Chapter 2: Into the Unknown

The room was suffocating, the air thick with tension. He had barely processed the words from the figures when the second one stepped forward, their expression unreadable.

"You've had enough time to come to terms with your situation. It's time to face the next step," the figure said, their voice even, almost clinical. "You'll be sent to the world now."

He blinked in confusion. "Sent to the world? What are you—?"

Before he could finish his question, a sharp tug at his chest made him gasp. He barely had time to react as everything around him started to distort. The walls of the room seemed to ripple, like the surface of a disturbed pond. His vision blurred, and his heart raced in panic as the feeling of weightlessness overtook him.

"Wait! I—!" He tried to shout, but the words died in his throat as the world spun faster and faster.

In the next instant, the sensation of falling stopped. The world around him snapped into focus, but it wasn't the cold, sterile room he had been in moments ago. He was standing in an open field, bathed in the warm glow of the afternoon sun. The landscape stretched endlessly before him, vibrant with colors he couldn't have imagined—tall, twisting trees with glowing fruits hanging from the branches, flowers that shimmered in the breeze, and the distant sound of what could only be described as magic crackling through the air.

His breath caught in his throat as he took in the scene before him, his mind unable to fully comprehend what he was seeing. Everything felt... alive, in a way that went beyond mere biology. The world was pulsing with energy, with life.

And yet, nothing felt right. He stumbled back, his heart racing as he tried to make sense of what had just happened.

"Where... am I?" he whispered, his voice small in the vastness of the world around him.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, the faintest whisper of a laugh reached his ears, one that sent a chill crawling down his spine. He whipped around, searching for the source, but there was nothing. Just the wind, rustling through the trees.

"You've arrived," a voice said, low and amused, though it seemed to echo from everywhere. "Welcome to Narevia."

His chest tightened. "Narevia? This is... this is real? I... I don't understand!"

A figure appeared before him, stepping out from behind a cluster of glowing trees. The figure was tall, wearing a cloak of deep emerald green, their face hidden in the shadow of their hood. They stood still for a long moment, watching him with an almost predatory interest.

"You are not the first to be thrown into this world, nor will you be the last. But you are the one with the least understanding of it all," the figure spoke, their voice carrying a strange, otherworldly weight. "You'll need to learn quickly, or you won't survive."

"I... I don't even know what to do!" He gasped, taking a step back, but the figure's presence seemed to draw him in, an invisible pull that made him feel both terrified and fascinated. "How do I survive here? What am I supposed to—?"

"You are here for one purpose: to find your way," the figure interrupted. "But the path you take will be your own. The journey won't be easy. The world itself will try to break you, and you will face challenges that will test every ounce of your willpower. You will learn to adapt. You will learn magic. You will learn how to survive. And in the end, you may even learn how to break the curse. But only if you prove yourself worthy."

He could hardly breathe, his mind still reeling from the shock of being thrown into this world. "I... I don't understand. I wasn't... I didn't sign up for any of this!"

The figure didn't seem bothered by his panic. Instead, they stepped closer, their eyes glowing faintly from beneath the hood. "None of us did. But it's the way of Narevia. Once you're in, you stay in. No escape."

His heart sank. There was no way back. His life, his old world, was gone. All he had now was the world in front of him—and a curse that threatened to erase everything he once knew.

"What... what's the first step?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The figure smiled—a cruel, knowing smile. "The first step, young one, is to survive."