Nagumo Hiroto lived an ordinary life as a senior high school student, never standing out in class or among his peers. His grades were average, his appearance unremarkable, and his daily routine predictable. He preferred things that way because blending into the background meant avoiding unnecessary attention and complications.
"Hiroto, hurry up! You walk slower than a grandpa!"
His younger sister Aika's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. She stood a few steps ahead in the crowded mall, hands on her hips and glaring at him with impatience. Her long black hair swayed as she turned and headed toward another store without waiting for his response.
"I'm coming," Hiroto replied with a sigh as he adjusted the shopping bags in his hands. He had been dragged along on this trip despite having no interest in shopping, and the number of bags he carried kept increasing with each stop.
"You said we'd just buy one thing," he muttered under his breath.
"And we are," Aika answered quickly, "one thing per store."
Hiroto shook his head but continued following her through the busy mall. People moved in every direction, their voices blending into a constant hum of chatter and laughter. Bright lights reflected off polished floors while soft music played in the background, creating a lively and familiar atmosphere that felt completely normal.
That sense of normalcy disappeared the moment Hiroto noticed something strange.
Near an emergency exit, in a corner that should have been empty, a distortion hovered in the air. It looked like a circular ripple, as if invisible water had been disturbed and frozen mid-motion. Its surface shimmered with faint shades of blue and violet, twisting slowly in a way that made it clear it did not belong there.
Hiroto stared at it, confusion growing as people walked past without reacting. No one stopped, no one pointed, and no one seemed to notice its presence at all.
"They don't see it…" he whispered, his heartbeat beginning to quicken.
"Hiroto!" Aika called from a distance. "Are you coming or not?"
He hesitated before replying, "Yeah, just a second."
Instead of following her, he found himself drawn toward the strange phenomenon. The closer he got, the colder the air felt, and the surrounding noise seemed to fade as if being absorbed by the distortion itself. Every instinct warned him that something was wrong, but curiosity pushed him forward.
"This has to be some kind of trick," he said quietly as he raised his hand. His fingers hovered briefly before touching the surface.
The instant contact was made, everything changed.
The world twisted violently around him as the mall disappeared in a blur of light and shadow. The ground beneath his feet vanished, and he felt himself being pulled into something far beyond his control.
"Hiroto!"
Aika's voice echoed faintly, but it was already too late.
Darkness swallowed him completely as he began to fall.The sensation of falling stretched endlessly, surrounded by shifting lights and fragments of unfamiliar images. His body felt both weightless and heavy at the same time, as if reality itself had become unstable. He tried to speak, but his voice sounded distorted, barely recognizable even to himself.
Scenes flashed around him—towering mountains, ancient ruins, and creatures with glowing eyes. Among them was something else, something he could not clearly see but could feel watching him.
Without warning, the fall ended.
He hit the ground hard, pain spreading through his body as the air was forced out of his lungs. He groaned and rolled slightly, clutching his chest as he struggled to breathe. Beneath him was grass, soft yet real enough to confirm that this was no illusion.
Slowly, he pushed himself up and looked around.
The sky above him was unlike anything he had seen before, a deep blue streaked with faint purple lines that resembled cracks stretching across its surface. The usual sounds of the city were gone, replaced by a quiet emptiness broken only by the gentle movement of the wind.
"Where am I?" he asked, his voice unsteady.
Turning around, he found no trace of the mall or any familiar structure. Instead, an endless field stretched in every direction, with distant mountains rising sharply against the horizon. Nearby stood the remains of ancient ruins, their broken stone walls partially covered in creeping vines.
"This doesn't make any sense," he muttered, trying to process what had happened.
The memory of Aika surfaced, tightening his chest with worry. She had been right there moments ago, and now she was nowhere to be seen. He had no way of knowing whether she was safe or if she had witnessed his sudden disappearance.
He shook his head, forcing himself to focus.
Panicking would not help him understand his situation.
He reviewed what he knew so far. There had been a strange portal, he had touched it, and now he was in an unfamiliar place that clearly was not his world. The conclusion sounded absurd, yet there was no denying it.
"I've been transported somewhere else," he said, the words feeling strange even as he spoke them.
A faint cracking sound interrupted his thoughts.
He froze and turned toward the source of the noise. The grass nearby shifted slightly, as if something was moving beneath it.
"Is someone there?" he called cautiously.
There was no response.
The movement stopped briefly before suddenly bursting forward.
A small creature emerged, its dark green skin contrasting sharply with its glowing yellow eyes. Its mouth opened to reveal rows of sharp teeth, and a low growl escaped from its throat as it focused entirely on Hiroto.
Fear surged through him as he realized the danger.
Without thinking, he turned and ran.
The creature let out a high-pitched screech and chased after him, moving faster than he expected. Hiroto's breathing quickly became uneven as he struggled to keep up his pace, his lack of physical endurance becoming painfully obvious.
The uneven ground caused him to lose his footing, sending him tumbling down a slight slope. He hit the ground hard, pain shooting through his body as he tried to recover.
Before he could stand, the creature was already upon him.
It lunged forward.
Driven by instinct, Hiroto grabbed a nearby piece of broken stone and swung it with all his strength. The impact knocked the creature aside, its screech echoing across the field.
He quickly got back to his feet, his hands trembling as he faced it.
The creature rose again, more aggressive than before, and charged without hesitation.
Hiroto braced himself and swung once more, putting everything he had into the strike.
This time, the blow was decisive.
The creature collapsed and remained still, its body no longer moving.
Silence returned, heavy and suffocating.
Hiroto stood there, staring at what had just happened, his breathing slowly beginning to calm. He struggled to accept the reality of the situation.
Nothing about this felt normal. He had been transported to an unknown place and forced into a life-threatening situation within minutes. The realization that he could have died settled heavily in his mind.
He looked at his hands, still shaking slightly.
There were no special abilities, no sudden surge of power, and no guidance to help him survive. Everything he had done came from instinct alone.
"This isn't a game," he said quietly.
The absence of safety or second chances made that clear.
After a moment, his expression hardened slightly as determination replaced fear.
He could not afford to remain helpless.
"I need to survive," he said, his voice steady despite the uncertainty.
He looked toward the distant ruins, recognizing that staying in one place would not improve his situation.
He began to walk, each step carrying him further into the unknown.
"I'll figure this out," he continued.
Returning home was his first goal, but even that felt uncertain.
"And if I can't…"
He paused briefly before continuing forward.
"Then I'll survive here."
The wind moved through the field as if responding to his resolve. In the distance, a faint roar echoed, reminding him that the danger around him was far from over.
Without looking back, Hiroto kept moving.
The life he once knew was already out of reach. And ahead of him lay a world that would test him in ways he could not yet imagine.