Lost and Found

*Unknown Forest*

Vincent gasped for air as if he was drowning, yet his body didn't feel wet. His sight was hazy as if his eyes opened underwater.

Breath by breath, Vincent calmed down. Soon the strange pressure faded, and he could feel his body resting on soft ground.

Vincent slowly pulled himself up and grimaced in pain. He noticed the water resting on his eyes was from his tears. From the last memory of his family alive.

Vincent started feeling intense pain flaring from the left side of his abdomen. He held his side as he stood up, then turned his head from left to right before looking down, but what the green pair saw surprised the bewildered Vincent even more.

The clothes he wore possessed a mysterious green stain. As if someone threw a cup of green paint from where he felt pain. The smell of nature riding a pleasant breeze snapped Vincent from his daze.

"Argh... this pain means it's not a dream, but... " Vincent fell on his knees firmly holding his painful side. Then he slowly took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"But that memory... my father... my mother... they protected me until the end. " Vincent mumbled as he recollected his thoughts.

'Is that why I wasn't allowed to see their corpse? Does that mean they forgave me? That memory felt so real. My parents protected me until the end.'

Vincent's heart felt lighter by this realistic dream. Such thoughts were helping him stay sane. He soon took another assertive glance. This time he was sure by what his eyes saw and ears heard.

Birds chirping a delightful tune caught Vincent's notice first. He was surrounded by numerous trees, a few old and a few young. Standing on the wild grass with little to none wildflowers, Vincent had a faint idea of where he might be. It seemed to be some kind of forest and possibly in a valley.

"No, impossible! I can't have gone to the world inside the book?, or did I? " Vincent shook his head in denial.

Try as he might, no better conclusion popped up. No matter how much he wanted to deny this. He was in the forest alone.

'Wait! In the book, it says how every Hero received a mark. Could this pain come from the mark? Like the others had?'

As Vincent thought of this, he started removing his three shirts.

It was Winter on Earth, and his room was cold. Vincent didn't like to use a heater because of his frugal self. So he could purchase books or other media from the saved money.

To keep himself warm in the Winter cold, he loved to wear many clothes. Typically a jacket with a hoody, a turtle neck, and a sleeveless shirt was his usual picks. Same as the ones he is wearing.

Soon his naked skin felt a warm yet cool moisty breeze. He couldn't figure what the season was.

'Is it Winter or Summer in this unknown world?' Vincent shook his head to remove his worrying thoughts, then lowered his head down.

As he thought, he saw the mark with four runes on his left side. His hand gently lowered down. As his finger touched the mark, he started feeling pain.

Vincent could only crease his brows, trying to resist this pain while he worried about getting injured in that strange and mysterious place.

The supposed hero mark felt more like a brand or an old healed wound, rather than a tattoo. The green goo mostly obscured it from sight.

'This dry green sticky goo reminds me of something. The green ink... No. Kevin's mutated blood!'

Vincent wore his sleeveless shirt and wrapped the other two around his waist.

'I need to find shelter. No, I need food and water.'

"Wait!, Doesn't this mean I might get hunted on sight... or..." Vincent brainstormed his current dilemma both by words and thoughts.

"Does that mean... might Kevin have arrived in this world like written in the book? Is that why his story felt so real and his actions like him. Is this world real? " Vincent felt as if he hit the nail on the head, that his speculation might be correct.

Vincent checked his pockets. A broken smartphone was all he found. At least the digital watch on his hand still worked, but he didn't know if the time was correct.

Suddenly the wind picked up. As the breeze gently caressed his face, Vincent thought it felt fresh and wet.

'Could there be a water source nearby?'

Vincent pondered for a while as he waited for the next breeze to arrive. This time he was prepared. When the wind picked up, his decision was set.

Vincent walked against the flow of the wind, hoping to find something that might help him. He didn't know how much distance he traveled. But one thing was sure. The direction was correct, breeze by breeze it slowly grew more vigorous. Vincent quickly closed to his destination.

A few hours later, Vincent arrived. The closer he got, the louder the faint sound of water could be heard. His bet was successful, and water was nearby.

Vincent had to walk a lot by climbing an arduous steep valley while the wind grew stronger in some areas. That's how the wind carried faint droplets of water, and how around him appeared full of life.

It was a dangerous world, yet the pain and anxiety made him forget. He traveled with no caution, but luck was on his side. If he met with a violent animal or monster, unlike Earth, the possibility of survival was low to none.

After walking a few more steps, a long line filled with water entered his sight.

Vincent approached his destination for the reward of water. He closed his eyes and took a long whiff inhaling the fresh air. Then he felt the wind practically die down.

Vincent arrived in the nick of time, or this place would've been hard to find. It seemed to be a clear shallow river while the water gently swayed in one direction.

Vincent turned his head from left to right. However, no matter how far he gazed, the long river path seemed to have no end.

Vincent approached with caution. Slowly lowered his hands and cupped some water.

'Is this water safe? Well... I have no choice. Here it goes.'

Vincent gulped to muster his courage. Becoming sick on the first day was a death sentence. His trembling lips gently touched the water in his hands. Then he sipped a tiny amount.

"This tastes fresh. It tastes even fresher and tastier than bottled water on Earth." Vincent liked the taste of the water as he gulped down the water in his hands.

"I will drink this much for now. Survival books said, "You need to boil the water to purify it," so it's better to drink my fill for now and stop." Vincent remembered a warning he once read, that mother nature was kind yet dangerous.

Vincent stood near the river edge. He looked down, and there he saw a reflection of himself. He removed his sleeveless shirt, then took an assertive gaze at his reflection.

The mark didn't look too clear, so he decided to clean the sticky green goo with water.

The green goo was rinsed from his side with some difficulty, and the mark became clear to see. It had a combination of runes and symbols. But for Vincent, it made no sense.

Vincent then noticed something strange. His body appeared a bit wider. As if he gained a little weight. The reflection of himself from Earth had a few ribs faintly poking out.

However, the reflection on the water now showed a different sight. His arms, legs, and neck seemed to have become a little wider.

'I remember my body feeling very hot in that weird black place. Did it change my body? Wait! My finger had green blood. Was the gunk on me and my clothes mutated blood?' Vincent pondered while remembering the paper cut. When he took a peek at his finger, the wound wasn't there. It was healed.

'I want to check. Did I become like Kevin with mutated green blood?'

Vincent bit his thumb creating a small cut. Soon a bead of red blood started to form. He sighed in relief as his blood remained red.

"Better hurry before it gets dark. Maybe I can find a place to stay. " Vincent said while he washed his pants and three shirts.

A while later, Vincent decided to follow the gentle river current. Walking next to a water source and maybe even catching a fish was the best idea Vincent could think.

"With all these signs and what I experienced, I'm not stupid enough to say this is fake; this is not Earth but another world. " Vincent said, trying to raise his morale.

"That thing or that book. Whatever it was, it brought me here. Perhaps did Kevin unintentionally create a teleportation device? " Vincent wanted answeres, but his surroundings said none. He was alone, after all.

The sun was setting down. Vincent kept walking forward with his legs feeling like noodles trembling in with every step. Too exhausted to move.

At least his clothes dried, and later, he wore them. To Vincent, this walk was more than two of his usual weeks of activity back on Earth. The out of shape Vincent could feel his body become more cumbersome, but he had no time to waste.

A while later, in the far distance, Vincent saw a trail of smoke in the air. It meant someone was there unless it was a magical monster breathing fire.

"Finally! I took the right path. " Vincent said with a smile. This revelation felt as if he won the lottery, raising his morale sky high.

The closer he approached, the clearer the silhouette of a building was becoming.

'Is that perhaps a house, a cabin, or a cottage?'

Now that Vincent found civilization, he felt he had to be cautious. Shortly, he could tell it was a large wooden cabin with one floor surrounded by a fence and a small wooden gate.

When Vincent approached close enough, he noticed the silhouette of a person. He kept silently hiding from tree to tree while approaching.

The next thing his eyes laid upon made Vincent feel a plethora of emotions. Hope, worry, happiness, anxiety, and nervousness.

Under the warm light of the setting sun was a thin young woman gracefully vaulting on top of a large tree log, captivating Vincent by this exotic sight.

Vincent could faintly hear bells play a harmonious melody with every move she made. She wore loose pants holding the loose ankle ends by a ribbon bow and small round bells.

A long cloth wrapped around her small petite chest and two ribbon bows around her arms. Each held small round bells as well.

She had the graceful appearance of a dancer, yet her movements felt familiar. Her body swayed with flexibility and allure. It almost resembled that of a gymnast performing a routine and a dancer combined.

'She looks so graceful, and her moves are almost like a gymnast.' He thought as his heart started to race.

Vincent gulped as his eyes bludged out, and his face flushed red, enchanted by this majestic sight.

Vincent was an introvert, and talking with a girl was a miracle itself. His hobby of reading, watching, and learning of Heroic tales took all his time.

'Should I talk to her? No, I need to talk to her. Maybe she can help. What should I even say?'

The introvert Vincent sat down as he pondered on his options. A few minutes later, he found a solution. However, it was too painful to do as he frowned if he was actually about to do it or make fun of himself.