CHAPTER 3 : Through the Ashen Wilds

  My vision swam as consciousness returned. For a fleeting moment, I hoped everything had been a nightmare. But the damp earth beneath me and the towering trees above told a different story. Shafts of sunlight pierced through the dense canopy, illuminating the alien forest around me. The air smelled heavy, filled with moisture and unfamiliar scents.

  I sat up, my body aching, trying to make sense of it all. What the hell happened?

  Memories flooded back. The god’s cryptic words, the blinding light from the sky, and the fight—especially the fight. I killed someone, and worse, I didn’t just kill him—I smiled while doing it. My stomach churned at the memory of his broken body and the blood reflecting my twisted smile. Clamping a hand over my mouth, I forced down the rising bile.

  Everyone else had vanished into this “new world.” But why was I here, alone? What was I supposed to do?

  A sudden buzzing sound interrupted my thoughts. Looking down, I recoiled at the sight of a massive fly—grotesque, frog-sized, with a needle-like proboscis as long as my hand.

  “Ugh, what the hell?” I shouted, swatting it away.

  Before I could recover, another creature emerged from the forest—a wolf-like figure, but entirely made of wood. Wings jutted from its back, and its body sprouted leaves, as though it had grown from the forest itself.

  It didn’t attack; it just hovered nearby, watching me with glowing green eyes. My body froze in primal fear, but when it didn’t move, I stumbled backward and bolted into the trees.

  For hours, I trudged through the endless forest, hunger gnawing at my stomach and thirst parching my throat. My legs burned from the strain, and every sound—rustling leaves, distant growls—set my nerves on edge. This world was nothing like Earth.

  Then I saw it: movement in the distance. At first, I thought it was a gazelle grazing in a clearing. But as I crept closer, I noticed its elongated body and head. Its face was like a horse’s, crowned with twisting horns.

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  My stomach growled. Food. I didn’t care what it was; I just needed to eat.

  Crouching low, I moved closer, gripping a rock I’d found along the way. But as I prepared to strike, the creature turned, its gaze locking onto mine.

  It screamed.

  The sound was a piercing, otherworldly shriek that rattled my skull. Clutching my ears, I fell to the ground, and by the time I looked up, the creature had vanished.

  Before I could recover, voices reached my ears. Human voices. Relief surged through me as I staggered toward the sound.

  “Over here!” I shouted, desperate for help.

  Three figures emerged from the trees. Relief turned to dread as I took them in. Their eyes were sharp and predatory, and their teeth were unnaturally long. The leader had a red horn sprouting from his forehead, and the others carried bows.

  “Thank God,” I said, trying to mask my doubts. “I don’t know where I am."

  The leader raised a hand, silencing me. His eyes narrowed. “A Tranhilyan...”

  “A what?” I asked, but before I could finish, one of the archers drew his bow and fired.

  The arrow struck my arm. It should have hurt more than it did, but it still sent me reeling.

  The archer grinned. “Captain! It’s a Tranhilyan! And alive, too!”

  The leader unsheathed his sword, its blade glinting ominously. “Tranhilyans are supposed to be extinct,” he muttered. “No matter. A live one will fetch a hefty price.”

  They weren’t here to help. They were hunters—and I was the prey.

  I yanked the arrow from my arm. It ached, but my pain tolerance had increased dramatically since the fight with the thugs. I hurled the arrow back with all my strength.

  The leader dodged, but one of the archers wasn’t so lucky. The arrow pierced his leg, and he collapsed with a scream.

  The remaining archer raised his bow, but before he could fire, a distant gunshot cracked through the forest. He dropped to the ground, blood pooling beneath him.

  Before I could process what was happening, the leader reappeared, his sword now blazing with flames.

  “Fire Slash!” he roared, swinging the weapon.

  A wave of fire surged toward me. I raised my arm instinctively to block, but the sword sliced clean through it. Pain exploded in my shoulder as my severed arm hit the ground.

  I fell, blood pouring from the wound.

  The leader stood over me, his expression shifting from triumph to confusion. “Why didn’t my blade cut deeper? He’s not a normal Tranhilyan.”

  Before he could finish, another gunshot rang out. The bullet struck his shoulder, forcing him to retreat into the shadows.

  I looked towards the sound where the shots came, but my vision was blurring as blood pooled around me. My body felt cold, and the world began to fade.

  The last thing I saw was the sky above, and a figure stood carrying something in his hands; he didn’t look like the other three, and he rushed to tend my wound. I couldn’t see him well as darkness claimed me.