At that time, Lucian Nagi had just awoken from a nightmare. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the middle of a shabby, dilapidated corridor. His vision blurred in the dim lighting. He could barely see anything at all.
"How did I end up here?" His voice barely escaped his lips. At that moment, Lucian turned to the side, reacting to the sound of approaching footsteps.
Instinctively, he stood up, curious and intent on checking it out. He could barely feel anything. The only sensation was the sharp sting of cold air pressing against his body.
His heart pounded rapidly. His breath grew heavier, as if something was weighing him down. Lucian Nagi turned his head to confirm whose footsteps those were.
Right between the two hallways, his steps grew heavier, as if something was pressing on his shoulders. The windowpane to his left reflected a flicker of light, and from the right corridor, a shadowy figure began to emerge, moving steadily toward him.
Lucian couldn't make out the figure's face. A shadow obscured it completely. But one thing was clear. The figure was a man, probably in his thirties.
"Who are you?" Lucian asked, voice cold and calm as he watched it all unfold.
The strange man lifted his index finger. Two more individuals emerged from the left corridor, approaching Lucian with clearly hostile intent.
Reflexively, Lucian stepped back, turned around, and bolted. He ran from the three mysterious figures, determined not to be caught.
"What the hell is going on?" he muttered under his breath, shocked at the entire situation. The last thing he remembered was being at home, getting ready to sleep.
Lucian kept running. Something was off about his shadow. It wasn't mimicking his movement like it should. It merely stood still, lifeless, following his position but not his actions.
It was strange. This was the first real sensation of wrongness he had ever felt in this world. Suddenly, when Lucian glanced back, the two figures had disappeared.
"Where did they go?" he muttered in disbelief. There was no trace of his pursuers at all.
The place was dark, suffocating, and lightly shrouded in mist. But none of that stopped him. Eventually, he saw the bright light of the moon.
In front of him stood a massive tree. A banyan tree with long, hanging roots trailing down from its branches.
Lucian couldn't recall doing anything wrong that might have caused someone to chase him. His head felt foggy, like his memories had been wiped. All he remembered was going to bed, preparing for work the next day.
His body felt heavy. Lucian approached the banyan tree, hoping to rest for a while. He covered his mouth with his hand. Suddenly, a strange sensation rose in his throat.
As he tried to sit and lean against the tree trunk, the three figures appeared again. This time, out of nowhere.
He hadn't even noticed how or from where they had found him, or how he had ended up here in the first place.
One of them, the same man Lucian had first seen, stepped forward. What disturbed Lucian most was the shadow that still covered their faces. Their appearance was distinctive. Black robes, crescent-moon gemstones on their chests, and hoods covering their heads.
"Fenn Naresca?" he muttered coldly. A shadow formed from his hand, shaping itself into a sword gripped tightly in his right hand.
The sword was cloaked in darkness and aimed directly at Lucian, who sat helpless, staring in disbelief. He couldn't move. It felt like death itself stood before him. He could do nothing but accept the fate bearing down on him.
But then suddenly, a mass of shadow burst forth, striking with blinding speed. Lucian didn't react. The shadow vanished, taking the three figures with it.
He wasn't surprised. All he felt now was pain. Pain that clung to every inch of his body.
"Ugh… damn it, it hurts like hell!" His head suddenly throbbed. He felt the urge to vomit.
It was as if his body were being torn apart by ropes tied to horses pulling in opposite directions. Pulled to the right and the left, violently.
Weakened, his eyes slowly closed as he collapsed onto the cold ground.
...
That night, red moonlight flooded the sky. Stars sparkled against a crimson backdrop. The night breeze carried a strange scent. Something unfamiliar to his nose.
Through the window stood a man named Lucian Nagi, realizing he was now in a place that felt entirely foreign.
"Was that a dream?" he whispered, sweat dripping from his forehead.
The silence. The stillness. It made him glance downward. Confusion clouded his mind. Where was he, really? And how did he end up here?
He walked to the chair and sat down, trying to understand what all of this meant. He had no idea how it happened.
The buildings around him only made things more confusing. He sighed, grabbed his cloak, and stepped outside in search of peace. And answers.
He wandered the streets of the city. The architecture was unfamiliar. Strange. It was completely different from his original world. But Lucian kept walking, determined to uncover the truth behind this world.
His eyes landed on an old man walking toward him. Without hesitation, Lucian asked for the name of the city and any information he could get.
"Excuse me… but what city is this?" Lucian bowed politely, hoping the man would answer.
"Hey, you're not from around here, are you?" the old man asked instead.
"No, actually… I'm lost." He lied, smiling.
The old man chuckled, thinking it was a joke. He turned his head, pointed east, and mentioned a name. A place where Lucian might find answers.
Lucian nodded, slightly trusting his words. He thanked the old man and turned away.
"I'll just go there tomorrow," he thought.
He left the old man behind, standing under the streetlamp. Night grew darker. Lucian didn't want to risk getting lost again, so he postponed the journey until morning.
Back at the apartment, he collapsed onto the bed. His body felt weak. His mind still wandered to the strange events earlier.
But he let it go, Lying still thinking about what happened to him.