The deafening roar of the plane's engines was the last thing Rino remembered. The plane had been steadily cruising through the sky when everything started to unravel. A loud crack split the air, followed by a sudden lurch. His body slammed against the side of his seat as the plane plummeted, shaking and vibrating violently. Screams filled the cabin, the panic was suffocating. A quick glance to his left—Kaime's face, normally so calm, was twisted in terror. To his right, Mario's fist clenched the armrest, eyes wide with fear.
Rino could hardly comprehend the chaos that ensued. The metal groaned as if the plane itself were screaming in agony, its wings flapping erratically. Outside the window, the sky spun into a chaotic whirl of colors, darkening with ominous clouds as though the heavens themselves were folding in on them. And then—darkness. The kind that felt like an eternal void.
Rino's eyes fluttered open, his body jerking as if he were waking from a bad dream. But this… wasn't a dream.
The ground beneath him was rough and uneven, covered in strange patches of moss and glowing plants that emitted a faint, eerie light. His skin felt unnaturally cold, the air thick and humid, and as he inhaled, the scent of wet earth filled his lungs. A sudden dizziness took him, and for a moment, he thought he might fall back into unconsciousness.
"Rino… Are you awake?" The voice came from behind him—hoarse and uncertain. He recognized it immediately.
Kaime.
Rino blinked and rubbed his eyes. His friend was sitting up, looking as disoriented as he felt. His once neatly combed hair was now wild, and his clothes were torn. He gave Rino a weak, uncertain look. "This isn't right. Where are we?"
The question echoed through Rino's mind. Where were they? This wasn't the plane they'd been on. There was no sign of wreckage, no familiar seats, no emergency exits. Just trees. Twisted, grotesque trees. The air had a strange, oppressive weight, and the sky above was not the deep blue they'd known, but a sickly shade of purple, pulsating as if it were alive.
Rino stood up, legs shaky beneath him. The air felt different, thicker, as if charged with some unseen energy. The ground was soft underfoot, like moss, but it stretched endlessly in every direction, seemingly without end.
"This… this isn't real. This has to be some kind of hallucination," Kaime muttered under his breath, eyes wide with panic.
Rino's throat was dry. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't just in another place—they were in another world entirely.
As he looked around, Mario, Baldur, and Quel—their group of friends—began to stir, their faces grim as they slowly woke from their stupor. They were all in the same strange situation, lost and confused, just like Rino. And yet, he could feel something different, something foreign in the air, something that was now pulsing through him. It wasn't just the environment. No, it was something deeper.
He flexed his fingers, and the air seemed to hum around him. A soft glow emanated from his hands, flickering like a weak flame. Rino froze, staring at the strange light. This was… impossible.
"What the hell?" Mario spat, his voice shaking. He had already pulled himself into a standing position, looking down at his own hands. "Is this… some kind of magic?"
Rino couldn't respond. His mind raced as he tried to comprehend the scene unfolding around him. The glow in his hands felt natural, as though it belonged to him. As if it had always been there.
"This isn't normal," Baldur said, his voice heavy. "We need to figure out what the hell is going on."
Kaime stood up, brushing dirt from his pants. "Yeah, we need answers. Now."
Rino could only nod. They were in a place that defied logic. A world that didn't belong to them. They had crashed into it, yes, but why were they here? And why did everything feel so… wrong?
But before Rino could ask the question that gnawed at his mind, a rumble shook the earth beneath them. Something massive stirred in the distance. The ground trembled with each passing moment, the air growing thick with the scent of something foul.
Quel, their usually calm cat, bristled and hissed. Her fur stood on end as she crouched low to the ground, her wide eyes scanning the horizon.
"What is that?" Mario whispered, fear edging his voice.
Before Rino could answer, the creature emerged from the trees. It was massive—its hulking form covered in dark, shimmering scales that reflected the sickly light of the sky. Its eyes, glowing a fiery red, locked onto them with a primal hunger. The creature growled low, a sound that rumbled through the ground beneath them, sending a shiver down Rino's spine.
It was a monster—a massive, terrifying creature that should not exist. Rino's heart raced, his breath quickened. This was no fantasy, no dream. This was real. And they were its prey.
Rino's body moved before he could think. His hands, still glowing with strange power, clenched into fists. A surge of raw energy surged through his veins, pulsing like an uncontrollable tide. The world seemed to slow as his senses sharpened. His heart thundered in his chest, the air humming with a strange magic. This magic—it wasn't just some fluke. It was a part of him now.
And then, without thinking, Rino thrust his hands forward. The energy around him exploded in a violent burst of force, crackling through the air and slamming into the creature. It howled in pain, staggered back, and then roared in fury.
"Rino!" Kaime shouted. "What the hell did you do?"
"I—don't know!" Rino gasped. "It… just happened!"
But the creature wasn't finished. It charged, its massive claws tearing up the ground beneath it, roaring with a ferocity that sent the others scattering. Rino's mind raced. There was no time for hesitation.
Kaime reacted next, his hands crackling with the same energy, and he unleashed his own burst of magic. The beast faltered, but it wasn't enough to stop it. It was faster than they had anticipated. Mario and Baldur quickly followed suit, unleashing blasts of their own.
The creature stumbled, finally retreating back into the dark woods, its red eyes glowing ominously as it disappeared into the shadows.
Breathing heavily, Rino turned to his friends, who were all equally panting, their expressions a mixture of disbelief and determination. They had survived their first encounter, but that was only the beginning.
"What the hell just happened?" Baldur muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "What are we, some kind of… magical hunters now?"
"I don't know," Rino replied, staring at his hands, the glow fading. "But whatever this is… we need to learn how to control it. We don't know what's out there."
Kaime stepped forward, his expression grim. "And I don't think we're alone here. There's something off about this world. We're not just here by accident. Whatever brought us here—it has a reason."
Rino's heart sank. The thrill of power was still fresh in his veins, but the weight of what lay ahead loomed larger. They weren't just in a new world. They were in the Abyss—and the Abyss was watching them.