Waking up elsewhere

"Kal, your strength surpasses that of your peers. Yet, bear in mind the weight of responsibility that accompanies it... use it wisely, always with the intent to protect, understood?"

Dad... I know.

...

"Come on, we are brothers now!"

"Isn't that obvious, fatty!?"

Fred... Sam...

...

"Mr. Crux, I am really sorry to tell you this, but your father, Rob Crux has unfortunately passed away."

Eh? Wh-What? D-Dad is dead?

...

"I am sorry, Kal."

M-Mom, what are you saying?

"But this is the only way..."

What are you doing!?

"Remember, you are my Candidate... no matter what happens, survive, Kal..."

MOM!!!

***

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Somewhere in the world of Luminara, a black-haired, eighteen-year-old good-looking boy named Kalsie Crux jolted awake from his unpleasant dream as he experienced a sudden fit of coughing.

As his light-grey yet soul-capturing eyes looked around, the surroundings felt alien to him, nothing like the comfort of his familiar home where he was just a second ago.

"What the--!?... Where am I?" he muttered, his voice filled with confusion.

His eye's panicked as they darted around the foreign landscape, illuminated by the brilliant moonlight.

He was standing on a sandy beach, waves crashing furiously while salty winds brushed through his hair.

"I was dreaming... No!! I was talking with mom... but how did I end up here?"

Confusion and unease washed over him as he struggled to comprehend how he had arrived in this desolate place where a vast ocean was stretching out before him. His hometown was nestled far and far into inland and it had no shoreline.

'How can this be.... Think!!' The situation was overwhelming for him.

Then as he tried to remember more, suddenly, the memory of his mother's last actions along with her cryptic words before he lost consciousness resurfaced, casting an eerie shadow over his thoughts.

'Mom...?' She had done something to him, something that left him here alone, and it was beyond baffling for him because there wasn't any reason as to why she would do something like abandoning on a strange place to someone she loves.

"Mom? Are you there!?" Panic surged through Kalsie as he shouted and looked everywhere to find her.

"MOOMMMM!!!!" He shouted as desperation was filling his voice.

Yet, despite him calling out to her, no response except the hollowing winds and crashing of the waves hit his ears, leaving him in a state of shock.

"Why... Mom, why!?" He called out on last time as if to ask about her mysterious actions, but his cries were swallowed by the vastness of the night, his voice lost amid the ceaseless roar of the sea.

"No... No!!... There must be a reason for this!!!" Despite the dire yet unexplainable situation, Kalsie forced himself to stay calm something he had learned from his father. But nevertheless, his heart was beating aloud.

His situation was strange but he knew he had breath properly and control his anxious heart.

"Hah... Hah... Hah..." Seconds passed and after controlling his beating heart, he then warily scanned his unfamiliar surroundings, trying to piece together any clues that might explain his predicament.

To his front, the relentless waves crashed onto the shore, a vast expanse of water under the watchful moon. Behind him, an enigmatic forest lay concealed in the darkness, the dense trees blocking his view.

As he was surveying his surroundings with slight anxious heart, Kalsie's gaze then fell upon himself, and he froze.

His attire which he was wearing previously had changed. He was now clad in a black tracksuit that utterly foreign to him.

"!!!" But what sent shivers down his spine was the object hanging at his waist.

It was a sheathed sword.

'No....' As his fingers moved involuntarily to the hilt with a slight trembling hand and eyes full of disbelief, he drew the blade out from its sheath.

It was long and slender blade, gleaming edge reflecting the moon's bright glow.

"There's no mistaking it... this is identical to the sword that I always used!" Kalsie's heart raced, disbelief washing over him.

This sword was unique and it was what he always practiced with, known only to his parents.

A sense of dread crept over him as he considered the implications that could be behind his sword.

"Mom... did you really abandon me here?" Kalsie's voice quivered as he clutched the sword and felt wave of emotions.

He couldn't help but feel an inexplicable connection between his unexpected surroundings and this weapon.

'No... This doesn't mean anything! I need to find where the hell I am!!' Desperation to uncover the truth welled up inside him as he searched his pockets, finding nothing, not even his trusty mobile phone.

Rustle!

Suddenly, startled by the faint but distinct sound of rustling leaves, Kalsie's senses sharpened, and he called out in alarm, "Who's there!?!"

The dense bushes kept shaking, and the mysterious intruder continued to create an unsettling ruffling noise.

'Shit...' Kalsie's heart raced as he tightened his grip on the sword, assuming a defensive stance while cautiously edging toward the source of the disturbance.

He was in an unfamiliar place away from his land and he did know what he might encounter next, so he was wary.

"Growl..." A low, menacing growl filled the air, amplifying the tension in the air.

The unease deepened as Kalsie couldn't discern if this was a human or some wild animal lurking in the underbrush.

With worry building, he halted his advance, standing two meters away from the mysterious presence.

The curtain of darkness concealed the intruder's form, rendering it invisible to his strained eyes.

"!!!" As Kalsie anxiously waited, it was then that a chilling figure slowly emerged from the shadows, sending a shockwave of horror through his body.

"What are you!?" He involuntarily recoiled, his sword pointed at the grotesque entity that defied description.

"Growl!!" The unearthly creature, resembling a twisted version of a human, stood on its malformed legs, its bloodshot eyes glaring menacingly at Kalsie. Its flesh was a ghastly shade of grey-blue, and its body showed signs decaying, as if it had risen from the grave. 

Standing in front of the monster, he felt an overwhelming sense of malevolence emanating from the creature and Kalsie's mind raced, struggling to comprehend the abomination before him which he had only seen in movies or read about in novels.

"Growl!!"

Undeterred by Kalsie's shock, the monstrous entity inched closer, its guttural growls sending shivers down his spine. It moved with an unnatural determination, as if driven by an insatiable hunger.

"What is this thing?!" Kalsie's voice trembled with disbelief, but his instincts screamed that this creature harbored ill intentions.

"Growl!!" The creature suddenly lunged at Kalsie, its jaws threatening to consume him.

Startled into action, Kalsie swung his sword with precision, aiming for the monster's right arm.

With a feint humming sound, the blade struck, severing the limb cleanly from the creature's body.

Such a good precision with sword was not normal, but Kalsie was someone who was trained a lot with the similar sword in the past by his father.

"GROWWL!!!" A pained roar echoed through the night as inky black pus oozed from the severed arm. Yet, despite the grievous wound, the creature persisted in its relentless advance, showing no signs of retreat.

"Damn it!!! Stay away from me, you monster!!!" Kalsie shouted with panic intensifying as he continued to dodge the creature's relentless onslaught.

Despite the panic, he kept on attacking and his sword bit into the monster's body repeatedly, inflicting deep wounds. But things weren't simple for Kalsie.

"Why won't this thing die?!" Frustration seeped into Kalsie's voice as he watched the creature remain undeterred, its body maimed but unyielding.

"Growl!!!!"

Desperation gripped him as he realized that severing its limbs or even stabbing its heart wasn't enough to stop the abomination. It seemed as if it did not care about pain and only determined to continue its assault.

"Shit! Is there no other way?" Kalsie's mind raced, trying to find a solution as the relentless monster closed in.

As the time was running out and monster was closing in, suddenly, a revelation struck him.

'If nothing is working... then how about its head!?' Kalsie looked at the only part where he hadn't attacked.

With newfound determination, Kalsie launched a powerful kick to the creature's chest, sending it sprawling onto the ground.

"HA!!" Channeling all his strength, he raised his sword, hilt held vertically, and drove it downward with a fierce battle cry.

The blade found its mark, piercing the creature's head.

"Growl..." For a brief moment, the monstrous form twitched as the blade reached its brain, and then it finally stopped.

"Hah Hah Hah... is it finally dead?" Kalsie wondered aloud, his breath ragged as he retreated cautiously from the motionless horror with his sword.

As Kalsie cautiously backed away, a strange occurrence unfolded.

A small, radiant white orb emerged from the lifeless body of the monstrous creature and hurtled toward him.

Instinctively, he swung his sword in an attempt to intercept the orb, but it effortlessly passed through the blade and entered his body.

"!!" His initial surprise gave way to alarm as he felt a subtle transformation taking place within him.

His body felt slightly lighter, his muscles surged with a bit of strength, and an undeniable vitality coursed through him. It was as though this enigmatic orb had imbued him with enhanced capabilities.

"Ha..." Kalsie's hand instinctively went to the spot where the orb had entered, his heart pounding with unease.

"W-What was that?"

He had no idea what this mysterious encounter meant, but one thing was clear – that small white orb had altered him in some way.

'What the hell is happening here!?' He couldn't shake the bewildering events that had transpired since his abrupt awakening on this unfamiliar beach.

As he controlled his emotions and breathing, with a heavy sigh, he muttered to himself, "The world... doesn't feel as familiar as before..."

The monsters, the orb, and the unknown place he found himself in – it was all a stark departure from the life he had known and lived.

He then gazed at the lifeless creature, the once-menacing red glow in its eyes now extinguished, and contemplated the revelations before him.

"I never would have thought that monsters like this ever existed," Kalsie murmured, his voice tinged with uncertainty and a bit fear.

"Mom... is this why you told me to 'survive'?"