Silas awoke to wracking pain. Every nerve in his body screamed, his limbs aching as though they had been torn apart and put back together. For a brief moment, panic seized him. Where was he? What had happened?

Then, he saw the light.

What had once been the moon casting its pale glow through the decrepit wooden walls was now the harsh, golden rays of the sun. Sunlight shone unevenly into the room, filtering through the broken roof tiles, illuminating the dust that hung in the air. And just like that, the memories rushed back—

The book. The seed. The ritual.

The unbearable pain as roots invaded his body.

He sucked in a sharp breath. He had survived. But something had changed.

A blinking light in the corner of his vision caught his attention. His gaze snapped toward it instinctively, and to his shock, something appeared before his eyes.

A set of bars. Red, green, and blue.

He knew immediately what they were—health, stamina, and energy. The knowledge felt innate, like knowing how to breathe or blink. Blinking again in surprise, he noticed another notification appearing in the corner of his vision. A scroll icon.

Status.

He focused on it, and a new window unfolded before him.

---

Status

Name: Silas Greystoke

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Level: 1

Age: 13

Title: Viator Inter Mundos (Traveler Between Worlds)

Automatic Translation: Enabled

Job: (Available at Level 5)

Seed: Helianthus (Sunflower)

Stats:

Strength: 5

Stamina: 5

Energy: 1

Speed: 4

Vitality: 4

Intelligence: 10

Charisma: 4

Dexterity: 5

Bond: 1

Free Points Available: 2

Skills:

Photosynthesis: Absorb energy from the sun to restore stamina and gradually replenish health. Prolonged exposure increases overall vitality, but effectiveness depends on environmental conditions.

---

Silas's heart pounded in his chest. This—this was exactly what the book had described. A system, an interface, a means of understanding his growth and abilities.

But before he could process more, he heard it.

A sharp, wet sniffing.

Then—the slow creak of the door.

His breath caught in his throat. Moving only his eyes, he peered through the splintered remains of the bed above him.

The monster was back.

It stalked into the room, hunched over, its grotesque limbs moving with unnatural silence. Its elongated face twisted as it sniffed the air again. Its lips curled back, exposing those jagged teeth as it exhaled a guttural snarl.

And then it turned its head.

Directly toward him.

His blood.

His hand.

The wound had seeped into the floorboards while he had been unconscious. And now, the creature knew.

With terrifying speed, it lunged.

Silas barely had time to roll as the bed above him was thrown aside like kindling, splinters flying in all directions. He scrambled backward, his hands fumbling desperately beneath him—

His fingers closed around something. The jagged wooden splinter from before.

The monster reared up, its spindly arms stretching toward him. Silas had no time to think. With a desperate cry, he drove the wooden spike forward, directly into its eye.

The creature shrieked, an inhuman wail splitting the air. It reeled back, clawing at its ruined face. But Silas’s victory was short-lived.

One of its elongated arms lashed out, striking him with bone-crushing force.

The impact sent him hurtling backward. He crashed through the flimsy wooden wall, planks snapping and crumbling under the force. Pain erupted across his ribs as he hit the ground outside, rolling onto the dirt, gasping as the air was knocked from his lungs.

Dazed, he groaned, blinking up at the sky. The sun. The bright, warm sun beamed down upon him.

A sound snapped his attention back—the monster.

With a growl, the creature whipped its head up, its one remaining eye locking onto him with pure hatred. Silas struggled to move, but pain kept him grounded. He was too winded to get up. His ribs screamed in agony, his limbs weak from the previous ordeal.

The creature stalked toward him, its body partially framed by the broken wall. Silas could see it clearly now, looming in the shadows of the ruined structure.

But then—it stopped.

The edges of its feet smoked and curled.

It hissed, stepping back, glaring furiously at him.

The sunlight.

It couldn’t step beyond the broken wall. The light burned it.

Silas lay there, breathless, staring in both relief and horror. The monster lingered, pacing just beyond the threshold, watching him, waiting.

His heart pounded as he realized the terrifying truth.

It wasn’t leaving.

It was biding its time.