The First Raid.

The words echoed in my mind, heavier than they should have been. This was the world I had created—the world I escaped into when reality became unbearable.

And now I was standing inside it.

Before I could say anything, the man started walking again. I followed him without question.

As we entered the town, the morning light revealed everything slowly. Stone houses lined narrow paths, their walls worn yet warm. Wooden doors creaked open as people stepped outside, beginning their day. Some carried baskets, others prepared small stalls. No one stared at us.

That frightened me more than monsters ever could.

Everything felt natural.

The smell of burning firewood mixed with dust and metal. Footsteps echoed softly against stone. Low conversations blended into a gentle hum. This wasn’t a dream. Dreams never felt this complete.

My chest tightened.

“If this is my world,” I thought, “then why does it feel like I don’t belong?”

The man stopped near a small well. He knelt and poured the strange liquid he had collected earlier into a container. For a brief moment, it shimmered, reacting to the water before settling into stillness.

“You didn’t ask,” he said suddenly.

I looked at him, startled.

“Most people would have,” he continued. “Where they are. Why they’re here.”

I hesitated. “I’m afraid of the answer.”

He studied me quietly, then gave a small nod, as if he understood.

“That fear means you’re still human,” he said.

Those words lingered.

“You’re safe here,” he added. “For now.”

“For now?” I repeated.

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he gestured toward the town. “You should rest. Your body hasn’t caught up with your survival yet.”

I followed his gaze. People moved past us, living their lives. Children ran between buildings. A woman laughed softly while scolding someone out of sight. Life continued—indifferent to my confusion.

I wanted to ask him who he was.

Why he saved me.

Why his voice felt so familiar.

But the questions stayed locked inside my chest.

As he turned and walked away, something cold settled in my mind.

Even in a world I had imagined…

I wasn’t in control.

And for the first time, a thought frightened me more than death itself—

What if this world no longer needed me to exist?