There was screaming everywhere.
The sound of collapsing concrete thundered through the streets as debris rained from above. Cars overturned, windows shattered, and smoke swallowed the skyline in thick black clouds. People ran in every direction, trampling over each other in blind panic while distant explosions shook the city beneath our feet.
Then I saw her.
Beautiful brown eyes locked onto mine even through the chaos. Her hair faded from deep crimson roots into a bronze-gold shine near the ends, tied loosely into a ponytail that swayed as she moved. Loose curls framed her face despite the sweat and ash covering the city. She wore black leather pants and a cropped red shirt held together by straps around her neck.
My wife.
Michelle.
Even in the middle of destruction, she looked unreal.
There was a reason villains obsessed over her beauty. A villainess named Medusa had once targeted her because of it. Medusa herself had been beautiful beyond reason, a Siren whose powers revolved around charm, allure, and manipulation. Yet even she had envied Michelle.
A child screamed nearby.
The sound snapped me back to reality.
I looked upward just in time to see two figures crashing through the sky. Shockwaves exploded through the air every time they collided. One of them—a super—turned his head toward the streets below. Toward us.
Toward me.
And he smiled.
A grin.
Then he punched the villain straight into a nearby building.
My stomach dropped.
Did he just—?
No. No way.
The building tilted.
Concrete cracked apart as the entire structure began collapsing toward the street below.
Toward us.
"RUN!" I screamed.
I grabbed Michelle's hand while pulling my children close as we sprinted through the chaos. But deep down, I already knew.
We weren't going to make it.
The shadow of the building swallowed the street.
People screamed louder.
Cars crushed beneath falling debris.
I looked at my family. Then at the collapsing structure above us.
And I stopped running.
Michelle's eyes widened.
"Anthony?!"
I turned and positioned myself beneath the falling building. My legs trembled. My entire body screamed at me to run.
But there was nowhere left to run.
I had no powers.
No super strength.
No abilities.
Just hope.
As the building came crashing down, I planted my feet and pushed upward with everything I had. Muscles tore. Bones strained. Veins burned.
Nothing.
For the briefest moment, I felt the impossible weight above me.
Then everything disappeared.
A single millisecond later, my family and I were crushed beneath the collapsing building.
But right before impact—
I saw something.
A golden light enveloped us. Warm. Gentle. Almost protective.
Then—
Boom.
I shot upward with a gasp, sweat pouring down my face.
"MICHELLE!"
My voice echoed violently through the room.
"WHERE ARE YOU?!"
My chest heaved as I looked around wildly. My heartbeat pounded against my ribs so hard it hurt. Memories crashed back into my mind all at once—the destruction, the building, the light.
I should've been dead.
So why was I alive?
That was when I noticed him.
An old man sat quietly in the corner of the room, watching me with eyes full of knowing pity. He didn't look surprised by my outburst in the slightest.
Slowly, I forced myself to calm down. My breathing steadied little by little as embarrassment crept into my chest.
"I apologize for intruding and making a scene, Mr…?"
The old man waved his hand dismissively.
"It's fine. I'm simply glad you've finally woken up."
His voice was calm. Smooth.
"My name is of little importance, though people here call me Phoenix. Now then…" His sharp eyes studied me carefully. "Who are you, and what exactly brings you to this place?"
"Y-Yes, sir. My name is Anthony."
Even speaking felt difficult. My throat was dry.
"I don't know where I am. I was with my family during some kind of disaster, and then suddenly I woke up in a forest. I went searching for them and ran into men slaughtering a small town. They…"
My voice caught in my throat.
The images returned instantly. Blood. Screaming. Bodies.
"They said they killed my family."
The words barely left my mouth.
"How could they just kill them like that? And why didn't they kill me too when they found us together?"
The old man's expression softened slightly.
"Hold on," he said calmly. "Let me explain a few things first."
He leaned back slightly in his chair.
"The place you currently find yourself in is known as the Wudong Province, specifically along the eastern outer borderlands. As for the village you encountered…" He sighed faintly. "It consisted of barely sixty residents. Small settlements like those are often raided by bandits for supplies and resources."
I stared at him blankly.
"Wudong? Province? Bandits?"
A weak laugh escaped me.
"You're talking like we're inside some martial arts movie."
Phoenix scoffed lightly.
"Well then, where exactly were you before awakening here?"
"I was in Florida. I had just taken my family to Orlando to celebra—"
The old man suddenly burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!"
I blinked in confusion.
"What language are you even speaking, dear boy?"
My confusion deepened. Slowly, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. Thankfully it hadn't broken. I opened my gallery and showed him a picture of Michelle and the kids.
The reaction I got wasn't what I expected.
In an instant, the old man vanished from his chair.
A blade pressed against my throat before I could even blink.
Cold steel bit into my skin as blood slowly trickled downward.
"What magic is this?" he demanded sharply. "Who sent you?"
My body froze.
"I-I don't understand! It's just pictures of my family!"
Then it hit me.
The bandits.
The Murim.
Slowly, the horrifying realization settled into my chest.
"Sir Phoenix…" My voice shook violently. "I don't think I'm from this world."