Chapter 01 [arc two]

The first thing Karilyn saw was the sky darkening into a deep purple color. She had opened her eyes once he jumped off the edge, and she was amazed. The hole was transforming, shifting to become something new that was flattering. Her eyes hurt from how bright everything was becoming. It was like someone had shined a flashlight directly at her face. The brightness was also changing colors in a way that made her wonder if it was from the sun. Because if it wasn't, she had no idea what to say or how to even comprehend what was happening.

"We're going through a rift right now." "What you're seeing are flashes of other worlds." The man explained, but his voice melted away. It became one with the abyss, like everything else.

They were falling between realities, and she was lost. The twenty-two-year-old was struggling to digest everything that was happening. She felt like she was going to be dropped into some alternate universe. But she also wouldn't mind it as she saw buildings and skies float into nothing. It felt like it would be peaceful to become one with it all. She knew it was the drugs making her feel this way, but it didn't matter. Her mind had finally calmed, and she was going to cherish it. Purple specks of the setting sun fell down and danced directly in the twenty-two-year-old's face as the man landed.

Like clay, the green beneath the man's shirt molded together and spilled over in malformed chunks. The chunks vibrated as she stared at them. The strange geometrical shape they took enraptured her. But as soon as he moved to walk, all of the blocky chunks disappeared and turned into water. The water was translucent and became a puddle that he had to wade through. He walked slowly and looked at the twenty-two-year-old. His expression calmed, and he appeared to be relieved.

"I'm glad you're okay." Portal travel this primitive and can become intoxicating. Never jump into any of those worlds no matter how strong the urges are. He instructed, becoming dominant in his tone.

Karylin nodded sluggishly. "Okay. "Um, where are we exactly?" Her head was starting to hurt as the symptoms of withdrawal hit her hard.

The man was quiet for a moment before speaking. "We're close to my house." was all he said as he avoided the bigger questions at hand.

She tried to ask another question, but her lips felt swollen. Every part of her body was becoming jelly, and she suddenly became exhausted. The wave of exhaustion was welcome, as she hadn't slept much. Sleeping in this strange man's arms scared her, but she could barely stay awake now. And he had kept his promises so far, so she doubted he'd abandon her in this strange place. Honestly, she was unsure what the world was like with the drugs affecting her mind. Knowing that the bastard had drugged her made her feel sicker and more done with it all. Her head nuzzled into his chest against his thick jacket, and she let out a tiny yawn as she slept.

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And even in her dreams, it immersed her in a world of oddities and strange memories. At one moment, she was back home, but everyone's faces were gone. When she reached out to her mother, the older woman simply vanished. The next thing she knew, she was lying on a sandy beach. There was a woman with long red hair standing above her. Karilyn realized she was the unnamed slave girl's mother as the woman smiled. Her mother reached out as the 22-year-old had done earlier. But instead of vanishing, a man pulled away the woman all too familiar and thrown down. In her shock, Karilyn stood frozen in the strange memory with teary eyes before awakening.

The first thing that Karilyn felt when becoming conscious was that she was submerged. at least partially, with her back and thighs feeling wet. She tried to move her head, but she couldn't. There was something large over her mouth and nose that made things difficult. Looking closer at it, she could make out plastic and glass above her head. Her body relaxed, and she tried to let out a relieved sigh. The man had kept his promise and put her in a healing bed while she slept. The thing on her lower face was a surgical mask, and the water was healing tonics. She floated, relief filling her mind as she allowed the machine to work.

Her curly hair swam in the liquid as she heard someone start to speak. "Are you sure she's the one?" The chamber's insulation distorted and muffled the stranger's voice.

"Yes," it was the man from before. He must be close, as she heard a chair nearby get pulled out. "I found her in the room where he keeps failed sacrifices."

The person he was talking to sighed. "How long had she been in there?" "She looked half dead when you brought her to me." The woman felt happy to hear someone worry about her well-being.

"Only a couple of days, but he broke her legs before she was thrown in." She would have died from infection before the ritual started. This made the other person gasp and start to rant.

The volume of their voice increased with every word as the stranger grew enraged. "That bastard. I swear, ever since we accepted sacrifices from men like them, they've disrespected the process. "They ignore our traditions and spit in our faces!"

At this, Karilyn zoned out. It horrified her that her fears had been confirmed. If the man had left her in that room, she would be dead. Kaname had left her wounds festering and becoming septic. The thought of it made her want to scream and throw up. This wasn't the worst of it, though; her mind kept backtracking to the entirety of the conversation. By the way, the stranger spoke to the man. They were in on the sacrifice. That made her panic a little as she wondered how exactly. If they worked with Kaname, it made no sense to betray him. He would hunt them down and skin them alive for doing such a thing. So that left one other explanation that made her body start to shake.

"They're working with the ogre king."