"I just need an explanation..."
A sharp pain ran through his head as he tried to link the woman beside him to a memory, but he couldn't remember ever having seen her before.
He blinked, disoriented, his gaze darting around the unfamiliar room. "Am I...still alive?" he wondered aloud, finally speaking, his voice hoarse and dry.
Like the sharp pain he just felt reminded him, Ryder's hand instinctively went to his stomach, feeling for the wound that should have been there.
But to his surprise, his skin was smooth, with no sign of the bullet that had torn through him.
That was when another wave of realization hit him. What he was currently using to feel his stomach was the right arm which had half of it severed by the Cyclops earlier. At least that's what he thought.
The more he experienced, the more his perception of reality blurred.
"The bullet...the gun... My arm... How did I survive?" he wondered aloud, his eyes wide, and his voice painted heavily with disbelief.
"I still believe it's to early for this, but as things are, we have no choice," the woman sighed, her voice carrying a mild exasperation in it.
She however, continued to watch him, her calm gaze never leaving his face.
Ryder, at the moment, had not taken note of her words. His mind was lost in a haze of confusion.
"Vio... let," he grabbed his head reflexively, a result of the dull ache coursing through it.
"Did... Did Violet..." He trailed off, unable to finish the thought.
"If you're talking about the girl, she's fine. Luckily she's a blood demon. Otherwise, that would've been really devastating," she said, her response only adding to the confusion Ryder was currently grappling with.
"Alex and Maya, what about them?" He asked, his voice tinged with a desperate hope.
Upon hearing his words, her expression softened, her lips forming a gentle consoling smile. "I'm sorry, but they didn't. I didn't realize in time..." she said gently.
Ryder closed his eyes, a wave of grief washing over him. "Why," he whispered, his voice filled with regret. "If only I listened... If only I listened to them and we turned home when they said—"
"Don't do that," she cut him off, her voice firm but kind. "That's the last thing they would want."
"Also, I killed the kidnappers. Their lives weren't relevant anyway, so it shouldn't affect much..."
He raised his head to look at the woman. Tears began to slowly stream down his cheeks, but he rubbed them off quickly with his hands.
"Who are you?" He asked shifting his gaze to the environment outside the balcony. He saw a forest with big, beautiful trees and different fruits hanging from it. It was a familiar scene to the forest he had met Violet earlier. "And where am I?"
"Look, right now, you just need some rest, you've been unconscious for two we—"
"Just tell me where I am?!" Ryder demanded, cutting her off.
She looked at him, her eyes widened, startled by his sudden outburst.
"I understand, you're tired, and this is all just a lot for you to take in," she sighed heavily. "But right now you need to calm down."
"Just... Please answer me... I'm so confused right now, I don't understand anything that's been happening. It just... It's all just been a living hell," Ryder said, his voice cracking as tears welling up in his eyes.
"Well, for who I am..." She crossed her legs, placing both of her hands on them. "My name is Lyra Starfall, you can call me Lyra."
"As for where you are... This really isn't the right time to tell you, and I honestly doubt you'd believe me if I told you," Lyra paused, gauging Ryder's reaction. His face remained sober as he stared at the forest outside.
"Well if I were to put it in the most simple and direct way... You're in another world."
Ryder remained silent; his eyes still fixated on the landscape of his new environment, as Lyra explained.
"A world with things you'd consider as fantasy where you come from. I'm sure you've already experienced some of it." She continued to explain further.
Her words settled on Ryder's shoulders like an unbearable weight, threatening to crush him.
Fantasy? Another world? Ryder felt as though he were teetering on the brink of madness, the woman's revelations pushing him ever closer to the edge. "What is this joke?
"How can I... Am I really supposed to just believe all of this?" Ryder queried, his tone, lackluster.
Lyra was visibly stunned. She exhaled heavily, sensing the disbelief in his words. "This is what I meant when I said—"
"You know what," Ryder interrupted her. "I think I get it now," he muttered as he pulled himself out of the bed, Lyra's hand slowly slipping off his shoulder. "Why didn't I even think about it from the start."
"Huh?" Lyra watched him—perplexed—as he walked towards the balcony.
The warmth of the sun on his face and the gentle rustling of the leaves in the breeze felt undeniably real, compared to the surreal quality of the situation.
"It all actually looks and feels real. Can't remember the last time I had a dream like this," he muttered, more to himself than to Lyra.
"I knew reading too many of those anime books would affect me somehow." He stretched his arms and legs as he inhaled the fresh air. "The threatening monster aside, it's actually a beautiful place."
"I guess I was so scared of facing things as they are, and my brain had to do this," he let out a wry chuckle. "Well... I guess it's time to wake up from this denial."
Suddenly, without any warnings he leaped over the railings.
"What the hell?!" Lyra exclaimed, immediately dashed towards the oriel.
"What kinda maniac..." she sighed as she looked down catching sight of Ryder's body falling towards the ground.
"I'm probably in a hospital somewhere," Ryder thought, as he closed his eyes, with his arms and legs extended, getting a good feel of the cold breeze brushing against his skin. "Who knows, maybe Alex and Maya also survived."
As Ryder braced himself for impact, a sudden jolt interrupted his descent. His eyes flew open, only to find himself in Lyra's arms, her face etched with concern and frustration.
Her wings, white, with a golden glow, flapped steadily. As she descended to the ground, they vanished.
As soon as they landed, Lyra released him, her eyes blazing with anger. "Fucking hell Ryder! What were you thinking?!" she demanded, raising her voice. "Why would you do that? I just saved you! Do you want to die?"
Ryder cut her off abruptly, his voice trembling with disbelief. "This is all just a dream," he said, his tone laced with exasperation.
Suddenly his tone spiked. "One moment, I'm waking up in a strange forest with a girl, and the next thing I'm here in God knows where!" He swung his arms around wildly.
"What are you going to tell me next? That I'm supposed to be some hero and save the world?! Yeah right!"
"I'm just a God damn 13-year-old! Am I supposed to accept all of these without question?!" he said, his voice trembling as he fought the tears waiting to burst out.
Lyra's expression softened, her anger dissipating as she listened to Ryder's outburst.
She remained silent for a moment, studying the boy's distressed face before speaking in a calm and understanding tone. "I understand how overwhelming this must be for you, Ryder. I know it's all sudden but—."
"Just... Save it!"
Before Lyra could finish her apology, Ryder turned and bolted into the forest, his legs carrying him as fast as they could.
"Ryder... Wait..." She called out his name, but he ignored her, the trees swallowing him up as he disappeared from her sight.
A voice from behind Lyra spoke up, its tone filled with concern. "Should I go after him?"
Lyra shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the spot where Ryder had vanished. "Nahhh, let's just give him some space for now."
"He needs time to process all of this," she replied, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Besides, HE is in the forest as well. Ryder should be fine."
***
As Ryder darted through the unfamiliar forest, his lungs screamed for air, forcing him to pause and catch his breath. Fear and confusion consumed him as he continued to run. He tripped over an exposed root and tumbled to the ground. The pain of the impact jolted him, and tears welled up in his eyes.
"What's happening to me?" Ryder cried, despair creeping into his voice. "I was finally beginning to have a peaceful life, and now..." His words trailed off into a sob, his small frame shaking as he released his pent-up emotions. "I've lost the closest thing to a family that I ever had..."
"And there's a crazy woman telling me I'm..."
"Ahhhhhhh" he screamed, venting his frustration and tears burst out uncontrollably.
He suddenly felt lightheaded, the world around him spinning a little, he felt his limbs losing their strength so he sat for a minute. Shortly after, his eyelids felt too heavy to hold themselves up, before he knew it, he fell into deep slumber.
When Ryder woke up, the forest had transitioned into the golden hues of dusk. Groggily, he felt something tugging at his hand, squeaking urgently as if to warn him of an impending danger.
He looked down, setting his eyes on a rabbit with fairy-like wings on his back "Wh... What's going on?" Ryder asked, his senses on high alert.
As his vision sharpened, His blood ran cold at the sight of a massive creature lumbering towards him, its size rivaling the towering trees around them.
He could feel the monster's bloodlust radiating from its grotesque form. There was no mistaking it, this was the Cyclops he encountered earlier.
He tried to run but his legs refused to move. He was petrified.
"Move!" He yelled, hitting his legs, his fear growing with each passing second. "I wasn't scared when I jumped off the balcony, so why... Why now?"
His body trembled as the cyclops closed in on him, its monstrous hand raised to strike.
"I acted tough earlier, but I really don't want to die," Ryder thought, his mind racing.
"Lyra... That's what she said her name was, right? Where is she?" He muttered to himself, frantically.
"I'm... I'm sorry I yelled earlier!" He apologized desperately, his voice breaking. But his cries fell on deaf ears.
The monster loomed over him once again, its foul breath hanging as its hand began to descend.
Suddenly, like a wave of calmness washed over him, Ryder's uneven breathing suddenly became steady. "Or maybe... Maybe it's ok if I just die here..." The light in his eyes faded.
"At least maybe then I'd fine some peace."