Lucas was planning his next move, though the idea of having to decide anything right now felt overwhelming.
'What should I do?' he thought, trying to calm the panic bubbling inside him.
'I've imagined being transported to another world before, but now that it's actually happening, it's terrifying.' The strange reality of it pressed down on him, making it hard to think.
He shook his head, feeling like everything around him was unreal. All of this was something out of a story—stories he'd read so many times in novels and webtoons. Most of them were fantasy tales where the main character found themselves in another world.
But Lucas never thought he'd end up like one of those characters. Now, he tried to remember everything he'd read, hoping it would help him decide what to do next.
He looked around at the vast forest. It seemed calm—almost too calm. He couldn't tell if this world had magic or not like in the novels and webtoons he had read; everything he'd seen so far was just untouched nature. Still, he knew he had to be careful. If this was a fantasy world like in the stories he had read, then creatures that were only myths back home might be real here.
'Can I really survive in this world?' he thought, a sinking feeling in his stomach. Just imagining the monsters he might run into sent a chill down in his spine. And on top of that, he didn't have anything with him—no food, no water, and no survival skills to rely on.
The more he thought about it, the more hopeless it all seemed. But suddenly, an idea came to him.
'That's right! A village! There's got to be a village somewhere in this world, right?'
He looked around again. All he could see were tall trees stretching up to the sky and mountains far in the distance. It felt endless. Still, he held onto that one hope: that he might find a village somewhere. He had to believe in that if he was going to survive.
Lucas took a deep breath and stood up, telling himself he was ready for this journey, even if he wasn't sure he really was.
"Great, my legs are already hurting, and I haven't even started," he muttered to himself, feeling both frustrated and nervous. "Will I even find a village before nightfall?" He sighed heavily, shoulders slumping with the weight of everything.
Taking one last look at the forest, he whispered, "This place is beautiful, but it's scary being here alone." His mind drifted to his family, and he felt a pang of sadness as he thought about them. "I wonder how Mom and Dad are doing right now. Sorry i left like that Mom, Dad. I don't know if I'll even survive a day in this world, but I'll try my best. And maybe—just maybe—I'll find a way back."
He took a shaky breath, looked ahead, and tried to encourage himself. 'Alright, I'm ready to go!' But then he hesitated. 'Actually… am I really ready? I mean, what if I don't find a village by nightfall?'
The thought of being alone in this forest when it got dark was terrifying. He shivered, not wanting to even think about that possibility. But he had no choice. Taking a deep breath, he set off, hoping with all his heart to find a village soon.
But his journey was harder than he expected. First, he was on top of a mountain, which meant he had to carefully make his way down. Then, he had to wade through rivers and clamber over rough, uneven ground—places he'd never thought he'd be walking through in his life.
Hours passed. He'd walked down mountains, across rivers, and deep into forests. With each step, he saw more of this world. It was beautiful, yet it felt dangerous too. Despite his aching legs, Lucas kept moving forward, refusing to waste any time.
He realized, however, that he hadn't seen any monsters or wild animals throughout his entire journey. 'That's strange. I knew the chances of this world being a fantasy world, was very low. But I atleast expected to see a wild animal similar in my world.' He sighed, feeling a mix of relief and disappointment.
'My legs are starting to hurt… maybe I should take a break?' He thought about stopping to rest. His legs felt heavy after walking for hours without food or water. He looked around. This part of the forest was darker and felt even more unsettling than before. The trees here were huge, blocking most of the sunlight. There weren't any flowers like in other parts of the forest, either. Everything felt dim and lonely.
'Maybe I shouldn't have gone this deep into the forest,' he thought, starting to feel nervous. 'This place is just getting scarier. What if I run into a bear or something?'
As he was thinking, he suddenly heard a sound not far off. He froze, listening. It was faint but clear—voices, speaking in a language he couldn't understand.