Pain, a bright light, heavy vertigo and then an all-devouring fatigue.
These were the things Erik felt directly after time had started moving again.
It appeared Edda's last bullet had hit him, as he could feel another wound in his stomach, which was now also spreading wolfsbane through his system, making him groan.
Erik was lying on his back, unable to move a finger or even open his eyes. His entire body seemed consumed by a mixture of pain and fatigue. Although the fatigue seemed to be devouring the pain more and more, somehow, Erik doubted that was a good thing.
Luckily, it seemed only his body was affected for now, as his mind appeared to be functioning perfectly fine.
Erik had no idea what happened. He didn't think he'd fallen unconscious, but whatever ground he was lying on was warm and covered with grass, which meant there was no way it was the ice-cold, permafrost-covered ground that the taiga was known for.
He tried to listen to the sounds around him to determine his location and see if Edda and her hunter buddies were still around. All he heard were beautiful songbirds and rustling leaves.
That said, the sound came to him as though through a bowl of water, muffled and seemingly far away.
Muffled or not, they were another sign that he was no longer in the taiga, as the only trees there were conifer trees with no leaves and very few songbirds.
He quickly came to the conclusion he was lying naked on his back in a temperate forest rather than a taiga.
Had he really fallen unconscious after all? Long enough for him to be moved far enough away from his home to be in a regular forest? And why would whoever moved him here just leave him naked on the ground?
Before he could get lost in his thoughts even more, he suddenly heard voices in a language he couldn't understand.
The first voice was that of a young female, "/Where are we going, Mother?/"
Erik still recognised the inflexion of a question, but he had no idea what was being asked. His parents had educated him in several languages, but whatever this girl was speaking didn't sound like any language he had ever heard.
The second voice appeared to answer the first and sounded like a more mature woman. "/I sensed a powerful magic disturbance coming from here and just wanted to check it out for a moment./"
The second voice did not speak in a language that was any more recognisable, but the first voice quickly answered her in a concerned tone, "/Shouldn't we wait and get Dad then? What if it's an enemy? There's a reason our kind does what it does, remember?./"
As the voices started coming closer, Erik wondered why he didn't hear any rushing leaves or breaking twigs from people walking.
His musings were interrupted by the mature voice's answers, however. "/Fufufu, your mother isn't completely defenceless, you know. You'll learn in time that even our kind can have an offensive presence in a fight./"
The mature continued nonchalantly, "/Regardless, I doubt it actually is a powerful being, as the magical energies disappeared almost immediately after they appeared. If I'm right, then it was likely to be…/"
At this point, Erik started hearing something akin to the fluttering of an insect's wings as a gentle wind started stroking his naked body when the mature voice continued, "/…a teleportation./"
The young voice answered excitedly, "/Woah, a naked human male. That's not something you see every day. Or ever, for that matter. Humans know better than to enter these forests. He seems to be wounded./"
Before the mature voice could respond, the young one continued, her tone turning to confusion, "/Wait, no. Not a human? He feels different somehow and yet still distinctly human-like./"
The mature voice answered proudly, "/Very good, little Wisp. You're right. That said, even I don't know what he is. Finding a species I have never seen or heard of is truly peculiar./"
Ever since they arrived, Erik had been trying to speak, but his body was still flooded by fatigue. He couldn't properly open his mouth, and only a long groan leaked out.
The young voice spoke up in interest as if looking at a science project. "/It looks like he's trying to say something, but why does he seem so weak? Is it his wounds? They seem painful but not deadly./"
The mature voice chuckled, "/Fufufu, to be honest, I'm surprised he's even aware enough to notice our presence. Go check his soul, little Wisp./"
As Erik lay there, trying to fight off the overwhelming fatigue, he felt a gentle, inexplicable touch on his forehead. It was a sensation unlike any he had ever experienced, both comforting and invasive.
The voices around him, foreign and mysterious, discussed his fate with a detached curiosity that sent a shiver down his spine.
"/Woah,/" the younger voice sounded surprised. "/His soul is a complete mess, and he also seems to be poisoned. Someone really didn't like this guy. I wonder how he ended up that way./"
The mature voice answered in a nonchalant tone. Although Erik couldn't understand what was said or even see the speaker, he could almost picture the shrug her words came with.
"/Teleportation is dangerous business,/" the voice began her explanation. "/especially for one as weak as him, who must have come from an un-awakened world. Not to mention that the magic from that teleportation didn't seem particularly stable."/
"/Either way,/" she continued, "/he won't live long without help. I normally wouldn't care enough to save him, but his species interests me. I'll patch him up just enough so he'll survive some experimenting./"
Unaware he had just been reduced to a lab rat, Erik was still trying and failing to banish the fatigue from his body so he could move or at least speak.
Unbeknownst to Erik, the younger voice would be his saviour today, "/Wait… I want him./"
The mature voice sounded astonished, "/You… what? You mean… for that? Why? This choice will follow you for the rest of your life! Please think about it a little longer./"
She continued in a pleading tone, "/We don't even know anything about his species yet, and there are so many strong races out there; why pick something so similar to the generally weak humans?/"
The young voice sounded dismissive, likely shaking her head, "/It has to be now. You know his weakened soul will allow for a stronger bond between us. Besides, saving him now will make building trust easier./"
Her voice then began to ooze with excitement, "/Plus, I believe that his species is uniquely suited for that special talent of mine./"
Those last words appeared to spark the mature woman's interest, "/Truly? Alright, so maybe he is a good choice. But why speak about trust? Don't tell me you still intend to follow the ways of those wimps from the Radiant Glade?!"
The young voice sounded helpless, "/It was you who turned me on to the idea, Mother. I know this wasn't what you meant, but you promised to let me make my own choices! So are you going back on your word?/"
The mature voice seemed to grumble for a while but then seemed to relent, "/You know the others will kick you out for this, right? Even I won't be able to change their mind. And I can't come with you either, no matter how much I might want to./"
Her voice grew sterner, "/If you do this, it will be you and a man you know nothing about, alone in a dangerous world./"
Whatever the woman said seemed to have given the younger voice pause. Erik heard nothing for a while as he could only lay there while continuing to try and fight the fatigue that had ravaged his body while others decided his fate.
Then the young voice sounded again, "/Fine. I suppose I should at least know something about him. With his soul as weakened as it is, I should be able to read his memories."/
It wasn't long before Erik felt a finger against his forehead again, which lasted for five whole minutes before it was retracted.
The young voice sounded again, "/Interesting… I am even more sure now, Mother. This man has gone through quite a traumatic event before coming here. I think he has the potential to become the kind of partner I want./"
The mature voice released a sigh, "/Fine then. Do what you have to, little Whisp. You know I'll support you no matter what./"
The young voice sounded warm, likely smiling, "/Family above all, right?/"
The mature voice sounded like she agreed with something, "/Family above all./"
Next, Erik once again felt a finger against his forehead, but this time, he noticed something else as a voice he could actually understand sounded in his head.
"Hello there!" it began, almost cheerfully. "Since you don't speak our language and have a little trouble talking in the first place, I will use our souls to speak to you in a more primal language that any soul can understand. My name is Elora, and I have a proposal for you."