My entire body froze. I didn't even realize I was holding my breath until my lungs started to sting, the air in my chest turning stale and heavy. I slowly lifted my head, my neck clicking with a stiff, painful pop, and looked up.
High above, a mythological creature cut through the gray sky—its massive wings stretching out like a living eclipse. Every single flap sent down waves of air that hit the ground like a physical disaster. My sneakers slid in the slick, bloody mud, and I nearly went down as the heavy wind tried to rip me off my feet. I had to hunch my shoulders to keep from being blown backward.
It is a giant black dragon—a mythological creature in fantasy stories.
I stayed put, paralyzed, not daring to move a single finger. I tried to force my breathing to be slow and steady—shallow, quiet puffs of air—praying that the thing wouldn't notice a speck like me in the middle of all this carnage. My heart was pounding so hard against my ribs I thought they might actually crack.
"What is this kinda of creature?"
I mumbling, look at it, panicking, afraid that it will see me and attack me.
Hope it's not noticed me...
I thought, still stay calm, keep breathing slowly and steadily.
The dragon let out a sudden, guttural growl that I felt in my teeth more than I heard it. Then, with one massive flap of its wings, it flies toward the mountain peaks in the distance. The wind from its departure nearly knocked me away, leaving me standing there in the middle of the lawn, gasping for air and completely speechless.
The silence that followed was heavy and suffocating. I wiped a smear of grit from my face, my hand trembling so hard that I couldn't even control it. Suddenly, a massive building caught my eye. In my eyes, it's look like a Kingdom in some fantasy stories.
"What is that building? A Kingdom?"
I guessed, hesitated to go there.
A minute of thinking later, I sigh.
"I guess I need to be safe, so I have to be there... I guess."
I stood up, scratching my head and trying to brush the thick layer of dust off my school uniform, though it just seemed to smear into the damp fabric. I started walking toward the massive structure in the distance—the only thing I could call a kingdom. I had been lying on a high, grassy hill, so I had to pick my way down the slope to get any closer. As I descended, my eyes caught movement; a crowd of people was organized in some kind of formation outside the main gate.
I guess I'll have to talk to them...
I thought. A worried expression on my face
Hope nothing goes wrong...
While I'm getting closer to the place, I realize something: It wasn't just big; it was magnificent. The entire building was wrapped in massive stone walls that were like a giant shield, protecting whatever was inside the building.
That's definitely a kingdom...
As I try to come near to that Kingdom and touch the wall, a voice appears from the gate.
"What are you doing, kid?"
I freeze, tense up as I hear someone's voice.
I slowly turn around, seeing two men with silver armors look like knights coming from the gate toward me.
"I never saw this kid before..."
One of them said, looking at me curiously.
"You are right... What is that outfit?"
The other one said. Look at me like a strange creature.
I'm standing there, frozen at their nitpicking.
It's been a while since I tried to talk to someone...
I clear my throat, trying to talk to two men.
"Oh... Um... Who are you guys?"
Two of the men look at me and look at each other.
"Oh, we forgot to introduce ourselves."
One of them said, and the other came toward me, raised his hand for a handshake.
"We are gatekeepers of the 'Serenvale' Kingdom."
I was surprised at their response.
So it's a kingdom, but "Serenvale"? I never heard of it...
I stood there, lost deep in my own head, when something finally snapped.
Wait... how the hell do I understand them?!
My brain stalled, I stared at them talking, and their language, somehow, those foreign words I'm hearing feel familiar and awkward. It feels like it's my first language and also not.
I tried to stay calm, thinking back to those cliché anime where these protagonists just magically know the language the second they land in another world. But in those stories, it was always a God's blessing or some "Translation Automatic" magic that also came from God or their abilities. It was the classic trope, but listening with my own earsfeltl weird and awkward.
"So, can you introduce yourself, kid?"
"Me? Oh... so..."
I stuttered, don't know how to answer their question.
Before they could hear my introduction, a voice behind them.
"Hey, gatekeepers, can I get in?"
It's a female voice, soft and gentle, like a quiet breeze in the air.
The gatekeepers and I both snapped our heads toward her at the same time. My breath caught in my throat, and I felt my eyes go wide as I took her in. Only one word to describe this girl in my eyes is "beautiful". Her blonde hair was long and bright. But it was her eyes that really got me; they were a deep, captivating gold, sparkling with a kind of intensity that felt like stars or constellations in the galaxy. She looks a little older than me, maybe one or two years older than me.
She was wrapped in heavy gold and silver armor that looked impossibly clean compared to the dirt on my sneakers. It felt like we were standing in two different worlds. She, a shining statue of a warrior, and I, a kid in a normal and common school uniform. She also wears a light blue skirt. My gaze drifted to the center of her chestplate, and I felt a weird, cold jolt of recognition. It was a sharp, electric sting that traveled from my eyes straight down my spine, making my knees feel weak. I ignore that weird and cold jolt feeling and focus on her sigil.
Right in the center of her chestplate and shoulder was a gold and silver sigil: A sword pointed down like a cross. A soft, steady light seemed to bleed out from the guard, making the whole thing glow. Two wings arched back from the hilt; they looked so sharp and detailed that they almost felt alive, like they could take off at any second. I could just barely see faint runes carved into the metal, pulsing with a low magic that made this girl special. The sigil felt heavy, warm, and full of an authority that didn't leave much room for doubt.
She notices me, who is standing behind the gatekeepers.
"Who is tha—"
Those two gatekeepers cut her off.
"Lady Alice... You can get inside the Kingdom."
Both of the gatekeepers said, hid me behind their back.
That female knight ignores them and pushes them aside to see me.
As our eyes met, a strange, sickening feeling shot through me. It wasn't just a look; it felt like a physical connection, a heavy weight pressing against my head. My head started to throb, and for a second, my vision blurred until the battlefield around me vanished.
Suddenly, a scene flashed in my mind. I saw a woman collapsing onto the ground, her body hitting the ground with a heavy thud as rain hammered down around her. I strained to see her, my head screaming for the important detail and information of that woman, but I couldn't even see her face. Her face got blurred by something.
The information felt like it was being shoved into my head from nowhere. I blinked, trying to catch my breath after that experience. I was still standing there, staring at the blonde woman in the gold armor. I had seen her before, but I didn't know anything about her. But that strange feeling is still there, a familiar feeling I never felt before.
Do I know this girl? What is this kind of familiar and weird feeling...?
The others looking at me confusing till that female knight spoke up.
"Hello there! My name is Alice Valoria, and I'm from Holy Knight. It's nice to meet you! May I ask for your name?"
Alice Valoria? A foreigner?
Alice looks at me standing there, not responding to her qquestion she asks me again.
"Hey? May I know your name?"
Herwordsd snap my thoughts.
"Oh... Sorry..."
apologizeded andstartedt answering her question.
"My name is Zin Fortis."
I said, a little bit embarrassed, because my name sounds weird, and I haven't talked to someone for a long time.
"Zin... Fortis...?"
She was mumbling my name repeatedly.
"I never heard this name before. Where are you from?"
She asked curiously.
"Me? I'm... from another world, I think. I don't know where I'm at right now."
I said, casually, not knowing the gatekeepers and Alice expresson changed.
Alice's face darkening turns to the gatekeepers.
"You two, go tell His Majesty and others guilds leaders about this, NOW!"
She said, no hesitation, the request she said like an order, a command.
Those gatekeepers say no word, understand her, and quickly get inside the Kingdom. I turn and look at them curiously.
"Where are they going?"
I mumbling quietly that only I can hear it.
Somehow, Alice heard it aand wassilently staring at me.
Minutes later, the two gatekeepers returned. One of them carried an old fiber rope, rough and worn like it had been used countless times before. The other held a large brown leather sack, it's large enough to fit one or two watermelons. They walk toward Alice to report to her something, their voices low enough so I can't able to hear them.
"Everyone is already inside."
One of them said, getting approved by Alice.
"I will go inside, you guys take care wof hat inside."
She said, going inside the Kingdom.
"Yes, Ma'am."
Both said, turning attention toward me.
Before she stepped inside the Kingdom, she paused and glanced back at me. For a moment, her gaze softened.
"Everything will be fine…"
Her voice is soft and gentle, almost reassuring, like she truly meant it. Her eyes lingered on me, studying my expression as if she was trying to ease whatever fear she saw there, as if she could somehow close the distance between us with just that look.
"It's how we greet someone special like you."
After that, she turned and walked inside.
I stood there, frozen, her words echoing in my head as I tried to make sense of everything happening around me.
Special?
I thought something about this felt wrong.
A faint shift behind me.
Before I could react, one of the gatekeepers holding the rope stepped in close. I felt something rough brush against my wrists and got tight.
"What? Wait, what are you doing?!"
Panic surged through me as the rope cinched tighter. I try to resist, but it is useless as they tie it tighter each time I resist.
The other gatekeeper says no word and puts the large brown leather sack over my head to limit my vision.
"WHAT?!"
My voice came out louder this time, sharp and desperate as I'm panicking. The air inside the sack felt thick, suffocating, and every sound outside became dull and distant.
This is like a nightmare, like hell...
I thought, sighing dejectedly.
Then, through the muffled silence, I heard them.
"Hope we get praised after this."
One of them whispered.
"Me too."
The other replied.
They are talking while doing something.
My thoughts spiraled.
Praise? For What?
Suddenly, I feel myself lifted.
"Wait—what?! HELP!"