Time passed.
Seconds became minutes, and minutes stretched into hours as if time were depleting faster than he could feel and remember.
Evan lay unconscious for more than half a day now. Slowly, the sunrise appeared far in the distance mountain could be seen from afar cover by the leaves of the trees, its light piercing through the dark green leaves of the oak trees where his body rested.
Timed passed.
The gentle rustling of leaves in the wind filled the dark forest, it was calm and ordinary, it's so calm that it was hard to believe a battle had taken place here between Evan and the massive brown bear.
Although it was a one sided battle.
The beast was now nothing more than a husk, an empty shell lying beside Evan's body.
The metallic scent of blood from both of them hung faintly in the air but was already fading with time.
Moments later, Evan's fingers twitched, a faint sign of life returning. Slowly, as time passed, he began to stir, his eyelids heavy as if he were waking from a sleep that had lasted for weeks. His mind felt hazy, caught between dream and reality, until at last he started to regain full consciousness.
"Argh…" His voice was weak. "My body hurts… even my head feels like it's splitting apart."
"Shit… what happened to me," Evan mumbled under his breath, his voice weak and unsteady. The words slipped out as if he were asking someone for an answer, yet he knew he was completely alone.
He slowly pushed himself up, sitting upright and leaning against a nearby oak tree for the support. His vision cleared little by little, and when his eyes finally focused, he froze of what his sight seeing.
The bear's body was grotesque its flesh so thin it seemed hollow inside, with only its skin and empty eyes remaining in his vision. The sight made Evan's stomach turn.
He almost vomited.
He tried to recall what had happened but his memory was nothing more than just a fragments, the only thing he can remember is that, the beast charging in his direction, and his desperate run, and then darkness.
Everything else was blurred and unreachable in his thoughts. "Maybe someone helped me while I was out… or maybe… a miracle happened to me." He muttered, it was unsettled.
Evan added in a shaky voice, "How did I even survive in that situation?" The breeze brushed against his skin, carrying with it the damp scent of the forest. He muttered again, but louder this time, "And what about the bear? What happened to it… how did it even die in the first place?"
His mind spun in circles, unable to piece together the fragments of what had just happened. Confusion weighed heavily on him, gnawing at every thought. Why was he still alive? Why was he experiencing something so terrifying, so bizarre, unlike anything he had ever known before.
Frustration build up inside him, too heavy to contain anymore. He finally raised his voice, his words breaking into the stillness of the woods. "Why me? I'm just seventeen… why is this happening to me?"His voice cracked, louder and harsher than before, until it became almost a shout.
It wasn't just fear anymore, it was exhaustion, frustration, and the unbearable weight of something far beyond what a normal student at his age should experience it.
After a few minutes had passed, Evan's breathing began to steady. The weight in his chest loosened little by little, and the echo of his own shouting faded into the silence of the forest. Slowly, he began to calm.
A few minutes passed.
Evan glanced down, carefully examining himself. His uniform was still intact at the front, the white fabric smudged with dirt but without any serious damage.
Slowly, he reached behind his back, and froze for a moment. His fingers brushed against the rough edges of torn fabric, jagged lines where claws must have stuck through.
"Was it… the bear that did this to me?" he muttered under his breath, a bitter edge creeping into his tone. His jaw tightened as he gritted his teeth. "That damn bear…"
With a weary sigh, Evan unbuttoned what was left of his ruined white uniform and peeled it from his body. The once neat fabric was nothing more than a rags now tattered, of soaked with mud, and stained with blood of him. Disgusted, he tossed it aside.
He remembered the spare clothes he always carried in his sling bag. Hope sparked in his chest, and he searched the ground eagerly only for that hope to sink again, when he realized it wasn't near him. Not even close to the bear's corpse.
"Where's my bag?" he muttered, panic rushing through his thoughts.
He scrambled through bushes, and big overturned rocks, and pulled at tree roots with desperate hands.
Only after retracing his muddy footprints did he finally spot it, lying half-buried in the dirt. Relief washed over him as he brushed it clean and slung it back across his shoulder, clinging to it like a lifeline.
I need to clean myself… and my things too, he thought grimly.
With that thought, Evan began walking again. Hours passed with only the sound of his footsteps could be hear, and chirping birds, and the whisper of wind.
"It's so damn hot," he complained, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Maybe it's just because of the hot weather."
At last, he stumbled upon a long walk, a clear river. Without hesitation, he rushed forward, kneeling by the edge to drink greedily. The water was cool and refreshing, lined with smooth stones, wildflowers, and patches of green grass.
"Aah… finally. A cold water." He chuckled faintly, savoring the taste of it, like he was eating a delicious meal.
Evan stripped off the rest of his clothes, slacks, shoes, socks, even his underwear and set them aside with his bag for safety.
He dipped into the river, washing away mud and grime in his whole body. His hand touched his back where a wound should have been, but his skin was smooth, unscarred. Every bruise, every cut, every broken rib he had is, gone.
"Miracles do exist…" he whispered.
When he finished, he dried off and pulled on his spare white t-shirt in his sling bag, and then one by one he pulled his old slacks, and shoes, socks, underwear.
Feeling refreshed, he prepared to move on.
He recalled something he had once heard in a survival documentary, If you're lost in a wilderness with no supply of food, or any stuff that could help you survive, then follow the river trail. It will eventually lead you to something that could help you.
"Maybe I'll find a trail of people or maybe… maybe a bridge… if not maybe even a village if I'm gonna be lucky enough." he said with a faint smile.
For two hours he followed the river.
The sun dipped low, painting the sky orange and slowly becoming dark purple. And then dark camr
Evan Deciding it was too dangerous to continue in the dark he's just gonna rest tonight and tomorrow he would continue to follow the river, Evan then slowly walked in the direction of the nearest dark brown oak tree and rested beneath it. Slowly Evan lay in his back.
He looked up at the endless night sky. Stars glittered across the vast territory of heavens, dozens of stars and colors that shined for him, just for him, it was bright and sharp at the same time. A strange feeling he felt peace filled him but also calmness.
He's experience in this new environment are very confusing from the start and then terrifying, and lastly bizarre a experience.
Evan looked up in sky.
"When was the last time I looked at the stars like this?" he murmured. "It's… beautiful. I wish I could be like them, shining forever like a diamond in to the infinite deep space." He chuckled.
Slowly, sleep claimed him under the starry sky.
By the morning, the warmth of the rising sun roused him from his sleep. Evan rubbed his eyes still heavy with sleep, and stretched his sore body.
After a quick sip from the cool river water to chase away the dryness in his lips and throat, slowly he gathered his things. With a steady breath, he reminded himself of the guide he had once seen in a documentary, its advice on surviving in the wilderness now his only compass.
Adjusting the strap of his bag, Evan pressed on, determined to follow the steps he had memorized.
Not long after walking for more than hours now, his stomach growled painfully.
"Ugh… I'm starving," Evan muttered, clutching his stomach. "Where the hell am I supposed to find food out here? This forest doesn't exactly have a convenience store…" like in the modern world, that he can just easily buy a food.
He trudged on, every step heavier than the last, hunger gnawing at his insides. Just as frustration began to overwhelm him, his gaze caught something in the distance.
A faint silhouette.
His breath hitched. Through the morning haze, shapes emerged, maybe even a towering structure rising above the treetops.
Evan's eyes widened, hope flooding through him like a sudden lifeline.
"A village…? No way…" he whispered, heart pounding. Then, with a nervous laugh, he muttered, "Maybe… maybe I wasn't transported to another world after all. Maybe all this time I'm still in the modern world I knew."
For the first time since the nightmare began, a smile tugged at his lips. Slinging his bag tighter over his shoulder, he quickened his pace.
He walked toward the silhouette village.
Towards the hope.