In an unknown jungle, on an unknown plane, a crack in space appeared, just like someone had struck the very existence itself. From the rupture, light poured out like a silver river, and a body fell onto the jungle floor.

  Thump!

  If someone had witnessed the scene, they might have thought a god had discarded a body like a bag of junk.

  The body was Kai. He was not dead. At least not yet.

  Unconscious and unaware of what had happened, Kai lay still. His body was encased in a translucent shell of light, like a diamond cocoon.

  Whoever or whatever had brought him here had likely ensured some kind of protection until he woke.

  It would’ve been a cruel joke if he’d been eaten while unconscious, rendering the entire plan meaningless.

  Slowly, the sun dipped below the horizon, and one by one, three moons emerged. One large, two smaller, orbiting it like children clinging to a parent.

  Kai stirred. His body felt heavy, aching as if he’d been hit by a truck.

  The translucent cocoon disappeared.

  The ringing in his ears faded into silence, replaced by the soft chorus of birds singing overhead.

  He opened his eyes, but everything was out of focus. Not that it mattered; the jungle was cloaked in darkness.

  Slowly, he stood up and took a deep breath, the quiet inhale filling the silence.

  Panic flickered at the edge of his mind, but his body refused to respond. All he could do was breathe, slow, deliberate, grounding himself in the unfamiliar world.

  The jungle was humid, the air thick with the scent of moss and blooming alien flora. Insects chirped in strange rhythms, and the leaves rustled with unseen movement.

  Kai tried to make sense of his surroundings, but his thoughts were a tangled mess.

  He tried to figure out where he was. What had happened?

  Just moments ago, or at least it felt like moments, he had been at home, sitting by the river. He couldn’t count how many times he’d sat at that riverbank, and nothing had ever seemed out of place.

  But today… Today felt different. Something had called to him, lured him to that exact spot.

  “Why? Why was today special?” he murmured, his voice barely audible.

  What could have caused this?

  But the question that clawed at his mind, that made his chest tighten, was:

  Why me?

  He wasn’t extraordinary. No rare talents, no heroic past. Just Kai, quiet, ordinary, forgettable.

  And yet, something had chosen him. Something powerful enough to tear open space and throw him into a jungle that defied everything he knew.

  Was he still on Earth?

  Was this the Amazon?

  Or had he been ripped from his world entirely?

  He didn’t know. And that uncertainty gnawed at him.

  Kai looked around again, hoping to recognize something, anything.

  The trees cast long shadows on the ground as moonlight struggled to pierce the canopy.

  Then he looked up… and his knees buckled.

  Above him, three moons hung in the sky, casting their pale light down.

  This wasn’t Earth.

  This was something else. Something impossible.

  His mind raced. Panic surged.

  This can’t be real. This only happens in stories. In games. In dreams.

  “How is this possible?” he whispered, voice trembling.

  As he tried to make peace with the impossible, another thought struck him:

  I’m not safe here.

  I need shelter at least until morning. Then I can figure out how to get out of here.

  He picked a direction, north, he hoped, and began moving.

  Branches clawed at his clothes, tall grass brushed against his legs, and in the distance, the jungle roared.

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  Screams echoed through the jungle like wild beasts locked in combat, wolves and tigers tearing into each other.

  “This place is not safe. Not safe at all,” Kai muttered, quickening his pace.

  Something rustled in the branches behind him.

  He turned sharply, fear creeping into his chest.

  On a tree bathed in moonlight sat a small monkey. Its fur was a vivid red, and atop its head, a tiny ember flickered like a candle flame.

  Kai blinked, wiping his eyes, unsure if what he was seeing was real.

  The monkey just sat there, its head burning.

  What… what is this place?

  Kai’s instincts screamed at him to run. His body tensed, ready to sprint.

  Then the monkey spat a small globe of fire, no larger than an egg. It zipped past him and struck a nearby tree, just left of his head.

  The heat singed a few hairs.

  Kai screamed and bolted in the opposite direction.

  More fireballs followed, but the monkey missed. Kai sprinted, stumbling over roots and branches, his clothes tearing against the underbrush. He didn’t care.

  He just wanted to live.

  Eventually, breathless and scraped, he collapsed onto a dry log. He had put enough distance between himself and the monkey. For now, he was safe.

  He tried to calm his racing heart.

  Not even ten minutes passed before a new screech pierced the air.

  What now? he cursed.

  A massive condor with two heads and four wings soared overhead, its shadow blotting out the moonlight.

  I can’t even rest in this cursed place.

  He got up again, moving carefully, eyes scanning every branch and shadow.

  He had no idea what else might be waiting.

  He walked for what felt like hours, each step heavier than the last, until he stumbled upon a massive hill.

  It rose unnaturally from the jungle floor, as if dropped there by some unseen hand.

  Grass and trees clung to its surface, but something about it felt… wrong.

  Not natural. Not wild.

  Constructed.

  Kai’s heart pounded with a mix of fear and hope as he hurried toward it, hoping to find shelter for the night.

  As he approached the hill, he realized the structure atop it was a cylindrical building, weathered and scarred by time, its original form long lost to decay. Whatever purpose it once served was now buried beneath layers of erosion and neglect.

  He circled the building, running his hands along its rough surface, searching for an entrance or even a crevice where he could shelter for the night. But the structure offered no welcome, no door, no break in its walls.

  No way in. No way out. Just this silent, ancient shell.

  Why would someone build something like this with no entrance? Was it sealed from the inside? Or was it never meant to be entered at all?

  Then, a sound.

  Rustle.

  Dry leaves shifted behind him. His heart seized, and his legs turned to lead. Slowly, he turned.

  A beast stood there, two meters long, with the muscular body of a tiger and the sharp-eyed head of a hawk. Its tail slithered like a serpent, and its black fur bristled like needles, contrasting the dark silver stripes running across its body. A deep, jagged scar marred its back, oozing blood that dripped steadily onto the ground.

  Kai froze. The creature was a nightmare made flesh.

  What is this thing? What kind of world did I fall into?

  This isn’t anything I’ve ever seen. Am I dreaming? No, this pain in my chest is real. The fear is real.

  He had been pulled into a world not his own, and now he was to become prey for a wounded monster.

  The beast began to advance, each step deliberate. Was it slow because of its injury, or was this how it hunted, cornering its prey with patience?

  It’s bleeding. Badly. That wound… It’s fresh. Something else hurt it. Something bigger? Stronger? Or maybe it’s dying. Maybe I’m not the only one fighting to survive here.

  Kai backed away, eyes darting around for anything he could use to defend himself.

  There must be something. A rock. A stick. Anything.

  I won’t just stand here and die. Not without trying. Not without knowing why I’m here.

  He knew the odds were grim, but he refused to die without a fight. The beast was bleeding heavily; perhaps it wouldn’t last long. Perhaps he had a chance.

  If I survive this… I need answers. I need to know what this place is. And why it feels like it’s watching me.

  Then he saw it, half-buried in the dirt near the base of the building. A pure white, curved bone fossilized and jagged at one end. It looked like it had belonged to something long dead.

  Is this… a rib? A tusk? Whatever it was, it will do.

  He lunged for the bone, gripping it with both hands. It was heavier than he expected, but solid. The jagged end could tear, could stab.

  It’s not much. But it’s something. And if I go down, I’ll go down swinging.

  The beast paused, its hawk eyes narrowing as if recognizing the shift in Kai’s stance. Blood continued to drip from its wound, pooling in the grass.

  You’re hurt. You’re bleeding. You’re not invincible. He thought.

  Come on then. Let’s see who dies first.

  Kai raised the fossilized bone, his breath shallow, his muscles tense.

  He swiped with the bone a few times, trying to scare the beast away.

  It wasn’t much of a weapon, just a jagged piece of something long dead, but it was all he had. His movements were wide and frantic, more bluff than threat, hoping the creature would hesitate.

  Seeing this, the beast took a slow step back, then another. It turned slightly, revealing the full extent of the wound on its back, deep, brutal, and unmistakably shaped like a bite.

  Something attacked it. Something stronger than it was.

  Then, with a low, guttural sound, almost like a cough, it collapsed onto its side, breathing heavily.

  Kai stood frozen.

  It wasn’t hunting me. It was fleeing. And now… It’s dying.

  He stepped closer, cautiously. The beast didn’t react. Its breathing was shallow, labored.

  As he approached it, the beast growled and struck out with its whip-like tail, trying to defend itself from Kai, who looked like he would stab it with the bone.

  Kai realized that the beast would probably die on its own if he didn’t do anything. But he also wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to just leave it to die.

  Maybe it would be helpful to have a beast by his side, but then again, what if it killed him after it got better?

  If the beast died, that would probably attract other beasts or even the beast that wounded it. Kai decided to risk it all and try to help it as much as he could. He felt some kind of connection to the dying beast, like they were meant to meet.

  He looked at the beast in the eyes as he lowered the bone to the ground to show it that he meant no harm, and he kept slowly walking towards it while keeping his hands visible.

  Beast understood that and let him come closer.

  He hesitated. Every instinct screamed at him to run, to hide, to survive. But something deeper, something human, held him in place.

  Kai reached out slowly, cautiously. The beast’s hawk eyes flicked toward him, but didn’t move. Its body was too weak.

  He tore his shirt and pressed it against the wound, trying to slow the bleeding. The beast flinched but didn’t resist.

  “I don’t know if this will help. I don’t even know if you understand what I’m doing. But I won’t let you die alone.” He whispered to the beast as he pressed on the wound.

  The creature’s breathing slowed. Its body relaxed, tension melting away. And then, as if surrendering to the moment, it fell unconscious.

  Kai stayed beside it, his own exhaustion catching up with him. He leaned against the beast’s warm flank, the adrenaline fading, as he tried to guard the beast, but in the end, he drifted into sleep.

  The night passed quietly without any intruders.