"Child, wake up."
"Five more minutes," Ryan murmured, tossing around.
Slap!
Ryan shot upright, clutching his cheek. "What the hell was that for?!"
"Sorry! It was just the most efficient way to wake you up," Jake said with a smirk, far too proud of himself.
Ryan narrowed his eyes. "How did someone like you end up working for that… cosmic spirit?"
Jake shrugged and didn't bother to respond to Ryan's comment. "I'm going to send you to a world called 'Dela' now. It's pretty low risk, has scarce resources, low mana, weak monsters. Barely worth a thought, bye now!"
Ryan blinked. "Wait, mana? Like… magic?"
"Duhh. You don't know what mana is?" Jake said with a puzzled look. "Nevermind, don't get too excited. Humans like yourself usually suck at it—especially in a world like Dela. Mana's so thin there it's like trying to drink soup with a fork. Even for very gifted users," Jake pointed at himself, "like yours truly—struggle to cast anything above low-level spells."
Jake, although he liked to torment the lower races, realised he was being a bit too pessimistic.
"Still, low-level magic can be useful. Let me show you," Jake raised a finger and spoke a single word, the syllable rolled off of his tongue like a note of music, "Lux."
A soft white light bloomed above his fingertip. He flicked it away, it travelled slowly into the void where it was swallowed up by the darkness.
Ryan's jaw dropped. Unbelievable!
Let me try. "Luks!"
A silence hung in the air. Ryan's hand remained outstretched, empty. He blinked, then slowly lowered it.
Jake winced. "That was a pretty poor attempt. You have to pronounce the spell perfectly, and there's much, much more to it than that."
"Can you teach me the basics?" Ryan said.
Jake sighed, examining the pitiable human. "Alright, alright. But I am busy so you will not have me long."
Jake sat down cross-legged. "Mana's all around you and you pull it in by breathing. Sit still, find a position you're comfortable in, and focus. Picture an energy around you—moving and flowing like liquid. Most creatures can't even sense mana at all, but lucky you! You are a 'hero', imbued with a sliver of my lord's power. You should be able to sense at least one element."
Ryan nodded slowly, absorbing all the information he could.
"Okay, once you've got your mana, you need a spell. Lux is some real beginner stuff. But even so, the first spell is always the hardest, after that they come easier. Just keep trying. Oh and don't blow anything up."
Jake paused and began talking into his hand. "Yes, alright Sir!... I've gotta go, good luck, human."
"Wait—what?! You're seriously leaving? Now?"
"You'll be fine! Probably..." He winked. "Facere porta ad Delar."
A glowing green portal opened beneath Ryan.
"AaaAAHHH—"
Jake scratched his head. "Wait… did I send him to Dela… or Delar? Eh, doesn't matter, he was just a human after all." He chanted a few words, snapped his fingers and disappeared.
"AAAAghhhhhhhhhhh!"
After three excruciating minutes, the pressure from interplanetary travel knocked Ryan out cold.
—One hour later—
Ryan groaned, lifted his head, and then lazily dropped it back onto the wet grass beneath.
Couldn't that bastard have at least given me a bit more warning?
Ryan sat up and looked around.
He was in a forest, humid air clung to his skin. Jake was gone. His suit was damp. And he felt like he'd been dropped from the stratosphere.
Trees, bushes and other greenery stretched out all around him—lush, endless and alive. Really? A forest? No grand arrival in a palace? Not even a village? Just mud, trees, and wet socks. Thanks a lot, Jake.
Ryan took in a breath of the crisp air, it was earthy and unbelievably clean, especially compared to the smoke-choked streets of home. Birds chirped. Water dripped faintly in the distance.
He stood, brushed off the grass, and began to walk. His suit clung to him in all the wrong places, making every step through the undergrowth feel like a sweaty business meeting in a swamp. Branches drooped low overhead. Roots twisted underfoot and… worryingly, there were the occasional tree that was scarred with deep, long gouges running down their trunks, claw marks. He tried not to worry too much about what had made them… and continued marching on.
A strange vividly-purple plant curled up when his shadow passed, and distant birdcalls echoed in unfamiliar patterns. Every now and then, he thought he heard or saw something shifting just beyond his vision, but when he turned, there was nothing there. Just trees. More trees. And the constant, creeping sense that he wasn't as alone.
As much as I'd love to wander around sightseeing, Jake made it pretty clear from the bits I actually remember, that this place could be dangerous to me. I need to reach civilisation ASAP.
A couple moments later, Ryan found himself in a small clearing in the forest.
This area, is…. surprisingly stunning. There were bright flowers and weird bugs-like a postcard nobody asked for. Ryan half wanted to stop and stay here, but reminded himself of the possibility of meeting whatever caused those claw marks.
Alright. Priorities. What are they again? Oh yeah, water, shelter and food. Water should be easy… rivers, leaves, puddles, springs etc...
Shelter… I doubt a cave would work well-don't want to end up a monster's meal. Maybe the branches of a tree? Not ideal for rain, but it'd keep me off the ground and out of reach I hope.
Food is an issue. Rivers could help-most civilisations are built around them so if I follow one I should find one eventually, and there'd be fish too. But rivers might also attract animals... or monsters.
—A few hours later—
His foraging had found water and good spots for refuge. But he hadn't found a single fruit, nut, or anything remotely edible. Animals were nowhere to be seen-only the occasional rustle from deep in bushes. The insects, too, had dwindled. No buzzing, no chirping-just the crunch of his own steps. The forest was picked clean.
And now, light was fading. The forest's vibrant colours dulled as shadows stretched across the undergrowth. The once-playful rustling of leaves now sounded like cautious footsteps.
Somewhere in the distance, a branch cracked-a sharp, unnatural snap that echoed far too long for Ryan's liking.
With a frustrated grunt, Ryan grabbed a thick vine wrapped around a towering tree and started to climb.