Chương 4: THE OTHER SIDE

Darkness. Complete. Absolute. Ren couldn't feel his own body. No pain. No cold. He felt nothing at all. So, this is the end. Silence. For a moment, it felt as if existence itself had ground to a halt. Then, something snapped. CRACK. A fracture appeared in the void. Then another. And another. And another. Like glass. Like a gargantuan mirror shattering right in front of him. The world began to break apart. Thousands of fragments materialized around him. Inside them... memories. The school. The forest. Aurelia.

The blood. The black blade. Ren closed his eyes. But the fragments remained there, floating, observing. It was as if the world itself was forcing him to watch it all over again. No. CRACK. More fractures. CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. The entire void exploded. The fragments were swallowed by blinding light. And then, everything vanished. Wind. Ren opened his eyes. The sky was blue. Clear. Beautiful. Almost offensively beautiful. He lay motionless on the grass, breathing. His heart was beating. His body existed.

But something was wrong. Very wrong. Ren sat up slowly. He looked at his own hands. No wounds. No blood. No marks. I died. Silence. Aurelia died. His gaze remained fixed, empty. For a few seconds, he simply stared at the grass. Then, he took a deep breath. Once. Twice. Thrice. Panicking doesn't change results. Analyze first. He stood up and surveyed the horizon. Mountains. Forests. No modern cities. No cars. No paved roads. Nothing. Another world. Or I've gone mad. He spent a few seconds thinking, then shrugged.

Considering I died... another world seems more likely. A few hours later, he found a dirt road. Carriages. Merchants. People carrying swords. Ren observed everything in silence. He looked up at the wide sky, and a new sensation began to stir in his chest. It wasn't fear. It wasn't foolish excitement. It was pure focus. That modern reality was a predictable cage. This place... has no known rules. Medieval fantasy. Confirmed. Now, for the important question: How do I make money? Finally, the boredom will fade.

Finally, a reason to keep going. He took his first step onto the dirt road. The game had changed chessboards. And he would play to win. A new phase was beginning. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.