Instead of the familiar forest, he found himself in a mysterious clearing bathed in soft bluish light. The sky overhead had an unnatural purple hue, and the grass beneath his feet shimmered with silvery sparks. Around the clearing grew tall trees with black trunks and turquoise foliage.


    His heart was pounding as if ready to leap out. The veins on his temples pulsed furiously. Ando took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.


    "Okay, okay, okay, okay," he muttered incessantly, patting his temples with his palms, "this is definitely a dream, there can''t be any other explanation, yes, I''ll wake up now and be lying in my bed, warm and comfortable."


    Ando stopped and pinched his leg with all his might.


    "Aaaah! Ouch! That hurts, damn it!" he yelled in surprise, quickly waving his arms and now stomping his painful leg.


    After calming down, Ando looked around, trying to find at least some landmark. The clearing seemed absolutely empty—no stones, no stumps, nothing but strange shimmering grass.


    Alright, I need to get out of here, flashed through his mind.


    Ando resolutely headed toward the edge of the clearing, where the trees seemed less dense. Zigzagging between the tall black trunks, he pushed further until he reached a dead end. A steep gradual slope cut off his path.


    Please don''t tell me I need to go back, Ando exhaled irritably, lowered his head, and put his hands on his hips.


    Suddenly, a low growl came from the left. Ando turned sharply.


    "Seriously? Another dog?" escaped from him. "Just my luck."


    But the realization of what was happening began to catch up with him. This was no ordinary mongrel, but something strange—larger than a wolf, with a metallic sheen on its coat and glowing greenish eyes.


    He instinctively stepped back, preparing to flee again, when he noticed movement on the right. Then behind him.


    Four similar creatures slowly emerged from behind the trees, surrounding him in a tight circle. Their bared maws displayed rows of sharp, clearly not dog-like teeth.


    Ando frantically looked around, searching for an escape route. The beasts had blocked all possible directions.


    Damn, damn, damn...


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Suddenly, an angry shout broke the silence. From above, as if falling from the sky, a figure in dark clothing landed in the clearing, kneeling on one knee. Before Ando could come to his senses, the figure made a sharp turn and kicked the nearest beast right in the side.


    The blow was so powerful that the creature flew several meters with a prolonged squeal and crashed into a tree. A crunch was heard, and the creature lay lifeless at the trunk.


    The others nervously whimpered and, with their tails between their legs, scattered in all directions, disappearing among the dark trees.


    "Are you an idiot? Do you have a death wish?" rang out a clear voice, with a note of reproach. "Is this your first time or what?"


    Ando finally managed to get a good look at his savior. Or rather, savioress. Before him stood a girl about his age, with chestnut hair just below her shoulder blades and incredibly bright blue eyes. She was dressed in black, form-fitting pants and a jacket made of some dense material.


    What first time? raced through Ando''s mind, but all that came out of his mouth was:


    "Uh, well, I..."


    "Yeah, that''s what I thought," the girl snorted, rolling her eyes. "Fine. Bye," she turned and headed toward the trees.


    "Wait!" shouted Ando, suddenly afraid of being left alone in this unknown place. "What''s your name?"


    She stopped, slowly turned around, and looked him straight in the eyes. A slight smile flickered across her lips.


    "I''m Hop," she said.


    "And I''m Ando. Listen, I... I seem to be lost. I don''t know how I got here."


    Hop measured him with an appraising look from head to toe.


    "You really don''t understand anything, do you?"


    Ando helplessly shook his head.


    "I was just walking through the forest, then I saw a bright glow, touched some kind of crystal in a tree hollow, and... here I am, with these dogs, curse them."


    Hop''s eyes widened.


    "Oh, so you''re a newbie, well that explains everything," she said, clasping her hands just below her chest. "I''ve already forgotten that there are people who haven''t been in an artifact yet."


    "Arti-what? What artifact?"


    Hop frowned, carefully studying the expression on Ando''s face.


    "You''re definitely not pretending? You really don''t know anything?"


    "I swear, really!" exclaimed Ando. "I have no idea what''s going on here or where I''ve ended up!"


    Hop took a deep breath and ran her hand through her hair. She was silent for a moment, clearly making some kind of decision. Then she jerked her head toward the thicket.


    "Come with me if you don''t want to become dinner. And stay close—these creatures might return with reinforcements, and then we won''t get off so easily."


    "What were those things anyway?" asked Ando, hurrying to catch up with her. "Some kind of mutated dogs?"


    "Almost, they were jackal-wolf-monstrous hounds," Hop tossed over her shoulder with a small smile. "This artifact is full of them."


    "Jackal what?" Ando glanced at the girl in surprise.


    Hop stopped abruptly and turned to him.


    "Just kidding, just some kind of dogs," Hop giggled and continued walking. "Listen, we don''t have time for chatter right now. Let me take you to a safe place, and I''ll explain everything there. Just shut up and follow me, okay?"


    Ando wanted to object to her tone, but at that moment a long howl came from somewhere in the distance, sending shivers down his spine.


    "Yes, okay," he quickly agreed, catching up.


    Hop nodded and rushed forward, stepping noiselessly on the unusual grass. Ando followed her, trying his best not to fall behind and not to make noise. Many questions were spinning in his head: what is actually happening? Who is this Hop? Where is she taking me?