The forest stood in exceeding magnificence. Towering trees rose like colossal and aincent statues, their trunks coated in a living armor of moss. Shadows pressed in from every direction, creeping and shifting with the swaying beaches far above. The air was dense and heavy, laden with the mingling scents of the earth.
This sky was a mere whisper, glanced only through fractured shrads of light that managed to pierce through the tangled web of leaves overhead. The silence was deceptive, broken by the occasional call of unseen birds and rustling of the bushes.
Amidst this ancient, brooding forest, a young man who appeared barely over twenty stood with an air of calm that belied the chaos within. His crimson eyes gleamed with an unsettling intensity as they surveyed his surroundings, capturing every detail with meticulous precision. His name was Lucien Reinhardt, a man displaced from his world and thrust into this one against his will.
"That voice…" The words echoed in his mind, low and inscrutable. He still couldn't fathom the origin or nature of the voice he had heard before awakening in this place, but he knew one thing with certainty, it belonged to a being he could not yet provoke. God or devil, it mattered little to him. What truly lingered was the bitterness of his grudge, one that would endure for a lifetime.
"It seems I've been placed in a forest," he muttered, his voice calm yet tinged with a sharp undertone of calculation. His gaze flickered upward, catching faint glimpses of light filtering through the impossibly tall canopy. "Judging by the density of the trees and lack of clear paths, I might be deep within its heart. Escaping will be my first task." His voice betrayed no fear, only cold logic as he began analyzing his predicament.
Survival, that was the absolute priority. Everything else could wait. Lucien clenched his fists as his mind worked through the challenges ahead. He didn't know the full extent of the forest's vastness or its dangers. Worst-case scenario, he could be stranded here for weeks.
"Food, water, shelter, and power," he listed aloud, his crimson eyes narrowing. "These are the cornerstones of survival." He began to strategize with a sharp, methodical tone, his thoughts flowing seamlessly.
"Food should be manageable, assuming the animals aren't overly strong or venomous. I can hunt, but identifying edible plants or berries could be trickier. Without proper knowledge, one misstep could mean poisoning myself. Water, however..." His eyes shifted, scanning for signs of moisture or running streams. "Unless it rains soon, water may be my hardest resource to find. I'll have to keep moving until I locate a reliable source."
As for shelter, Lucien's thoughts turned to the colossal trees around him. Their moss-coated trunks rose like towering fortresses, nearly impossible to scale. "I'll need to sleep in the treetops for now, assuming I can climb these behemoths. The ground might be too exposed to predators."
Power, however, was the most abstract of his necessities, yet the one he deemed most critical. He clenched his fists, crimson eyes flickering with resolve. "This is a brand-new world. Likely similar to those isekai realms I've read about in novels or seen in anime. If that's the case, power is essential. Without strength, I'll be the hunted. Only by growing stronger can I shift that dynamic and become the hunter."
As he spoke, there wasn't the faintest flicker of hesitation or fear in his expression. If one looked closely, they would see something else entirely, an emotion that would surprise even the boldest of men. Buried within the crimson depths of his eyes was a fierce, almost primal excitement. Lucien wasn't afraid of the challenge; he relished it.
Before deciding to move, there were several things Lucien considered testing.
His chosen skills.
Yet, after much deliberation, he ultimately refrained. Experimenting here might attract unnecessary attention, and time was of the essence. Staying in one place without adequate protection was a risk he couldn't afford. Though he lacked any camping expertise from his previous life, his instincts urged him forward with an almost primal urgency.
"I can always test them later. No point in drawing trouble to myself now," he muttered, his tone steady yet laced with resolve. Survival was essential, everything else could wait. "I need to get out of here as soon as possible. Being in constant danger is… irritating." His voice carried a faint edge of disdain as his crimson eyes scanned the dense, unyielding forest.
Without any clear landmarks or guidance, Lucien chose a direction at random and began to walk. It was a decision born of necessity, yet one that unknowingly set the wheels of destiny in motion.
As he trudged through the dense forest, his senses remained on high alert. Every sound, whether the distant rustle of leaves or the snapping of twigs underfoot, was scrutinized. The forest seemed alive, watching his every move. He could feel it in the stillness of the air, as though something unseen lurked just beyond his perception. Yet, despite the looming sense of danger, Lucien's steps were firm, unhesitating.
He allowed his thoughts to wander as he moved. How did I end up here? The voice that had summoned him still echoed faintly in his mind, an enigma that filled him with equal parts frustration and curiosity. He didn't care if it was divine or demonic, what mattered was that it had uprooted him from his life and cast him into this unfamiliar world. I'll make them pay for this, whoever they are. That much I swear.
The towering trees cast long, shifting shadows over his path. The sunlight barely filtered through the dense canopy above, leaving him in a realm of perpetual twilight. It was as if the forest itself sought to obscure his path, to test his resolve. But Lucien was undeterred.
What he couldn't foresee was how this simple act of stepping forward would ripple through creation, forever altering its course. Today, this world bore witness to the arrival of a being who would later be known and feared across all realms.
"Let's move," he murmured, his voice cutting through the stillness as he disappeared into the shadows of the forest.