The Unknown World

The wind howled like an enraged beast, whipping dead leaves around Haruka. He slowly opened his eyes, but everything was a blur. A veil of darkness hung over his mind, and his head throbbed as if a storm had struck him full force. He tried to move, but a dull pain flooded his arms and legs.

Where am I? he thought, his breath shallow.

With great effort, he pushed himself up. His body ached, protesting against the slightest motion. His hands trembled, and his limbs felt as light as air. The scene before him was surreal. A vast, desolate plain stretched endlessly, the earth cracked and barren. The grass was withered, and trees stood like broken skeletons, their branches twisted by powerful winds. Above, the sky loomed gray and oppressive, swirling with dark clouds. An impending storm seemed imminent, but no rain fell. Only a heavy tension, as if nature itself was holding its breath.

Haruka stood, his mind still foggy. His feet sank slightly into the soft earth. The sensation was strange, as if the world itself were made of dreams, not reality. But there was no time to dwell on it. A familiar pressure gripped him: danger. He was not alone here.

What’s happening? His memories were a blur, fragments of pain, a blinding light, then... nothingness. A void.

A noise. A crack to his right.

Instinctively, he turned. Shadows shifted, forms emerging, indistinct at first. Before he could react, figures were rushing toward him, their footsteps echoing on the hard ground. Teenagers. Maybe twenty of them, armed with whatever they had managed to find: metal pipes, knives, even makeshift weapons crafted from whatever they could scrounge.

Haruka took a step back, his heart racing, a shiver crawling down his spine. He needed to flee, but the situation was too unclear. Why were these people here? Why him?

The figures neared with alarming speed, their faces twisted in expressions of anger and fear. They were just as lost as he was, but in this place, survival seemed to be the only rule.

Haruka was about to turn and run when a sudden shout broke the air.

“The Chosen!”

Haruka flinched, eyes scanning for the source of the voice. But the figures were too close, already closing in. He realized they weren’t here for conversation.

One of them, a young man with disheveled black hair, stepped forward, his face set in grim determination. Haruka felt an odd pressure in the air. There was no time to think. Adrenaline surged through him, and a deep, primal rage began to awaken within him.

His body reacted before his mind could catch up. His hands shot up toward the stormy sky.

What are you doing? he wondered. He had never trained to fight. Never learned to wield a power. But something inside him—deep within—whispered that this was his only chance to survive.

A flash of lightning cracked across the sky. The clouds trembled in response.

The ground trembled with the sudden strike. The teenagers froze, staring, mouths agape. But before one could even make a move, a powerful burst of energy surged from Haruka’s hands, striking the ground near his attacker. The boy crumpled to his knees, shocked by the raw force.

For a moment, there was only silence. Then, a voice—broken and distant, coming from the edge of the group—whispered:

“It’s… it’s the Chosen.”

Haruka didn’t have time to process what had just happened. He had no idea what had just transpired, but the group seemed less afraid and more... surprised.

Heat surged through him, and a new, electric energy formed in his hands. A crackling bolt of lightning danced around him, ready to strike at any moment.

Haruka took a step back, his eyes wide with disbelief at what he had just realized. He had controlled the lightning.

“What do you want from me?” he demanded, his voice foreign to his own ears.

The group straightened, stunned. But then, another shout pierced the air, louder this time:

“Don’t let him escape! He’s the Chosen of the Wind!”

The wind suddenly roared to life, a fierce gust that wrapped around Haruka, pulling him forward. His eyes narrowed as he was swept into a whirlwind of light and sound, his body thrown into the storm.