Aren gathered what little strength he had left, as if picking up shards of broken glass from within himself. He rose slowly, breathing deeply, as though the air itself refused to enter his chest. And yet… he moved forward.
He was certain of nothing, except that remaining where he stood meant death, and that moving—even toward the unknown—was the only choice that resembled survival.
The forest before him was silent… a silence unlike the calm of nature, but closer to suppressed hostility, or hidden observation.
The trees were towering, intertwined like gigantic fingers that concealed the sky.
With every step he took, the sound echoed twice over, as if the ground itself was repeating his presence and tracking him.
Fear never left him for a single moment.
It rested heavily on his shoulders like an unseen hand, nearly preventing him from walking.
And yet… he continued.
For there was no longer any room for stopping.
Hours passed.
Or so he thought.
In this forest, time did not exist—only dim, unchanging light, the thick scent of dampness, and thoughts slowly eroding from within.
His legs began to grow heavy, his back bent forward, and his breathing trembled beyond his control.
His eyes searched for anything—a hollow, a rock, a fallen trunk—
anything he could sit against…
something that might protect him from the feeling that he was losing himself more with every step.
And as he wandered without direction, he noticed something…
A thin strand of smoke rising into the gray sky.
He stopped for several seconds, unable to believe it.
He stared carefully.
Yes… smoke.
Real smoke.
Beneath it, deep within the forest, stood a small, simple house… like an old wooden cabin.
Despite its simplicity, it felt like a miracle.
A symbol of life. A glimmer of hope. Anything… after all that emptiness.
Aren felt something loosen in his chest…
as if a hidden knot had finally been undone.
For the first time since entering the forest, his feet found a real reason to move faster.
He advanced toward the house with steps heavier than he expected, each one carrying the remnants of his fear, confusion, and exhaustion.
But when he came within a few meters…
Everything vanished.
His legs gave out beneath him, as though they no longer belonged to him.
He collapsed to the ground with sudden weight, without even having time to stretch out a hand or steady himself.
Darkness…
and deeper darkness…
And a distant voice within his mind whispered:
"You exceeded your limits… You should have rested before reaching it, not after."
He lost consciousness completely, while the smoke rising from the cabin continued to dance in the air—
a silent sign telling him that fate had been very close…
but had not granted him even one more second.
Aren opened his eyes slowly, heavily, as though his head were submerged in thick fog.
The first thing he felt was a strange warmth enveloping his body, completely different from the sharp cold that had seeped into his bones while he was lost in the silent forest.
He was lying on a simple bed, covered with soft fur he had never seen before.
Dim light filtering through a side window granted the room an unfamiliar calm… and a comfort he could not explain.
He tried to rise, but instead remained seated, leaning on his arms as he stared around in disbelief.
"Where… am I?
Is this… the house I saw?
My head… how did I get here?"
His heart was pounding rapidly, his memories jumping between the moment he saw the smoke in the forest, his approach toward the house, and then… darkness.
Suddenly, the stillness of the room was pierced by a female voice from the doorway:
"Hah… you finally woke up."
Aren turned quickly.
Standing at the doorway was a girl close to his age, but her features were strong—solid—as if forged through a life filled with shocks and trials.
Her dark red hair fell over her shoulders in a wild yet orderly manner, and her brown eyes carried clear caution.
Along the right side of her face ran a long, straight scar, starting near her right eye and ending at her cheek.
It did not diminish her beauty…
it gave it presence and strength.
Yet despite her imposing aura, there was something wary in her gaze—
as though his presence here was not something that should happen so easily.
She stepped closer, raising an eyebrow as she examined him with faint tension.
"First question…
How did you enter this forest?"
Aren's heart trembled.
He asked in confusion:
"Forest… what?"
She glanced around the room in surprise, as though expecting him to know what he clearly did not.
"The Silent Forest."
Her tone carried unusual weight.
"No creature lives within it… and no race dares enter it.
How did you get here?"
Aren asked honestly, bewildered:
"Races?
I don't understand… what races do you mean?"
Her expression changed instantly—a mix of astonishment and concern.
She stopped advancing toward him, staring as though he had said something impossible.
"How… can someone from this world not know about the races?"
She scrutinized him closely.
"You are one of them…
a human."
Aren's heart began to race.
Careful… no one must find out he came from another world.
He lowered his gaze slightly and feigned confusion.
"I… barely remember anything.
I don't remember how I arrived here.
I only remember my name… Aren."
The girl remained standing for a moment, studying him with undisguised concern.
A stranger appearing in a place impossible to reach…
yet seemingly weak, exhausted, and suffering from memory loss.
She took a deep breath, as if trying to accept what her mind was hearing.
Then she said:
"Alright… I'll explain then.
Because you truly seem… lost."
She sat on a nearby chair, cautiously, as if ready to stand at any moment.
"There are five earthly races that form the Lower World:
Humans…
Elves…
Dwarves…
Demons…
and Half-breeds."
She paused, watching his reaction.
"These are the primary races that live in this world.
It is natural for anyone to know this…
unless…"
She fell silent.
Something she chose not to say.
"As for the other races…
those that dwell above the higher heavens…
they are not something you need to know about right now."
Aren looked at her with gratitude mixed with tension, hiding his fear of being exposed.
Before he could ask anything, she added in a low voice still laced with caution:
"But the fact that you are here…
inside the Silent Forest…
is more than enough to make your story very strange."