Nothing... there was nothing only an unending void filled with darkness and in the center of it all was Howard. Unmoving and just floating above what seemed to be the abyss, at first he just welcomed the ear-piercing silence but after a while, he finally spoke.
"Did I die?" Howard questioned
But after thinking of it a frown formed on his face, it was one of unsatisfaction. "Was that all of it?" the same thought repeated over and over again.
After a while, there was a bright light in the distance in the far corner of his sight, as he got closer to the light the figure of a boy began to appear, he had long black silk-like hair that almost reached his shoulders, his deep black wide eyes seemed to reflect a hope that could blind anyone who looked at it, the boy ran joyfully with his friends seeming to be the fastest, he laughed non stop while running.
Seeing this, Howard's ugly expression faded being replaced with a sense of nostalgia, at that exact time Howard jerked awake with a sharp gasp, the whole body screaming as if the very world itself had beaten it. His eyes flickered open and stared around. He wasn't on the ground anymore, nor in any room he could recognize. The floor below felt ruff and coarse, it caused a great deal of discomfort, Howard moved his head with a great deal of difficulty as he ignored the pain he realized that it was no room but, a wooden cage entwined with thick tree roots formed a rustic, organic structure. Natural wood beams and twisted roots intertwine, creating sturdy, earthy bars. Sunlight filters through, casting dappled shadows on a moss-covered floor.
Howard sat up, grimacing at the pain in his ribs, and slowly shuffled to the corners of the cage. Looking out, he saw multiple houses it was village but not on the earth but one built within the tall trees that reach the heavens themselves. Shaky bridges made from wood and vines connected platforms and huts, all suspended far above the earth. People moved carefully across the swaying bridges, going about their daily lives, their faces weary, their bodies gaunt.
After some time, the realization finally hit Howard that his park ranger uniform was completely gone not even the undergarments left. Seeing this Howard's mouth and eyes Widden in horror as realized that his skinny physique was visible to the people of this whole village, his eyes filled with noticeable embarrassment and he tried to cover up his tiny pabble but after some more time, he knew that there was no use of trying to hide anything since he had probably been seen by everyone already, knowing this most of the embarrassment left his face but not all of it.
"AHAHA what the hell does it matter whether everyone saw my tiny hill or not?! What matters now is trying to get more information about my situation because I don't know what these people might do to me, they might be cannibals for all I know"
After a little more inception of his body, Howard found a mysterious green substance on his wounds, it neither caused Howard pain nor pleasure. Howard didn't mind it but for his face, he didn't need a mirror to know his face was a mess with scratches and wounds all over, his usual silky black hair was all a jumbled-up piece of mess. Howard who once looked somewhat above average was now just a shell of his former self.
Suddenly, a huge man came into the cage resembling a bear more than a man, Howard just sat still not uttering a single word, not trying to get on the bad side of whoever these people might be.
The massive man left some food and water in front of Howard and quickly left the cage. As Howard looked at the food visible disgust formed on his face, the food having a sense of appeal in it.
"How bad can it truly be", He said trying to further his hopes
After one bite he realized that in fact, it was quite bad, almost to the point of making him throw up, he reached for the water in a last bit of effort to calm his taste buds.
But it had the opposite effect "What type of dogshit meal is this" Howard proclaimed in furry, but never the less his stomach still growled in hunger, so with a look of hesitation Howard closed his eyes and ate the strange almost otherworldy-looking cabbages and also gulped downed the water, wanting to rip this tong out to make the experience a little more bearable but he managed to pull through without vomiting.
Sometime after recovering for a little bit, he finally saw a hulking, nightmarish creature stalking through the shadows below the trees—massive, skinless beings with bone spikes for limbs. its eyes were white as snow, blind to everything but hunger. And on the back of one of the creatures, Howard could make out the figure of a man in black robes, eerily familiar. The same robes he had seen before, worn by the mysterious woman. It was clear to anyone that he was guarding his cage. Howard's jumped in fear but immediately he claimed down
"These people want to keep me alive for some purpose, if not they wouldn't have given me food", A plan starting to emerge in Howard's mind "So that means that won't kill me not for now", As he thought this the corners of lips begin to rise.
"This might be pretty stupid but at least it is better than nothing"
"Hey do you know what going" Howard inquired, but the man didn't say anything
"hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey," Howard said, none stop trying to get a reaction out but it there was still silence.
This continued for several more hours before Howard stopped finally knowing there was no use. After some more time, another strange figure came flying down, and at the same time Howard's face showed a look of surprise "It's the same bat that I had seen before" Howard said to himself
Seeing this, the man nodded his head and commanded his beast to leave, as he saw the creature jump from tree to tree his eyes landed on the woman who was on top of the bat. It was the same woman that had saved him.
"Alright time to try out my luck again" Howard inwardly said, but before opening his mouth the woman began talking.
"You are in our village and you are going to be sold off"
"How did you know what I was going to ask", Howard asked in a flat tone
"Probably because everyone heard your annoying yapping and as for the reason you are being sold off is that you are quite a valuable good around here" she replied answering Howard's question
Howard stood still looking blankly.
"What do you mean by valuable good?" Howard further inquired
"Wow your brain must be as small as your friend down there", she said in a joking tone
But suddenly, she gave Howard a cold look. She took a closer step to the cage, her eyes lingering as though she was examining something for trade rather than a human being.
"You really have no idea, do you?" she began, her voice soft but with an undertone of authority. "People like you from the outside world are scarce around here. You come from a world of resources information and technology. things that haven't been seen in there for centuries. You might not realize it, but you are worth more than anything we could ever grow or hunt here."
Howard's brow furrowed. "Worth more? To who?"
She folded her arms and rested against one of the wooden bars of the cage, never taking her eyes off him. "To the territory of Lumoria. It is one of the few large territories that control most of the major resources. Our village has been besieged in the dark of night by monsters of old for as long as anyone can remember. We just barely survive to scrounge up what morsels we have left," she gestured out into the distance,
Howard's stomach was churning. "Why do you think I'm from the outside world?"
"Because of the clothes that you were wearing, it made you stick out like a shore thumb", She answered
Howard did not look surprised
"Why are you telling me all of this so easily," Howard asked one last question
"Don't worry you will know sooner or later" she said with a tone of determination in her eyes.