"Hey… are you alright?"
The voice reached me like a distant echo.I felt a firm, warm hand rest on my shoulder, and for a moment I didn't know whether I should answer.
My mind was a whirl of broken images: the institute, the white light, the cold hands around my neck…
I swallowed and tried to put my thoughts in order.
"Y… yeah. I'm fine. Just a little dizzy."
The man watched me in silence. His eyes seemed to search for something beyond my words, as if he doubted that even I understood what I was saying.
While he pondered, I shifted my gaze toward my surroundings.
The air smelled different… as if the polluted city air had been replaced by something pure.All around me rose trees covered in a blanket of snow, their branches creaking under the weight of ice.
It was a vast, silent forest—and yet… I felt as though it was watching me.
Each falling snowflake shimmered with a pale glow, as if reflecting a moon I had yet to see.The cold was intense, but unlike the one from my world.This one didn't hurt—it pierced through you, as if it recognized you.
I didn't remember ever being in a place like this.And the most unsettling thing of all was that I couldn't recall the exact moment I had crossed over.
Only the certainty that I was no longer where I belonged.
I pulled myself out of my thoughts and turned toward the bearded man with the steady gaze.There was a question I could no longer hold back.
"By any chance… we're not in Argentina, are we?" I asked, my voice mixing anxiety and unease, though determined to confirm my suspicions.
The man looked at me, startled, as if I had just uttered a spell.
"Ar… gen… ti-na?" he repeated slowly, tasting each syllable—not as a word, but as an imitation of an unfamiliar sound.
In all his years of life, he had never heard anything like it.
That name sounded strange, distant, as if it came from a land beyond comprehension.
"No, young man," he finally replied calmly. "I've never heard of such lands."
"We are in Eryndor."
The wind rose, making the trees creak around us.And in that instant, I knew with absolute certainty…
that the winter I had left behind would not be the last.
Eryndor…
The name floated through my mind, strange and foreign.It sounded like something straight out of a fantasy novel—a magical kingdom, perhaps, or a forgotten land hidden somewhere beyond the edges of the world.
The man began walking in the opposite direction, but soon turned back to me, his gaze filled with intrigue, as if the idea of not following him was absurd.
"Are you going to stand there until the snow buries you?" he asked, a hint of irony in his voice.
"Ah—yeah… I'm coming," I replied, stumbling over my own steps as I hurried to catch up.
We walked in silence.
The sound of snow crunching beneath our feet was the only thing breaking the calm of the forest, along with the distant echo of some unknown creature.
I didn't know whether to feel curiosity… or fear.
"Oswin," the man finally said without taking his eyes off the path.His voice was deep, and it seemed to absorb the silence around it. "That's my name."
I turned my head slightly, just enough to glance at him.
"Tetsuo," I replied quietly, as if saying it aloud might pull me out of a dream.
It was strange… I hadn't spoken my real name in years.
Oswin nodded, his beard hiding a faint smile.
"Well, Tetsuo… you look lost, kid," he said lightly, though his eyes never stopped watching me with an intensity that was hard to endure."Tell me, how did you end up like this?"
"I…" I murmured, my voice barely holding together. "I don't remember clearly. I only know I went into an abandoned building… and then everything turned white."
"And now we're here," I added, my tone wavering between disbelief and mild irony.
I couldn't help but let out a short, dry laugh, as if the absurdity of it all amused me.
Who would've thought I'd end up transported to another world?
Oswin watched me for a few more seconds, as if trying to read something hidden between my words. Then, without saying anything, he looked ahead and stopped.
I followed his gaze.
Before us stood an old cabin.
From afar, it looked refined—almost charming beneath the snowfall—but up close, the details told a different story.The wooden floor was worn and creaked beneath our steps; a few planks shifted enough to nearly make me stumble.
"Welcome to my palace," Oswin joked with an ironic smile as he pulled hard on the jammed door.
The screech that followed was long and sharp, but when it finally opened, the interior surprised me.
I had expected dust, dampness… maybe insects. Instead, I found a warm, tidy space.
A lit fireplace bathed the room in an amber glow; the shadows danced along the walls as if the fire itself were alive.The air, once frozen, became welcoming.
"Nice place," I murmured, looking around with a hint of admiration.
Oswin nodded slowly, satisfied, as he closed the door behind me.
"You can stay as long as you need," he said indifferently, as if hosting a stranger were routine.
I nodded without resistance. The bearded old man headed toward what looked like the kitchen, and I took the chance to explore.
The cabin was more spacious than it appeared from the outside. On the stone mantle above the hearth rested a couple of framed photographs, the glass catching the flickering reflection of the fire.
I picked one up.
In the image were Oswin and a girl of about thirteen or fourteen, with light blond hair and green eyes like gemstones.A serene beauty, almost ethereal.
I put the photo back and walked down a short hallway lit by a candleholder. There were three rooms:to the right, the bathroom;to the left, what seemed to be Oswin's bedroom;and at the end, a closed door that I assumed belonged to the girl in the photo.
After taking care of my needs—because even in another world, some urgencies remain ordinary—I continued exploring.
The cabin had a small backyard, covered in snow. There stood a wooden shed. I opened its door cautiously…
And the sight left me stunned, though my face remained as expressionless as ever.
Inside, lined up and meticulously arranged, were weapons.
Real weapons.
Cold steel knives.Short swords and long ones.And among them…
A katana?
My breath caught for a moment.
None of this matched the peaceful image of the old man.
Or at least… the image I thought I had seen.
"Does any of them catch your eye?"