The Scholar's Rebirth-Chapter 1: A strange world

Pain.

A dull throb pulsed in her chest like a war drum, rhythmic and unforgiving. Her head felt like it had been split open and clumsily stitched back together with thorns.

Athena's eyes shot open.

Blinding light seared through her vision. She squinted, blinking rapidly. The ceiling above her was rough wood, nailed unevenly. Not concrete. Not drywall. No flickering fluorescents. Just... planks.

What the hell?

Her hands twitched against a scratchy, straw-filled mattress. The scent of herbs and smoke hung in the air, clinging to her skin. Something wet dripped from the ceiling into a wooden bowl beside her.

Was she in a... hut?

She sat up too fast.

Agony ripped through her ribs and a strangled cry burst from her throat. Her vision spun, nausea curling in her gut. Her arms trembled under her weight, and she collapsed back with a ragged gasp.

Okay. She was alive. Barely. But—where?

Athena closed her eyes, steadying her breath. She tried to think, to remember—

Fire. Screams. Blood. A pulse of light. And then—

Darkness.

Silence.

Nothingness.

And now... this?

She opened her eyes again, slower this time. Her gaze swept the room. Small. Cramped. A single wooden door. Herbs hanging from the ceiling. A table with clay bowls. A stool. A cracked mirror in the corner.

No tech. No machines. Not even a clock.

Her heart skipped. Something was wrong.

Then—footsteps. Fast. Light.

The door creaked open.

A young woman stepped in, holding a steaming bowl of something that smelled faintly like burnt grass.

Athena froze.

The woman had pale blonde hair, braided tightly to one side. Her skin was smooth, almost glowing. But it wasn't her beauty that startled Athena.

It was her ears.

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Long. Graceful. Curved upward to sharp points.

What. The. Hell?

Athena blinked, then stared harder. No, she wasn't hallucinating. The woman was talking now—soft, melodic tones in a language Athena didn't understand—but those ears were real.

The woman set the bowl down and leaned closer, her brows furrowing with concern. Her lips moved again.

Athena couldn't help herself. "Are you—are you an elf?!"

The woman blinked.

"Ehlf?" she repeated, confused.

Athena's pulse skyrocketed.

Her breath caught in her throat.

She sat up again, ignoring the pain. "Wait, wait—hold on! Where am I? What is this place?! Why do you look like you walked out of a fantasy novel?!"

The woman stepped back, alarmed by her sudden outburst. She turned toward the door and called out in that same lilting tongue.

Another figure appeared—taller, broader. A young man, hair raven-black, tied back in a warrior's knot. His eyes were sharp. Silver. Cold. He stepped into the room, gaze locking onto Athena like a predator measuring prey.

Athena's mouth went dry.

He was stunning in that dangerously lethal way. But again, the ears—those ears—were unmistakable.

Elves.

She was surrounded by actual freaking elves.

Her heart thudded in her chest like a drum. "Okay, okay—either I'm dead, or I've completely lost my mind."

The man looked at her with thinly veiled skepticism. Then, finally, he spoke—in perfect Common.

"You're not dead."

Athena's breath hitched.

He stepped forward. "You were found in the valley. Burned. Barely breathing. We thought you wouldn't make it."

Athena opened her mouth, closed it again.

What was she supposed to say? No big deal, I just woke up in Fantasyland with elves and apparently a new identity?

He stared at her, unblinking. "Do you remember anything?"

She hesitated. "Some," she lied. "It's... blurry."

A slight twitch in his brow. He didn't buy it, not completely. But he didn't press. "Rest up,we will leave soon."

Athena had only managed a nod before sleep swallowed her again, her body too broken and her mind too scattered to resist.

When she woke, hours had passed. The dull ache in her limbs had faded to a throb, and her thoughts were no longer swimming in a haze. The blonde haired elf woman greeted her with a warm smile and a bowl of something steaming and herbal-smelling. Athena forced it down. It tasted like bitter grass mixed with smoke—but it stayed down.

Shortly after, they set off.

The male elf led the way, moving with silent precision through the dense forest. Athena walked behind, flanked by the blonde haired elf who occasionally glanced at her with curiosity and concern. The world around them felt impossibly weird—the trees looked dead,the grasses dull,not a sound was heard,not even that of a bird. The whole forest looked dead and empty.

Athena struggled to keep up. Not just with the pace—but with the reality of it all.

She brushed her fingers against her ear again.

Still pointed. Still real.

I'm not human anymore, she thought. I'm an elf. A real, actual elf.

Her breath hitched.

For just a moment, her mind slipped—back to her life few hours ago. The faint sound of her father's laugh echoed in her memory. His hands, rough from years of work. His voice calling her name.

She just graduated as a Professor in school and was preparing to head over to his place after collecting her credentials when she had the accident.

Her chest tightened, and her steps faltered.

The blonde haired elf immediately caught her, slipping an arm around her shoulders to steady her.

She spoke, softly, in that lilting, musical language.

Athena blinked, dazed. "What?"

The woman tried again, then paused—switching to a rougher, accented Common. "Are you... well?"

Athena swallowed the lump in her throat and forced a nod. "I'm fine."

The elf studied her carefully. "Strange. You speak like the humans. Not... like us."

Athena's heart stuttered. She forced a weak laugh. "Uh... yeah. Must've hit my head harder than I thought."

The elf tilted her head, unconvinced, but said nothing more.

Thankfully, the forest path opened before long, revealing a wide clearing with a tall wooden gate nestled between two massive trees. A small outpost, perhaps—or the edge of a village.

As they neared it, the male elf finally turned to her, his silver eyes scanning her one last time.

"You may go your way now," he said, voice curt. "We have matters to attend to."

And just like that, Athena was standing alone before a strange gate, in a strange world, wearing a stranger's face... with no idea what came next.