Eventually, he got the guts to move forward. Before the sun went down he wanted to at least make himself known to the people in the area, no need to look even more suspicious being alone at night. He hurried up to where two people were standing watch… with spears? Maybe it was for tradition or something.

That thought that was quickly snuffed out the moment both pointed the sharp ends towards him, just as he got close.

It was a short moment before the nicer looking of the guards spoke up with a strange accent “license and registration?” he asked, and for a moment Elliot panicked. “I uh, don’t have any?” He would have given the spearman his identification if he could, but… He was only left with his shirt and pants in the middle of nowhere, and that really didn’t help anything.

“Can I talk to someone, please? I just wanna go home.”

They stood there for a moment, seeming a little surprised before the not-so-pretty one started chuckling, not wanting to be rude, he also started laughing, moments before the butt of his spear smashed his temple.

Later, he awoke in a glazed sweat, his head throbbing making his thoughts near incoherent, but incoherency was his thing, so he didn’t mind it too much.“Oh Christ, where am I?” He exclaimed, the world spinning as he tried to get back up on his feet. He seemed to be in a jail cell… was what he’d like to say but other than the bars keeping him from leaving the room it might as well have been a room inside someone’s home for all he knew.

He was on a comfy bed with two pillows, and a thick blanket was haphazardly thrown over him. He also seemed to have a desk and a working toilet. Guess the Amish used toilets? Eh, he didn’t know enough to deny it so he decided to simply stop thinking about it. Speaking of thinking, why did his brain feel like someone had branded it with a soldering iron?

Oh yeah… “hey, asshole, I know I… that I was a little bit suspicious but you didn’t have to beat me over the head, what happened to innocent until proven… guilty? Uh, crap… My head…” He woozily said to the ugly bastard on the other side of the cell. It was the ugly asshole in the front of the gates, the one who he spoke to.

Now that he knew the guy was an ass he could take the time to insult him without feeling bad, the guard looked like a crossbreed of a goat and a chihuahua. He had an angular face that was too pointy to be handsome, and his eyes were too far apart, with a nose that looked like it went through a garbage disposal.

“I apologize for my actions. We did not expect someone so… weak to be able to pass through the forest, we mistook you for one of the Deformed in the area…” He then bowed deeply, making him feel wayyy more guilty about insulting his looks…

Goddamnit.

Couldn’t they just have told him to shut up or something? Now Elliot was working with an headac- er an even worse headache than before.

Gah! He was in too much pain to even comprehend the man said “deformed” “Uh um… I’m sorry I called you an… an asshole mister, so could you please… let me go? I’ll be good, I promise.” He wasn’t below trying to grovel for freedom, especially since he did actually feel sorta bad for the guy who just about caved his skull in.

The look on the guard seemed like they didn’t want to, however.

And that sucked. “Come on… it was’n lik I was doin nuthn…” All of a sudden, his vision started fading in and out before he could complete his argument. He didn’t think he would have been able to convince him anyway so he wasn’t too miffed. With a dramatic groan, Elliot fell and passed out on the floor, not before hitting the bed frame on the way. Guess the guard did more damage than he thought.

In his final moments of consciousness, he couldn’t help but think.

“I’m not gonna die, am I?”

A child, no older than 8, was barely able to make a coherent thought as the world burned around him. He struggles, trying his best to run away from the fire that boiled his feet to the point that they’re barely recognizable as limbs. The boy continued in a crawl, crying out to the world and cursing the flames for using him as its fuel.

He curses the unending fire until his voice melts, until he can no longer utter a sound, begging for it all to end, for him to die. Yet, the flames don’t respond, for they are merely flames. The boy turned and laid on his back, no longer caring for anything, only waiting for death to quench the fire burning inside and around him. He stares at the sky, beautiful and red with ten suns revolving around him. And he slowly became ashes, which drifted away as ashes always do.

And then he woke up

“HUgah! S-STOP DOING THAT!”

Elliot shot up from his bed in a bewildered state, shouting the moment he was startled awake. He couldn't remember how he passed out, so he had just assumed the guard smacked him on the head again. Unfortunately, his angry shout hadn’t been directed to the guard, but to two young girls in front of him. They must have misunderstood his shout as something else because one started to scold the other.

He couldn’t help but notice their appearance, they looked like priests, with their simple white dress and hood that covered their hair, leaving them looking almost like pawns in a chess game. One of them was shorter than the other and yet seemed to be the more feisty of the two, with black hair and scornful eyes. He couldn't help but think that he wouldn't be able to get along with her.

The other one seemed more agreeable, fortunately. With chubby cheeks, blonde hair and her head turned down, she didn't seem like the type to cause problems… “Ah, wait, she’s getting scolded? Cuz of me, right? Crap.” Elliot finally said, startling the two into stopping their little argument.

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“I'm sorry if you thought she did something to me, that was my bad… Do you know where I am by the way?” Another pause, and Elliot took the time to look around the strange room. Before the black-haired child could garner a response the blonde responded, earning a glare from the other.

“We’re among the great forest, this place is called the Barrel village. Do you… remember where that is?” Her face was scrunched up in worry, and he didn’t really know why-

Ah, he did just receive a blow to the head from a dude with the strength of an ape, so maybe that was probably it.

He could use this.

“I… I don’t remember anything, I guess that blow to the head knoc-”

“That was a lie, why were you in the forest?”

He flinched at the abruptness of the girl’s words, so certain it was as if she didn’t even once second guess herself. Annoyed, Elliot looked at the black-haired girl to argue, before realizing what he was looking at… The girl was staring scornfully at him with glowing yellow eyes.

“Oh christ, it's a cult…”

He murmured under his breath, just quiet enough to keep it to himself. He let out a shuddered sigh as the reality of the situation started to set in. Dammit. First he’d been thrown all the way out here and now he had to deal with this. He knew he couldn’t trust people… He should have just stayed in the forest and ate berries and nuts… How was he going to remedy this!?

“O-oh, I’m… I’m sorry miss, I didn’t know you were so powerful.” He smiled as he spoke, leaning in to seem more genuine. It only just came to him how stupid his words were.

Fool! That’s what everyone says when they're about to get decapitated! Trying his best not to freak out over what he said, he kept a straight face. In amazement, his head didn’t roll off, but instead, the girl went red, looking somewhat shocked at the statement. “Well, of… of course! My teacher wouldn’t raise a weakling! Ahahah! You don’t seem like a bad person if you can understand how great master is!”

Ah, she couldn’t handle praise…

He could use that. “There’s someone even more skilled in this village, I’d love to thank them for sending such an amazing person to tend to my wounds.'' He started gripping her hands at this point, and continued the charade. “To tend to someone who you don't even know, you must be a saint… No, someone even more kind…”

At this point the girl was visibly sweating from the compliments, she almost looked like she was in pain, which was perfect for him, since he didn't want her to use psychology or whatever she did on him again to see if he was lying. “I uh um… yes I a- am great. I already know… that. I will go get teacher! He will make you truly understand just how great I am! H-he may even make you a student! That… I think that can work…”

Oh no, this girl’s getting dangerous thoughts.

He realized this in horror, though didn’t show it as he nodded his head up and down in astonishment and squeezed her hands tighter. “That’s amazing! Your master must love you so very much to allow this, you must be his favorite student! Go get him this instant so I can properly ask both of you!”

And thus she left, hurriedly shuffling her small little feet out the door. A few minutes then passed. In the silence, Elliot looked down at the blonde child, and then at the door. When he turned back at her, he found her frowning, and Elliot realized she found out his intentions.

Too little too late for that! Jumping out of the bed and shoving the girl aside, he ran directly to the door, ignoring the pang of guilt that came with her little yelp.

Stupid cultists, tricking these poor villagers into thinking they have powers, these backward folk probably don’t even know what glowing contact lenses were! Elliot was almost to the door until he heard a shout behind him.

“H-holy rest!”

And at the sound of her voice, his mind went blank. He crumpled way too easily, falling forward towards the floor as everything started fading away. At least it was a slow fall, his knees buckling with him and his arms jutting out somewhat, stopping himself from face planting into the wooden floor. He turned to the girl, who also had a glowing aura to her hands.

‘Oh no… the nice blonde girl was also in on it…’ Those were his last blurred thoughts before the light surrounding him pulled him into a deep slumber.” And of course, he dreamed again.

There was nothing, a void as I know it to be. I had no feelings, no emotions. I didn’t care that there was nothing, for there was nothing there to care about. So I float in the void, constantly torn and changed by my own free will, since nothing is more detrimental than stagnation. Barely able to conceive the fact that I exist I do everything to hold on. And yet, soon, even that starts feeling like a lie. Years, decades, all passing by as if they never existed at all.

And so I ask.

“Is this all there is?”

He woke up with a gasp, his heart beating out of its chest. He shuddered as he remembered the dream, trying his best to forget it until he realized that it wasn’t going to go away. This was the first time he remembered the contents of the dreams that made him break apart this way.

Albeit, the memories were a bit hazy.

But still, just those hazy memories gave him a cold sweat.

Why was this happening, and was this going to become a new thing?

He looked up, and suddenly he realized he didn’t have much time to dwell on these matters, however. Around him were five people, the two children, an old man, and the two guards mentioned earlier. The old man and the guards looked unimpressed, tired even. T

The blonde child was looking at him like he was a thug, while the black-haired one had a pout on her face and a betrayed, angry look in her eye. So of course, Elliot did what he did best, dig himself into an even bigger hole.

He jumped off the bed, and while everyone flinched, he fell to the floor in an attempt to grovel.

“Oh god please don’t sacrifice or kill me or whatever! I’ll do anything you want!” he shuffled on his knees towards the elder. “You seem like the type of guy who makes a lot of enemies, I’ll be your loyal slave! I’ll even… uh… I’ll kill if you want me to! I don’t know what type of religion I’m in now but give me time!” At this point he saw the old man smile, while everyone else was giving him looks that would make an ant feel more important than Elliot.

“I’ll become the most zealous of all of you! I’ll even lick-”

“Shut up, boy.” The man rudely interrupted, his earlier unimpressed face gone, filled with that of amusement. “I don’t know what things you’ve heard about this village but know this, we are not savages who hurt people against their will. I will not stand to hear this nonsense any longer.” Oh great, the old man has a righteous side. At least he knew they wouldn’t immediately kill him now.

But that still didn’t land him in the clear, did it?

He stood, and ignored the looks of disgust all around the room as he properly brushed himself off, attempting to make himself proper. “So uh, I understand this area is called the… ‘barrel village’ …do you know how I can get to Springfield from here?” He sat back down on the bed as he asked this question, which was fortunate for him.

The elder looked at me with profound eyes that seemed full of curiosity. “Child, what do you mean? You must know, there is no human life for at least a hundred miles from here…”

...What?