Lost World A New World

Today was an ordinary day, as usual, in Wilsberg County. People started their morning bright and early, wearing the same friendly smiles as always.

Everyone walked down the busy streets and highways. Among them was a 1 year-old boy crossing the crowded intersection like he did every day.

He had short, curly blonde hair, baby-blue eyes, and he always wore jeans and a hoodie. As he walked, he stopped at the crosswalk, waiting patiently for his turn to cross.

When he continued walking, he followed the same route he always took home. But when he reached his usual path, he saw police cars and ambulances everywhere. His eyes widened in shock—his way home was blocked because of a huge accident.

He knew he had to find another shortcut home. He sighed softly and lowered his head in disappointment. Glancing over at the woods, he mumbled to himself, “Maybe I can go through the woods… I’ll be home in no time,” he said with a small smile.

He began walking into the wide stretch of trees, pushing branches out of his way as he went deeper. He stopped a few times to look around, making sure he wasn’t losing his way.

As he continued, an uncomfortable, fearful feeling twisted in his stomach. Branches cracked beneath his feet as he walked deeper into the woods. Then suddenly, he heard a loud sound.

Crack!

The ground made a sharp noise. He froze, looking around. He tried to ignore it.

Crack!!

The ground cracked even louder. He stopped exactly where he heard the noise. “What is—” he began, but before he could finish, he felt the earth beneath him begin to sink. He tried to run, but the ground crumbled completely, sending him falling downward.

“AHHH!!” he screamed as he dropped. He slammed his head against the hard ground below—BAM!—and everything went black.

Minutes passed before he slowly opened his eyes, dazed.

He looked around, trying to focus. He was inside the hole that had swallowed him. He sat up slowly, rubbing his aching head. “Oww… man, that hurt. Ugh, my head…” he muttered.

He stood and looked up. The hole was deep—much deeper than he expected. The sun above was so bright he had to shield his eyes just to see. He swallowed nervously. “I have to get out of here… maybe someone will hear me,” he said with a flicker of hope.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Hello!! Can someone please help me?!” He yelled as loudly as he could.

No one answered. He lowered his head sadly, staring at the roots sticking out of the dirt walls.

He looked up again and reached for one of the roots, gripping it tightly as he used all his strength to pull himself up. His sneakers dug into the dirt, but his foot slipped, and he fell back onto the ground again.

Frustrated, he covered his face with both hands. He just wanted to get out of this mess.

Then—footsteps.

He froze. He wasn’t sure if it was a person or a wild animal.

He moved closer to the opposite side of the hole, hoping it wasn’t some vicious creature looking for its dinner. Then a voice called out:

“Hello!?”

The person’s voice was calm and deep.

“Hello! Hello!! Please help—”

The footsteps grew louder.

“Hello!?” the voice called again.

Eli took a deep breath and shouted, “I—I’m down here! Please help!”

A shadow leaned over the edge of the hole. Eli shielded his eyes from the sun, trying to see the person’s face. Suddenly, a long, slender hand reached down toward him.

“Grab on,” the voice said.

Eli hesitated for a split second, but he didn’t have many options. He reached up, gripping the stranger’s hand. With surprising strength, the person lifted Eli out of the hole as if he weighed nothing at all.

Eli stumbled onto the grass, catching his breath. “Th-thank you,” he said, brushing dirt from his jeans. “I—I thought I was stuck down there forever.”

He finally looked up to see the person who saved him.

And froze.

Standing before him was someone at least seven feet tall—lean, strong, and dressed in strange armor made of leather and woven leaves. His ears were long and sharp, stretching upward past his dark red hair. His eyes glowed a soft emerald green.

Eli’s mouth fell open. “You’re… you’re a—”

The tall figure tilted his head. “Are you injured?” he asked gently.

Eli blinked rapidly, then squeezed his eyes shut in disbelief. No way. No way. I hit my head too hard. I’m dreaming. This is just a weird dream.

He took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes—

But the tall elf wasn’t there.

Eli spun around, confused. “W-what? Where—”

A soft touch brushed his arm.

“Your skin is different,” the voice said calmly from behind him.

Eli jumped and spun around, coming face-to-face with the elf who was now standing extremely close, studying him with intense curiosity.

“AHHHH!!”

Eli screamed loudly, stumbling backward. “This is NOT a dream! Oh my god, this is real—this is real!”

He turned and bolted into the woods, branches slapping against his hoodie as he ran as fast as he could.

Behind him, the elf blinked, puzzled.

Eli sprinted through the woods, heart pounding, branches whipping against his face. He didn’t dare look back. But as he ran, his foot caught on a thick root hidden under the leaves.

He yelped—

Thud!

—and crashed hard onto the ground.

Groaning, he pushed himself up… but froze.

This wasn’t the same forest.

The trees were impossibly tall, their trunks twisting upward in strange, curving shapes. The leaves weren’t green anymore—they shimmered in hues of blue, gold, pink, and silver as if the forest itself were breathing color. The sky above glowed with swirling orange and purple, like a sunset that never ended.

“What… where am I…?” Eli whispered in shock.

A voice answered behind him.

“Beautiful world, isn’t it?”

Eli spun around fast.

Zura stood there, smiling brightly, his emerald eyes glowing in the colorful light.

Eli didn’t hesitate—

He turned to run again.

But Zura moved like wind.

Before Eli took even two steps, a strong hand wrapped around his shoulder, pulling him back effortlessly.

“H-Hey—let go!” Eli cried out, fighting wildly against Zura’s grip. He pulled, twisted, shoved—nothing worked. Zura’s hand was like iron.

Minutes passed. Eli’s arms trembled, then weakened, until he could barely move them at all. His chest heaved as he finally stopped struggling.

Zura laughed softly. “Finished already?"

Eli glared up at him, breathless and helpless.

Zura set him down but didn’t release him entirely—his hand stayed firmly around Eli’s arm, guiding him forward.

They walked toward a massive ancient gate carved into stone, covered in glowing symbols. As they approached, the gate let out a low, eerie groan and slowly opened on its own.

Eli’s eyes widened. Fear mixed with curiosity inside him.

Zura led him through the gate and into a towering building beyond it. Inside, the air was cold and silent—so silent their footsteps echoed sharply. Eli looked around in awe. Strange architecture curved around him: tall glass windows lined with decorative cracks, wooden tile floors that stretched endlessly, and walls carved with swirling patterns that seemed to shift if he stared too long.

Zura suddenly stopped in front of a pair of enormous French doors—dark brown, polished, with elegant handles shaped like twisting vines.

Eli took a step back, ready to run.

Zura didn’t give him the chance.

With one push, the doors creaked open.

Eli’s heart pounded painfully in his chest as his eyes met the figure inside.

Standing in the dim room was an elf even taller than Zura—at least eight feet tall—with long, dark brown hair that flowed all the way to the floor. Their nails were long and curved, their frame thin and towering, their expression sharp and unreadable. An eerie stillness surrounded them.

And they were staring directly into Eli’s eyes.