Arian's sight came back as it often had lately - suddenly, harshly. Though familiar, the force unsettled him each time. Stillness gave way to sharp shapes without warning. Without ease, light pressed against his eyes again. From nothing, colors arrived like splinters. This return brought no comfort, only clarity forced open.
The world lurched.
His stomach twisted.
He had not yet found his balance when -
" - ugh…!"
Forward he leaned, then sickness rose - spilling across the stones below. The pavement caught what his body could not keep.
The sharpness stung his throat while shivers ran through him. Against the earth, palms flat, nails scraped across jagged rock when vertigo twisted deep within his head much like wind that would not still.
The smell.
The sound of distant voices.
A whisper of air grazes the edge of hearing. Movement arrives without force, soft at the sides of perception. Stillness follows after.
Everything felt too real.
Too sharp.
Too heavy.
Arian pressed the back of his sleeve across his lips, breath coming in fits. His chest rose sharply between still moments. Air escaped in short bursts as he lowered his arm. The fabric caught at the corner of his mouth. Each inhale seemed reluctant. Stillness followed, then another jagged pull of air. He stood without moving forward.
Stiffness held his features still. Shadows pooled beneath the surface of his expression. A quiet weight settled where words might have been.
"…So I really came back."
The same street.
The same buildings.
The same moment.
There came a pressure in his chest when thoughts of Benjamin returned - blood on skin, pieces missing, that slow dimming of expression. Suddenly it was hard to breathe again.
Arian pressed his jaw shut. Teeth locked together without warning.
"No… I'm not going there again."
From his throat came a sound not loud. It held steady. Strength showed within it.
"I won't go to Benjamin's shop."
A slight curl formed in his fingers.
"If I go there… he'll die because of me."
Again, his stomach tightened at just the idea.
Without pause, Benjamin offered help. He stepped forward when needed.
It was suggested that he learn reading, instruction provided without delay.
Magic was clarified for him.
Bearing his weight once, during moments when rising seemed impossible.
In conclusion -
He died.
Because of him.
A sudden tremor ran through him as Arian turned his gaze downward. The image lingered, yet he stepped back from its edge. Disturbance settled behind his eyes, though breath came slow now. Clarity returned only when silence filled the space between thoughts.
"Focus."
A glance swept across the pavement, tense. The corners of his vision caught movement - stillness followed. Each shadow held a question. Nothing answered back.
Footsteps echoed along the path. As always, people moved past without pause. Vendors called out, their voices threading through the air. From far off came the rumble of wheels on cobbled ground.
Normal.
Peaceful.
Yet within this place -
she existed.
That girl with crimson eyes.
The child responsible for his death. She took the life of that man. Her hand ended what breath he had left.
The girl who cried while doing it.
Arian swallowed.
"Where do I go…?"
He looked left.
Right.
His thoughts raced.
"I can't hide in the shop… I can't stay here…"
After a pause, a thought emerged within him.
A moment held just prior to the end. Not after, but close enough to touch. Time slows when breath stops. What remains is not sound, but image. Still. Sharp. Unchanged by what comes next.
Her voice.
Cold.
Calm.
Certain.
"I can smell your disgusting scent from outside this town."
Arian froze.
"…Smell?"
A faint trace of smoke caught his attention as he lifted one arm slightly. His nose neared the fabric without haste. The odor lingered just above the cloth. From there, memories began to surface quietly.
"…Do I smell that bad?"
He sniffed again.
Nothing unusual.
He frowned.
"Or… is her sense of smell just extremely strong?"
His thoughts tangled.
"Wait… something doesn't make sense."
A faint tightening showed around his eyes.
"How can she recognize my scent?"
Into this world he came, newly present. Arrival marked his first quiet moment.
Still alone, he had encountered no one.
Hadn't lived here.
Hadn't existed here.
"So how…?"
A thought lingered behind his eyes, slow and quiet. It moved without sound through the space between memory and now.
Yet it was pushed away by him.
"Forget it."
His fists tightened.
"The important thing is not dying again."
His back lifted, eyes scanning the space without delay.
"I need somewhere with strong people… somewhere safe…"
Then suddenly -
A thought emerged, pulled forward by nothing he could name.
Anime.
Isekai stories.
The classic place every protagonist went.
Arian's eyes widened.
"Wait…"
Up went his finger, gradual in motion.
"…What was that place called again?"
With a quick motion of his hand, the sound came sharply through the air.
"Adventure's guild!"
A faint shift crossed his features.
"Yes - yes! That place!"
A guild full of adventurers.
Warriors.
Mages.
Mercenaries.
People who hunted monsters.
Strong people.
Those capable of engaging in combat.
"If I go there… someone strong might help me."
A quiet light stirred within him. Though slight, it did not vanish.
Yet a second idea came just as fast.
"…But does a place like that even exist in this world?"
A hand rose, hesitated behind his skull. Fingers moved slow through hair.
"This isn't an anime…"
Looking down the road, his gaze moved slowly across the pavement.
"Still… I should ask someone."
A shape caught his eye, close by. The stillness broke as attention shifted toward it.
A figure moves with care beside the pavement. Step by step, he follows the edge where gravel meets grass. His pace matches the hush of late afternoon. Each foot lifts as if testing weight before settling down. The horizon holds nothing urgent ahead. Shadows stretch longer behind him. A quiet rhythm carries him forward.
Right away, his look drew attention.
White hair, sparse and receding, covered most of his scalp. Behind the bare patch at the front, strands were combed backward without care. Downward from his chin spilled a wide beard - untidy, dense, pale like snow left too long. Above his mouth sat a mustache just as broad, its color untouched by time.
Frayed at the edges, his clothing hung loose - plain fabric, untouched by ornament. A quiet presence marked each threadbare seam.
Poor.
Almost ragged.
Footfalls measured, the elder advanced without hurry.
Arian hesitated.
Then approached.
"E–Excuse me, uncle."
Turning just a bit, the elderly man came to a halt.
Blurry pupils flickered open. A moment passed before they closed again.
"Yes?"
Arian touched his cheek, fingers pausing mid-motion. Stillness followed the small gesture.
"Do you know where the Adventure's Guild is?"
The elderly gentleman fixed his gaze upon the individual. He remained still, observing without speaking.
His fingers moved slowly across the beard, pausing in reflection.
"…Adventure's Guild?"
Slowly, he spoke the words again, as one might test a strange new taste. The syllables lingered on his tongue, foreign yet deliberate.
He moved his head slightly after some moments had passed.
"No… I don't know what that is."
Arian let his shoulders sink a little lower.
"…Ah."
Yet the elder had more to say. Still, his words continued. Even so, he spoke again. In truth, silence did not follow. Indeed, his voice returned once more.
For just an instant, his gaze stayed on Arian. Then silence took over.
Then smiled faintly.
A strange smile.
Young man, his voice quiet. He spoke without force.
"You can always look up."
Earlier than Arian formed the question -
The path drew his steps forward after he turned. Then came the steady rhythm of movement again.
Slowly.
Calmly.
He remained, motionless, as the door closed behind them.
"…Huh?"
Arian frowned.
"That was… weird."
A slight pause came before he touched his scalp.
"This is another world and there's no adventurer's guild?"
He sighed.
"…And what did he mean by 'you can always look up'?"
Arian paused, unsure, his head tipping slightly to one side.
His eyes began to rise, gradually meeting the distant horizon.
Upward.
At the beginning, a small amount was added.
And then -
His eyes widened.
Across the city.
Rising above the rooftops and streets -
Stood something massive.
Above the land rises a frame of light-colored stone, its peaks stretching upward. Where flat surfaces meet sharp angles, height is shaped by quiet craftsmanship. From distance it appears still, though built to reach beyond common scale. Each vertical line pulls the eye skyward, guided not by ornament but form.
A castle.
Clinging to high terrain across town, above all else, it observes without sound. From that distant height, a quiet presence surveys the spread beneath. Raised upon ground apart, seeing all, saying nothing.
Faint light touched the surface of the stone, causing a soft brightness. Occasionally, edges shimmered when struck at an angle.
Arian stared.
"…A castle?"
Pieces slowly came into alignment within his thoughts.
Slowly.
Carefully.
"…Wait."
A trace of narrowing crossed his eyes.
"Don't tell me…"
Breath paused as his pulse quickened without warning.
"If there's no adventurer's guild…"
Following that thought, strength among citizens might reasonably point to certain individuals
"The knights."
Arian exhaled slowly.
"And knights serve…"
There he stood, eyes fixed upon the faraway fortress.
"The lord."
Arian moved forward, feet striking the stony pathways, weight increasing with every motion. Though tired, progress continued, pavement unyielding beneath worn soles. Step followed step, rhythm uneven, breath steady despite strain. The road stretched ahead, silent under gray light, offering neither help nor hindrance.
"This… this is my destination," he muttered through gritted teeth. "I can't waste any more time."
Gazing toward the far edge of the city, he saw the castle - its pale towers catching light under the slanting sun. There, among those walls, would stand the firmest figures. Knights clad in iron. A ruler seated above them all. In that place alone might an answer wait.
Would arrival come prior to her finding him? The question formed in his mind, urgent.
Each breath cut sharp, yet forward he drove, feet striking fast against the ground. The ache in his chest grew, but movement did not slow. Speed held steady through discomfort. Muscles strained without pause. Ground fell behind with every step. Effort continued despite resistance.
Then -
Something slammed into his chest.
A sudden push sent Arian falling hard, breath gone. Scattered books rolled in different directions on pavement. Near his hand, a single book came to rest just short of touching his fingers.
"Oh! I - I'm sorry."
he said unevenly, already moving fast to retrieve it.
There stood the one he had bumped into. Young. Hair like freshly fallen snow - this was no dull gray of age, nothing like that older fellow before, instead a vivid whiteness, startling under the light. It did not whisper years, it shimmered.
The pages slipped from his grasp when returning it. His hands shook without warning.
The object landed in his hands; quietly, he spoke - soft, barely audible
"I hope you are not a clone."
Arian blinked. What he heard was unclear to him.
He mumbled an apology while rising. Off he went before any reply could form. Running resumed without pause.
A slight curve touched the corners of his mouth as he observed the departure. Quietly did the moment stretch between sight and silence.
Arian moved forward without turning. His chest tightened with each beat.
Ahead, just past several buildings, brightness cut through the skyline. The moment arrived, his gut sank.
That's her.
A sudden turn took him into a tight passage along the left, just missing the glow that hit the structure up front. The move came right before illumination reached the wall.
Windows trembled as the blast hit. Pieces of rubble fell through the air afterward.
"Damn it! She's fast… too fast!" Arian panted, clutching his side.
Thoughts raced without pause. Now what. Hiding brings no safety - her senses reach too far - to be discovered feels certain, always
He wondered what his father might choose. In such a moment, how would that man act? If standing where he now stood, which path would be taken?
A sudden idea appeared. Not this time - remaining alive matters most. Staying living is necessary.
Footsteps echoed as he moved ahead, vanishing farther down the narrow passage.
Without warning, a piercing ache burst in his right shoulder. Off balance, he gripped the spot tightly - his eyes dropped. From an opening, red fluid emerged slowly. An injury.
A sudden sound came from Arian, sharp between clenched jaws - still he pushed forward without pause. Though speed faded, motion continued, weight dragging heavier with every stride that followed. Pain deepened beneath the rhythm of feet meeting ground, yet movement refused to cease.
Falling without warning, his body hit the ground sharply. Against the uneven rock, skin tore from both hands - sound escaped him then, low and strained.
His gaze rose slowly upward.
There she was.
At the alley's end she stood. Fire burned within her gaze. High atop her head, hair pulled tight, stillness wrapped around her like a warning. Quiet filled the air, yet danger felt near.
"Stop! Stop! I'm not the one you're looking for!"
A faint twist shaped her mouth, cold amusement showing. The curve lingered without warmth, fixed like a mark carved long ago.
"Liar. Rot in hell."
Thoughts surged through Arian. Images appeared - one face, then another: his father first, followed by silence. His mother emerged next, slow, like dust rising. Benjamin stood in a doorway, still. The shop flickered, its shelves blurred. An alley stretched long, narrow, lit wrong. Lights pulsed without sound. Pain arrived last, settling beneath the skin
Benjamin… yes. Benjamin!
Faster than thought, resolve gripped his mind.
Thank you Mr. Benjamin I'm in your dept.