Synopsis: A young boy is transported to another world where he struggles with the less than pleasant morality of the world.
I Saw That Dream
I saw that dream.
In that dream, there was a young woman and a small boy. The woman said something as she ruffled the black hair of the small boy who laughed lightly, it was a heartwarming scene, one that evoked the feeling of love, comfort and family.
The boy held the hands of the woman with his small ones as he started to run, the woman followed with a smile on her lips.
The boy kept running and running, then gradually, gradually, the woman could no longer keep up.
The boy had run a fair bit and then when he looked around he could not find the woman anymore. Looking behind him, he saw her lying down on a white bed, she had some tubes inserting into her hands.
As the boy ran frantically towards the figure of the fragile woman, the boy who was once a child grew up with every step he took, he was a teenager by the time he held her hands on his, the once big hands were now small on his.
Tears streaked down the face of the teenage boy as he desperately held the woman's hand.
The woman reached her free hand and ruffled the hair of the boy as a smile graced her lips.
She said something.
"____"
•••
I woke up to the gentle sound of swaying leaves and the smell of nature, I could feel the earth through my clothes as birds chirped about.
I felt like I had just woke up from a long dream.
Sitting up, I took in my surroundings, the only thing around me was a plethora of trees with sunlight filtering through the canopy of leaves.
I was on alert immediately.
The last thing I remembered was that I was on my way to school which is proven correct with the uniform I am adorning, brown blazers over long white sleeve, black pants and black school shoes.
So what happened? Where was I and how did I get here?
Try as I may, I couldn't recall anything, one moment I was walking to school and the next, I'm waking up here.
I stood up, dusting dirt off my person as I looked around.
Was I kidnapped? In broad daylight? I don't want to think the social security of Japan is so lax that I would get kidnapped just like that.
"Think clearly Shin, there is no way anyone would kidnap you…"
It's not like I'm a rich person, I'm a normal high school student in my third year, I'm practically an orphan and I live alone so there is no way a ransom could be provided.
I am not particularly handsome either, I have an average face, black eyes and short messy black hair, the only thing that stands out in my appearance is the beauty mark beneath my left eye.
And yet this situation that I've found myself in is strange…
"At the same time, standing here doing nothing is not going to solve anything."
I picked my blue hand held bag off the ground and dusted it, hypothesizing would not solve anything, I needed to make my way out of the forest first, I would not like to remain here when it gets dark.
"Oh wait? How could I even forget something like that? I feel ashamed."
Unzipping my bag, I reached into it then brought out my phone, it was a smartphone with a black casing that had a cute cat head logo at the corner.
For something that I use almost everyday, I wonder how I could have forgotten it at a time like this.
First of all, calling the authorities would be better right?
If I remember correctly, the number was "110." I dialed it but instead of connecting, I received a message that said: Service unavailable.
Looking at the corner of the screen, there was indeed no bar of network.
Seriously?
Just how far away was I that there would be no service?
Okay, no service so I can't contact the authorities but my plan has not changed, I have to leave the forest first of all, maybe my phone would get some signal once I'm out.
"Also, being alone in a place like this is kinda scary…"
Looking around the forest again, how do I decide which way to go?
Okay, let's not panic, Shin.
I breath in and out then I walked over to a tree, reaching into my bag, I take out a marker then wrote 'X1' on the tree.
I can't write off the potential of getting lost so I would have to mark trees that would serve as landmarks.
"But still, couldn't there at least be a path around h—"
The rustling of leaves grabs my attention and I immediately crouch before the tree I had written on as I looked in the direction of the noise.
Was it the supposed kidnapper? Were they back? In the first place, if I was abducted, they would have tied my hands or something right? Or took my bag away.
As my minds started to drift through possibilities again, out of the rustling bushes came out a creature.
I felt my spine straighten as the hair on my body stood on end.
A quadruped creature, it had brown fur covering its body, sharp claws digging into the earth, jagged fangs dripping with saliva and red eyes that contained madness and fury.
It was a predator, a bear.
But this bear was different, protruding from its back was a massive stone pillar that seemed like it was a part of its body.
What the hell, what the hell, what the hell is that?
Is this real? Am I dreaming? Ah, I get it, this is just real life CGI right?
"I-I get it, I g-get it, it is a-a very good prank…" I couldn't help the stutter in my voice as I desperately looked around the forest. "Y-you c-can come out with the c-camera now…"
The only response was the growl of the beast in front of me, I felt like it had gotten more angry.
A big ball of rock appeared in thin air in front of the bear and instincts long sharpened from being the ace of the dodgeball club screamed at me.
Move!
Without any delay, I didn't just jump, I sprung to the side as a crashing sound rang out in the forest, birds flew away due to the sudden noise.
As I looked back, there was a clean hole on the tree that had been behind me, not a moment later the tree fell over with a loud creak and thud, kicking up dust.
I didn't wait for instincts to guide me the second time, I turned tail and started running.
What? Direction? Marking trees? To hell with that! I don't want to die, no way I have time to do such a thing.
I kept running and running, and it felt like I had been running for like ten minutes, so in a spark of foolish naivety, I looked behind me only to see the bear already close, eyes blaring murder.
Perhaps due to the intense fear that gripped me, my leg kicked a tree root and then I fell over, even as I was falling, I kept trying to run on all fours with my arms and legs.
But eventually I lost the momentum, turning around on my ass, all I could do was watch in trepidation as the bear stalked closer.
"Gigigigigi."
The bear made some sort of sound…
Was it laughing?
The bear was taking sadistic pleasure in my desperate attempt to flee.
In the first place, I was not fast enough to flee from a bear, had it been purposely letting me run? Luring me into a false and fleeting sense of security?
Despite the noise in the forest, I could feel my heart pounding loudly.
I didn't feel fear… I felt terror.
I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared I'mscared.
I had been crawling on the ground and as my back touched a tree, the bear lounged towards me with a speed far faster than he had displayed earlier with his maw wide open.
Ah, I'm going to die.
But before the bear could reach me, someone ran into the bear from sideways, someone who was somehow moving even faster than the bear, there was a gush of wind and leaves as the impact on the bear pushed both the person and the bear to the side, a storm of dust kicking up.
When the dust settled, the bear was dyed crimson, it was lying on a pool of blood that was flowing out of a sharp gash of bladed wound around its neck.
I covered my mouth, holding in the need to throw up.
The person who was standing over the bear, twirled the scimitar sword on their hand then cut through the air, flicking away blood as they sheathed the sword.
Neck long blue hair that fluttered along with the wind, glass green eyes that looked magical enough to draw one in, a pointed nose and glossy small lips, she was tall and her lithe figure was wearing a leather vest over a cream colored top, long brown pants and black calf boots, on her waist was a belt that had a satchel sewn to it on the right side and a sword scabbard placed on the left side.
Setting aside that she looked like she either jumped straight out of a fantasy book or maybe Comi con, she was perhaps the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, there was a quote that said 'beauty in the eyes of the beholder' but this beauty needed no beholder to ascertain it.
"Wökin… egbewo?"
And she was speaking a language I didn't understand.
I looked at her appearance, I looked at the dead bear that had a massive stone pillar on its back, and then I remembered how she had practically rammed against it and now this language that I have never heard before.
I was starting to see a trend here.
I stood up on shaky foot.
"Errr, I-I'm sorry b-but I don't really understand what you just said." I said to her, voice betraying my attempt to appear calm.
She tilted her head in response and then she seemed to have come to a realization as she walked closer to me and began to pat all over my body.
I couldn't help the storm of blush that appeared on my face.
"Wha-wha-wha-"
Don't misunderstand, I was definitely not a shy guy, but I also wasn't a guy that girls got handsy with, especially one as beautiful as this.
Perhaps, realizing what she was doing, she quickly stepped back with a blush on her face as she waved her hands placatingly. "Kō, kō, egbewemose. Vresing ni mi chamethum."
I still do not understand what she is saying and she just helped me, otherwise I would have…
I shuddered.
I gave her a deep bow. "Thank you very much for saving me, I definitely thought I was a goner there and you put yourself in danger to save a random guy like me, I will repay this kindness. Thank you very much." I said.
I know she wouldn't understand what I just said but I still wanted to say it nonetheless.
As I raised my head to look back at her, she looked at me for a bit then gave me a thumbs up as she smiled.
Cute.
You know what? I will find a way to learn her language so that I can thank her properly, it's good to repay kindness with kindness after all.
•••
With effort, I finally got the blue haired girl to show me the way out of the forest and we are currently walking towards where I believe is the exit.
Oh and her name is Alyssa or is it Alisa? I can't really tell with just the vowels.
Getting her to tell me her name was easy. All I had to do was point at myself repeatedly while saying 'Shin' and then she got the idea.
Thank god for empathetic communication.
We had been walking through the forest for like thirty minutes now, just where the hell did I end up in, I wonder.
So far we have not encountered any other monstrous wild life. Speaking of wild life, my mind drifts to the bear of earlier, that rock that appeared out of thin air was not a figment of my imagination right?
So what was it?
I don't want to believe it but could it be something ridiculous like magic? Am I in another world? I have tried looking at the sky but I couldn't see anything like two moons or any moon at all since it was still bright out but honestly, I'm leaning towards isekai.
I've definitely read my fair share of isekai and even fantasized about finding myself in another world before so I couldn't help the little excitement building up but still, wasn't this abrupt?
And from the way Alyssa had been able to effortlessly climb trees to check our vantage point, it's clear that she is supernatural.
Well, my fingers are crossed, the first thing to do is leaving this forest before I can decide if anything makes sense.
Hmm? There was a bright light coming from before us.
I quickly walked further and came before a wide cliff face that was overlooking what appeared to be a village.
"Amazing." Was the word that left my mouth as I took in the view.
The wind fluttering through my short black hair, the soft warmth of the sun on my skin, added with this picturesque view of medieval style village houses in the distance… it truly felt like a different world.
I breathed in and out, even the air smelled different.
Thank god that I was finally out of that forest, honestly that place was suffocating, I'm really glad Alyssa found me before I would have died.
Seeing as there was civilization in the distance, I took out my phone from my bag.
No dice huh? There was still no signal.
I sighed, what do I do now?
"Oh right!" I turned around to face Alyssa, wanting to thank her again for not only saving my life but also leading me out of the forest.
"Allys—" was all I got out before a huge concussion made my world go black.