After that, my consciousness truly vanished. I couldn’t feel anything anymore, only endless darkness. Suddenly, I heard a faint voice echoing through the void.

  “Who are you? Why are you here?”

  The voice spoke with curiosity.

  I tried to respond, but my entire body felt incredibly heavy. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even open my eyes.

  Come on… Move!

  I forced myself with all my might to move. Eventually, I managed to slightly twitch my index finger. Then, slowly, I could move my body a little, and finally, I managed to open my eyes.

  What I saw was a dim white light. I turned my head slowly while still lying down, trying to locate the source of the light. Then I saw it, a massive tree, like a giant banyan, hundreds of meters tall with glowing blue leaves. Coiled around its trunk was a giant white serpent. The serpent was staring directly at me.

  “Who… are you?”

  The voice returned, it came from the serpent.

  I forced myself to stand. Bit by bit, I felt the pressure on my body decrease.

  “My name is Bayu,” I said, struggling to rise.

  “You… you’re not from this world, are you? Are you one of the invaders?”

  The serpent’s voice grew louder, tinged with anger.

  Suddenly, the pressure on my body intensified, crushing me back down.

  “I… I’m not… an invader!” I gasped, barely able to speak under the immense weight.

  After I said that, the pressure eased slightly.

  “I was summoned from another world by the humans of this one. They called forth heroes, and I got dragged into it by accident!” I added, frustration in my voice.

  The pressure reduced significantly, enough for me to move freely again.

  “Tell me how you ended up here,” the serpent said as it slowly slithered down from the tree toward me.

  Damn, I already knew it was huge, but seeing it up close was an entirely different experience. It was… overwhelming.

  “I don’t know. I regained consciousness after nearly dying… right when I heard your voice. So, where am I? Why am I here?” I asked.

  “So, you don’t know either… Then tell me what happened before you lost consciousness,” it replied, drawing closer and observing me.

  I told it everything, from the moment I was summoned, to nearly dying after the Demon King’s attack.

  “No living creature in this world can survive without magic… except for one. You resemble that being, yet you're different,” the serpent said curiously.

  “What do you mean by that being? And what exactly are you? Where is this place? I’ve answered your questions, now it’s your turn.”

  But before it could answer, I felt the ground trembling, as if an earthquake had begun. The massive blue leaved tree started collapsing, its leaves and branches falling apart.

  “We don’t… have much time. Seek the five ancient sacred trees scattered across this world. You will find your answers there. Beware… of the invaders. Good luck… Gatekeeper…”

  And with those final words, the serpent vanished alongside the crumbling tree.

  Once again, I lost consciousness. But faintly, I felt a warm sensation wrap around my body.

  “Yu… Bayu… Wake up… Please, open your eyes…”

  That voice, Alice?

  A white light appeared before me, growing brighter and brighter. Damn, it was blinding. I suddenly snapped back to awareness.

  I opened my eyes slowly, and the first thing I saw was… blood?

  My body was submerged in a pool of blood, only my head remained above the surface.

  “Bayu! How do you feel? Are you alright? Please, answer me!”

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  Alice’s worried voice reached me as she gently held my cheek.

  Turns out, my head was resting on her lap. No wonder it felt so warm and soft.

  “My whole body hurts, Alice… but yeah, as you can see, I’m alive.”

  I smiled, looking up at her face.

  Her expression shifted from worry to relief as tears welled up in her eyes.

  “Jeez… I keep making you cry, huh, Alice?” I chuckled softly.

  She gently hugged me, and we stayed like that in silence for a while… until footsteps approached.

  I turned my head toward the sound and saw her, the demon queen who attacked me at the castle.

  “So, you’ve recovered? What a weak little creature. I merely meant to knock you out, and yet you nearly died?

  I expected a surprised look from you, but you don’t seem surprised at all, do you?”

  She stared at me coldly.

  “It’s not hard to guess what happened while I was unconscious. From the beginning, you didn’t want to kill me, you wanted to capture me. So you must’ve done everything you could to keep me alive. Since Alice is here, I assume you made some kind of deal with her.

  So, tell me, what deal did you make with Alice, Demon Queen?”

  I spoke calmly, facing her without fear.

  “Before I answer that, could you put something on? I dislike seeing a man naked.”

  She eyed me up and down.

  “Ah… damn.”

  I hadn’t even realized I was naked, too focused on processing everything. Wait… if I’m not wearing anything, does that mean... ?

  Thank goodness, Alice still had her underwear on.

  “Well then, could you please give me something to wear?” I replied dryly.

  “Yeah, sure. My servant will bring you some clothes shortly. Come see me once you’re dressed, we need to talk.”

  She turned and walked away.

  At least she’s willing to talk. But… I should probably do something about this awkward moment between me and Alice.

  “So… Alice, how long was I unconscious?” I asked, trying to break the tension.

  “M-Maybe a few hours? I’m not sure… there’s no clock here,” she answered, glancing around.

  “Why are you getting all flustered, Alice? Don’t tell me you were thinking of something naughty... ”

  Before I could finish, she quickly covered my mouth with both hands, blushing furiously.

  “So… tell me. What deal did you make with her, Alice?” I asked quietly.

  “It’s not something important, Bayu. Don’t worry about it. What matters more is, how’s your body? Are you still in pain?”

  She was trying to change the subject.

  “It still hurts, but it’s not as bad as before,” I answered, moving a little.

  Soon, a female servant arrived with clothes in hand, an outfit that resembled a male servant’s uniform from the castle. She placed it nearby and gestured for me to change.

  “Could you at least turn around? I need a little privacy here. You too, Alice.”

  After they turned away, I slowly stepped out of the blood pool. Surprisingly, the blood that clung to my skin got absorbed right into it. No need to wait for it to dry.

  I got dressed, and then Alice and I followed the servant to what looked like a dining room. The queen was already there, waiting for us.

  Ugh… a dining room again. Don’t they have any other place to talk in this world?

  We sat down immediately.

  “Before we start talking, I want to know one thing. What deal did you make with Alice? Tell me.”

  My tone was calm and cold.

  Alice looked shocked and tugged at my arm as if begging me not to ask, but I ignored her.

  “If you insist… Alice begged me to save your life. In return, she agreed to do anything I asked.

  Isn’t that romantic? Your lover would do anything to keep you alive,”

  she said mockingly as she started eating.

  Her attitude, it reminded me of those scumbags in the castle. Disgusting.

  “So… what exactly did you ask Alice to do in return for saving me? Say it. Don’t dance around the answer, Queen.”

  I glared at her, holding back my rage.

  Alice looked shocked and tugged at my arm, silently begging me not to ask. But I ignored her.

  "Since you're so desperate to know," the queen said with a mocking grin, "I'll tell you. Alice begged me to save your life, and in return, she offered to do anything I asked. Isn’t that romantic? Your precious girlfriend willing to do anything just to keep you alive."

  She picked at the food on the table casually, her tone as disgusting as those scumbags from the palace. I felt sick.

  “So…” I said coldly, barely containing my rage. “What did you ask from Alice in return? Tell me. No more games, Your Majesty.”

  "Watch your manners, weakling," she sneered. "It was just a small favor. One of my generals is looking for someone to marry. So I thought... what if one of the beautiful heroes summoned to this world became his bride? Wouldn’t that be delightful?”

  She laughed like it was the most brilliant idea in the world.

  “What the hell did I just hear?” I growled. “Queen, have you lost your mind, suggesting something so ridiculous? Don’t joke with me.”

  Her face darkened instantly.

  “Watch your tongue, pathetic human!” she barked. “The only reason you're still breathing is because of me! I could end your life right here and now if I wanted!”

  She slammed a plate to the floor, shattering it. A wave of pressure exploded from her body, spreading across the room like a storm. Everyone in the dining hall dropped to their knees. Even Alice couldn’t stay on her feet.

  Alice begged me to stop, even as she struggled to stay on her feet under the crushing pressure that bastard queen unleashed. But this was nothing, nothing compared to the pressure from that giant white serpent.

  "Kill me? Don’t make me laugh, you damn queen," I spat, letting my rage pour out. "I’m the only being in this world who can survive without magic. Do you know what that means? It means I’m directly connected to the Five Ancient Great Trees scattered across this world. The only being that’s truly linked."

  I hurled that line like a weapon, just a fragment of information the white serpent had whispered to me. It once said there was only one being who could live without magic. That had to be me. And now, I was gambling everything on that truth. It all depended on whether the queen would use her head... or her temper.

  "You… How do you know about the Five Ancient Great Trees?!" she screamed, eyes wide with shock. "Tell me everything you know, right now! Or I’ll kill you where you stand!"

  In a blink, wings burst from her back and she shot toward me like a bullet, her hand wrapping tightly around my throat.

  She was panicking. Caught off guard. This... Was even better than I hoped.