He collapsed into sleep without realizing it, exhaustion stealing his senses.
When he woke, the first rays of the sun spilled across the horizon, brushing the land with light.
His eyes adjusted slowly, the sharp brightness no longer as punishing as yesterday.
He breathed deeply. The air was cool and crisp, carrying scents of soil and stone.
For the first time since he had opened his eyes in this world, he accepted it: this was not a dream.
He would live in a different body, in a different world.
And if he wanted to stay alive, survival came first.
Hunger gnawed at him now, sharper than thirst.
His throat was dry, but his stomach twisted in protest, demanding food.
With Karo's primitive instincts whispering in fragments and his modern knowledge filling in the gaps, he knew he could handle it.
Shelter, water, food, and survival always followed order.
Shelter, he already had.
A cave, unclaimed, now his. His mind sharpened as he gave it a name, a mark of ownership.
ForksVille was gone; that place belonged to another life.
From now on, this cave was his own fortress, his own kingdom.
"Ako's Haven."
The words echoed in his chest like a vow.
This dark hollow in the rock was no longer just a hole to hide in.
It was a beginning.
Still, the fear of death lingered in him.
The memory of the knife, of blood pouring down his chest, haunted him.
The thought of dying again shook him. But fear did not diminish his courage; it sharpened it.
If anything, it made him hungrier.
He stepped outside into the morning light.
His body still felt foreign, but every muscle thrummed with power.
For a brief moment, his gaze drifted downward, and he smirked.
Nakedness no longer embarrassed him.
His size and his virility filled him with an odd pride. He imagined the women of this land noticing, desiring, and surrendering.
The thought fueled him, but he pushed it aside.
First food.
Then dominance.
He set off to explore.
In games back in his old world, he had always turned survival into a challenge, into fun.
Now he did the same here, but the stakes were real.
Wandering through the rocky plain, he spotted a small lake. Its surface glittered with sunlight, clean and inviting.
Relief rushed through him, if there was water, there was life.
Then he froze.
At the water's edge, a beast drank.
A wild boar, massive, nearly twice the size of the ones from his world. Its tusks curved out like ivory blades, its hide thick and bristled.
His breath caught.
For a moment, he imagined sinking his teeth into its flesh, tasting hot meat.
His stomach growled.
The animal looked up, snorted, and spotted him. Instantly, it bolted, crashing into the undergrowth with startling speed.
He did not chase.
Not yet.
With what would he kill it?
His fists?
He laughed bitterly under his breath.
For now, the beast escaped.
But he memorized its shape, its sound, and its smell.
The lake remained.
He knelt and drank deeply, water spilling down his chin.
Cool liquid filled him, clearing the fog in his head.
He drank until his belly ached, then sat back, breathing hard.
His reflection rippled in the water.
This face was not his, and yet it was.
His jawline and his eyes were familiar but altered.
Behind them flickered another man's shadow, Karo.
Fragments of that life appeared in flashes, shards of memory not yet whole.
Hunting, firelight, blood, screams.
Those instincts hummed in his veins, meshed with his own.
Two lives, one body.
As he gathered himself, he noticed something near the water's edge, a bush heavy with berries.
Dark, ripe, glistening in the light.
His heart leaped.
He rushed to it, plucking handfuls, smashing them against his lips.
Sweetness flooded his mouth, juice running down his chin.
He laughed aloud, half mad with relief.
He smeared the juice across his cheeks like war paint, then shoved more into his mouth.
His hunger eased, though not completely.
Enough to think, enough to plan.
He filled his palms with berries and carried them back carefully.
When he returned to the cave, he set them down on the stone floor.
His horde.
Ragno's Haven had food now, however small.
For tonight, at least, he would not starve.
But hunger was never satisfied for long.
He knew the berries were not enough.
His mind drifted back to the boar. Its flesh, its fat, and its blood could feed him for days.
He had to hunt.
He scoured the forest for materials, his eyes scanning the ground like a predator.
He found long, straight branches, tough and flexible.
Spears.
His heart beat faster. He collected stones, chipping them against larger rocks until he fashioned crude points.
Sparks flew, his knuckles bled, but slowly, edges formed.
With strips of fibrous bark and twisted leaves, he lashed the points to the shafts.
The work was long and exhausting, but when he finished, he held four weapons in his hands.
Four spears, primitive yet deadly.
He gripped one tightly, thrusting it into the air, feeling the balance, the weight.
His chest swelled with pride.
This body and this knowledge combined perfectly.
The boar would not escape forever.
Night crept in. He returned to the lake, waiting, hoping the beast would come back.
His spears rested in his hands, his muscles tense and ready.
Hours passed.
Shadows stretched.
The moon rose.
But the beast did not return.
Only insects buzzed and frogs croaked, the night alive with sounds of life he did not yet know.
Disappointment gnawed at him, but he did not despair.
He drank once more, filling himself with water, then returned to his cave.
Carefully, he lined the spears across the entrance like guardians.
They gleamed faintly in the moonlight, a promise of battles to come.
His hunger growled, but he shoved a few berries into his mouth, their sweetness dulling the ache.
It was not enough, but it was survival.
He curled up inside Ako's Haven, staring at the stone ceiling above him.
His mind whispered fears about the boar, about the people he had seen, and about death.
But beneath it all, something stronger grew: a certainty.
Tomorrow would be harder.
Tomorrow would demand more.
But he would rise to meet it.
The boar was out there.
Food was out there.
Power was out there.
And he, Ako, would take it.