Volume 1, Chapter 3: Awakening in the Forest

Ken woke up to a strange coolness beneath him and a slight tingling in his arms. As he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on grass, surrounded by tall trees whose branches stretched high above, their thick green leaves shielding the sky. The place was silent - but not the peaceful kind of silence. It felt… foreign. Off. Ken looked around and quickly realized this wasn’t any park or forest he knew from back home.Next to him lay a backpack and… a lamppost? He stared at it, stunned. The last thing he remembered was standing at a crosswalk, waiting for the green light, right next to this exact lamppost, surrounded by the noise of city traffic. And now, here it was, lying beside him in some strange, unfamiliar world, as if it had been dragged along for the ride.“What the hell…” he muttered, his voice sounding loud and out of place in the eerie stillness. He sat up slowly, swaying a bit. And then, a wild idea struck him - what if, in this new world, he had powers? Magic? Just like in his favorite anime?Determined, Ken clasped his hands together and focused hard, trying to summon any kind of power. He closed his eyes, imagining energy surging from his palms… but nothing. He waved his hand, visualizing a fireball - or at least a spark. Again, nothing.“Maybe I’m using the wrong spell…” he muttered, trying different gestures, different chants. But no matter what he did, all he got was silence. The forest gave him no answers. Magic clearly wasn’t on his side. With a sigh, he looked ahead - and his eyes landed on something unusual. A stone monument, maybe a dozen meters away, partially hidden by tall ferns. It resembled an ancient obelisk.Ken walked over to it. The surface was covered in strange symbols, but none of them looked familiar. Deciding he needed to find a way out of this forest, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and turned away from the monument, setting off through the underbrush.He hadn’t gone far when he heard a rustling sound behind him. He froze. Turning slowly, he saw something massive step out from between the trees. It looked like a bear - but much larger, and its fur had an odd metallic sheen. The creature let out a low growl and started toward him. Ken’s heart pounded. Run? Fight? But with what? No weapons, no skills…Desperate, Ken tried once more to cast some kind of spell. Nothing. The monster charged. Ken ducked and stumbled out of the way just in time. Suddenly, the air was sliced by the sharp whistle of a blade, and a girl with flowing blonde hair leapt into view. Her movements were graceful - almost like a dance. With one swift motion, her sword flashed, cutting the monster cleanly in two.Ken stared as the beast dissolved into glowing particles, vanishing into the air and leaving behind a strange, glowing crystal. He blinked, barely believing what he’d just seen. The girl bent down, picked up the crystal, and finally turned toward him. She tossed her sword aside, her jade-green eyes glowing with warmth and concern.“Are you alright?” she asked, reaching out a hand to help him up. Her tone was serious, but her gaze was soft - kind, almost protective.Ken froze, breathless. She looked like someone out of a legend - her skin glowing gently in the forest light, her emerald eyes seeming to look straight into his soul. He couldn’t look away. It was like seeing true beauty for the first time, as if an angel had come down from the heavens dressed as an adventurer just to save him.“Y-Yeah… I’m okay. Thank you… You saved me,” he stammered, catching himself, then added with a shy smile, “What’s… what’s your name?”She gave him a soft smile that made her face even more radiant.“My name is Lily. And you? Who are you? How did you end up here?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.Ken opened his mouth to answer, then realized something strange - he could understand her perfectly and speak her language as if it were his own. It was unexpected, but maybe one of the few miracles of this world was making communication easy.“You understand me? What language are we speaking right now?” he asked, searching her face for answers.Lily furrowed her brow, then laughed, unable to hold it back.“Of course I understand you,” she said, giggling. “You’re speaking the human language. What else would it be?”Her laugh put him at ease. She didn’t seem wary of him anymore. The tension in her eyes had faded, replaced by genuine friendliness and curiosity.As her laughter faded, Lily looked at him again, a hint of seriousness returning to her eyes.“But if you really aren’t from here…” she began, pausing to let him explain.Ken took a deep breath. He had no idea where this would lead - but he decided to tell her everything he could.