Nyk's opened his eyes, waking up from a deep sleep. The world was but a blur.

W-where am I? He blinked, trying to clear his vision.

The last thing I remember is... pain. I was... f-floating, rays of light were hitting me, and I could see t-the system... I-I had gained a Red Card!—

A wide grin immediately spread across his face as he yelled, "System!"

Nothing happened.

"System Status!" he attempted again, "Show System! Open Array! Blue Screen!" he continued to call out without any result, his voice met only with silence.

He winced, disappointment tugging at his stomach. Damn, if only Syn were here, she could teach me what to do.

His eyes opened wide, and his heart skipped a beat. "S-syn?" his voice trailed off as he looked around. She was right next to me, wasn't she? He frantically looked around, searching for her.

As Nyk took in his surroundings, he realized he was no longer in the cave. He was in the middle of a clearing, obscured by the clouds. He looked up to gaze at them, and his jaw dropped. Staggering to his feet, he steadied himself, his heart pounding as he beheld a spectacle above him.

Countless mountain-sized rocks floated in the sky. Most were covered in lush vegetation, making them look like floating islands.

His head began spinning, and he felt light-headed. Kneeling to sit, he looked down and noticed he was standing in the middle of an array. Unrecognizable blue runic symbols formed a hexagon around him. Directly below him, at the array's center, a red glowing gem the size of his fist was buried. He stared at it as it pulsed rhythmically, matching his heartbeats.

Darkness slowly receded, but when he raised his head, the rock was still standing above him. Nyk strained his eyes as blinding light exploded around him, painting everything in white. He closed his eyes and raised his arms to shield himself, but even through his arms and eyelids, the brightness continued to increase, swallowing everything.

After what felt like several minutes, the whiteness in the world dimmed, and he dared to open his eyes. W-what did just...? He looked around for an explanation, but the world remained unchanged as if nothing had happened.

How hard did I hit my head? He scanned his surroundings. He was standing in a clearing, a gap in the otherwise unbroken wall of trees that began no more than a few paces from him. It was a wild and untamed thing, a maelstrom of shadows and verdant leaves.

Around him, runic symbols spread from the hexagon he was standing on, reaching toward six saplings that encircled him, each planted at vertices of a larger hexagon. Their young leaves quivered as if whispering secrets to the gentle breeze.

I'm clearly not in Talorin, so... why and where am I? He thought as he peeked at the floating islands. And where's Syn? A creeping sense of worry formed in his stomach.

He shook his head, brushing away the fear. Fear won't help. I need to think like Syn. What would she do? He thought calmly. She'd study her surroundings, figure out what she could use, formulate a plan, and then work on it. That's what she'd do.

Staying in this clearing wouldn't help him; understanding it would, he reasoned.

Not recognizing any of the symbols in the array, he followed their trail toward one of the trees.

The first tree was ordinary—it reminded him of the plants he cared for in Nana's garden. He moved to the next, finding it just as normal as the first. Strange green leaves grew from its branches, with no hints of flowers or fruits.

He blinked as he inspected the tree, the world around him seeming to smudge and blur. He looked around in surprise, and he suddenly found himself gasping for air. His chest tightened as if an invisible force was choking him.

Panic surged within him, his hands flailing in the air as if to fight off his unseen attacker. His vision wavered, the world becoming an indecipherable blur of colors. Seconds turned into eternity as he fought for air until he began to notice he could guide a thin trickle of air toward his lungs.

Patiently, he tried to relax, relying on this minuscule breath of air to sustain him until, slowly, his vision unblurred, and he could take small gasps of air.

All of a sudden, the dizziness in the air disappeared just like the blinding light. Nyk fell to the ground breathing heavily, his thoughts racing as he looked around the open space. Was he under some sort of attack?

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

HIDE! his instincts screamed at him, and the idea remained with him—he needed to find a safe place. The nearby forest looked dangerous, but a good option for hiding from this invisible attacker.

Standing up, He ran towards it, but he had not taken more than a few steps before he smashed against an invisible force. He was thrown back as if he had hit a wall, landing on the ground.

Confused, he stood up and cautiously reached out to where he'd been stopped. His hand met resistance—there was a magical barrier. He looked below, finding a sapling, and scanned the hexagon. Gods, no, no, no, no... A sense of impending doom overtaking him as he began to trace the boundary of the invisible shield.

His heart dropped as he returned where he had begun, his worst fears coming to life. The hexagonal array was perfectly encapsulated by the force shield.

Stepping back from the barrier, Nyk felt the earth begin to shake. The tremors threw him off his feet. Oddly, the trees around him stayed still, as if the world was frozen while he was being thrown around. The strange sound of the earth splitting rang out, but when he looked down, the ground was untouched.

He lay flat on the ground for minutes as the world shook and cracked around him until the tremors faded into a creepy silence.

As he stood there, his keen senses captured what seemed like a soft voice breaking the silence.

"—YK!" Nyk looked around, confusion on his face. Was he hearing things, or had someone just said his name?

Only silence followed.

He staggered to his feet, decided to escape from this death trap, and ran full force against the invisible shield to no avail. His fists and kicks hit the unmovable barrier in frustration, the sound of the attacks on the barrier echoing around him.

Feelings of despair started to sneak into his mind, wrapping him in a net of hopelessness.

He dashed toward the saplings and tried unrooting them, but the seemingly weak and thin trees didn't even budge. An idea sparked in his mind—The runic symbols! If he could distort them, perhaps he could shatter the shield. With renewed determination, he tried smudging the cryptic symbols surrounding the saplings and the glowing red gem. But to his dismay, they simply reformed, as untouchable as ever.

A harsh truth hit him. If he couldn't escape, he was doomed to die in this foreign world. Oddly, he wasn't hungry yet, but he wondered, how long would that last?

With a sigh, he walked towards the largest tree, scanning its rough bark, searching for any alternatives. As he got closer, his instincts screamed, and he felt a knot forming in his stomach. He peeked into the forest, and he noticed the trees swelling in a threatening manner.

Nyk stepped back, a shiver of fear running down his spine as he felt a tremendous wave of energy coming from the forest. Their large shadows and trunks seemingly growing and twisting.

As fear gripped him, a familiar voice pierced the eerie silence. "...CUS...ME...YK!" The voice was faint and broken, but he would recognize it anywhere—it was his grandmother.

"NANA!" He shouted, his face brightening, "NANA, WHERE ARE YOU?"

"F...US ON ... NY.." Her voice crackled through the ether, the message fragmented but discernible. "..OCUS!"

FOCUS ON ME

A spark of understanding lit up in his mind - whatever it was, it was affecting him. His grandmother was guiding him through it. He needed to focus.

Pushing down his fear, he gathered all his willpower and directed it—full force—toward the memories of his grandmother. Images of the garden, her messy hair and her caring hugs flooded his head. As he concentrated, he felt her comforting presence grow, shining like a lighthouse in the world's worst storm.

His perception of reality seemed to ripple and distort around him, and suddenly, there she was. "FOCUS ON ME, NYK!" His grandmother's voice echoed clearly in his mind. "LET ME PULL YOU!"

In an instant, his surroundings changed. The clearing disappeared, replaced by a scene of fiery rage, and he found himself transported to the middle of a desecrated forest. The sharp smell of burnt plants filled the air, and he could see the burned remains of trees all around him.

Amidst fire and the arid landscape, a massive, verdant green tree stood out like a sore thumb. A small treetop house perched high on one of its branches, the image triggered a memory—his Nana had once mentioned they built a treetop house for his father.

An opening in the earth exploded on his right, sending a cloud of smoke, ash and lava into the already troubled sky. Streams of liquid fire flowed from the burning cliff, painting a scene of destruction.

Gathering his strength, he bravely jumped over a river of hot magma, his heartbeat matching the sound of his loud steps. But, as he closed in on the tree, his body hit an invisible barrier, its unbreakable force stopping him from entering.

"NANA!" His voice echoed in the apocalyptic landscape.

As if reacting to his voice, the invisible force seemed to yield, allowing him passage. He charged inside the protective field, his eyes frantically scanning his new surroundings. Looking up, a shadowy figure inside the treetop house caught his attention. A pair of red and green eyes shone in the darkness. He continued running.

Then, as he was about to reach the tree trunk, he saw her. His grandmother was floating in the air, her legs crossed in the lotus position, hovering beside the tree, a picture of calm focus.

"Nana!" he shouted, running towards her. His heart, screaming with joy, quickly ached at the sight of her. Her face was strained with effort and pain, with beads of bloody sweat trickling down her neck.

Nyk jumped and embraced her. Her eyes slowly opened, revealing an exhausted smile. "My d-dear Nyk," she whispered, returning the tight hug. "How I've missed you."

"I thought I wouldn't see you again," he cried.

"But you have," she said, smiling weakly, "W-whatever you did, worked." Her face looked bone-weary, her eyes barely remaining open, "N-nyk, I-I'm too weak now, I n-need to rest, but w-worry not, I'll be b-back for you," she said, her voice fading as her image began to dissipate.

"NO!" he shouted, but his call echoed back unanswered. She had disappeared. "NANA!"

His surroundings began to blur, the details warping and spinning around him. With a desperate effort, he tried to fix his sight on anything. His gaze landed on a few fruits perched on the tree branches, and as everything spiraled out of focus, his last memory was of the scary yet familiar eyes peeking from within the treetop house.

Then, in a blink, he was back in the clearing, standing on top of the glowing red gem.