Chapter 2: Off To Another World!

Reika had no idea of her current situation. She tried to open her eyes earlier, but the light kept her from seeing beyond the white curtains.

Ow...!

Even with just a glimpse, she couldn't see anything different—not even a trace of a silhouette. It was simply... white.

Although her eyelids were closed, Reika noticed that her vision suddenly dimmed.

CAW! CAW!

A loud cry suddenly rang through her ears. The complete silence she experienced before had deafened her; thus, the sudden sound had taken her by surprise.

Reika forced her eyes to open and see who made that noise. She squinted a little in fear of hurting her eyes.

"...A bird?"

The sound of wings as it flew past her, followed by a gust of wind brushing against her cheeks. It was a bird she saw in the past, although she had no idea what species it belonged to.

Reika simply watched as the bird soared past her, cutting its wings through the air with a graceful ease.

"What is it doing here anyways...?"

Reika opened her eyes wide. As her vision slowly cleared, Reika looked around—the surroundings were still a blur, but she couldn't shake the feeling that the sky above looked unusual.

Is it just me, or did the night sky seem a little too bright?

Reika blinked twice.

"Hm...?"

Reika finally saw the entirety of her surroundings. She didn't expect the result at all.

Out of nowhere, she found herself floating in the sky, suspended in broad daylight.

“EHHHHHHHHHH?!”

The sun’s rays warmed her skin as the light-blue sky stretched endlessly above her, with thick clouds scattered across the heavens.

Reika gasped at the spectacular yet unnerving view. She saw the lush green forest ahead—stretched endlessly beneath the vast sky. The scene filled her mind with a sense of tranquility.

"Where... am I?" Reika muttered in disbelief.

Just then, she noticed that something was off.

Wait a minute. If I saw the sky and ground all at once, that means...!

She glanced down and was shocked to see that she was freefalling. She barely felt it—not until she saw the ground below.

"GYAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Reika's heart raced faster. The height between her and the ground was far greater than the building she had fallen from before.

Where am I?! Why am I falling a-a-again?!

Reika's thoughts struggled to comprehend what was going on. She glanced around in confusion when something familiar caught her eye.

A white shirt? Who...?

She quickly turned around and froze. She remembered that someone got dragged due to her carelessness—the very same reason why that person was with her now.

It was her classmate, Shin Soru.

"Shin-kun?!"

Soru didn't respond. In fact, he didn't panic at all. His demeanor tells that he's simply letting the flow of events affect him.

"..."

No matter how strange his lack of reaction was, Reika knew that delving further into that topic would be a waste of time. The immediate problem at hand was all that mattered.

Reika slapped her cheeks.

There’s no time for this. I have to do something...!

She took a deep breath and steadied her racing thoughts.

"Fuuu..."

What should I do...

Reika looked below once more, taking in the vast expanse of thick forest below. Just then, a plan began to form in her mind.

Maybe I could aim for one of those trees. Those branches might be able to cushion me—probably enough to survive the fall...

"Shin-kun, look at the forest below! Find a tree to land on... Maybe, just maybe, we can survive if we land on one...!"

Soru glanced at Reika. In a calm tone, he simply replied, "Sure..."

As Reika kept scanning the forest below, she paused when something caught her eye.

"W-W-Wha—"

On the ground, she spotted a large, lizard-like creature surrounded by a wolf-like beast. At first, she hadn’t noticed them from up high, but as they fell closer, the creatures became more recognizable.

Reika's heart raced even faster after she got a clear picture of those unusual creatures below.

"W-What are those things? H-Hey Shin-kun, are you seeing those strange creatures?"

Soru looked down to see what Reika was referring to. Although he saw them as clear as day, he remained unbothered by it.

"Those creatures... aren't from Earth," he answered.

Reika looked at Soru. She realized that what he just said was right.

"Eh...? Then..."

She was taken aback at what he just said. Due to the unexpected revelation, Reika momentarily forgot her earlier plan.

By the time the thought crossed her mind, it was too late for them.

"Oh my...!"

The speed of her descent was too fast—there was no time to reach the nearest tree. Forget the fact that their death was imminent; both of them will land directly on those creatures below them.

"Guh..."

Fearing the worst, Reika shut her eyes tightly. What else could she do now? The outcome was inevitable.

Why... Not again!

In the blink of an eye, Reika felt the warmth of the grass brush her skin before her body slammed to the ground.

THUD!!

Reika braced herself for the searing pain to follow.

But instead of agony, there was nothing.

That’s it? I thought dying from a fall would hurt... she thought. I-I guess the pain was too much for my brain to register, and I died instant... ly?!

Reika was surprised when the warm rays of the sun touched her gentle skin. Right after she felt that unusual sensation, her nose picked up a strong, foul stench in the air.

Her nose struggled against the unbearable smell, causing her to gag instinctively.

"Urp...!"

She moved her hands to cover her nose and mouth. But then... She froze in shock.

Wait, I can move? I... I survived?!

Reika opened her eyes to assess the situation. She found herself staring at the uninjured Soru.

"Get up," Soru told her plainly as he extended his right arm.

Still overwhelmed by confusion and the lingering stench, Reika reached for his hand. She stood up shakily, still covering her nose.

"Thank you...?"

After Reika managed to stand upright, she immediately checked her body for injuries.

Huh...?

To her surprise, there wasn’t a single scratch on her.

No blood, no broken bones—nothing. From head to toe, she was completely unharmed.

"What the...? How!?" she muttered in disbelief.

She remembered the strange creatures she had seen moments before. She quickly whipped her head around, afraid that they might attack at any moment.

But what she saw left her frozen.

The large, lizard-like beasts lay dead, as though an invisible force had pressed them without warning. Meanwhile, the smaller, wolf-like creatures shared the same grim fate; their bodies mirrored the injuries of the larger beast.

As Reika tried to make sense of the unsettling scene, her eyes accidentally drifted to Soru. He just stood there in silence—his gaze still fixed at their remains.

Unlike her, Soru showed no fear or hesitation. His calm silence felt strange, almost as if he was oblivious to the possible dangers that lurked behind those unusual creatures.

Reika hesitated for a moment before taking a step toward him. Just as she moved, a piercing howl echoed through the forest. She froze still, her breath caught in her throat as the eerie sound rippled through the air.

ROOOARRR!

"…What the hell was that?"

She quickly turned her head to the right—the direction the unsettling howl seemed to come from. The ground trembled without warning, accompanied by the sharp crackling of trees being snapped in the distance.

Reika saw the birds above flee in panic—away from the source of the noise ahead. The tremors grew stronger in every breath she took, accompanied by thunderous footsteps pounding the ground, as if something massive was charging straight toward them.

The tension climbed until, without warning, everything fell silent.

Reika's eyes darted around the area. The stench of the dead beasts still lingered in the air, but she paid it no mind and continued to scan the trees ahead.

Her eyes noticed something unusual below them and instinctively shifted downward.

Huh…?

She noticed a shadow—large and ominous—stretched across the ground.

Reika tilted her head upward as slowly as she could. Just then, something massive loomed overhead, its form obscuring the sun, casting the ground into an ominous gloom.

SWOOSH!

A powerful gust of wind suddenly tore through the clearing, whipping around them with such force that it scattered dust in every direction.

"Cough! Cough! What is going on!?" Reika cried over the roaring gale.

The swirling dust obscured everything around them in a second and rendered their vision. Reika shielded her eyes with her arm in desperation to keep the particles out.

Through the chaos, she took a glance at Soru. Amidst the blinding cloud of dust and the danger above them, his calm demeanor is still evident.

Moments later, the dust settled down. Reika's breath caught as her surroundings came back into focus. She then looked at the sky once more and instantly froze in place.

Towering above them was an enormous, terrifying creature. Reika had no idea what it was—it was a creature she saw for the first time in her life.

The massive creature flew in the sky with wings stretching wide and two powerful hind legs on its lower body. Each wing ended in massive claws, sharp and gleaming, adding a sinister edge to its already menacing form. Its ash-gray skin seemed rugged and weathered, exuding an aura of raw power. Though it bore a small resemblance to the lizard-like creature from earlier, this beast was far more terrifying—its sheer size and presence overwhelmed her.

As Reika's gaze traveled up its elongated neck, she gulped when its glowing, crimson eyes locked onto hers. She immediately felt its piercing gaze, causing her legs to shake uncontrollably.

Unbeknownst to her, that fearsome creature was a "Wyvern," a beast of legend mentioned in fantasy stories.

Before their arrival, the wyvern had been gliding silently through the sky, scanning the forest below with its keen crimson eyes. It had sensed the presence of a Basilisk—a lizard-like creature—and a pack of Rabid Wolves locked in a fierce battle. Driven by hunger, the wyvern decided to descend, landing far from the commotion to observe the ongoing fight from a safe distance.

As one of the more intelligent monsters of the forest, the wyvern came up with an idea. Instead of doing unnecessary intervention, it is better to wait for the combat to end, anticipating that one or both parties would either perish or become too weak to resist. Once the moment was right, the wyvern would strike swiftly and claim its prize without a struggle.

After a while, using its heightened sense of smell, the wyvern sensed that both the Basilisk and the Rabid Wolves had perished. The monster prepared its way toward the fresh corpses. However, it suddenly paused, its instincts flaring with caution.

Something was off.

The wyvern’s sharp nose picked up two unfamiliar scents drifting around its prey. Alarmed, the wyvern shifted into a state of vigilance and crept deeper into the shadows of the forest without making any noise. Its sharp eyes scanned ahead with precision and managed to locate the source of the disturbance in no time.

Up ahead, the monster saw two humanoid figures standing amidst the mangled remains of the Basilisk and the wolves.

The wyvern narrowed its crimson eyes.

Seeing that intruders had interfered with its hunt, the wyvern grew enraged. With a furious roar, it charged toward them, intent on eliminating the humans it blamed for ruining the Basilisk and Rabid Wolves’ corpses.

Back at the present, Reika was still frozen in place. Her legs felt like rock—she couldn't afford to take a single step in fear of what the monster might do to her if she attempted to escape.

She couldn't help herself and watched in horror as the wyvern’s wings began to flap more rapidly, stirring the air into a furious gust. Then, the creature opened its massive jaws. A glowing, yellowish-red orb began to form within its mouth.

Before she could react, the wyvern unleashed its fiery breath. The searing flames raced toward them and engulfed everything in seconds.

But to her surprise, she felt nothing.

What on earth is going on? She wondered as the fiery blaze continued to swirl around her without harm.

When Reika opened her eyes to check what was going on, she was stunned by what she saw.

Instead of being burned alive, the flames had no effect on her—even Soru was also fine. There were no signs of burns on her body.

Even her clothes remained untouched.

"What the... how is this possible?"

Desperate for answers, she turned to look at Soru.

Reika saw Soru's eyes fixed on the wyvern with his unwavering composure. He never said anything or even asked what was going on.

He just stood there, unfazed.

Adding to her confusion, Reika noticed something strange: the trees around them were burning, even though the wyvern’s fiery breath hadn’t reached that far. The distance between the creature, its target, and the trees should have made it impossible for the flames to spread so widely.

What is going on here...? She wondered as the heat rose further in the air.

Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind swept through the area. Reika looked up and saw the wyvern flap its wings violently and stir the flames into a chaotic dance.

The massive beast opened its mouth again. This time, a swirling orb of fire began forming within its maw. It was way hotter—growing stronger with each passing moment. Without giving them a time to spare, the wyvern quickly spewed its breath ahead.

The wyvern's fiery breath reached them in an instant, leaving Reika no chance to escape. Yet, she was unscathed once again, despite the flames being fiercer than before.

When the blaze subsided, Reika let out a heavy breath. She anticipated the same outcome as before.

But this time, something unexpected happened.

The wyvern's massive body was engulfed in flames!

Its ash-gray skin burned violently, as though it had been struck by a powerful attack coming from an unseen force.

The beast roared in agony, thrashing wildly in an attempt to extinguish the flames consuming it.

"KRAAAAAHHH!!"

The wyvern's relentless wails echoed throughout the forest as it spiraled in the sky. With its wings severely burned by the raging flames, the monster struggled to maintain altitude and plummeted to the ground moments later.

The impact sent tremors through the earth and almost toppled Reika. After the tremble, she cautiously approached the fallen monster while keeping a safe distance.

Reika noticed the wyvern's body twitch weakly. Reika could still feel the heat coming from the creature. She was stunned to see its scorched skin and stepped back in disbelief.

Moments later, the wyvern let out one final groan and died on the spot.

Reika glanced around. The forest was eerily quiet. There were corpses lying around—the scattered remains of the other monsters and the burnt wyvern were right in front of her.

"I... I don't know what's going on anymore..."

Just then, Reika remembered Soru. She took a glance and saw him unharmed, with a face calm as ever.

His eyes were fixed on the burning wyvern, unbothered by its lifeless state.

After a moment, Soru shifted his gaze. He looked around until his attention landed on a long, thin twig lying at the base of a nearby tree.

Curious about what he's going to do, Reika asked him. "Hey, what are you doing—"

"Ah, there you are."

Soru made his way to where the twig lay and crouched down to pick it up. Then, he began to position the twig upright on the ground.

Reika watched in puzzlement as Soru adjusted the twig—he made sure that the twig was stable.

Right after he stabilized the twig, he let it go. He then saw that the upper end of the twig pointed directly to his right.

Soru stood up and took a step forward. "Let's go, Mitsuha-san."