My name is Benjamin Greyson BJ for short. I'm a university student, or at least I was, until about an hour ago. I was on the bus heading back for the new semester after the holiday. It was packed, smelling like cheap floor wax and old fabric, and I was cramped so tight I couldn't even stretch my legs properly.
The only thing keeping me sane was the game on my phone. I was grinding through Level 42, sweat on my thumbs, just trying to reach the Boss. I'd been stuck on this stage for weeks. I just needed to hit that boss gate, get my reward, and finally rest... but I never actually made it to the boss.
I slowly pushed my eyes open and saw the open sky. I stayed still for a second, feeling the chill on my skin. I must have fallen asleep, I thought, my mind clinging to the last bit of normalcy I had left. I'm just dreaming. I'll wake up back on the bus any minute now. Someone will bump into my shoulder, or the driver will hit a pothole, and I'll be back.
Then the pain in my neck flared up, a sharp, throbbing reminder that the ground beneath me was very real and very cold. My gut twisted, sending a cold shiver straight down my spine.
"People don't feel pain in their dreams," I muttered, my voice sounding raspy and strange in the open air.
The denial shattered. I sat up fast, my heart starting to thud against my ribs like a trapped bird. I blinked once, twice, waiting for the world to glitch and reset. It didn't.
Instead, the forest came into focus. These weren't just trees—they were titans. Gnarled, ancient trunks stretched endlessly toward the blue sky. I was in the middle of nowhere.
I pushed myself up, stumbling as my cramped legs protested. My heritage—a mix of African and Asian—usually gave me a look that blended in anywhere, but standing here in my hoodie and backpack, I felt like a glaring error in the middle of these massive woods. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. 90% battery. No service. No bars. Nothing.
"Great. Dead zone. Or another dimension," I whispered, only half-joking. "Probably the dimension one."
I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling shakily. Okay, BJ... think come on think ok Step one: find people. Step two: stay alive. Panic was waiting for permission to go wild in my chest, but I wouldn't give it. I needed a plan.
I reached back into my pocket and felt something heavy. I pulled it out—a coin. Weathered gold, cracked nearly in two, with a dragon motif snarling across its face. It felt ancient, humming faintly in sync with my heartbeat. I didn't remember owning it, but it felt important.
"Heads straight, tails left," I said, flipping it. It landed on Tails.
Left it is.
By the time the sun started dipping, turning the leaves the colors of a sunset, my stomach was growling. I found a fallen log and checked my bag: a change of clothes, a useless laptop, two sodas, a bag of chips, and some beef jerky.
"Not exactly a king's feast," I muttered, ripping into the chips.
I spent the night huddled against a tree, using my power bank's weak light to keep the shadows at bay. I tried to play a game to calm my nerves, but eventually, exhaustion won. When I woke up the next morning, my muscles ached.
"I hate this already," I groaned, tightening my straps. "At least I'm in one piece."
I stood up, ready to get back to my search, when I heard it.
A faint rustle. Not the wind. Not a bird. Something alive. Something aware. My gut screamed at me to bolt, but my hand instinctively went to the cracked coin in my pocket.
Step by step, I started moving deeper into the unknown.