The orb has spoken. A hero must rise, and unite all the creatures of Ammertia to face a greater, ever growing threat to the south.
However, tensions are growing to an all time high between the races. The elves have separated themselves from society...
Pulling away from the crack in the door, Sylvia glanced back at the crowded walkway. No one seemed to pay attention to the mysterious door, no one batted an eye at her. Shrugging, Sylvia slipped through.
Her feet hit the grass, her mind barely able to comprehend how such a beautiful oasis could exist within the apparent desert of New Nortia. She breathed, deep and long until her lungs were full of fresh air.
"Hello," a voice said, breaking her trance. Sylvia looked over the meadow, to see a man sitting cross legged in the grass. He was holding a small wicker basket, half filled with an assortment of mushrooms and berries. His other hand was gently sorting through the food, picking off bits of dirt and residue.
"Hello," Sylvia said, unsure of what was going on. She slowly made her way over to the man. Gazing up, Sylvia saw a brilliant blue sky. The sun was shining, the meadow was beautiful, and the ring of trees around them made a mezmerising wall. It was almost as if they weren't in New Nortia anymore.
"Where are we?" Sylvia asked, sitting down next to the man. The man eyed her swords, before going back to sifting through his basket.
"I'm not sure. I found this place yesterday," he replied, pulling out a large berry and handing it to Sylvia. His smile was warm, comforting, and Sylvia happily accepted the large fruit. The irredecent red shone in her hand, and she took a bite. Flavour exploded in her mouth, sweet and tangy at the same time. It was tantalising. Her expression must have given her away, because the man beamed even wider.
"Good right? I'm picking a bunch to take back home to my wife and daughter. All this food, and we had no clue it was here!" The man stood up, going back to his berry picking.
Suddenly, Sylvia became aware of the eery silence in the meadow. There were no birds, no bugs, no chirping. The air was still, not even a gentle breeze despite the beautiful weather. Instead the air hang in the atmosphere like a crude joke, awkward and silent. Sylvia felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
This was not a natural place.
I've been expecting you...
A loud voice boomed inside Sylvia's head, causing her to cover her ears in response. She looked around, frantic, searching for the source.
The voice laughed, a deep guaff that rang in her mind.
The voice did not sound familiar, and set Sylvia's nerve on edge. She glanced over at the man she had just met, to see if he was the one taunting her. Alas, the man was still picking berries and mushrooms, completely unaware of anything going on around him.
Oh my, so cute, so little....
The voice continued inside Sylvia's head, however she felt herself.... Shrinking. Getting smaller. She looked down, seeing the ground coming closer to her. Looking at her hands, she watched them as they shrank in size, going from calloused, rough hands to small, pudgy ones. With a start, she realised she was a child again.
No one to help you now...
Young Sylvia felt tears prickling at her eyes. The exit.... Where's the exit? She frantically looked behind her, seeing a small gap in the door once more. She ran as fast as her little legs could take her, but it was like running in a dream.
As she got to the gap, the laughter surrounding her, Sylvia lunged through the opening....
And toppled back out into the walkway she had just been in. Sylvia stood up, checking her hands and feet. They were normal sized once again. A quick pat down confirmed Sylvia was now a regular 25 year old woman.
Bewildered by her experience, Sylvia slowly made her way back to the alley.
"Sylvia!" Dirella called out, rushing over with arms full of bags. It appeared she had been quite busy.
"Where the hell have you been I've been searching everywhere for you!" Dirella tutted, handing Sylvia an arm load of boxes and bags to carry. Sylvia almost crumpled under the weight, impressed with the sheer volume of clothes.
"I've only been gone a couple of minutes Dirella," Sylvia rolled her eyes, unsure on how to feel about being mummed. Dirella paused at this.
"You've been gone for hours Sylvia...." She said, a look of concern on her face. Sylvia stopped in her tracks. Looking up, she noticed now the sun had moved considerably since she last saw it, and was now starting to set.
"But that.... That's impossible...." She whispered, glancing back at the walkway with the mysterious door.
"We had better hurry, we will miss dinner!" Dirella said, grabbing Sylvia's arm once more and racing off towards Darian's house.
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As expected, posting the chapter without the image at the top prevented it from taking itself down. I won't use the images from here on out which is sad because I really enjoyed them!
What do you guys think of this weird room? Any thoughts? Theories? Let me know.
