The Adventures of Bryandell: The False Prince

Chapter 1: A Ruined City

It was as though the fabric of existence had been torn open—a gaping, pure black wound in the sky that stretched over the city. Once vibrant and full of life, this place now stood in a desolate silence, drained of color and abandoned. Darkness had consumed it. The trees lay withered and dead. The people, the lifeblood of the city, had vanished long ago, leaving only the empty echo of what had once been. Even the shattered ruins seemed to mourn the lost days.

Bryandell Regis stood in the wreckage of a building, gazing through broken windows at the scene below. The city seemed to writhe in agony, its stillness more unnerving than any sound. Though it was silent, to Bryandell, it felt as if the place were screaming out in pain.

Fifteen minutes ago, he had been walking home from school, following the usual shortcut through the rice fields. The world had been calm, the gentle rustle of the crops, soft chirping of the birds, and the breeze of the wind. But then, a strange hum had pierced the air, gentle at first, before the world around him began to swirl in a dark greenish hue. He had tried to step back, to flee from whatever was happening, but it was too late. The portal had swallowed him whole, and now, here he was—trapped in a place that felt as alien as it was forsaken.

He wanted it all to be a dream. It had to be. There was no way he had been transported to another world. If he ever found out he was just a character in some fictional story, he'd give the author an earful.

Bryandell stood there for a moment longer, staring at the ruined city, his mind still refusing to accept what his eyes told him. But no matter how many times he tried to shake the thought, this wasn't a dream. It was real. The sky above him, the dead city, the eerie silence—it was all far too vivid. He was here, in some other place, some other world.

With a deep, resigned sigh, he let the weight of it sink in. There was no going back, at least not yet. His heart gave a small, painful lurch as thoughts of his family crept in. What would they think? What if they were looking for him? No, they definitely will.

The idea of his dad—usually so calm and steady—frantically searching for him made Bryandell's chest tighten. His dad was always the one who knew how to fix things, the one who could be relied on without question. Bryandell could almost hear his father's reassuring voice: "We'll figure this out, son." He had a way of making everything seem solvable.

Then there was his mom, the one who always knew how to make him feel at home, no matter what. He could see her now, her calming smile, the mediator of the family, always diffusing tension. She’d likely be sitting at the kitchen table, her hands nervously clasped, trying to mask the worry on her face as she waited for him to come back. She’d be overwhelmed with worry by now.

And Lyndell, his sister—she'd be tearing through her room, pacing, refusing to believe her older brother had truly vanished. She'd always been stubborn and curious, asking a thousand questions and dragging him into all kinds of mischief. He could picture her now, thinking he was just goofing around on one of his favorite places to chill. But this time, he wasn't coming back soon. The thought sent a pang of dread through him.

He missed them already. The ache of their absence was like a weight he couldn't shake off. They were out there, surely searching for him, panicked and lost, unaware of where he was or whether he was safe.

He shook his head, trying to clear the panic and homesickness, and reached for his backpack. He needed to focus, to survive. The first step was figuring out what he had to work with. He shakily unzipped the bag and pulled out some of its contents: a half—empty water bottle, a flashlight, a few snack bars, his school notebook, his PE uniform, his cellphone, his dad's solar charger, and a pen. Not much, but enough to start with. He slipped his phone into his pocket, deciding to use the flashlight instead to conserve battery. After all, there was no sunlight breaking through the thick darkness in the sky for the charger to work with.

Bryandell bit into his snack, then quickly stuffed the remaining items back into his backpack. He couldn’t afford to waste any more time. As he scanned the lifeless landscape, the stillness weighed on him—no animals, no people, only the haunting echo of his own breath in the silence. He had to find something—anything—out there. A person, a sign of life, even a shelter. Anything that would break the overwhelming sense of hopelessness.

With a final glance at the shattered window, Bryandell took a deep breath and slung the backpack over his shoulder. "Okay," he muttered to himself, "let's see if this place has anything. A supply chest, a mimic, even gold coins." His voice cracked in the still air, but he pressed on, pushing past the doubt and fear. There had to be something—or someone—here, right?

With one final glance at the spot where he had been cast into this world, Bryandell stepped out into the unknown, hoping that somewhere in the ruins, he might find a hint of something... friendly...

"A fantasy adventure in another world? Could be worse, I guess. Especially when I’m the main character with plot armor. At least for first timers, nothing can go too wrong, too bad, right?"

Bryandell paused, his words hanging in the air, and then a thought hit him with a cold wave of dread.

Wait. Time out... Did I just messed up?

Then a distant rumble reverberated through the ruins, and a wave of unease came over him.

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Author's note:

Hey guys! This is my first time writing. I am not an expert. I got help from writing tips, grammar sites, etc. lol. It's true. I can play scenarios in my head but it's hard for me to put them into words. 🥺

I get a lot of inspirations from a lot of things. Haha. But I know not to copy paste works from others. So no worries!

If you like the chapter, leave a star🌟. It makes me happy. Though, it's going to be a while for the next chapter. Probably last week of December. Or more... 😅

Also might be revised in the future, even the book cover needs to be changed. Hopefully fill some plot holes,  do character development and world building, make some things make sense, etc.