The first thing Kai noticed was the silence.
Not the peaceful kind—the kind that pressed against his ears, unnatural and suffocating. No rustling leaves, no chirping birds, no distant hum of life. Just… nothing.
His body felt heavy. Not in the way exhaustion usually did, but like his limbs were filled with lead. His eyelids fought against him as he tried to open them.
His head throbbed. His back ached. Everything felt off.
What… happened?
Kai groaned and shifted, or at least tried to. His body barely responded. His fingers twitched against cold, hard stone. The air smelled damp, with a faint metallic tang.
Where… am I?
Memories trickled in sluggishly. The forest. The cave. The strange light from the crystal pillar. That overwhelming brightness—like staring into the sun—until everything faded to black.
Had he passed out?
A slow breath in. His ribs protested the movement as if he had been lying there for hours. Or longer.
Kai forced his eyes open.
Darkness.
Not complete darkness, though—there was dim, bluish light filtering through what looked like an opening in the distance. A cave? It took a moment for his vision to adjust. Stalactites hung from the ceiling like jagged teeth, and rough stone walls loomed around him, enclosing him in an unfamiliar cavern.
Not good.
His thoughts were sluggish, but one thing was clear—he wasn't where he was supposed to be.
And something felt wrong.
Not just the unfamiliar surroundings, but something about his own body. It took him a moment to pinpoint it.
Am I... tired?
It didn't make sense. Not in a normal way. Sure, he had been hiking before entering that cave, but this wasn't regular exhaustion. His muscles felt too heavy, too unresponsive. Almost like he had weights strapped to every inch of his body.
He blinked up at the rocky ceiling.
Maybe… I should just sleep a bit more.
His limbs weren't cooperating, and his thoughts were still sluggish. His best bet was to rest until he had the energy to figure things out. He shut his eyes again, ignoring the gnawing sense of unease at the back of his mind.
Time Passed...
Kai wasn't sure how long he had been out this time, but when he stirred, something was different.
The cave wasn't as bright anymore. The bluish glow from the entrance had dimmed, stretching shadows across the uneven walls like creeping fingers.
He frowned.
The light's fading… that means…
His brain, sluggish as it was, finally pieced it together.
It's getting dark.
That realization sent a jolt of urgency through him.
If this was a cave—and all signs pointed to yes—then when the sun went down, the temperature would drop fast. And considering how his body already felt like a sack of bricks, freezing to death wasn't exactly off the table.
Kai clenched his jaw and forced himself to move. His muscles whined in protest, but after an embarrassing struggle, he managed to push himself up onto his elbows. Progress. Sort of.
Then, a deep, hollow sound echoed through the cavern.
Grrrrrrroooooowwwl.
Kai paused.
He had heard that sound before. Many times.
His stomach.
"…Right. Food. That's another problem."
Okay, survival mode—activate.
Step one: assess your resources.
His backpack.
Kai's gaze flicked around the cavern, scanning the rocky ground. I had it before, right? If he still had it, he'd at least have his emergency rations, a flashlight, and maybe even a lighter—basic survival gear. Enough to last until he figured out what was going on.
He searched.
Minutes passed.
Nothing.
His stomach twisted—not just from hunger, but from the creeping realization that it wasn't just missing. It was nowhere. Not near the walls. Not in any corner. Had he dropped it in the forest? Or… had it vanished along with everything else?
Kai exhaled slowly, pressing a hand against his forehead. Okay, don't panic. Panicking won't help.
Another deep breath. Another attempt to calm the gnawing unease in his gut.
Then, because humor was his only coping mechanism, he muttered dryly,
"Guess I am isekai'd, huh?"
The joke echoed in the empty cavern.
Yeah, didn't make him feel any better.
He was alone.
No food. No supplies. His body felt weirdly weak. And he had no idea where he was.
As he debated his next move, a new sound cut through the silence.
Soft. Light. Careful.
Footsteps.
Kai's breath caught.
…He wasn't alone.