Aeloria

If you're reading this, it means I've done everything I could. Every sacrifice, every decision—it all led to this. You don't know me, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that you've been chosen. Not by chance, not by fate, but because of what's coming.

You might not believe me. That's fine. Most people wouldn't. But if you don't listen—if you don't act—everything will be lost. Your world, the one you know, will burn. And no one else is coming to save it.

My name is Logan Grant. I wasn't anyone special. Not at first. But when my girlfriend and I were pulled into a world we didn't understand, I made a choice. I took responsibility. For her, for the people around us, for a world that wasn't even ours. I fought for it. I bled for it. And when the time came, I gave it everything I had.

Now it's your turn. What you do next will decide everything. My story isn't a happy one, and I don't expect yours will be either. But you need to hear it. You need to understand what's coming.

Because the final battle is closer than you think. And when it arrives, no one will be able to stand against it unless you're ready.

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When I opened my eyes, the light seared through the gaps in the trees, bright and unrelenting. I squinted, trying to block it out, but it was everywhere—sharp and unnatural. The wind brushed against my skin, carrying the faint scent of earth and pine, but it did nothing to ease the pounding in my head. A dull ache throbbed behind my temples, each pulse driving home the same terrifying question: Where am I?

The last thing I remembered was falling asleep next to Emery. We were at her sorority house. The door was locked, the windows shut—it didn't make any sense. I tried to steady my breathing, forcing my mind to retrace our steps. Could someone have broken in? Drugged us? That would explain the pounding headache. But how could they have moved us without waking me? My chest tightened as the possibilities churned in my head. Kidnapped? Sold off somewhere?

No. I wouldn't let myself spiral. I needed to focus. Emery. I had to find Emery.

"Emery!" I shouted, my voice ringing out into the forest. It echoed back at me, higher and thinner than I expected. My brow furrowed. That wasn't my voice—it was too light, too... young. The realization sent a chill down my spine. Something was seriously wrong.

"Logan?" A voice called from behind me, soft and uncertain. It wasn't Emery—not the Emery I knew, anyway. It was higher-pitched, almost childlike. I turned around, my heart pounding.

A little girl stood there, staring up at me with wide, strikingly blue eyes. She couldn't have been more than seven years old, her blonde hair cascading in soft waves down her back. It framed her beautiful face with striking blue eyes. She wore a beige tunic that fully covered her armsand black pants, the material rough and simple, like something straight out of the Dark Ages. For a moment, I froze. I didn't know this girl. At least, I didn't think I did.

Then it hit me. Those eyes, that sharp look of defiance—it was Emery.

"Emery?" I asked cautiously, my voice catching.

Her brows furrowed. "Logan... is that you?"

I felt the ground tilt beneath me. "Why do you look like a seven-year-old?" I stammered.

She blinked, her lips twitching into that familiar smirk. "You're one to talk. You don't exactly look like an adult right now either."

I glanced down at my hands—small, stubby, and undeniably childlike. My clothes were different, too: a black tunic and pants tied off with a rough string. The fabric was coarse against my skin, nothing like the clothes I'd fallen asleep in. My heart sank. Whatever was happening, it wasn't just Emery.

"What's going on? How did we get here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. "Do you remember anything? The last thing I remember is falling asleep at your sorority house."

"That's the last thing I remember too," she said, her voice quivering slightly. "Logan, this doesn't make sense. Where are we? What happened to us?"

Her words came faster now, each one edged with panic. I saw it in her eyes—the cracks in her calm. "Logan, what is going on? What happened to us?!"

I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. "Hey, hey. It's okay," I said softly, reaching out to touch her arm. She flinched at first, but I kept my hand there, grounding her. Then I pulled her into a hug, wrapping my arms around her small frame. She didn't resist. For a moment, we just stood there, the sound of the wind filling the silence.

"It's going to be okay," I said again, more firmly this time. "We'll figure this out. We're together—that's all that matters right now."

She nodded against my chest, her breathing evening out. I didn't know what was happening, but I had to believe my own words. For her. For both of us.

I took a step back, letting her go. "First things first—we need to figure out where we are and how to get out of here. I'll start by getting a better look around."

She tilted her head, her smirk returning. "What are you gonna do, Spider-Man your way up one of these trees?"

I shot her a look. "I'm not exactly a rock climber, but I'll manage."

The trees were massive, their trunks thick and rough, stretching up endlessly. The first branch was a good ten feet off the ground, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. I found a spot where the trunk narrowed slightly and wrapped my arms around it. Using the rough bark as leverage, I pushed off with my feet, forcing myself upward. It wasn't graceful, but after a few tries, I managed to grab the lowest branch.

"Be careful," Emery called from below, her voice tinged with worry.

I grunted in response, focusing on the climb. Each branch I reached felt like a small victory, but the higher I went, the more the tree swayed. My arms ached, my palms slick with sweat, but I couldn't stop. Falling wasn't an option. Emery was counting on me.

By the time I reached the top, my muscles were screaming, but the view made me freeze. The sky stretched out in every direction, dominated by a massive sun—or something like it. It was bigger than anything I'd ever seen, its orangish-red hue casting an eerie glow over the forest. The trees below stretched endlessly, an unbroken sea of green. But to the direction that would have been north in my home world, a jagged mountain range loomed, its peaks sharp and foreboding. Something about it made my chest tighten, a primal instinct screaming at me to stay away.

We couldn't go that way.

I climbed down carefully, my hands trembling as I gripped each branch. When I finally reached the ground, Emery was waiting, her eyes scanning me anxiously.

"There's a mountain range in that direction," I said, pointing. "Something about it feels... wrong. We're going the other way. We need to cover as much ground as we can before it gets dark."

She nodded, her face serious. "Okay, Logan. I trust you."

Her words hit harder than I expected. I didn't feel worthy of her trust—not with the fear gnawing at my gut—but I pushed the thought aside. I turned toward the endless trees, taking a deep breath.

"Let's go," I said. And together, we started walking.