The pain that had just been raining down on Levin blurred into a dull throb. The shouts of the men kicking him faded, his vision turned red, and then—nothing. But it wasn't over. It wasn't death. It was darkness.
Levin lay on a surface that felt both solid and strangely soft. Everything was pitch-black, yet somehow warm. From the right, a tiny light appeared—distant, faint. But in this sea of black, that flicker was enough to pierce the oppressive dark. Something deep inside him reached for it, but his limbs were shattered, blood was seeping into the strange ground, and his face was broken beyond recognition… so he stayed still. And it wasn't even bad. Finally, he could just sink into the dark. Sometimes it was beautiful—carefree, unjudging. It wanted nothing from him. Levin closed his eyes and let himself fall into the sea of black.
Cold. A biting, merciless cold. Instinctively, Levin wrapped his arms around his torso. He opened his eyes and saw his breath condense in the air. Through a jagged opening in a rock wall, he looked outside—and froze. Three moons, each a different size and color, hung in the night sky, casting their eerie light into the cave.
Levin pushed himself up, wide-eyed. Wait, wait, wait… what the hell? he thought, frowning. He took a breath, rubbing his chin. He could've sworn he'd been in Gorra just moments ago. He nodded slightly at the thought—then flinched as memory returned. The betrayal. The man he'd worked for had sold him out. Then came the beating. A pack of thugs had almost beaten him to death. And now… he was here.
That bastard. He's going to regret it. A vein pulsed at his temple as he clenched his fist—but it didn't matter right now. He needed to get his bearings.
"Where the hell am I?" he muttered into the silence.
The cave was narrow, opening onto a ledge that dropped steeply into the void below. From here, the three moons looked brighter than ever. One was white with ashen gray marks, like the moon over Gorra—only much larger. The second shimmered in soft blue, mottled with darker tones. The last was a perfect disk of black, swallowing the starlight behind it.
Levin raised an eyebrow, staring at the surreal sight. What the fuck? Where did I end up…? He rubbed his chin again. This sure as hell isn't Terra. And here I thought my luck couldn't get worse.
Only now did he dare peek over the cliff edge. Below stretched an endless forest. Under the moons' light, the leaves glowed in every shade of red—from bright magenta to deep crimson. Though it was night, Levin could see with unnatural clarity, all the way to the horizon. There, beyond the forest, rose a single colossal mountain, crowned by a vast fortress.
He stared in awe, mouth slightly open. Then he looked down at his hands—he could see every hair, every pore, with crystal precision. Why can I see so well? Everything was razor-sharp. He shook his head. If this is some kind of supernatural upgrade, I'll take it, he thought with a crooked smile.
Reality hit him soon after. He caught the stench of his torn clothes—a nauseating mix of blood, sweat… and urine? Oh, don't tell me— Levin grabbed his head with both hands, screaming inwardly. Noooooo…For a moment, he just stood there, blank-eyed, staring at the sky. Those bastards had really done it. "No… don't think about it," he muttered—but the image forced its way in. "You sick sons of bitches," he whispered, voice trembling with disgust.
CLANG! A sharp noise from below snapped him out of it. Levin's gaze shot over the cliff. His eyes widened. What in the hell is that?
Down below, two creatures faced each other. One was a massive, six-legged beast—its joints reinforced by chitin plates, twelve milky-white eyes gleaming above a maw split into two hooked mandibles. Opposite it stood a humanoid figure, red-skinned, naked, its shoulders covered in stone-like armor, without any visible gender.
So it really is another world… Levin didn't know what to think. His old life had been hell, sure—but at least it hadn't included monsters like these. Still… somehow, this new world seemed more promising. Where he came from, no one cared who you were—only what you could hold in your hand.
Levin swallowed hard and stepped back into the cave. Then froze. Tearing off his shirt in panic, he thought, Fuck—what if they can smell blood? As the cold air hit his bare chest, a shiver ran down his spine.
A shrill, scraping noise filled the cave. The air grew heavy. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple as he slowly turned.
The spider-like creature was standing right at the entrance. From one of its legs dripped a violet secretion. Levin's body tensed. His mind condensed into one single word—Survive.
First observation: The spider was too big to fit through the opening. Unlucky reality: It started ramming the rock with its armored head. Pebbles and dust rained from the ceiling. Each impact screamed through the cave, making Levin flinch.
Second observation: No exit. His eyes darted around in panic. The rock was already cracking. It wouldn't hold much longer.
The creature let out a piercing screech—almost hungry. Levin stood frozen, face blank, expression drained. He closed his eyes. Guess that's it… again.