Plague of divinity

Chapter 23

Enrick sat at the edge of the forest, his back against a tree as he gazed down upon the town from the small hill he had walked up. It was a nice view, reminded him of when he was a kid and would sometimes play with the others around the entrance of the forest, warned not to go in too deep for his and the others own safety. Of course they didn't always listen but their parents only found out a few times, they were pretty sneaky about it the rest of the time.

He looked down slightly at his own body resting under the dappled light coming through the leaves of the branches above. He'd grown so much since then. Instead of being a small child he now took the form of a rather tall man. A small smile crossed his face as he remembered the feeling of euphoria that had overtaken him when he realised he had outgrown his older sister. He could only ever grow to the same height as his brother and never seemed able to surpass him which annoyed him with youth but bothered him less and less as he matured.

He could feel his eyelids getting heavy. Before coming to rest under the tree he had done some searching around, seeing if there had been any herbs he had missed that he could use to continue experimenting with or that he was low on. Anything potentially useful he had found he had placed within a little pouch for safe keeping. He had sat under the tree for a short rest but he could feel himself slowly being seduced by the aesthetic nature of the gentle tree with the light breeze lazily swaying the branches above, the rhythmic movement lulling him into a more relaxed state. He could feel his consciousness slowly fading as his eyelids won the battle and took their place over his tired eyes, causing his vision to fade.

His eyes suddenly flicked open, dust seem to curl in the air like smoke, wisping and hanging around him in a cloud. He couldn't see exactly where he was but his surroundings seemed to be shaded in hues of beige, brown and grey. His feet almost gave him the impression of walking on sand due to the grainy consistency beneath them but when he tripped on something catching himself with his hands, a strange, moist, rubbery texture was met by his fingertips. He couldn't quite describe it but it felt unpleasant so he quickly lifted his hands off when he had the balance to do so.

A shape in the swirling cloud suddenly caught his eye, lifting his head his gaze was met with what looked like the silhouette of a man. He was standing very still. Enrick couldn't see him clearly but his posture seemed to suggest a calm demeanour despite the haze and the strange surroundings. The most unsettling thing about him though was the glow seeming to come from his face, two lights watching Enrick from behind the dusty fog made the hair on the back of his neck rise. He swallowed nervously, seeing the figure not do anything he raised his voice.

"Um... h-hello? Is someone there?"

No response. The only sound coming from the swirling dust and the faint buzz of what resembled flies.

"Who... are you?"

Silence.

"What am I doing here?"

"...I'd like to ask you the same thing."
A gravelly voice finally sounded from the stranger. Despite being only a murmur, Enrick was slightly relieved to receive a response, even if the presence of the other man unsettled him.

"I-..."
Enrick thought to himself for a moment, what had he been doing before he found himself here? He searched his mind, I mean, the last thing he remembered was being under the tree, lain comfortably under the gentle dappled sunlight. With a moment of realization he paused before letting out a small awkward chuckle.

"...This isn't real, is it?"

The silhouette shrugged.

"Maybe, maybe not. But that doesn't answer the question."