A WORLD UNKNOWN
1151 Words
Hours passed.
The storm had finally ended.
Morning sunlight filtered through the towering trees, illuminating the quiet forest where the stranger still lay motionless.
His breathing was shallow.
His clothes, once elegant robes of Aerion, were now little more than torn strips of silver fabric stained with mud and rain.
Not far away...
Voices echoed through the woods.
"I told you the rain would ruin the hike."
A young woman laughed.
"And I told you we should've stayed at the lodge."
Footsteps approached.
Five university students;
Kaycee ;The Baby of the Group
Kaycee is 19 years old and the youngest and the most innocent of the five. She's energetic, cheerful, and endlessly curious. She gets excited over the smallest things, asks a million questions, and has a habit of wandering off because something "looked interesting." The others constantly tease her, but they're also fiercely protective of her.
Xavier; The Funny One 😂
Xavier is 21years old and the group's comedian. No matter how tense the situation is, he'll c***k a joke. He hides his fear behind humor, and although he acts carefree, he notices more than people realize.
Stephan;
Stephan is 22 years old and the oldest and naturally becomes the leader. Calm under pressure, responsible, and dependable, he thinks before he acts. When everyone else panics, Stephan keeps a level head and makes the final decision.
Harry (The Nerd 🤓)
Age: 21
Harry is fascinated by science, history, astronomy, and anything mysterious. If something unusual happens, he's already trying to explain it with facts. He always carries a notebook and loves researching things.
Stephanie (The Careful One 🛡️)
Age: 21
Stephanie is practical and cautious. Before anyone does something risky, she's the first to point out what could go wrong. She isn't pessimistic—she simply likes to think ahead and protect everyone.
Their Group Dynamic
Harry suddenly stopped.
"...Wait."
The others nearly bumped into him.
"What?" Said Stephanie
He pointed ahead.
"There's someone over there."
The group fell silent.
Beneath the trees...
A young man lay unconscious.
His clothes looked nothing like anything they had ever seen.
Around him, the grass had been flattened into a perfect circle, as if something enormous had struck the earth.
"...Did he fall?" Kaycee whispered.
"Noooo way."😳
Xavier shook his head.
Stephan, A tall boy cautiously stepped closer.
He knelt beside the stranger and placed two fingers against his neck.
"He's alive." Stephan said
Everyone sighed with relief.
"But barely."Stephan added
Kaycee looked around nervously.
"This place gives me the creeps."
Harry folded his arms.
"We should call the police."
"And tell them what?" Xavier replied. "That we found a random guy in the middle of a forest wearing clothes from another century?"
"So what do you suggest?"
"We leave him here?" Harry replied
"No!" Stephanie said at the back stepping forward.
She removed her jacket and gently covered the unconscious stranger.
"We can't just abandon him." Stephanie said as she tried to reason with the group
"What if he's dangerous?" Kaycee argued, scared.
"What if he's a criminal?" Harry added
She looked at the young man's peaceful face.
"He doesn't look dangerous." Stephanie said
"You can't tell that just by looking." Harry argued
"So we're supposed to let him die?" Stephanie said firmly
Silence.
No one answered.
Finally, the tallest among them sighed.
"...Fine."
"We'll take him back to the guest house."
"If he wakes up and causes trouble..."
He looked at the others.
"...I'll take responsibility." Stephan said firmly
Together, they carefully lifted the unconscious stranger onto their shoulders.
As they did...
Kaycee noticed something unusual.
"Wait..."
She pointed toward the back of his right hand.
"What's that?"
Everyone leaned closer.
There, just beneath the skin, was a small diamond-shaped symbol.
It looked almost like a tattoo.
Except...
It wasn't ink.
It looked as though it had always been part of him.
"That's beautiful," Kaycee whispered.
"I've never seen anything like it."
"It must be some kind of birthmark."
Another shrugged.
"Probably." Harry shrugged
None of them noticed the mark pulse...
Just once.
Then it faded into silence.
---
Several hours later...
The stranger lay peacefully on a neatly made bed inside the mountain guest house.
Stephanie had cleaned the mud from his face.
Stephan had bandaged the cuts on his arms.
A fresh set of simple clothes rested neatly on a chair nearby.
The five students sat quietly around the room.
"So..."
Xavier finally said.
"What do we do when he wakes up?"
"We ask who he is."Stephan replied
"And if he refuses to answer?"Xavier asked
"We call the police."Harry replied
"What is it with you and the police Harry " Stephanie mocked
"What if he can't remember anything?"Xavier asked
"What if he doesn't even know how he got here?"Kaycee said
Before anyone could answer...
The young man's fingers twitched.
Everyone froze.
His breathing became uneven.
Slowly...
His eyes opened.
Bright violet.
For only a heartbeat.
Then they faded into an ordinary deep brown.
Kael shot upright, breathing heavily.
His eyes darted wildly around the unfamiliar room.
The walls.
The lights.
The furniture.
The strange clothes.
The faces staring back at him.
None of it made sense.
He stumbled backwards until his back hit the wall.
"Va'kesh...! Nyris! Vorek!"
His voice trembled.
"Aerion...? Va'shen...!"
The students exchanged confused glances.
"...What the hell did he just say?" Xavier said looking quite amused
"I..."
Harry scratched his head.
"I don't think that's English." Harry said
Kael looked at them desperately, convinced they understood him.
He pointed toward himself, then toward the window.
His voice became faster.
"Ta'rifte... Nayar... Sayen... Reamor... Lamil vala tasa!"
Meaning the rift,my mother, my father please I have to go back
But Not a single word made sense to them.
Kaycee whispered,
"...Do you think he hit his head?"
Xavier frowned.
"No...
"Either we found the main character... or we're about to become the first people in a horror movie." Xavier said sarcastically, while tensed while pacing back and forth
"Okay everybody, just calm downnn" Stephanie said while using a hand gesture
She looked into Kael's frightened eyes.
"...he's speaking another language." She said.
"It's quite fascinating, a being from another planet" Harry said adjusting his glasses, excited as he brings out a magnifying glass to examine him.
"I think one crazy person is enough for one morning, Harry go write some code or something alright " Xavier said as he taps his back and turns him around pushing him to leave the area.
"Okay that's enough, Harry might be onto something here but we can't just conclude. Meanwhile Harry, stay away from him,he is not another one of your specimens for you to study" Stephan said as everyone started back at the stranger.
Kael stopped talking.
He looked from one face to another.
No one answered.
No one understood.
For the first time since leaving Saelis...
The terrible truth settled into his heart.
He was completely alone.
- Writer
