It's Survival Time!!!

   In the hazy darkness of sleep, I found myself standing in the middle of chaos.

   Flames rose around me, crackling and hissing as they wrapped themselves around what was left of the buildings. Smoke hung in the air like a thick curtain, heavy and sharp in my lungs. Every breath felt like breathing in ashes. The ground was scattered with broken walls and glass, and the heat from the fire pressed against my skin like something alive.

   It was the same place again. The same nightmare I'd had more times than I could count.

   I looked around slowly, the same sick, heavy feeling building up in my chest as I took in the destruction. There was nothing new to find, nothing I hadn’t seen before—just the same burning ruins, the same silence, the same helplessness.

   I tried to move, but my legs wouldn’t respond. I clenched my fists, hoping that maybe I could force myself forward, but it was like my body had locked up. My knees finally gave out, and I sank to the scorched ground, the heat seeping through the fabric of my pants.

   It’s just a dream

   I reminded myself, closing my eyes, hoping that if I waited long enough, it would all disappear. I just wanted to wake up from this nightmare, to escape the memory that haunted me.

   Then, through the silence, I heard a voice—soft, almost too quiet to notice.

   “I found you.”

   It cut through the air like it didn’t belong there. The words were calm, gentle even, and yet they pulled at something inside me. I’d heard that voice before.

   It was Zephyra.

   I couldn’t see her, but it was her. I could feel it. It was like she was standing right next to me, close enough to reach out.

   I felt something wet touch my cheek.

   Are those… tears?  The thought crossed my mind, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I could feel her crying, her tears falling onto my face as if she was there, right beside me.

   That didn’t make sense, but I couldn’t shake the feeling.

   I cracked my eyes open a bit, trying to see what was there, but the dream was already slipping. My vision blurred, the colors fading. All I caught was a faint outline of a face, softly smiling, tears running down her cheeks.

   And then I woke up.

   My eyes blinked open, and the world came back into focus.

   The smell of burning was gone. No more smoke, no more ruins—just trees and cool air, sunlight coming through the leaves.

   But the wet feeling on my cheek remained.

   I shifted slightly and turned my head, only to see a small face right in front of mine. The puppy’s tongue gave another warm, wet swipe across my cheek.

   I let out a groan, wiping my face as I sat up and scratched his head. “Thanks for waking me up,” I muttered.

   He looked pleased with himself, tongue out, tail wagging like he’d just completed some important mission.

   I stretched and took a deep breath, letting the cool morning air clear away the last traces of the dream. It was still early. The light filtering through the branches was soft, and the forest was calm—birds chirping in the distance, the breeze rustling the leaves overhead. The puppy curled up at my feet, completely relaxed.

   “Well, guess we better get moving,” I said, glancing down at him.

   We started the morning with the leftover berries I’d picked the day before. Not much of a breakfast, but it was better than nothing, and the puppy seemed more than happy with them, scarfing them down without hesitation.

   After eating, we made our way toward the stream to wash up and maybe find something more filling for dinner. When we reached the water, I noticed a few large fish swimming lazily near the surface.

   I turned to the puppy. 

   “So, what do you think? How about fish for dinner—?”

   But he was already gone.

   I looked around and heard splashing.

   Sure enough, there he was, already wading in, focused entirely on chasing down a fish with surprising determination. I laughed a little, watching him paddle around. Looks like his injuries are healed already. As expected of isekai.

   I pulled off my hoodie and pants, set them aside on a dry patch of grass, and joined him in the water. Together, we herded the fish toward the shallows, slipping and stumbling more times than I’d like to admit. It took a while, but eventually we managed to catch several good-sized fish.

   I grabbed a few sturdy sticks, skewered the fish, and slung them over my shoulder.

   We started heading back toward the camp, and for a while, everything felt quiet and simple. The puppy trotted along next to me, tail bouncing with every step like he didn’t have a care in the world.

   But then, without warning, he stopped.

   His ears perked up. He stood completely still, staring ahead.

   I stood beside him, following his gaze.

   “What’s wrong?” I asked.

   Then I saw it.

   A bear.

   A massive bear, I think around 10 feet tall, lumbering through the trees. It had dark fur and green gems all over its body.

   "Nothing will surprise me anymore." I thought. 

   It was sniffing the air, no doubt picking up the scent of the fish we’d just caught.

   I swallowed, glancing down at the puppy. “Alright, don’t panic. Just… slowly walk back,” I whispered, not taking my eyes off the bear.

   ...Silence.

   I turned my head slightly. “Hey, did you hear me? Let’s just—”

   ...

   ...But the puppy was already gone.

   He’d taken off without a sound.

   The bear looked up, and its eyes met mine.

   And that was it. I turned and bolted.

   Branches slapped against my arms and face, the forest becoming a blur as I ran full speed, not daring to look back. Eventually, the sounds behind me stopped.

   I found the puppy waiting by a cluster of rocks, looking up at me like it had just been a fun little adventure. I let out a shaky breath, laughing a bit as I slumped down by the stream, setting the fish aside.

   I dropped beside him, letting the fish fall onto the grass.

   “Oh god,” I gasped, catching my breath. “That was close.”

   He wagged his tail and looked pleased.

   I shook my head, then got the fire going again and started cooking. He sat next to me, never taking his eyes off the food, waiting like a soldier on watch.

   Dinner tasted amazing after everything we’d been through. The puppy wolfed down his share, his tail going a mile a minute, and once we were done, he climbed right up onto my lap and curled up. I sat there, gently petting him. He nuzzled closer, his little body warm against me.

   I sat there, lightly petting him, watching the fire fade to embers. His body was warm against mine, small and steady. It was strange, how quickly he’d grown attached to me. We barely know each other after all, but here he was—curled up and fast asleep, like this was where he belonged.

   Then I have realised.

   Maybe it wasn’t trust—maybe he just didn’t want to be alone.

   I let out a sigh, realizing we were more alike than I’d thought.

   The memory of Zephyra’s face flashed in my mind. That look she’d given me right before I left, the one I couldn’t understand back then… now, it made sense. Maybe, just maybe, that was loneliness.

   I glanced down at the puppy, already dozing off on my lap. I gave him one last pat, feeling a strange sense of understanding.

   “Alright,” I murmured, more to myself than to him. “We’ll go back tomorrow and talk things through.”

   With that thought in mind, I leaned back beside him, letting my eyes drift shut as I listened to the quiet sounds of the forest. Soon, I was asleep.