It was bright in the space that Erik Park awoke in. As he stood up, the first thing he noticed in the white void was a giant man with a long, black beard sitting behind a desk, studying him. The second thing Erik noticed was that he was completely naked.

For a long while, Erik gazed up at the giant man, locked in a silent staring contest.

"Are you going to ask any–"

"How'd I die?" Erik interrupted the man, folding his arms. "And then I guess tell me who you are."

The giant man raised an eyebrow. "Well, you died in a car accident."

Erik huffed. "Damn. I knew I should've sobered up before driving. So, who are you then?"

"Oh, you know me," the giant man replied with a chuckle. "I'm the one who decides your fate now."

"What, am I going to Hell?" Erik frowned. That didn’t explain anything.

"Oh, heavens no," the giant man chuckled. "You're far too interesting for that. No, you're going to be part of my little experiment. You see, I've been watching you for a while now, Erik. I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. And I think you have the potential to be something truly special."

Erik grunted. That didn't sound too bad. At least he wasn't going to Hell.

"What if I refuse to be part of your experiment?"

"Then I'll send you to Hell."

"Deal." Erik immediately consented. He extended a hand upwards, shaking the giant's colossal hand. "Anyway, why am I naked?"

"That's what you're more worried about?" The giant man seemed taken aback. "Nothing about where I'm sending you or what your purpose might be?"

"I've already died," Erik replied with a shrug. "Figured whatever plans you have for me, it can't be too bad."

"What a strange way of thinking... well, in any case, the reason for your nudity is simply because your clothes were shredded beyond repair in the car crash, so the lesser reapers were too lazy to bring you here clothed."

"Hey. Don't tell me you're going to send me to wherever it is without any clothes."

"Oh, Erik. You do have such a romanticized view of what it means to be clothed. You think that the absence of garments makes you any more or less worthy? It's all in your mind, you know. You can't wrap yourself up in rags and pretend that it makes you something special."

"Huh?!" Erik lost his composure. "Hey, you're joking right?"

The giant man gave him a sympathetic smile. "Oh, I wish I was, Erik. You see, this is where your journey truly begins. You are now part of my little experiment, and I'm going to observe you closely. I want to see how you handle this new situation, how you interact with your surroundings. You are completely naked, and you must accept that. It is your new reality."

"What?! I just agreed to your stupid little experiment–"

"Farewell, Erik Park. I shall dispatch a guide who will periodically help you through your journey."

"Wait, dude–"

The giant man snapped his fingers, and Erik found himself falling through the sky, still at a loss that he was naked. He tried to cover his privates with his hands as he plummeted, wondering what sort of a sick joke this was. After what felt like an eternity, he felt a sudden jolt as his body met the ground. He winced in pain, his head spinning. He tried to get up, but his limbs felt like jelly.

"Son of a... where the fuck am I?" Erik groaned, his head still spinning from the fall. He tried to sit up, but his arms and legs refused to cooperate. The ground beneath him was hard and unforgiving. He looked around, taking in his surroundings. He was in some sort of a forest clearing, surrounded by towering trees. The air was cool and crisp, and the sunlight filtering through the leaves created a dappled pattern on the ground.

Erik glanced down and breathed a sigh of relief. Although he was wearing a simple cloth bag, he wasn't naked anymore. The bag covered his lower body and reached up to his waist. It was tied around his torso with a length of twine, leaving his chest and arms exposed. He tried to stand up again, and this time his limbs obeyed. He took a few wobbly steps before steadying himself against a nearby tree.

"Falling from that height... I should've died, but I didn't..." Erik murmured to himself. "Am I... secretly powerful?"

Something hard plummeted on his head, causing him to roar out in pain. After a good minute of spewing vicious curses and swears, Erik noticed a small and black leather-bound notebook on the ground.

Curious, he picked it up, flipping it open to a blank page.

(Dear Erik Park, this journal is a special one, where you can record anything you'd like within these pages. It will always preserve your writing, unless you choose to erase or modify it. It is also waterproof, fireproof- it's indestructible.)

(Sincerely, Osiris.)

Erik stared at the letter written on the page.

"This is just a regular notebook that can't be destroyed."

A sudden, piercing pain shot through the top of his head as Erik spat out another series of foul language. He reached up, yanking out what looked like a simple ballpoint pen. The journal he dropped earlier began to glow with a faint silver light.

Erik picked it up, opening it to the page with the letter. This time, there was a different message:

(P.S., the pen is also special, as it will never run out of ink. With these two instruments as your guides, I wish you luck in your journey of saving this new world.)

A cool breeze wafted through the forest, gently shaking the trees.

"No, wait. What the fuck am I going to do with these?" Erik's words carried a tone of despair and loss. "How do I save the world with some pen and paper?"

For a moment, Erik considered giving up and finding a painless way to end things, but then he heard a faint rustling in the distance. It sounded like leaves being crushed beneath footsteps. He glanced around nervously, searching for a hiding place.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Having scrambled up a tree, Erik quietly observed a figure entering the clearing he had fallen in. The person was tall and slender, dressed in flowing robes of deep crimson, their long black hair flowing behind them like a waterfall. As they walked, they seemed to have an air of authority about them, and their every movement was graceful and fluid. They glanced around the clearing, their eyes searching for something. They turned, and Erik confirmed that the stranger was a woman.

As Erik held his breath, he realized how badly it would look if the person caught sight of him in the trees. Essentially naked save for the cloth bag around his waist and armed with a pen and journal, one would think Erik had lost his mind.

The woman walked slowly, her steps sure and purposeful, through the clearing. Her crimson robes swirled about her ankles, the hem of her garment trailing behind her like a wave on the shore. As she drew closer to where Erik was perched, he noticed that she seemed to be searching for something in particular. Her hands were clasped tightly before her, and her head was held high, as if she were deep in thought.

"Holy fuck!" Erik thought hysterically to himself. "There's no way she doesn't see me hiding right in front of her!"

The woman's steps slowed as she neared the base of the tree in which Erik was perched. She stopped, her head tilted to the side as she seemed to sense something was off. Her brilliant golden eyes scanned the branches, searching for movement.

Erik held his breath, desperately praying that he wouldn't be spotted.

"What are you doing up there?"

Erik nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the woman's voice. He peered down at her, his heart pounding. She stared back up at him, her golden eyes unblinking and seemingly unafraid.

"I was... sketching. This branch- I wanted to capture every detail of this specific branch up here," Erik stammered, trying to make some sense of his situation.

"May I see?"

Erik fought the urge to scream, covertly sketching out what he hoped was an accurate drawing of a random branch he chose before handing the journal to the woman. His heart pounded wildly as he waited for her reaction, numerous thoughts swarming through his head.

"What is up with this woman? How'd she spot me so easily? Why is she acting normal in this situation? What the fuck am I doing?" Erik's thoughts raced as he watched the woman study his hastily drawn sketch. She flipped through the pages of his journal, her golden eyes darting over each blank page as if searching for something specific. Erik couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as she flipped back to his sketch.

"Not bad," the woman said, finally handing the journal back to Erik. "You have a keen eye for detail. I am impressed." Her voice was soft, almost musical, and it sent shivers down Erik's spine. "What is your name?"

"I'm Erik-"

Misplacing his foot on a branch below as he reached out to grab the journal back, Erik slipped, falling and bouncing off several branches along the way. He landed on the ground, letting out a wheeze as the wind was knocked out of him.

"-Park."

Erik coughed, trying to catch his breath. "Erik Park." He laid there for a moment until the woman's face entered his vision. She didn't seem to be concerned about him whatsoever.

"Erik Park? That's a strange name... " The woman's crimson robes flowed gracefully as she knelt down next to Erik, her golden eyes studying his face. "I'm Taliana Pureos Myrian of the Myrian household."

"Taliana- I'm just gonna go with Talia," Erik muttered.

The woman smiled, revealing a set of perfectly straight teeth. "Very well, Erik. You may call me Talia."

Erik sat up, rubbing his sore hip. Talia stared at him with a slight curiosity.

"You're not from this world, are you, Erik?"

"That obvious, huh? No, some jerk sent me here after I died," Erik scowled as he recalled his encounter with Osiris. "By the way, you don't seem too shocked about my arrival."

"You're not the only stranger who's come from another world," Talia confessed, her golden eyes studying Erik's face carefully. "Though... you have been the only one who's attire has been... less than suitable for our world." She motioned to Erik's waistcloth. "Perhaps you should find some new clothes, or at least something more appropriate."

A wave of anger surged through Erik. Hearing that people like him were sent here with their clothes intact pissed him off.

"Ah, well, I'd hate to bother you, but could you help me with that?" Erik asked, getting up to his feet. "I have no knowledge of this world."

"Well... only if you can help me with my problem first."

"And that is?"

"Help me find something."

Erik raised an eyebrow. "So you were searching for something earlier? What is it?"

"My pet."

"Like a dog or a cat?" Erik scratched the back of his head. "Does it have a name?"

"He responds to Sir Illyanth Crudeo the Fourth."

Speechless, Erik stared at Talia for a moment. She tilted her head in response, as if questioning what was going through his mind.

"Um, okay... your pet wouldn't be a human, would it?"

"No, it's an infant reptile. Why?"

"Nothing," Erik recovered his journal and pen, muttering how names in this world were a bit much. "Okay, so I'll help you find your pet lizard and you'll help me get settled into this world. Deal?"

"I'm content with that. However, can I ask that you do not refer to Ill as a lizard? He's much more distinguished than that."

Erik's first impression of this woman was that she was a graceful noble from some higher up family, but as she continued to speak, he began to have doubts. "Sure... Well, I guess we should get started then. Where did you last see him?" He asked, tucking his journal back into his waistband.

"Well, I was playing with Ill a few moments ago until a loud crash startled him. Then, he ran off in fear after we heard an even louder voice spewing out vile profanity. I would've caught Ill, but it happened a second time, and I lost track of him."

Whether Talia purposefully didn't outright accuse him of being the very cause behind scaring Ill or not, Erik was still embarrassed as he lowered his head.

"Um, okay, so I'm guessing he passed through here?" Erik mumbled.

"Yes, that's right. He would have gone through here. Though I must warn you, some parts of the forest are a bit dangerous. There are poisonous plants and even some creatures that might not take kindly to your presence."

"Seriously?" Erik couldn't believe it. He had literally just come to this world, but it seemed like he would leave it soon.

"Don't worry, Erik Park. I shall protect you until then." Talia's eyes glowed with a golden light and Erik realized that magic existed in this world.

"I'm not really in any danger," he insisted, but Talia didn't seem to hear him. She walked confidently through the forest, leading the way to wherever her pet had gone. As they walked, Erik tried to get a sense of the forest itself. The trees were tall and old, their branches twisted and gnarled. The underbrush was dense and green, teeming with life. Birds sang in the treetops, and the scent of flowers filled the air.

Not wanting to get lost, Erik pulled out his pen and journal, scribbling key characteristics of whatever popped out at him. With a start, his writings were accompanied by an accurate drawing that magically sketched itself. 

"Holy shit... is my journal really magical? Am I magical?" Erik wondered to himself, excited at the possibility of having a fantastical item. He couldn't wait to explore the functions of his new journal. What made it even better was his expectations of being able to wield magic himself. 

"That's a 5-copper journal you can get at any shop." 

"Fuck you, Osiris!" 

----------------------------------------

After a short while, the both of them came across a clearing. In the center of the clearing was a moderately-sized pond, its waters sparkling in the sunlight. Surrounding the pond were colorful flowers that grew in profusion, their delicate petals nodding in the gentle breeze. On a large, flat rock beside the pond sat the reptile that Erik assumed Talia had been searching for. It was about a foot long and had a scaly green body with golden stripes running down its back. It coiled and uncoiled lazily, enjoying the warmth of the sun.

"Oh, Sir Illy... Ill looks like he's calmed down," Erik quietly murmured to Talia, not wanting to scare him off again.

Talia marched straight past the reptile, crouching down at the edge of the pond. "Submerging himself in the water usually calms him down."

"Wait... is that reptile on the rock not your pet?" Erik asked, confused.

"Huh? I told you, Sir Illyanth Crudeo the Fourth is not a lizard-"

A massive shadow suddenly burst forth from the surface of the pond, showering the entire clearing in a miniature rain. Erik gawked, open-mouthed as the beast landed in front of him.

Growling menacingly, the golden-bronze scaled beast was indeed reptilian, though it had a pair of leathery wings that were as long as Erik's height. The creature's tail lashed back and forth, its long, sharp claws digging into the earth as it glared at the half-naked man.

"-he's a dragon."