The forest was not quiet.
Even in the fading light of dusk, it breathed. The twisted roots slithered beneath the damp moss, the trees groaned like old bones, and shadows danced like predators waiting for an opening. Somewhere in the distance, something let out a guttural screech — half-beast, half-torment.
Anna was sprinting.
Her legs were screaming from exhaustion, her uniform was torn at the edges, and a bloody scratch trailed down her right thigh. Branches whipped at her arms as she stumbled through the underbrush. Whatever was behind her wasn't human — she could feel it. It moved like hate given form, too fast and too wrong to be anything natural.
She shouldn't have gone near the river.
She shouldn't have separated from that old ruined shrine she'd found an hour ago.
She shouldn't even be here — this place wasn't her world. One moment she was at school, rolling her eyes at some dumb teacher's lecture… the next, the sky was violet and the sun had horns.
And now she was going to die alone in the woods.
Another snarl echoed. Closer. Too close.
Her foot caught on a gnarled root. The world spun — she hit the forest floor hard, back slamming into earth, air punched from her lungs. She gasped and scrambled backward on all fours as a huge, drooling hound-like creature stalked from the treeline.
Its flesh was wrong. Patches missing. Black smoke bled from its eyes, and bones jutted through raw skin. Its mouth opened — too wide — and it growled with a voice made of static.
"Why… run… little… sin…?"
Anna raised her trembling hand, preparing to burn what little magic she'd barely figured out… when—
"BOO!"
Something slammed down from above — a thud echoed as the monster was kicked aside mid-lunge by a figure that had literally dropped from the trees.
He landed in a crouch between her and the beast, twirling a long branch like a makeshift sword. And despite the insanity of the moment, he turned back with the dumbest grin.
"Did I scare ya?"
Anna blinked.
"Luke?"
"Yep," he grinned wider. "Surpriiiise~!"
"Seriously?" she spat, pushing herself up. "You drop from the sky like a wild monkey, say 'boo' like a damn 5-year-old, and you think this is the time for theatrics?"
"Hey! That drop was cool."
"Cool? You scared the dirt under my nails more than me."
"Still counts…"
The monster roared and lunged again.
Luke's expression sharpened. In a blur, he shifted sideways, narrowly dodging, then brought the branch down on the creature's skull. The makeshift weapon splintered — it barely flinched.
"Okay. Not that cool," he muttered.
Anna rolled her eyes and channeled her energy. Her palm lit up in a brief spark, then fizzled. "Still can't control it… dammit!"
"You've got magic?"
"A little. You?"
Luke turned to face the creature fully, cracking his neck.
"None."
"Great."
The two of them backed up as the beast snarled, pacing like it was savoring their fear.
"Stick to the plan," Anna muttered.
"We have a plan?"
"We always had a plan, Luke."
He smirked again. Just like old times.
"You distract it. I run."
"Hey!"
The battle that followed wasn't beautiful. It was raw, chaotic, and filled with more running than striking. But between Luke's reckless dives and Anna's frantic spell attempts, they finally cornered the beast near a cliff ledge. One misstep from Luke — one strong push — and the creature was gone, tumbling into the abyss with a scream that sounded more like a glitch in the world's code.
They collapsed under the tree afterward, panting, broken, barely alive.
Later that Night
Anna sat near a small fire, rubbing her arms for warmth. Luke had managed to scrounge up kindling and dry wood with ridiculous ease.
"So," she said without looking at him. "You gonna explain why you're here? Or should I assume you were stalking me again?"
Luke flinched.
"I… might have been?"
Anna's eyebrow twitched.
"I wasn't really stalking! Just... walking behind you. Quietly."
"For how long?"
"Like... twenty seconds. Maybe ten. Okay, five."
"So, classic Luke. Creeping in silence."
"It's not creeping if I care!"
She turned to face him, eyes softening ever so slightly.
"You haven't changed."
"Neither have you."
They sat in silence for a moment, the crackle of the fire the only sound.
"Do you think this is a dream?" she asked quietly. "Or one of those elaborate isekai things you always read?"
"I don't know," Luke said honestly. "But if it is… I'd prefer it not include monster dogs and near-death experiences."
She laughed lightly. For a moment, it felt like they were back in the old world.
But then her smile faded.
"We broke up, you know. Back there."
"Yeah…" Luke whispered. "I remember."
"I had my reasons."
"I didn't ask."
Another silence.
Anna leaned against the tree trunk. Slowly, her head drooped.
"Let's not talk about it tonight," she mumbled, sleep already pulling her down.
Luke watched her for a long moment. Her breathing steadied. She looked peaceful. Untouched by the madness of the world.
He turned his eyes to the sky — stars burning over an alien land.
"I was following you," he whispered, as if confessing to the void. "Like an idiot. Just watching you from behind like always. I thought I'd finally talk to you after all this time…"
"And then the world blinked."
"And I was here."
"No magic. No weapons. Just this stupid habit of always showing up where I don't belong."
He looked at his hands. Blistered, cut, trembling.
"But for once, I'm glad I did."