When Ryden woke up, he was enveloped in a heavy brain fog. As it cleared, he felt a dull headache and a throbbing pain in his left leg. He was in a sunlit stone room with several beds along three walls, while a door and cabinets occupied the fourth. Realizing he was alone, he tried to get off his bed, but the pain in his leg stopped him.
In confusion, he struggled to remember more. He recalled a dark figure with a hammer and faint cries for help—perhaps his own—and a bright light, but nothing else came to mind.
The door flew open as a girl entered talking to another. Both were wearing green coats over white tunics. When they noticed Ryden sitting on the bed, they ran to his side.
"You're conscious!" she exclaimed with excitement. "Does it hurt anywhere? Is your leg okay? How long have you been awake?"
"I'm fine," he managed to say between her rapid questions. "I just need some water."
"Kijah! Go get some water," she instructed the other girl, who immediately ran outside.
"Thank you," he replied.
"Are you able to walk?"
"My leg hurts a bit, but I can manage," he said.
Kijah returned with a glass and a water jug. She poured some water and handed it to Ryden. The cool liquid felt refreshing, and he began to feel better.
"You should rest for now. I'll tell the others you're awake," the girl said as she turned to leave.
"How long have I been unconscious?" he asked.
"Oh! We found you in the woods two days ago."
"The woods?"
"The Woods of Asfame, south of Relvaka Valley."
He was sure he hadn't heard her correctly. She smiled at his dumbfounded expression.
"You are in the city of Verunsan Redwood," she continued, "under the kingdom of Lord Redwood. But we don't expect you to know any of this yet; it's your first time here." She turned to leave but then faced him again. "And I am Elara."
Finally, she exited, closing the door behind her.
He was alone again. When the voice in his dreams had told him about a place beyond their realm—a place where he could conjure magic and slay monsters. He had half doubted it then, he was starting to believe it now.
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Ryden was awake for a long time. In the evening, when it was getting dark, Elara came with dinner and a lamp she used to light all the torches in the room.
The food felt great and he was able to think properly. Lying down, he started placing everything the voice had told him in order. He was in the True realm, sent here to prove something. He first had to find the others who were going to help him, but he knew nothing here, so he did not know where to start.
At first, he thought he might want to go back to the safety of his home, but he hated that place enough to know he would never feel that way.
He finally slept, dreamless.
The next morning he felt better, his headache was gone and his leg had stopped hurting. Looking around the new place, he knew he had survived alone before, and he would do it again.
Elara brought honeyed potatoes and soft bread for breakfast and some new clothes. When left alone again, he decided to change.
There was a red shirt and hazel pants without any pockets, and a leather belt that went twice around his waist.
This was when he looked at what he was wearing, his jeans and shirt from the night, but he had lost his jacket. What he then noticed was a mark, rather an imprint on his right arm, crimson bands circling his arm to his shoulder.
When he went outside, he found himself in a bigger room connected to a fireplace, several cabinets lined the walls, and some potted plants sat in one corner.
There was a woman sitting near the hearth tending to the fire. She looked up at him and asked in a cool and uninterested voice, "Feeling better now?"
"Yes, I am."
"The General has asked for your presence at the Colsers, you should wait for the escorts to come."
"Why has the general asked for my presence?" Ryden said, trying to sound a bit formal.
"You are the second of the Zornika to come, he wants to make sure of your identity."
"And what is the Zornika?"
"You don't know a thing, do you, boy? The one before you knew most of it" She sighed, disappointed.
He wanted to ask more but was interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Come in!" she shouted.
The door opened and a broad man came in, he was clad in leather and armor, a sword sheathed in his belt. His metal vest extended to his nose, covering his mouth like a mask.
"Where's the boy?"He said in a rough, low voice.
"He's right here." The woman didn't even look up.
"Come with me."Ryden followed him outside, where he was met with another armored knight. Further stood three horses, they were bigger than normal ones and had wider hooves. They were grunting and nibbling on the grass.
"Get on." The knights were moving towards their horses, taking the front and back one, leaving the middle for him.
"I don't know how to ride." It was his first time looking at an actual horse.
"No problem, kid" the second knight spoke up, "They ride themselves."