Chapter 3:
Arch 1: "Arrival at the new dawn."— Chapter 3: "Trees, animals, and things like that..."
Heart: Teleported to another world— Great, now I'll live a life full of success and dreams!
(“Why am I so terrified?”)
His mind was a tangled mess, the memory of the mugging by those thieves all but wiped clean from his thoughts. Every ounce of focus was pinned to the bush’s strange stirrings; paranoia coiled tight in his chest like a live wire.
(“What am I supposed to do?”)
For fleeting seconds, clarity cut through the fog in Tsumiya’s head. He could feel the ghost of all his old training coursing through his veins, and fragments of nature documentaries he’d once watched flickered to life—films that had left him with a peculiar wariness of vast deserts and towering, endless forests.
(“I’ve got an idea...”)
Nervously, he squeezed the dry branch harder, his knuckles white as bone until the wood snapped clean in two, as if he were begging the lifeless thing for some kind of sign or approval. In the same breath, his gaze darted wildly across every direction he could see: fear still clawed at his insides, sharp and raw. But his first task was already set in stone: “Find out what’s in there” was the only goal that mattered now. If he stumbled upon the wrong creature—something dangerous, something deadly—his life could end in an instant.
A flash of fierce determination curved his lips into a grin, his fighting spirit flaring to its peak, as if he were right back in his school days when every challenge had felt just a little bit easier to face.
—In one sudden burst, he lunged toward the bush, his heart slamming against his ribs hard enough to hurt, fueled by a surge of adrenaline that set his blood racing. With a swift, powerful motion of his leg...
He kicked the bush square in its center.
[Sssssh]
The leaves rustled and shivered once more—but this time, the sound came not from any hidden guest inside, but from the force of Tsumiya’s strike itself.
—To his shock, his foot connected with nothing solid. All he felt was the soft crush of leaves and the crackle of dry twigs beneath his sole.
Confusion washed over his face, the kind of bewildered stare someone wears when they uncover something truly odd with their own two eyes.
Then, from within the disturbed foliage, a small creature emerged—one he’d never laid eyes on before: a lizard with brilliant, shifting colors, as if a tiny rainbow had taken living form right there in front of him.
—But his wonder lasted no more than three heartbeats. In the blink of an eye, the little animal’s hues had faded to deep, dark tones, and it darted away, vanishing into the trees far beyond his reach.
Tsumiya: [“...A lizard?”]
The thought hit him instantly. It was the colors that stunned him most—he’d never seen a creature shift its shades so fast, not even the most adaptable species he’d heard of could blend into their surroundings with such a kaleidoscope of tones.
Slowly, he pulled his foot from the bush, his legs wobbling so badly he nearly crumpled to the ground. But a quick reflex saved him, and he caught himself by gripping handfuls of the bush’s leaves.
[Ufff...]
A long sigh escaped his lips in that moment. Some part of him felt a wave of profound relief—but what truly stuck with him was the strange, remarkable animal he’d just encountered. In the end...
The mission: “Find out what’s in there” was a complete success. He’d walked away alive, and even witnessed something incredible...
—“The rainbow lizard”; a simple name he’d coined the second he’d laid eyes on it.
His pulse and heartbeat began to ease, slowing to a steady, calm rhythm—proof that he was finally regaining his composure, and could likely press on with his true, overarching goal: “Get out of the forest.”
Tsumiya let the two broken pieces of the dry branch fall from his hands. He had no more need for the fragile weapon nature had offered him.
Tsumiya: [“Yeah... it was just a little lizard after all.”]
He spoke in a softer, steadier voice, the flicker of self-assurance he’d lost moments ago now burning bright once more.
—With that, he started walking again, his steps more even and relaxed than before. Even so, a strange, heavy weariness was beginning to settle deep in his bones.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Tsumiya had always been the kind of person who pushed things to the very edge—and today was no different. The moon cast a gentle, silver glow over the woods that felt almost like a warm embrace, yet each step he took was leaden and slow. The adrenaline that had carried him this far had left its mark, weighing him down as if he’d strapped fifty kilos of stone to his back.
Though his body was already at its limit, his vision had grown blurry, the world around him swimming like he’d plunged his eyes straight into cold water.
Tsumiya: [“How long have I been walking?”]
He mumbled the words under his breath, sweat beading thick on his forehead and soaking into his sweatshirt, leaving dark stains in its wake. His limbs felt impossibly heavy, as if chains linked to a car were dragging at his legs—a sensation he’d never known before.
—In all his life, only two other moments had left him feeling this drained.
He came to a stop, exhaustion threatening to pull him down into the dirt. His breathing was ragged and harsh, a sound he couldn’t ignore. He knew now that escaping the forest wouldn’t be nearly as simple as he’d hoped.
His gaze dropped to the ground, heavy with weariness, as every sign of his breaking point became impossible to hide: he was on the verge of collapsing. His posture was telling all—hunched slightly forward, eyes fixed on the earth below, his hands resting lightly against his thighs, every ounce of fatigue plain to see.
—But then, something caught his eye.
In an instant, his vision sharpened just enough to make out a shape through the trees: a lush, healthy meadow, dotted with trees and stretching out before him like a promise.
Tsumiya: [“I think... I found a place to rest.”]
He whispered, a faint, tired smile touching his lips. He found the strength to pick up his pace once more—hope had returned at last. More than that: he’d found the perfect spot to catch his breath after fifteen long minutes of pushing forward through the woods.
Each step toward the meadow felt as if he were dragging his feet through a thick, treacherous quagmire. His muscles protested with every movement, but Tsumiya forced himself to keep going, drawn by that soft glow that enveloped the grass like a delicate blanket of silvery light. As he advanced, the trees gradually thinned out, their long shadows retreating timidly until, finally, the clearing opened before him in all its expanse: a vast field dotted with flowers in some areas, so similar to those images he had seen online of idyllic meadows hidden deep in the forest. Several sturdy oak trees stood at the edges, their branches spread wide as if they wanted to offer a protective embrace to anyone who dared to rest there.
—It really is a peaceful place —he whispered to himself, almost voiceless.
Tsumiya: [—Finally… a rest…]
He said it in a very low voice, with a tone completely devoid of strength. It sounded exhausted, as if every syllable cost him a titanic effort. His body no longer had any reserves; the adrenaline that had driven him to face the lizard had completely evaporated, leaving only a heavy void that threatened to drag him into unconsciousness.
Now exhaustion had settled into every fiber of his being, so deep that he felt he could faint at any moment.
He took a few more steps. The weight in his limbs was almost unbearable, his vision still blurry at the edges, but at least he could perceive the soft green tones of the meadow and distinguish, in the distance, the occasional song of some nocturnal birds. That distant sound seemed, for an instant, like a small comfort amid the fatigue.
(«Come on, Tsumiya… just a little more.»)
He tried to encourage himself as best he could, clinging to positive thoughts, although they faded as quickly as they appeared. He knew he needed to rest, that his body was crying out for a pause, but he was also vaguely and distantly aware that his mind was too clouded to make prudent decisions.
The final steps were a true battle against himself. A constant breeze blew across the clearing, mixing the comforting coolness of the night with a sharper cold that slipped under his clothes. However, Tsumiya was not lucid enough to reflect on how dangerous it could be to sleep in such an open and exposed place.
He lay down slowly on a small mound of soft grass. His aching muscles protested at first, but little by little they began to relax. The mental fatigue was, by far, what weighed on him the most; it was as if a thick fog enveloped his thoughts, making any effort feel titanic. The fresh air caressed his exhausted limbs, bringing him a subtle but profound relief.
(«This feels… really good.»)
At that precise instant, the fresh air surrounding him generated a strange and comforting sense of trust in the environment. For the first time in a long while, even someone as cautious as he was allowed himself to feel satisfied, setting aside —if only for a few minutes— any concern about the consequences the next day might bring.
Feeling the soft breeze envelop him like an invisible mantle, his eyelids began to grow heavy, irresistible.
At that precise moment…
Tsumiya would have fallen asleep.
△▼△▼△▼△
In his weakened state, the only thing he could perceive was an empty, dark, oppressive room. A thick rope was tightly wedged between his teeth, preventing him from breathing normally and much less from speaking. His hands were bound with cold and meticulous precision, and dark bruises were already forming around the restraints, throbbing with dull pain.
He felt completely helpless. He could not move. He could not fight. He could not scream for help...
He could do absolutely nothing.
A sudden sound interrupted his weak attempts to free himself: someone seemed to be climbing the stairs with deliberate steps. A visceral panic invaded him immediately, freezing his blood. It was the most primal fear any normal person could feel: the pure terror of kidnapping and imminent torture.
The soft, measured footsteps drew closer and closer, slow but inevitable, until they stopped right in front of the door.
The sound of the doorknob turning echoed in the absolute silence, amplified by fear, filling the bound and defenseless young man with overwhelming terror.
A distorted silhouette began to materialize in the doorway: it looked like an older man dressed in formal clothing, but his mere presence conveyed absolute and undeniable authority. His posture was unyielding, that of someone accustomed to the world bending before him.
???: [—You… incredibly greedy idiot.]
The man’s voice reverberated inside the room like a final verdict. Everything fell silent, as if even the air itself were listening to its king. With an imposing and dominant presence, the man advanced directly toward the bound young man and, just as he was about to reach him…
Something made the entire scene vanish into nothingness.
△▼△▼△▼△
The night sky continued to stretch above Tsumiya, vast and indifferent. The stars shone with the same serene beauty with which they had welcomed him when he entered the forest, thanks to some strange whim of the night; a truly unique spectacle among all those he had contemplated in his life. He could not remember clearly what he had dreamed, but a constant, irritating sound began to filter into his consciousness, something he could not identify at first.
[Bzzzzz]
Mosquitoes swarmed around his body, landing mercilessly on his exposed skin to feed on his blood. Their buzzing was monotonous, insistent, so persistent that any other noise would have sounded far more pleasant.
The confused and still drowsy Tsumiya took several seconds to process what was happening. His unfocused gaze remained fixed on the beautiful starry sky above him. He had never been a great admirer of the stars, but he knew how to recognize their beauty in special moments.
This, definitely, was not one of those moments.
[Bzzzzz]
He heard the sharp buzz again and only then did reality hit him: he was surrounded by them.
(«What’s going on?»)
He hesitated for another moment, caught in that hazy confusion between the strange man from his dream and the insects harassing him; a brief limbo between sleep and full consciousness. But he soon regained some composure and began to wave his hands clumsily, trying to shoo them away.
—First lesson: do not sleep outdoors.
Tsumiya continued swatting at the mosquitoes with increasingly desperate movements, but in response, they only swirled around him with greater insistence, generating an even more chaotic and irritating buzz; a sound that was almost unbearable for someone already carrying such profound exhaustion.
[Bzzzzz]
The mosquitoes continued their siege. The bites were already clearly noticeable and small red spots began to appear rapidly on his hands and arms.
(«Why do all the bad things always happen to me?»)
For a brief moment, Tsumiya reflected on his rookie mistake in the middle of nature. He knew that even if he managed to escape from there, the bites would bring him days of itching and physical discomfort. But those thoughts scattered immediately when he felt the urgent need to get away from that area as soon as possible.
At that instant, Tsumiya got up and started running toward the darkness offered by the forest.
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