They had been walking for over an hour through the forest. The sun had vanished behind the thick canopy, letting only a few orange beams filter through before fading away. The air grew damp and heavy, and every step seemed too loud in the oppressive silence.
Anthony led the way, eyes locked on the ground. He suddenly crouched, brushing his fingers over a faint footprint.
"There are tracks…" he whispered. "We're on the right trail."
Max, nervous, frowned. "You sure about this? We're going deeper and deeper in here…"
Anthony hesitated, then shrugged. "I think it's… a rabbit."
Réhann groaned, pressing a hand against his rumbling stomach. "Rabbit or not, I'll crush it and roast it. I'm starving, bro."
The others nodded silently. Hunger gnawed at them all.
They pushed through the bushes, ignoring the whispering wind and the branches snapping underfoot. The smell of wet earth filled their noses, and the vegetation grew denser, almost suffocating.
Then they saw it.
A rabbit. Small. But… petrified. Like it had been sculpted in stone, frozen forever mid-leap.
Anthony backed away, his throat tight. "…That's not normal."
Matheo stepped back, breathing hard. "Don't you feel it? The air's heavier… I've got a bad feeling."
Max clenched his fists, ready to snap. "We need to get out. Now."
But already, a thick fog crept between the trees, swallowing their silhouettes. The light faded. Every breath became harder to take.
Then came the sound. A hiss. High-pitched, endless. Like hundreds of rattlesnakes.
They froze. Muscles trembling, lungs locked. Slowly, they turned.
A giant shadow loomed from the mist. First blurred. Then sharp.
Its body was a grotesque fusion of nightmare and sin. Jagged scales, black as oil, stretched along sinewy limbs ending in clawed hands capable of rending steel. Its skin seemed to crawl, as though millions of tiny worms wriggled beneath, trying to escape. The maw was grotesquely wide, lined with uneven, yellowed teeth, some broken, dripping a corrosive green saliva that hissed as it hit the forest floor. Its head was crowned by writhing snakes, their scales glinting wetly, eyes like molten rubies, fangs constantly gnashing, hissing, whispering curses in a language older than humanity.
Every exhalation from the creature was a cloud of putrid steam, smelling of rot and iron. Its crimson eyes, impossibly large, bore into their souls, freezing their movements, filling their minds with visions of their own deaths—twisting, agonizing, unending.
Max, shaking, voice breaking: "The fuck is that…"
Matheo:" i..i.. it looks like a Gorgon !!!"
Anthony went pale, lips trembling.
Matheo staggered back, eyes wet. "We're dead…"
Réhann roared, voice cracking with terror: "RUN!!!"
They bolted through roots and branches, their legs pounding the ground like their lives depended on it. Every step of the monster made the earth quake.
"Is it still following?!" Max shouted, breathless.
"Right behind us!" Anthony cried, panic in his voice. "It's gonna eat us alive!"
Matheo stumbled, almost falling, but Réhann caught him with a furious yell: "MOVE! This is not where we die!"
They ran, and ran, and ran. Faces twisted with panic, hearts pounding like war drums.
Until a clearing appeared.
Exhausted, they collapsed to their knees, drenched in sweat, lungs burning. The creature hadn't followed. Night's silence reclaimed the woods.
Somehow, they managed to light a trembling fire. The flame barely warmed them. No one spoke. Fear clung to their skin like mud.
Max, eyes fixed on the fire: "We could've died…"
Anthony, weakly: "I've never been this scared in my life…"
Réhann stared into nothingness. "This isn't a dream. This is real."
Then—cracks. Whispers. Something circling them.
Matheo gripped his axe, hands shaking. "I feel it… We're not alone."
They all stood, weapons in hand, fear tearing their throats raw.
Max, low voice: "We'll have to fight… even if we don't know how."
A silence. Then a figure stepped out of the shadows.
Tall. Straight. Imposing.
Matheo whispered: "That's… a human?"
Anthony, tense: "Or a monster taking human form…"
Max, fists trembling: "What does he want…"
The figure laughed. A deep, icy laugh. Then, in the blink of an eye, he vanished. And reappeared instantly before them.
"Too slow. Too weak. Pathetic."
One blow. Just one.
And everything went black.
Max woke up with a start, gasping, heart racing. Velvet curtains, soft cushions, the scent of incense. He was… inside a luxurious carriage.
He widened his eyes, opened the window. In front of him, three other carriages painted in blue and gold rolled in formation, pulled by majestic horses.
"What the hell…?" he muttered. He shouted instinctively: "HEY! GUYS, YOU THERE?!"
Anthony's calm voice: "Yeah, we're here."
Matheo: "Bruh, you're only waking up now."
Réhann: "Yeah."
Max frowned, panicked. "Wait… who are those people with us?!"
A composed voice answered from another carriage: "Knights of the Kingdom of Shaulki… or something like that."
Anthony sighed. "Shaulkkia, dumbass."
The convoy halted abruptly. They all leaned out of the windows.
And their eyes went wide.
Before them towered a monumental city. White walls inlaid with glittering gold. Deep blue banners fluttered in the wind. The setting sun made the ramparts shine like molten fire.
The Kingdom of Shaulkkia.
Matheo, jaw slack: "…Is this a dream?"
Réhann, eyes shining: "Holy shit…"
The drawbridge lowered. Golden-armored guards stood in perfect formation, their gazes stern.
But behind the splendor, another face appeared. On the marble-paved streets between jewel-studded buildings, beggars knelt, thin hands outstretched, faces hollowed by hunger. Children in rags watched the procession in silence, their dull eyes following the carriages.
The contrast was brutal. The heroes exchanged troubled glances.
"…It's not as perfect as it looks," Anthony murmured.
A knight in gleaming armor stepped forward. "I am General Arald, sent personally by the rulers of Shaulkkia. The Supreme God has informed us of your arrival."
His tone was solemn, but his eyes scanned their ragged state.
He continued, lighter: "But first… take a bath. Honestly, you look filthy."
The four lowered their heads, ashamed. Covered in mud, dried sweat, and torn rags, they really did look like beggars.
Max gave a weak chuckle. "We must be a sight to behold…"
They were led through the palace corridors. Stained glass windows bathed the halls in heavenly colors. Yet the deeper they went, the more their eyes wandered: embroidered carpets, onyx columns, carved ceilings. An inhuman wealth, almost insulting compared to what they had just seen outside.
Anthony muttered under his breath: "It's too much… it hurts the eyes."
Matheo: "Even in a video game, I've never seen something like this."
Max, still dazed: "What the hell is this place…"
Only Réhann stayed silent. His eyes gleamed, a tear rolling down. He whispered, trembling with a smile: "Damn… this shit so peak."
They finally reached a vast hall of warm stone tiles. Steam rose from a large bath waiting for them.
Arald, smiling: "Enjoy. Fresh clothes are prepared for you over there."
They plunged into the hot water, their bodies finally relaxing, washing away the fear and filth. For the first time since their arrival… they felt human again.
An hour later, cleaned, dressed, and groomed, they stepped into the inner courtyard.
The sun was sinking behind the walls, painting the sky purple and gold.
Before them, upon a grand platform, stood the King of Shaulkkia… and several leaders of other nations. Their gazes weighed upon the four like a mountain.
Everyone was waiting.
The heroes from another world.