All I can hear is them screaming. What do I do now? Where do I go? So many questions running through my head. It hurts. I can feel my heartbeat in the back of my head. So loud. It's all loud. I want it all to stop. Just stop, please..

.

.

.

The sky's dark now.. The moon's peeking down at me through the leaves. They aren't screaming anymore. They finally stopped. I'm able to muster up enough energy to stand now. I don't want to look behind me. That's where I left them. I don't want to see them. The forest shifts and blurs in front of me… I stumble forwards, through the trees and plants. The seconds of walking melt into minutes, and the minutes fade into what feels like hours. Eventually, I come across a clearing. A spot seperated from all the trees, illuminated by a crescent moon.. The moon…

I bring a hand up to wipe my eyes, only now remembering that they're coated in dried blood. I opt for the cleanest part of my sleeve I could find instead. I don't want to think about what happened, so I look up. Towards the moon. It's as beautiful as it always has been. I sit down and bury my face in my knees, and after some time, I start to hum a tune. A familiar one. I feel the rumble in my own chest against my legs as I curl up on my side, closing my eyes. I'm so, so tired…

.

.

.

I open my eyes to the blazing sun, and the sounds of birds echoing through the forest. My eyes feel heavy.. What happened last night? I stand up straight, trying to recall. I look down at my hands, coated in dried blood. I stop when I get a sickening feeling. Lowering my hands, I walk forward, bringing my attention to the swirling colors in the air. They're impossible to describe, yet easy to tell apart. I've never thought about what it all is. Maybe I'll find out soon now that I..

…

I continue walking forwards until I leave the clearing. I follow the wisps of something gentle, yet forceful. Sweet yet viscous. Branches sway and leaves fall from the forces slowly swirling around me. The plants part on their own in front of me, revealing a river. Full of that sweet, viscous force. The rapid waters seem to drift in my direction as I lower to my knees beside it. I stare into it as I try to slow everything down. It's all moving so fast. I lower my hands into the water, and I feel the current swirl around my hands. I pull my hands out and can actually see my skin now. I look down at the rest of me, which isn't much better than my hands were. I think I'll just do the same for all of it. I lean forwards and let myself fall into the current.

The force of the water seems to almost still around me, before swirling across my body until every centimeter is covered. I can still breathe, somehow. I think some of the force that came from the air followed me down. It feels weird, there's a tingly sensation running through me. It doesn't hurt though, it's actually weirdly pleasant. After a few minutes it lifts me out itself, and I find myself on the other side of the river. I'm all dry and clean, which is nice. I can't quite muster a smile though, I'm not sure why. No longer covered in dried blood, I decide to look at my reflection. What meets my gaze is a teenage boy's deep gray eyes and perfectly smooth white, but not pale, skin. His thick hair is pure white and wavy, going halfway down his back. He wears tattered and thin clothing. I don't remember my hair being this long, but I guess I don't mind.

Still can't recall what happened last night, but whenever I try to think about it I get nauseous.. I'll stop trying to think about it for now. I guess I need to figure out where to go. Standing up, I start heading downstream. I trust the flowing water to guide me. I enjoy the scenery while I walk, so many forces floating through the space around me. In the air, there's a calm yet erratic force that fluctuates. In the ground, a stable and firm one. Within the water lies the sweet yet viscous force that led me to it. In the trees and plants, it's pulsating, growing ever so slightly by the second. The sights and sounds are entrancing, I can even smell it all. It's hard to describe what the scent is like for each, but they're all distinct. I hear a sound to my left, prompting me to turn my head. A deer walks towards the river. It's right next to me. I expect it to run, back up, or at least stop walking, but it doesn't. It stays right beside me, leaning down to get a drink. It has its own unique force, scent, it's completely unique. I guess all living things are.

I slowly lift my hand, sliding it along the deer's back. It doesn't even pause its drink as I feel it, not its fur, but the force it has. It's warm, tranquil. And it feels as if it's spreading that to me. For the first time in.. Well, I'm not sure. For the first time in a while, I smile. The deer finishes drinking and walks away, but the feeling it passed on doesn't fade. I turn around and continue on my way. I forget why I was walking in the first place, all I can see is the beauty around me. Everything passes by so fast, even that deer moved on after a couple minutes. It's beautiful, so many short-lived creatures in such an everlasting environment. I.. I don't know what's come over me, I can't remember what happened in the past, but everything is just so.. Beautiful. I lose track of time as I look around, but eventually I stop and look up as a shadow looms over me. There's a wall. Built with countless stone bricks and towering high over me and the trees, which I am just now noticing have become much more scarce and spread out. I glance at the unblocked river, passing through a metal grate and into whatever the wall contains.

I run my hand along the rough stone, feeling the firm and steady force of the earth within. I walk along it, curious about where the entrance is. After a few minutes of walking, I see two fully armored men, standing in front of an open gate. They both have interesting weapons too. I'm not sure the name, but it has a sharp metal tip and an axe head attached to a long handle. I can see their force, smell it too. The one closest to me is on the right side, at least looking from the outside he is. He's hot, practically blazing. He smells like charcoal, but in a weirdly good way. I tap his arm, and he turns his head to look. He pauses for a second before opening his mouth, but I speak first.

"What is this place?" My own voice surprises me, slightly high-pitched and smooth. I spoke much quieter than intended, but he seems to have heard me, a slight change in his expression shows me that.

"The city of Alexum." He answers. His voice is gruff, laced with a slight tone that I think is confusion. "Where are you from, boy?" He questions. "Ain't a town in miles."

"I dunno." I think my answer shocks him, because he starts to look at me a little differently.

"Really now? Not a clue?" He asks, and I nod. He sighs before he speaks. "Any clue as to how ya got here then? Or from where ya came from." I nod. "Then could you give me a direction?" I point in the direction I came. He looks up and in the direction, before telling me to wait a second and going to speak to the other guard. I can still hear them, though.

"Hey, John." The man I spoke with says, prompting a questioning sound from the guard named John. "You know of any place over there in the forest?" He points. "A boy just showed up saying he ain't a clue where he's from and that he's from over there." He steps aside a bit so the man named John sees me. I wave.

"Only place that comes to mind is old Martha's cottage." Huh? That name's.. Familiar. Martha…

And then it happens, a sickening feeling washes over me as I think of the name. I stop listening to what they're saying and it's all I can think of. Martha, Martha, why's it so familiar? Why? What..

…

I can't remember. I don't want to. Suddenly, I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I snap back into reality.

"Hey. You alright?" I blink. I'm curled up on the ground, hugging my knees. When did that happen? The fiery guard is kneeling in front of me. I release my grip on my legs and stand, he follows.

"I'm fine, sorry.." I answer his question after a beat, and he doesn't push further.

"You head on in, alright?" He says, the guard behind him goes to interject, only to be interrupted before he gets more than a noise out. "I ain't hearing it, John. Let the boy in, I'm not having him out here in the forest." He turns back to me. "You head to the Inn and get yourself a room, alright? Tell the man at the bar I sent ya." 

"Uh, thank you." I reply before slipping past him and into the city. The massive walls were encasing an even larger city. Countless forces in front of me, so many houses lined up in neat rows.. It's new. New is good…

.

.

.

Right?