Chapter 3 – REAWAKEN

THERE was nothing but darkness. The only thing in Eleand’s vision was an inky view. Maybe he died already. He remembered the impact crashing through his body when the truck slipped down the ravine. Who would survive such an accident? He couldn’t be alive.

Eleand anticipated a grim reaper to look after him at this moment. He tried to debate with himself if he should fully open his eyes. If he had been honest, of course, he was not ready to die. But his time on earth was done, and he was powerless to contradict the law of nature. Death was inevitable anyway.

After some serious internal struggle, he opened his eyes slowly. He somehow expected what was going to happen. And he was just not ready to see what a Grim Reaper appeared to be. But he would undoubtedly come with it.

Everything will be fine now. Eleand calmed himself. His eyes adjusted to a dim light until he could thoroughly look around. The rays of the sun touched his face and blinded him a little.

Trees. He could see towering trees from his sight. The wind suddenly swooshed, and a few green leaves fell.

He heard somebody whispered, “Swasah….”

Eleand followed the direction where the voice came from. His eyes widened when he saw a woman kneeling beside him. She was gently staring down at his puzzled face, and her lips twitched to smile.

Judging by her look, she must be a foreigner. She might be a tourist wandering around. Her long brunette hair looked soft; braids covered her ears. Her perfectly tanned skin would make any Caucasian girl jealous.

On the second thought, maybe this lady was just a local. But her pointed nose and the distinct pigment of her eyes, which glimmered when the brightness of the sun touched it. She might be a foreigner indeed.

Wait. The color of her eyes was vibrant gold like he had never seen before!

Amazing. But where the hell was he? A foreign tourist found him after the accident? Thanks to her then. But how it happened?

“Where am I?” he asked the beautiful lady.

She just glanced at him and giggled. Then she talked in a language that he could not comprehend. Eleand felt annoyed, and this woman created an impression that she was making fun of him.

He also thought that if this woman was speaking a language that he could not understand, and her appearance looked bizarre, was it possible that he just ascended into heaven?

Eleand scrutinized the woman’s clothing. She wore brown cotton pants and black leather boots. Her fitted green tube shirt appeared to be in a shortage of fabrics because it exposed her navel.

He halted examining her body when his eyes caught the attention of the bow in her hand and the bunch of arrows resting on the quiver on her back.

Eleand tried to get up. He sensed danger. But his body could not move an inch. He felt like there was a large boulder resting on top of him.

Damn! Am I paralyzed? He silently swallowed. Now that he regained consciousness in front of this weird-looking woman, then he survived the vehicular accident. He was even sure that this was not heaven because he could still feel the pain all over his body.

But where was Elida? He gaped upon remembering his sister. He was sure Elida would be around here somewhere.

“Where is Elida?” he asked the odd, alluring lady for the second time.

To his dismay, she just snickered at him again. She gave a reaction that she would answer none of his questions. The lady flicked her fingers, and he suddenly felt an extensive amount of energy getting out of his body; he was feeling light and relaxed.

Again, he heard the eerie chants of this woman, and for a moment, he thought that his imagination was getting out of hand when the lady vanished from his sight in just a blink. And before he could even react, his eyes pulled him to doze off.

THE sight of dried palm leaves roofing came to view when Eleand woke up. He was dumbfounded upon realizing that he was inside a small room with the smell of fresh flowers. He was not sure of how long he had been asleep.

He noticed just now; he comfortably lay on a soft bunk bed, his eyes still blurred. But he was certain he got a companion. Someone was there, staring at him.

“Who are you?” His forehead crumpled. He moved his body, got up, and leaned his back to the headboard. He rubbed his eyes just to be sure that his vision did not deceive him.

A man stood near the door, his arms crossed, and appeared irritated. The man was barefooted, but a sword clung to his body. His black trousers were slightly tattered and not wearing a shirt. Eleand could see the scars on the stranger’s torso.

Maybe this was just another dream. Because when he scanned him closely, he noticed his distinctive eyes, his iris made of different colors. Teal on his right and green on his left—his ears pointed!

Another weird-looking person!

Before he could even react, a girl went in, and she was brightly glittering, literally. Her body was inside a glistening greenish mist. And by the mercy of heavens, she had wings! It was like a gigantic version of a butterfly, yellow and green, accented with black edges.

“What the fuck?” He wanted to faint. Something was wrong. Did he suffer brain damage during the accident? He must have had imagining things. Or maybe his first assumption was correct, that he ascended into heaven and these creatures were angels, and they were ready to condemn him for his sins.

This is crazy! His body trembled in fear because of these individuals near him.

“Swasah.” The winged creature smiled.

“What are you talking about? Where am I?” He stood up and walked backward. The girl marched near him. Eleand gathered all the courage he could to fight the terror inside his head. Were they planning to eat him? He hoped not.

So many weird things happened. The last thing he remembered, he suffered an injury because of the accident, and the odd-looking lady with golden eyes made him fall asleep. And now, these freaky people terrified the hell out of him.

“Welcome.” The weird lady butterfly greeted him. In an instant, her wings were nowhere in his sight, and the green light enveloping her body disappeared.

 What kinds of creatures were they? God help him!

“Now, you’re talking my language. Where the hell am I? And who are you?” His nervousness grew stronger. His mind might explode anytime thinking about this place.

Eleand clenched his fists hard. If they planned to harm him, he would fight back. They could not bring him down without a fight. He was well-versed in martial arts, enough to defend himself at least.

The woman did not bother to answer his questions, “I bet you’re hungry. It’s been a long journey for you. I will send some food and clothes, too. You can’t face Aserah in that look.” She examined her from head to foot.

He hardly massaged his temple. He was dreaming! He even tried to pinch himself hard to escape this nightmare. But surprisingly, he felt the pain. This must be real, and he was going insane!

“Please, where the fuck am I?” He had to hold on to the few strands of his sanity.

The man near the door came near, “You’re here in Erganiv.”

“Erga—what?”

The man glanced to his companion, “Let Winzi handle this mortal.” He gave every indication of being bored and annoyed as he surveyed him.

“But he looked wasted. He needed to suit himself more decent, at least.” The woman giggled and gently shook her head.

Judging by the look of these two, Eleand was sure they were not human beings. Their ears were pointed, and their faces were ethereal yet dangerous.

“My name is Nahil, and yes, we could talk thousands of languages.” Her warm smile somehow made him feel at ease, “And he is Ahldrin.” She introduced her companion, “We brought you here to keep you safe. We found you in the forest of Noyuh, in between the Summer and Autumn Region.”

Not again. He tried to comprehend, but it was no use. He even thought that these two were aliens from the galaxy, and they had abducted him.

Now he just realized that his leather jacket was badly torn, and he wore one shoe on his left foot. His always perfectly tied hair was in a mess. But he could not feel any pain at all.

“I don’t understand. The last thing I remember, we had a vehicular accident. The truck I was driving fell into the ravine. Why don’t I have any scratches on my body? And I was with my sister. Why is she not around?”

The lady who introduced herself as Nahil went serious. She even exhaled sharply and shook her head. She gazed at Ahldrin and then looked at him.

“You were alone when we found you.” She tried to smile again.

“Then tell me what is going on? How did I come here? Am I dead already? Sorry guys, but you look not human at all.”

Ahldrin chuckled. “You are wasting our time. I can’t figure out what Aserah found in you. Humans were forbidden to enter Erganiv ten thousand years ago. So, why the hell are you here?”

He swallowed hard. “Please, I need to go home. I have to find my sister, and I need to see my father, too. He is dying!” he pleaded.

“I’m afraid that is impossible. You can’t—” Nahil stopped when another woman barged in from nowhere.

Their new companion wore a blue robe. She looked extraordinarily beautiful, no doubt. There was a mark of a crescent moon on her forehead. She was fair-skinned that matched her long silky white hair, and her silver-colored eyes appeared dangerous.