Kaelos woke with a splitting, excruciating headache. He clutched his head—only to make it worse.
A groan escaped his lips. It felt as though molten lava flooded his skull. He writhed in pain, his grip tightening. His mind was in disarray.
Eventually, the pain subsided. Kaelos found himself panting and drenched in sweat.
Slowly opening his eyes, he caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar sky.
"What!?"
His eyes widened in disbelief as he sat up. The pain and confusion were momentarily forgotten.
The sky above was fully blanketed in dark gray clouds stretching endlessly. Upon a closer look, they seemed to be layered in different shades.
No moon. No stars. But somehow, moonlight bathed everything despite the sky being completely overcast.
Somehow, he knew—it was night.
Yet he could see clearly.
Even stranger—the sky appeared lower—no higher than a mid-rise building back on Earth.
Clarity returned to his mind. He remembered he had been with his friends, heading to campus, when space itself twisted. And then they were here.
Thinking of them, Kaelos looked around anxiously, but relief came quickly.
They were nearby, lying on the ground, with their breathing steady.
Kaelos exhaled a shaky breath and pushed himself up. He ignored the flare of pain as he staggered.
But as he turned to approach them, something made him stop cold.
His body trembled. Chills ran down his spine. And his steps receded.
They were surrounded by countless colossal, withered trees. Lifeless and towering like petrified arms of dead giants clawing at the heavens.
One of them would take twenty people linking arms just to wrap around its base.
A wave of unease crept in.
Then came the dreadful realization.
"I'm… in a different world."
When he steadied himself, he noticed more oddities.
The ground, like the trees, was dry with subtle cracks. Stone-like, yet clearly far denser. He could feel it. Far tougher than any normal rock. Tougher than metal.
Even worse, everything was dead silent.
No wind.
No rustling leaves.
No chirping insects.
Just his ragged breathing in the eerie stillness.
Everything felt frozen. Lifeless.
His instincts screamed at him.
Kaelos began searching urgently for anything to defend himself with. He spotted a small rock and went to lift it—
Confusion hit him.
"What the fuck?"
It took both hands to lift it properly. It was just the size of two fists—nothing unusual–looking.
Just a rock.
Kaelos knew he wasn't strong. But he wasn't that weak.
Still, the weight didn't lie.
Having armed himself, he calmed slightly and moved to rouse the others.
Xandrell was the first, followed by Rafael, Alfonse, and Joseph.
Kaelos frowned upon seeing they didn't seem to suffer the same pain he did. But he dismissed it.
Like him, they were captivated by the strange sky.
They looked at him. Kaelos silently pointed behind him—at the towering, unnatural trees.
Their reactions were different.
Joseph swore.
Xandrell gaped.
Rafael trembled.
Alfonse prayed.
"Where are we?" Joseph asked with a trembling voice.
"In a different world," Kaelos said calmly. His eyes were still scanning their surroundings for threats.
"Wha—what?" Joseph blinked rapidly. "You're serious?"
Kaelos didn't respond. His silence was answer enough.
"No. That can't be..." Xandrell shook his head, but his voice faltered as the silence pressed in again—no wind, no birds, not even the sound of leaves rustling. "...Maybe."
Rafael looked around wordlessly. His lips parted, but no words came out.
Alfonse kept praying, his eyes now shut tightly, knuckles white.
The quiet deepened. Reality began to set in.
"Hey!" Kaelos called for their attention. "No time to waste."
"Come." Kaelos urged and nodded toward the ground. "Pick up some rocks. Anything we can use to defend ourselves."
He added, "We don't know if there are wild animals here… if they're even animals from Earth."
Unease deepened, but they followed his lead. Though reality was hard to accept, Kaelos' words grounded them—spurred them into action.
"Be careful. Only lift the small ones," Kaelos pointed out.
Joseph raised a skeptical brow.
But when struggled with a large one, he looked at his friends awkwardly.
"I told you," Kaelos said.
"What are these!?" Joseph asked.
Kaelos only shrugged.
The others noticed the same odd heaviness. While Joseph's sarcasm eased the mood slightly, it didn't explain the strangeness.
"Not picking a stone, Alfonse?" Xandrell asked, adjusting his glasses.
Alfonse cracked open an eye, glanced at them, and returned to his prayer.
They shook their heads.
All they could find were rocks–some sharp. No sticks or branches.
Once everyone was armed, Kaelos nodded. "Let's move. Speak softly when we talk."
"Where to?" Joseph asked, voice hushed.
"Somewhere," Kaelos answered. "Anywhere."
He continued. "Better than staying here. We've already made noise."
They began walking, alert and tense, gripping their "weapons."
The longer they walked, the heavier the atmosphere became.
"So we're really not on Earth?" Joseph asked under his breath.
"Ye. I guess," Rafael replied. He returned to his usual calm. "Sky's strange. Ground stranger. Trees? Strangest."
Kaelos didn't react. He knew Rafael's temperament well.
They walked on.
Along the way, they confirmed their suspicions more. No ambient noise. Phones dead. No sense of time.
Everything was dead and empty.
Exhaustion and hunger gnawed at them. They didn't know how long they had been walking—only they were nearing their limit.
"Can we rest? Joseph asked, out of breath.
Kaelos nodded. But as they were about to sit, a shriek pierced the silence.
Alfonse was pointing at something in the distance, hand trembling.
They turned to look.
A strange structure jutted from the sea of trees—completely black and towering even among the titanic trunks.
"Should we?" Rafael asked.
"Let's see first," Kaelos nodded.
Weapons gripped tighter, they quickened their pace.
When they arrived, their eyes widened.
It was a colossal, ancient-looking monolith. Covered in magical runes.
Below it, a magical circle the size of hand shimmered faintly. Its runes were tiny, intricate.
Joseph stepped forward, but Kaelos blocked him with an arm.
"We don't know what this does," he said. "We observe. From here."
Everyone nodded—except Alfonse, who began praying even more fervently, whispering scriptures meant to banish evil.
No one commented. They knew Alfonse's upbringing.
Soon, they reached the same conclusion—the tower was unlike anything they had seen.
"Can't make sense of it," Joseph muttered, scratching his head.
"Me neither," Xandrell said, adjusting his glasses.
Rafael just shook his head.
Kaelos sighed. 'It could've been a shelter.'
"We'll head in the opposite direction after our break," he said, pointing. "For now, rest."
They sat behind a tree, guarding different angles.
Silence returned. The air was thick with tension.
Kaelos thought of his family. 'Is time passing the same way back home?'
'God, if you're real… protect them. Please.'
He wasn't religious. But his grandmother was. He remembered her dragging him to church every day.
A faint smile touched his lips.
It had been years since he last prayed.
"So… we're really in another world," Joseph murmured.
"Are you dumb?" Alfonse finally spoke. "Want me to slap you awake?" He raised his hand and made a slapping gesture.
"It's just surreal," Joseph said. "We were headed to school… now…"
No one could argue. Reality was hard to accept.
But reality was unbelievable to begin with.
'School…'
Kaelos looked up at the sky.
Everyone's mood darkened.
"Do you guys think… we'll make it back?" Rafael asked, voice trembling. "Or even survive?
They weren't fighters. They weren't prepared.
And they were starving. Tired.
'Lola… Martin…'
Kaelos clenched his fists.
'No matter what…'
"When we get back," Joseph said, trying to ease the tension. "What do guys want to do?"
"I want to be rich," Kaelos replied without hesitation.
"Sleep," Rafael muttered.
"Play games." Xandrell added.
"I'll visit the church." Alfonse said. It was unknown if he was solemn or sarcastic. "No more skipping prayers."
They all laughed. The tension broke.
"I want a girlfriend," Joseph said with a sigh.
Alfonse snorted.
Joseph gave him a middle finger, making him laugh even harder.
"At least I'm not in a cult." Joseph quipped.
Alfonse just smirked. "At least I'm not you."
Everyone chuckled. They were used to this kind of banter.
"Alright, seriously—what are your dreams after college?" Joseph asked everyone, hoping to keep the mood light. "Me. I want to help out with my family's business."
"More money."
"Sleep more."
"Do art."
"Serve the church."
Joseph let out an exasperated sigh. "Sometimes, you guys are hopeless to talk to."
Silence settled again, but this time, it wasn't heavy.
Their eyes began to droop. Grips loosened on the stones in their hands.
[Personal records have been updated.]
"Joseph. For once, shut up," Alfonse said.
But Joseph wasn't speaking. His expression was frozen.
[Process completed.]
The voice was cold. Robotic.
They all froze.
And their eyes met.
"Hey, hey—" Alfonse stood up, panicking. "This ain't the time for jokes—"
[Access granted.]
Only then did they realize.
The voice was inside their minds.