I found myself surrounded by massive trees, staring at me from the heights with sullen eyes. Where am I? I was returning from school when a strange man in a white suit asked for my help. I should've been more suspicious; not a lot of people have violet eyes and red hair. But being the dumbass I am, I followed him.

Now I'm stranded in who knows where. It looks like a forest, and everything reeks of moist soil and dampness. I feel stalked by everything here. Those blue grasshoppers dancing over the leaves seem to be gossiping about me.

I gathered the strength to stand and wander this odd territory.

"Halt there, Kratian!" a sharp roar commanded from behind a bush.

I froze as my eyes scanned the shadows.

A man in silver armor with metallic lines that drew a flower on his chest walked toward me.

"What are thou business here, Kratian?" he said, aiming his sword at my face.

I flinched away, but my feet didn't dare to move.

"I-I'm lost!" I shouted.

"Nonsense is not welcome. State your business, Kratian!"

What in the world is a Kratian? I thought. "My name is Mikka, and I'm serious. I have no idea how—"

Before I could finish, he strode toward me and slapped me with the side of his sword.

I panicked, thinking he had cut my face in half. I cradled my cheek, and relief eased my heart. I wasn't bleeding yet.

"Clearly, thou can not state your displeasing presence here. I shall take thou to the gallows. Thou may want to speak there."

"What?" I mumbled as he seized my arm. His eyes glowed red like blood under his shiny helmet.

I didn't dare to resist and allowed him to yank me through the tangled vines ahead.

"What is that, Myceas?" a woman asked from above.

I lifted my gaze and saw her seated on the highest branch of an oblong, giant tree. "Where did you find that creature?"

The woman jumped off and landed with such force the earth fell apart, leaving a crater under her massive feet. As she stood, I could witness his immense figure. She was about two meters tall, with a ginger braid that fell over her thighs. Her face was steel, hard and sharp, with feline eyes that drilled into my skull; there was no white in her eyes, only black and gold, her iris just a thin line.

Her long, pointy ears were pierced by multiple earrings, carrying lots of jewels, and seemed to have a life of their own as they twitched with every step she took in my direction.

"Mara Kudra," the silver man said and bowed to her. "I have found this deviant lurking in our forest. I was carrying it to the gallows for an intimate interrogatory."

The woman stood in front of me. My head reached below her chest, and her presence turned my blood into ice. She smelled of bananas for some reason and chewed something. She bent over, leaning closer, and sniffed my hair, face, and armpits.

"Weird creature. It smells like nothing I've eaten before." She scratched her head and frowned at me. "Can you speak the common tongue, small Kratian?"

I was afraid of opening my mouth. A wrong word and these brutes could beat me to death and eat me, just like those cannibals from the textbooks.

"I-I think I do," I mumbled.

"What Kuzai do you belong to, Kratian?"

"Kuzai? What's that?"

Mara Kudra guffawed, her terrifying voice resounding throughout the forest, causing birds to fly away.

"He must belong to the low lands, Mara Kudra. Just take a look at his uneven attire." The silver guy pointed at my clothes with disdain. What was wrong with my clothing choice? A black hoodie, jeans, and white sneakers. I can't say I was one of the cool kids, but I think I looked decent. My mom always said so.

"No," she refuted with a glare. "This is no low lander. He looks oddly groomed for one of their kind." She brushed her fingers along my chest and then lifted my arm, squeezing my skin with odd tenderness. I was a statue, my heart in my throat. Her massive arms looked capable of ripping my arm off.

"Ok, Kratian. Reveal your origin." Mara Kudra folded her arms and tilted her head. I could see the curiosity in her creepy eyes.

I cleared the knot in my throat and did my best to speak. "My name is Mikka, I. . . Uh. . ." What could I say to convince these weirdos of my bizarre trip? "I am from Earth, yeah!" I felt so ridiculous saying that. Of course, I was on earth, although these creeps looked from another dimension. "I was returning home when a strange man in a white suit and red hair came to me, and then—"

"Man in white? Red hair?" She glanced at the silver man, who widened his eyes. Her gaze returned to me. "What did he ask you, exactly?"

"Well. . ." I did my best to remember his words. "He told me he needed my help to open something. I don't remember what it was, but once he grabbed my hand, I felt sleepy and can't remember anything else."

Mara Kudra held his chin in a pensive demeanor and then paced over to the silver man. They took their time whispering to each other.

When she returned, her face was ice. "You will come with us, Kratian. We suspect you might belong to the Udara Kuzai."

"The what?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she snatched my legs while the silver man seized my arms. They lifted me and put me in a net Mara carried in her back. I tried to resist, but I was like a baby in the hands of those brutes.

Mara carried me like a bag of potatoes on her back. This is so humiliating!

*°*°*

Despite my urge to fight, I remained still and tried to convince myself it was just a dream. Although the smell of bananas and the pain in my cheek felt too real.

They walked in silence for half an hour until the colored roofs of the town rose in the distance.

The place was oddly pleasant. Houses of all sorts in exotic shapes, three-story buildings with twisted shapes, triangles, and stars. However, as soon as the people noticed me, they began murmuring in an unknown language and staring at me with surprise. I felt like an exotic animal in the zoo.

Everyone had those feline eyes like Mara Kudra. Black where white should be, and cat-like pupils in different colors. I saw the whole rainbow in their gazes.

I closed my eyes, swallowing my humiliation, and waited for it to end.

We finally made it to our destination. A massive castle in the middle of the town.

I barely made it through the gates when two guards stopped us.

"What is that?" a flamboyant man in a magenta tunic strolled in our direction. The guards stepped aside and allowed him to pass. "I told you not to bring weird creatures to the castle!"

"My apologies, Lord Renanzkadyan, but this is an oddity I need your knowledge on," she said, casually dropping me on the floor.

"My, my, my!" the man kept hissing and tapping his heels on the marble floor. He stood nearby as if scared of catching the flu from me. "This is no Kratian. You're right, sweet Mara."

I untangled myself from the net and stood up with a frown. This whole dream was becoming a nightmare.

"See? Plus, he claims to have been teleported here." She patted my head.

"I never said that!" I snapped, slapping her hand away unsuccessfully.

"I see he knows the common tongue too, despite his hideous appearance," he exclaimed, shaking his fan on his obnoxious face covered in pink and blue. "Answer me this, oh poor plebian from the underworld. What is your business here?"

The same question again! I could feel my blood boiling with all these weirdos surrounding me. All I wanted was to return home to eat mom's stew. I should've never helped that old man in a suit!

"I have no business here!" I roared, fist clenched. "And I don't care about your world or whatever. I just want to go home!"

Everyone's eyes grew wide as silence cut through the air. Perhaps I could wake up from this nightmare if they just killed me. That always worked in my dreams.

The annoying man stifled a chuckle and blushed. "I see," he whispered between teeth, his intentions unreadable. "Bring the cauldron!" he yelled.

A shiver ran down my spine. "What?" I mumbled, terrified of the answer.

Mara Kudra shook her head and glanced at me with disappointment as the silver man and two more soldiers marched away.

In short, they were back with a huge, gold cauldron.

"What's the meaning of this?" I shouted, glancing at Mara Kudra.

"Oh, Kratian. You shall never disrespect Lord Renanzkadyan." Her voice sounded genuinely sad. "He's going to eat you now."

"Are you serious?" She had to be kidding, of course.

Dammit, where am I? Everyone is crazy here!

My heart jumped to my throat, and my pupils dilated as a cold bead of sweat rolled down my forehead.

Like an animal driven by his survival instincts, my first impulse was to run away. My brain screamed at me to stop, but it was too late, I had already started.

*°*°*