Aryan's last memory was of bullets tearing through the air.
The screams. The betrayal. The pain. And then... silence.
But then came light.
His eyes fluttered open, blinking rapidly as sunlight poured down on his face. Leaves rustled softly above, filtering golden beams through a dense canopy of trees. A sweet, earthy smell filled his nostrils. Birdsong echoed in the distance. Strange birds. Birds he'd never heard before.
He sat up with a jolt.
"What the hell...?"
Aryan clutched his chest, expecting to feel pain, blood, bullet wounds—something. But there was nothing. His black hoodie was untouched. No tears. No holes. No blood. He patted his body all over, disbelief written across his face.
"I was shot... I was supposed to be dead."
He looked around. Towering trees surrounded him, their trunks impossibly wide. Vines crawled up their bark like lazy snakes. The air was too clean, too pure. No city noise. No concrete. Just... nature. Alive and vivid.
His breathing slowed. Reality slowly settled in.
"Is this... hell?"
He stood, wobbling slightly. A breeze brushed his face. Flowers swayed gently. Somewhere nearby, a small creature chirped. The world didn't feel evil. It felt...
New.
His mind raced, memories of his favorite anime and manga swirling in his head. The overpowered protagonists. The magical realms. The idea that death wasn't always the end.
"No way..." Aryan whispered. "A... another world? Isekai? This can't be real."
He stumbled forward, testing the ground beneath him. It felt solid enough. Too solid to be a dream.
"Okay. Deep breaths, Aryan. You're here now. Wherever 'here' is."
The Forest of the Unknown
He wandered through the thick forest, eyes scanning everything like a child in a museum. He noticed birds with shimmering purple feathers. Squirrel-like creatures with tiny wings. Even the trees had leaves that glowed faintly in the shade.
"This isn't Earth. No way."
His stomach growled. Loudly.
"Great. Of course, hunger still follows me across dimensions."
He looked around for something—anything—edible. The trees bore fruits, but none looked familiar. Some were glowing. Others had spikes. He wasn't going to risk dying from magical food poisoning.
"I need water."
Following a sloped path, he eventually heard the sound of running water. A small lake came into view, surrounded by thick brush. Small deer-like animals were sipping from it peacefully. Their ears twitched when he approached, but they didn't bolt.
Aryan knelt beside the lake and cupped the water in his hands. He paused.
"If they're drinking it, it should be safe, right?"
He drank. Cold. Crisp. Refreshing.
"Okay... one crisis solved."
But hunger still clawed at his gut.
In the water, he spotted small fish swimming near the edge. He waited patiently, hand poised like he'd seen in survival shows. For the next three hours, he flailed, slipped, cursed, and nearly fell in more than once.
Finally, by some miracle, he managed to catch a few.
Dripping wet, shivering slightly, Aryan made his way to a small cave he'd seen earlier. It offered just enough cover to keep him safe for the night.
He gathered twigs, dry leaves, and a few branches. He'd never lit a fire before, but he'd seen people do it online. After several failed attempts and some very sore hands, he managed to spark something.
It wasn't much, but it was enough.
He skewered the fish on a stick and held them over the flame, rotating them like a makeshift grill master.
Too bad he sucked at cooking.
The fish turned black. Burned. Hard. Bitter.
He stared at them for a long time before sighing. "Guess this is dinner."
The taste was as bad as it looked. But it filled his stomach, and that was enough.
He leaned back against the cave wall, fire crackling softly beside him. His eyes were heavy, his body exhausted, but his mind wouldn't stop.
"Why me?" he muttered.
He looked at his hands. Normal. Just like before. No powers. No glowing marks. Nothing.
"I'm not a hero. I'm not special. Just a thief who got shot. And now I'm here. Why?"
The fire crackled louder for a moment, sparks dancing into the air.
There has to be a reason, he thought. A purpose. Or maybe it was random. Maybe this world doesn't care who you were before.
He glanced outside. The twin moons had risen, casting a pale light across the trees. The forest shimmered faintly under their glow.
"If this world has magic... if it has danger, adventure... maybe it's the life I always wanted."
He pulled his jacket tighter around him.
"Tomorrow, I find answers. How this world works. Its people. Its currency. Maybe even its powers."
A tired grin spread across his face.
"It's not much, but it's a start."
With that, Aryan closed his eyes, letting the warmth of the fire lull him to sleep. The sounds of the forest echoed softly around him, as if the world itself was welcoming its newest lost soul.
End of Chapter 2