When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying on a bed. I looked around—the surroundings resembled a hospital room. Several beds were placed beside mine; some were empty, and some were occupied. I could hear the soft, pleasant sound of birds singing outside the window. It was beautiful and calming, yet it felt like chaos was lurking just beyond the door.
A strange headache throbbed in my head, like my mind was completely scrambled. I tried to think about what had happened, slowly attempting to piece the puzzle together, hoping to make sense of my situation.
"I died... but then, did I enter another world?!"
I muttered it—not loud enough for anyone else to hear, but just enough for me to notice my voice had changed. I quickly got up from the bed and walked toward the window. There was no mirror in the room, and the only reflection I could use was from the glass.
As I got closer, I saw an unfamiliar face staring back at me. His head was completely bandaged. A young man, maybe in his early twenties—perhaps 18 to 20 years old, I wasn't sure—but his face was handsome, even better looking than how I used to be. He had long black hair and golden eyes. Looking at him made me raise my hand and touch my face, trying to determine if this was real or just a dream.
It made me wonder—who is this person? Why am I here?
My mind was racing, flooded with unanswered questions. Then my eyes drifted outside the window. I saw rows and rows of wooden houses—so many that it felt like I was in a massive city, maybe even the capital. People wore woolen clothes, some with cloaks and robes in varying colors. Everything outside felt so different, so unlike the world I knew before.
A cold breeze hit my face and snapped me out of my thoughts. I instinctively stepped back from the window, feeling a wave of anxiety and stress creeping in.
"What am I supposed to do now? I don't know anything about this world. How am I going to survive?"
That strange headache returned, forcing me to sit down on the bed. I held my head and tried to massage my forehead, hoping to ease the pain. It was like I was recalling memories—but not my own. They felt like memories that belonged to this body.
Suddenly, I heard the door open. A few people quietly entered the room—a beautiful young woman with long ears, blonde hair, and bright blue eyes; a short man, possibly a dwarf, with messy black hair and brown eyes; and a handsome young man around my age, with white hair and blue eyes.
As they entered, smiles of relief appeared on their faces. The elven woman, smiling warmly, said:
"Vantias... you're awake? You really worried us."
That name caught me off guard. A look of confusion spread across my face. The name meant nothing to me—was that the name of this body? I tilted my head slightly and asked curiously:
"Who are you?"
The three of them were visibly shocked—their eyes widened. The young man stepped forward and asked, his voice a bit louder:
"What do you mean, Vantias? How could you not remember us?"
The dwarf lowered his head sadly and said:
"He's lost his memory..."
The elf woman put her hand over her mouth, shocked:
"No..."
I started to understand—these people must have known Vantias, the original owner of this body. I ran a hand through my hair, then spoke softly:
"Who exactly are you? What is your relationship with me?"
The young man began speaking, introducing each one of them:
"My name is William. This young lady is Sylphy, she's an elf. And this one here is Dagrul, a dwarf. We're your friends. We're adventurers, and we're part of the same team."
I was surprised—and a surge of excitement grew inside me. I had really entered a fantasy world, one with elves, dwarves, and magical beings. Everything I had only read about in books was now my new reality, and the more I learned, the more thrilled I became.
"So you're saying I was an adventurer too?"
William smiled and nodded:
"Yeah... we've been a team for about five years now, adventuring together."
Sylphy sat down on a chair nearby. When I turned my head toward her, she began to speak in a calm, gentle tone:
"You're lucky to be alive. For a moment, I thought we lost you."
Dagrul stood with his arms crossed, eyes half-closed, seemingly reluctant to speak.
I looked down at my body. The bandages wrapped around my torso suggested something terrible had happened to this body—something that possibly led to my soul ending up here.
I looked up again, my voice a bit louder, firm:
"What happened to me? Why am I in this condition?"
All three of them glanced at each other in silence for a few moments. Their hesitation made me wonder—was it too painful to talk about? There had to be something serious behind this.
Sylphy reached out and gently held my hand, her face filled with concern, and spoke softly:
"Vantias, the four of us, along with your sister, took on a mission from the Adventurer's Guild. We were tasked with investigating a newly discovered dungeon."
She paused for a moment, then continued:
"But then... we came across a chest. It was a trap—what's known as a Mimic Gate. It teleported your sister to an unknown location, and the rest of us got separated in a different part of the dungeon..."
The moment I heard that, a sharp pain surged through my head—so intense, it felt like my brain was about to explode. A flood of memories and information rushed into my mind. I clutched my head with both hands, overwhelmed.
Their shocked voices echoed in my ears:
"Vantias... Vantias, are you okay?"
"We should call the healers!"
"Vantias?!"
The last thing I heard was their voices, calling out my name. The overload of information was too much to bear. My mind gave out, and I drifted into unconsciousness from pure mental exhaustion.