Rain. I always liked rain. Not only because it kept my steps silent when I needed to go unheard, but because it always left that nice fresh smell at the back of my nose. But now, now I can't even feel anything beneath my waist. The tips of my fingers were going numb as well, and the cold of night was slowly draining my life away. I could feel it. See it. The red life that usually resided within one's body was pouring like a fountain from the grotesque cut that was forced upon me by that creature I couldn't see nor hear coming.
'So...This is....How it all ends?....' I wondered, without the strength to give my philosophical thoughts a proper voice.
I had already lost the strength to speak by then. Hell, I could barely even breathe anymore. My vision was blurry, yet my mind was...Strangely clear. The pain was over already, even if the first few moments felt like my entire lower body was burning in a pyre.
So, my former life as a lowly thief came to an end. That day, the mangled corpse of a criminal was found in the forest and thrown into a mass grave.
It felt as if I was thrown into a deep slumber. I knew I should've died, and since my life was mainly supported through crime, I believed I would fall into the underworld to be burnt until the end of time. Funny enough, I wasn't allowed even that much of an end. In fact, I was allowed no end at all.
I found it funny. How many times had I been chastised for my lack of family? How many times had I been rejected from churches and temples? How many times had I gone back there only to steal their precious and oh so holy jewelry. And here I was. Not in Hell. Not in the Underworld. Not in Heaven either.
I was just...Here. It's neither cold nor warm. There is no light, but I can see my own body. Even more so, it felt as if everything was....Numb. Probably from the blood loss I suffered after that thing attacked me. Although I was still not in full control of my complete body, it was a peaceful experience. There was no pain and there was no suffering. There was no hunger and there was no exhaustion.
But everything that's good has to come to an end.
All of a sudden, I felt as if my entire body was yanked down as if I was attached to some sort of climbing contraption. And just when I thought I was about to hit the ground, I opened my eyes again. The pain was gone, but the cold remained. My smell returned, enhanced multiple times what it was before. I smelled death, and I smelled iron.
As I sat up by instinct, I noticed just what my true situation was.
The dead were piled up about as high as a single story building. Flies were taking their sweet time devouring their repulsive and rotting flesh. It was horrible. I could barely contain myself from regurgitating what I had for breakfast.
Even more strange so, I looked down at my abdomen and saw no scar whatsoever. My flesh seemed to have...Healed at an incredible rate. I had heard of such things, but I never saw it happen in front of my very own eyes. Still, I was sure of my memories and what I had seen, so nothing could explain the origin of this miracle.
Taking a few moments to sort my thoughts, I decided to make my way out of the mass grave I had been laid upon (Most likely by the same peacekeepers that had been chasing me). As I remembered what happened I absolutely panicked. My hands moved with swift and chaotic movements as I checked my pockets and bag for the item I had taken.
"They took it...Motherfuckers...!"
The item in question was the most valuable hit I had done in my whole career as a thief. So it was a matter of pride that I decided to try and protect it even in death. Unluckily, I had failed to do so, and my most precious belonging had been taken from me. Well, not exactly "Mine" but it remained a prideful job.
"In fact, where the hell am I?"
Just then had I taken the decision to try and check my surroundings. I had no idea Khu had a Mass Grave anywhere near it. The area also seemed odd. There was a fog covering the horizon and a massive forest with the biggest trees I had ever seen in my entire life. This was a land I didn't recognize, and the corpses in the ditch were as odd as the land itself. All of different attires and broken pieces.
It was almost as if this place was a land without belonging. It was precisely nowhere. And for whatever chaotic trick of destiny, I was thrown in here after I effectively died back home.
This all seemed so surreal. But soon enough destiny would make me understand again.