The trees around me weren't what they once were. And I wasn't referring to their positions or some tiny detail that only a local would identify. They were radically different and followed no logical pattern that one would expect in a forest.
For example: a grove of evergreen trees wouldn't have a palm tree randomly thrown into the mix.
Yet it was a palm tree I was staring at. Although, the leaves looked thicker than usual and seemed to be dripping with some kind of liquid.
Odd, I don't recall it raining recently. I ran my hand across the palm leaf and immediately recoiled.
It felt... warm. Sticky even. Not as it should have felt.
But what was more unnerving was the reaction to my touch. The leaves shuddered for a moment, then slowly and rhythmically began rising and falling, almost like the tree was breathing.
Something told me I shouldn't stand too close, so I took a few steps back, keeping a careful eye on the pulsating before me.
And my instincts were right. The branches lunged forward, spraying me with warm liquid. Two 'leaves' came in from either side looking to engulf my body.
I leapt away, but my left arm was caught. Searing pain screamed through my body as small curved spikes hooked through flesh and muscle and dragged me back towards the trunk, which itself had begun to open wide. It had split down the middle and uprooted itself, walking towards me like an iron maiden obscured in shadow.
And then, I saw it. Red ominous light illuminated the area, and I could see this 'tree' for what it was.
Even so, I couldn't understand what my eyes revealed.
Those leaves? Hunks of flesh dripping with blood.
The spikes digging into my arm? Human teeth growing from the bloody underside of the leaves.
The trunk? A warped face stretched out in an expression of torment.
And the roots? A mess of human arms and legs pulling the atrocity across the ground.
The ground that I had yet to acknowledge. There was no grass here, only a tough, leathery substance that blanketed the world.
There was more. So much more. Too much more for me to take in before I was covered in darkness.
Another 'leaf' wrapped over my head, and I felt those teeth cutting into my eye.
My screams were muffled as my mouth was covered, and the grotesque form of my death pulled me inside its starving mouth.
The trunk snapped shut the moment I was inside without any dramatic pause for effect. In an instant, my bones were crushed, my body turned to pulp, and my insides were splattered against the walls of my fleshy coffin.
It was a pathetic, inglorious end to my life.
...
Then, air.
Stagnant, repulsive air entered my lungs, along with a sickly sweet taste that jolted me to my feet
I looked down in disbelief. My body was back to normal.
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But my situation remained dire. I was stood in a field of nightmares.
A voice entered my mind, it brought with it the feeling of insects clawing at the inside of my skull and my eyes bled as they met the gaze of its owner.
An immense eye floating above me, staring. It spoke a simple command.
"StRuGgLe. SuRvIvE. SuCcEeD."
My head exploded from the pressure that voice exuded.
I awoke again, and my hell began.
***
How many times had I died?
I suppose that's a philosophical question in my case. My physical form had died too many times to count in just one night.
And yet...
I was never sent back to the soul stream. So in my mind, I had still only died once.
"Haha..."
A dry laugh escaped my throat. I must be insane, to find relief after the madness I suffered through tonight.
But I couldn't help it. No matter what those monsters did to me, the only fear I had was of true death. Of losing myself and becoming a husk once more.
But it seemed this place was special. I wasn't so arrogant to think that this was my own ability keeping me alive, therefore this must be the norm here.
Wherever 'here' was. I had been offered my first moment of peace since arriving, but I couldn't even investigate.
Why? Because the world had changed once again. But I did not return to my home.
No, I found myself sprawled on my back in a field of soft pink grass, a clear river flowing right next to my head, the water within a pleasant shade of teal.
The air here was rejuvenating, as if every breath I took filled my spirit as well as my lungs.
A four eyed blue deer-looking creature trotted over to sniff me, then happily pranced away. Soon after, a small ferret with tiny antlers and fur that flowed like fire flew into my chest.
Despite its appearance, the fur felt cool to the touch.
It was like I had been yanked from hell and dropped into my personal heaven.
I was so relaxed that I didn't even care to get up and look around further. I just stared up into the canopy of trees above me.
Shades of all different vibrant colours greeted me. is the kind of fantastical fauna I wanted to see.
Hours passed before I decided to stroll around and take stock of my surroundings.
"Oh my, a human?"
A soft touch fell upon my shoulder, accompanied by the sweet scent of honey.
I turned to face the owner of that beautiful voice, only to see an even more beautiful visage.
Like a cross between a refined model and a particularly fuzzy insect, she had eyes of gold and a gown of white and yellow. No, on closer inspection, it was not a gown at all, this was a part of her body.
As were the large insectoid wings sprouting from her back.
"What a sturdy soul. Did you just arrive to the Feral Abyss? Or were you here for the Crucible too?"
I didn't understand what she was talking about at that time, I was too mentally strained to do much thinking at all. I did manage to ask the most pertinent question however.
"The Feral Abyss... Is that where I am?"
I reached a hand towards the alluring woman, and she placed her own thin fingertips against mine.
"Strange little human...you know not where you are? Come, there is one who can help you."
She wrapped her fingers gently around my wrist and led me along the river, against the flow of the water.
"Humans are fond of names, yes? What shall we call you?"
I thought about how to introduce myself. I had been calling myself Rex all this time, but wasn't that just for the benefit of this body's family? So should I go by my original name?
No. My old life was lost. Even if there were a way to return, I knew too much time had passed, nothing awaited me back home.
"Rex. And you?"
She smiled down at me with serene amusement.
"We exist as a harmonious collective, names are not needed for my kind, though you can call me as you wish."
"Harmony then. Who are we meeting, Harmony?"
"He is a caretaker. One who tends the land and guides us all."
"Does he rule this world then?"
Her laughter rings like a pleasant bell.
"Nothing of the sort. He is a wanderer who came to us a century ago. He comes and goes as he pleases, but you can rely on him."
We travelled in relative silence after that exchange, which suited me just fine as I took in the nature of this place. The Feral Abyss, I suppose it's called. The name implied a danger behind the serenity, but that was typical for nature in general.
Harmony stopped before what looked like an animal den.
"Here we are. I shall retrieve him, please wait he—"
"Stupid soul! 10 years I wait! You make up for lost time NOW!"
Something small and green flew out in fury, followed by a and something hitting the top of my head.
My vision blurred, and I heard that nasally voice speak again.
"Look! Stupid soul so weak! Bah! Will take forever to train."
I couldn't make him out anymore, but I felt a rough clawed hand grab my cheeks.
"You all mine now! Training begins now!"
My consciousness was fading once more, but the blurry green thing had one last thing to say.
"Must become strong. Must defy the divine. Learn the ways of the Druid."
Too much to unpack there, it was time to rest.
Harmony