Something new

Chapter 2

Truck-kun did not hold back.

Naoya felt as though he had left a part of himself behind after the heavy, painful impact. The truck sent him flying and tumbling like a rag doll, each roll emphasizing the pain all over his body. His mind was overloaded with so many sensations, and then, everything went dark.

He wakes up after a while to find Yui crying over him and calling out his name. He could see Hiro talking to someone on his phone, his expression panicked, as a few worried bystanders gathered around them. He tried to look around for the old lady, but she was nowhere to be found.

He tries to lift his arm and touch Yui's face to try to reassure her, but it couldn't move. His body ached all over, and he felt a warm liquid flowing down his face. All he could do was smile at her.

Well, if this is what it takes for Yui to realize her feelings for me, I don't mind. I wish I didn't have to die for it, though. Please just be severe injuries or a short coma.

With his consciousness fleeting, a few thoughts lingered in his mind.

I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. I couldn't hold back on trying to impress Yui. But hey, at least I went out a hero, right? I saved a random old lady who was saying weird things… and sorry to Yuna as well. I won't be able to help her study anymore. Hopefully she grows up as smart as me… or, well, grows up actually smart instead of just magically being good at everything…

He tries to open his eyes again, and he sees Hiro silently crying beside him. He felt someone's warm embrace, the scent of her favorite citrus perfume, and immediately knew who it was.

Yui… I'm sorry. Looks like I can't keep my promise to you anymore.

The image of his best friend, a young girl pointing a toy sword at him and wearing a radiant smile, flashed before his eyes. All the trouble they got into when they were younger. All the fun holidays with his family and all the love he's been given. Years of memories flashed before him within seconds.

And with these thoughts, something else appeared in his mind. The faint image of a young woman with blue, wavy hair, wearing a large hat and elegant robes, appeared in his memories. She had her eyes closed, her form illuminated by something bright in front of her, and she spoke a language that he did not understand, but still oddly familiar, having heard it in his dreams so many times.

Who are you?

What have I been dreaming of my entire life?

The question that's been on his mind for so long.

The wizard lady opens one eye and looks at him.

"You'll find out soon enough," she says with a smile.

What?

The light in front of her shone brighter, and Naoya felt himself falling as his consciousness faded.

Everything was quiet. Naoya couldn't feel or think about anything anymore. All he knew was himself, suspended in a vast nothingness.

Then, after what seemed like eternity, he could think again, he could feel again. He felt his eyes closed, his body lying down on something cold, and he could smell the fresh scent of grass.

He opens his eyes and sees the bright blue sky, the treetops above him, and the sunlight passing through the leaves. The birds chirped in the distance, and the wind gently howled through the forest.

Naoya sits up and examines himself. He wore a simple white shirt and brown pants, as plain as clothing can get. He observed his surroundings, spotting squirrels in the trees and animals running in the distance. Some small wisps of light floated around the plants and slowly faded.

There's no way.

He quickly stands up and runs toward what looks like the edge of a cliff. His heart pounding loudly in his chest, he grabs onto a tree branch to stop his sprint, and his gaze sweeps across the scenery before him.

Large, rolling hills filled with different kinds of trees, some with bizarre shapes and colors; lightly colored deer that pranced among the forest canopy instead of on the ground; a boar that looked larger than him, sleeping beside a crystal clear river; and a large, walled city in the distance.

Naoya couldn't contain his excitement.

"There's no way I just got isekai'd! Hahahaha! I'm finally in a fantasy world!"

He cheered as he jogged through the forest, excitedly looking for new and exciting things along the way, like rabbits that disappeared and reappeared a short distance away when startled, and what seemed to be a small bush that slowly walked along a tree trunk.

Calming himself down from his initial excitement, Naoya stopped moving and rested.

"Okay, this place is definitely a fantasy world, so first things first, let me see my stats page."

He closed his eyes and opened his palm in front of him, trying to make his stats page appear… to no avail.

"So it's not a game-based world, huh. Let's see if I can use magic.”

He sits down on the ground and closes his eyes, slowing down his breathing and concentrating on himself and his surroundings. He tried to find any strange sensations within himself.

After a while, he felt a tingling sensation from his chest, which slowly spread into the rest of his body. Trying to suppress his excitement, he shifted his focus to his surroundings. First, he felt the ground and trees around him, focusing until they felt more definite in his mind, as if he could see their outline with his eyes closed. He continued his meditation, and slowly but surely, the tingling feeling within himself started feeling more natural, and his surroundings felt clearer than ever.

Feeling excited about this newfound ability, he started sensing something new. Small, bright creatures, watching him from the trees. He opens one eye and looks in their direction, and for a brief moment, he spots a small wisp of light, the same one he saw when he woke up, before it quickly fades away again.

He shrugged. "Probably fairies."

Naoya stands up and stretches his body, satisfied with his progress. He felt significantly more energetic and alert, and was starting to get more ideas in his head.

"Right, next course of action, I need to survive out here, or try to find a place to stay." He looks around and starts walking in the direction of the city he saw earlier, thinking he might find roads or inns along the way. He passed by a river and looked around the trees for food and water he could consume, hesitating at first in fear of food poisoning, but eventually dismissed his worries with a logical reason: "There's no bacteria in a magical world, right?"

The water was refreshing and tasted like common drinking water, despite coming from a river. He tried some safe-looking fruits, and they tasted similarly sweet to ones he had in the past, but there were also ones that looked like they were not going to be good snacks, so he simply left those alone.

After a long day's walk, finding more of the forest's friendly and not-so-friendly inhabitants along the way, it was starting to get dark, and Naoya had still not found any signs of civilization.

"Well, I guess we're camping here tonight." He says as he starts looking around for kindling to start a fire, whistling to himself while keeping an eye on his surroundings. After gathering enough materials, he sits down and starts rubbing two stones together, trying to start a fire. When it fails, he tries other methods he's seen from games and anime, but only ends up with a burnt spot on a leaf after trying them all.

After thinking for a while, he scoffs at himself.

"What am I doing… I'm in a fantasy world right now."

He sits straight and starts focusing again, holding out his hand over the pile of kindling. He concentrates all his thoughts on creating a fire, imagining the magical energy within him gathering in his palm. He started feeling warmth in his hands, a good sign that urged him to keep going until finally, a brief puff of flame appeared under his hand, lighting up the kindling.

"Oh shoot!" Naoya says as he starts fanning air into the fire and adding more fuel. After a few more minutes, Naoya stood up and proudly looked at his campfire, which now burned bright and kept him warm as the sky grew dark.

"Man, I bet Yui will be impressed when I show her my campfire skills."

Yui

And then, it all came back to him.

All the memories from his home. His normal student life. His final moments. The friends and family he accidentally left behind.

His feelings overwhelmed him, and he slowly broke down and cried, regretting everything that happened and wishing he could wake up to see them again, thinking that this world might just be a dream.

He cried himself to sleep that night, all alone, with nothing but a fire keeping him warm in this fantasy world.