What I am gonna do?
I drag my feet down the wet sidewalk, my hoodie soaked from the rain. My headphones are blasting music, but even that can't make this night any less dull. Everything feels the same lately. The streetlights glow orange through the mist, cars pass by, and the puddles shimmer like little mirrors. It's all just… boring.
People say seventeen is supposed to be exciting. You're supposed to be discovering yourself, hanging out with friends, making memories, falling in love or whatever. But for me? Every day feels like I'm stuck on repeat. School, work, sleep. Then do it all over again.
I sigh and push my wet hair off my face. The music changes to something slower, sadder. I don't even skip it. It fits.
Maybe I'm just tired. Or maybe there's something wrong with me. Everyone else seems fine with normal life, so why can't I be?
The rain gets heavier, and I start jogging. My sneakers splash through puddles as I cross the street to the small convenience store near my apartment. The cashier inside gives me a nod as I grab a canned coffee from the fridge. He's seen me almost every night this week.
"You're out late again, Aria," he says.
"Couldn't sleep," I answer, forcing a smile.
He shrugs. "You should rest more. Kids your age burn out fast."
"Yeah," I mumble. "I know."
I pay, leave, and crack open the can as soon as I'm outside. The coffee's bitter, but I like it that way. It feels more real than the sweet fake stuff everyone else drinks.
The streets are quiet now. Most shops are closed, and the rain has driven everyone inside. My apartment's only a few blocks away, but I slow down instead of hurrying home. There's something about the sound of rain that makes me think too much.
When I was little, I always dreamed about escaping. Not in a sad way, just… I wanted to see something different. I wanted adventure, mystery, danger, anything that made me feel alive.
But life doesn't work that way. Reality is rent, homework, bills, and trying not to fall apart.
I take another sip of coffee and glance up. The clouds look thick and heavy, hiding the moon completely. The air feels colder all of a sudden. My breath comes out as a white puff, even though it's not that cold.
Weird.
A faint humming sound cuts through the rain. It's soft at first, like a broken power line. I turn around, scanning the empty street. No one's there. The lights above me flicker once, twice, then stay dim.
I tell myself it's nothing. Maybe a transformer somewhere. Cities do weird stuff at night.
Still, the hairs on my arms stand up.
I start walking faster.
By the time I reach the bridge that crosses the river near my building, the sound is louder. Not humming anymore—more like a low, deep vibration, like the air itself is trembling.
I stop. The rain has slowed, but the world feels too still. My heart beats faster.
"Hello?" I call out. My voice echoes faintly, swallowed by the mist.
There's a flash of light under the bridge. It's faint, bluish-white, like lightning but quieter. My first thought is that maybe someone dropped their phone. My second thought is that I should probably not check.
But of course, curiosity wins.
I walk down the steps leading to the riverbank. My sneakers squish in the mud, and the rain drips down from the railings above. The light flashes again—brighter this time. It's coming from something half-buried in the dirt.
It looks like a circle.
A perfect circle, glowing faintly from within. Strange symbols crawl along its edges, shifting and changing like they're alive.
"What the hell…" I whisper.
I crouch down. The light pulses softly, and I feel a weird pull in my chest, like it's calling me. I should run. I really should. But I can't. My hand moves before I can think.
I touch it.
The world explodes in white light.
I stumble back, covering my face, but the brightness burns through my eyelids. My heart pounds so fast I can hear it in my ears. The ground shakes. The air feels heavy, like the whole world is breathing down my neck.
Then, silence.
When I open my eyes, the rain is gone. So is the bridge. So is everything.
I'm standing in the middle of a forest. The ground is covered in glowing blue moss, and the trees are taller than buildings. The air smells strange—sweet and sharp at the same time. It's beautiful… but it doesn't feel safe.
My hands shake as I look around. My phone is still in my pocket, but there's no signal. The time's frozen at 11:47 p.m.
"What the hell just happened?"
No one answers.
I take a step forward, and something crunches under my shoe. It's a small white bone. I freeze. Then I see more of them scattered along the path—some small, some big. Not animal bones. Human.
My chest tightens. I take a step back, then another. That's when I hear it.
A sound from the trees.
At first it's soft, like leaves rustling. Then it grows louder, closer. Footsteps.
"Who's there?" I call out.
No reply.
The footsteps stop.
I squint, trying to see through the dark. There's movement between the trees—a shadow, tall and slow. My body locks up. I can't even breathe.
Then I hear it. A whisper. Not in English. Not in any language I know. The sound slides into my ears like a hiss.
Something steps into view.
It's wearing what looks like a mask, pale and cracked like bone. Its body is thin, too long in all the wrong places. Its hands reach out, fingers ending in black claws.
My brain screams run, but my legs won't move.
The creature tilts its head, like it's studying me. Then its mask splits open down the middle, revealing rows of sharp teeth.
I finally move. I turn and sprint, crashing through the trees, branches whipping my face. My breath comes out in gasps, my chest burning. Behind me, I hear the creature following—fast, too fast.
I don't look back. I can't. I just run until my lungs are on fire.
Then, I trip.
I hit the ground hard, my palms scraping against the dirt. Pain shoots up my arms. I roll over, trying to get up, but the creature is already there, looming over me.
Its hand reaches out, clawed fingers inches from my face. I shut my eyes.
But before it can touch me, the glowing circle appears again—right beneath me this time.
Light swallows everything.
When I open my eyes again, I'm lying on cold stone. My head throbs, and my body feels heavy.
I push myself up slowly. The place I'm in looks like a dungeon. Torches burn along the walls, and the air smells like dust and iron.
There's someone standing a few feet away. A man in dark clothes, his face hidden by a hood. He's holding a strange-looking device that glows faintly red.
He stares at me for a moment, then smirks.
"Well," he says. "Looks like the summoning worked after all."
"Summoning?" I echo, my voice shaking. "What are you talking about? Where am I?"
He tilts his head, studying me like I'm something he just caught.
"Arcanthia," he says. "And you, little wanderer… belong to me now."
Before I can move, the device in his hand flashes. Something tightens painfully around my neck.
I reach up—and my fingers touch cold metal.
A collar.
I freeze. My heart pounds so hard it hurts. The man turns away, his footsteps echoing down the hall.
"Welcome to your new life," he says without looking back.
The door slams shut, leaving me alone in the dark.
And as I sit there, trembling and staring at the collar I can't remove, one thought echoes in my head
This isn't a dream.
It's the beginning of something I can't escape.