[Transfer complete]
SPLASH!
The ice-cold water hit Rian's face like an open-hand slap.
"AUGH—!"
Rian jolted upright, coughing and spitting water as the cold seeped straight into his bones. His hair was plastered to his forehead and his clothes were soaked through.
In front of him, three boys were cracking up laughing. One of them held an empty wooden bucket, grinning the kind of grin that really deserved a punch.
"Did you see his face?!" said the one with the bucket — a freckled blond kid who could barely get the words out between laughs.
"I thought he was dead!" another one wheezed, shorter than the rest, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.
Rian blinked several times, completely disoriented.
'What…?'
He looked around. He was sitting on the floor of a wooden cabin. The walls were rough-hewn, planks badly fitted together with cold wind whistling through the gaps.
There were several makeshift beds — straw and threadbare blankets — and the roof groaned with every gust.
'Where am I?' Rian thought, frowning.
The last thing he remembered was falling asleep in his room after an all-nighter gaming. His monitor was still glowing when he closed his eyes, the main menu music looping in the background.
But this…
This was not his room.
'Am I dreaming?'
"Hey, idiot!" The blond kid nudged him in the leg with his foot. "Stop zoning out like a log. The hunt starts soon and you need to be ready."
"The hunt?" he repeated, still trying to catch up.
The three boys exchanged glances and laughed again.
"See? Told you this guy's got nothing going on upstairs," said the blond, crossing his arms. "You seriously don't remember? It's your turn today."
"My turn for what?" Rian asked, genuinely lost.
The shorter one shook his head like he was talking to a small child.
"To hunt, dummy. What else would it be?"
"Did you smack your head in your sleep or something?" added the third one — a wiry kid with a scar through his eyebrow.
All three were still laughing when the cabin door flew open.
BAM!
The sound cut the laughter dead.
A large older man stepped in with heavy footsteps. Broad-shouldered, thick beard dusted with frost. His expression was that of someone who hadn't smiled in years.
The three boys snapped to attention instantly, as if someone had shoved a pole up their spines.
The man swept the cabin with his eyes until they landed on him — soaked and sitting on the floor.
"Rian!" the man barked, pointing a thick finger at him. "What in blazes are you doing lying there all wet? Get up!"
'Rian?' he thought, confused.
How did this guy know his name?
He glanced at the boys beside him, expecting one of them to say something, but all three had their eyes fixed firmly on the floor.
"Rian!" the man repeated, louder. "Are you deaf? Get up and quit fooling around! Today is your turn to hunt."
Everyone was looking at him.
The three boys, the man… all of them.
Rian didn't understand any of it, but something told him staying on the ground wasn't an option. So he nodded slowly and got to his feet, legs a little shaky from the cold.
The man looked him up and down with open disapproval, clicked his tongue, and turned away.
"Follow me," he ordered, without looking back.
Rian obeyed, following the man toward the cabin door. But when he stepped outside, his feet stopped on their own.
"…"
Everything was covered in snow.
The ground, the trees, the rooftops of the nearby cabins… all white as far as he could see. The sky was grey and heavy with clouds, and tiny flakes drifted down slowly, as if the whole world were holding its breath.
'Snow…' Rian thought, eyes going wide.
He had never seen snow in person. Where he came from it never snowed, and the closest he'd gotten was in video game environments.
But this was different.
He could feel it crunching under his feet, the sharp air cutting into his nose, the deep hush that only snow could create.
'For a dream… this feels way too real,' he thought, looking down at his hands.
And then he noticed something strange.
He wasn't cold.
Well — the bucket of water had left him soaked and he should have been shaking, but… he wasn't. The clothes he had on were simple, barely a thin cotton tunic that offered nothing in the way of warmth, and yet his body felt fine.
'What kind of dream is this?' Rian thought, frowning.
"Rian! Move it!" the man snapped from up ahead.
He shook his head and followed the man into a smaller cabin where hunting gear hung from wooden hooks on the wall. The man pointed at a set without a word and crossed his arms, waiting.
Rian changed quickly. The hunting gear was thicker — a leather vest over a wool shirt — and boots that were just a little too big.
At the end of it, the man placed a spear in his hands.
It was a crude thing, dull metal tip and rough wooden shaft, but it was heavier than he expected.
'I'm supposed to hunt something with this?' he thought, turning the spear awkwardly in his hands.
The man led him out to an open clearing where several groups of young people were gathered, all wearing the same hunting gear and carrying similar spears.
Some were stretching their arms, others talking in low voices, and several of them looked over at him with expressions that ranged from contempt to complete indifference.
"Rian, you're late."
A firm voice made him turn. A girl with long black hair and red eyes was staring at him with a frown, arms crossed, her spear resting against her shoulder.
'Who is this?' Rian thought, with absolutely no recognition.
But from the way she was looking at him, she clearly knew who he was.
Rian decided to smile, because nothing better came to mind.
"It was a rough morning," he said, shrugging.
The girl narrowed her eyes like she didn't believe a single word of it, but didn't push further.
Just then, a broad-built man stepped in front of all the groups and spoke in a deep voice.
"Today you'll head south to hunt! You all know the rules: any group that comes back empty-handed doesn't eat today. Simple as that!"
The instructor raised his arm and brought it down hard.
"Move out!"
Every group broke into motion at once, sprinting toward the snowy forest with a coordination that left him standing there on his own.
"What are you doing?!" The black-haired girl was already several meters ahead, glaring back at him with irritation. "Move, Rian!"
Rian nodded fast.
"R-right, sorry!"