The morning sun filtered through towering trees, scattering gold-dappled patterns across the forest floor. Ethan sat at the edge of the small pond where he'd first awoken, his mind still whirling.
He had no idea how long he'd been here. Hours? A full day? It didn't feel real. He had fallen into the pond back on Earth and somehow opened his eyes here—in this strange forest, with no city skyline, no phone signal, no familiar sounds. Only nature. Birds chirped strange songs, insects buzzed alien rhythms, and in the distance, faint roars and howls occasionally broke the quiet.
"Still no signal," Ethan muttered, holding his phone up. "Why do I even bother?"
At least the device wasn't entirely useless. He had accidentally discovered something bizarre the night before when he found the cottage. The cottage was like a strange outpost prepared just for him—food, water, supplies, and clothes had all been neatly arranged, as if awaiting his arrival.
The clothes were nothing like what he owned back home: a black steampunk medieval tailcoat with white outlines, sturdy dark trousers, leather boots that gripped the soft dirt well, and a hooded cloak that felt oddly comforting in this strange world. He almost looked like someone cosplaying for a Renaissance fair. The clothing felt... durable. Resistant to the elements in ways modern fabrics couldn't compete with.
Inside the cottage's only locked room—a small library—he found the old glowing book: The Arkanom.
The cover pulsed softly, emitting a faint hum when he brought his phone close. Out of curiosity, he'd touched the phone's screen to the strange markings. The moment they connected, a ripple of light burst forth, and a strange interface appeared on his phone that was never there before:
[SYSTEM ONLINE: The Arkanom – Interface Initialized]
Primary Function: Support – Language Acquisition Activated.
As if on cue, words on pages that made no sense earlier suddenly became readable. He hadn't even realized what was happening at first — but by the time he finished scanning the book's pages, something had changed. He could now understand the strange language written inside.
Even more bizarre, when a foreign bird call echoed in the distance earlier, his mind automatically translated the local word for it: Sky Crawler.
Somehow, the phone was doing more than translating text—it was translating spoken language too.
But no map, no instructions, no grand explanation of how or why he was here. Just this strange system called The Arkanom, which, according to the glowing interface, was still only partially activated:
[Astrean Tomes Recovered: 1/20]
Whatever was happening, he suspected the Arkanom was only beginning to show its full function.
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden noise.
A desperate scream.
Ethan shot to his feet. The voice was female—close, panicked. Without thinking, he sprinted toward the sound, his boots kicking up leaves and soft dirt as he raced through the woods.
The trees parted into a clearing where he caught sight of her—running desperately through the underbrush. A young woman, no older than himself, her long blonde hair streaming behind her. She wore a simple but high-quality green dress with embroidery along the edges—nothing extravagant, but far too finely made to belong to some random villager.
Behind her charged a beast unlike anything Ethan had ever seen before. Its massive reptilian frame was covered in jagged scales, with sharp claws and short horns curling from its head. The creature roared, hungry and determined.
Ethan froze for only a second before instinct took over.
"HEY! Over here, ugly!" he shouted.
The beast paused mid-charge, its head snapping toward him. It snarled, confused by the sudden distraction.
The girl stumbled to the ground, breathless, her eyes wide with terror as Ethan moved between her and the creature.
He looked down quickly—his phone still clutched in his hand—but the Arkanom had no battle functions unlocked yet. There were no fancy skills, no powers, no weapons. Just him, a branch he grabbed from nearby, and whatever guts he could muster.
"Come on," he muttered, gripping the branch like a bat as the creature lunged toward him.
He sidestepped clumsily, barely avoiding the snapping jaws, and swung the branch across the beast's snout. It recoiled, giving him just enough space to grab the girl's arm.
"Run!" he shouted.
Together, they bolted through the trees, weaving between trunks as the monster gave chase. The girl stumbled again, and Ethan nearly lost his balance helping her stay upright.
The trees thinned at last, revealing a worn dirt road — and there, parked to the side, stood a grand black carriage, finely crafted with golden trims along its edges. Two horses neighed nervously as guards in simple but fine traveling uniforms stood ready nearby, looking equally shocked to see Ethan dragging the girl into view.
The guards' eyes widened upon seeing her. One of them instinctively stepped forward, but hesitated when he saw the beast burst from the trees behind them.
Before Ethan could react, one of the guards fired a glowing bolt from some kind of handheld wand, striking the creature in the shoulder. Another followed quickly, forcing the beast to stagger and retreat back into the forest with a roar of frustration.
The danger was over.
Panting heavily, Ethan finally turned to face the girl properly. Up close, her emerald green eyes were even more striking.
"You alright?" he asked between gulps of air.
She nodded, catching her breath. "Yes… thanks to you. You saved me."
Ethan offered a sheepish smile. "Glad I could help. I'm Ethan… Ethan Cross."
Her eyes flickered subtly at his name, but she quickly composed herself. "Sera," she replied softly. "Just… Sera."
The guards moved to check on her but said nothing about her identity, though Ethan noticed the way they carried themselves around her—almost too formal, too careful.
He didn't have long to wonder.
From the distance, another rumble shook the ground beneath their feet. A new roar echoed through the forest — deeper, louder, much closer than before.
Ethan's blood ran cold.
"What… what is that?" he whispered.
Sera's face turned pale. She glanced toward the trees, her voice trembling.
"That… is not the same beast."