He felt dizzy when he woke up. At first, he wasn't sure what he was doing and couldn't stand on his feet for a while. But as soon as he regained consciousness, he realized he was somewhere unfamiliar. Wooden walls, a rather large room with almost no decorations, no electronics, and not even a light bulb on the ceiling…
"Wait... WHAAAAATTTTTTTTTT!" He yelled as loud as he could, shocked by the situation he was in.
(Wait, wait, waaiitttt! What's wrong? What happened? Wasn't I just dreaming? Whaaaa... I... I... No, I have to focus. Wait—calm down... Calm... Ahhhh! How can I calm down in this situation, especially when the last word I heard was something about a 'portal'...? Ahhhhh! Am I in another place? No... another country? Another planet? Another universe? Or dimension?... Wait... I have to calm down and remember everything that happened...)
His hands shot up to his head, gripping his messy hair as he paced back and forth, his breathing uneven. His fingers trembled as he dragged them down his face. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to stay still. "Okay... THINK, Javohir!" he muttered, rubbing his temples.
He did his best to put on a serious face—just in case those two appeared in front of him again. The expression that saved him back then.
"Wait, what? Where are they? And I think talking louder to myself is the best option to cal—"
Before he could finish, the door behind him creaked open. He tried not to turn his head, feeling unprepared to set his facial expression.
"Oh, you woke up earlier than we expected..."
A barely audible voice reached his ears. He turned around and saw a girl with reddened eyes—it was clear she had been crying nonstop for some time. He couldn't say anything. Instead, he stepped closer, wanting to ask what had happened to her, but the words wouldn't come out.
"You should worry about where you are instead of worrying about me," she suddenly yelled, but there was a bright, warm smile on her face.
Her face… It wasn't like the heroines in the novels he had read. Those women were always breathtaking—flawless skin, radiant smiles, exuding elegance in their extravagant outfits. But her…
She was nothing like that.
Her long, unkempt hair draped over her shoulders, strands sticking together as if she hadn't brushed it in days. Her lips bore a deep, visible scar, the kind that had long since healed but refused to be forgotten. Faint bruises marked her skin, hints of past battles or hardships. She wore a long, lightweight dress that covered her entire body, its fabric loose and worn-out, more like the rags of a wanderer than the armor of a knight. There was no elegance, no enchanting charm—just exhaustion, resilience, and something far more real than the fantasy he had always imagined.
"I don't care. As long as you're the 'gorgeous lady' I met before, I know I'm not in danger..." He said with a small pause, a warm smile forming on his face.
"Lumin," she nodded.
"What?" he responded quickly, his face full of confusion.
"You can call me 'Lumin.' Luminia is my name." She spoke while subtly covering the scar on her lips.
"Lumin, huh? What a lovely name for a lovely girl—ouch!" He got hit again for being too careless with his words.
Javohir rubbed his head before his expression turned serious.
"Lumin, what happened? What's wrong with you? Where's that 'gorgeous lady' who was threatening my life? Even if you brought me here just to execute me, I should at least know why your mood changed so suddenly. And why... why are you looking at me with pity?! What's your problem with me, huh?!" He yelled at Lumin.
Realizing his position, he sighed and decided not to make things worse. He turned around, ready to collapse onto the bed.
Just then, Lumin spoke.
"Yesterday... When you were asleep..." She hesitated, pausing between words.
"C'moooon! Speak louder and faster! You're the one threatening my life, not the other way around!" He spun back toward her, his face impatient and sarcastic.
"Okay, then tell me! Why are you so relaxed? Do you even realize that at any moment, you could be killed for a worthless excuse?!" She suddenly raised her voice, trying to force him to come to his senses.
Javohir blinked, then shrugged. "I don't know. It's just... I don't feel any danger from you..."
He paused.
"Wait... What? I saw an otherworldly knight... monstrous creature... and now I've been teleported... to... somewhere I don't even kn—" His breath hitched.
"Ha... haha... Hahaha... Ahhhhh! HELP!!"
Panic overtook him as the weight of his situation finally hit him. His knees buckled, shaking so hard that he couldn't keep his balance. He collapsed to the ground, barely able to breathe. He was on the verge of wetting himself.
Then, the door opened again.
The monstrous girl from before stepped inside.
The moment he saw her face—while in this helpless state—his mind went blank. His breath stopped.
And then—he lost consciousness.