His eyes fluttered as he struggled to get a sense of where he was. Most of him was trying to get a sense of who he was. Everything was still so dark, and it felt like his eyelids were glued shut it was such a struggle to open them.
His mouth was dry, and he kept getting pricked by something akin to dry grass.
Ryuma opened his mouth and began coughing. His throat was so sore, the moment oxygen hit he couldn't help but cough. His tongue was so dry it stung when the air hit it. He pounded his chest in hopes it would jump start his lungs and moved his tongue around to try and produce saliva, but it felt like nothing would work.
"Water…" His voice was dry and raspy. He couldn't call, nor shout.
He could only blindly crawl from the spot he was currently, wherever that was. Getting a sense of his identity, he started to piece together what had happened.
Aeragis flew him eastward claiming he was his shining spirit. He informed him that the state of the world was in disarray and that the Skylands were to blame. He disappeared, dropping him thirty-thousand feet from the sky. Heavens know where he landed. Thinking back, he shouldn't even be alive… what saved him?
He was starting to get his vision back. Thank the lucky stars that was the case, as he didn't know what in his body was still functioning or not. It would be just his luck that the first thing that happens to him upon coming down here was to dehydrate to death.
{I've been down here a few hours, and I'm already hydration deprived?}
What was with the lower world? Did they operate on different food and drink intake?
After finally getting his vision back, he could see that he was surrounded by hay. A whole pile of them in a barnyard. He looked up and saw that there was the lack of a hole in the ceiling, so he must've been found and placed in here as opposed to crashing into it. That being said… where was he?
He quickly looked toward the entrance when he heard a gasp. There was a beautiful young woman with snow white, shoulder length hair and a slim build. She was covering her mouth and staring at him in utter shock.
"Wait," Ryuma pleaded. She ignored his request and scurried off. "Shit!" The one lead he had at figuring out where the hell he was, just ran as if she'd seen a ghost.
Though with his last ordeal, maybe she did.
He already lost too much energy to keep moving and fainted again. Drifting in and out of consciousness, He was being lifted to his arms. Some guy he didn't recognize was supporting him walking him towards a cabin. He drifted out again and was being placed on a couch when he was coming too again.
"Hey buddy, ya good? Here, have something to drink,"
His vision was still blurry, and his hearing seemed like they were slurring their words. At the very least, his body recognized when the young girl was giving him a cup of water. He awkwardly tried to pour some down his mouth, only to have some of it dribble down his chin. He was sure he got some of his clothes wet, but he didn't care. He needed to wet his mouth.
He drifted out again after that. Ryuma didn't know how much longer he was out before waking up one last time.
This time the couple was gone. His body still felt sluggish but otherwise, far more useful than it previously was. He knew he could stand up on his own this time, but just couldn't muster the energy or will to do so.
And so he waited, for what seemed like hours.
He took a deep breath and finally picked himself up enough, to get in a sitting position. Taking in everything around him, the cabin looked dirt poor, not much better than a shack.
The floors creaked as if they were ready to crack with each step. Broken windows were covered with a bag and tape, and they had the bare necessities when it came to furniture. Just a plain wooden chair and tables.
Even at his own house there were at least some décors when it came to it. Here, everything looked… empty.
Of course, he didn't want to badmouth the place of the people that saved him, but this was the first impression that he got when he stood up.
Looking over at the table, there was a note and a plate of food. A side of beans and some rice was all that was there. It was too far into the night to read what the note said, but Ryuma figured it was their way of telling him to just eat the food.
At least that's what he hoped it was about as he quickly gorged on what little they had to offer. He had no room or time for table manners or utensils. His hands were enough to do the job of shoving the cold dinner into his mouth. He made quick work of the small meal, but sadly, it wasn't enough. His stomach still rumbled with emptiness.
At the very least, it was enough sustenance to allow him to move more effectively. He'll have to work on food later. Right now, he needed to know where he was.
He stumbled towards the front door, slowly remembering the art of walking along the way before finally making it outside. The light of the moon gave at least a little luminescence outside to see more effectively, but to his shock, it really put into perspective his entire world view.
When he looked into the sky, there was nary a twinkle he could see. The only thing above him was a sea of purple night, coupled with the bright of the moon.
He ran further out until he started running up a hill. This wasn't right? What was going on? Where was the stars? Where were all the strange galaxies and nebula you could normally gaze at in the night sky. It was just… nothing.
Where was he that he couldn't see this?
Then it hit him. He fell into the lower world, so he was in a vastly different place than when he was when he was taken.
But if he just dropped a lower level, why is it he couldn't see the stars? This should be the same sky no matter the altitude. What was different?
"I take it you're from up there?"
Ryuma turned around and saw the same young man that was helping him towards the cabin. He turned back to look at the sky again. As if there were something up there, he was seeking. "What gave me away?"
"Only the priest of The Order wears those garbs. Although I must admit, I've never seen one with those colors before,"
Ryuma looked at his own clothes. His garb was white, with black linings, the reverse of what the garb in the order would be. If this was the lower world, then it would make sense that he's never seen this. These were only for students.
"I'm not even supposed to be down here," Ryuma sat down.
The man walked over and sat down next to him. "Sounds to me like you're the first I've heard of who can fall off a Skyland,"
There was no denying it now. He was in the lower world.
"I'm just wondering why you can't see the stars down here," Ryuma said.
"What's a star?"
"I'm talking about all the twinkles in the sky,"
"There's twinkles in the sky?"
"… Nevermind," There was no way this man was going to understand what he was talking about.
"Name's Castor. That lovely woman you met in the barn would by my wife Mera," Castor said.
"Oh, well it's nice to meet you, Castor. My name is Ryuma. Ryuma Irgo of the White Dragons. I'm grateful for what you did for me. I wouldn't be here without you,"
"Save your thanks for my wife. It was her that found you,"
Ryuma smiled. "I'll be sure to do so. Sorry if I woke you up trying to get out. I guess walking after falling from the sky and sleeping for a day was a little tougher than I thought,"
Castor gave him a confused look. "A day? Ryuma, you were out for six days since we found you,"
This time, it was Ryuma that gave him the confused look. "How could I have been out for a week. I would've starved to death if that was the case,"
{Was that why he was so hungry when he woke up?}
"We thought you were dead at first, but for some reason you kept breathing. We figured you'd wake up eventually,"
"Wow… it's a miracle I am alive with your medical expertise. Not to sound ungrateful or anything but is there a reason as to why you chucked me in a barn and not sought help," Ryuma asked.
"I didn't think you wanted it," Castor said.
"Why wouldn't I have wanted it?" That was an odd answer. How could someone have come to that conclusion?
Castor dug behind himself and brought out a piece of paper. It was a flimsy drawing of him, that barely managed to pass as him. Although he could have done without the evil smirk on his face, his full name was displayed below him.
RYUMA IRGO: Wanted Dead
To say he was beyond shock to see a wanted poster about him. His eyes widened, and his jaw fell. He was worth one-hundred-thousand gold teals, instantly the highest bounty in this century.
"Ryuma Irgo… who are you?" Castor asked.