Point Of View: Christopher Roosevelt

I woke up sneezing. My concerns about catching a cold came rushing back, along with my mental priority list: food and decent shelter. My current inventory? A stone knife and a rope made of braided leaves. As I was going over these items in my mind, the ground shook. A shiver ran down my spine. I stayed in the tree but climbed higher into the branches, hiding among the leaves. I struggled to control my heartbeat, which felt like it was about to leap out of my throat.

Then I saw it. Near the riverbed, a massive creature about four meters tall. It looked like a lizard with wings connected to its forelimbs, resembling a pterosaur but with a sturdier head, like a Komodo dragon’s, filled with sharp teeth. The creature dipped its head into the river, either fishing or drinking. “I’ll call it a Wyvern,” I thought. If that thing can fly, I’d better stay hidden in the trees’ canopy.

I climbed down, my thoughts racing. The river was no longer safe; drinking water or building a raft to follow it downstream would be a monumental challenge now.

“You can call me a coward, but there’s no way I’m fighting that thing,” I muttered nervously, letting out a shaky laugh. Since I’d had enough water for now, I decided to move away from the river and into the forest. “Time to look for fruit.” I followed my own rule: if animals are eating something, it’s probably safe for me, especially if they’re primates.

As I walked, I found a small tree with a thin trunk. I broke it and began carving it as I went, trying to make it as straight as possible. Once the shaft was well-shaped, I used a piece of fiber to create a spear. “Now I have a weapon. It’s not very strong or deadly, but it’s a defense mechanism.”

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After walking for a few hours, I came across a small clearing. At its center was a massive boulder, twice my height and ten times my width. A fissure split the rock, perhaps the result of years of erosion. Approaching cautiously, I inspected the interior. The inside of the rock had eroded, forming a small cave with stalactites dripping water. “Looks like a safe spot,” I thought as I entered.

“Where is this water dripping from the ceiling coming from?” Inside, the grotto was spacious, with solid stone walls. There was enough room for a man to lie down, but most of the floor was occupied by a pool of crystal-clear water. Around it, the stone floor was covered in moss, which I’d need to clear away. Lighting a fire here would be risky.

I knelt by the pool and leaned closer. That’s when I saw my reflection for the first time. I looked younger, maybe around sixteen, and more athletic than I remembered. I’d never been much of a sports fan. My hair was dark brown and completely disheveled, and my skin was pale but slightly yellowish. “Anemia?” I quipped to myself, amused.

As I was about to get up, my foot slipped on the moss, and I fell toward the pool. I tried to catch myself with my arms, but it was deeper than it appeared, and soon I was fully submerged. My entire body plunged into the water. I tried to swim desperately, but I’m a terrible swimmer. You can’t be good at everything, after all. As the dim light from the grotto faded above me, I realized I was running out of air. Then, my feet touched the bottom. With a push, I propelled myself upward, flailing my arms. My head broke the surface, and I clung to a flat surface, coughing and spitting out the water I’d swallowed.

When I looked around, I realized I was no longer in the grotto. “Oh, great. Random isekai event. What is this, a dungeon?” I muttered. A corridor stretched out before me. Shivering from the cold, I got to my feet and began walking, each step echoing in the darkness.