The wind blew softly, sweeping across the vast plain with a gentle, calming breeze. The tall grass swayed in harmony with the currents of air, creating a rhythmic rustling, almost like a secret melody of nature. Under the sunlight, each blade of grass glistened, bathed in a warm, comforting glow. The place felt imbued with a rare, almost otherworldly peace.
In the middle of this green sea stood a still figure: a young man with black hair so dark it seemed to absorb the light. His eyes were closed, his face calm, as if he were lost or asleep, or in a waking dream. The wind played with a few strands of hair around his face.
Suddenly, his eyelids fluttered, and his eyes opened, revealing a fleeting golden glow—intense, almost unreal. The light illuminated his gaze for an instant before fading, leaving behind deep brown irises. He blinked, confused about where he was.
He placed a hand on his head, trying to dispel a feeling of dizziness. His eyes slowly scanned the horizon, taking in the view of this strange and beautiful place.
"Where am I?" he thought, a hint of confusion and apprehension in his mind.
The sun's rays warmed his skin, but a strange coldness lingered deep in his head. This place… he couldn't remember how he'd gotten here or why it felt so unfamiliar.
"I have no memory of coming here," he murmured to himself.
He ran a hand across his forehead, searching his memory for any clues, but everything remained blurry. The wind kept blowing, a reassuring murmur, a comforting breath. Yet a question persisted within him, growing stronger.
"Why do I feel both peace… and fear?"
His gaze drifted across the plain. A lone bird flew high in the sky, its cry briefly piercing the silence, like a sign, an omen. Eldrin followed the bird's flight with his eyes, almost in admiration.
"What's happening to me…" he wondered, his heart beating slightly faster.
"This place… feels unreal." The whisper barely left his lips, yet the echo of his words seemed to resonate around him.
As he stood up, a colder breeze swept through the plain, and he didn't notice the golden glow that briefly flickered back in his eyes.
He took a deep breath, his hand still on his forehead, and in a voice tinged with confusion, he simply said:
"My name is Eldrin… but why am I here?"
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I sat down, a sharp pain piercing through my head. Fragments of memories tried to resurface, but everything was blurry, confused. I could see the silhouette of someone talking to me, but none of the words reached me, like an echo too distant to understand.
"Damn, why does it hurt so much…" I rubbed my forehead, feeling the warmth of my palm against my cold skin, then let myself fall back onto the grass, lying down to ease the pain.
With my eyes closed, I took in my surroundings: the rough grass under my fingers, the smell of damp earth, the rustling of leaves in the wind. Everything felt real, yet… foreign. A sense of familiarity lingered, though I couldn't say why.
I slowly sat up as the pain began to subside. Opening my eyes, I took in the vast, deserted plain around me, dotted with a few lone trees. A few yards away, a group of rabbits grazed, completely indifferent to my presence. The sun bathed the landscape in a golden, soothing light. For a brief moment, I felt at peace.
"It's… beautiful. But where am I?" My voice echoed strangely in the silence.
I took a few steps, scanning my surroundings, but there was no sign of civilization. As I turned around, my heart clenched.
In the distance, a massive, half-destroyed castle loomed on the horizon. A swirling purple light floated above it, casting a sinister shadow. I stared at the sight, a cold shiver running through me.
"What is this…?" Words failed me. This castle, this strange sky… some part of me felt I should recognize it, but nothing came to mind.
Suddenly, the crack of breaking branches and the sound of birds taking flight in panic pulled me back to reality. Something massive was approaching. My instincts warned me to get out of there; I took one last look toward the castle before fleeing to a nearby forest.
The pounding of my heart echoed in my ears. Once hidden behind a tree, I risked a glance in the direction of the noise.
What I saw made my blood run cold: a man was carrying a wounded woman in his arms, a child clinging to his back. All three were fleeing in desperation. And behind them, a massive mechanical creature, like a metal spider, emerged from the shadows. Its six legs seemed built for killing, and its eye glowed red with a sinister light, locked onto the family.
"No…" I could barely breathe, paralyzed by horror.
The creature's eye emitted a blinding red beam, which exploded at their feet. The shockwave reached me, lifting a cloud of dust. When the smoke cleared, the man lay motionless on the ground. The woman, however, was crawling, reaching a trembling hand toward the child.
The creature approached slowly, mercilessly. One of its legs came down brutally on the woman, extinguishing any hope. Then it stayed still for a moment, before turning and heading back toward the castle.
I remained frozen, my hand pressed against my mouth to stifle a scream. The image of the lifeless child, the destroyed couple, already haunted my thoughts. When I was certain the creature was gone, I approached the couple, a nauseating smell filling my nostrils.
"I feel like…"
I doubled over, vomiting, unable to tear my eyes away from the bodies. How could this have happened?
"I need to leave… forget this…" My voice was barely a whisper in the oppressive silence. Without waiting, I turned and began to run, my legs shaking under the weight of panic, the memories of that scene haunting every step. Out of breath, I collapsed against a tree trunk, trying to catch my breath.
"What is happening here?!" The memory of the mechanical creature, of the annihilated family… it clung to my mind. I leaned my head against the trunk, my fingers gripping the rough bark. My head throbbed with pain, and the world around me felt blurry, unreal. "Calm down, breathe. If I panic, I'm done," I told myself, trying to steady my breathing.
A deep rumble in my stomach suddenly brought me back to reality. "I need to eat… I have to find something to eat," I said, placing my hand on my stomach.
I closed my eyes, trying to think clearly despite the fear. "Maybe… I could try to hunt something," I murmured, as if saying it out loud might make it possible. But I knew it was a crazy idea. "I don't even know where to start, how to cut up an animal, or even make a fire."
A mouthwatering smell floated through the air, making me forget my doubts. I looked up and saw a thin column of smoke in the distance, the scent of roasted meat drawing me irresistibly in that direction. My stomach growled in response.
Approaching cautiously, I crept through the bushes until I could see the source of the smell. Creatures stood around a fire, resembling red-skinned pigs, armed with clubs and swords. They hopped around a boar roasting over the flames. The smell of the grilled meat made my mouth water despite myself.
But before I could step out of my hiding spot, a detail caught my eye and killed my appetite. One of these creatures held a human bone, gnawing on it without a second thought.
My blood turned to ice. I was petrified, my body frozen between horror and fear. "They're… eating humans," I whispered, horrified by what I had just witnessed.
Backing away slowly, I tried to leave discreetly, but my foot crushed a branch that snapped under my weight. The creatures immediately froze, sniffing the air, then turned their heads sharply in my direction, their small, malicious eyes glinting. Without a sound, they began running toward me.
I bolted, overwhelmed by sheer panic, running wildly as branches scratched my face and arms. My heart pounded like a drum, my lungs burned, but I couldn't stop, not with them on my heels. "Don't look back, don't slow down," I told myself, praying that the creatures would give up.
At the edge of a hill, I tried to veer onto another path, but an arrow whistled through the air and lodged itself right in front of me, forcing me to retreat. I stumbled, falling to the ground, and looked up to see the creatures getting closer, their heavy, mocking laughter echoing in my head.
With one last surge of courage, I got up, casting a desperate glance behind me. I was trapped.
"I have no other choice," I murmured.
I took a deep breath, feeling the cold air fill my lungs, and without further thought, I leapt from the hill. The wind whistled in my ears, the sensation of falling clenched my stomach, and I hoped with all my might that the water below would be deep enough to break my fall.