Eryx blinked, his vision blurry as he slowly came to. The air around him was thick and warm, filled with the scent of wet earth and something unfamiliar — something... otherworldly. His body felt foreign, too, as though he were wearing someone else's skin. His fingers twitched as he tried to move, but they were slow, stiff — weak.
Where am I? He tried to recall the last thing he remembered, but his mind was blank, foggy, like an ocean of mist clouding the shores of his thoughts. It was a strange feeling, a sense of having just woken from a long dream that he couldn't quite place. He didn't know if he was alive or dead, if he was in his own body or someone else's.
His breath caught in his throat as a new sensation hit him — the air tasted different. Crisper. His senses sharpened, despite the confusion that clouded his mind. He could hear the rustling of leaves, the chirp of distant birds, the hum of water running in a stream nearby. The sounds of nature.
Slowly, he propped himself up on his elbows. His limbs felt strange, but they obeyed, moving with effort as he sat up. The ground beneath him was soft, a tangle of grass and moss. A forest, he realized, the dense canopy of trees stretching high above him.
"What is this place?" he muttered aloud, his voice rough as if it had not been used in a long time.
He looked down at his hands, trying to make sense of the situation. His skin was pale, smooth, the hands of someone who had never worked a hard day in their life. But there was something off about them — something subtle. The way his fingers moved, the way the light seemed to shimmer just around the edges of his skin.
Eryx tried to remember who he was, but the harder he focused, the more the details slipped through his fingers. He wasn't sure if he had always been someone else, or if he had been… something else entirely. The memories felt foreign, like they belonged to someone who wasn't him. But there was a faint, nagging sensation at the back of his mind — a sense that he had lived before.
Suddenly, a figure appeared before him, interrupting his thoughts. A woman, dressed in robes of earthy brown, her long hair braided tightly against her head. She was older, her eyes sharp, though they held a warmth that immediately put him at ease.
"You're awake," she said softly, her voice calm and steady.
Eryx's heart skipped a beat. She didn't look shocked, didn't look surprised. She was expecting him to wake up here. He wasn't sure why, but that unnerved him.
"Who… are you?" His voice cracked as he spoke, the sound foreign even to his own ears.
"My name is Adara Silversong," the woman replied, kneeling in front of him. "I'm a healer, of sorts. I've been watching over you since you arrived."
"Arrived?" Eryx echoed, still struggling to find his bearings. "What do you mean? Where am I?"
Adara smiled faintly, as though she had been waiting for this moment. "You are in the village of Ivoris," she explained. "A small, peaceful place on the outskirts of the realm of Terragorn."
Ivoris. The name didn't resonate with him, but the air here felt… different. The trees, the soil, the sky — it was as if the world itself had a strange, almost magical presence. Something about it pulled at his senses.
"But how did I get here?" Eryx pressed, trying to push past the fog in his mind. "What happened to me?"
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly, as if she were weighing something in her mind. Then, she spoke, her voice steady.
"You're not from here, Eryx Valorian," she said gently. "I know this is difficult, but you must trust me. You've been… reborn."
Reborn. The word struck him like a lightning bolt. Reborn? He blinked, staring at her, trying to comprehend what she was saying. He had no memory of dying, no memory of a life that had ended. And yet, a strange feeling gnawed at him. The world around him, the feeling of this place, the very air — it all seemed wrong, and yet so familiar at the same time.
"Reborn?" Eryx repeated. "What does that mean?"
Adara looked down for a moment, her expression serious. "You were not born in this world, Eryx. You were brought here from another. Your soul is different from others. You carry memories of another life, a life that no longer exists. But it is that very life that has brought you to us."
His heart raced, his thoughts scattered. Reborn. Another life. Memories that didn't belong to him. A thousand questions swirled in his head, each one more pressing than the last.
"How do you know all of this?" Eryx asked, his voice rising with frustration. "Who are you to know anything about me?"
Adara's gaze softened, her tone taking on a more soothing edge. "I have seen many things in my life, Eryx. And I have seen signs — signs that you are part of something larger, something that will shape the fate of this world. You may not remember it, but you were chosen. The prophecy calls for someone with your soul."
"Prophecy?" Eryx whispered. "What prophecy?"
Before Adara could answer, the sound of footsteps approached. Eryx turned his head, and his gaze fell on a young man who was rushing toward them, a look of concern etched on his face. His clothes were simple, but he wore a leather satchel that marked him as a traveler, someone who had journeyed far.
"Is he awake?" the young man asked, breathless.
"Yes, Kael," Adara replied, standing up and turning to face the newcomer. "He's awake. We can begin the next step now."
Kael approached Eryx cautiously, eyeing him as if he were unsure whether to trust him. "I'm Kael Ordran," he said, extending a hand to Eryx. "I'm glad to see you're up. We have a lot to discuss, but first, we need to get you to safety."
Eryx hesitated for a moment, but then he took Kael's hand. It felt firm, warm, grounded — like the earth beneath him.
"What's going on?" Eryx asked, feeling more lost than ever. "Why did I wake up here? What's happening to me?"
Adara's expression hardened as she turned back toward the trees, her eyes scanning the distance. "There is much you must learn, Eryx. And much you must understand about the world you've entered. But for now, the most important thing is this: You are not here by accident. You have a role to play in what is to come. And that role will determine the future of this world."
Eryx swallowed, the weight of her words settling over him like a heavy fog. He wasn't sure what this world held for him, but one thing was clear: his life, as he knew it, was over. And now, he was bound to something far greater than himself.