Unreal

Chapter Two

Ciell

The sun shone dimly through the dull canopy, casting a rather dreary mosaic of light on the dying forest's floor. It was quiet, there were no signs of life here. Any animals who lived here had either died or moved out. I squinted, looking around.

I hopped off of my ride, Crimson, landing on the ground gracefully, and quietly. I gently patted his snout.

"Well buddy, this is it," I started, scanning the surroundings, "Looks like we're early," I grabbed a sleek metal box from the saddle off of his back, and flipped it open, digging out a water bottle from the bigger on the inside space.

I took a swig of the water, then replaced it in the saddlebox, and latched it back onto the saddle.

I settled up against a tree, and closed my eyes. I had only just started started to drift off when I heard a shrill scream somewhere up above me. It was distant, but almost directly above me. What was someone doing up that high?

I shot to my feet, and instinctively drew my sword handle, which automatically extended into a full sword. I held out my sword defensively, then the leaves rustled above me and forwards a bit.

Someone thudded to the ground after crashing through the trees, unmoving. I groaned, death wasn't a very comfortable thing to watch.

Slowly, I took a step forwards. I prodded at the person's face with the back of my sword handle, she was clearly a woman, maybe in her teens. She had wavy brown hair, currently in a ponytail. She had light skin, and would've beed fairly pretty if she wasn't dead. What caught my eye was the locket she was wearing. Why did it look so familiar?

I bent down to check her pulse, I didn't know why, there was almost no way she could've survived that fall.

I jerked back, then raised my sword. She had a pulse, she was alive. But how? I huffed, then lowered my sword, there was no way she could be any harm in this state. She probably wouldn't make it if I left her alone.

I retracted my sword, then hung it back onto my belt. I reached forward, and began to check her injuries. She had an uncountable amount of scratches from falling through the branches, and likely a broken bone or so, though I wasn't very good at telling. And she was dressed ridiculously.

I was about to pick her up, and take her back to Crimson, when she shifted. I froze. Was she waking up? How could she still move after a fall like that?

Slowly, she sat up, then rubbed her eye as if she just woke up from a nap.

"How?!" I thought, and jerked back, reaching for my sword handle again.

She looked around, confused, then her case landed on me, a mix of skepticism, confusion, and curiosity. "Who are you?" She started, scanning me over with her eyes, "What are you wearing?" She wrinkled her nose in a mix of confusion and disgust.

I scoffed, and rolled my eyes. It was mutual. "I was thinking about asking you both of those questions," I pulled out my sword, and extended it to her neck, "Start with answering the first one."

She completely ignored my question, and her eyes dropped to my sword. Her jaw dropped open, and she grabbed the blade to look closer, fascinated. She closely examined the faint lines from the extension mechanism, and narrowed her eyes at  decorative patterns carved into it. "What is that?" She asked with wide eyes, careful to avoid cutting herself as she handled the blade.

I widened my eyes, and pulled back the sword a little bit. That was not the reaction I was expecting. "Answer my question," I pressed the blade back to her neck.