only thing he could think of was to keep moving. Maybe find a village. Figure out what this world was like, who the people were, and where he might go to start this impossible task Solvren had given him.
But before he could rise, the sound of footsteps caught his ear. Not just one or two, but several. His heart leaped into his throat. He ducked behind a nearby tree, pressing his body close to the rough bark as he listened.
The voices that followed were low and muffled, but there was a familiar menace in their tone. It was the men. The ones who had killed his mother. They were still hunting him.
Kaelen's mind raced. He couldn't fight them—he had no weapon, no training. And even if he tried to run again, his legs were already exhausted. He wouldn't make it far.
His only chance was to hide.
He moved carefully, staying low to the ground as he slipped through the trees, putting as much distance between himself and the approaching voices as he could. His heart pounded in his ears, every step feeling like a risk, every breath too loud.
He ducked behind a thick clump of bushes, crouching low, hoping the underbrush would conceal him. His pulse raced as the footsteps grew louder, the voices clearer.
"You're sure he came this way?" one of the men asked.
"Positive," another voice replied. "The boy's smart, but not smart enough to outrun us for long."
Kaelen held his breath, every muscle tense as he watched the figures come into view. There were three of them, all dressed in dark armor, their weapons gleaming in the fading light. They moved methodically, their eyes scanning the area as they searched for any sign of him.
One of them stopped, his gaze sweeping over the bushes where Kaelen was hiding. For a moment, their eyes nearly met, and Kaelen's heart stopped.
But the man's gaze moved on, his focus shifting as he continued his search.
"Spread out," one of the men ordered. "He couldn't have gone far."
Kaelen's mind raced. He had to think fast. If they found him, it would all be over. But what could he do? He had nothing—no weapon, no strength to fight. All he had was the hope that they would pass him by.
The men fanned out, moving deeper into the forest, their footsteps fading into the distance. Kaelen stayed perfectly still, waiting, barely daring to breathe.
Minutes passed. Long, excruciating minutes. Finally, when he was sure they were gone, he let out a shaky breath, his body trembling from the tension.
He couldn't stay here. They would keep looking for him. And if they found him, they wouldn't hesitate to finish what they had started.
He needed to get out of the forest. He needed to find help.
Rising slowly to his feet, Kaelen took one last look at the path the men had taken. Then, with a deep breath, he turned and began walking in the opposite direction, deeper into the unknown.