True Outside

Blue sparks flickered briefly around him, then his vision was drowned in white—like a blank sheet pressed over his eyes. It wasn’t blinding, but it also wasn’t pleasant.

His body panicked as his senses lagged behind, a strange disarray left him feeling momentarily unbalanced, like the entire world was spinning yet unable to not stand dead straight.

The flash passed as if nothing had happened, yet the world around him was no longer the same. The stone arena and vibrant forest were gone, replaced by mossy trees and cracked stone ruins steeped in dark green hues, reflecting a warm mid-day sun.

A cool breeze brushed his skin, the uneven ground shifted under his feet, and something churned uneasily in his gut. It wasn’t painful—just a wrongness without discomfort, a sensation that made no sense.

His grip tightened unconsciously until Tokko shifted, glancing at him with concern. Realizing, he released her hand and scanned their surroundings.

“All good on your end, Joseph?”

Han stood a few meters away with his group, calm but clearly ready to move on.

Joseph cast a quick look over Tokko—half expecting her to be worse off, given the sickness stirring in him. Yet she seemed fine. “Yeah… we’re good. Where are the others? Considering we’re in the middle of nowhere, I’d have thought they’d already come running back to you.”

The group glanced around, but there were no tracks, no signs, nothing to suggest anyone had been here. Han rubbed his chin, feigning thought.

“Hmm. Maybe there are multiple exits? Either way, once we reach some sort of civilization, we can organize our thoughts and search them out if we need to.”

Joseph caught Han’s glance and understood. Whatever had happened to the missing survivors, Han wasn’t about to explain here. With the others agreeing with the plan, they got themselves ready.

With Joseph being the technical ‘scout’ of the group, he focused his hearing, listening for threats. After a few moments, he shook his head. “Nothing obvious nearby—at least not within my range. The forest is devoid of movement besides insects or small birds as well.”

Han nodded and gathered the party. They set off down the cracked path, their formation tight: Han and Logan at the front, Che and Tokko in the middle, Joseph at the rear. All armed and on edge, ready for anything in this new environment.

After an hour of uneventful walking, the path brought them to a small, rundown village. Nearly every building sagged under moss and ivy, walls cracked, roofs half-collapsed. Battle scars were etched into the stone with deep gouges along the street itself.

Yet the ruin was not lifeless. Bright flowers bloomed everywhere—rows of blue, green, pink, and crimson blossoms lined the village street in perfect order. They weren’t wild growth but carefully maintained, a strange beauty that looked almost artificial.

The sweet nectar scent was so strong they recoiled at first, then slowly acclimated. Even Tokko’s lips curved into a faint smile as she stopped to admire a massive magenta bloom. From the first sight they all felt an air of mysticism, a disaster turned into beauty.

All except Han, who masked a shocked, emotion-filled face, keeping a few steps ahead of the others to control his accelerated pulse. Each gaze on a building, flower or remnant of life flooded his mind with memories, as he quite literally went down memory lane.

As they walked, still keeping up their guard, they came across what seemed to be the main street. Lined with life as insects buzzed, flew, and went about their lives, at the far end of the road stood a building in better repair than the rest. A stool sat out front beside a basket of tools, evidence of sentient life.

As they approached, the door creaked open, latches clicking shut behind it. A middle-aged man stepped out, sitting heavily on the stool.

“Oh? Adventurers, eh? I’ll tell ya now, not much to hunt round here except rabbits and squirrels.”

His calm, steady voice carried cleanly through the air, despite his gruff accent. Gray hair trimmed close to his head stirred faintly as he leaned back. His eyes were clear, even innocent—though Joseph noted the flicker of thought hidden behind them.

Han stepped forward, politely speaking to the man. “Actually, we’re a bit lost. We were in some sort of underground dungeon, filled with monsters. We managed to escape and ended up here... wherever here is?”

The man’s eyes lit with intrigue, though only briefly before he masked it with a casual lean. “Is that so? Where ya from? Do ya remember?”

The question froze the others. Their eyes darted to one another in confusion, memories suddenly hazy. Han gave a subtle shake of his head, silencing any reply.

The man’s expression softened with pity. “I see. It happened again… sorry for ya, lad.” He muttered something under his breath, lips twisting in conflict, before sighing. “Well, I’d be in more trouble if I didn’t.”

Standing, he gestured them onward. “We ain’t got much, but our leader’ll sort ya out. Come along—mind where ya step.”

He opened the door wide, looking to Han and the others to follow him inside. Joseph’s eyes immediately squinted in suspicion, tightening the grip on his bow. Despite being at the back he heard a voice enter his ears, almost as if the man was directly next to him.

“No need for that lad, what threat can an old gardener be?”

Looking through the heads, Joseph locked eyes with the old man. “Quite a lot…” The man smiled and looked to Han, wondering if he thought the same. Han, turning around to the others showed a relaxed, confident face. “Trust me, we’ll be fine.”

Giving a different glint in his eyes to Joseph, he relented but still kept his guard up. Entering inside the small house, tools, dirt, and sacks of seeds cluttered the floor just like a gardener’s shed.

“Excuse the mess. It’s Layspring season—plenty o’ work in the gardens and I ain’t as young as I used ta be.”

Han gave a charismatic smile, eyes full of reminiscence. “It’s nicer than the dungeon we’ve been in… homely even...” Han’s gaze lingered over the room, catching the old man’s attention. “Haha, I like ya laddy.”

Che on the other hand wrinkled her nose as the stench of dirt and manure assaulted her. She glared at Han for the remark but kept quiet, using a piece of cloth to help.

The man closed the door behind them, then bent down and lifted a massive wooden hatch—thick as a fortress door, reinforced with metal hinges. He hauled it open with ease and gestured them down, Joseph’s eyes narrowed further causing the old man to playfully smirk at his cautiousness

Han thanked him with familiarity, descending first. Anxiety flared among the others, but they followed, trusting Han to know what he’s doing.

The hatch shut with a dull thump, vibrating the brickwork. The man muttered about his back before climbing down after them. With a flick of his wrist, the far wall lit up.

Symbols flared across the surface in rapid sequence, weaving together into a glowing image of a sunlit forest. Wisps of energy bled from the edges, the picture shrinking ever so slightly as runes dissolved into nothing.

“Alright—watch yer step. First time’s a bit rough.”

Without hesitation, the man strode through the wavy image and vanished.

Che balked. “Leader… is this really safe?”

“I can’t explain it, but do you trust me?” Logan and Che gave a nod, Joseph stared blankly unsure while Tokko just stayed beside him. Han, knowing there isn’t anything more he could do at the moment, stepped into the image vanishing. Logan and Che, soon following.

Joseph, contemplating, turned to Tokko before sighing. “If I say to run, don’t hesitate for a second. Got it?!” She hurriedly nodded, then followed as he stepped into the image as well.