A World Beyond Reason

The sky was painted with streaks of twilight as Richard Filver walked down the quiet street of Lakhimpur. The grocery bag swung lazily at his side, the plastic crinkling with each step. The street lights flickered, casting long shadows across the cracked pavement. Richard barely noticed. His mind was busy with formulas — a new chemical compound he'd been working on that could potentially revolutionize pharmaceuticals. Or, at the very least, make his next experiment slightly less explosive.

"Should've picked up more coffee," he muttered, adjusting his glasses. His dark hair fell into his eyes, and he brushed it aside with an irritated huff.

The night was still, unnaturally so. Not a dog barked. Not a single auto-rickshaw rattled in the distance. Richard squinted down the road. Was the fog always this thick? It curled around his ankles, cold and heavy.

Then, everything lurched.

His vision blurred. The grocery bag slipped from his fingers, apples tumbling onto the pavement. A sudden weight crushed his chest, and his knees buckled. Richard collapsed onto the cold concrete, gasping for air that wouldn't come. His heartbeat slowed. His body grew cold.

And then… darkness.

---

When Richard opened his eyes, he was staring at a wooden ceiling. Dim candle light flickered across stone walls, casting shadows that danced like phantoms. His body ached, and his head throbbed with a dull, persistent pain. Slowly, he sat up, wincing.

"Where the hell...?" he murmured, glancing around.

The room was small, cozy even, with a stone fireplace in the corner. A wooden chair sat beside the bed, and in it, a girl dozed lightly. Her silver hair cascaded down her shoulders, shimmering in the candlelight. She looked young — no older than twenty — with delicate features and a serene expression.

Richard blinked. "Okay. Either I've been kidnapped, or I'm hallucinating."

As if sensing his thoughts, the girl stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, a soft, icy blue that locked onto his. "Oh! You're awake!" she said, relief washing over her face.

Richard tensed. In a single, fluid motion, he sprang from the bed, muscles coiling like a spring. Before the girl could react, he had her wrist in a firm grip, twisting her arm behind her back.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded, voice low. "Where am I?"

"Wait!" she cried out. "I'm not your enemy!"

"Not buying it." He tightened his grip. "Start talking."

The girl winced. "My name is Elsa. Elsa Richardson. I found you unconscious near the old well. You weren't breathing. I brought you here."

Richard frowned, his grip loosening slightly. "Unconscious? Near a well? What are you talking about?"

Elsa hesitated, glancing over her shoulder. "You really don't know, do you? You're not from here."

"No kidding." Richard released her and stepped back, rubbing his temples. "Alright, Elsa. Mind telling me where 'here' is exactly?"

Elsa bit her lip. "You're in the Kingdom of Valsheim."

"Valsheim?" Richard repeated, incredulous. "Never heard of it." He turned towards the window, pulling the curtain aside. His breath caught in his throat.

The world outside was… wrong. The sky was a deep violet, two moons hanging low on the horizon. The streets were cobbled, lit by glowing blue crystals mounted on iron lamp posts. Strange creatures slithered in the shadows, and in the distance, he could make out the silhouette of a massive castle, its towers scraping the heavens.

"What in the actual chemistry is this?" Richard whispered. "Did I die? Is this some kind of afterlife? No. I'm not getting isekai'd. This has to be a dream."

He stumbled out of the room, Elsa calling after him. The air was crisp, almost unnaturally so, and smelled faintly of lavender and something metallic. Richard's eyes darted around, taking in every detail. The architecture was medieval, but the technology — if you could call it that — was something entirely different. Floating lanterns drifted lazily through the air, casting soft glows on the cobblestones.

"I've lost it," Richard muttered, pinching his arm. The pain was sharp and immediate. "Okay, not dreaming."

"Wait!" Elsa grabbed his sleeve. "You can't just wander off. You don't understand how dangerous this place is!"

"Lady, I don't even know what this place is." Richard pulled free. "I need answers."

He turned a corner and immediately regretted it. A massive carriage barreled down the street, pulled by two enormous horses with glowing eyes. The driver shouted something in a language Richard didn't recognize.

"Oh, shi—!"

The carriage slammed into him, and the world spun once more.

---

Pain. That was the first thing Richard felt when he woke up. Again. His head throbbed, and his body ached all over. Groaning, he opened his eyes to see Elsa peering down at him, worry etched into her face.

"You're awake. Again." She sighed in relief. "That's the second time you've almost died in one night."

Richard grunted, sitting up slowly. "You know, for a dead guy, I'm feeling oddly alive." He rubbed his head, wincing. "Alright. Start from the top. Where am I, and why do I feel like I've been hit by a truck?"

Elsa hesitated, then offered him a hand. Richard took it, hauling himself to his feet. "This world… it's not your own. Somehow, you've crossed over."

"Crossed over?" Richard raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me I've been isekai'd?"

Elsa tilted her head. "Ise-what?"

"Never mind." Richard sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alright, let's pretend for a moment that I believe you. How do I get back?"

Elsa looked away. "I don't know."

"Figures." He glanced around once more, taking in the strange town. "Alright, Elsa Richardson. Looks like I'm stuck here. Let's find out what makes this world tick."

And with that, Richard Filver took his first steps into the unknown.

Richard Filver staggered down the unfamiliar cobbled streets, eyes darting from one strange building to the next. The two moons hanging above painted the town in eerie shades of violet and blue. His mind raced, trying to rationalize the madness around him, but all he could muster was a sarcastic, "Well, this is new."

He noticed the townspeople staring at him. Men, women, children — they all glared with a mix of shock and disgust.

"Why are these people staring at me?" Richard muttered under his breath. "Did I push their mum? Or are they all homeless?"

Elsa gasped. "You shouldn't be so heartles— never mind." She shook her head. "Look, I should warn you about something. There's a very serious rule here — no psychopathic behavio—"

Before she could finish, Richard cut her off, spinning dramatically and singing in a mocking tone, "I don't care…"

Elsa's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're unbelievable!" She lunged at him, aiming a punch right at his stomach.

Richard's reflexes kicked in. With a swift sidestep, he dodged the attack and countered with a quick kick to Elsa's stomach, sending her stumbling back. "Equality means justice," he declared, arms wide as if accepting applause.

The crowd gasped. Murmurs erupted among the townspeople, their shock quickly turning to fury. Richard frowned. "What now?"

Elsa coughed, glaring at him. "You idiot! Women are worshipped as goddesses here! They're like queens. You can't just… hit them!"

Richard blinked. "Huh. That's a weird cultural quirk." He crossed his arms. "Still don't care."

The crowd erupted. Men and women alike rushed at him, fists flying. Richard twisted, dodging a punch, then swept another attacker's legs out from under him. "You guys really don't take jokes well!"

A broom handle cracked across his back, making him stumble forward. "Okay, ow. That one actually hurt."

Elsa shouted from the sidelines, "Richard, run!"

But Richard stood his ground, smirking. "Nah. I can handle this." He sidestepped another punch, flipped a man onto his back, and casually elbowed another in the nose. "Easy peasy."

Suddenly, the ground shook. The crowd fell silent, eyes widening in terror. Richard turned just in time to see a massive bull charging straight at him, its eyes glowing red.

"Oh, come o-!"

The bull slammed into him, sending Richard flying through the air. He hit the ground hard, pain exploding in every nerve. As his vision faded, he could swear he heard Elsa scream his name.

Then… darkness. Again.

---

Richard's eyes snapped open. He was lying on the same bed in the same room, staring at the same wooden ceiling. "Oh, not this again."

The door creaked open, and Elsa peeked inside. "Oh! You're awake!" she said, looking relieved.

Richard sat up slowly, eyes narrowing. "Wait a minute…" He looked around, recognizing everything. "This is where I woke up the first time. What the hell?"

Elsa tilted her head. "What do you mean 'the first time'?"

Richard rubbed his face. "I died. Again. But now I'm back here." He looked around. "Did I just… time travel?"

Elsa frowned. "Time travel? That's impossible."

"Yeah? So is getting hit by a bull and waking up in medieval fantasy land." Richard stood up, pacing. "Alright. Either I'm stuck in some messed-up time loop, or this place hates me enough to resurrect me just to kill me again."

Suddenly, the air grew colder. The candle flickered, and the shadows darkened. Richard felt a pull, like invisible hands dragging him down. The room dissolved around him, and he found himself standing in a pitch-black void.

"What now?"

A whisper echoed through the darkness. "You… are not supposed to be here."

Richard turned, but there was nothing. "Okay. Creepy voice in a dark void. Totally normal."

"You walk a path that should not exist," the voice continued. "Your presence disrupts the balance."

Richard crossed his arms. "Yeah, well, I didn't exactly ask to be here."

The darkness shifted. Shapes moved in the shadows, and a pair of glowing white eyes opened before him. "Find the UnReal… or be consumed."

Before Richard could respond, the darkness swallowed him whole.

---

He gasped, bolting upright in the bed once more. Elsa jumped back, startled. "You okay?"

Richard groaned, rubbing his head. "I have no idea."

One thing was certain — this world wasn't done with him yet.

Richard Filver sat on the edge of the bed, fingers tangled in his hair. His heart pounded in his chest as the memory of the dark void lingered. The glowing eyes, the whispers — they felt too real to be a dream.

"Find the UnReal… or be consumed."

"Yeah, no pressure," he muttered.

He took a deep breath and glanced around the dimly lit room. The candle on the bedside table flickered softly, its small flame dancing in the darkness. Richard's eyes narrowed. "Alright, brain. Time to science the crap out of this situation."

Grabbing the candle, he stood up and made his way outside. The night air was cold against his skin, the violet sky painted with twin moons. The streets were quiet. Too quiet. Even the strange blue lanterns lining the road seemed to flicker in anticipation.

Richard stared at the candle in his hand. "Okay. Think, Richard. You're stuck in some medieval fantasy land, people are trying to kill you, and apparently women are worshipped as goddesses. What's the logical next step?"

He looked around, spotting a nearby workshop made of wood and cloth, its doors slightly ajar. "Arson, obviously."

With a casual flick of his wrist, Richard hurled the candle through the open doorway. The flame licked at the dry fabric, catching almost instantly. Within seconds, the workshop was ablaze, the fire crawling up the wooden beams like a hungry beast.

"Huh. That worked better than expected."

The flames spread rapidly, leaping from building to building, consuming everything in their path. The quiet night erupted into chaos as townspeople poured into the streets, screaming and scrambling to douse the inferno.

Richard watched the chaos unfold, arms crossed. "Well… this escalated quickly."

A familiar voice shrieked behind him. "STOP, YOU DUMB IDIOT!"

He turned to see Elsa sprinting towards him, eyes wide with panic. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Richard shrugged. "Creating a distraction."

"A distraction from what?!" Elsa cried, grabbing his arm.

Richard yanked his arm free, glaring at her. "Shut up, you stupendously stupiodically stupendous idiot who is diabolically idiotical idiotically idiot!"

Elsa blinked. "What does that even mean?!"

"It means shut your face. You yappatronic yapper." Richard turned back to the flames, watching as they danced through the town. "Look, this place already hates me. I might as well give it a reason."

"You'll burn this whole town!" Elsa pleaded, grabbing his arm again. "Please, stop!"

Richard's eyes darkened. He leaned in close, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper. "That's why your parents left you."

Elsa's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. "W-What…?"

Before Richard could say another word, a low rumble echoed through the streets. The ground trembled beneath his feet. From the shadows, a massive bull charged straight towards him — its eyes glowing red, horns lowered.

"Oh, not this again."

The bull slammed into him, and the world spiraled into darkness once more.

Richard's eyes snapped open. He was back in bed. Again. The candle flickered softly beside him, mocking him with its quiet flame.

Elsa peeked into the room. "Oh! You're awake!"

Richard groaned, falling back against the pillow. "I swear to chemistry, if I see that bull one more time…"

Suddenly, out of nowhere…..the same bull came and striked Richard, and Richard died again….. Does this idiot have anything else to do except dieing?

Richard then took a deep breath, and his heart stopped working…. But with a twist! He felt the pain 100x times more than normal. He didn't woke up for 2 days straight..

Then suddenly he woke up and saw the same girl, she said. "You're awa-!"

Before she could continue, Richard threw a shoe… now this can become a poem line!

Richard said calmy. "Enjoy the next moments for 24 hours, mis-."

Before Richard could continue, Elsa threw a shoe, but Richard said. "That's something new to get from a shoe."

A systematic screen or display popped up in front of Richard, it said. "Activating Pain Producer… Pain level set to 50,000x! Would you like to see your profile?"

Richard said. "Yup, you yappatronic yappatron."

"Name: Richard Filver"

"Rank: Below Human"

"Abilities: Unknown"

"Knowledge level: Beyond Prodigries"

"Achievments: HomeBlaster, The Cursed One, Death Receiver, Time Bender"

"Creations: Unknown"

"Body type: Sealed + Unawakened + Humanized Soul"

"Previous Rank:- Above Everything"

"Protocal activated…. Recalling previous memories! Loading... completed!"

Richard said, "Now finally I've got my old memories, I'mma a professional yapp- I meant cooker, and a professional eternal being."

Then a young looking man opened the door, grabbed Richard's hand…. And said. "What'cha ya' doin' lil bruh! Ain't gotta some place to stay, buddy?"

"There's no doubt why your parent were dissappointed…" Richard exclaimed. It's a true fact, though!

Elsa started walking out of the room, the young man started following her.

Richard asked 'em where were they going?