Before the sun went down, he wanted to at least make myself known to the people in the area, no need to look even more suspicious being alone at night. He hurried up to where two people were standing watch… with spears? Guess it was for tradition or something... the thought was quickly snuffed out as they both pointed the sharp ends towards him.

he raised his hands in surrender, not wanting to endanger his life by being an idiot. a moment passed before the nicer-looking of the guards spoke up with a strange accent, old and formal. “license and registration?” He asked. For a moment I panicked. there was no way they'd keep him out right? “I uh, don’t have any?”

He was only left with his shirt and pants in the middle of nowhere. If he could give his identification he would, but being dropped off in the middle of god knows where really didn't help. The guards stood there for a moment, seeming a little surprised before the ugly one started chuckling. Not wanting to be rude Derb also started laughing, moments before the butt of a spear smashed his temple.

He awoke with a jerk. he was in a glazed sweat and his head was throbbing. The pain was making his thoughts near incoherent, but he didn’t mind it too much. it wasn't like his thoughts were coherent to begin with. “Oh Christ, where am I?” the boy exclaimed, the world spinning as he tried to get back up on his feet.

He seemed to be in a jail cell… was what he’d like to say, but other than the bars keeping him from leaving the room it was pretty comfy. It might as well have been a room inside someone’s home for all he knew, transformed into a cell just for him. He was on a comfy bed with two pillows. A thick blanket was haphazardly thrown over him, which was already more hospitable than he expected... He also seemed to have a desk and a working toilet. Guess the Amish did use toilets, huh...

Eh, he didn’t know enough about them to deny it so he simply stopped thinking about it. Speaking of thinking, why did his brain feel like someone was branding it with a soldering iron? Oh yeah… “Hey, asshole. I know I was a little bit suspicious but you didn’t have to beat me over the head, what happened to innocent until proven guilty?” Derb woozily but determinedly said to the ugly bastard on the other side of the cell.

It was the same man in the front who he spoke to. Now that he knew the guy was an ass he could take the time to insult him without feeling bad. The guard looked like a crossbreed of a goat and a chihuahua. He had an angular face that was too pointy to be attractive, and his eyes were too far apart, with a nose that looked like it went through a garbage disposal.

What happened next blew his expectations of the guy out the window. “I sincerely apologize for my actions, we did not expect someone so… weak to be able to pass through the forest, we mistook you for one of the Deformed in the area…” He then bowed deeply, making me feel a bit guilty about insulting his looks… Goddamnit. Couldn’t you just have told me to shut up or something? Now I’ve got a headac- er an even worse headache than before. He was in too much pain to even comprehend why the man said “deformed”

“Oh. Um… I’m sorry I called you an asshole mister, so could you please let this poor excuse of a man go?” He wasn’t below trying to grovel for freedom, especially since he did actually feel sorta bad for the guy. sure he just about caved my skull in, but it was the thought that counts. “it was’n lik I was doin nuthn…”

All of a sudden Derb's vision started fading in and out. He couldn't even complete his argument. Though he didn’t think he would have been able to convince him anyway, so he wasn’t too miffed. With a dramatic twirl, the boy fell and passed out on the floor, guess the guard did more damage than he thought. haha...

“I’m not gonna die, am I?”

____

A child, no older than 8, barely able to make a coherent thought as the world burns around him, he struggles, trying his best to run away from the fire that boils his feet until they’re barely recognizable as limbs. The boy continues in a crawl, crying out to the world and cursing the flames for using him as its fuel. He curses the flame until his voice snaps, and he can no longer utter a sound. Yet, the flames don’t respond, for they are merely flames. The boy turns and lies on his back, no longer caring for survival, only for death to quench the fire burning inside him. He stares at the sky, beautiful and red. Ten suns revolving around the world, around him. And he slowly became ashes, drifting away as ashes always do.

And then he woke up

___

“HUgah, STOP DOING THAT.” Derb shouted the moment he was startled awake. His head was foggy and he couldn't remember how he passed out, so he just assumed the guard hit him again. Unfortunately, his anger wasn’t being directed to the guard, but two little brats in front of him. They must have misunderstood his shout as something because one started to scold the other.

He couldn’t help but notice their appearance, they looked like little priests. they had simple white dresses and hoods that covered their hair, leaving them looking almost like pawns in a chess game. One of them was shorter than the other and yet seemed to be the more feisty of the two, with black hair and scornful eyes. He couldn't help but think that he wouldn't be able to get along with her. The other one seemed more agreeable, with chubby cheeks, blonde hair and her head turned down. She didn't seem like the type to cause problems.

“Ah, wait, she’s getting scolded because of me?” Derb finally said, startling the two into stopping their little argument. “I'm sorry if you thought she did something to me, do you know what happened, my head feels pretty bad...” another shocked silence. The black-haired one opened her mouth, but before she could garner a response the blonde stepped in, earning a pout from the other. “We’re among the great forest, this place is called the Barrel village. Do you… remember where that is?” her face scrunched up in worry. Ah, I guess I did just receive a blow to the head from a dude with the strength of an ape. It would make sense if i lost some of my memory.

I could use this...

“I… I don’t remember anything, I guess that blow to the head knoc-” Before i could finish my brilliant and not at all cliche plan, the black haired one called me out. “That was a lie, why were you in the forest?” I looked at her in annoyance, until I realized what I was looking at… The girl was staring scornfully at me, which wasn't the important part. what mattered were her eyes, as they were glowing a bright yellow.

Oh christ, it's a cult... I knew I couldn’t trust people... I should have just stayed in the forest and ate berries and nuts… “O-oh, I’m… I’m sorry miss, I didn’t know you were so powerful.” What a fool he was! That was exactly what everyone says when they're about to get decapitated! In amazement, his head didn’t roll off. Instead, the girl started reddening and looked shocked at the statement.

“Well, of… of course! My teacher wouldn’t raise a weakling! Ahahah! You don’t seem like a bad person if you can understand how great master is!” As she pat his back in wonton approval, a realization came upon derb. 'Ah, she can’t handle praise, I can use that.'

“There’s someone even more skilled in this village, I’d love to thank them for sending such an amazing person to tend to my wounds.'' He started gripping her hands at this point, continuing the charade. “To tend to someone who you don't even know, you must truly be a hero!” At this point the girl was visibly sweating from the compliments, she almost looked like she was in pain.

This was perfect for him, since he didn't want her to use psychology or whatever she did on him again. Whatever it was she did to see if he was lying. “I uh um… yes I a-am... great… I will go get teacher! He will make you a student and I could be the one to guide you!” Oh no, this girl was getting dangerous thoughts. Bad thoughts formed in my head realize nodded my head in astonishment.

“That’s amazing! Your master must love you so much to allow this, you must be his favorite student! Go get him this instant so I can bow down to both of you!” She nodded excitedly, hurriedly shuffling her small little feet out the door. In the silence, I looked down at the blonde child, and then at the door. She looked at me frowning, and put herself between me and the door.

She had found out my intentions, I guess I was being a bit obvious. Oh well, too late for that! I jumped out the bed and shoved the girl aside, running directly for the door. Stupid cultists tricking these poor village folk into thinking they have powers, these backward folk probably don’t even know what glowing contact lenses were! He was almost to the door until he heard a shout behind him.

“holy rest!”

All of a sudden his thoughts started to fade. his knees buckled under him as he facelplanted directly into the ground. “Oh no… the nice blonde girl was also in on it…” was his last half formed thought before the light surrounding him pulled Derb into a deep slumber.”

___

There was nothing, a void as we know it to be. we had no feelings, no emotions. we didn’t care that there was nothing, for there was nothing there to care about. So here we float in the void, constantly torn and changed by our own free will. Nothing was more detrimental than stagnation, after all. We were barely able to conceive the fact that we even exist. Years, decades, all passing by as if they never existed at all. The darkness was all we knew. So I ask, “Is this all there is?”

___

He woke up with a gasp, his heart beating out of its chest. This was the first time he remembered the contents of the dreams that made him break down this way. Albeit, the memories were a bit hazy. Why did that happen, was this going to become a new thing? He picked himself off the bed, covered in sweat. He could feel his head throb as if a hammer smashed his skull in once more.

As the boy looked around he realized he didn’t have much time to dwell on these matters. Around him were five people, the two children, an old man, and the two guards mentioned earlier. The old man and the guards looked unimpressed, tired even. The blonde child was looking at him like he was a thug, while the black-haired one had a pout on her face and a betrayed look in her eye. The old man had an air of superiority, his skinny frame standing straight. Not to mention how the two girls hid behind him. He seemed like the one to talk to if he wanted out of this mess. So the boy did what he did best, and groveled for forgiveness.

“Oh god please don’t sacrifice or kill me or whatever! I’ll do anything you want!” He shuffled on his knees towards the elder. “You seem like the type of guy who makes a lot of enemies, I’ll be your loyal slave! I’ll even kill if you want me to! I don’t know what type of powerful religion I”m taking a part in but give me time!” At this point he saw the old man smile, a good sign for someone as desperate as Derb.

While everyone else was giving him looks that would make an ant feel more important than the boy, the old man finally spoke.“shut up, boy.” The man rudely interrupted, his earlier unimpressed face gone and filled with that of derision. “I don’t know what things you’ve heard about this village, but know this, we are not savages. We are not those who hurt people who have done no wrong. I will not stand to hear this nonsense any longer.” Oh great, the old man has a righteous side. At least he knew they wouldn’t immediately kill him.

Derb picked himself off the ground and patted himself clean. After a quick stretch he finally spoke what he'd been meaning to find an answer for all this time.“So uh, I understand this area was called barrel village… Do you know how I can get to Springfield from here? like a map or anything?” The elder looked at him with profound eyes that seemed full of curiosity. “Child, you must have some idea about where we are... There is no human life for at least a hundred miles from here…”