I woke up in a forest. Around me were what seemed to be the remains of a wooden carriage as well as a few corpses. The half eaten carcass of what seemed to be a bull lay next to me.
"What the hell." I said as I tried to cope with the situation I now found myself in.
'First that weird fucking room and now here? I'm so going to sue whoever the fuck put me here.' I thought to myself.
As I tried to stand up, I realized that my height was a bit shorter than what I remembered. Scratch that, my height was a lot less than what it should've been. Like 2 entire feet shorter.
"Weird, I don't remember my hands being this small either. Now that I think about it, my voice seems childish as well." I said out loud.
What had happened to me? Some sort of weird experiment? Maybe a weird, experimental age reducing drug?
'Also, what the fuck was up with those guys? As if someone would be able to send me into an anime world. Talk about a shitty idea of a joke. Anyways, let's just focus on getting home.' I thought.
No sooner had I thought of trying to find a way home, than a roar echoed out.
All of a sudden, a gigantic bear, about 10 feet tall on its two limbs rose from among the trees, sending me into a panic.
'WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT! Im fucking done for if that thing comes after me!' I thought as I began to turn to run away.
Unfortunately for me, my gait also seemed to be affected by my new body size, as I stumbled and fell a few steps from where I had started running, not yet adjusted to the new body.
To make matters worse, the bear definitely noticed my movements as it was now glaring a hole directly through me, its eyes weirdly red, a weird aura surrounding it.
'NO NO NO. SHIT! Shit!! It's seen me! I've got to keep moving, it's the only chance I've got to survive. Every cell in my body tells me that playing dead won't save me here.' I told myself as I began to crawl away from the bear.
I later learnt that my assessment was correct, as demonised bears rarely fall for the 'play dead' tactic.
The bear, realizing that I wasn't a real threat, moved towards me slowly, as if it was amused by the fear I felt and wanted to prolong my dread for as long as possible.
"Shit, shit! Someone, anyone! Help! I don't want to die like this!" I yelled out for help.
But it seemed that no one actually heard me, except the bear, as it started growling, now only a foot away from me.
'Is this it?' I thought, almost giving up.
'Am I going to die like this?'
At that moment, with a flash of light, the bear's head suddenly disappeared t, as if it had never been attached in the first place. Soon after, the body of the bear collapsed as well, now just a headless corpse.
'WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!' I thought, baffled by the sudden turn of events.
Amidst my confusion, a sudden voice called out to me "Are you alright? It's a good thing I found you, or it would have ended badly."
As I turned to look at the source of the voice I found an old man looking at me.
"W-Who are you? And thanks, f-for helping me." I blurted out.
"My name is Merlin. And you don't need to worry about thanking me, I'm just glad I could help." the old man replied.
'Wait! Did he just say his name is merlin? If that's the case!'
"No way." I muttered absent-mindedly. It wasn't bullshit. I really had met an angel. I had died. And now- no I couldn't be too sure just yet. I mean this could still be some sort of twisted prank. But how do I explain the giant headless corpse of a bear? Not to mention, the fucking stench of blood, as well as how its head suddenly exploded.
"It seems the shock of everyone who was with you dying has taken quite the toll on you. But know this, when it comes to encounters with the demons, just coming out alive means that you were extremely fortunate. Now tell me. What's your name kid?" Merlin asked, misunderstanding the cause behind my shock.
"D-David." I stammered, still reeling with my situation.
'David, huh. He seems to be about the same age as shin. Maybe I'll introduce the two to each other. Shin does need to meet someone his age now, or he might have trouble making friends later.' Merlin thought to himself.
"David was it? It's getting pretty late, come with me. My house is near, I'll tend any wounds you have and before we think about how to help you get through the situation you found yourself in. you should stay with me for now, as there is no chance you will survive the forest at night." Merlin explained.
Hearing this, I began to think 'Should I trust him? Ah fuck it! It's not like I have a choice now. If I come across something like that again I'm literally cooked. Also, if this really is a world of magic, I'll need to learn from someone competent in order to survive in this world.'
"Alright. But tell me, how did you kill that bear so easily?" I asked, stumbling towards him, my feet still a bit shaky, not used to this new body.
"Hohoho, that child, was a little magic spell I created myself, called wind slash. Was pretty powerful, was it not?" Merlin replied, a bit smug.
"It was." I answered.
"Now let's go. I'll introduce you to my grandson, and let's see if we can get you something to eat." he said, as we both began to walk towards his house.
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