Kael slowly regained consciousness. However, instead of the soft mattress and a warm pillow, what greeted him was the soft warmth of the sun hitting his face and a gentle breeze messing his hair.
He opened his drowsy eyes and looked around muddle-headed, trying to process his surroundings. Tall trees loomed over him, their thick trunks twisting into the sky. The ground beneath him was soft, a mixture of moss and dirt.
The air was fresh, not a single sign of his room at all. He rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of things, and immediately froze.
"What…?" Kael muttered to himself, his voice sounding small and high-pitched
"Where the hell am I?!"He exclaimed
"Wait…my voice?!" He said as he stared down on his body, touching it all over in disbelief.
His hands—no, his entire body—looked different. He looked down and saw tiny arms, a small frame.
"Wait… this is…" He tried to stand up, but his legs wobbled beneath him. "I'm… a kid?"
His mind raced, trying to piece together what happened. The last thing he remembered was that odd book, the strange dream, and then—nothing.
"Did… did I die?" Kael mumbled, running his fingers through his hair. He was too disoriented to understand fully. He took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm.
"Is some God playing with me?" He muttered doubtfully
He stood up fully, surveying his surroundings carefully. The silence around him was thick. No sounds of civilization. No familiar sights. He walked slowly, glancing around as he moved.
No immediate danger, at least. Nothing that could pose a threat—just trees and more trees.
Kael muttered to himself as he wandered. "Okay… let's think. What happened last night? I found that book… and then…" His voice trailed off, unsure of the rest.
"This definitely is because of that goddamn book!" He said with a hint of annoyance and resignation. Strangely however He felt calm, but then the faces of the people he deeply love flashed in his mind. Clenching his teeth he said
"Now is not the time"
He looked up at the sky. The sun was high now, indicating it was nearly noon. He couldn't remember much, but the immediate survival instincts kicked in.
"Alright, survival basics… let's see. First, I need food. Shelter. Water. I know this," he said, nodding to himself. "The internet… I've read survival guides online. Need to find clean water first, then something to eat. Should probably avoid anything poisonous, and I need to figure out a way to make fire… and maybe some weapons." He kept muttering as he analyzed his situation and the best course of action, recalling the videos he'd watched. "This should be easy, right?"
His stomach growled loudly, making him frown a little. "Yeah, food first. Then shelter."
As Kael walked, he suddenly heard the sound of rushing water—a river, he thought. The noise grew louder as he followed the sound, pushing through the thick underbrush. After a while, he reached the edge of a river, its water rushing quickly over rocks. His eyes widened slightly as he saw fish swimming in the clear water, darting in and out of view.
"Perfect," Kael muttered. "I can catch those."
He scanned the area around him for something useful. "Okay… first, I need a spear."
He surveyed the trees around, looking for straight dead branches that might work but couldn't find any even after looking for some time
"This won't work" He muttered in a low voice
Then, an idea came to him. " A stone chisel!"
"How could I forget, Gadda make one to cut some straight tree branches, a simple wooden spear would do."
Kael looked around for a suitable stone. After some time, he spotted a small, flat rock near the water's edge. He picked it up, examining it closely. It had a rough edge but was smooth enough to work with. This would do for making a chisel.
He sat down on a flat rock, muttering to himself as he worked. "I need to make this sharp… real sharp…"
The stone was hard, and it took longer than he expected. He grumbled under his breath, his hands aching from the effort. After a while, he managed to grind the edge of the stone into a rough but sharp chisel.
"Finally," he sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Now to make the spear."
Kael stood up and started looking for a suitable tree. After walking for a while, he spotted a tree in the distance with a nearly straight branch that seemed perfect.
"That'll do," he muttered, walking over.
Looking around, he found a suitable dead brach, thick enough to use as a hammer for the chisel.
The branch was thick, but it wasn't too high up, and it seemed strong enough to make a good weapon. He took out his chisel and began working on the branch, carefully cutting it at the base, taking his time to avoid breaking it.
It took more effort than he anticipated. But after some time and a lot of grumbling, the branch finally came loose.
"Finally…" Kael chuckled.
He then carried the branch back to the riverbank. Next came the fire. Kael looked around for dry twigs and branches, finding some scattered under the trees. He began collecting them, adding leaves for kindling. "Now for the hard part," he muttered.
He remembered seeing videos online about making a hand drill. He grabbed a long, sturdy stick and began twisting it against a flattened piece of dry stick, just like he had seen in the survival videos. His hands were sore, and his fingers were slipping, but after a while, he managed to create a small spark.
Kael's eyes widened as he carefully placed the spark on the dry leaves and twigs. The spark caught, and smoke started rising. It took a moment, but soon enough, a small flame flickered to life.
"Yes! It worked!" he whispered in amazement, gently blowing on the flame to encourage it.
Once the fire was steady, he took the spear and held it over the flame, rotating it until the wood began to dry out. He then carefully used the fire to burn the tip of the spear, shaping it into a sharper point.
After some time, Kael stood back and admired his work. The fire was going strong now, and he had his spear ready.
"Okay, time to catch some fish," he said, looking at the river. He grabbed the spear, feeling a little more confident now.
He waded into the river, keeping his eyes on the fish swimming near the rocks.