The first thing I realized, after my mind stopped spinning in that dark, endless void, was the sensation of weight. Not the kind of weight that presses down on your chest after a long day's work, but something far more profound—something I hadn't felt in centuries. I was no longer a specter, floating aimlessly in the river of time. I had a body. A living body.
With a grunt, I tried to move my arms, but they felt like they were made of lead. I flexed my fingers, hoping to feel some control. To my surprise, I could move them... just barely. The tingling sensation spread across my limbs, followed by a burning soreness, as though I had just awoken from a slumber that had lasted too long. I could feel the dirt beneath me, the dampness clinging to my clothes, and most unsettling of all—breathing.
I was breathing?
I tried to open my eyes, but the light was blinding at first, and the world around me seemed to be spinning. Slowly, cautiously, I adjusted. The dizziness cleared just enough for me to make out my surroundings.
What...
I was lying on the ground—grass. Real grass. Green, fresh, and covered in dew. My clothes, worn and tattered from centuries of war, felt completely alien. They weren't the finely crafted, enchanted armor of the kingship I once wore. I couldn't place what they were made of, but they were unlike anything I had seen before. The fabric was strange to my senses. The sensation of dirt on my skin, on my hands, was so different from the sterile, polished world I once inhabited.
And then I noticed it.
A figure, towering over me, standing in the distance. It was... a giant. At least, that's what my blurred vision told me at first. But no, as my mind cleared, the shape became less daunting. The being wasn't a giant at all, just... tall. Far taller than any human I'd ever seen, but not impossible.
I squinted harder, trying to focus, and noticed the distinct lack of armor. The figure was clothed in a tunic that had an aura of nobility. In fact, they looked almost... human. If not for their unnatural height, I might've believed them to be one of the many nobles I had met in my past life.
My breath caught. What is this place?
The world around me had no resemblance to the crumbled remnants of civilization I once knew. No signs of ruins or scorched earth, no crumbling cities or dilapidated technology. The sky above was clear, with the kind of pale blue that suggested either an early morning or the calm before a storm. The sun was just beginning to rise over a horizon filled with sprawling fields, distant forests, and mountains that seemed... alive. I could smell the scent of the earth, fresh and vibrant, and I could hear the faint sounds of birds chirping.
Was this a dream?
But even as I thought it, I knew better. This was no dream.
The giant figure looked down at me. Its eyes—if you could even call them eyes—were not quite human. They had an otherworldly gleam, glowing with a strange golden hue that felt like it was pulling at something deep inside me. I could feel it. The power radiating from them, far more subtle than any magical aura I had felt in my past life. This wasn't magic in the sense I knew it. No, this felt like something older.
The figure bent down, and though it moved with surprising grace, there was a weight to the action that seemed to reverberate in the air.
"Are you... awake?" the figure asked, its voice not loud, but resonant, carrying an almost tangible weight.
Wait, it spoke to me in a language I understood?
I blinked, trying to process the situation. The last thing I remembered was the artificial moon in the maze, my body giving out, the message from the system, and then... darkness.
Did I die?
I stared at the figure, trying to find words, but they seemed lost to me. There was so much to process. So much. My thoughts were swirling, tangling, like trying to piece together a puzzle with missing pieces.
I must've been lying there too long, as the giant's golden eyes softened. The being's lips parted, and they spoke again, but this time, there was a note of concern in their tone.
"You are... no ordinary traveler, are you?"
The way they phrased it made me pause. The weight of their words settled deep in my chest.
Traveler?
Had I been transported to another world?
I instinctively pushed myself up, only to realize that my limbs were still stiff, and I collapsed back down with a soft grunt. A laugh escaped me, bitter and frustrated.
"Not much of a traveler, am I?" I muttered under my breath.
The figure seemed to notice my discomfort, and for a moment, their gaze turned towards the ground, as though contemplating something. Then, they straightened and extended a hand toward me, offering aid. The gesture was not threatening. It was... kind, almost familiar, as though they knew I needed help but didn't want to impose.
"Rest, first. You are not yet in full command of your strength," they said softly.
I glanced at their hand for a long moment. Was this a trap? Were they my captor? An enemy, perhaps? But then again, I had no idea where I was, or even who this being was. For all I knew, I had been dumped into some other world, possibly a dangerous one. Yet, the air didn't feel hostile. It was calm. Peaceful, even.
Sighing, I gripped their hand and allowed them to pull me to my feet. The moment I stood, I realized just how small I had become compared to the being in front of me.
I could no longer rely on my past experiences to guide me.
"What... what is this place?" I asked, finally finding my voice.
The giant's smile was almost pitying, yet warm.
"You are in Alathar, a land of magic and mystery. A world different from your own, I imagine," they replied, their tone amused. "You've crossed into our world, Arthur Smith. I know of your name... and your legend. But I think we have much to discuss."
A legend?
I blinked, more confused than ever. But then, something inside me sparked—a lingering memory, like an ember on the edge of my consciousness. The words felt so familiar. Arthur Smith.
"Arthur Smith... or, St. Arthur Delight. The great king, warrior, demon slayer," the figure mused. "You've crossed many battles in your time, but your greatest battle is yet to come."
What?
I glanced up at them, alarmed.
"What do you mean by that?"
The figure did not answer immediately. Instead, their golden eyes glimmered as they looked past me, toward the horizon.
"In this world, every being has a fate," they said, almost to themselves. "And your fate, Arthur Smith, is tied to ours now."
I didn't like the sound of that.
I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could, the ground beneath us trembled. Something was coming. Something big.
My hand instinctively went to the hilt of a sword that wasn't there.
The figure turned toward me, their smile gone. "The time for words is over. Your journey in this world has just begun."
And before I could ask more, the ground split open with a deafening roar, and a figure appeared, taller than the first, with eyes that glowed blood-red.
This world was nothing like the one I knew. But one thing was for certain: I was not done fighting. As the saying goes " hear we go again"