Outsider from 2026

Darkness.

Cold.

Dirt underfoot.

The last thing you remember is an ordinary day in 2026. A familiar world, the familiar sounds of the city, the glow of screens, people rushing about their business.

And then everything disappeared.

Now you're standing in the middle of an unfamiliar road. Beneath your feet is soggy earth mixed with straw and manure. A heavy gray sky hangs overhead. The wind creeps under your clothes, and somewhere nearby, an invisible bird cries.

A small village spreads out before you.

Dozens of wooden houses with thatched roofs huddle close together. Smoke billows from several chimneys. An ox-drawn cart moves slowly down the street. A man in rough woolen clothing drags a bucket, and two women argue near a well.

Not a single car. No wires. No asphalt. Not a single sign of the world you know.

A boy of about twelve is standing on the side of the road. When he sees you, he freezes. His gaze glides over your clothes, shoes, and face. Then he drops the bucket he was holding and runs toward the nearby houses.

"Stranger!" he shouts. "Stranger!"

Several people turn around.

At first they just stare. Then one of the men says something to his neighbor. The elderly woman quickly takes the child behind her. Two farmers stop working and head toward you.

"Who are you?" one of them asks in an unfamiliar language.

You don't understand a word.

The man frowns, repeats the question louder, and then points to your clothes.

— Where did you come from? Whose man are you?

The second peasant scans the road behind you, as if expecting to see accomplices there. His hand rests on the wooden handle of the knife at his belt.

And then the sound of hooves is heard in the distance.

Three horsemen approach the village. A coat of arms—a black eagle on a yellow field—is visible on the cloak of the one in front. At the sight of the horsemen, the peasants immediately part. One of them lowers his head.

“Mr. von Waldenberg’s people,” he says quietly.

The horsemen stop nearby. The eldest of them, a broad-shouldered man in chain mail and a shabby cloak, looks straight ahead.