"Okay, Cealith, are you here on your own, or do you know anybody around?" I asked the white‑haired elf, trying to sound casual.
"Not really," he said with a small shrug. "I haven't seen a single familiar face so far. I did make friends with a group of humans, though. What about you—anyone you recognise?"
"Sadly, no. To be honest, you're the first person I've talked to since I landed here," I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck.
"If you want, I can introduce you to them. I was heading back anyway," he offered, voice warm.
"Thanks, that'd help a lot."
"Come on—follow me." He held out his hand.
I grabbed it, pushed myself up, brushed dirt off my pants, and gave him a quick nod. The moment he caught the signal, he moved downhill toward the ocean of people again. It blew my mind how confidently he navigated this place while everything still looked identical to me.
We left the forest and stepped onto a flat clearing with zero trees. No matter how far we walked, crowds kept stretching in every direction—so many different kinds of people. As we moved, I freaked out over how to introduce myself.
Yo, guys, what's up? Name's Aleks. Looks like we're fucked, so let's make the best of it—nah, that sounds stupid. Maybe I should be more nonchalant: Hey, I'm Aleks, nice to meet you. Ugh, lame.
"We're almost there," the silver‑haired elf murmured.
Great. Guess I'll just freestyle when we arrive.
A few minutes later he stopped at a spot a little off the main crowd—quiet, shaded by the treeline. In front of us sat two boys and a girl. They looked young and brightened up as soon as Cealith showed up. They'd made a makeshift shelter—nothing fancy, just leaves on the ground for a bed and a ring of stones where a campfire would probably go.
"Hey, you're back! Is the water from that stream safe?" one of the boys called, half‑hopeful, half‑worried.
"Seems fine," Cealith replied, wiping his lips. "I took a few sips. We'll know soon enough if my stomach hates me."
"You're an elf—how are we supposed to know if the water is safe for humans?" the other boy asked, raising a brow.
"Well, I brought someone new," Cealith said, nodding toward me. "He took a couple of gulps from the stream, and he's human. He can tell you how it went."
"Huh, a newcomer? Lemme see," the girl chimed in. She had long black curls, a sharp, slightly long nose, and heavy makeup. Baggy jeans hugged her hips, paired with a cropped black top.
She ran her eyes over me, then flashed a quick smile. "Hi, I'm Amina—eighteen, originally from Morocco. And you?"
I swallowed. "Uh, I'm Aleks, sixteen. I used to live in Germany. Nice to meet you."
"Guess I'm not the youngest anymore," one boy chuckled. "Name's Daisuke, seventeen, from Japan. Welcome aboard. Oh, and there's another German girl with us—she's in the woods gathering firewood. She'll swing by later."
Daisuke's mid‑length black hair stuck out in messy spikes. Thick glasses perched on his nose. He was skinny, wearing a plain white T‑shirt and black joggers.
"Nikita, nineteen, Russia," the guy on his left added in a deep, almost cold voice. Arms folded tight, face granite‑serious. Short pale‑blond hair, razor‑sharp jawline, tall and built. Leather jacket with a raised collar, dark‑blue straight‑fit jeans.
Introductions done, I asked where I could help. It was obvious they were trying to slap together shelter before nightfall. None of us knew how cold the nights got here, so we needed something that would keep us warm.
They stuck me on the main shelter crew with Amina, Daisuke, and Cealith. Our job: gather leaves and moss for padding, then lash branches and big leaves into a rough roof. Nikita focused on starting a fire—said his grandpa back in Russia had shown him a bow‑drill trick, but it would take time. The German girl's task was to keep hauling fuel.
So we got moving, hustling to finish Day One's camp. I headed deeper into the woods, hunting for sturdy branches that could hold weight. That's when I spotted a girl in the distance, arms full of sticks.
Must be the German they mentioned. I should lend a hand.
I jogged over. "Hey, need help carrying that? I'm the new guy in the crew—heard you were on firewood duty. Those branches look heavy as hell," I said, offering a grin.
Suddenly the girl let every single branch slip from her arms. "Aleks? Is that you?"
How the hell does she know my name?
I looked at her face and froze. It was Carmen—the girl I'd spotted in the supermarket with Brad, the one who'd acted like she'd never met me.
So not everyone I knew was dead. But where was Brad? Shouldn't she be here with her boyfriend?
Before I could speak, she lunged forward and locked me in a hug so tight it hurt. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "It killed him, Aleks. That creature killed him right in front of me."
I eased my arms around her, trying to steady her shaking. The messed‑up part? I didn't feel sad. If anything, a dark sliver of relief slid through me. The guy who wrecked my life was now gone. I knew that was a shitty thought, but I let it live in my chest anyway.
"How did you make it when he didn't?" she whispered.
I stepped back, kept my voice gentle. "Let's get back to the others first, okay?"
We scooped the dropped firewood off the ground and started toward camp without another word. Halfway there we stumbled onto something bizarre: a doorway‑shaped arch of polished black stone, spiraling patterns carved across its surface. No way that had formed naturally.
"What the hell is this?" I muttered, peering closer.
"No clue," she said, eyes wide. "Looks like an entrance to… something. We need to warn the others." She swallowed. "Shit, this place gets scarier by the minute."
"Same," I admitted, a shiver crawling up my spine.
Back at camp a voice called out, "Hey, looks like you two already know each other."
"Yeah, kinda." Carmen gave a shaky laugh, then her eyes went serious. "Listen, everyone—Aleks and I found something in the woods. Some sort of stone structure. Feels like there's… something inside. We should check it out."
Cealith brushed a strand of silver hair behind his ear. "Something inside? You mean an object—or a living thing?"
"No idea," she admitted.
I let the firewood thud to the ground. "It looks like someone intelligent built it—or maybe still lives there. It's basically an entrance with a door. We should make at least basic gear before we go poking around."
"You actually want to head in there?" Daisuke asked, eyes wide.
"Not really," I said, rubbing the back of my neck, "but I'd rather visit it than have it visit us in the middle of the night."
Amina sank onto a fallen log and whispered, "What the fuck is this place…?"
Just when I thought things couldn't get crazier, a deafening roar ripped through the sky. The sound slammed into my ears like a cannon; I clapped my hands over them, certain my eardrums would pop.
We all looked up.
A colossal creature swept overhead, wings unfurled wider than a house. Dragon? The word stabbed into my brain, sending a tremor through every muscle. Wind from its passage tore through the clearing, scattering leaves and dust. In a heartbeat it was gone, lost in the clouds, but we stayed frozen—too stunned to breathe.
Even Nikita—the stone‑faced guy who'd been serious since minute one—showed raw fear.
I exhaled, dropped onto the grass, and muttered, "Holy shit."