Chapter 3
"Kaiden! Kaiden!"
The voice rang out, sharp and impatient, pulling Kaiden from his spiraling thoughts. He blinked, his surroundings coming into focus—a battlefield littered with soldiers, some armored, some not. Smoke curled from scattered fires, the acrid scent stinging his nostrils.
He turned toward the voice. A tall man with broad shoulders and sharp features stood nearby, arms crossed. Harald. His older brother.
"Are you even listening?" Harald's tone was clipped, his eyes narrowing in irritation.
( from now i going to use Kaiden instead Chen)Kaiden hesitated, searching for words. "Uh, yeah… sorry. Just… lost in thought."
Harald huffed, his expression softening slightly. "Well, stop daydreaming. The others are waiting for us. Let's move."
Kaiden nodded stiffly, falling into step behind him. But as they walked, something tugged at Kaiden's attention—a sharp pressure digging into his side. He paused, reaching under his armor to investigate.
His fingers brushed against something cold and sharp.
The blue stone.
Kaiden's breath hitched. He froze in place, pulling the stone out just far enough to see its faintly glowing surface. The same stone that had brought him here, to this strange world.
Hope flared in his chest like a spark catching fire. This could be his way back. His escape.
Gripping the stone tightly, Kaiden's voice broke out, trembling with excitement. "Yes! I'm going home!"
Harald turned, eyebrows furrowed. "Yes ,that's a plan?"
Kaiden barely heard him. His heart raced as he held the stone with both hands, willing it to work. "Come on… do something!"
But nothing happened.
Kaiden's face fell. The stone remained cold, its glow dim. Panic surged through him, sharp and suffocating.
"What?" he whispered, his voice cracking. "Why isn't it working?"
Harald stepped closer, his confusion growing. "Kaiden, what's going on? You're acting strange."
Kaiden ignored him, his frustration boiling over. "Why am I still here? Why won't it take me back?!"
Tears stung his eyes as he clutched the stone harder, his knuckles whitening. Without waiting for a response, he turned and bolted, his mind a whirlwind of despair.
"Kaiden! Wait!" Harald shouted after him.
But Kaiden didn't stop. The world blurred around him as he ran, his armor clanking with each desperate step.
Behind him, Harald sighed deeply. "What's gotten into him?"
Kaiden stumbled into the forest, his breath ragged. The towering trees loomed around him, their branches casting jagged shadows on the forest floor.
He slowed to a halt, leaning against a tree to catch his breath. The blue stone lay in his palm, its faint glow mocking him.
"No, no, no…" he muttered, his voice trembling. "This can't be it. This can't be all it does!"
He squeezed the stone harder, as though willing it to react. "Please… work. Take me back. Please…"
But nothing happened.
Kaiden sank to his knees, his chest tightening. For the first time, the reality of his situation hit him like a hammer. He was trapped here.
A low growl broke through the silence.
Kaiden froze, his heart skipping a beat. Slowly, he lifted his head, scanning the forest.
The growl came again, deeper this time, closer.
His eyes locked onto a shadow moving between the trees. When it emerged, his blood ran cold.
A wolf. But not just any wolf.
This one had two heads.
Its black fur bristled as it stalked closer, twin sets of glowing red eyes fixed on him. Saliva dripped from its snarling jaws, its growls rumbling like distant thunder.
Kaiden's mind raced. He scrambled to his feet, his back pressed against the tree.
"We don't have to do this, right? You don't look that hungry…"his voice shaking.
The wolf crouched, its muscles tensing.
Kaiden's gaze darted to a tree nearby, its branches heavy with green, apple-like fruit. Desperate, he grabbed one and held it out.
"Here! Food! You like this, right?" he said, his tone rising to a nervous pitch. He tossed the fruit toward the wolf, his hands trembling.
One of the heads sniffed the fruit cautiously. Kaiden exhaled, a flicker of hope rising in his chest.
Then the wolf raised its paw and crushed the fruit into pulp.
Kaiden's hope shattered as both heads snarled in unison.
"The forest blurred around him as he ran, his armor weighing him down. He could hear the beast's footsteps thundering closer, the snapping of jaws inches from his heels.
"Shit! Shit! SHIT! What the hell was I thinking?!" he shouted, weaving through the trees. The growls and snapping jaws of the wolf were right behind him. "Like that plan was ever going to work! Brother, HELP!"
"Kaiden burst back onto the battlefield, his chest heaving and legs trembling. He spotted Harald talking to a group of soldiers and stumbled toward him, nearly collapsing in the process.
"Harald! Two-headed wolf!" he gasped, clutching at his knees. "It's chasing me! It's right behind me!"
The soldiers froze. Their faces darkened as they exchanged uneasy glances.
"A two-headed wolf?" Harald repeated, his tone grave. He turned to look toward the forest behind Kaiden.
The group followed his gaze. But there was nothing.
Harald frowned. "Kaiden… are you sure? That beast is faster than any man alive. If it was chasing you, you wouldn't have made it back here."
Kaiden's face flushed with anger and frustration. "I'm not lying!" he shouted. "It was right there! I saw it!"
The soldiers muttered among themselves, some shaking their heads.
"No one escapes a two-headed wolf," one said, his tone skeptical.
Kaiden opened his mouth to protest, but a sudden realization struck him. His hands flew to his armor, patting it frantically.
"Fuck! Where's the blue stone?" he muttered, his voice rising in panic. He searched every pocket, every seam, but the stone was gone.
"No… no, no, no!" he whispered, his hands trembling. "I must've dropped it while running…"
Kaiden clenched his fists, seething with frustration. "That damn wolf… I hope it's stuck somewhere, bleeding out, and dies a miserable death!"
Deep in the forest, the two-headed wolf lay sprawled on the ground, its black fur soaked in blood. Its growls had faded to faint, pitiful whimpers.
A man stood over the beast, cloaked in shadow. In his hand, the blue stone.
"Who would've thought," the man murmured, his cold gaze fixed on the stone. "The Stone of Ark… and on someone so insignificant."
The wolf whimpered weakly. Without a word, the man plucked two blades of grass from the ground. A single breath froze them into crystalline shards of ice.
With a flick of his wrist, the shards pierced the wolf's heads. The creature let out one last, pitiful gasp before falling silent.
The man smirked, his eyes narrowing as he examined the stone.
"Interesting…" he murmured, tucking it into his cloak.
And then, he vanished.