After what seemed like hours, he finally managed to prop his upper body up. Placing his arm against the ground, he winced as he pushed himself up. The pain was subdued compared to before, but it still hurt like hell. His side felt like it had been torn asunder. There was surely a humongous bruise awaiting him there. A broken rib might not be an overestimation too. His left arm was completely useless. Even shifting it would cause spikes of pain to pass through his body.
However, Yuuya knew that he was lucky. The tree had merely grazed past him. It was not the trunk, but one of the thick branches that had smashed into him. If it had been the trunk… he shuddered, frightened of what had happened.
Finally, he began to look around. From what had happened, it didn’t take much time for Yuuya to make sense of the situation. The golden spot was without a doubt, a portal. He had read enough science fiction to know that. But what Yuuya couldn’t guess was whether he was still on Earth. For all he knew, he might have been tossed into some other continent. Worst case scenario, it was a different world altogether.
The state of his clothes was terrible. It was ripped to shreds, and what remained of the prestigious white blazer was merely a dirty rag. The shirt he wore inside was splattered with mud, something that would have him severely reprimanded by the old lady. However, the back of his shirt was in a much more pitiful condition. Was it wet? It clicked a moment later how his back was wet. It was wet with his blood. Thankfully, the gashes on his back weren’t too deep. They were merely scratches, so it wasn’t too bad, compared to the rest of his body.
Where he stood was what seemed like a crater. The hole had formed fairly recently. Most probably from the portal pulling up the ground. The mud that covered him, perhaps it was from this very spot. He looked up to check the portal, and as he did so, it began to flicker. Like an illusion, the spot faded away, a blue patch of sky replacing it. His eyes widened as the currently floating trees suddenly began falling.
He crouched, trying to keep his arm out of the way. Booms resounded out as the trees crashed against the ground, sending mud and dust flying in the ground. The trees didn’t fall into his crater, but the dust did. However, Yuuya didn’t move an inch. It was best to wait, wait for the storm to pass by. He felt specks of dust fall over him, coughing as he tried to keep them out of his nose.
After a few seconds, all was still. Scared but cautious, he crawled out of the small pit, hissing all the time. The formerly green forest was now a mess, with uprooted trees strewn about. There were numerous pits like the one he was in all about, making it seem like a great battle had taken place here. Dust floated around concealing most of the damage. Yuuya coughed, spitting out brown saliva. His throat itched so bad, he wanted nothing more than to scratch it out.
Covering his face with what was left of his blazer, Yuuya moved through the trashed forest. This was a dangerous venture, one that he expected nothing from. But staying would prove nothing. He had no idea where he was, and how he’d get back home. But however dire the situation was, panicking wouldn’t help. Taking a deep breath to try and calm down his frantic heart, he stumbled through the forest.
He, naturally, did not know what to do. He was in a seemingly mystical forest, and that implied a high chance of there being animals here. Perhaps even predators, at that. For now, he decided to just keep moving through the forest. Hopefully, there were humans nearby. If it were so, it’d boost his chances of survival.
He was already formulating a basic idea of what to do if there were no settlements. Find a tree, and try to live atop it, maybe. Heights might protect him from the beasts of the land. However, with his arm being broken like this, climbing a tree wouldn’t just be difficult, it’d be impossible. Just the thought alerted him of the pain in his arm, making him grit his teeth.
Yuuya coughed up another mouthful of blood as he staggered through the forest. His arms and legs, they were screaming with pain. He didn’t want to move, but he clenched his teeth and kept moving, for he had to. Who knew whether this would be the end of the floating trees? Maybe the spot would reappear, and he’d be bombarded by dive bombing trees.
His breaths came in gasps. Unable to take the strain anymore, he slumped against the stump of a tree. The rough bark pressed against the wounds on his bare back, making him wince in pain. Enduring the pain, he took deep breaths once more to calm his racing heart. His body began relaxing, like it was being set free from its torturous existence. His eyelids fluttered, unsteady. He struggled to remain awake. If he fell asleep here, who knows what dangers he’d have to face up against. And that too, to face it unconscious.
Suddenly, Yuuya’s eyes snapped open. A sound boomed in his ears. A sound like the earth was being split apart. It stopped, and then started up again. The ground beneath him trembled, seemingly frightened, like him. Danger. Danger! His instincts screamed at him. He scrambled to his feet, but the pain from his hand exploded out, sending him reeling onto the ground. The sound was getting closer. Yuuya knew that this was not human. If it were, it would be a titan. And titans weren’t known to be very friendly. Judging by the fact that it was coming towards him, it could be a beast, a bloodthirsty predator.
His instincts sent bells tolling in his head as he scrambled forward. He knew that he had to get away, and as fast as he could. Without pause, Yuuya ran forward, stumbling and falling as he did so. The lack of a fully functioning arm severely affected his balance. Blasts of pain kept emerging from his hand as he moved it even the slightest bit. He could hear the sound of feet- or dreadful paws- hitting against the floor. Something running towards him.
Trembling in fear, Yuuya turned back to look at his pursuer. His breath caught as he froze up. Some sort of invisible force clamped down on him, preventing him from breathing. It was raw, filled with a chilling intent.
The silhouette of an enormous beast appeared in front of Yuuya. Its furry body heaved as it shot behind him. It was currently about 500 meters away from Yuuya, but with its speed, it’d catch up soon. Its eyes glinted with ferocity as they stared straight at him. Legs the size of a man’s waist pounded against the floor, sending vibrations throughout the forest. Its large head craned back as its mouth split apart to reveal a set of sharp white fangs. An earth shattering howl emerged from the beast, shaking Yuuya to his core.
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His blood ran cold as his eyes fell on the monstrous wolf. The force that locked down on him almost made him want to just stop and give up. Just become its food, because there was nothing else he could do. It was instinct, and it told him to do so.
However, Yuuya’s eyes shone with a strange light as he shook his head. For some reason, the pressure lessened quite a bit, allowing him to retain his reason. But, the pressure still pressed down on him, locking his legs. Without waiting another second, Yuuya waved his right arm, sending a humongous wave of pain bursting out from his arm, like a dam breaking. He howled in pain, the pain seemingly breaking the pressure’s effect on him. Biting the inside of his cheek to not faint from the agony, Yuuya sped forward.
The wolf pushed on, chasing closely behind Yuuya. The distance between them was reduced to 400 meters as the wolf relentlessly chased him. A scene that felt like the apocalypse had just occurred, and food was important for wild beasts like it. When a tasty morsel like Yuuya appeared, how could it not want to tear into him?
Yuuya’s body began to shudder as he pushed himself to the limit. His back continuously tinged with brief bursts of pain. His running was extremely bizarre, but it was the best he could muster. Leaning to one side, his speed was severely reduced from what he was usually capable of due to the incapacitation of an arm.
The wolf was now only about 300 meters away from him. Despair began to show in Yuuya’s eyes as he continued to run. In his state, getting away was extremely unlikely. The wolf was one of a kind, something he had never seen. It further increased his suspicions of being in another world, which he tried to suppress.
Yuuya began to feel rage seething up from him. For some reason, he was sent to this hell hole. He was merely a teenager, but he had to survive from the moment he came here. With a broken arm, he had to run. The wolf was a terrifying beast. Yuuya couldn’t hope to defeat it. It was just too monstrous.
He had expected perhaps, a hero’s welcome, as in the stories. A smooth ride till he vanquished the villain, a life that stories showed. Perhaps he could finally follow his dream, and in a world completely unknown to him. To roam the world, to see sights that Earthlings would never see, a life that he wasn’t bored of.
Rage and despair swirled around inside Yuuya like a tremendous vortex. However, these feelings were far out-shadowed by the inner need in him to survive. He had to get away, no matter what methods he had to use. However, he had no methods to use.
There was only a 200 meter, at best, distance between them. The wolf’s ragged breathing, its claws digging into the mud, everything, he heard. It occasionally growled, sending pangs of fear surging inside him.
Had it caught up? Was it right behind him? Would he die? How would he survive?
However, Yuuya could now hear another sound. The sound of something repeatedly smashing against a hard surface. It took him only a moment to realize that it was running water.
Hope.
Go there.
Go there! Live! Your only chance!
His instincts took over as he turned towards the water source. He had no hesitation as he made his decision. He had no other options, other than helping out the ecosystem by feeding himself to this poor wolf.
Maybe.
Maybe he can live.
The distance between the predator and the prey closed even more. Yuuya could distinctly hear the sound of the water now. It was like a mighty roar, shaking the earth. His eyes shone with determination as he shot off towards the river. The wolf was even more relentless. Its body bulged a bit as its speed increased further. There was only a 70 meter distance separating it from its meal. Within a few breaths, the wolf would be upon him.
The trees around them thickened as they ran through the now dense forest. Yuuya entered the forest, leaving behind the land filled with craters. With his small size, he could move through the forest, albeit with some difficulty. The wolf however, had no such advantage. With its now enormous body, it had to plough through the dense network of trees.
Yuuya allowed himself some hope.
He sped up, trying to be as careful as possible not to trip. He heaved huge amounts of air, his breathing laborious. His vision was dimming. Exhaustion was catching up to him. He was no athlete. His stamina was truly pitiful when compared to that of the wolf. He stumbled as he moved through the forest.
Once again, he just wanted to give up. Just lie there, and allow the tiredness to take over him. Just relax. However, he knew that he had no such option if he wanted to survive. If he wanted to find Shizuka again. If he wanted a chance at his dream, ever again.
He couldn’t die like this.
Die, without having done anything. He had dreams he had to fulfill.
Was the world truly boundless? How different was this world from Earth? Did Magic exist?
He had to push on.
The roaring in his ears grew even louder as he neared the river.
The greenery around him began to thin as he neared it. He was followed by loud sounds of branches breaking and trees shattering as the wolf chased him, hot in pursuit. Its eyes were now red with rage. Its body expanded even more as it shot through the trees like a meteor. In the blink of an eye, it was merely 10 meters behind Yuuya.
The surroundings trees seemed like they vanished as Yuuya entered the clearing. He only saw one thing, the one thing that gave him hope. He could clearly hear the threatening growls of the wolf behind him. However, he spared no effort to look back. He set his sights on the mighty river in front of him.
It was huge, several meters wide. The water within it roared like a dragon as it pounded against the banks. Bit by bit, soil was carried away by the river, to be deposited where the river would die. Yuuya however, had no time to admire the mightiness of the river, or the beauty of nature.
He expended every ounce of energy he had left to shoot towards the river. His breathing was ragged. His vision was completely clouded over now, the entire world a haze to him. Yuuya had truly reached the limits of his body.
The wolf roared in dismay as it sensed Yuuya’s intentions. Without hesitation, it whipped its claws forward, sending the wind screaming towards Yuuya like sharp blades.
The wind roared behind Yuuya, heading toward him. He would be injured if they hit him, if they even touched him. It would almost shred his skin to bits. However, he had to take the blow. In his almost dead mind, he could make out that the wolf would reach him regardless of whether it did or did not use the wind claw.
Yuuya bent forward, the pain from his arm temporarily dispelling his fatigue. The wind was mere inches away from him. The air around him whipped about, lashes of an unseen God. Without hesitation, Yuuya dove forward. The wind blades swept past him, narrowly missing him. However, they shredded his shirt to bits, and blood sprayed out of his already injured back.
Yuuya coughed up arrows of blood as the wind blades shot past. The winds accompanying the strong wind blades however, pushed Yuuya forward. In a final spurt, it shot him over the bank, into the river.
The wolf howled in rage, its frustration clear as it saw its prey getting away. However, it could only show its frustration like this. It was clear that it couldn’t eat Yuuya, no matter what it did now, unless it sought to challenge the river, just for Yuuya.
The winds carried him into the water’s embrace, like the old lady had when he was young. His fatigue was now reining in his mind. His vision dimmed as he fainted. Just before the last sliver of consciousness vanished, Yuuya felt the waters wash over him as he submerged in the river.