The night deepened, its quiet punctuated only by the occasional rustle of leaves. Leo and Zhi sat by the weak fire, its orange glow casting flickering shadows across their faces. Neither had spoken for some time, the silence heavy with unspoken questions and the weight of what they had just survived.
Leo's thoughts raced. Transmigrated? That word alone had upended everything. He'd pieced it together earlier when Zhi had whispered about "another life." It mirrored his own surreal realization, and the implications were overwhelming.
Zhi broke the silence first. "Where do you think we are?" he asked, poking at the fire with a stick. His voice was calm, but his eyes betrayed unease.
"No idea," Leo admitted. "But it's not where we came from, that's for sure. You said you remember another life—do you mean our world? Cars, cities, computers?"
Zhi nodded, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah. I remember it all. I'm guessing you do too. Otherwise, how could you set up a trap like that on the fly?"
Leo shrugged, deflecting the compliment. "Games. Strategy games. I've spent years playing them… or, well, it feels like years. It's hard to tell how long ago that was now." He trailed off, staring into the flames. "And you? You don't seem like a normal kid either."
Zhi smirked, leaning back against a tree. "I was studying engineering before this. Systems and problem-solving are second nature to me. Guess that's why I didn't freeze back there."
Leo chuckled dryly. "Lucky us."
For a while, the two boys simply sat, their shared understanding forging an unspoken bond. Leo's mind continued to churn, running scenarios and strategies. If they were truly in another world, survival wasn't just about food or shelter. It was about understanding the rules of this place, the power structures, the dangers.
"We can't stay here," Leo finally said. "The bandits might come back with more people. We need to find somewhere safe."
Zhi nodded. "Agreed. But where? We don't know this area at all."
Leo frowned, rubbing his temples. "The village might have survivors. Someone there could help us… if they're not too scared to trust strangers."
Zhi considered this. "It's a risk. But staying here isn't an option either. Let's check it out at first light."
The dawn came slowly, bathing the forest in muted gold. The boys packed up what little they had and began their cautious trek back to the village. The scent of smoke still hung in the air, mingling with the crisp morning breeze. As they approached the outskirts, the destruction became heartbreakingly clear. Burned homes stood like skeletons, their charred frames black against the brightening sky.
"Stay close," Leo whispered.
Zhi nodded, his eyes scanning the ruins. They moved quietly, sticking to the shadows. A faint sound—the muffled sobs of a child—drew their attention. They followed it to a collapsed building, where a small figure huddled in the debris.
Leo approached cautiously. "Hey," he said softly, crouching a few feet away. The child, a boy no older than four, flinched and tried to bury himself further into the rubble.
"It's okay," Zhi added, his voice gentle. "We're not here to hurt you."
The boy's tear-streaked face peeked out. "The bad men… they'll come back," he whimpered.
"Not if we can help it," Leo promised. He extended a hand, and after a moment's hesitation, the child took it. "Are there others? Anyone else who survived?"
The boy shook his head. "I… I don't know. Mama told me to hide. She…" His voice broke, and he buried his face in his hands.
Leo's chest tightened, but he forced himself to stay composed. "Zhi, take him somewhere safe," he said, glancing around. "I'll check the rest of the village."
Zhi hesitated. "You sure?"
"Yeah. Be quick."
With a reluctant nod, Zhi led the boy away, disappearing into the trees. Leo moved carefully through the ruins, his senses on high alert. Every creak and groan of the wreckage set his nerves on edge. He found no one else, only the eerie silence of a village that had been alive just hours before.
When he returned to the forest, Zhi was waiting, the child curled up and sleeping against his side.
"Nothing," Leo reported grimly. "If anyone else survived, they've already fled."
Zhi's expression hardened. "Then it's just us. And him." He nodded toward the boy. "What do we do now?"
Leo sat down, his mind racing again. They couldn't leave the child, but traveling with him would slow them down. And they still had no clear destination.
"We need a base," Leo said finally. "Somewhere we can regroup, plan, and build. If we're going to survive in this world, we can't just keep running."
"And how do we find a base?" Zhi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We don't find it," Leo said, his voice firm. "We make it."
Zhi's eyes widened, and then a slow grin spread across his face. "You're serious."
"Dead serious. We can't rely on anyone else. Not yet. We'll scout for a good location, somewhere defensible. And then we'll build."
Zhi nodded, his grin fading into a look of determination. "All right. Let's do it."
The boys shared a glance, a silent agreement passing between them. They were in this together, two strangers bound by fate and a shared will to survive.
As they set off into the forest, the child asleep in Zhi's arms, Leo couldn't help but feel a spark of something he hadn't felt since waking in this world: hope.