Waking Up Was Difficult for Arakvili.

He felt the Moist Stone on his back as he laid down. Moss particles brushing against the tips of his fingers while the Wind brushed over him, moving his hair off his face. He had opened his eyes a long time ago, yet it was too peaceful for him to move. He watched as the Sun shined through the gaps in leaves on the oak trees all around. Yet stimulated by Fear he got up.

Looking around he recognized that the world wasn't the one he knew. The grass here had a faint gradient of blue, while giant ferns and shrubs swayed in the forests shade. Flowers shaped like Hallucinations covering the branches of shrubs or the most clumps in the soil.

Though despite all that there too he saw ahead a trailing off a cobble path.

Arakvili was still in shock. Just yesterday, even the last thing he knew was that he was relaxing together with his family and girlfriend on a vacation, but was awoken in the middle of the night by a stone formation around him, glowing violent blue like what one would imagine a bioluminescent dragon of deep seas, numbing his mind he fell into a deep stupor. Only to awake here.

Now as Arakvili was caught off guard thinking about how he got here, he was startled as creatures threw themselves over and across the path, yet as those fast ones flowed over, a few walked over across the path. Seeing them, they looked like Deer, yet their necks were longer and sleeker, smooth. Yet their horns were short and stout as the remaining parts turned into sets of feathers that were thin and long.

Most of them left quickly, yet one of the larger Deer stopped in the middle of the path, flexing its neck its Fur was brought up, like the quills of a hedgehog, it was a little cute. But at the same time, the feathers sets on its horns unwinded, expanding large like the show of a peacock. the Deer shivered the feathers on its horns once again. Possibly a method of intimidation, for which Arakvili stood still, hoping it wouldn't do anything.

Now just as quickly as the rest of its herd, the deer disappeared into the forest. Sliding off like a fish in a stream. The only thing to be seen from it was a brown blur.

Sigh…

“ I don't know anymore… ” Arakvili couldn't help but imagine what would happen next. He had neither the skills to start a fire or the knowledge to go foraging. He could just hope to find a shelter.

Looking down, he saw the same stone formation that brought him here. A Spiral alignment of stones that looked like the fossil of an ammonite, surrounded all around by shaved boulders that resemble pillars, upon of which were painted in blue spirals and branching lines that coursed off the sides of the boulders.

Touching one of them, Arakvili felt the dusty texture of stone and its cold. But that was all.

Leaving behind the stone formation, Arakvili began to follow the cobble path, which winded around trees and hills as all kinds of creatures could be heard, like the groaning of boars and the barking of deer. Branches snapped in the woods around while the foliage bustled. Every once in a while strange animals could be seen working against each other.

On the road a frog jumped across, hurried, yet by the time Arakvili reached close to the point of its crossing a snake rapidly slithered over and between the stones, chasing after the frog.

It reminded a sense of dread.

Looking upward, the Path seems to have been drawn here from the skies as no branches of any trees grew over it, allowing the sun to illuminate the path ahead just fine. Though this also gave its own sense of dread, peeking into the woods only to see twisted shapes.

With that Arakvili spent the next few dozen minutes if not an hour traveling, before any change in scenery was had. Aside from the Few Hills and the drops that gave views to ponds and lakes, with some creatures seen roaming. Yet the young man started jogging, soon bringing it to a run. As time passed, fewer and fewer animals could be heard, the birds that previously sang now felt silent, just watching above. The deer could neither be heard or seen again. Arakvili felt worried as if something was watching him.

Sprinting he eventually made it out of the forest into a clearing, though the grass was tall and it was hard to see, though over it Arakvili saw a ruined tower. Covered in vines and holes it looked ancient and abandoned, but that was enough. To him it meant that there were people somewhere.

Rushing to the door he pushed in, to which the creaking thing made a terrible noise but didnt break. Entering the tower Arakvili got a quick glimpse of the interior. A dubious assembly of of boxes and some fireplace. But beside the door was a plank. He quickly pushed the door closed panting and took the plank to bar the door.

Here he fell to his knees tired, he looked around the room to see what could be seen, but the floor with the door closed was incredibly dark, only light coming from the staircase across the room and a few tiny holes in the wall. Down here stacked on the boxes were some tools. A Shovel and Axe, though there were some duplicates, all but a single pair were broken. There was also a Hoe and Sickle on a table.

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However Arakvili stopped there, deciding to go upstairs instead since he hadn't yet confirmed if this place was actually safe.

Holding his arm against a column in the middle of the stairwell, he went upstairs. Peeking into the first room spotted, it looked like a study. Filling out the entire second floor, the room didn't appear to have much in it.

In the middle of the room there was a table with a single chair set to its side, behind of which was a window barred shut with iron rods. To the left of the room was a bookshelf, yet it was empty. Not a single book stood in it, just a single vial in the top shelf and mortar and pestle at the bottom shelf. The right side of the room was no prettier a sight. There was only a large rock on the floor, on top of which was a terribly ramshackle formation of leather, straps and string that barely resembles a bed. The only thing that gives it away is a pillow that looks somewhat normal…

‘ This place… What kind of person could have possibly lived here. ’ Alqyres thought as he rushed to the window, scoffing at the idea of the bed. However as he looked outside the barred window, it was worse than he feared.

In the clearing bellow in the tall grass, there was some kind of creature. Like an Iguana yet massive and thin. Like a python on with clawed legs, yet its head was like that of a wolf or bat. Fur covered most of its body though loosely scales could be seen on its hide. While its tail was crooked and cracked. It looked injured. Though by the way it was laying perfectly still at the base of the tower, staring at the door as if ready to pounce and kill its prey in a single blow.

A shiver went down Arakvili spine as he thought of what would have happened if he hadn't felt that he was being watched. Would he have been painfully killed by it? Would he even have known before he died? He choose to stand at the window and watch the beast. Hoping that it leaves.

Because of this nearly thirty minutes passed before Arakvili was startled back and fell over, quickly getting up and looking out the window.

The creature had flipped its body suddenly like a burst of lightning and disappeared into the forest where it emerged from, yet with speed unseen before. Its movements were fluid as it fully faded from view between the trees, moving like water through cracks.

Arakvili was devastated, he continued to stare. Considering the fact that he may never be able to exit the tower without having to worry about such a creature. Timbers shivered. But, he drew back, going back to the stairs and catching onto the column as before.

Walking up onto the third floor, there was nothing, it was just the top of the ruin. The battlements around the tower were mostly cracked and broken, while elsewhere vines and even shrublike things grew around the outer edges, yet as Arakvili stepped onto the top of the tower, he too found its owner.

In the middle of the tower sat a corpse, a skeleton keeled over with not much to it except a robe stuck over it. Bamboozled and a little scared Arakvili drew back, but deciding what had to be done went around the corpse to take a look at its face, to confirm if it was truly a human. But as he did, he only found the Skull of a bear on the vaguely humanoid skeleton. And as well as that, the corpse was clutching onto a book. Its cover was made of some kind of purple wool while it was also encased in iron. The paper looked old as it had a yellow tint.

Arakvili, however, found the situation difficult. He didn't know what he should do. He wanted the book in the hands of the corpse, for he believed that it could contain information of assistance to his situation. Yet as the same time, he had never disturbed the dead before.

“ I will give you a proper Burial, so forgive me for disturbing you. “ Arakvili chose to say, resolute in his choice. However as he pushed out his hand to take out the book from the hands of the corpse, his hand hit against something smooth. Though it felt like hot air or steam.

Looking down, there was a circle of ash and dust around the corpse. It seemed arranged well yet as Arakvili laid his hand closer a dome appeared around it, paired with that the circle of dust came alive as wind whirled through it and began to spark…

‘ This feels like something Grandmother would do. But that's all it is, ’

Pushing down onto the dome, his hand pierced through as the circle of ash and dust dissipated, the wind collecting the masses as the hot air bubbled away. Though he still felt like he had put his hand in an oven.

Carefully extracting the book from the hands of the skeleton, it nearly tumbled but was caught by Arakvili.

Looking at it, he felt some sense of sadness to what may have happened to it. So he let his curiosity settle down. Instead picking up the corpse he brought it down to the first floor.

There too he grabbed the Shovel before beginning to dig outside. It may have taken some odd twenty minutes, but he made a grave suitable for the corpse. It wasn't that deep, but it was long enough to lay down the corpse at a reasonable depth. And so he did, setting the dead body of whoever may have resided here before burying it.

There wasn't much Arakvili could do except hope that there is an afterlife and that its kind. He may see it himself soon if he's not careful.

Throwing the Shovel over his Shoulder Arakvili looked to the sky, finding the sun churning the skies gold with the call of dusk. He went inside and barred the door again before rushing upstairs to look for the book, finding it as quickly.

Returning back to the second floor, Arakvili sat down at the table on the second floor and began reading…