Location: Unknown

Date: Unknown

Callum's eyes fluttered as he slowly regained consciousness. All he could feel was the pain. It felt like he had been hit by an eighteen-wheeler, rolled down a cliff, and set ablaze with gasoline. He should have been dead. He was way to close to that ordinance when it had gone off. Yet he wasn't. At least he didn't think he was.

To be fair, he might be in hell for all he knew. The searing pain felt very much like something one might experience there, he figured. Though rather localized, with the sensation covering most of his forearms and his neck and face. His breaths were labored, and his insides felt scrambled. He was so tired that he could not even open his eyes and was having a hard time hearing much of anything over the constant ringing in his ears. The snippets he did hear did not sound much like rotor wash or the sound of a jungle.

All he could hear was birds singing and not the tropical kind. Also, more importantly, snippets of a foreign language he could not distinguish. It did not sound like French or a Bantu language he would expect to be hearing in the middle of a Congolese jungle. He would much prefer to have been hearing the sounds of English calling in a medevac. He did not have much time to lament the fact, though, as he felt a searing pain course through his body as he howled in pain. It felt as though a wrought flaming hot iron rod had pierced him through his chest, and the pain invaded every part of his body now. Spreading out through his veins and arteries. It was all he could do to not go crazy from the pain, his mind having gone blank.

The voices one again returning with a tinge of fear and worry. The pain lasted only a few seconds before he felt a wave of relief pass over him. Promptly passing out after the fact, his mind fading to black.

30 minutes prior...

Nym huffed as she made her way along the well-worn path into the forest.

How could Grandma not let her go into the forest? She was always super careful when she went with her to pick herbs. There were no monsters until you started to get deep into the forest, and the herbs they needed were just a short walk. She was no little girl anymore. She could take care of herself.

She continued to grumble as she quickly walked, making sure to bow her head as she passed several hunters returning from the forest with their days catch slung over their shoulders.

Usually, the hunters and other gatherers from the village would not bother her, unlike the other villagers who would relentlessly torment her if she was alone. Reflexively she clutched her basket and brushed her other hand over her ear. As if trying to hide the slightly more elongated lobes.

Thankfully the hunters paid her zero care and acted if she was not even there. Just a void in space or something to not sully their eyes with. She slowly unclutched the basket, and while taking a deep breath, hurrying further into the forest. Trying to put the argument she had earlier with her grandmother out of her mind. After a few minutes of walking, Nym came to a clearing with small flowers and herbs dotting it.

Now, just to find some Rock Sage and Bleeding Thistle.

Putting her basket down, Nym started to look around the edge of the clearing. Humming a tune, her grandmother used to sing to her when she was growing up. Taking time to look with care. Gleefully her eyes lit up, and with quick hands, she bent down to pick a small herb no larger than her pinky finger.

"Ha, finally. Now just for that Bleeding Thistle." Nym exclaimed with cheer in her voice. In contrast to the rather gloomy mood, she had earlier.

She was delighted with her find. Going to her basket and depositing the herb very carefully so as not to damage it, she heard a small crack of a branch breaking further into the forest. Very slowly, she turned to the noise to be greeted with a large black wolf. Standing reared back on its haunches, its teeth bared and ears pulled back tight to its head.

She started to back up very slowly. Completely forgetting the small knife, she carried in a small satchel slung over her shoulder. She made the mistake of meeting the wolf's eyes as she was backing away. In less than an instant, the wolf took it as a sign of a challenge. Launching from its position, it began loping across the clearing right towards Nym. Clearing the distance in less than the blink of an eye.

Nym petrified in fear stood rooted to the ground. She wasn't able to move, and tears streamed down her face. Her grandmother's warnings streaming through her mind as she closed her eyes as if accepting fate.

The feeling of pain she was awaiting from the wolf's maw never came. A huge bang reverberated through the clearing a small shockwave pushing Nym onto her butt. Gaining some more control of her body, Nym looked up fearfully. The wolf was falling down in two separate pieces, a swirling tear in the air, cutting the wolf in two. Following which a man seemed to be pushed from the portal. Falling onto his back. The tear falling back into itself, disappearing immediately.

Nym pulled herself to her feet. Tears still flowing down her face, she thought of just running back to the village. Curiosity winning in the end, she moved closer to the man and the now-dead wolf. Inspecting the man, he seemed to be covered in burns, but he was also wearing some bizarre clothes. They seem to be well made, and he also had a helm somewhat similar to a knight, but every knight she had seen never had such a thing. When they occasionally passed through the village, they wore shiny metal plates that covered most of their body.

Taking an even closer examination, she saw that he was a young man. Much of the knights as well that she had seen had been well into their middle ages. His chest was slowly rising, and while holding her hand in front of his mouth, she could only feel the faintest breaths, and not at all even. The breath coming out ragged.

Steeling herself for the scolding, she would get. Nym decided to go and fetch her grandmother, the only healer in their little village. Grabbing her basket, she started to run back down the trail back towards town.

Taking about five minutes to reach the village, Nym ran through as quick as she could run. The cottage that her grandmother and her called home was on the other side of the village towards the edge of the wood. Arriving in front of the door, she yanked it open and could barely speak as she was so winded. Not used to very much physical exertion.

"Nym, why do you look so disheveled, and where have you been?" Nym's grandmother scolded as she turned around from stoking a small fire burning in an earthen fireplace.

"Wolf ... a wolf in the clearing. A man is hurt. I think he is a knight." Nym stammered out through her heavy breathing.

Without a word, her grandmother grabbed a satchel hanging on a chair at a rickety table and ushered Nym out of the house.

"Go fetch Silvain and Claas. Tell them to come to the clearing, and then go home and wait until I come back. We will talk about this when I come back, do you hear me, Nym?" the grandmother said in a stern tone.

"But, I" Nym started but was cut off.

"No, buts, now do you hear me?" the grandmother said in an even more stern tone of voice.

"Yes, grandmother Eloisa" Nym said dejectedly while lowering her head and moving back towards the village.

Within a little time, Silvain and Claas met up with Eloisa on the other side of the village and entered the wood following the same trail that Nym had walked earlier. They walked silently, not exchanging words except for Eloisa filling the two in on what had happened. They came upon the clearing and spotted the man that Nym had spoken of. He was in a very pitiful state. Burns covered much of his body, his breathing labored.

Eloisa quickly took off her satchel. Removing the contents, small vials containing a myriad of solutions were held in her hand. Meanwhile, Claas inspected the dead wolf, "Fuck, the thing is torn in half."

Silvain inspected the wolf, and pointed at the front half of it, "It is a clean-cut, either by a very sharp blade or magic. Though our friend here does not seem to have a large enough blade to do such a thing. Nor does he appear to be a Knight."

His eyes then traveling over the man, " I have never seen such things before, his armor, and staff. It is bizarre. The fabric seems to be of excellent quality, much like something a noble might wear, at least in quality."

Eloisa continuing to remove things from her bag, remarking, "Nor is he radiating any magic. At least that I can tell. So either he is much more adept than me or utterly devoid of magic. Which would be very strange. His clothes and items just add to the fact."

Claas tore his eyes off the wolf to steal a glance at Eloisa, "Just hurry up, Witch I do not wish to spend more time in the forest than I have to. And should we be even helping him? How did he end up here?"

Without skipping a beat, Eloisa popped a cork out of one of the vials and poured some of the solutions over the burns on the man's arms, "Claas, make yourself useful and make something to carry him back to my cabin." Eloise remarked, not even acknowledging the man's protests.

Harrumphing but giving no protest, Claas moved to the edge of the clearing and started pulling branches down to make a makeshift stretcher along with the blanket they brought from the village. Grumbling as he worked, "I still don't think it is wise."

Silvain gave a slight smirk and moved to poke around in the underbrush for any more wolves or monsters lurking about the edge of the clearing.

Eloisa continued treating the unknown man's burns. After about five minutes of work, she was just finishing her initial treatment and was just about to motion Claas. She was interrupted as the man at her fingertips let out a blood-curdling scream. His body beginning to convulse, his veins protruding through against his skin.

"Uh, witch, what did you do?" Claas asked the shake noticeable in his voice. As he took a few steps backward.

Eloise taking hold of both of his arms, "I have done nothing, but I need help. Hold him down, and I will try and ease his pain."

Claas and Silvain moved to grab the man. The former still with hesitation. Grabbing his shoulders and legs, respectively.

Eloise started to mumble. Words incoherent to either of them until she finished, and a white light traveled down her arms and into the man. His body flashed once with the light—several of the burns receding to cover only a quarter of what they once did. The convulsing immediately stopped, and veins returning to normalcy.

Eloise became increasingly weak. Her eyes became heavy, and her shoulders began to slump. Still, she motioned toward the man, "Pick him up and take him back to my cabin."

Both men grunted and loaded the man and his rather strange staff and pack onto the stretcher. Claas struggling to lift the pack. Grunting, they followed after Eloise back towards the village.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Earlier in the evening before Eloise and the two others had arrived in the clearing, a cloaked being cast in shadows paced through a brightly lit hall. Gold adornments upon the wall cast a golden light upon the whitest of marble comprising the hall. This was in stark contrast to the utter blackness cloaking the individual. The being arrived at a small world, hovering above a pedestal very similar to a globe, but much more realistic. It swiped its hands in a motion beckoning the planet. It obliged spinning on its axis and coming to a rest on one of the smaller continents.

I know I felt something, those old fogeys don't pay attention anymore, or they are simply too caught up in their petty squabbles to notice. However, I am much more attuned with anything trying to come and leave our small little speck.

The man continued to zoom in on the clearing. Until he came upon the large amount of energy he had perceived enter their domain.

Hmm, how intriguing indeed. Not one ounce of mana, nor does this little one bare one mark. Though a bit perplexing. No matter, this is precisely the kinda chance I have been waiting for. You, little one, will be my ticket to retribution.

The being then pointed its long shadowy finger to the planet, at the man lying crumpled upon the ground. Shadows started to wrap down his arm, slowly forming a ball at its outstretched fingertip, growing larger and more substantial, as if gaining more density. Slowly space started to ripple around the ball of black. Ever so gradually, space was also being sucked into the ball.

The being only stopped once the walls surrounding him were starting to twist and crack. The ball then condensing into but the size of a pinhead.

By the time it had finished. Eloise was just about to signal to Claas for him to pick up the man.

The being then touching the pin of black to the chest of the man lying fallen upon the planet through the projection in front of him. It instantly shot out unseeable to those present there with him. Pierced his chest and coming to a rest in his heart. Immediately it started to expand and disintegrate spreading throughout his body. Melding with him at the cellular level, at the cost of great pain. Finishing only a small amount of the substance remained. The small number of leftovers returned to his heart, where it embedding itself into the wall of his heart. The substance was no larger again than a pinhead.

"BROTHER!!!!" A shout resounded down the hall, shaking the very foundations of the golden white room—the shout originating from a giant standing at well over 10 feet tall—the body of a Greek god wearing free-flowing white robes.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" It shouted once again it's power shaking the ground under their feet.

"Relax brother, you'll collapse this dimension if you keep putting so much power behind your voice." The shadowed figure put up his hand in a mock surrender pose.

"Isn't that what you almost did, Eurus? I will ask again what did you do?" the giant thundered back, in a much less powerful tone but carrying a deep baritone.

"Just a little fun, brother. You know I do not have any followers like the others in the Pantheon to keep me entertained. I have to make my own entertainment." Eurus spoke in a singsong voice, a cheshire smile working its way unto his face as the shadows dissipated from his head. Revealing a rather striking man making his way towards the end of middle age.

Sighing, the giant responded, "Do not cause much trouble. I can not protect you again if you were to anger the elders again. You know they would shatter your soul. Depositing the thousands of pieces of you across the universe."

The chershire smile still playing at his lips, "Oh, I know, Uddon. I would not want to put you through that bother."

Uddon just sighed again and let Eurus walk past him back the way he had come. Leaving the small planet as it had appeared when Eurus had first arrived.

The smile only leaving Eurus's lips once he was well past Uddon, letting the shadows wrap back over his head. Enveloping him once more.

I'd like to see the old bats try. That little one should definitely be able to shake things up enough for me to retrieve it. Then we can see who will be shattering whos soul.

A much uglier smile played on his lips below the shadows as he walked the golden halls.