Damian stepped off the edge of the hover-train platform and onto the forest path, feeling the first taste of unease wrap around him. The city of Aurelia—capital of Europe, sprawling and massive even by his memories of Earth—faded behind him. Beyond the city's walls stretched the Verdant Expanse, a forest labeled on maps as quarantined, untamed, and dangerous. The warning signs made sense the moment Damian's boots touched the soft, mossy ground. Twisted roots snaked across the path, jagged rocks jutted from the earth, and patches of thick fog rolled low, hiding the uneven terrain.
Even the air smelled off. It was faintly acrid, carrying a hint of decay. Damian flinched as a branch brushed his shoulder, the dry snap echoing through the quiet. His heart pounded in his chest, but the memory of the cave in the novel—the one that would house the first boon—pushed him forward.
He paused to catch his breath, his eyes scanning the forest nervously. Twisted wildlife moved in the shadows. A deer-like creature with patches of pitch-black fur and teeth that seemed far too long stood frozen a few meters away. Its eyes, void of pupils, reflected nothing but black. Damian instinctively ducked behind a thick trunk, holding his breath. The creature stared for a moment, then vanished like smoke into the fog.
He kept moving, careful to follow the landmarks he remembered from the novel: the broken stone arch, the twin crooked oaks, the river bend, and finally the jagged cliffside where the cave was hidden. Each one was a lifeline. Each one reminded him that this forest was real, and he had no idea what else might be lurking, waiting for someone foolish enough to wander in.
By the time he reached the stone arch, Damian was already exhausted. His legs ached from running, slipping, and stumbling over the roots that seemed intent on tripping him at every turn. Sweat dampened his hair, sticking strands to his forehead. His stomach growled—the sandwich from the apartment felt miles away—but he had no time to eat. Survival came first.
Every step was a battle of terror and panic. A snapped twig somewhere to his left made him jump violently, tumbling forward onto his hands and knees. Pain shot up his palms as he scraped them against moss-covered stone. He cursed under his breath and pushed himself up, heart hammering. The forest seemed alive, watching him, testing him.
Then, by accident, something extraordinary happened. As he flailed forward, trying to balance, a faint spark of energy escaped from his right hand, hitting the moss at his feet. It was small and uncontrolled, barely noticeable, but it startled a shadowy creature hiding nearby. The deer-like beast bolted, disappearing into the fog. Damian froze, staring at his hand. Was that… electricity? The memory of the former Damian's body surged in his mind—his ability had been electrokinesis.The thought sent a shiver down his spine. He had this power now, but no idea how to control it.
He shook his head. No time for thoughts. Survival first. The forest pressed in around him. Twisted, gnarled roots clawed at his boots. Low-hanging branches whipped against his face, leaving red marks across his cheeks. Every so often, a corrupted bird with translucent wings and razor-sharp beaks would flit overhead, the shadow it cast more terrifying than the creature itself. Damian ran, ducked, and jumped with a desperation that left him breathless.
Hours—or what felt like hours—passed. He lost track of time. His vision blurred from sweat and fatigue. Every landmark he remembered became both a relief and a new challenge. The river bend was filled with jagged stones and snapping twigs. Crossing it meant risking a fall into freezing, debris-laden water, but he did it anyway, fingers and toes numb from the cold.
The forest didn't relent. A sudden screech from above made him dive behind a hollowed-out tree, barely avoiding a falling branch. He scraped his knees and palms against the rough wood, but he couldn't stop. Every instinct screamed that stopping meant death. Every shadow could conceal the sharp claws or teeth of a demon-born creature, twisted by the abyss.
By late afternoon, Damian finally glimpsed the jagged cliffside from afar. His chest heaved with exhaustion and relief. The cave was there, hidden just as he had read in the novel. He slowed, cautiously approaching the mouth of the cave, scanning for traps or lurking beasts. The forest behind him was silent now, the shadows seeming to respect the threshold.
Inside the cave, the air was different. Cooler, cleaner, and strangely calm. The oppressive aura of the forest was gone, replaced by the earthy scent of stone and soil. Damian sank to his knees, catching his breath, hands trembling. I made it. The thought alone sent a wave of triumph through him, but it was quickly tempered by reality. The cave was only the first step. The boon—the reward for the real MC's mission—was here, but it would not be easy to obtain.
He sank his sword into the ground next to him, fingers clutching the hilt. I have to be careful. The boon was meant for the MC of this story, not him. Could he even take it without consequence? Could he survive the trials that would surely guard it? And if he failed, there would be no second chance.
Yet determination surged through him. He remembered the system's guidance, faint and acknowledged only by Damian himself, and the lingering fragments of the novel he had read. Every step he had taken through the forest—the running, the fear, the accidental spark of his newfound ability—was preparation. The cave was just the beginning.
He exhaled slowly, letting the tension drain from his shoulders. His mind raced, plotting. A journal. He needed to record every detail—landmarks, encounters, thoughts, and plans. This would be his map for survival, for progression, and for claiming the boon that could change everything.
Outside, the wind whispered through the forest. Damian could still hear faint echoes of creatures in the distance, but here, at the cave's mouth, he allowed himself a moment to feel safe. Not completely safe—never that—but enough to collect his thoughts.
The mini-deadland had tested him, terrified him, and forced him to push beyond the limits of a normal thirteen-year-old from an ordinary world. And yet, he had survived. The forest, with all its corruption and danger, had become his first real battleground. The cave ahead promised trials, challenges, and power he had never imagined—but he would face them. He had to.
Damian looked to the shadows within the cave and whispered to himself, a vow he didn't fully understand yet: I will survive. I will take the boon. And I will not fail.