Pain greeted Kip before sight.
It wasn't sharp—more like a dull, echoing throb, as if his brain had been rung like a bell. He groaned, opened his eyes, and rolled onto his side.
Still in a forest.But definitely not Earth's.
The trees above him looked carved from obsidian—smooth black bark with pulsating veins of silver. The leaves shimmered faintly, like stardust. They hummed in the wind.
No birds.No crickets.Just that strange, low hum—like the forest was breathing around him.
"Okay… Kip, think," he muttered, propping himself up.
His bow lay nearby, miraculously intact. He scrambled over, grabbed it, and checked the limbs, string, and grip. Still usable. His quiver held only four arrows left.
Then he noticed it.
Burned into the skin of his left forearm was a glowing sigil—a stylized arrow wrapped in flames. Not ink. Not carved. It pulsed slowly, like it was alive.
"What… is this?" he whispered, heart pounding.
As he reached to touch it, the forest screamed.
A chorus of inhuman howls pierced the silence. They sounded like they were coming from everywhere.
Kip froze—then ran.
He didn't know where he was going, but standing still felt like a death wish. The undergrowth clawed at his legs. Roots writhed beneath his boots like living things. Branches lashed his jacket. His lungs burned.
He stumbled into another clearing—circular, unnatural. At its center stood a towering stone monolith, covered in runes identical to the one burned into his arm.
The ground around it was littered with bones. Some still had rotting meat on them.
"Perfect," he muttered.
One of the symbols on the stone began to glow as he approached. Kip hesitated—then stepped closer. The sigil on his arm flared in response.
[Initiate Recognized]
The voice wasn't spoken—it bloomed in his mind. Male. Calm. Inhuman.
[Welcome, Outsider. Trial Commencing.]
"Trial?""I didn't agree to any—"
Something moved behind him.
A wolf-like creature, twice the size of a bear, burst from the tree line—fangs like daggers, black smoke billowing from its fur.
Kip dove aside.
The wolf slammed into the monolith. The entire clearing trembled.
Kip rolled to his feet, drawing and nocking in one motion. Breath ragged. Hands steady.
(Breathe in)(Focus)(Release)
Thwack.
The arrow struck the beast's shoulder, embedding deep—but not enough. It snarled and lunged again.
Kip barely dodged, scraping his arm on a jagged stone.
Pain flared—and flames erupted from the wound.
His blood sparked where it hit the ground. It caught fire.
The wolf skidded to a halt, suddenly wary.
[Blood Attuned. Flame Aspect Unlocked.]
"Wait—what?"
No time.
The creature charged again.
Instinct took over.
Kip grabbed another arrow, dipped its tip into the glowing blood on his arm, and fired mid-dodge. The arrow ignited in the air.
It struck the beast in the chest—boom—a fireball erupted.
The clearing lit up orange and white. Kip hit the ground hard, ears ringing.
When the smoke cleared… the creature was gone.Only black mist and silence remained.
He lay there, staring up at the alien sky, somehow still breathing.
[Trial Complete][Class Pathway Initiated: Magic Archer – Tier 0][First Skill Unlocked: Flair Shot]
A glowing panel hovered in front of him, pulsing gently.
"Okay," Kip whispered, trembling. "This is definitely not Earth…"
He sat up, clutching his bow tighter.
And for the first time in what felt like years…
He felt alive.