Next step

Ethan stared at the bloodbath around him. His hands gripped the dirt beneath him as if grounding himself in reality could make sense of the chaos. Just a couple of days ago he was living an entirely different life and now everything had turned upside down.

In just a span of 48 hours, Ethan had faced death not once but twice—each time pulling himself back from the brink through sheer desperation and instinct.

He glanced down at the sword clutched tightly in his hand, the blade still streaked with the fresh evidence of his desperation. Around him lay the aftermath of the surreal fight for his life. Blood was everywhere, ruining the otherwise serene forest.

He did not plan for any of this to happen but at the same time he also did not regret it. His heart pounded in his chest as he realized he felt more excited than nervous.

The blood and chaos around him should have made him sick, but instead, he felt alive—more alive than he had ever been in his previous life. This new world wasn't bad but he needed to become more powerful. He also needed to find out who was after his life.

Ethan's gaze turned cold as he thought about that person. If he hadn't pushed himself, he would be dead right now. He needed more information about everything before something like this happened again.

But all of that could wait. For now, he needed to get out of here. All of this blood was bound to attract something stronger from the depths of the forest. Something that he wasn't in a condition to face currently.

"Shadow," Ethan called softly. The sleek black cat perked up, her eyes locking onto his. Her wound still bled faintly, but she seemed unbothered, her graceful form as steady as ever. "Stay close," he added, his voice firm. Shadow padded silently to his side with a small meow.

Ethan looked at Snark and Grug who were heavily injured. With a sigh, he quickly dismissed both of them and started walking away from the scene of crime. 

A few minutes later he realized he was still in the same bloody clothes and quickly changed his clothes. Thankfully he remembered to grab his backpack from the carriage before running away. He had also grabbed two daggers from the carriage driver's corpse and a black ring he had on his finger.

The ring seemed special enough but nothing happened when he wore it. He was too tired to think about it at the moment so he ended up shoving it in his pocket for analysis at a later time.

Ethan continued trudging through the forest with his unsteady steps. The forest began to thin as he walked, and soon enough, Ethan found a quiet, secluded spot by a small stream. He crouched by the water, staring at his reflection, a face dirtied with grime and blood.

He shook his head helplessly and began to rinse the blood off his hands and face. He splashed cold water onto his face, the shock of it jolting his senses back into focus. The forest around him was eerily quiet, save for the soft trickle of the stream. 

As much as he wanted to keep moving forward, he knew following the original carriage route might lead him directly into another ambush. The people after him clearly had resources, and it wouldn't be surprising if they had more traps lying in wait.

On the other hand, veering off into uncharted territory carried its own risks. The forest was vast and full of unknown dangers, but it might be his best chance to avoid another encounter with those who wanted him dead.

Ethan stared at the rippling water, considering his options. Shadow meowed softly beside him. He reached down to scratch her head absently. Maybe he couldn't make a decision right now because he had no idea where the hell he was.

What he needed was a freaking map!

Without it, he was as good as blind, stumbling through an unknown world where every step could lead to danger.

He needed to know exactly where he was and what cities or settlements were near him, something that was a lot bigger than the small town he belonged to. Something big enough for him to disappear.

"Any chance you know if there is a city nearby?" Ethan asked Shadow .

Shadow tilted her head, her emerald eyes glinting in the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees. She let out a soft meow as if responding to Ethan's question.

Ethan chuckled under his breath despite himself. "Yeah, didn't think so," he muttered, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "Guess I'm on my own for that one."

Just then he heard a loud chirp above him. He looked up to see a small bird perched on the tree. He smiled. "Maybe I am not on my own."