Rough Waking Up

~~~🔮~~~

“Ahhh!”

Rei jerked on the ground as light jolted him out of his stupor. The memory of the balance crashing down on him came rushing back, along with the terrifying scene he had just lived through. He had to move—he couldn't just lie there, staring up at the ceiling of the...

Forest.

“Huh?”

He was in a forest.

Rei didn’t scream. His confusion paralyzed every part of him except his eyes. Above him, the tree canopies blocked almost all of the weak sunlight peeking through the clouds. Below, everything was dark; only a faint glow let him make out the surroundings. Trees to the left, trees to the right. He didn’t expect to find anything different, but tilted his head back anyway.

Trees.

“What the hell...”

He stopped again. The earth beneath him was cold and somewhat damp. The air carried a chill that sent a small shiver down his spine. And yet, near his feet, he felt a dozen small, warm, quick breaths. Rei sat up in alarm and found the lump that was inching its snout closer to his leg.

“Ah!”

His body moved before his mind could catch up. Still dazed, Rei lashed out with his foot, landing a solid kick against the creature’s snout. A low, guttural growl erupted from it as it staggered back a step.

Rei crawled backwards in a panic, fumbling for his belt—his fingers finally wrapped around cold metal. He yanked the pistol free, hands shaking.

Only then did he really see it.

A wolf—or something close to it. But larger. Much larger. Bigger than any mastiff or wild hound he’d ever heard of. Its amber eyes locked onto his, hollow and hungry. Its jaws hung open, thick with drool, and powerful enough to tear through bone without pause.

Rei didn’t understand anything. Only that he was in danger.

“Don’t come any closer...” he stammered in terror.

Of course, the animal didn’t understand him, nor had any clue what a pistol was. And Rei suddenly realized his hands were shaking so hard, he could barely aim. He had never held a pistol before—yet here he was, gripping the weapon that had...

...killed Gorō.

Rei’s head spun, and the wolf noticed his hesitation. It growled and lunged.

He didn’t have time to recover his senses before it slammed into him, knocking him down. The gun slipped from his grasp, and now the beast was inches from his face. He tried to shield himself with his arms just before a claw raked his left forearm. He screamed in pain, though the panic left no room for thought.

Reflexively, he landed a solid kick on the creature and managed to struggle free. He crawled backward in desperation, and by some miracle, felt metal under his fingers again.

The gun.

The wolf lunged once more—but this time, it collided with wood and metal as Rei shielded himself with the pistol.

Now the wolf was even more enraged. But Rei, though terrified, had the weapon aimed.

BANG.

The gunshot shattered the forest’s silence. The beast froze for a second—then dropped dead right on top of him.

Everything stopped. Rei lay on his back, panting, feeling the weight of the lifeless body pressing on his chest. Hot blood soaked his torso, mixing with sweat and forest moisture.

When he could breathe again, he shoved the carcass to the side. He stared at it, stunned by what he had just done. His heart pounded so violently, he could swear it echoed outside his chest.

He was alive, but none of it made sense.

“Where...”

Again, the question never finished. In front of him, another wolf emerged from the bushes, drawn by the shot and scent of fresh blood.

Rei’s terror multiplied by the second. He could shoot that one—but not the one that appeared to its right. Or the one further right. Or the four circling behind him.

In moments, the entire pack had him surrounded. He couldn’t take them all.

He rolled over, fumbling for his belt, desperately searching for his grappling launcher. It wasn’t there. He had left it hanging back at the factory so his brothers could escape.

“No, no, no...” he croaked as one wolf stepped forward.

So this was how it would end. Alone, wounded, in some strange place. Gorō dead. His brothers’ fate unknown. And he, not the great inventor he once dreamed of being.

The first tear was about to fall when a sharp whistle cut through the trees. He saw a thin white line pierce the head of the approaching wolf, ending its life in an instant. A glow faded to reveal a long arrow lodged in its skull.

“Huh?”

He didn’t have time to react before a horseman burst out behind him, roaring, slicing down the four wolves at his back in one clean stroke. More arrows flew from between the trees. Then, a dark crimson explosion obliterated the ones on his right.

Rei instinctively shielded his head from the chaos. He heard canine whimpers and realized the wolves were gone—half dead, half fleeing. He looked around, dazed.

“We found the treasure!”

The voice came from a second horse emerging from where the arrows had flown. Two people rode it, while another rode alone on a white horse. All three wore different outfits, yet each bore the same colors—white, orange, and green.

"A sect just saved me?" Rei thought. "What treasure are they talking about?"

The lone rider’s white horse stepped forward. A stocky young man with violet hair raised an eyebrow and shot him a disdainful look.

“This dusty little brat is supposed to be our hero?”

Rei quickly realized how he must look. After rolling on the ground, fighting thugs, and working all day, he was more grime and soot than boy.

"Did he say... hero?" That part confused him most.

“Hey! The Goddess guided me, and she never makes mistakes!” came a sharp voice.

Rei now noticed the brown horse. Two people on it—a boy handling the reins, and a girl clinging to his back. They looked younger than the first rider, though the dim light made it hard to be sure. The boy jumped off the horse with enviable agility, startling Rei.

“Hey! You!” he said, walking toward him with a grin. “How are you? Um... welcome!” He clicked his tongue. “Damn it, I should’ve memorized the speech.”

He stopped short when he saw what Rei was holding.

“Oh, so that explosion was from—”

Rei snapped out of his daze and raised the pistol again, pointing it straight at the blond-haired, golden-eyed boy. The girl gasped. The knight drew his sword, which began to glow again as he glared at Rei.

“Who are you?!” Rei shouted.

“Hey, calm down.” The boy raised both hands. “We’re not here to hurt you. In fact, thank Solaria you fired that thing, or your brains would’ve been inside that black-skulled wolf. Though judging by the claw marks, it still gave you a fight.”

Rei lowered his guard for a second and looked at the wound the boy had pointed out—his left arm. The adrenaline drained from his body, and the pain returned like a thousand fires.

“Ahhh! Ah! Help!” Rei dropped the gun and collapsed.

“Leo, any forces left?” the boy asked.

“Yes!”

For several agonizing seconds, Rei writhed. But then he felt a strange warmth crawl up his arm. The burning pain faded. He opened his eyes, stunned, and saw a faint white light flowing from someone’s hand into his wound.

“What...?”

He looked up and saw the girl for the first time. Her large emerald eyes looked calmly into his. A few strands of hair escaped from under the large white hood covering her head.

“I’m sure you have many questions,” she said gently. “But for now, you must come with us. There’s nothing to fear anymore. All right?”

Rei seemed lost in her gaze, narrowing more and more as she healed him. The other two waited for his response. Still dazed, he nodded faintly.

~~~✨~~~

They rode at a steady pace, leaving behind the site of the attack. Rei did his best to stay balanced atop the older man’s horse, still dizzy. Nearby, the second horse carried the girl, who rested drowsily against the blond boy’s back.

Several minutes passed in silence, broken only by the hooves striking damp earth and distant birdsong. Rei couldn’t hold back his burning question.

“What is this place? I’ve never seen wolves that fierce.”

The rider didn’t answer immediately. Wind rustled the trees. Rei noticed sunlight beginning to pierce the clouds.

“You’re in Aetheris,” the man said at last, without turning. “Specifically, the Kingdom of Kounaria. And those wolves will be the least of your problems.”

Rei blinked. He hadn’t understood a single word. He had never heard those names before. But soon, he understood why.

The forest began to clear. The trees gave way to soft, grassy hills, and beyond them, Rei saw towers of gray stone rising into the sky. A city of castles, walls, and pale white stone—like something out of the Middle Ages. And behind that, a huge sea extending to the horizon.

Rei’s heart sank as he remembered the rider’s question: “This dusty little brat is supposed to be our hero?”

"I must be dreaming... right?"