Chapter 273: A Different World (1/2)

In a grand forest that has stood thousands of years, a small crack was created and a young man fell from it toward a stream. The stream carried him from one bank to another until he reached a meadow where his body was picked up by a few creatures.

These creatures weren't big in stature, all looking to be five feet tall with a thin build. Not only that, they had pale green skin with humanoid features. Leaves and roots sprung out of their heads, making them anything but human.

These creatures called themselves the druids, an ancient race that protected the forest and made sure it thrived despite the calamities. As they saw the young man, their eyes lit up as they hurried to carry him back to their village.

The road was long and the swinging made the young man open his eyes. A set of golden eyes, unfocused, sought to understand where he was and why his body felt so heavy.

'Where am I?' Arthur wondered as he turned his head to the side. He was being carried by vines that worked as a net, protruding from the hands of two creatures that he has never seen the like of before.

He tried to move his body, but it was unresponsive. He could only move his head with minimal leeway before the pain overtook his body. As if lead has filled every cranny in his body, Arthur couldn't move a muscle.

'Is this the backlash from using the chains?' Arthur wondered. He closed his eyes before they noticed he was awake. After all, he couldn't trust these creatures to be sensible.

This time, he tried to control the mana. As soon as his manablood entered his energy pathways, it started to destroy his body by leaking out before turning into mana.

It took all his willpower not to scream. The creatures then began to talk about something, but Arthur couldn't understand what they were saying. He opened his eyes just enough to look asleep as he peeked through the narrow slit of his eyelids.

There endless giant trees, looking as old as the world itself. They were on a trail between those trees, heading off to somewhere. The trip wasn't long, as signs of civilization began emerging. There were structures like houses and huts on the trees, high in the sky.

There were more voices now, all speaking a language he couldn't understand. As they discussed him, pointing at him from time to time, Arthur saw something that he didn't like in their eyes. Greed.

He decided it was time to teleport, even if he would be hurt, but he felt something unlike he had ever since his awakening. He couldn't use his runes.

'What's going on?' Panic began to overtake him. However, the creatures were unconcerned and they kept marching him off toward the center of the village.

They arrived at a large cage made of roots and vines. The vines opened up to let them in and Arthur was carried inside. Once he was in, they threw him toward the ground and left the cage. He was imprisoned.

'Well, no use in pretending to be asleep now.' Arthur opened his eyes to look around. He moved his head just enough to see the place he was in. It was a prison cell, made of roots and vines, and there was one other person inside of it.

He could see many cells other than his, each holding people inside. He turned his head toward the person he was imprisoned with.

It was a middle-aged man with white sideburns and a beard. He was wearing armor that reeked of blood and held many scratches and dents. Feeling his gaze, the man opened his eyes.

”Vanz Yura kel asa?” The man said but Arthur didn't know what that means, so he kept looking at him, hoping to convey that. ”Veriz?” The man smiled at him and went back to sleep.

If Arthur had to guess, the man asked him what brought him here. He must have realized that Arthur didn't understand what he said. Again, the question demanded an answer.

'Where the hell am I?'

***

Arthur was kept in the prison cell for a few torturous days, to say the least. Every day, they made him drink a thick green liquid that worked to sustain him for the rest of the day. Somehow, no waste came out.

He hadn't regained full function yet, but he could move his torso a bit now. Other than the man saying things he couldn't understand, Arthur had to spend his days looking at the empty sky.