Beautiful glistening green eyes gaze down upon my alien form. They sparkle like a ray of light hitting the canopy of an endless forest. I try to smile, but the shaking and spasming of my jaw stops that from occurring. I have another sip, and a strange feeling washes over me. It is painful, but more than just painful. It is a nostalgic stomach pain, as strange as that is to comprehend. With each sip, the feeling grows in intensity. What is wrong with me? I cannot help but desire more, even though I have not drank or eaten anything like this for… well, I cannot remember when last something had taste. It was fuel and texture that soon ran out and was not needed as I strived for answers. An answer that I cannot find while I am here – I need to get up! These cruel limbs do not move though. No matter how badly my brain wants it, whatever has taken over my body does not. It… it must be leaching from whatever I am drinking! That’s what it is. I need to tell them. I breathe out. No sound is vocalized. The monster must have taken over my throat too. It is only a matter of time before my head is taken over. I sip again and warmth rolls through my face and nose. I blink a few times and look up, finally making out more of the figure above.

Green eyes and long curly red hair. Pale and heavily scarred skin. A few freckles cover her face. She wears what look to be battle worn leathers and metals. No black. No Dreg anywhere. She smiles and keeps putting this liquid in my mouth. It is incredible, each mouthful is bliss but… she is just feeding a monster. My head is the only human thing getting sustenance from this meal. Perhaps she will notice and put me out of my misery. I would rather end it all than let myself turn into whatever is taking over my body.

“It is very rare these days for any human to be out in the regular world. We have holed ourselves in this place and kept all Dreg away. Monsters don’t seem to notice us and thankfully, we have been able to start a farm. The plane of potential is as cruel as it is merciful, huh?”

I nod, no matter how hard I try, all I can muster is a quiet breath.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but you are unbelievably thin. How did you survive? You were walking around like nothing was wrong when we spotted you, and kept everything sealed just incase you were actually a monster. I am really sorry for… well, that is quite an insulting statement, and we would not normally judge people on their looks but you can never be too safe these days.”

I nod again. Of course, you need to be safe. Of course, this body is not mine which is why its so monstrous. Please, just kill me. End whatever this monster is attempting.

“It is far too early for questions, I can see it will be weeks before you have recovered to the point of being able to speak.”

I shake my head with all the ferocity I can. No, not weeks! Kill me now! The monster will have fully taken over by then. This strange stomach pain has washed over my body – sensations that were once muted – the monster must be up to something. Fuck, she doesn’t seem to notice.

“My name is Melza.”

Melza? Odd name. Would she be from the Cliffs?

“I grew up in the plane of potential and traveled around with my family. They were bigshots in the Dreg vaults and banks. They hated Dreg though, something about the past and how dangerous it is so instead we only had metal and wooden things at home, especially weapons. They were very strict about no Dreg weapons. They told me horrible stories about different people who wielded Dreg weapons. My parents did tell me about a time when they were watching Fa, a serial killer, being carried off in a cage.”

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I watch her talk. There is something relaxing about her voice. It is feminine yet gravely and smokey. Deep and thick like honey, yet just as sweet. Strange, I did hear of Fa saying things to a mob that riled them up. Not sure exactly what it was though. It was reportedly lies and insults to tempt people into rushing the cage to grab him. It was speculated that his plan was to use the chaos as a cover and escape once again.

“Fa told the crowd that he wanted redemption; that he wanted a second chance. He was sorry for the deeds and they believed him. They believed he had completely changed and now, they are wishing for redemption. The place we currently are is my families attempt at asking for forgiveness. Many lives were impacted from the job of banks, but that was what they were designed to do. Squeeze all the Dreg from the pockets of those misfortunate enough to use them. They were the salvation and despair, the carrot and the stick all at once. They could give people a chance at life, and then lead the same people to destruction in the same breath.”

She pauses and puts more of this liquid in my mouth. I swallow it cautiously and slowly, making sure that all its energy stays in my head. I cannot feed the monster at all.

“They thought this was judgement for all the wrongs people have done and thus want to help. They want to be the salvation they were promised to be. They want to give people a second chance at life in a world overrun by monsters. That is where we are now, lost and confused yet still going strong.”

I nod along slowly. I take a deep breath and manage to get out a quiet moan. Melza quickly moves close, putting her ear near my mouth “Did you say something?”

“G…an.”

“Gan?”

I nod.

“That is your name?”

I nod.

“Wr…iter.”

“A writer? That must be why you were looking for pens and paper.”

I nod again.

“Po...em?”

“Poem? What poem?”

I wont be able to tell them. Oh well, I can speak a little at least. This is my chance to save this place.

“I… mon…ster. Kill… me.”

She moves away and picks up a silver bowl and spoon. She looks at me with… concern? No, it is something more primal than that, but something more human and restrained than fear.

“Well, it looks like we are out of broth soup. You should get some sleep and I will be back with more when you wake up. We will chat properly when you have recovered.” She smiles with a warmth reminiscent of broth. She is charming, but her eyes are… ah, that’s the word; desolate. It is only for a moment before the smiles and joy return to her features. With that, she walks off, leaving me to my own devices.

After a few seconds, my eyes begin to burn. Is the monster finally taking over? They hurt in a way that is giving me a headache at the same time. Again, another feeling that is painfully nostalgic but yet I cannot put a finger on it. They are struggling to stay open, and against my will keep fluttering closed. So annoying – and the rest of my body is relaxing. I want to stay awake, I want to take in this room but my body is not allowing me to. I try to keep my eyes open with all my might but it is a futile battle, they close and I start taking deep breaths. Please, let it just stop. Let me free from this monsters’ clutches.

A strong wind wraps around my body. It lifts me up with little resistance and soon I am flying through the air. I cannot help but laugh – where am I? Does it really matter? This is… another nostalgic feeling. A nostalgic place I have visited many times. The winds feel like a warm embrace, while lacking any physical warmth. Wait, I know where this is. The gale of Gan’la is surrounding me, welcoming me home. I laugh – my voice is strangely on the higher pitch of a deep voice. This voice… it must be mine, for why would another sound laugh when I wished to? I look down and I can see the wind running along the sand playfully. I can see the gales breaking on stone and long since abandoned houses, searching the spaces for shapes to play with. A carpet is found and slowly pushed outside by stray currents – WHOOSH, the air takes it.

There are creatures here – monsters that glide happily through the air. Their bodies are light, feathered and hairy. They have different styles and shapes of wing; some have beaks and others have lips. Some have talons and others have hands and feet. Some are green and others are purple and crimson. Each is individual, alive, and most certainly monsters. I am flying among them, without any noticing my presence.

The gale stops.

I drop.