Aarav sat there, motionless. His mind wasn't questioning anything—just processing.
He knelt, confused, feeling as if something had been stripped away from him. His dignity? His very existence?
Then—thud thud thud.
The sound of hooves echoed through the air. A voice followed, sharp and commanding, saying something he couldn't understand.
He looked up.
A silhouette stood above him, pointing directly at him.
He was standing in the drainage channel, barely ankle-deep in the murky water. As he lifted his gaze higher, his eyes locked onto two figures:
A boy and a woman.
A woman?
She was tall. Almost three inches taller than him. Her figure loomed over him, making him feel even smaller.
His instincts kicked in.
Aarav immediately shielded his dignity with his hands, curling his body inward, hiding himself like a child.
The girl's voice shouted something. He didn't understand.
Scrambling, he climbed up onto the road, still trying to cover himself.
And then, he saw her clearly.
A foreigner? Where the hell am I?
The woman stood tall—too tall. Short blonde hair, piercing blue eyes—one missing, hidden beneath an eyepatch. A dark robe covered her body, but her expression made it clear.
Disgust.
Beside her stood the boy.
A child—yet almost as tall as him. He looked about twelve, but his height suggested he would surpass Aarav soon enough. His features were still soft, childlike, but the height disparity was undeniable.
Aarav swallowed hard.
Damn it. I can't even imagine how tall this kid will grow.
And then, the real thought hit him.
Am I…?
Isekaied?!
No. No way!
Aarav's face twisted in horror.
A creeping paranoia gripped his heart.
He had read countless web novels, watched endless anime, and enjoyed every minute of it. The idea of being transported to another world had always seemed thrilling—an adventure, a new beginning.
But now…
Now that he was actually living it, trying to fathom his situation, something deep inside him snapped.
It was terrifying.
The fantasy crumbled the moment he truly thought about it.
A world where he had to fight, struggle, survive—where the only way forward was through blood and hardship.
If he had to choose—a stable life where he trained his body and worked a normal 9-to-5 job or this… this nightmare—he wouldn't hesitate.
Because in the real world…
He was already blessed.
A family business waiting for him, a future handed to him on a silver platter.
Compared to this… that life was heaven.
Yet here he was—naked, stripped of everything.
For a split second, when his eyes met hers, a cold chill ran down his spine.
What if she killed me?
He had no clothes, no weapons, nothing. And on top of that…
Aarav's eyes darted downward in embarrassment.
Sitting too close to Alisha back home had once been enough to set off a strange, primal awareness in his body.
But now?
If she saw him like this—
She'd definitely kill me.
A little man like me? I have no way of fighting. Who knows what kind of beasts she's fought before?
His gaze landed on her lost eye.
The kid beside her gestured for him to stand down, motioning for him to put his hands behind his back.
But before he could think, words slipped from his mouth.
"I'm sorry. I... I don't know where I am. Please—can you give me some clothes?"
His voice shook.
The girl smirked. Disgust twisted her features as she spoke in a language he didn't understand.
Aarav's stomach dropped.
I don't understand her.
There's no system to translate. No magic window popping up to make this easier.
If not… then what is this madness?
His breath hitched as realization set in.
I don't belong here.
What am I even doing in this world?
Tears welled up in his eyes.
His voice cracked as he whispered—
"I want to go home."
The boy looked at Aarav with pity, yet it was clear he wasn't the one in control.
The girl, however, was different.
She didn't just stand with authority—she embodied it. Every motion, every glare, demanded obedience.
She gestured for Aarav to put his hands behind his back.
Aarav froze.
Not out of fear. Not entirely.
His body had betrayed him—a reaction he had no control over.
Shit.
A primal sense of shame crawled up his spine. He lowered his gaze, legs stiff, mind racing for a way out of this humiliating situation.
The boy sighed, exasperated. As if dealing with a fool, he pulled out a dagger, not in threat, but as a clear warning.
Aarav clenched his jaw. Reluctantly, he obeyed.
The boy burst into laughter.
But the girl?
Her expression twisted in disgust.
She reached for her belt. Unfastening something. A whip.
Aarav's breath hitched.
The boy moved to stop her, grabbing at her arm, but she shoved him aside.
Panic flared in Aarav's chest.
Shit. Shit. SHIT.
CRACK!
The whip slashed across his back.
Pain.
A searing flood of agony ripped through him, as if his very nerves had been set on fire.
His knees buckled.
His vision swam.
As the world tilted, his consciousness faded, swallowed by the unbearable burn of reality.
"Where...? Where am I?"
Aarav's voice came out in a hoarse whisper, his mind swimming in confusion.
A dream? What a crazy one.
"Gurro...? Are you there?"
AGHHH!
A sudden, agonizing scream tore from his throat.
Pain. Unrelenting. Overwhelming.
His body convulsed, his senses blurred, but the agony was crystal clear—a cruel reminder that this was no dream.
As his consciousness wavered, Aarav found himself lying naked on the cold, unforgiving stone.
No warmth. No mercy.
Just pain.
Everything was unclear, as if he were hearing the world from underwater.
Muffled sounds. Blurred shapes.
His head throbbed, his vision swimming in and out of focus.
Then—a figure.
Someone loomed over him, their form distorted, shifting like a shadow in the dim light.
Aarav flinched as something rough and coarse landed on him.
Rags.
His trembling fingers clutched the fabric weakly, barely registering the weight of it against his battered body.
His lips parted, his voice barely a whisper—
"A... giant?"
Through his hazy vision, he saw her.
The very woman who had inflicted such agony upon him.
Her lips curled into a slow, cruel grin.
Then—slam.
The door shut.
And Aarav was alone.
He lay there in agony.
"Haa!"
A deep, shuddering breath. His consciousness snapped back, and in an instant—
He rose.
Then—agony.
A river of pure torment surged through his back, as if molten steel had been poured into his spine.
A scream tore from his throat.
Not human. Not natural.
It echoed through the tiny, suffocating cell, bouncing off the cold stone walls like the wail of a dying beast.
His mind—fractured, scattered, drowning in pain.
Sunrise.
Thud.
Carrot?
Sundown.
Sunrise.
Sundown.
Days blurred. One week.
Yet—nothing changed.
It was as if time had shattered, and he was stuck in that same moment of torment, repeating endlessly.
Two weeks.
Still the same.
Still drowning in pain.
And then—
"Where...?"
His voice was hoarse, broken.
"Where am I?"
His body—it hurt.
The pain never left. It was still there, fresh, burning, alive.
And yet—
His body was adapting.
Slowly.
Surely.
"Where...?"
His breath trembled.
"Where am I?"