Chapter 1: The Lazy Day That Changed Everything

Greg had never been one to chase excitement. In fact, he preferred to avoid it at all costs. The kind of guy who would take a nap rather than attend a party, who'd binge-watch an entire season of a show rather than go out on a Friday night. Today was no different. Sitting comfortably on his couch, his phone in one hand, a can of soda resting on the armrest, Greg was in his element.

"Nothing on YouTube, nothing new on Twitter… ugh, why does everything feel so boring?" Greg muttered to himself, scrolling aimlessly through his phone. He flicked through countless notifications he wasn't interested in and opened a few apps only to close them seconds later, finding nothing worth his attention.

A yawn stretched his jaw wide. "Maybe I'll just nap through the rest of the day."

He flicked a glance at the clock. It was still early enough that he could get a solid three or four hours in before dinner. The idea of a full afternoon of uninterrupted sleep was incredibly appealing. Greg leaned back against the couch, placing his feet up on the coffee table, and closed his eyes.

"Man, wouldn't it be nice if I just got whisked away to another world or something?" Greg sighed dramatically, a lazy smile curling at the corner of his lips. "A big fantasy world, full of adventure and magic… No responsibilities, just me and the peaceful life of a wizard or something. I could just nap all day without anyone bugging me."

He let out a chuckle. "Yeah, right. Like that would ever happen."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the room around him seemed to distort. At first, Greg thought it was a trick of the light—maybe he'd fallen asleep and was dreaming. But the feeling was wrong. The room started to pulse with a strange energy, and a warm, suffocating light engulfed him. He sat up quickly, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes, but there was no escaping the blinding light.

Suddenly, the world around him twisted completely, and he felt his body being pulled out of his apartment—no, out of reality itself. It was as if the very air had turned into liquid, thick and unyielding, and he was being dragged through it, helpless and panicked.

"Wait! What the hell is going on?!" Greg's voice cracked as he flailed against the intense pressure pulling him away. It wasn't even a momentary sensation; it was as if his very existence was being transported through time and space.

Before he could process any of it, the light suddenly vanished, and he collapsed onto soft, moss-covered ground with a thud.

Greg groaned, disoriented, as he tried to stand. The air was cool, refreshing, filled with the scent of damp earth and fresh pine. When he opened his eyes, it wasn't his apartment that greeted him, but an entirely new world.

A vast expanse of trees stretched out around him, their towering forms dominating the landscape. Massive boulders dotted the forest floor, and strange, sparkling flowers grew in clusters near a stream. The sky above was a pale blue, and a sun that felt far more distant than the one he was used to hung low on the horizon, casting everything in a warm, golden light.

"What the hell?" Greg muttered, standing up slowly. He swayed, his legs weak from the sudden change of environment. The forest was eerily silent except for the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze. But something was off. It was too quiet, like the entire world was holding its breath.

He looked down at his phone, hoping it was all just some bizarre prank, but no signal. The screen blinked, then showed an error message before turning black. Greg groaned in frustration. "Great. Just great. Am I dreaming? Am I going insane?"

His thoughts were interrupted by a low growl. He froze, his heart thudding in his chest as the sound came from behind him. Slowly, cautiously, he turned around. What he saw made his blood run cold.

A huge, hulking creature stepped out from the shadows of the trees, its yellow eyes glowing faintly as it surveyed him. It had the body of a lion, but its back arched and its fur was covered in rough patches of scales. The beast's snout was elongated, with tusks jutting out from its lower jaw, and its claws scraped against the ground like knives.

Greg's stomach dropped. "Oh, no… No, no, no. This is not happening. This is not happening."

He could feel his breath quicken, and his knees began to shake. This was it. He had no idea what was going on, but one thing was certain: he was in a world where giant monsters existed. That meant danger—something he was in no mood for.

The creature's growl deepened, a low rumbling that vibrated through the air. It took a step forward, its massive paws landing with soft thuds that echoed through the forest.

Greg instinctively took a step back, but the creature mirrored him, its terrifying gaze locked onto him. His heart was racing, and he could feel his body screaming at him to run. But there was nowhere to go. He couldn't fight this beast. Hell, he wasn't even sure how he could even stand up to it.

And just as panic threatened to take over, something inside him snapped.

"I don't have time for this!" Greg shouted at the beast, his voice shaking but loud. His hands clenched into fists, and a wave of irritation flooded over him.

The creature paused, its head tilting curiously as if it were processing the sudden outburst. But Greg didn't wait to see what it would do next. Instead, he flung his arms out in frustration.

"Get lost, you overgrown furball!" he shouted. "I don't want any trouble! Just let me go back home!"

To his surprise, something… strange happened. A glowing circle of light appeared around Greg's hands, faintly shimmering with an ethereal power. Before he could even process what had just occurred, the beast before him took a hesitant step back, its eyes widening in recognition. A strange force seemed to pass between them—a connection, if you could call it that—and the massive creature hesitated.

What the hell was happening? Greg's mind raced, struggling to piece together the impossible situation he was now a part of.

"Okay, this is definitely not real," Greg muttered. "This is some weird, bad dream. There's no way…"

The creature, now almost docile, lowered its head. It let out a single soft whine, then turned away and retreated into the forest.

Greg watched in disbelief, his hands still shaking as the glowing light around them faded. "What the hell just happened?" he whispered, staring at the spot where the creature had disappeared. His heart was pounding in his chest, his mind too overwhelmed to process what was going on.

And then, as if on cue, a voice echoed inside his head, calm and soothing despite the chaotic events.

"You have acquired the Beast Tamer ability."

Greg blinked, his mind trying to catch up with the sudden information. "Beast… Tamer?"

The voice continued, unbothered by his shock. "You can now tame and command beasts. Congratulations."

Greg's eyes widened. "Wait… Are you serious? What kind of messed-up fantasy world is this?"

But before he could even begin to understand what was happening, a rustling noise came from behind him, drawing his attention.

A small, fluffy creature hopped out of the trees—something that looked like a tiny griffin. It was about the size of a large cat, with shimmering feathers and bright, inquisitive eyes.

The griffin chirped loudly and hopped up to Greg, nudging him with its beak.

"...Oh, no," Greg groaned, staring down at the small creature, who seemed to be… waiting for him to do something.

The voice returned again, this time with a bit more amusement in its tone.

"You have tamed the Young Griffon."

Greg's mouth fell open in disbelief. "I—I didn't do anything!" he yelled at the sky, not knowing who—or what—was listening.

"You are the Beast Tamer now. Accept your destiny, Greg."

Greg collapsed to his knees, staring at the griffin who seemed to expect him to do something. He opened his mouth to protest, but no words came. Instead, he let out an exasperated sigh.

"Okay. Fine. I guess I'm some kind of… beast whisperer now."

Greg stared down at the little griffon, still stunned by the strange voice in his head and the bizarre situation he now found himself in. The creature gave him a curious glance, its small wings fluttering as it hopped closer, chirping excitedly.

"Okay, okay," Greg muttered under his breath, trying to keep his calm despite the absurdity of it all. "This is just… this is just some weird dream. Yeah. That's it. I'm just gonna wake up any minute now."

The griffon, unimpressed with Greg's denial, nipped at his pant leg as if to demand attention. Greg looked down at the little creature, which had now climbed onto his knee and was eyeing him with large, expectant eyes. The sensation of being watched by such a tiny, but impossibly powerful creature felt surreal.

"Alright, alright," Greg sighed in defeat. "You want me to do something? Fine. I'm your… Tamer, or whatever." He made a show of dramatically flinging his arms out, as if trying to be theatrical despite his frustration. "Look at me, I'm your new master. What now, huh?"

The griffon chirped again, then padded over to Greg's shoulder, lightly digging its claws into his jacket as it made itself comfortable.

"Well, this is gonna be a long day," Greg groaned. He looked around at the dense forest. It was so quiet, eerie in a way, like no one had ever been here before. Or maybe no one would ever find him again. Maybe this was some weird alternate dimension. Maybe it was some elaborate prank from his friends.

But deep down, a terrifying thought lingered. This wasn't a joke. This wasn't a dream. Whatever was happening, whatever power he now had, it was real.

"Okay," Greg murmured to himself, rolling his shoulders. "Focus. Don't panic. You can figure this out."

As if in response to his words, the griffon gave a little trill and flapped its wings, as if urging him to take action. Greg shot it an incredulous glance.

"Am I supposed to… train you? Or something? You can barely fly."

The griffon puffed out its chest, looking almost offended by Greg's comment. Then, it spread its wings wide, flapping them energetically. The air stirred, and it rose a few inches off Greg's shoulder, before hopping back down to the ground.

Greg blinked. Was that supposed to be impressive? The thing barely got off the ground. But he couldn't deny the odd feeling that the griffon was eager for something—maybe for him to do something that he didn't fully understand yet.

An uncomfortable silence stretched between them, broken only by the sounds of distant birds and rustling leaves. The weight of the moment hit Greg again. He was stuck in a strange new world with no idea what to do next.

"Okay, first things first," Greg said, his voice suddenly resolute as he stood up and brushed himself off. "I need answers."

Turning around, he began to walk cautiously, looking for any sign of life or civilization, anything that might offer some context to the bizarre situation he found himself in. The griffon followed him obediently, bouncing around him like an overexcited pet.

"So," Greg muttered, more to himself than the creature, "what exactly am I supposed to do now, huh? There's gotta be some kind of guidebook, or manual, or something." He looked down at the griffon. "You don't know, do you? You're just as clueless as I am."

The griffon gave a soft trill, almost as if it was laughing at Greg. It perched on his shoulder again, pecking lightly at his hair in what seemed to be a playful gesture.

Greg groaned. "I swear, I'm gonna lose my mind."

He continued walking through the dense woods, trying to make sense of his surroundings. The trees stretched high into the sky, their branches twisting together like a canopy that filtered the sunlight. The forest was peaceful—too peaceful for his liking. It almost felt like nature itself was waiting for something. But Greg didn't have the time—or the energy—to figure that out right now.

He needed to get out of here.

Eventually, Greg stumbled across a small clearing, and for the first time since his arrival, he allowed himself a moment to breathe. He stood still for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the open space. But before he could think further, something caught his attention. A figure appeared in the distance, moving swiftly through the trees.

Greg froze, instinctively lowering into a defensive stance. But his legs were still shaky from the shock of being transported here, so he wasn't in the best position to fight anything. His mind raced. Was it another beast? A person?

The figure approached, and as it came into view, Greg's heart skipped a beat. It wasn't a beast—it was a human. But not just any human. This one was dressed in armor, the kind that looked like something out of a fantasy story. A short sword was strapped to his waist, and his boots clicked against the ground with each step.

"Who the hell are you?" Greg demanded, his voice wavering slightly. He didn't want to sound weak, but he wasn't sure if he should trust this person.

The armored figure stopped just a few paces away. The stranger, a tall man with sharp features and piercing green eyes, studied Greg with an air of curiosity. He looked at Greg as though he was some strange curiosity, like an animal in a zoo.

"I could ask you the same thing, traveler," the man said with a calm smile. "You don't look like you belong here. Are you… lost?"

Greg blinked. "Lost? No, I'm definitely not supposed to be here. What the hell is going on? Who are you?"

The man's smile widened, though there was an unreadable glint in his eyes. "My name is Alden. I'm a scout for the Kingdom of Valdora. It's not often that someone gets pulled through the rift like you."

A rift? What was he talking about?

"Look," Greg started, exasperated, "I don't know what kind of game this is, but I want answers. I've been—uh—teleported, or something, and I have no idea what's going on. I don't even know how to get back home!"

Alden's expression softened. "A Rift Walker, huh? I should have guessed." His eyes flicked briefly to the griffon perched on Greg's shoulder, his expression sharpening for a split second.

"You're a Beast Tamer, aren't you?"

Greg blinked. "What? I—I don't even know what that means."

Alden stepped closer, his gaze steady and calculating. "You must be. Only those with the mark of a Tamer would have a creature like that following them."

Greg looked down at the griffon, who was now grooming itself on his shoulder, completely unaware of the conversation happening around it. His head spun. "Wait, what the hell is going on here? Who are you people?"

Alden's gaze grew more serious. "It's not a coincidence that you're here, Rift Walker. The Beast Tamer ability… it's not something anyone can control. But if you're the one who's been chosen…"

The words hung in the air like a dark omen, and Greg felt a shiver crawl down his spine.