A strange sensation, I feel my body floating in something, but I can't describe it. Everything is so cold. I feel like I should be holding something, but whatever it is, it's far beyond my reach...

The chilly and uncomfortable feeling suddenly becomes something cozy, I feel embraced by something soft and warm...

My eyes slowly open, a ceiling of rustic bricks of various sizes comes into view.

My body is wrapped in a warm blanket, the stiffness I felt in my back melted away in this soft bed.

'Where am I?'

With a confused head, I think about everything I went through. Seriously, this whole change of environment is hard to swallow. One moment, I was about to die with my chest torn, and now I'm here in a comfortable bed... They even changed my clothes for something more comfortable but quite simple.

Wait... My chest!?

Rising slightly, I tear the sheet off me, only to find my skin smooth again, no sign or mark left of whatever might have happened.

"Was all of this a dream?" I murmured, somehow indignant. I can't believe all the despair I went through was just my imagination.

I know what I went through wasn’t a dream or anything like that. I can feel that what happened was real... That I almost died. My injuries were treated, my face no longer bears those countless cuts caused by the rabbits.

'Someone brought me here?' That was the only thing I could think of, but who could it be? That forest showed no sign of life besides those bizarre monsters, which just makes me more worried. Who would be sane enough to live in a place like this?

Sighing lightly, I observe the room I'm in. The dark brick walls are illuminated by a small stone placed on a table in the corner of the room. Its light is faint and gentle, yet it illuminates the area very well, the silence here soothes my nerves a little.

Curious about the light source of this place, I slowly walk toward the stone. The floor is made of wooden planks that seem quite old, but they don't creak, which is a relief.

Before I could reach the stone to examine it, the door in front of the bed opens abruptly, revealing a young girl. I was dumbfounded, the situation gets even more bizarre. She had shiny red hair braided around her head, her eyes were green and bright like emeralds, she was adorned in a simple and long dress, a small bag hung at the side of her dress, and small bows adorned the edges of her skirt.

On the outside, my face was calm, but inside, I was agitated. I thought someone who lived in that forest would be... Someone with a stronger appearance or something.

Her face formed a pleasantly surprised expression when she saw me standing up, she placed the wooden pot she was holding on the table and came toward me with swift and happy steps.

“#&$&#*!” She exclaimed joyfully, her voice soft as the wind...

"Huh?"

...

She watched my dumbfounded face for a moment before making an 'Ah, I see!' expression by clapping her fist into her palm, then she began rummaging in her little bag for something.

While my face heated up from embarrassment, she pulled out a golden ring from her pouch and, with a gentle smile, handed it to me. The ring had a vibrant and shiny golden tone, inside, some runic-like inscriptions could be seen. Upon handing me the ring, she gestured as if she wanted me to put it on my finger.

Still a bit wary, I put the ring on, and as I felt the sensation of the cold metal on my middle finger, the girl's melodious voice resonated again in my ears, this time with the clarity I hoped to have heard a few moments ago.

"How are you feeling?"

"Well... I think," I answered, taken aback. I mean, my mind still hasn't caught up with all of this.

"Hmm! That's good to know! I haven't introduced myself, have I? My name is Rudge! Rudge Thorstein!" She exclaimed, with an animated yet gentle voice. "What's your name?"

"My name is... Um... Sorry, I don't know..." I responded with whatever came to mind... which was, well, nothing.

"That's... Well, a pity," she said with a sympathetic expression, then coughed slightly, changing the subject. "Are you hungry? I brought some food!"

As she mentioned it, I realized the delicious smell that entered the room with her, it reminded me of a stew, and just thinking about it made my mouth water.

"Hehe! Seems like you're really starving! Good thing I made plenty, you've been out for three days!" As she said that, she picked up the wooden pot she had placed on the table and handed it to me.

Up close, the smell became even more irresistible, and I didn't even bother to be surprised that I had slept for so long.

My eyes sparkled with anticipation as I held the spoon, dipping it into the steaming mix of flavors. As I brought the spoon to my mouth, my lips parted to receive the first sip, and an expression of pure satisfaction spread across my face.

The comforting texture of succulent pieces of meat warmed my heart, so soft that they melted in my mouth. The vegetables, immersed in the aromatic broth, burst with flavors that harmoniously mingled, releasing a tempting scent that filled the air.

Rudge watched attentively from the corner, a large smile of tender pride on her face, pleased that someone was eating the meal she had made with such vigor.

I finished everything in the pot in just a few moments, I savored every moment, but I still wanted more, that wasn't enough.

"Um... Can I have some more?" I did my best to make a puppy-dog face, with big bright eyes that would captivate anyone seeing it. I don't have much confidence in my appearance, but if it's to eat more, I'll do anything!

And it looks like it was a great success, with a smile from ear to ear and a face of pure happiness, Rudge extends her hand towards me and lifts me from my bed.

"Well, you really looked famished! Yes! Come, I made plenty, so eat as much as you want! Just follow me to the main hall!" She's in a state of pure joy, humming and cheerfully walking with me through the corridors here.

As I crossed the door, a vast hallway appeared before my eyes, the ceiling was supported by wooden beams that stretched all along the corridor. The wood looked quite old but showed no signs of giving way. Whoever the builder of this place was, they must be incredible.

It took longer than I thought to reach the hall, this place seems immense considering the width of the corridor. When we got close to the entrance, what appeared before my eyes was a truly colossal tree. Unlike those in the forest that had a completely straight trunk with branches only at their crowns, this tree is slightly twisted with branches in every corner, its leaves are somewhat dry, maybe it's autumn around here.

The tree is situated in the middle of a gigantic dome, the dome's ceiling is completely covered with the same sparkling stones as the one in my room, producing a sunlight-like illumination but comfortable enough to face. A faint breeze passes by, keeping the place ventilated. 'How does this wind get in here?' It was a truly beautiful sight, the large tree in the center gives me a rather mysterious, mystical feeling.

As soon as I stepped into the hall, a shrill voice echoed from afar.

"Look who's standing! How are you, young man?" Inquired the man, a huge man, he must be around 6'3 or 6'6, his shirt fails to cover all that mountain of muscles, 'his biceps must be larger than my head!' He has long silver hair that reaches his waist, his eyes are a deep shade of yellow, almost golden. One of the most striking things about him are his pointed ears.

'An elf? Is this really a fantasy world?'

He quickly approached us and started checking (shaking and jostling me as if I weighed as much as a piece of paper) every inch of my body as if searching for some injury.

"Silas! Stop pestering the kid like that! He just woke up!" With a shout, Rudge threw a punch at the man named Silas, it was so quick that I couldn't react properly, only to see him a few meters away from us with a big silly grin on his face while scratching the back of his neck.

"Haha! Sorry! I admit I got a bit excited! It's not every day we have a guest." With a sheepish laugh, Silas coughs and continues. "My name is Silas, kid, pleasure to meet you!"

"Pleasure, my name is... Um..." Do I have to go through this again? Giving a look to Rudge, she understands and explains to Silas the reason for my silence.

"That's complicated... So I'll just call you young man! Is that okay?" He exclaimed again, offering a handshake with that big goofy smile, Rudge just watched the interaction with a slight smile.

"Kid, we still have someone else to introduce you to, he's a bit grumpy, but that's just how he is, so don't mind it, okay?" Rudge said.

Entering a bit further into the hall, a table and some chairs rested under the tree's shad, on one of them, a somewhat older man with dark grayish hair sat, his tired eyes had a shade of blue. He was reading a rather large book and was almost at the end of it, but his expression was one of pure boredom.

"Ryver, introduce yourself to the young man, he just woke up." Said Rudge, directing me towards the man in the chair.

Ryver glanced from the corner of the book and sighed, with lethargic movements still in his chair, he turned his face towards me and looked directly into my eyes, his face completely serious.

"My name is Ryvernath, kid." After finishing his brief introduction, he immediately went back to his reading.

"Um... Well, he introduced himself." With an awkward smile, Rudge leaned close to my ear before whispering very softly, ", he's grumpy like that because he doesn't know how to approach peo- Ouch!"

"I heard that!" Before Rudge could finish her expose, a sizable stone flew towards her head. Silas started laughing and got punched by Rudge.

"Ahem, the kid said he's hungry, so let's take this opportunity to eat and talk a bit!" Said Rudge as she sat me at the table and went to another corridor, saying she'll fetch the meal.

"So, young man, how did you end up here?" Already seated, Silas turned to me and inquired.

"I don't know. I just woke up in a cave and ran from some monsters," I replied seriously, "Oh, and I almost died too."

"Clearly, we found you in a terrible state, your face was as pale as snow. Your muscles were quite worn out for someone your age."

Taking a moment to think, how old am I? Considering I'm a bit taller than Rudge (and she's quite small), I must be around 13 or 14... My situation is quite strange.

"Enough of the foolish questions, I want to know deeply how and for what reason a young human appeared here." With his deep voice, Ryver appeared along with his tilted chair that, for some reason, was floating in our direction with him on it. 'Doesn't this guy want to take a few measly steps?' "So, I want you to answer my following questions with nothing but the truth."

"Why are you here?"

"I really don't know, I just woke up in a cave and don't remember anything that might have happened."

"You don't remember anything?" Shaking my head in denial, Ryver changed his serious expression to one of disbelief. "That's peculiar, we are in a place unreachable by mundane means, even more powerful beings couldn't get here without facing problems along the way, and yet you're telling me a kid suddenly appeared here?"

Ryver seemed genuinely confused, murmuring several things while caressing the cover of his book.

"What do you mean by 'unreachable'?" I asked, tilting my head, what he just said got me a little worried.

"Well, you see, we're not in Luzaria, we're in a kind of... prison." Silas explained with an uncomfortable face, his expression seemed to darken as he said that. "We were imprisoned here, along with all those creatures that the celestials deemed dangerous to their people."

"Why were you... imprisoned alongside them?" Asking that, the scowl was evident on both their faces.

"They wanted us to guard the invader's heart... they just... we were forgotten." Silas's expression showed melancholy as he spoke, perhaps memories of a distant time resurfaced...

"They didn't forget us, they imprisoned us! They considered us a threat to the revitalization of their peoples, peoples who suffered from a war caused by the celestials themselves!!" Hatred was apparent on Ryver's face as he mentioned those 'celestials', his response made Silas just lower his head, perhaps tired of this topic.

"Ahem! I brought the food!" With a loud cough, Rudge appeared holding two trays with various wooden pots and dishes, various types of food exuded a pleasant smell that made one's mouth water.

"I'm not hungry, so if you'll excuse me, I'll leave." With these words, Ryver forcefully closed his book and got up from his chair, 'this is the first time I see him using his legs'.

"Haha... Argh, you guys mentioned the celestials, didn't you?" Rudge seemed really overwhelmed by Ryver's reaction. "Silas, you know he hates that topic."

"Sorry, it's just that the young one asked where we are and... one thing led to another."

"Well, let's eat and then we'll talk, okay?" With a sigh, Rudge spoke with a gentle smile, her gaze seemed melancholic.

Without another word, we began to eat.