You Can Never Go Home

ᴀ ꜱɴᴏᴡʏ ᴇɴᴄᴏᴜɴᴛᴇʀ

When consciousness finally returns, the world is a blank canvas of white. At first, you think you are still in the portal, but as your vision gradually sharpens, you realize that it's not magic surrounding you. It's snow. Slowly, you begin to regain feeling in your body, each sensation clawing its way back from the abyss. The familiar bite of cold gnaws at your skin, and you involuntarily shudder, your breath escaping in a visible puff.

"Where am I?" You mutter, cautiously shifting your body upright. Immediately, you wince, a sharp jolt of pain rushing through you. You wait a moment until the pain subsides, and peeling open your eyes, you look down at yourself.

Scratches and bruises litter your skin, some of the wounds leaving crimson imprints on the pristine snow. While you were concerned by the injuries, you were more confused than anything else. You knew that you should be more than a little cut up. In fact, you were positive you should be dead.

For a chilling moment, you wondered if you were dead. Cautiously, you turn your head to get a better look at where you are, but immediately, your vision becomes fuzzy as the world swirls into a dizzying blur. A soft groan escapes you as you clutch your head, waiting for your sight to clear.

I'm definitely not dead. You thought as another sharp jolt of pain pulsed through you. If I'm not dead, where am I? A swarm of questions buzzed through your thoughts like a storm, threatening to overwhelm you with its power. Swiftly, you force yourself to slow down as you quickly push down the growing lump in your throat.

Instincts pounded into you from long ago kick in, and you muster the strength to stand. Or as close to standing as you can get as you lean on a nearby tree for support. As you calm yourself, take this opportunity to survey your surroundings. There is nothing but snow-covered forest for as far as you can see, which you couldn't see a lot of because of how dark it was, and by the lack of light, you guessed it would be around dusk.

Instinctively, you look to the sky to confirm your suspicion, only to be met with nothing; there is no sky and no sun. Above, there was only rock and what looked to be glowing gems embedded within it, glittering like stars. A surge of panic courses through your chest, your eyes widening in shock

How is this possible? Where in the world am I? Questions whirl in your mind like a relentless tempest until suddenly; one stops you in your tracks. How will I get back home?

Your lungs tighten in realization, your body feeling much heavier as you slump against the cold bark underneath you. Your thoughts suddenly feel sober, as if a bucket of ice-cold water was dumped onto your head. This wasn't your world. In fact, you weren't even in the same dimension anymore. You were trapped, far from home, and unable ever to return. You stifle the growing hot tears in your eyes. Your friends. Your family. You'd never see them again.

With much effort, you manage to push down your emotions, redirecting your focus to the task at hand. You needed to find shelter and perhaps a healer if such beings existed in this strange place. Though your injuries are somehow not as life-threatening as before, the wounds on your body still bleed, and you weren't sure how much more blood you could afford to lose.

A sudden glint of metal in the snow caught your attention, and slowly, you pulled yourself off the tree. As you reached down, your hands, slightly trembling, closed around the familiar shape of the once-functional device. It was the pocket watch, the very one that had banished you here.

Upon a closer look, you discovered that the hands in the clock didn't move, remaining frozen and silent no matter how much you shook it. The glass was covered in a network of cracks, leaving the device useless. Even the magic that had once pulsed within the timepiece had faded, leaving only a faint echo of its former power.