Field Of Despair!

The river roared with untamed fury, carving a relentless path that separated Leon and his two friends, Brandon and Liam. Swept helplessly by the current, they drifted farther and farther downstream, each moment intensifying the peril they faced.

Engulfed by the icy clutch of the river, Leon's senses heightened with alarm. He had severely underestimated the ferocity of the rapids, which pounded against him with unyielding force. The water thrashed around him, blurring his vision as it tossed him like a leaf in a storm. Desperation clawed at his throat as he gulped water, his limbs growing heavy and unresponsive with fatigue.

Leon fought to remain composed, to regulate his breathing and keep his head above water, but each effort drained his dwindling reserves of strength. The river, like a relentless foe, seized him, dragging him deeper into its watery embrace.

As the depths claimed him, thoughts of his friends haunted the fringes of his consciousness.

"Are Brandon and Liam still out there? Am I going to die here, swallowed by this river?" The cold seeped into his bones, sapping the last vestiges of his energy, and a profound silence enveloped him.

It seemed an absurd, almost comical way to go, a traveler from another world, destined to meet his end in the murky depths of an unknown river.

Exhaustion overcame his struggle, and Leon felt his body sink towards the riverbed. Yet, as he succumbed to despair, a voice echoed mysteriously through the darkness:

"Should I say you are lucky or unlucky?"

In that instant, Leon's eyes snapped open. No longer dark, they gleamed a brilliant gold, piercing the shadowy waters. With newfound agility, he flipped over and traced intricate runes in the water with swift, precise movements. An unseen force repelled the suffocating water around him.

In a burst of energy, he shot from the riverbed, slicing through the water with the swiftness of a fish. His golden eyes scanned the darkness, and he murmured, "Found it."

With a powerful turn, he surged towards the surface, his eyes locking onto Liam who struggled weakly against the current. Grasping his collar, Leon pivoted and darted towards another figure thrashing in the water, Brandon.

Brandon, exhausted and barely conscious, felt a sudden, mighty force propel him upwards.

—Bang!

The river's surface exploded with a colossal splash as Leon, carrying both friends, rocketed into the air. They soared over the tumultuous waters, landing gracefully on the cliff by the riverbank.

As he released his friends onto solid ground, Leon swayed slightly, the golden glow in his eyes flickering out. The three friends collapsed together, safe at last, their chests heaving with ragged breaths, each silently thankful for their miraculous escape from the river's ruthless grasp.

Leon jolted upright, a guttural groan tearing from his lips as he collapsed onto the muddy bank, his body convulsing with harsh, violent retches. The river water he'd swallowed gushed forth like a torrential flood, leaving him gasping and gagging in its wake. The sensation was torturous, as if his very organs were being expelled.

Nearby, Brandon's eyes flickered with confusion and alarm. Moments before, death had seemed certain, a finality now shockingly replaced by the solid, rough ground beneath him. His mind struggled to piece together their sudden rescue, his thoughts scattered and disjointed.

The sight of another companion, Liam, sprawled motionless on the ground jolted Brandon into action. He rushed over, tearing away Liam's sodden chain mail and pressing urgently on his chest, hoping desperately for a sign of life. His efforts were met with a ragged, painful cough as Liam sputtered back to consciousness, choking up water in long, painful heaves.

With a weak, relieved sigh, Liam murmured, "Huh... I'm saved." He glanced at his discarded chain mail, ruefully noting his lost helmet. "Swearing off river battles in armor from now on," he quipped, a wry smile flickering across his face. "You pulling me ashore is nothing short of a miracle."

Exhausted, Brandon slumped beside him, pointing towards Leon who was in a far worse state nearby. "Miracle? It wasn't me. It was Leon. He's the one who dragged us out," he corrected, his voice a mixture of awe and disbelief.

Leon, meanwhile, struggled to his feet, wiping his face with a muddy hand. A dry, raspy chuckle escaped him as he collapsed back to the ground, the gravity of their escape hitting him. Memories of the magical force that had maneuvered his body through the water lingered vividly in his mind. He knew, without a doubt, that the mysterious entity had intervened once again.

Filled with a mix of gratitude and curiosity, Leon called inwardly, "Are you still there?" Silence answered him, stretching long and thick.

Unperturbed and with no mercenaries around to overhear, Leon decided to vocalize his question, shouting into the empty air, "Hello! Hello~? Are you still here?"

Brandon and Liam exchanged bewildered looks, clearly puzzled by Leon's apparent soliloquy.

Then, soft and unmistakable, a voice resonated within Leon, vibrant and teasing, "Hey~ I'm here, I'm here~. Why are you shouting so loudly?"

Only Leon could hear the reply, a secret communication from an unseen watcher, confirming that he was far from alone.

The voice of the girl, faint yet distinct, floated through Leon's mind, sounding clearer and smoother than before. Leon's heart leapt with joy; he was finally hearing the clear response he had so eagerly awaited.

"Sorry, I just wanted to check if I needed to speak louder for you to hear me," Leon apologized, sheepishly scratching at his wet hair. His heart raced, not only was he confirming a suspicion that had nagged at him since that fateful day, but he also delighted in the realization that a friendly entity with extraordinary powers was residing within him. He wondered if, like the characters in the online novels from his past life, he had acquired a mystical companion.

"But who is she?" Leon mused. "Is she a native soul of this world, or perhaps a 'traveling' soul from another time and space like myself?" His mind buzzed with possibilities.

"There's no need to shout," the voice chided gently, her tone lazy yet pleasant. "I can hear your thoughts without words. I simply chose not to respond before."

Embarrassment washed over Leon, but he harbored no resentment; after all, this being had saved his life twice. "I'm sorry," he responded, his tone sincere. "I just wanted to thank you for your help."

"Okay~ don't overthink it, I don't hold it against you," the voice reassured him. She continued, a hint of weariness in her tone, "You have many questions, and so do I. But I'm weak. If I hadn't ended up here, I doubt I could even maintain this conversation. Honestly, I didn't realize that you—"

Her words were cut off by Brandon's urgent shout.

"Leon! Leon!"

Startled, Leon snapped back to reality, his mystical conversation interrupted. "What's the matter?" he asked, scanning his companions' faces.

For some reason, Liam stared blankly at the sky, while Brandon gestured frantically around them.

Only then did Leon register the peculiarity of their surroundings. In his eagerness to connect with the mysterious voice, he had neglected to notice. Now, with his attention fully returned to the world around him, he saw that the visibility was unnaturally clear, enabling him to see both near and far with unusual clarity.

If it were broad daylight, this would be unremarkable. But Leon's memory was clear, it should be midnight, with only the crescent moon casting its silvery light.

He pondered the events of the night: the fierce encounter with wild goblins, the desperate flight from a giant mountain bear, and their dramatic tumble into the river. None of these could have advanced the time to dawn.

What strange magic was at play here?

In the silvery wash of moonlight, the woods around Leon and his companions transformed into a ghostly panorama. As they scrambled from the river, the sparse trees did little to alleviate the disorientation of being enveloped by both the vast wilderness and the foreboding river that nearly claimed their lives.

Leon, catching his breath, struggled to his feet, his gaze sweeping over the scenery. The forest, familiar yet alien, stretched around them, bathed in a surreal glow. It was neither day nor night but an uncanny limbo that cast everything in an otherworldly light. The surroundings weren't illuminated by the natural clarity of sunlight nor shrouded in the obscurity of twilight; instead, everything seemed draped in a desaturated, dreamlike hue, making the ordinary appear ethereal.

As Liam stared, stunned by the scene, Leon followed his gaze upward and was instantly struck dumb. Above them, the sky was a dramatic canvas devoid of sun, moon, or stars, an abyss swirling with dark, nebulous colors, reminiscent of a tumultuous sea of crude oil.

"What is this place?" Liam murmured, his voice tinged with a mix of awe and fear.

"Could we actually be dead? Is this some sort of afterlife?" Liam wondered aloud, his eyes wide with a growing panic.

Leon furrowed his brows, a gesture of frustration and disbelief. "Stay calm," he urged. "We're not dead. We're still here, still alive."

Amid their confusion, Brandon regained a semblance of composure. His voice, though uncertain, carried a hint of a revelation. "Have any of you heard of the Field of Despair?"

Liam's reaction was immediate, his eyes scanning their eerie surroundings. "You mean to say we've stumbled into the cursed land?!"

Leon's memory flickered, connecting dots with stories he had heard since childhood. The Field of Despair, as Brandon referred to it, wasn't just a figment of folklore but a notorious legend throughout the Kingdom of Serrian. Tales spoke of a forsaken expanse scattered across the realm, always shrouded from the divine gaze of the gods, littered with both untold riches and monstrous perils.

"Quite the fitting name for this place," Leon muttered under his breath, his voice a mix of irony and dread.

Just then, a voice, soft and familiar yet laden with an otherworldly sorrow, whispered in his mind, soothing yet somber. "Do you know where you are?" it asked, a spectral tone to its inquiry.

Leon, feeling an unexplained comfort from the presence in his mind, realized that this mysterious entity knew far more about their bizarre predicament than his own wild guesses.

"Spiritual Field," the voice corrected with a gentle, melancholic clarity. "That is the true name of where you stand."