Opening his eyes he was greeted by an endless void the sky was pitch black and all he could feel was the sensation of the grass he laid on tickling him. Sitting up he saw that as far as he could see there was nothing but grass and the void. Getting up he breathed in the air, it was refreshing and still almost as if the whole world had stopped. Slowly he felt his body tingling, it felt restless and he began walking without a sense of direction wherever his body decided. Every step felt heavy and it felt as if he was being pulled into the direction of where his body dragged him. Then it hit him.
A chill ran down his spine like a frozen serpent the hairs on the back of his neck pricked up, his breathing was shallow. Something was following him but he didn't know who. His legs began to speed up carrying him as fast as he could, the rush reminded him of the chase from the boar. But whatever was after him had no natural purpose, he could sense the sensation whatever was hunting him felt, it was overflowing with ecstasy much like his own when killing the goblins. His stomach lurched but his body hadn't stopped and then in the distance he saw something like a figure. The person was barely seeable their body donned in clothing of dark brown may be a cheap type of leather. However he saw across the back of the clothing was a large stitch. Then it occurred to him what he had been wearing, looking down he realised the shoddily made shirt was the same he had worn. Looking back the figure was standing still at the edge of his sight ahead, almost as if covered in a haze. Raising his arm he saw the figure do the exact same almost like a puppet. Then he realised the figure had it's face away from him so he decided to attempt to try different movements yet it replicated them with him in perfect sync. Then his body slowly began turning without his own control, then his face shifted into a contorted face. Each movement his body did felt unnatural and sent shocks across his body yet he did not want to back down and become a puppet to the figure. Forcing his body to reject the motions each time he did he began to feel sick his head was pounding.
Trying his hardest to turn his body his neck felt like it was being twisted and the feeling ran through him as if it was trying to rip him apart. It suddenly stopped and the amount of force he put into it caused him to fall after spinning and slamming into the ground. As he rose up something wrapped its arms around him, it was behind him each breath it exhaled stank like death. Not that of an upturned graveyard but rather a battlefield littered with aged corpses and blood staining the soil. It was repulsive but he didn't have the strength to break away from the creature and it's arms covered in matted fur. Each hand ended with long spider-like fingers with nails that seemed to be razors. It was then he looked infront to see that the figure in front of him he assumed was himself was also in the embrace of the monster.
He stayed there unable to move, time felt as if it stood still and then it began to whistle. The tune was a melody he heard a long time ago he did not know where but he couldn't stop the tears that drew from his eyes. Slowly he began to sob and as the monster held him it no longer felt cold, instead it welcomed him. His fear of the monster was no longer there; he just slowly gave up his fear.
'I'm glad you haven't forgotten. However the stars are not ready.' The voice was hoarse and sounded as if they had been dying. Slowly in this lonely void the sky began to crack and light shone through.
Suddenly he was greeted by a stream of light and a familiar ceiling. It was the tent he woke up in before. Rubbing his eyes he saw Tobias walking in with the tray of food.
'Ah, you're awake.' He said with a smile setting down the tray.
'How long was I asleep?' The man asked.
'Dunno, I was gone for about a few minutes.'
Suddenly he began to feel sick as everything in his body came rumbling out.
'Blegh,' he spewed out everything from his stomach, with that being a mixture of bile and blood.
Tobias' face was filled with horror as he ran out crying, 'Dominic he's coughing blood!'
A man with silver rimmed spectacles and a long flowing robe accompanying his jet black ponytail and crimson eyes came running alongside Tobias. Hurryingly he pulled out a crystal bottle pulling the cork he made him drink the bottle.
Coughing harshly he began recovering. 'Curses, what was that?'
Dominic looked at him surprised, 'you don't know what a mana surge is?'
'A mana what?' He looked confused.
'A mana surge, the spontaneous moment a person gains a large boost to a normally empty mana store. Judging by the amount of mana emitted from the blood you threw up it ain't a small amount. When the body is drained of mana completely for around a month you suddenly become a vacuum for mana. I assumed you had fainted because of this due to your camp being not that old. Yet to have been living in the forest without mana is quite impressive.'
'How so?'
'Simple mana density these forests are filled with volatile amounts of mana which act as a life force for the monsters here but to humans without a high enough density it invades the gaps causing it to be disrupted. Eventually if it occurs too long you are violently torn apart and end up being consumed by the forest in a cocoo… Wait a minute don't tell me you didn't make that cocoon did you.'
He shaked his head.
'An' you were living there. God, if we didn't find you there's a good chance the cocoon you were living in would've crushed you and swallowed you.'
'That can't be it felt safe within it so why would such a miraculous phenomenon occur like that?'
Taken aback by the man's vocabulary he explained. 'That feeling of comfort was you being eaten. The mana inside of you was being drawn to the soil. If you lived there long enough the soil would have eaten you.'
He shuddered at the thought.
'Uh, sir?' Questioned Tobias.
'What is it?' Dominic asked, a little irritated he still couldn't read the mood.
Pointing at the ground where the man had thrown up was small plants growing.
Dominic turned to him, his face pale with shock. 'A druid?'