In the end, I couldn't convince them that I was just a harmless passerby, so they cuffed me with handcuffs and told me to follow them.
They brought me to the city.
The city was breathtaking—alive with harmony between nature and magic. Towering green-and-white spires seemed to grow straight from the ground, their surfaces adorned with glowing runes that pulsed faintly in the fading sunlight. Homes wove into the trees, connected by bridges that swayed gently as elves moved with ethereal grace.
Yet, as awe-inspiring as it was, unease twisted in my gut.
I was lost in the beauty of the city and then a soldier asked their leader "Sir Eryndor what should we do with the captive".
"This way," Eryndor commanded sharply, his emerald eyes flicking toward me with suspicion. Soldiers surrounded me, their weapons gleaming, ready to strike at the slightest misstep.
I tried to keep my head down as we walked, but the stares of the elves burned into me. Whispers rippled through the crowd. Children clung to their parents, pointing at me with wide, curious eyes. The tension was suffocating.
The grand structure we approached was unlike anything I'd ever seen. A massive tree formed its core, its roots twisting into intricate patterns that pulsed faintly with light. The air was thick with magic, almost oppressive in its presence.
I was not sure what I was feeling this new world had pressure that I could feel but couldn't describe what it was.
Then Eryndor said!
"You'll answer for your presence here," Eryndor said as we stopped before the tree.
"I don't even know—" I began, but my voice faltered under his unyielding gaze.
An elderly elf stepped forward from the crowd. Her silver hair cascaded like moonlight, and her piercing eyes seemed to strip away my defenses.
"What is this human doing in our sacred city?" she demanded, her voice carrying authority.
Eryndor's tone was clipped. "He was found near our borders, with no knowledge of who or what he is."
The woman studied me for a long moment before speaking. "There is something… strange about him. His presence is unnatural."
The crowd murmured in agreement, their suspicion tangible.
"Enough," Eryndor declared. "He will be questioned thoroughly. The truth will come to light."
The murmurs followed me as I was led away. Each step felt heavier than the last as the soldiers escorted me to a towering stone building at the city's edge. It loomed over me, its surface inscribed with glowing symbols that pulsed like a heartbeat.
The cell they placed me in was cold, its walls humming faintly with magic. I sat on the hard floor, staring at the faintly glowing bars, my mind racing.
Hours passed. I thought of the faces in the crowd, the fear and distrust in their eyes. Could I blame them? Even I didn't understand what I was.
The sound of footsteps broke the silence. Eryndor appeared, flanked by two robed elves with him maybe they were mages.
"You've had enough time to think," he said coldly. Then he came forward and said "Now tell me who are you and what was a human like you doing in the forest of the spirits which has been in the protection of us elves for centuries"
I told him "I don't know anything I was just trying to get out of that forest".
He looked at me coldly and said, "I didn't want to use force, but... " He stepped back and gave a sign to the mages with his hand and said, "Now, we'll uncover the truth ourselves."
I stood, my heart pounding. "Wait! I really don't know anything! I—"
He cut me off with a gesture. The mages began chanting, their voices low and resonant. Magic swirled in the air, its pressure building until I thought my head might split.
It was getting painful by the second my head felt like my head would burst like a bubble.
Then it struck me.
How was I here and why was I still alive the world I knew the wor...
The world dissolved into chaos.
I started to see broken memories not clearly remembering what they were.
I saw a house—our house. My family's voices called out to me. My little sister's laughter rang in my ears, a sound I hadn't heard in so long. Then it was replaced by screams—hers, my mother's, my brother's. I couldn't clearly remember what happened but what did come to me was no one was safe.
I remember trying to save them but nothing worked.
I tried to reach them, to pull them to safety, but I failed.
then I saw a memory where!
In the chaos, there was a massive crystal, glowing with a purplish-green light that seemed alive. Inside, I saw my mother and siblings, their bodies frozen as if in sleep. My mother's face was serene, her hand pressed against the inside of the crystal as if reaching for me. My siblings looked peaceful, unaware of the destruction raging around them.
And then I saw myself lying with the crystal the same purplish-green light spread across my body like blood vines my body brunt and crumbling to ask.
The last thing I saw in these broken memories was A...
A voice of women saying to me
"Survive," her words cutting through the chaos.
Pain ripped through me as the memories tore themselves free. I fell to my knees, clutching my head.
"No! No! " I screamed as the onslaught continued. The faces of my family, their terrified cries, the woman's fading silhouette—it was too much.
Something inside me snapped. A tidal wave of energy erupted from my body, shattering the cell walls and sending the mages and Eryndor flying.
But I barely noticed. The agony was too consuming, my screams tearing through the air. The city trembled under the force, the echoes of my torment reaching every corner. then my mind started to fade I started to lose myself
And then, darkness swallowed me whole.