Immersed in the unknown

Cliff Brown

As I was walking through the streets of Tokyo, I caught sight of a small traditional house from afar, so immaculate that it seemed freshly built.

It was my grandparents' house, deeply rooted in their culture and traditions as blacksmiths. Their forging techniques had been passed down from generation to generation, continuously refined along the way.

Upon reaching the house, I knocked, and a lady in her sixties came to open the door, wearing an oversized t-shirt that looked like it had been borrowed.

"Ah, Cliff!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "Come in, my boy."

It was my aunt Izukawa, one of the eldest unmarried women living off her parents..

Frankly, I feel sorry for her," thought Cliff.

As I took my seat under the heating table, I sat waiting for my grandparents who were still working in the forge. While waiting, I inspected the room and what caught my attention the most was my first katana that I had forged. I stood up, took it in my hands, unsheathed it, and assumed various positions, delivering vertical and horizontal strikes, cutting through the air with speed and precision. I gazed at the blade, satisfied, seeing my reflection on the sharp edge.

My dark skin and clean-shaven face.

It was a face not very common but simple; nevertheless, I was proud to possess such a beautiful face. I twisted my lips into a smug smile and sheathed my sword.

I heard a noise, not just any noise, it was the house shaking. I tried to keep my composure because earthquakes in Japan were like routine, but one could never get used to them.

Damn it! my grandparents

I remembered they were always in the workshop -

With these violent movements, who knows what could happen to them.

Quickly, I hopped down the hallway of the house and found myself in a sort of circle of patterns, runes that glowed with a bright white light, almost blinding, and there was this force that prevented me from moving.

I tried to scream with all my might, even if it meant damaging my throat, but to my dismay, not a single sound came out.

I felt sucked into this circle.

What a mess, I thought, trying to stay calm and looking for something to hold onto.

[YOU HAVE BEEN SUMMONED]

Huh!? Who spoke? Who summoned whom?" My questions still went unanswered as I glanced down at my hand.

I still held my katana, perhaps with it I could at least defend myself.

[SUMMONING FAILURE]

Huh! Failure? Don't I even have the right to know what's going on here? And wait a minute, if the summoning failed, then why am I still being sucked in, damn it!?"

The absorption was accelerating gradually despite my attempts to keep even a tiny bit of my composure. I felt a sense of suffocation, as if the air had become unbreathable..

When I was fully absorbed, I was taken to an unknown yet familiar place, it was like a feeling of déjà vu. It was almost completely dark, an infinite emptiness. I tried to react — my limbs!! — they no longer responded to me...

And then I saw something that sent shivers down to the depths of my soul...

A kind of eyeball that opened in this void, large and wide, I was so small in this space.

I thought I was in the presence of a living planet.

The eye stared at me as if studying something strange, then I heard:

[Unidentified entity detected.]

[Determination of the individual's species...]

[The individual will be transferred to...]

I started feeling itching all over my body, the worst part was that the pain was intensifying...

I felt my body tearing apart and then being put back together, only to disassemble again. This process repeated itself over and over, and I struggled to keep my will from fading. The sensation of melting away slowly made me scream even louder.

Blood was spurting from my eyes, nose, and ears. Suddenly, a bitter liquid rose to my mouth – it was my blood, and I immediately spat it out as my stomach emptied. It felt like I was vomiting my guts out!

Every molecule of my body was burning. I wanted to call for help, but in this lifeless, empty space, who would help me!? I want to get out of here, damn it!!

After what felt like an eternity, the pain gradually subsided, the itching stopped, and a strong wave of sleep prevented me from remaining conscious..

I closed my eyes and it was pitch black.

***

Cliff opened his eyes and found himself lying on the ground. As his consciousness cleared, he noticed towering trees standing over 40 meters high, their massive presence looming. He got up, scanning his surroundings.

"Where am I?" he muttered.

As he tried to stand, his hand brushed against something hard—a familiar sensation. Grasping it, he realized it was his weapon. With a sigh of relief, he rose to his feet and began to walk, hoping to find help amidst the sea of trees.

Trees stretched endlessly in every direction. "Where the hell am I?" he exclaimed in frustration.

A flood of questions raced through his mind—why was he suddenly summoned? What role did his will play in all this? And who or what was that "thing," that eyeball globe?

Just by imagining the pain that had been inflicted on it by fixing the globe, he shuddered, shook his head, and continued on his way.

After a few hours of walking, he began to feel hungry. He inspected the trees in hopes of finding some fruit to satisfy his hunger, but to his great disappointment, there was not a single fruit in sight. Disheartened, he decided to resume his journey.

He heard a noise and turned around, feeling something approaching. Trying to locate the sound, he saw on his left what could be described as a liquid globe with a small ball inside. It moved like a snail, but faster. He watched in perplexity as the creature approached, as it was the first time he had seen anything like it.

He was both curious and wary at the same time.

When the beast felt close, it jumped at Cliff's face. He stopped it with his hands, feeling a sharp pain shooting through them. The beast was trying to defend itself with a sort of corrosive acid, quickly expelling the creature from his hands. He took a quick glance.

"This creature seemed harmless. Is it trying to melt me? Am I its prey or what!?"

The creature accelerated its movements and then leaped in his direction. Cliff saw and quickly understood the creature's intentions. With a swift draw and a fast slash, he split the creature in two.

Suddenly, a familiar voice made him jump.

[You have killed a slime.]

[You have received an Essence Stone.]

[Use your Drain skill to absorb its essence.]

Hmm... What was that!?"