Kael Veyne had long since lost his connection to the world. His room, dimly lit by the glow of his computer screen, drowning in an endless cycle of isolation.

The outside world had become nothing but a distant memory—one he had long since abandoned. Days blurred together as he wasted away in front of his screen, numbing himself with stories, games, and distractions.

But today… something felt different.

A strange restlessness crept over him, pushing him toward his door. Maybe it was boredom. Maybe it was desperation. He didn't know.

With a deep breath, he turned the handle.

The air outside his room felt thick, as if he were stepping into another world. His legs trembled beneath him, weak from years of inactivity. Even something as simple as walking down the stairs felt like an impossible task.

Still, he forced himself forward.

He placed one foot onto the first step—

And the world shattered.

A violent pull wrenched his body from reality, and in the blink of an eye, everything went black.

Kael gasped as he hit the ground, the impact knocking the air from his lungs.

Pain shot through his body, but it was nothing compared to the sheer terror that flooded his senses.

The world around him was unrecognizable.

A battlefield.

The sky was dark, choked with smoke. Soldiers in armor clashed, their weapons drenched in blood. The ground was littered with corpses, torn apart by steel and fire. The stench of death was suffocating.

Kael's breathing became ragged.

"What… What is this?" he whispered, his voice lost beneath the screams of dying men.

A soldier nearby let out a bloodcurdling scream as a spear impaled him, lifting him off the ground before he was thrown aside like garbage. His lifeless body hit the dirt with a sickening thud.

Kael stumbled back, his stomach twisting violently.

"This can't be real," he thought. "This has to be a dream."

But the blood, the heat, the deafening clash of metal—it was all too vivid. Too real.

Then, a shadow loomed over him.

Kael barely had time to react before a knight in dark armor raised his sword high above his head.

His mind screamed at him to move—but his body wouldn't obey.

The blade came down

Just as the sword neared, a sudden flash of light erupted in the air. A ball of fire shot forward, blowing the knight head off.

Someone had saved him.

But he didn't wait to find out who.

His legs moved before his mind could catch up. He sprinted away, weaving through the battlefield, dodging the chaos around him. His breath came in ragged gasps, but he didn't stop.

He couldn't stop.

The sounds of war faded as he burst into the forest, the thick canopy swallowing him in darkness. The scent of blood was replaced by damp earth, the distant screams of dying men now just echoes.

Kael collapsed against a tree, chest heaving. His whole body trembled, his mind spinning out of control.

"What… the hell is this place?" he whispered.

But one thing was certain

He wasn't home anymore.