The Last Step, The First Leap
Miraculously, he started to calm down as he continued questioning himself. As he wondered what was happening and what he should do, he prepared himself for every possible outcome.
"What if it's something dangerous?"
"I'll die..."
"What if I got hit by a truck and reincarnated into another world?"
"Hahaha... I'm such an idiot... Who would think of something like that in this situation?"
Surprisingly, he was able to calm down—even laugh out loud—which shocked him when he heard his own voice.
Around five minutes later—minutes that felt like five days to him—suddenly, some lights caught his eyes.
"I expected you not to be frightened... but laughing out loud? That was truly unexpected."
A voice came from the shadows, the speaker holding a lantern in their hand.
"Ohhh, I'm glad to be welcomed here."
The words slipped from Javohir's lips before he even realized it. He was shocked at himself—his mind was a mess.
(Whaaat? What did I just say? How am I acting like this?!)
His mind and his outward demeanor were completely disconnected.
"Don't act like you don't know us, Mister Javohir."
Javohir wasn't even sure where the voice was coming from—it echoed in the air. Unsure whether the speaker was near the light or elsewhere, he responded with a rather calm face:
"Oh my, now that you know my name… you've only made me more confused."
(What am I even saying? No—what's happening? How am I staying so calm? Okay, it's not the time to think about unnecessary things. Surviving comes first.)
He tried to calm his mind, even though his facial expression already looked eerily composed. His body was still shaking, but it seemed more from the cold than from fear.
"So, you prefer to act like a normal person, huh?"
As these words echoed, the light drew closer, accompanied by heavy footsteps. Then, for a brief moment, everything fell silent.
"Heyyy!"
Javohir shouted as he dodged something that nearly grabbed his shoulders. As soon as he felt a presence behind him, he lowered his head and turned around as fast as he could. Just as he raised his hand to shield his face, his fingers brushed against something. Reflexively, he grabbed hold of it with all his strength.
"It's bad manners to touch someone from behind without warning—especially a gorgeous lady like you," he said with a broad, sarcastic smile.
(What if this person is male? Yeah, I'm cooked... No, but despite the rough voice, I think it sounds more like a woman. If not, I'm dead… Hahaha…)
He immediately regretted his words but still tried to maintain his cool.
"Apologies, but I was checking whether you were the one we were searching for or not."
The light grew brighter, revealing the figure holding the torch. Though the figure was clad in black, making it difficult to discern whether it was human or not, Javohir could at least confirm they didn't seem to mind being called "Lady."
"So, I guess you were mistaken… Am I right?"
He was still shaking but tried to make it appear as though it was from the cold, not fear.
"If you weren't the one we were searching for, you wouldn't have been able to dodge just now. No, you've confirmed it yourself—you are the one we're looking for."
A sudden gust of wind blew, making the figure's coat flutter.
"So that's how it is… All I can say is, 'I wish you weren't searching for me just to kill me.' Or something like that..."
His head lowered as he spoke. Rather than fear, he felt… sadness.
"That depends on you."
The mysterious figure continued speaking before removing their coat.
"You're sharper than we thought, boy. Not only are you calm… but calling me a 'gorgeous lady'? Hahaha! I assumed you'd be brave enough to face death, but it turns out you're quite the smooth talker too. I can't imagine how much more you'd surprise us if we let you live."
Her voice was still rough and deep, almost masculine. Her outfit was serious—armor, but not the kind designed for taking heavy blows. It was long, seemingly restricting flexibility in fights, yet still lightweight. A knight's attire, but vastly different from what Javohir had expected.