"Damn! Not again!"
Once more, Peter found himself in a world of darkness.
"What is going on?"
He was walking through a barren land. There was nothing. No life at all. It was completely empty. Peter felt a strong sense of loneliness that was difficult to describe. It was as if there were none left in all existence except for him. That was the best way he could explain it.
It reminded him of those zombie movies he liked. The ones where the main character woke up and was alone in an empty city. No matter where they searched, they couldn't find anyone. At least not until the zombies showed up.
"I really hope there aren't any zombies here..."
His voice echoed through the stillness, and he froze. He hadn't expected it to carry in such an empty place.
Suddenly, the outline of a person formed in the distance. It slowly took shape, long, curvy, and feminine. The silhouette was dark, like a shadow, but as it became more material, the vague features of a woman appeared. She had a nimble, well-proportioned figure.
"Who...?" Peter mumbled. His head was spinning.
He felt lightheaded and slightly out of it.
"I have been waiting a long time for you. Even in sleep, in dreams, I waited for this day. I am somewhat impatient and couldn't help myself. I wanted to take a little peek. But your dreams are so strange. What is this place? Is this the world within your heart?"
Peter didn't know what to say. He had no idea where he was.
He stepped closer to the figure. As he neared her, her features became clearer. His eyes widened when he saw two horns protruding from her head.
He gasped. "Are you a demon?"
"How vulgar, calling me such. No, I am someone noble and pure. Calling me a demon is an insult."
"But the horns..."
The woman laughed. Her figure began to fade again. He hadn't even seen her clearly, just an outline. The horns had shocked him, but he told himself it was just a dream.
The world blurred and faded away.
______________________________________________________
"Haaa…"
Peter jolted awake, breath heavy. A wave of déjà vu hit him. Hadn't something like this happened before? Maybe it was all a dream, and he was back in his apartment.
He tried to sit up, but a hand pushed him down. His body burned. The hand lifted away with a surprised cry of pain.
"What...?"
Peter opened his eyes. Someone stood over him. Whoever it was had tried to hold him down and was now pointing a sword at him. His heart jumped.
He couldn't move much. His body still felt weak and uncomfortable. That strange heat he felt when he first woke up here was back, but it was starting to fade.
"What do you want?!" he asked, anxious.
He hadn't even looked at the person's face yet, too focused on the sword. When he finally did, his heart skipped a beat.
"What the hell!?"
It was a woman. Not just any woman. She had furry animal ears on her head. His first thought was cosplay, but it looked way too real.
"Are those fox ears?" he mumbled.
She had long platinum hair, some of it tangled with leaves, some stuck to her face. Her skin was dirty, and her fierce eyes stared at him from across the fire she had clearly built. The flames lit her features in an eerie orange glow.
"Wait, this has to be a joke."
Peter scanned the area. No one else seemed to be nearby. He looked back at the fox-eared woman, who was watching him just as carefully.
She said something, but it made no sense to him. He didn't recognize the language. It wasn't any he knew. Not that he was fluent in many, but it didn't even sound familiar.
"Wait a second..."
He smacked himself in the face. The woman flinched and drew back, then shouted something while waving her sword.
Peter raised his hands slowly. "I know you don't understand me, and I don't understand you. This doesn't make sense, but... could it be that I was transported to another world?"
He shook his head. "That's ridiculous. There's got to be a better explanation, right? This could be a prank or... something. It just doesn't make sense. I mean, I've read plenty of novels like this, but come on."
The fox-eared woman stared at him like he was an idiot.
Peter sighed. "But it would explain a lot."
He took a breath and smiled awkwardly. "Okay, let's try to communicate. Somehow. Wow. I'm really talking to a fox girl."
His eyes lit up. He wasn't a pervert, but he couldn't deny being fascinated. He'd always wondered if other races existed somewhere. Here, right in front of him, was proof.
She raised her guard again, clearly unsettled by his expression.
Peter quickly calmed himself. He didn't want to scare her. This was too much like a dream come true. He'd imagined something like this before, but never seriously. His life on Earth was empty. If this was real, he didn't know whether to be scared or excited.
He tried again. "Um... hi. My name is Peter. Peter Wright."
He pointed at himself and repeated his name. Then he motioned for her to lower her sword. After a few awkward gestures, she finally seemed to get the idea and lowered her blade.
She still looked wary.
Peter looked her over, trying not to stare. Her ears flicked when he glanced at them, and she shifted uncomfortably. He quickly stopped.
They still couldn't understand each other. He kept trying, but nothing worked.
Then his stomach growled.
The fox woman seemed to relax slightly. She put away her sword and sat across from him by the fire. Without a word, she started roasting meat on a skewer.
Peter watched. She worked with calm skill, cutting and seasoning the meat before placing it over the flames. When it was done, she offered him a piece, speaking again in her unknown language.
He hesitated. Was it poisoned? But then again, she could have killed him at any time. There was no point in being paranoid now.
He accepted the food and took a bite.
It was salty. He couldn't recognize what kind of meat it was, but it wasn't bad. Not amazing, but he wasn't about to complain.
He was just thankful for the meal.
And he had no intention of asking where the meat came from. Some things were better left unknown.
Peter devoured the meat that the strange fox girl gave him. He was starving and felt like he hadn't eaten in weeks. He had never been so hungry, which was strange. Ever since he had come to this place, his body had been going through changes. He couldn't explain it, but he could feel it. His body burned for no apparent reason, he experienced hunger like never before, and his stamina and endurance seemed to be greater than expected. He wasn't in the best shape, yet he hadn't become winded despite jogging for a long time. Even now, he didn't feel tired, and the wounds from the beast's attack no longer hurt. They were even healing faster than he thought possible.
"So..."
Peter looked over to the mysterious fox woman across from him.
"Oh yeah, you don't understand me."
She was observing him closely. Her expression seemed innocent and curious. He wondered if it was because he looked strange to her. Were there no humans in this world? Maybe he had fallen into a place populated only by animal people.
"I guess seeing a human would be strange if that were the case. I hope I'm not the only one here."
She continued to watch him while he spoke to himself. The way she looked at him was kind of cute. Even though Peter couldn't make out her face clearly, he imagined she might be beautiful once cleaned up.
"Just judging by her appearance, this world probably isn't as advanced as Earth. She's got a sword and is wearing hide or leather armor over cloth. Gloves and boots too. Definitely not modern. Looks like something out of a medieval fair."
As Peter described her out loud, the fox woman kept staring. She mumbled something he couldn't understand. Maybe she was sizing him up too. Peter looked down at his own outfit. He was still in his office clothes and probably looked just as strange to her. His pockets were empty, but at least he still had clothes on. Waking up naked would have been worse.
After finishing the meal, Peter stood slowly. He didn't want to startle her but was tired of sitting. He looked around. Just trees and dirt everywhere. The forest felt oppressive and unsettling. What struck him as most strange was the silence. There were no sounds. No insects. No animals.
"Strange..."
Suddenly, the young woman stood, causing Peter to tense up. He wasn't sure what she was about to do. By now, she didn't seem likely to hurt him, but he stayed cautious. She didn't look at him. Instead, she stared off into the forest. Her hand rested on her sword, ready to draw.
"What..."
Her ears twitched. She gave Peter a sharp look and pressed a finger to her lips.
"Shhh."
"We actually share nonverbal gestures. Is she sensing danger?"
Her hand moved quickly to a dagger in her boot. It glowed briefly in her grip, then she threw it, not at him, but past him.
THUNK!
Peter turned just in time to see a terrifying beast. It snarled and bared its fangs, swinging a curved weapon at him. His body moved on instinct. He stepped back and raised his arms to shield himself.
Adrenaline slowed time. He glimpsed the weapon bearing down, but before it could reach him, a powerful wind blew past his face.
The creature's head flew off its shoulders. One clean strike. Blood burst from its neck and sprayed past Peter.
He gagged and forced himself not to throw up. He had never seen anything like it. The reality of how close he'd come to dying hit him. If she hadn't intervened, he would have been dead.
As the monster's body collapsed, a black mist rose from the wound. It floated toward Peter. He tried to back away, but it moved too fast. It entered his body.
Instantly, pain exploded in his mind. He dropped to one knee, clutching his head. It felt like something was trying to claw its way out of his brain. He didn't notice the black flames that erupted around his hands, spiraling up his arms. They didn't burn him, but he was too lost in the pain to care.
Tears blurred his vision. He saw the fox girl watching him cautiously.
Behind her, another creature appeared.
She hadn't noticed it. Too focused on Peter. But Peter saw it clearly, even through the pain. It raised its weapon.
Peter shouted. His arm lifted on its own, and black flames shot from it like lightning.
The fire blasted through the creature's chest. It collapsed.
The fox woman spun around, blade drawn, shocked. She had let her guard down and was furious with herself. But the flames had saved her.
"Did I just shoot flames!?" Peter cried.
He waved his hands. The flames trailed in the air, then faded. He stared at his hands in disbelief.
The fox woman approached slowly and circled him, inspecting him from all angles. She began talking again. He still couldn't understand her, but as she spoke, something strange happened.
Her words started making sense.
"Could it be some kind of magic?"
Within minutes, Peter could understand everything.
"How strange. And the monster void cores disappeared. Could it be those black flames? Why is he looking at me like that? This human is not normal."
"You... can you understand me?" Peter asked.
She jumped. "So you do know my language? Why were you pretending not to understand?"
"I wasn't. I mean, I really couldn't before. I don't know what happened. Somehow I can now. Wait, are you hearing me in English?"
"Eng...lish? I don't know that word. You are speaking the common language, just like me. What were those black flames?"
Peter looked at his hands. The flames were gone.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
He shook his head. "I don't even know where I am."
She bit her lip. "Do you know your name, at least?"
"Eh... hehe." He scratched his cheek. "Yeah. I'm Peter. Peter Wright. What's your name?"
With quiet pride, she answered, "Reia. I am Reia."
But as she spoke, her eyes stayed fixed on his hands. The same hands that had summoned those black flames.