The voice's words resound as I slowly come to consciousness. This time, however, when I awake, I can feel my body accentuated by the coldness beneath me. I open my eyes with a start and see a cloudy blue sky with what seems to be a curved line of light crossing through the horizon; behind that line, there is what appears to be a gargantuan mountain line that stretches far beyond the very clouds. Around me, I seem to be in the middle of a clearing with tall conical trees, all covered in snow.

"Ah, that explains the coldness." Though it's not nearly as cold as I thought a snowy forest should be, I try to recall any taigas with an above-average climate, but it is for naught.

It seems to be exactly as the voice had said; I can't remember anything, how I got here, where here is, who I am, what I look like, it all comes blank. One of these, however, can be solved as I start inspecting myself.

I don't really have a point of reference, but I think I was on the tall side, maybe around 6'8 feet in height; I have pale skin and, from what I could feel and see, messy medium-length platinum hair. I could see I was well endowed(I think, again, no point of reference) both upstairs and downstairs. I couldn't exactly see my face, so I had no way of judging that, and I was completely naked aside from a pendant around my neck. Which, speaking of, was quite a peculiar thing. It appeared to be a small black 5-sided star with glowing streaks of lightning coming from the center.

The more I looked at it, however, the more I started to feel my head hurt like I was missing something, and the more I thought about it, the more I got the feeling that I was getting closer to a revelation like it was just teetering at the edge of my mind. Eventually, though, the pain was too much to endure. I turned the pendant to the other side, where it was bereft of any design, simply being a golden clear surface, which looking at reflected my face; I could see looking back at me a pair of deep-set eyes with purple irises and an all in all beautiful profile, except for the fact that my nose was bleeding.

I quickly wipe it away and finally start considering my next step.

Firstly I would look for any signs of civilization; perhaps somebody could help me figure out how I got here or even cure me of my memory loss (though I doubted it, whoever that voice was, it seemed confident that my amnesia was necessary in some way.). While I lacked any solid knowledge, my reasoning and, to some extent, common sense still worked( evident by the fact I was thinking in a language and knew what a forest was), so I could guess that walking toward the mountain range was a bad idea. I decided instead to head the opposite way, southward, I think. If I could not find any signs of people in an hour or so, I would probably have to start worrying about hunting for food or seeking shelter.

These worries are quickly put to rest, as after about 15 minutes of traversing through the snowy forest, I see billowing in the distance a pillar of smoke.

I quickly rush in the direction of the smoke without a second thought, running with all my strength to reach where I thought people might be; however, the idea that these people might not be all too friendly crosses my mind, and I start slowing down trying to think of a way to handle things if the situation goes to the wrong direction.

Those thoughts are interrupted as I see a child appear through the bushes. Seeing this kid, I am quickly reminded that I currently have no clothes on and that whoever laid eyes on this situation would quickly come to a very wrong conclusion. Having that in mind, I quickly try to hide my body as best I can behind some leaves, hoping that this kid doesn't scream or cry out about some flasher in the woods (huh, so I knew what a flasher is... The common sense I got left with seems weirdly specific.).

My fears do not get answered, however, as the kid seems unresponsive. In fact, now that I look closer, this kid, who couldn't be more than ten years old, doesn't seem to be carrying any expression, like their face was stuck in neutral, and looking at their eyes, I get shivers as they seem impossibly deep and empty. My inspection gets interrupted by another person arriving through the bushes, this one much bigger. An adult man dressed in heavy pelts with a bow on his back looks toward me with surprise, quickly taking the child by the hand and pulling them behind him while at the same time grabbing his bow and pointing at me.

By this point, I already have raised my hands in what I hoped was a universal sign for "I mean no harm." The man seeing me do this lowers his bow but still keeps an arrow knocked and calls out to me.

"What in the bloody hells are ye doing here naked!?"

I respond truthfully.

"I don't know!"

"What do ye mean ye don't know?!"

"I mean that I quite literally just woke up 20 minutes ago with no memory of who I am, lost in the middle of apparently fucking nowhere naked!"I purposefully don't mention the voice I heard prior; for some reason, I feel compelled not to share that information.

At this point, the man gives a deep sigh and holsters his bow back into his back.

"Fucking hells, it's one thing after the other, eh?"

"Huh?"

"Nevermind, fine, look, I doubt any pervert would be bold enough to walk through these parts naked, so I'll help ya out, stay here, and I'll come back with a set of clothes for ya."

"Why can't I go with you."

"Because even if yer, not a pervert, doesn't mean yer not danger, that stories you gave me could be made up by anyone with half a brain to explain why they're naked in, as you put it: "the middle of fucking nowhere.".

Looking at his face, I could tell from how his eyes darted around that that was not the whole story. Still, I really didn't have any more options other than just running and hoping to find another hunter (at least what I thought was a hunter.), and besides, he could have just as easily threatened me with that bow of his. So I decided to oblige him with his proposition.

"Alright, fine, but can you hurry? I'm not the best at dealing with isolation." And as the words flew out of my mind, I found them true. Maybe that was why I felt the need to rush toward civilization, besides wanting to survive.

"Hmph, alright, won't take more than a couple of minutes."

In the end, it took more than a couple of minutes; I waited for what felt like 45 minutes, though again, there was no frame of reference, so it could have been less.

When he returned, I watched the sun start to set down, with the glow of the line intensifying as if the light from the sun was obscuring it.

"Huh, so ya didn't run off." This time he was alone, with no kid in tow, which still creeped me out.

"Didn't see it paying off, and I don't know if I have any skills relating to surviving in the wild."

"Well, alright, fair enough."

He hands me a fur coat and some pelt to cover my legs with. I go behind a tree before putting them on.

"Really?"

"What?"

"Nevermind."

I look at him quizzically, but he seems unwilling to explain himself.

"Look, I know we didn't exactly meet in the best of circumstances, but thank you, had you just ignored me or worse, attacked me, I really don't know what I could've done, so if you could just point me toward civilization, I'll get out of your hair, and you won't have to see me ever again."

He looks at me incredulously while shaking his head.

"It's fine, kid; I had time to think while I was getting the clothes, and yer just doesn't strike me as the kind of gal that had some deeply disturbing story as to why ya ended up here naked, and while yer story isn't the most convincing it at least looks like you believe that that's the truth, and having that in mind it would take some kind of monster to just shoo away someone who clearly doesn't know what the hells is going on.

I consider his words carefully; from how his body language is moving, it doesn't look like he's lying about his apparent hospitality, but I somehow know by looking at him as a whole that there's something more about this.

"It's fine, really I'm sure I can handle a little trip down the woods, you can just point me towards the nearest settlement, and I'll be on my way." While I am incredibly grateful to the guy, I decide to trust my instincts on this one; it is, after all, one of the only things I have left.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Lady, you were actually quite correct in your statement before that this is "the middle of fucking nowhere" I'm afraid that the nearest settlement is about 30 days from here, so unless you want to start that journey on an empty stomach, I recommend taking the offer."

I again feel that he's being truthful, maybe even a bit generous on the time it would take, but I still feel uneasy about following him. This unease is, however, beaten by the fact that I am famished. It seems that wherever I was before waking up didn't serve me any food.

"Alright, I'll take you up on that. I hope I won't be too much of a bother."

"Nonsense, it's not every day I get any kind of company out here, well, besides the boy, that is."

The way he seems more accommodating to me does ring some alarm bells in my head, but his previous comment superimposes them.

"Yeah, I didn't want to be rude earlier, but I got to ask, is that kid fine? He seemed out of it."

As I ask this, his friendly smile does drop a bit but quickly returns.

"The kid? Yeah, he's fine; he has a condition where he can't move his facial muscles. It's why he's not able to talk either."

That, she feels, is the first total lie he has told.

"Oh, sorry I asked then. Seems deeply personal."

"It's OK. Maybe it would have mattered if we lived with other folks, but all the way here, it doesn't bother us one bit."

I, at this point, am half ignoring him. When he's talking about the kid, there is just an air of wrongness, like he made that excuse exclusively for moments like this. Whatever unease I felt about the boy is replaced with concern for him, that maybe this guy is not treating him right, maybe even abusing him. Whatever it is, I feel a familiar determination to get to the bottom of it. Perhaps I used to do this sort of thing before I lost my memories.

As we are conversing, we finally reach the clearing where they're staying; In the middle of it, I can see a small cottage, probably only large enough to fit two people. It is a quaint little thing, clearly made with less-than-ideal tools, and near the edge of the clearing, another building akin to a shack, somehow even more rugged than the cottage. Maybe that was their storage room.

By the steps of the cottage, entrance is the boy, and I must have forgotten how creepy he is up close because as soon as I lay my eye on him, I feel a cold sweat, but I brave on. It is not the boy's fault that he is incredibly creepy. Maybe I can get a word with him while the hunter isn't looking. After all, he might be too afraid to call out for help in front of him.

I can't keep having to call him "the hunter" every time I think about him, I got to get his actual name, so I call out to him.

"Hey, I know this is late and all, but we never actually introduced ourselves."

He turns his head from the boy to face me.

"I thought you had no memories?"

"I don't, but I still possess some insight, like, for example, that it is rude not to offer proper greetings."

"Not what I meant but, fine, the name's Hunter."

You got to be kidding me.

"Nice to meet you, Hunter. I think my name is Sophia." I say without letting the incredulity show.

He raises an eyebrow

"Think?"

"Even if I do have some lingering knowledge, I'm still not 100% on certain things, but I'm fairly certain it's Sophia. It feels right."

"Well, alright, Sophia, you can go in and make yourself at home. I'll be on the shack to get some meat so that I can get cooking."

Again, I get that discomfort when he's not being truthful.

"Sure, in the meanwhile, I'll get to know, uh, actually, what's the kid's name?"

I ask not just because I'm curious but to see if I get that same unease; maybe I can try to identify what's causing it.

"Oh right, I named him after my grandpa. His name is Cassiculus, it's old-fashioned draconic, but I figured it was appropriate."

There it was again, and as I closely inspected for any discrepancies in his body language, eye movement, or even how he delivered his words, nothing. He just seems like a lovely but hardened hunter who is happy to have company (also, what was that bit about dragons?).

"I'm sorry, draco- what?"

He looks at me funny but then shakes his head as if remembering something.

"No yeah, sorry, I keep forgetting about that memory problem. Other than the fact you appeared in this region naked, you seem very well adjusted. Umm, so yeah, draconic's the official language of Cerialis, even though most, if not everyone, normally talks in global, which we are speaking right now, actually, anyway; Draconic is basically only ever used in special events or among the Militaris."

"Huh, so wait, does the name Cassiculus mean anything?"

He looks at me like I just told the funniest joke he ever heard, and I get the strongest sense of malaise I have ever felt so far.

"Ha, yeah, it's got one. I'll tell you over dinner. It's a funny story."

From how he speaks, it sounds like he's just remembered a hilarious event, but I cannot help but feel like a string is tied around my neck.

But while I'm stuck trying to contemplate what to do, Hunter takes his leave to go to the shack while shaking his head and occasionally letting out a laugh.

I consider running for it, but the main problem remains, it will soon turn dark, and I am about to collapse from hunger, so instead, I take the boy's hand and lead him inside the cottage.

The interior is just as I expected, a bit dingy but still with a homely charm. There are three rooms and a living space beside a makeshift fireplace, I peek inside the rooms, and 2 of them are just bedrooms, while the other is a kitchen with a table with four seats. I decide to take the boy and seat him in one of the chairs while I kneel beside him. I try to see any marks or signs of abuse on his skin while desperately trying to ignore the ever-present feeling of something creeping up on me, but through a surface skim the appear to be no signs of mistreatment.

"Alright, Cass, may I call you Cass?" he doesn't respond, only slightly tilting his head.

"Cass, I know I didn't make the best first impressions, but I swear on my life that if Hunter is doing something to you, I will help you however, I can. Now, is he mistreating you in any way?"

For the first time, I see an expression other than neutrality on his face, a slight smile tugs at his lips, and I cannot stop the shiver I feel climbing up my spine. At this point, however, I hear the door open, and I turn on instinct to face the sound, but I quickly turn back to the boy, dreading to see that terrible smile. Nothing, his face is back to that mask of neutrality, and I see his impossibly deep eyes move to something behind me.

"I see you're making acquaintances with little Cassiculus, he's not much for conversation, but I swear, the kid's a great listener."

At this point, whenever Hunter opened his mouth, I felt like that string around my neck is getting tighter and tighter, adding that to the fear I felt when that kid smiled. I plan on running for it as fast as possible when they fall asleep. For some reason, I feel they won't let me go if I try now.

"H-heh yeah, he uhh is definitely an attentive listener."

"Alright, enough dilly-dallying. What food do you like to eat, Sophia? As a warning, though, anything other than soup will taste like burned charcoal."

I don't think that at the level of hunger I was feeling, I would mind burned charcoal, but I was already feeling a bit queasy from the constant rush of anxiety I was receiving, so I thought a light meal would be best."

"Yeah, soup sounds good."

"Alrighty then, I'll get cooking. You can sit back and relax. The soup will be done in about 40 minutes."

That sounded like an eternity to me, considering my situation, but I was confident I could hold out, and I would definitely be keeping an eye on what he puts on that soup.

The minutes tick by as I see him cooking, putting what amounted to water, meat and salt on the pot.

As he does, he gives me a knowing look.

"I didn't say I made good soup."

The rest of the time is spent watching him, sometimes getting up from his chair and stirring the pot. The room has no window, so I can't see the outside, but from how the sun was almost set when I got into the cottage, I would guess it would already be dark by now. As I ponder this, carefully observing that he puts nothing else on the pot, I hear a very quiet, dull sound from outside, like something knocking on wood. I startle but looking around, Hunter and his kid don't seem to have noticed anything. I think of whether I should tell them about it or not, but before I can come to a decision, I hear Hunter clap his hands and exclaim.

"I think that's time. The soup should be edible by now"

And I see him quickly move out of his seat to where the pot is. However, as he was serving the soup in three different bowls, he moved his body in such a way that I could not see if he was messing with my dish. It doesn't last for very long, however, as he finally delivers all of us our bowls.

"I'm not one for prayers, so you can just dig in."

As I look at my dish, I get a sinking feeling that if I eat this soup, something terrible will happen. I need some way to stall so I could maybe switch plates.

"Uh, so earlier, I didn't want to overthink it, but I think I heard a sound outside."

Hunter stops the spoon midway to his mouth.

"A sound?"

I gulp.

"Yeah, like a dull knocking on something, I think wood."

I see his face drop, and he quickly gets up.

"He-hey, what the matter?"

He, while still walking out, quickly says

"Might be a shadow bear prowling about, don't worry. They get spooked by fire. I'll just shoo him away."

The shadow bear part was somewhat concerning, but I knew that it was something else entirely that got Hunter panicked. Whatever it was, it gave me a chance I desperately needed. I quickly say to the kid.

"Hey, mind turning around for 5 seconds."

The kind tilts his head but does as I told him, turning away from me, and I quickly switch Hunter's plate with mine. Just in time, as I hear the sounds of footsteps approaching.

I quickly sit back down and tell the kid he can turn back now, which he does, and as he does, I hear the front door open and see the figure of Hunter entering.

"Hey, so what was that about."

"It was nothing. I think something just fell off in the shack. It's not the most sturdy of buildings."

"Well, that's a relief. Whatever shadow bears are, they sound dreadful, anyways should we finally get this dinner underway."

"Yeah, I think there have been enough distractions for the day."

I watch as he, without fear, grabs the spoon and starts drinking the soup. He pauses through the second motion as he asks me.

"Aren't you gonna eat?"

In any other circumstance, I would wait a few minutes to see if he suffered from any poison, but I think I would collapse on the table if I spent a minute without eating. So I take the spoon and start drinking the soup. It is primarily tasteless with just a hint of a meaty aftertaste, but for me, it is the most delicious thing in the entire universe. As I go to praise Hunter for his cooking, I realize I made a mistake. Because I finally figured out what was causing all that turmoil, it's in his eyes, and I wonder how I could not see it before. It's the look of complete madness.

I quickly shoot out of my chair, but before I can do anything else, I see him drop to the ground, unconscious. I internally congratulate myself on my quick thinking, but that pride is short-lived as I begin to see my vision blur and swim and feel my consciousness drift. But how, I switched the plates, and he looks drugged too, shit... starting to fade...but...maybe...I can... wake up... before him. That hope is quickly extinguished as I see the kid with his ever-so-creepy smile stand over me. He holds his index finger over his mouth, and the last thing I see is him shushing me.