Dimension Walker: The Veiled Paragon

He moved like the forest belonged to him.

Barefoot, shirtless, and alive, Norian darted through the damp underbrush, weaving through vines and moss-laced roots like he had done it for years.

The cold bark kissed his skin. The wet soil slapped beneath his soles. The dense, decaying rainforest — once a breathing graveyard — now felt like his own endless playground.

Above him, strange beasts stirred on the branches — sinewy silhouettes with eyes that gleamed like lanterns. One of them dropped to the ground in a rustle of leaves. It was massive. Fangs, fur, and claws the size of daggers. It snarled.

Norian hesitated for half a breath. Not out of fear. Out of disbelief.

That thing's huge.

Then it lunged.

He moved.

In a blink, he was behind it — foot planted, fist clenched — and struck. His punch landed square in the side of its flank. The beast curled up mid-air like it had been struck by a boulder, let out a pitiful yelp, and bounded away through the ferns.

Norian stood there, blinking. Then laughed under his breath.

"Hehe…Seriously?"

Another creature approached — slow, cautious, twice the size of a lizardman — but the moment it met his eyes, it backed away. And disappeared between the trees.

He exhaled.

'They're afraid of me now.'

He didn't stop. The world had changed around him — or maybe he was the one who had changed.

He jumped. Flipped midair. Landed in a roll that kicked up damp leaves and dew. His center of gravity shifted with each step like a dancer mid-performance.

He tried a high kick — it spun clean. Then a rotation. A flip. A wall-run against the trunk of a giant tree, which he twisted off from in a backwards somersault.

It was ridiculous. Absurd. Impossible.

But it worked.

His body and mind were moving in perfect sync, like the world finally clicked into place. Every insane stunt he'd ever watched on old Veltorian stunt channels — martial arts routines, free-running parkour, anime choreography — now lived in his limbs.

No lag. No resistance. Just motion.

He leapt from one tree limb to another, vaulting, flipping, swinging, like some wild silhouette against a dark green canvas.

The still-damp trees didn't shine during the day, but their towering majesty painted a rhythm through the air — and Norian followed that rhythm like a song only he could hear.

He was smiling the whole time.

By the time he finally stopped — breath heaving, chest glistening with sweat — the forest had grown unfamiliar. Unmapped.

He'd wandered far. Too far.

Panting, he climbed a towering, gnarled tree — one of the highest in the grove — and looked out. The cave mouth of the great mountain was visible, just barely, like a wound carved into stone.

He grinned. And then sprinted.

The run back was pure motion. No hesitation. Trees whipped past him in blurs, the air tore at his skin. He felt weightless — fast enough that his own shadow struggled to catch up.

By the time he reached the mountain's base, dawn had broken.

The forest behind him had started to glow again — trees pulsing faintly with life. The monstrous cave before him hadn't changed. Cold. Ancient. Still.

He paused outside it, panting.

This time, his breathlessness wasn't from dread or despair. Just tiredness. Just effort.

The good kind.

His legs trembled. His chest burned. Sweat dripped down his spine.

But his mind was silent. Still. Clear.

He closed his eyes and smiled.

This was a kind of peace he never found in Veltharion. Not in steel towers or system interfaces. Not even in fleeting triumph.

This was real.

He took one last look at the wild — endless, glowing, unknowable — and then turned.

And walked into the cave.

The village was alive again.

Torches flickered. Lizardfolk moved between huts. Children laughed, splashing through the pond, catching strange darting fish with nets and wooden spears.

Garuda spotted him from across the square and called out,

"Human! Where were you?!"

He jogged up, panting.

"I've been looking everywhere! Don't tell me you went mad and ran off because of how miserable you looked yesterday."

Norian winced and threw him a dry glare.

"…Really? That's your opening line after I come back?"

Garuda scratched his long neck sheepishly.

"What can I say? I was worried. Thought you might've kicked the bucket."

"…Hit the bucket?"

Norian muttered, exasperated.

"Isn't that what you humans say?"

Garuda blinked.

"I thought I nailed it."

Norian shook his head with a half-smile.

"Whatever. I have something to talk to you about."

"Let me guess. It's about the other tribes?"

He didn't answer. Just nodded.

Garuda's expression shifted.

"So? Do you want me to come with you?"

"Will you?"

"If I don't, who will?"

Garuda shrugged with a grin.

Norian hesitated.

"What about your village?"

"You don't know,"

Garuda said, gesturing for him to walk as they moved deeper into the village.

"Those six bandits you threw around — they weren't just problems for us. They were a rogue threat across the territory. Even the smaller tribes feared them. You've done more than enough."

"And the rest?"

"The guards can handle them. We're rebuilding fast. Besides, you won't be gone long, right?"

"No,"

Norian said, eyes steady.

"Not long."

Garuda grinned and gave a playful slap to his arm.

"Then let's go. We leave today."

"You sure?"

"No doubt,"

Garuda said.

"The nearest tribe isn't far. We'll be back before nightfall."

Norian's smile returned. Not forced. Not bitter.

Just real.

"Then today it is."

*****

✢═─༻༺═✢═─༻༺═✢

✶ Dimension Walker ✶

✧ The Veiled Paragon ✧

⊱ Eternal_Void_ ⊰

✢═─༻༺═✢═─༻༺═✢

*****

Norian and Garuda began preparing for their departure. Though dusk had already passed, they planned to leave within the next two hours.

By the time they were done, night had fully descended over the forest.

The villagers helped however they could. They handed each of them a water pouch—and with it, a spear. Far superior to Norian's crude mixture-spear. The pouches were filled with miracle water. Faint silver wisps curled inside the liquid when disturbed, glowing softly under the moonlight.

Once everything was ready, they stood near the edge of the village.

The two of them bid farewell quietly. No dramatic words. Just nods, looks, and silent gratitude.

Then Norian took the path he had first arrived through, now retracing his steps—but not alone this time. They walked, side by side, talking casually along the way.

Garuda glanced over.

"What's with that smile? Looks like this is nostalgic for you."

Norian didn't meet his gaze.

"Well… it is. Just a few months ago, I was on the brink of going mad. But here I am. Doing just fine. Or better, even."

Garuda gave a quiet, thoughtful look.

"What kind of life have you led?"

He asked.

Norian laughed softly.

"A miserable one. But I'm glad I didn't give up on myself."

Garuda said nothing. He just walked. The silence that followed felt heavier than the air, dense and quietly stirring.

Eventually, they neared the cave entrance at the mountain's base.

The forest around them had transformed completely.

Unlike the heavy darkness Norian remembered, the forest at night on Xerion was alive with light.

Glowing vines hung from branches like floating threads of starlight. Bioluminescent moths flitted past, leaving faint trails in the air.

Birds with shimmering feathers darted between trees, their calls soft and melodic. Insects radiated gentle hues—greens, blues, violets—illuminating the path in pulses.

Above the treetops, the sky shimmered. But it wasn't the stars—just flocks of flying creatures and drifting lights suspended over the canopy, painting the night in moving constellations.

Norian looked around with quiet awe, his voice low.

"So this is what it really looks like…"

Garuda kept his eyes forward, but nodded slightly.

"You don't get to see this unless you're part of the land. The forest doesn't show this to strangers."

Norian gave a small smile.

Then he turned and asked,

"So… which way do you go?"

Garuda answered,

"We go back."

Norian frowned slightly.

"What?"

Garuda glanced at him.

"Hmm? Oh—no. That's not what I meant. Not back to the village. I meant behind the mountain."

He raised his fist, made a slow circling gesture with his finger, then pointed to the other side of the mountain's curve.

"I see,"

Norian said.

"Then… is there any path that goes straight through the cave to the other side?"

Garuda shook his head.

"No. If you're talking about that other path… it leads to a big chasm. We don't know how deep it is. One time, a villager fell into it—and we didn't even hear his scream. Or a thud. Nothing."

He paused.

"People say it stares into the abyss."

Goosebumps ran over Norian's skin. A chill settled in his chest. If he had unknowingly walked toward it before…

He inhaled slowly. Then again.

Finally, he said,

"Let's go. We go this way."

He pointed to his left.

"You want to go that way?"

Garuda asked.

"Yeah. I have a good feeling about this."

-To Be Continued