Kael's first sensation was cold.
It seeped into his skin, a biting chill that clung to him like damp mist. His second sensation was pain—a dull, throbbing ache that radiated from every muscle in his body. He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt like lead. Slowly, consciousness returned, dragging him from the depths of a heavy, dreamless void.
He became aware of the ground beneath him: rough, uneven, and damp. The scent of earth and rotting leaves filled his nostrils, accompanied by the faint metallic tang of blood. With effort, he forced his eyes open, blinking against the dim light filtering through a canopy of gnarled, blackened branches above.
Where am I?
Kael sat up slowly, his movements stiff and awkward. His body felt wrong—too heavy, yet somehow too light, as though it didn't entirely belong to him. He glanced down at his hands, now calloused and rough, with faint scars tracing their surfaces. These were not the hands he remembered.
Panic rose in his chest, sharp and suffocating. His breath quickened as fragmented memories clawed their way to the surface.
He remembered the city.
It had been just another ordinary day. The streets had been crowded with people rushing to their destinations, the air filled with the chaotic symphony of engines, footsteps, and distant voices. Kael had been on his way home from work, a mundane routine he'd repeated countless times.
Then, a blaring horn.
He had turned just in time to see the truck barreling toward him, headlights glaring like twin suns. There had been no time to react, no time to move. The impact should have ended everything, and for a moment, it had.
He remembered the void.
It had been vast and infinite, a place of utter stillness where time and space held no meaning. He had floated in the emptiness, weightless and unmoored, with no sense of self or purpose.
And then, the light.
It had pierced the void, blinding and all-encompassing. Kael had felt himself pulled toward it, a force beyond his control dragging him through the fabric of reality.
Now, he was here.
Kael's hands trembled as he pushed himself to his feet, his legs weak and unsteady. He took a tentative step forward, then another, each movement foreign and uncertain. The forest around him loomed, vast and foreboding. The trees were ancient and gnarled, their bark twisted and blackened as though scorched by fire.
Above, their branches intertwined, forming a canopy so dense that only faint slivers of light filtered through, casting the ground in fragmented shadows. The air was thick with the scent of moss and decay, and the faint rustle of leaves added an unsettling undertone to the silence.
"This isn't real," Kael muttered, his voice hoarse and unfamiliar to his own ears.
He pinched himself, hard, hoping to wake from what he desperately wanted to believe was a nightmare. But the pain was real, as was the forest that surrounded him.
Panic bubbled beneath the surface, but he forced it down. He needed to think, to understand what had happened.
Kael's attention shifted to himself. His clothes were rough and simple: a coarse tunic and worn trousers that hung loosely on his frame. His boots, though sturdy, were caked with mud and badly scuffed.
He ran a hand through his hair, noting its unfamiliar length and texture. His reflection was nowhere to be found, but he could feel it—this body wasn't his own. It was stronger, leaner, as though forged by a life of hard labor and survival.
But it wasn't just his body that felt different.
There was a faint hum in the back of his mind, a presence that hadn't been there before. It wasn't a voice, nor was it a feeling—it was something deeper, a subtle vibration that resonated through his very being.
Kael couldn't explain it, but it left him unsettled.
A sudden snap of a twig shattered the stillness.
Kael froze, his pulse quickening as the sound echoed through the forest. His eyes darted toward the source, where the shadows seemed to shift and ripple unnaturally.
Then came the growl.
Low and guttural, it resonated from the depths of the forest, growing louder with each passing moment. Kael took a step back, his heart pounding as the underbrush rustled violently.
From the shadows emerged a beast unlike anything Kael had ever seen.
It resembled a wolf, but its proportions were grotesquely exaggerated. Its matted fur was dark as coal, and its eyes glowed with an unnatural yellow light. Saliva dripped from its jagged teeth, sizzling as it hit the ground.
Kael stumbled backward, his mind racing. He had no weapons, no way to defend himself. Instinct screamed at him to run, but his legs felt like lead.
The beast crouched, muscles coiling as it prepared to pounce.
"No," Kael whispered, fear gripping his chest.
The wolf lunged.
Kael threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding the creature's snapping jaws. He hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind from his lungs. Scrambling to his feet, he broke into a sprint, weaving through the dense trees as the beast gave chase.
Its growls grew louder, the sound reverberating in Kael's chest. He could hear its heavy footsteps pounding against the earth, gaining on him with terrifying speed.
Desperation drove him forward, his breaths ragged and his legs burning. He darted between trees, leaping over roots and ducking beneath low-hanging branches.
But the beast was relentless.
Kael's foot caught on a root, sending him sprawling to the ground. He rolled onto his back, his chest heaving as the wolf loomed over him, its glowing eyes locked onto his.
Time seemed to slow as the creature's jaws opened, revealing rows of jagged teeth. Kael raised his arms in a futile attempt to shield himself, bracing for the inevitable.
But the attack never came.
A sudden shimmer of light illuminated the clearing.
Kael's vision blurred as the air around him seemed to ripple, a faint glow emanating from the ground itself. The wolf hesitated, snarling as it backed away, its glowing eyes darting toward the source of the light.
Kael followed its gaze and saw the faint outline of a symbol etched into the earth—a rune, ancient and intricate, pulsing with a soft, golden light.
The wolf growled once more, then turned and fled into the shadows, its form disappearing into the forest.
Kael lay still, his body trembling as the glow faded, leaving the clearing bathed in shadow once more.
Kael sat up slowly, his eyes fixed on the spot where the rune had appeared. His mind raced with questions: What had just happened? What was this place? And why had the wolf fled?
As the adrenaline faded, exhaustion began to set in. Kael's body ached, and his thoughts felt sluggish and disjointed. He leaned back against a tree, his breathing shallow as he stared up at the twisted canopy above.
One thing was certain: this was no ordinary world.
But why was he here?
Kael's thoughts turned inward, searching for answers. The visions he had seen upon his arrival—towers, storms, and hooded figures—flashed through his mind. There had been power in those images, an ancient force that felt both alluring and terrifying.
Power he couldn't access.
Kael clenched his fists, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. He didn't know how or why, but he would survive. He would find answers. And, somehow, he would uncover the truth about this strange, perilous world.
For now, though, survival came first.
With renewed determination, Kael rose to his feet and began walking, his footsteps disappearing into the silence of the forest.