My eyes open, and I'm greeted by warmth and noisy bugs fly around me, where am I? Everything is blurry, and all I see are the green leaves and green bushes...but that's not right. I shouldn't be here.

I wake up, my ears buzzing and flapping around as my stupor is replaced by horror, I'm above the clouds. Too much happens in mere instants. The pain in all my body is excruciating and looking up I see the body of the black monster carrying me with its claw looking down I see the thick gray clouds beneath, thunder echoes, and all around me only emptiness. The setting sun gives away a starry sky.

My attention turns to myself, running my hands over my body I should have a hole in the middle of my torso but there is nothing. I do feel incredibly tired, and if it were not for the meager adrenaline coursing through my veins from the sight and my current situation, I would have surely passed out again.

I decide to remain quiet since there is not much I can accomplish by letting the creature know I'm awake. And once the light vanishes we dive down, piercing the clouds as the fast descent forces me to hold on to the hard skin of the creature's claws, beneath us the torches of towns and villages light up the earth as we fall inside a dense forest not too far from a city.

Bracing for impact, we hit the ground at full speed but I don't die, it feels instead as if I simply jumped from atop a small boulder. I roll and make distance from the creature as it disappears beneath the dirt like a shadow or an illusion. Making no sound at all.

"Lively, are we?"

Turning around I lay eyes on the woman that I saw before losing consciousness. Her pale skin, her dark hair tied into a messy bun, dressed in her dark green dress with a tight black corset and her stylish brown cloak. Her red lips grin amused as her bright red eyes widen a bit. I do not have any weapons with me.

"Who are you?" She seems surprised by the deep tone of my voice and laughs twice in response.

"I was NOT expecting that! Woah!" She smiles, her teeth are pearly white. Slowly, step by step she walks around me in circles "Hmmm...What is your name?"

"Answer my question" I demand, standing straight and following her with my head, our eyes locked with each other I do not blink.

"Do you have any idea of the situation you are in? Please, do not tell me I overestimated your intelligence"

"Try me, and I will show you my strength" I bare my teeth and clench my fists. She laughs again, it is a completely honest laugh, high-pitched and short.

"Ah, so a brute then" She stops once she walks a full circle around me, looking at me from head to toe "Undress" I'm a little taken aback by the order, but I do not show it. Who does she think she is? I glance around for anything I can use to defend myself, but if it comes down to it, I will claw and bite my way out of this if needed "Didn't you hear me? Undress"

She rolls her eyes and in that split second my instincts kick in. Without hesitation, I jump forth aiming at her exposed throat, my arm stretched and ready to-

"Stop"

The otherwordly voice booms in my ears as suddenly I'm frozen mid-air. Like being put inside a coffin made with the exact shape of my body I can't breathe in, not even move an inch, what is this?!

"No, no, no. Bad goblin" The witch smiles with dark intent, her hand resting on her chest. She takes a deep breath as she steps forward and the dark bird creature appears from behind her as if somehow it was able to hide behind her body even if it's so huge "Now I know you have no idea who am I or who is my mistress. You are either very loyal, oblivious, or stupidly confident in yourself"

She cups my face in her right hand, caressing it gently for a moment as her calm expression begins to shift slightly. And once she takes her hand higher she rests her thumb on my left eye.

"You can't fight me. Try me..."She presses, hard and slowly, I manage to keep the scream in as her thumb digs itself deep inside my eye socket, making it bleed "...and I will make you beg for death" She spits on my face and takes her thumb out of my mangled eye "Cornus, release him" She says taking a few steps back.

"Free" The bird creature named Cornus speaks and I fall to the muddy ground.

Taking in large breaths and immediately focusing on the witch, wiping the spit from my face, I growl at her. She is right, I cannot fight her.

"Now, undress" The witch commands as I raise to my feet. We stare at each other in silence for a moment, and I glance at the unnervingly perfect human face of Cornus for a moment before begrudgingly doing as ordered she smiles satisfied "Good boy. Now, does this puppy have a name? Or are you a stray?"

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"My name is Rokan, Ushkur"

"Ah! Second named and all! Someone thinks highly of himself" The witch makes a gesture of courtesy by lifting her dress slightly " Oh, so great to meet thee, Rokan Ushkur!" Then she snickers as she covers her mouth with her hands.

I throw my tunic to the ground, and unbuckle my pants, letting them fall as I now stand naked in front of this woman. I'm close to risking it all if I can at least wipe that expression off her face with a well-placed punch.

"Oh, you are full of surprises" She squints her eyes, walking up closer to me and leaning down, suddenly reaching for my manhood and squeezing it painfully hard, I want to bite her neck off "Not bad" She leans closer, and I can feel her breath and know she is challenging me. I'm about to snap when I see Cornus looking at me with a blank expression...I swallow hard "Good, seems this dog can learn manners. Don't forget about them; I may cut something if you do"

She lets go and I can barely contain my body as it wants to lash out and damn it all for a chance to make her bleed. But with that monster whose powers escape my understanding watching over her, I can't risk it.

"Now" She stands still with her back turned to me and her hands are suddenly swallowed by blue flames "I have a few questions I want to make and you will answer with the truth and the truth only. Cornus here will let me know if you are lying" Her hands move and a large circle of fire appears in front of her, many sigils and symbols form and arrange themselves in words I can't understand "Do you know Fogosh?"

"What?" Now I can't hide my surprise, who are they? And what do they want with him?

"Answer"

"...Yes"

"How did he make you? What sort of alchemy did he use?"

"He didn't make me"

"Good, he is not that smart then...do you know about the Scarlet Dawn? Or the Twilight Children?"

"No" What is she talking about? She remains silent as if waiting for Cornus to intervene but after a moment she speaks again.

"Who made you? And where are you from?"

The first one is easy to answer, but the second...I do not want her to know I'm not from this world. I look at Cornus, whose black eyes don't blink as they dig into me...I must phrase this carefully.

"I was born in a cave" She stops her hands and turns around, the circle shrinking and now levitating above her open right palm; The many symbols slowly rotate inside and her eyes are now pitch black "...And I'm from a woman's womb" Only the sound of the howling wind can be heard, I have not lied.

"So you are just a very special goblin. How disappointing" She points at me and from beneath me a set of flaming chains manifest, wrapping around my arms, legs, and neck, forcing me to kneel. Even if flaming, they do not burn "At least I know you are not a dumb goblin only good for fighting. But I wonder if it's even worth taking you to my mistress now, maybe I should just kill you instead"

I grit my teeth and try to break free but to no avail. She smiles in delight.

"Calm down, I'm just playing with you. A bit of friendly joking to light up the mood...and I don't want you to move, this will hurt"

The flaming circle above her hand turns into an orb and suddenly strikes me in the chest, flames covering my entire body. I feel my skin melting and finally open my mouth to scream, but no noise comes out. The pain is too much, I rattle the chains and throw my body around in desperation...until it's over. As if it was never there, the flames disappear and I'm left gasping for air.

"Not my best work, but it added a few inches so it won't look funny with your stature" With a snap of her fingers the chains disappear and I fall on my hands.

My...not green hands. What is this?

"You will walk close to me and not speak unless I allow you to speak" She throws me her cloak "Don't look at people's faces and I want this to be hammered into your small brain. Don't try to escape" She forcefully grabs my face and makes me look at her, I've been staring at my hands all this time "Surprised? If you want to worship me and become my servant I may consider it you know? I am a powerful witch after all"

She kicks my chest and throws me to the ground. Taking a few steps forward I see Cornus flap his wings and disappear behind a tree.

"Now cover yourself and follow me, you are a slave now so you better act like it" She snaps her fingers and a chain of flames appears in her hand, reaching my neck and creating a shackle around it. As soon as it is done the flames turn to iron making it look like a normal chain and shackle "So let's go dog. And call me Mistress Morgana at all times. We are walking to the center of the city, my mistress may have a use for you"

Pulling from my chain I'm forced to stand up and follow her, covering my shivering body with the cloak I'm...lost. I stare at my legs, my human legs. The skin is not that light green anymore, it is a slight tan. I touch my face and feel it is different than before, my nose is smaller, my ears are normal, and my teeth aren't jagged and crocked.

I'm...a human?

We quickly reach the end of the woods as we step inside a wide stone road, with a few wagons and carts going to the nearby city. Morgana pulls my chain with sadistic joy making me constantly fall hard on the stone. I'm still in shock, I can't believe this. Walking is harder since I seem to have grown taller, and I can't calm my fast-beating heart as the humans lay eyes on me.

Not because I'm only covered by a cloak, but because I'm...I'm a goblin? Suddenly being surrounded by guards who throw a single uninterested glance at me and merchants or farmers carrying their goods in and out of the city that all focus on the woman holding the chain. It's worse than the one time I went inside the city alone, I try my best to cover my head and face, but everyone looks at me, everyone-

Another hard pull and I fall forward, too occupied with hiding my face with my hands to stop the fall in time. I hit my face on the puddle near a guard carrying a torch on top of a horse. I hear him laugh quietly while Morgana giggles.

My eyes focused on the reflection coming from the puddle, the human face greeting me. Gone are the black eyes, instead I see blue eyes with my unkept amber, wavy hair wet.

Is this how I looked before I came to this world?