Maybe getting Isekaied is a bad thing

The forest stretched before them, Xander and Iris stumbled onward, their breaths echoing in the open air. The crystal's glow had faded, leaving them in near darkness. Their theories—parallel dimensions, cosmic anomalies—felt inadequate in the face of this green environment.

Iris had come up with a theory that had to do with both of them being used for some sort of cult ritual, leading to Xander saying that being reincarnated into a video game would be more likely. They started arguing on who's theory was more close to the truth, leading to Iris calling him a nerd for thinking something like 'isekai' had happened to them.

And then it came—a guttural roar that reverberated through the stone. Xander's heart leaped. "What was that?"

Iris's eyes widened. "Something worse than detention, that's for sure."

And then it appeared—a creature from nightmares. Its serpentine body coiled, scales glinting in the faint light. But it wasn't just a serpent; it was a hydra—a monstrous fusion of reptilian heads, each one snapping and hissing. Iris screamed, maybe Xander was right, maybe they were in another world…one with magic crystals and mythical bloodthirsty creatures.

Xander's mind raced. "We need a plan."

He drew a deep breath. "We run. And we don't look back." Seeing as Iris was frozen to her core and unresponsive due to shock, he grabbed her hand and ran.

They sprinted, their footsteps crunching the leaves below. The hydra pursued, its heads snapping at their heels. Xander glimpsed its eyes—yellow and malevolent. How had they gone from detention to this?

Xander veered left, and Iris followed. They reached a large boulder. The hydra's roars grew louder, and Xander's legs burned. He glanced at Iris—determined, unyielding. She was more than he'd ever imagined.

They got closer to the boulder, big enough for both of them to hide. But the hydra was relentless. It lunged, jaws snapping. Xander grabbed Iris, pulling her behind it as the hydra searched for them.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Iris chanted as she crouched as close to Xander as she could, hiding her face with his chest.

"Shhh!" Xander placed his finger on her lips, watching as tears trailed down her cheek. "It'll hear us, I think it's partially blind since it hasn't found us yet. So that means its sense of hearing is a lot more better."

"We can't fight it," he continued. "We need—"

Iris's terrified eyes met his. "The crystal. Maybe it'll take us back!"

Xander shook his head, "we're too far from the cave!"

"We can't outrun it, or hide for long" Iris panted. "We need a plan."

Xander's gaze darted around and the hydra's roars grew louder. He spotted a fallen tree branch—a makeshift weapon. He grabbed it, adrenaline surging. "Iris, keep moving. I'll hold it off."

"What? Absolutely not!" She whisper yelled.

"Iris–"

"Are you crazy? You'll die in seconds!"

"It's the only choice we have!" Xander pressed, he grabbed her shoulders, his purple eyes staring deep into hers. "Iris, run."

She hesitated, then nodded as if something had compelled her to do so. "Be careful."

She got up and ran without looking back. And Xander ran towards the tree branch.

As the hydra lunged as it had heard Xander and smelled him, jaws snapping, Xander swung the branch. It connected with one of the heads, and the monster hissed, recoiling. But another head lunged, teeth gnashing. Xander twisted, narrowly avoiding its bite, but the branch snapped in half.

The hydra's venomous fangs grazed his leg, and pain shot through him. He stumbled, blood soaking his jeans. He was weak, disoriented. Iris screamed as she ran, and Xander's heart clenched. He couldn't let the hydra hurt her.

And then, from the shadows, emerged an old man—a mask covering his face, robes billowing. His eyes glinted with ancient knowledge. In his hand, he held a small, pebble sized blue crystal, its facets shimmering.

"Stand back," the old man commanded. His voice carried a weight that silenced the hydra. "This beast is not for mortal hands."

Xander leaned against the a large treel, his leg throbbing. The old man raised the crystal, and it pulsed with energy. The hydra hissed, its heads recoiling. The crystal emitted a brilliant light, blinding Xander.

When he opened his eyes, the hydra was gone. The old man stood before him, the crystal now dull in his palm. "You fought well, young one."

Xander's voice was hoarse. "Who are you?"

The old man's gaze bore into him. "I am the Crystal Guardian—the keeper of ancient magic. You bear the mark—the spiral. It connects you to realms beyond."

Iris ran towards them and hugged Xander as tight as she could, her fear replaced with relief, still hugging a pained Xander, she questioned. "Why did the hydra attack us?"

The old man's eyes softened. "The hydra guards the gateway. It feeds on fear and chaos. But you—you wounded it. You have courage."

Xander released a groan as he gritted his teeth, Iris cried out. "The hydra, it got him!"

The man knelt down and gently touched the wound. "He has been poisoned." He said.

Iris sobbed and crawled towards the man, "can you help him? Is he gonna die? Please tell me you can save him!"

The guardian nodded, "it's a fatal wound but I can help."

Iris released a breathless laugh and turned to Xander who was slowly losing consciousness, the world looked blurry and he could barely feel the pain anymore. "Here that, Woods?" She said looking at him with watery eyes. "He can help you…"

He slumped forward and fell into her chest, she gasped in shock as she caught him on her arms. "Mister! He's losing consciousness!" She yelled.

The man moved closer to him and ordered Iris to lay him on the ground on his back, as she did so, Xander found himself thinking that maybe being isekaied into a world like this was the worst thing to happen. They hadn't spent a day here and he was already dying.

After that, he no longer had any thoughts. He fell into a deep sleep, the deepest he had ever had.