The crimson moon cast a deep, rich glow across the night sky. Stars glittered in the red-tinged heavens, the night air carrying an unfamiliar scent he'd never encountered before.
Gazing out the window, Lucian realized he wasn't anywhere familiar. A commotion from below made him turn his head sharply. His thoughts were foggy—where was he, exactly?
He sat in silence, trying to make sense of the situation, completely overwhelmed by confusion. The strange architecture disoriented him. Sighing, he grabbed his robe and stepped outside, seeking a quiet spot to try and understand his surroundings.
He walked through the city streets, the architecture utterly foreign and slightly unsettling. This place was vastly different from his home world. But Lucian pressed on, determined to unravel the mysteries of this new reality.
His eyes fell upon an elderly man approaching. Without hesitation, Lucian asked about the city and its location.
"Excuse me, sir… do you know where this city is?" Lucian bowed politely, hoping to encourage a response.
"Hey, aren't you from around here?" the old man countered.
"No, I'm… lost," Lucian replied, a small, evasive lie accompanied by a smile.
The old man, mistaking it for a joke, chuckled, pointed east, and named a place where Lucian might find answers.
Lucian, placing some faith in the old man's words, nodded his thanks.
"Ah, I'll go there tomorrow," he mused.
He turned, leaving the old man alone under the streetlight. Night deepened, and he decided against immediate travel, wanting to avoid getting further lost. He planned to leave in the morning.
He returned to his inn, his body weary, his mind still grappling with the bizarre events.
But he let it go, settling down to sleep and quiet his racing thoughts. Soon, he fell into a deep slumber.
….
Morning arrived, sunlight piercing the glass and illuminating his face. Lucian awoke, rising from his bed and opening the window.
A cool morning breeze kissed his skin; the weather was rather chilly. He closed the window and lit a fire to warm himself.
His gaze fell upon the crackling flames, his head feeling slightly dizzy. Lucian reflected, his current situation now clear thanks to the memories of his current body.
He sighed softly, realizing he was inhabiting the body of Faldera Syvicsa.
During the night, Faldera's memories, knowledge, experiences, and goals had flooded his mind.
His eyes snapped open. He turned towards the door; from a distance, the sound of approaching footsteps reached him. The door opened, revealing a man with black hair, blue eyes, roughly his own age, wearing a robe similar to the one he'd worn last night.
He stood, gazing at Lucian. His memories revealed this to be Nathan, Faldera's friend, and today was the day they had planned to go somewhere together.
Whether he liked it or not, Lucian couldn't refuse and had to go with him.
"Oh, you're already up," Lucian said, offering a slight smile.
All he could do now was play the part of Faldera. Lucian rose, grabbed his robe, and left the inn.
Just outside the door, he paused, closing his eyes and contemplating his fate. He needed to find a way back home.
A strange, unsettling feeling gnawed at him. Something felt wrong, deeply wrong, within this body. But for now, Lucian focused on understanding this new world.
"So, when are we leaving?" he asked, his gaze vacant.
His friend nodded, and Nathan strode ahead, Lucian following close behind.
During the walk, he made small talk to ease the awkwardness, asking strange questions that made Nathan uncomfortable.
"Hey, what was that supposed to mean?" Nathan narrowed his eyes at Lucian.
Exactly as he'd feared. Lucian averted his gaze; neither of them met each other's eyes.
To deflect the bizarre conversation, he steered the talk back to their journey. Nathan, sighing, nodded, agreeing to continue their walk.
The sounds of vendors filled their ears. People bustled about, trading goods, transporting wares on horseback, and more.
The atmosphere was vibrant, a stark contrast to his home world. Suddenly, a terrible sensation tore through his body. He stopped dead in his tracks, frozen amidst the city's clamor.
Blood flowed from his foot. Nathan, startled, looked back, seeing Lucian's grim expression. His robe was stained crimson; blood poured from his leg.
Lucian felt something tearing within him… uaghh!! Blood gushed from his mouth, staining his robe. The surrounding area erupted in chaos at the sight of the blood.
Nathan, unwilling to have Lucian become the center of attention, pulled him towards a safer place.
As they ran, Nathan's robe was splattered with blood. He glanced back—blood everywhere, a crimson trail marking their path.
But he ignored it, focused on getting Lucian to somewhere safe, somewhere he could receive aid.
Nathan's eyes widened as he looked at Lucian, lifting the hood of his robe. He blinked in disbelief—there wasn't a single wound. He checked other parts of the robe, and again, no wounds were present.
He stopped abruptly, Nathan stared at Lucian with suspicion.
He'd seen the blood pouring from his mouth, yet it was now completely clean. Disturbed by the mystery, Nathan ditched their original plan and made for a place that might hold some answers.
A dilapidated building stood before them, neglected from the outside, but within its walls dwelled those who understood the strange mysteries of the world.
Nathan swallowed hard, looking at Lucian.
Sighing, he scooped up his friend and carried him inside. A single lamp illuminated the silent room, casting long shadows across the floor. From the darkness, one of them moved.
A woman stepped into view—impeccably dressed, with raven-black hair and violet eyes that gleamed in the gloom. She moved closer to Nathan, engaging him in a quiet conversation about the strange condition of Lucian's body.
Her name was Aurora Elianore. She possessed an insatiable curiosity for mysteries and the unique forces that shaped the world. Whenever something strange occurred in the city, she was always the first to investigate.
Her gaze was now fixed on Lucian—vacant and motionless. The discovery of such an unusual phenomenon only fueled her curiosity.
She leaned in to examine Lucian, searching for the source of the anomaly—but found nothing outwardly amiss. Her eyes flicked to Nathan. She approached and gently helped him readjust his robe.