Chapter 1: Do The Roar

In a forest of such beauty, no one could have known the face of death itself was lurking—or, well, something like it. Today Daniel was hunted by a bloodthirsty beast… Yes, that is absolutely what happened...

The afternoon sun hung high above Sylvara, casting long shadows through the dense canopy of the surrounding forest. Daniel knelt amidst the underbrush, his fingers working deftly to pluck the delicate stems of some unfamiliar herbs. He was a very tall man, yet felt so very small amidst the grandiosity of this realm.

Each plant shimmered with an ethereal glow, its leaves pulsing softly as though the air itself was alive with energy.

Daniel crouched closer, his blue eyes noticing how the plants seemed to bend ever so slightly toward him. They seemed to be drawn by the faint, invisible hum of aether that he could feel but not quite understand.

The air here felt thick, charged, like a storm on the verge of breaking.

Is this normal? he wondered, the strange otherworldliness of the forest settling into his bones.

He paused, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, and glanced around. The silence of the forest pressed in on him, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves.

This isn't so bad. I haven't been eaten yet, so I'll take that, Daniel mused, though a cold knot of fear tightened in his stomach.

He glanced around the unnaturally quiet forest, his grip tightening on the pouch of herbs.

I’m not ready for this, he thought, frustration seeping into his mind. I’m not even strong enough to protect my family. The image of his wife and kids, unprotected and alone in this unfamiliar world, gnawed at him, casting a constant shadow over every step.

He forced a chuckle, trying to shake off the growing sense of unease. Don't be silly, and hey, at least I’m getting some cheeky loot, he reaffirmed mentally, though his inner voice wavered slightly.

He ran a hand through his short-ish, dark brown hair, trying to shake the tension that clung to him like a second skin. Great job, Daniel. First steps alone in a new world, and you're already acting like a scared little weasel. Maybe I can even fight a squirrel… if it's particularly small... and already dead.

This was the first time Daniel had left the protection of the city and its guards after landing in this strange new world.

That would be fine... if he had managed to level up and actually have some attributes about him. Sadly, that was still just out of reach, his newly activated aetherial system still adapting.

Merium had informed him that the area immediately surrounding the city was completely safe, but so was his kitchen back in Canada, which didn't stop him and his family from getting plucked from existence as they knew it.

The unnatural quiet was just eerie. Sylvara was a city alive with the sounds of nature: birds chirping, insects buzzing, the distant hum of the aetherial stream. Perhaps it was his own anxiety, but he could almost feel the surrounding forest hold its breath.

Daniel’s gaze drifted to a cluster of particularly vibrant plants growing a few paces away, their leaves almost luminescent. They seemed to pulse with life, drawing him in. “Well now, aren’t you pretty little things,” he murmured, moving toward them.

The thought of the value these herbs might hold at the market was enough to push aside his apprehension. He reached out, fingers brushing the leaves, and felt a strange warmth radiating from them.

Curiosity piqued, Daniel followed a faint trail of these glowing plants, their colours growing more intense as he ventured deeper into the woods. With each step the underbrush grew thicker, the trees taller and more imposing.

The sunlight, once plentiful, barely filtered through the dense canopy above, causing the oppressive, dark shadows to coil around him, as if ready to strike.

The further he went, the more isolated he felt. The city was further behind him now than was comfortable, its reassuring presence fading out of view, despite being only a couple of hundred metres away.

Uh... Maybe I should head back. I don't have to impress anyone here... Even if I did, I wouldn't anyway, let's be honest, he thought, but the sight of the glowing plants pulled him onward. Ah come on, just a bit further… just a few more.

As Daniel reached for another cluster, a sound froze him in place—a low, guttural growl, so deep it seemed to vibrate through the very earth beneath his feet. He straightened, heart pounding in his chest, his ears straining to locate the source of the noise. The forest, once silent, now felt alive with the murmurs of unseen entities watching his every move.

Nope... Didn't happen, there was no sound and now it's time to safely stroll home, Daniel thought to himself, his inner voice trembling.

His only response was the rustling of leaves, followed by another growl—this one louder, closer, and far more threatening. The air grew thick with tension, every instinct screaming at him to run, to get back to the safety of Sylvara.

And then, as if the forest itself had come alive, the growl erupted into a deafening roar.

Daniel didn’t wait to see what kind of beast could produce such a terrifying sound. He turned on his heel and bolted, his feet pounding against the forest floor as he raced through the underbrush. Branches whipped at his face and arms, but he barely noticed the stinging pain, his mind focused solely on survival.

“Shit, shit, shit!” The words tumbled from his lips in a panicked chant as he tore through the forest, adrenaline surging through his veins.

Daniel was previously in excellent shape, as a former semi professional footballer. Children and a career change behind the desk led him to cultivate a more… humble… physique these days.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Where once he could run for hours on end, he now found himself unable to lug his considerably bulkier frame for longer than the trip from his desk to his kitchen before keeling over in agony.

He could hear the creature behind him, crashing through the foliage, its roars growing more frenzied with each passing second. The sound was like nothing he had ever heard before—a terrifying blend of rage and hunger that chilled him to the bone.

Daniel’s breath came in ragged gasps, his lungs burning as he pushed himself to run faster, but the forest was thick, the path ahead a twisted maze of roots and shadows. The beast was close—too close.

He could almost feel its hot breath on his neck, smell the rank odour of its hide. Every instinct screamed at him to keep running, but his body was already nearing its limit.

The trees seemed to close in around him, their twisted branches reaching out like gnarled fingers, blocking his path. Panic surged through him, his thoughts a frantic whirl of fear and desperation.

I'm dead, I've been killed, that's it then, he thought, pushing aside the terror that threatened to overwhelm him. Summoned to this hellhole just to be level one fertilizer. Thanks, guys.

The beast’s roars echoed through the trees, the sound so powerful it rattled his bones. He stumbled, nearly falling as his foot caught on an exposed root, but he managed to regain his balance, though barely. The ground beneath him was uneven, treacherous, each step a gamble as he hurtled forward blindly.

The sound of the beast’s pursuit was deafening now, its growls and snarls mingling with the rustling leaves and the pounding of Daniel’s heart.

He could feel it closing in, could sense its raw, primal hunger.

The forest was no longer just a backdrop to his flight—it was a predator itself, every twisted root and tangled branch conspiring to trip him, to slow him down, to feed him to the creature that hunted him.

His legs burned, his muscles screamed in protest. He could feel himself slowing down, despite his best efforts, and the beast was gaining on him.

He could almost feel its heavy breathing, unable to help but imagine its jaws snapping shut just inches behind him.

Just when he thought he couldn’t go any further, that his legs would give out and send him sprawling into the beast’s waiting maw, Daniel burst into the large clearing before the city's looming visage.

The sudden open space disoriented him, the blinding sunlight momentarily stunning his senses. For a split second, he hesitated, his mind struggling to adjust after the claustrophobic darkness of the forest.

Ahead lay a beacon of hope, it seemed so far away, but if he could just make it.

The guards were there—he could see them milling about the entrance, their forms hazy and distorted as his eyes still recovered.

Oh you big, beautiful bastards! he thought, a sensation of hope attempting to wiggle its way into the crippling panic.

Daniel knew he had to reach them and warn them. He must survive.

“Help! Help me!” he screamed breathlessly. His voice cracked with panic as he stumbled toward the guards.

The ground still trembled beneath him as the ‘beast’ charged closer.

One of the guards, a tall, burly man with brown, shaggy hair and an old scar on his cheek, cocked an eyebrow. Instead of drawing his weapon, he shook his head with a wry smile.

"Keep running from the big beasty! Oh, how will we stop it!?" he chuckled. "I think we're all doomed!"

“W... What the hell?!” Daniel gasped, bewildered and trying to catch his breath.

His mind raced, unable to process the scene before him. The beast—where was the beast? He could still hear it, still feel its presence looming over him. Why weren’t they helping him? Why were they laughing?

Summoning the last of his courage, Daniel forced himself to turn around.

He half expected to be met with the sight of some nightmarish creature ready to tear him apart.

What he saw was… a small, floofy feline creature.

The creature emerged from the underbrush, its bright, inquisitive eyes blinking up at him as it trotted closer.

It was tiny, barely knee-high, with soft fur that gleamed in the sunlight. But what was most startling was the sound it made—a deep, thunderous roar that seemed to shake the very air around them, completely disproportionate to its size.

Daniel stared at the feline, his heart still hammering in his chest.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered, his voice weak with disbelief.

The adrenaline that fuelled his desperate flight drained away, leaving him shaky and exhausted. He dropped to one knee, staring at the little creature as it purred loudly like a lion and began rubbing against his leg merrily.

The guards’ laughter grew louder, and Daniel felt his face flush with a mixture of embarrassment and relief. He reached out, cautiously petting the feline’s head, and it purred even louder, the sound almost comical given its small size.

After a moment, the feline seemed satisfied with the attention and turned, trotting back into the forest with a happy flick of its tail. Daniel watched it go, his thoughts still reeling from the sheer absurdity of the situation.

He slowly rose to his feet, brushing dirt and leaves from his clothes before turning back to the guards, who were still cackling like witches.

“Excuse me gentlemen. Do you by any chance offer charitable executions here?” he asked, praying the ground itself would swallow him and everyone who witnessed his great shame.

The scarred guard stepped forward, still chuckling as he clapped Daniel on the shoulder. “Welcome to Sylvara, mate,” he said with a grin. “Next time, maybe bring a few bodyguards in case a bird flaps its wings.”

Daniel forced a grin in return, though his heart still raced with the remnants of his earlier terror. “Yeah, well… I’ll keep that in mind,” he replied, trying to match the guard’s casual tone. He glanced back at the forest, half expecting to see something else emerge from the shadows, but the woods were quiet once more.

Daniel turned back to the lead guard, who was still cackling away.

He resolved to apply his tried-and-true method of embarrassing the usual alpha-male bully-boy types without getting his face rearranged. Not every time, at least. Time for some awkward, weaponized compliments, he thought.

Merium had mentioned that the guard were pretty heavily regulated and could only engage in physical violence when a situation demanded such.

He pointed at the lead guard that was still chuckling. “You know,” he said, a sly grin spreading across his face, “you’ve got just the prettiest little laugh.”

The guard’s laughter died instantly, his expression freezing as he turned his gaze forward, pointedly ignoring Daniel’s comment. The other guards snickered, but Daniel just shrugged, glad to see the tables turn, even if only slightly.

He finally made his way past the guards and into the warm, loving embrace of Sylvara.

Daniel couldn’t help but marvel at how quickly things could shift from dread to absurdity in this strange new world.

The experience had been terrifying—he could still feel his heart pounding in his chest—but it had also reminded him of the unpredictable nature of this place.

This world is going to kill me, he thought with a mix of amusement and exasperation, but it’s also pretty damn incredible. Can't let my kids see that floof ball, though, as I'm not having that thing racing around my room at 3 in the morning with zoomies...

Daniel still wasn't even certain exactly why he was here, and the answers seemed so far away.

He let out a long breath, frustration rising as his thoughts wandered back to his life before—all the moments that led to this.

How had he ended up in this strange, perilous world?

As the question lingered in his mind, memories of the ethereal, yet almost familiar voice that beckoned him into this new world came back to him.