Unknown location
As James slept, his mind drifted into a vast, empty darkness. There was no sound, only silence that seemed heavy, yet strangely peaceful. Suddenly, out of the blackness, a bright blue screen appeared in front of him. It glowed softly, floating like a hologram in the endless void. James blinked, confused, staring at the strange screen that seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Words appeared on the screen: Roll the dice to determine your race.
A glowing dice suddenly appeared in front of James, floating in the air as if it were weightless. Curious, he reached out and lightly tapped it. The dice spun rapidly, its soft glow flickering as it turned. After a moment, it slowed down and finally stopped. The screen in front of him lit up with a message that read: Race: Human. James stared at it for a moment, processing the information. It seemed like the answer he had been waiting for, but it still didn't make sense.
Before James could figure out what was happening, a bright light surrounded him, growing brighter and brighter until it filled his entire vision. He looked down at his hands and saw them fading, becoming more transparent with each passing second.
"What's going on?" he whispered, panic rising in his chest as he watched his body slowly disappear. It felt strange, like he was being gently pulled away from reality, piece by piece. The light wrapped around him completely, and before he knew it, he was gone.
Unknown Forest
James woke up suddenly, lying on soft, mossy ground in the middle of a dense forest. Tall trees stretched endlessly toward the sky, their leafy canopy allowing sunlight to filter through in golden patches. Sitting up, he brushed dirt off his clothes and glanced down at himself. Everything seemed normal he was still human, still himself. But then he noticed his clothes instead of his usual clothing, he was now dressed in simple linen garments.
"Well," he said with a small sigh, "at least I'm still me."
Not far away, three figures lay on the grassy forest ground. James's heart skipped a beat as he recognized them it was his family, Elena, Emma, and Sophia. Something felt off, but he didn't stop to think.
"Elena! Emma! Sophia!" James yelled as he ran toward them, panic rising in his chest.
He knelt beside them, his hands shaking as he gently shook each of them, one by one. "Wake up! Are you okay?"
His voice trembled as he called again, his heart racing. "Elena? Emma? Sophia?" He continued to shake them, hoping they would wake up and answer him.
Elena was the first to wake up, slowly rubbing her head as she sat up. "What... happened?" she mumbled, her voice groggy as she looked around, confused.
Emma and Sophia woke up looking absolutely stunning. They had grown to a height of 2 meters, which was much taller than James. They had kept their athletic, yet feminine figures, and their long black hair was tied back in sexy ponytails. On their foreheads, they now had beautiful, curved horns that gave them a touch of an elegant look. They were wearing simple, but alluring linen clothes that highlighted their strong arms, long legs, and toned abs. The way they were dressed made their fuller busts and shapely bottoms stand out even more, they looked powerful yet incredibly attractive.
"What... is this?" Sophia said, touching her horns in shock.
Elena looked down at James, concern in her eyes. "James, you're still human?"
James nodded, feeling small as he looked up at them. "Yeah, I'm still the same. But you three..." He gestured to their new forms, struggling to find the words.
Emma flexed her fingers. "Why do we look like this? And why are we so tall?"
Before anyone could answer, a smooth voice echoed in their minds: Welcome to the system. Say 'Status' to access your information.
"Status?" James said hesitantly.
A glowing blue screen appeared in front of him, showing his stats:
Name: James Miller
Race: Human
Strength: 5
Stamina: 5
Agility: 5
Intelligence: 5
The others said "Status" too, and their screens popped up.
Elena's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped as she stared at the glowing blue screen in front of her. "We're... Oni?" she said, her voice filled with shock and disbelief. Her hands instinctively touched the curved horns on her head as if to confirm it was real.
Emma let out an excited laugh, her face lighting up as she scanned her stats on the screen. "Look at this! I'm so strong now!" she exclaimed, flexing her arms and marveling at her new muscles. "This is unbelievable!"
Sophia crossed her arms and leaned slightly to the side, a playful smirk on her face. "It's like we've been dropped into some kind of video game," she said, glancing at her stats with a mix of amazement and amusement. "This is insane, but it's also kind of exciting."
James frowned, staring at his own stats. "Yeah, great for you guys, but why am I still stuck like this? Still human, still short."
Elena placed a large hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, James. We'll figure this out."
James sighed. "For now, let's keep moving. We need to find out where we are."
As they walked through the forest, the silence felt strange. There were no animal sounds, only the rustling of leaves and their footsteps.
"Look!" Emma suddenly pointed ahead.
James squinted. Someone was slumped against a tree. "Stay here," he said. "I'll check it out."
"Alone?" Elena frowned.
"If it's dangerous, you'll hear me scream," James joked weakly.
James walked toward the figure and saw that it was a tall woman, another Oni. She was dressed in worn leather armor, and a fresh knife wound on her side was bleeding, with blood dripping down her skin. She looked weak and injured, lying motionless under a tree.
James knelt beside her, looking at the fresh wound. "She's hurt" he thought, feeling a rush of concern. He gently shook her shoulder and whispered "Hey, are you okay?"
The Oni's eyes suddenly snapped open, full of rage. Before James had time to do anything, she reached under herself and took out a knife that was hidden there. Then, she jumped at him really fast. The Oni pushed James down to the ground with a lot of force that James didn't expect. She was now on top of him, holding the knife and looking very scary.
"Wait!" James gasped as the blade pressed to his throat.
The Oni glared at James with a mix of anger and confusion in her eyes. She held him down for a moment before leaning in closer, her nose twitching as she sniffed the air around his neck, as if trying to figure out something about him.
"James!" Emma shouted as she, Elena, and Sophia rushed toward him.
The Oni's eyes quickly moved toward the approaching group. When she saw the other Onis, a hint of recognition seemed to wash over her, and her tense body relaxed. But before James could fully process what was happening, she suddenly slumped forward, her strength fading, and collapsed onto him, her large frame pressing him into the ground as she lost consciousness.
"Get her off him!" Elena shouted, her voice sharp with urgency. She rushed over, her eyes wide with worry as she saw James pinned beneath the Oni's limp body. Her commanding tone made Emma and Sophia spring into action, quickly grabbing the unconscious Oni and carefully lifting her off James as her limp body heavy in their arms.
James sat up, coughing, his throat still sore from where the knife had been pressed against it, he rubbed his neck, wincing slightly. "She's hurt." he said, his voice a little hoarse. Emma frowned, crossing her arms. "You want to help her? After what she just did to you?" Her voice was sharp, but there was a hint of worry mixed in. "We can't just leave her here like this. She needs help." his eyes flickered back to the wounded Oni, concern in his gaze as he looked at her injuries.
"She just attacked you!" Sophia said, her voice filled with doubt and concern. She also crossed her arms, glancing at the unconscious Oni with suspicion. "Are you sure we can trust her? What if she tries something again?" Her gaze shifted to James, waiting for his answer, while her posture stayed tense, ready for anything.
James looked up at Sophia, his expression serious despite the lingering soreness in his neck. "I'm not sure," he admitted, his voice steady but soft. "But look at her she's injured and unconscious. If we leave her here, she might not survive, and she could have answers about where we are or what's happening."
He glanced back at the Oni, his concern outweighing his fear. "I know it's a risk, but right now, we need all the help we can get. If she tries something again, we'll deal with it then but I can't just walk away."
Elena crossed her arms and let out a deep breath, her eyes shifting between James and the unconscious Oni. She still looked uncertain, but finally, she gave a small nod. "Fine," she said slowly, her tone firm. "But we're not letting our guard down. If she tries anything, we'll be ready."
Her gaze lingered on the Oni for a moment longer before turning back to James. "Just be careful, okay?" James looked back at Elena "I'll be careful, I promise."
As James gathered the herbs along the way, he couldn't help but think to himself, "I hope these plants are enough to help heal her wounds." his fingers carefully selected each plant, recognizing them from books and experiences back on Earth. "If I'm lucky, these will work. We don't have much else to go on here." he was anxious, knowing the Oni's injury was serious, but he hoped the herbs could at least stop the bleeding and help her recover. As he worked, he silently prayed that it would be enough, glancing over at the unconscious Oni, his worry growing with every passing moment.
They carefully carried the unconscious Oni through the forest, finally finding a small cave to take shelter in. The cave was dry and quiet, its walls rough but offering protection from the rain that had started to fall outside.
James knelt beside the Oni, his hands moving quickly but gently as he worked. Using herbs he remembered from Earth, he cleaned her wound as best as he could. He pressed the leaves over the gash to help stop the bleeding and tied them in place with strips of cloth torn from his linen shirt.
When he finished, James sat back against the cold stone wall of the cave. His eyes stayed on the Oni, now lying peacefully on the ground, her chest rising and falling with slow breaths. The rain pattered softly outside, adding a calm rhythm to the tense silence in the cave. James sighed, exhaustion creeping into his body, but he couldn't stop watching her. His mind raced with questions about who she was and why they had ended up in this strange world.
James let out a soft sigh, his voice low and filled with thought. "This is just the start of something bigger. I can feel it," he said, his gaze fixed on the cave ground.
Elena turned to him, her expression serious, she nodded firmly, her eyes meeting his "You're right. Whatever this is, it's only the beginning." she said, her voice steady, carrying a hint of determination.
Emma stood with her arms crossed, leaning casually against the rough stone wall of the cave "If this is just the start, then we'd better be ready for whatever's coming next." she said, her tone confident but with a touch of concern.
Sophia sat on a nearby rock, her legs crossed as she rested her chin on her hand. A small smirk tugged at her lips, but her eyes showed she was deep in thought "So, no turning back now, huh?" she said with a raised brow, her voice calm but tinged with challenge.
James looked at each of them in turn, their words, their resolve, gave him a small flicker of reassurance. He straightened up, his voice steady but quiet as he said "Yeah. We stick together, no matter what."
Outside, the rain continued to fall in a soft rhythm, the sound echoing faintly through the cave. But inside the air felt different now, as the four of them shared a quiet understanding, their determination pushing them towards the unknown challenges ahead.