Valenius’s eyes twitched momentarily before snapping open. He gasped for air, his breaths coming in heavy.

Disoriented, he hoisted himself up, surveying his surroundings with confusion and dread.

Valenius found himself in a cell, its perimeter defined by crude wooden planks.

The floor beneath him was hard, the cold mud seeping a chill into his bones.

A damp, musty odor filled the air, adding to the grim ambiance.

As Valenius’ eyes adjusted to the dim light, Valenius noticed he wasn’t alone.

In one corner lay a man with a bald head, his attire in tatters—his bottom frayed and ripped, coupled with a faded, torn T-shirt.

The man used a rock as a makeshift pillow, trying to sleep.

Another figure sat upright across from him, a hood shrouding their head, fast asleep, with their gaze fixed on the ground.

Pushing himself to his feet, Valenius approached the wooden bars.

He examined each plank meticulously, searching for any sign of weakness, any opportunity that might lead to escape.

Valenius fingers probed the wood, testing for looseness or decay, his mind racing.

As Valenius maneuvered around the cell, he felt the hooded figure’s gaze tracking him intently.

A subtle smirk formed under the shadow of the hood.

Every time Valenius kicked against the wooden planks, the bald man, disturbed by the noise, he grumbled quietly.

Despite the complaints, Valenius persisted. He shoved and crashed against the wooden gate.

Suddenly, the bald man had enough. He stood up abruptly and shouted, “That’s enough!”

He pulled out a dagger, his glare fixed on Valenius.

A small, bright light appeared, catching Valenus’s attention.

The bald man froze briefly, grunted, and then lied back in muddy ground, attempting to fall asleep.

Valenius let a big breath as he turned to look at the hooded person staring back at him.

Valenius lowered himself to the ground, sitting with his back against the wooden planks of the cell.

He stared at the hooded stranger, who laughed and revealed herself.

Her long, bright violet-red hair flowed out as she lifted her hood, her pale face contrasting with her rosy lips and stern blue eyes staring back at Valenius.

“What are you staring at?” the woman snapped.

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Valenius, feeling uneasy, replied, “I am sorry. I didn’t expect you to be a woman.”

The woman rolled her eyes, then asked, “You are not from around here, are you?”

Valenius shook his head and asked, “Where are we? How can I escape this prison and return to the real world?”

“Real world?” she shouted. “What do you mean by ‘real world’? I suppose you’re from Earth, and the game chose you to be brought here,” she explained.

Valenius’s eyes widened. “How did you know? Where am I? Do you know how I can get home?”

She smiled and said, “This world, or the entity you call a game, chooses when you can return home and when you come back here again.”

Valenius, in disbelief, exclaimed, “Come back? That can’t be.”

“Yes,” the woman continued with a smirk, “there’s a reason you’re here, and until you find out why and change what needs to be changed, they will bring you back to this world, Wyaninious. But I warn you, if you die here, you will also die in your world. You must survive.”

She added, “You can leave this cell if you want, but many stay. It’s safe here, with a roof over your head and away from dangers. The creature that brought you here is called Salalinus. They draw the dangers away. You’re lucky it didn’t perceive you as a threat, or it could have killed you."

The woman sized up Valenius with a laugh. “I see why they thought you were helpless. You probably wouldn’t survive a night out there,” she said.

As the woman prepared to leave, raising her hand just about to snapped her fingers, Valenius quickly asked, “What is your name? How can I find you if I need more advice?”

She smirked and replied, “My name is Eleantra, and you will never find me unless I choose to be seen.”

With those last words, she snapped her fingers.

Suddenly, smoke appeared, and an eagle emerged, perching on the stone window of the cell.

The eagle stared at Valenius, shrieked, and flew away.

Valenius’s eyes widened, then looked at where Eleantra was. As the smoke cleared, she was nowhere to be seen.

Valenius shook his head, gathering his thoughts, and carefully stood up.

He glanced at the man who had nearly stabbed him, feeling relieved to see him fast asleep.

Quietly, Valenius walked towards the gate and, to his relief, found the door unlocked.

He opened it and stepped out of the cell.

Valenius paused momentarily, contemplating whether to heed Eleantra’s advice to stay for safety.

However, he decided against it and left the room.

Peeking through the door, he checked for any dangers.

Surprisingly, he only saw an empty stone corridor, with an icy wind brushing his face.

As Valenius cautiously walked down the corridor, he felt a cool breeze pass by him.

Suddenly, he noticed a dark smoke at the corner of his vision.

Valenius’ face turned pale, and he held his breath in fear as he realised a figure was standing behind him.

Valenius saw the same dark smoke he had encountered the night before, but now he could make out something more within it: faint outlines of the human skeleton.

Terrified, Valenius shouted, “Please let me go!”

The smoke around the figure, known as Salalinus, thickened and turned slightly red.

Valenius’s legs shook, and he crouched down, keeping his head low.

Valenius stared at Salalinus and raised his hands above his head, pleading, “Please don’t harm me, let me go, I beg you.”

In response, Salalinus moved closer.

Its smoke deepened to a darker red, and it leaned in, its face just inches from Valenius’s.

Its eyes glowed red.

Valenius, petrified, closed his eyes, trembling as he awaited his fate.

Then, a cold breeze passed by, and Valenius opened his eyes to find that Salalinus had disappeared.

Valenius quickly got up, ran out of the castle, and sprinted across the open field, ignoring the warnings he had received in a letter from Val.

Valenius suddenly heard a loud roar, similar to the one he had heard before.

Ahead, the trees were shaking.

To his horror, he saw a giant wolf charging towards him, its sharp teeth bared.

In a flash, he found himself caught in the wolf’s mouth as it ran along the cliff’s edge, the roar growing louder.

Fireballs shot up from below the cliff, piercing through the thick mist.

One of them hit the wolf while Valenius was still in its jaws.

The wolf howled in pain, and Valenius was thrown from its mouth, falling off the cliff.

As he fell, Valenius thought of his parents.

He realised he might never see them again, and they would have to cope with the loss of their son.

Valenius’ closed his eyes as the mist enveloped him, and he fell into its shadows, bracing for his fate.