Another World

Chapter I - Hyacinth

I don't know how far I ran, or where I was now.

When I finally caught my breath, It took me a moment to take in my surroundings. By now, It was dark outside, and the moon was beginning to rise. The area around me, was...uncomfortably quiet. I couldn't make out any houses, lights, or people nearby...well, at least I know that I wasn't followed. All I really had to light my way was an old flashlight, which I had stolen from my father's garage.

As I waved it around, I could make out thick, tall trees. Most of the leaves blocked out the moonlight, preventing it from filtering into the clearing. The dim, flickering light of the flashlight didn't quite help, either. Coming off of my adrenaline rush, I started to feel...afraid. Being honest...part of me was waiting for that feeling to come.

After all, I knew that this would've happened...eventually. I knew that—at some point—I would've had to run. And now? I had landed myself here. Here, in this...dark, strange clearing.

After all of that running, I finally wound up here? In this...weird forest clearing. All of these trees are so...tall. All of the trees that surrounded my house were way shorter than this. They were also colored differently, too...these certainly weren't the kind of trees that grew around my house, let alone in the forest backing it.

Well...I made it this far. Now I just have to survive for the night, right? All I have to do is stay alive, and keep moving once the sun rises. Although...I'm not sure just how long that'll take. Maybe I should check my phone for the time?

Damnit...there's no service. My phone is all glitch-y, and nothing will work!—There's all of these weird...symbols. What the fuck do they even mean? Maybe someone will know how to fix it, or will be able to understand it.

After all, once I get moving again, there's no doubt that I'll find someplace lively. Well...maybe not lively, but inhabited at the very least. Regardless, I think that I should start looking around. I'll need to find someplace warm, and closed off. I'll only be staying in this area for one night, after all.

After some time, I continued to wave the dim flashlight around, slowly analyzing my surroundings—rustling. I pulled my father's pocket knife out from my bag, gripping it defensively. Aside from the old flashlight, the only other item I had stolen was my father's pocket knife. Both items had been stolen from my father's garage. I aimed the flashlight at where the sound had come from, angling the knife so that if I had to strike, I could do so effectively.

"Do you mind putting that thing away? I feel like you want to kill me!" A voice chimed, from in-between the trees.

...What the f—

"Can you not hear me? Or can you not understand me? I asked you to put that knife away!"

I lowered the knife, cautiously. I made sure to keep my guard up, in case something decided to jump out at me.

"I can hear you, but...who even are you?—Where are you?" I asked, more confused than afraid now.

"My name is Ceraphin...I'm very familiar with these woods." A tall, shadowy figure emerged from the trees, entering the clearing swiftly.

"I'm sorry for scaring you...I didn't mean to." The figure—Ceraphin—spoke softly...gently, almost.

"It's...okay." I replied, hesitantly. They look tall, and their outline is...slim—but they also seem muscular? Odd...

"I know we've just met, but it can be dangerous out here if not accompanied by someone trustworthy. I'm assuming you'd like to spend your night somewhere with food, water, and a warm bed awaiting you? The cold forest floor couldn't possibly be that comfortable...at least, in my opinion." They said, both nonchalantly, and somewhat accusingly.