One: My Name Is

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Bright, white light was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. Which I then closed, quickly pushing the palms of my hands into my eyes, gritting my teeth. The feeble attempt to prevent the headache that started to bloom behind my eyes failed. What the hell happened? Where am I? A thousand other questions of a similar caliber fired off in my head, making my head feel unnaturally heavy. Dropping my hands from my face, I gently lean back against the wall that I awoke against, letting the cool material act as a makeshift ice pack. I groan at the contact and roll my shoulders to ease the pressure that was building up in my neck. A sharp, splitting pain shoots down my spine, seeping into the muscles of my back and, seemingly, into the bone.

A few agonizing moments passed, and it didn't seem like my headache was going to fade away. Deciding that the ache in my shoulders and lower back was just something I would have to deal with later, I slowly open my eyes. Taking a moment to adjust to the intrusion of searing light, I realize that I was sitting in front of a window. The windows were much larger and far grander than I expected them to be the base started around hip level and extended up into the vaulted, gothic style ceiling. Ivy-like plants were creeping up from the deep cracks in the wall and bits of grass peeking out from the seams in the floor. The floor was covered in a thin layer of dirt, a few small rocks were strewn about the place. It looked like this place was falling apart. Or at least forgotten about.

A small object just to the right of my hand glinted in the light. Delicately gripping the item between my pointer finger and my thumb, I move it out of the light and into the shaded, shallow corner. It was a plain silver ring. There were no carvings or engravings, nor were there any gemstones embedded into the band. In fact, the only thing that made the ring appear special was the peculiar glowing effect it had. Thinking that the light was just playing tricks on me, I move to pocket the ring. Perhaps the owner of this estate had lost their ring and will, in exchange, help me back home. But..what...where is my home? Where am I right now?

A sudden wiggling sensation pulled me from my thoughts. I opened my hand to find that the ring morphed into a tiny, silver snake that slid from the palm of my hand to my ring finger. Knowing full well that normal rings don't turn into tiny creatures, I swipe it away with my other hand. But I was too slow. The snake wrapped itself around my finger, bit its own tail, and turned back into the plain ring I picked up. Grabbing at the cursed ring, I pull, twist, even attempt to bend the metal out of shape in attempts to get it off. But the ring didn't budge. I tried again and again and again, only stopping when I realized that I was fighting a losing battle. The ring wasn't going anywhere, and I don't believe any amount of butter will loosen it enough for me to slip it off.

With adrenaline rushing through my veins and the only thought in my mind being SNAKE RING, I painlessly leap to my feet and glance down each end of the hallway.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" I call, wincing at the sound of my own voice echoing through the long corridor. After listening for a reply and receiving none, I abandon the "call for help" plan and immediately switch to the "wander aimlessly until I find someone" tactic. I did not want to loiter around anymore, not after what I just experienced. There is no timeline, no universe, where I would ever be fine knowing that a weird creature has made my finger it's new home. What if it turned back into a snake and slithered into my mouth while I slept? Or slowly started cutting off the circulation in my finger! I randomly choose a direction to head in and start half sprinting half "using my full leg" to walk briskly.

I vaguely register the cracks in the walls and the dirt on the floor starts fading away the farther I get away from where I woke up. The entire place looked to be made of pure marble and gold, which instantly put me on edge. Was I kidnapped? This thought stopped me dead in my tracks. It would make sense as to why my body aches but leaving me alone in a massive mansion didn't fit the typical kidnapper patterns. You would expect to be tied down to a chair, or at least watched.

"You! Over there. Who are you?" the voice of a man punched its way through my thoughts. I jumped from the sound and whipped my head around to find the source of the noise.

Was this the man who kidnapped me? Or is this snake ring man? He certainly looks rich enough to own the place and suspicious enough to be a kidnapper. His hair was shockingly white, and his copper skin made his hair stand out even more. The top four buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing his tanned, muscular chest. Resting in the valley of his open shirt laid a large, golden medallion that screamed pretentious but only turned tacky when you notice the alternating blue, gold, and green stripes that decorated the choker. The blazer he wore was draped over his shoulders; the arms of his jacket flapped freely behind him while his arms were crossed over his chest. Even trying to comprehend how that blazer stays firmly in place made my headache slightly worse. But the thing that really emphasized that this man did not know how to dress was the monocle that was stuck to his scowling face.

"Who are you?" he asked again.

"I would ask you the same question." my voice held more irritation in it than I anticipated. But the way my head throbbed when his voice bounced off the walls and inside my head, I didn't particularly mind the bad introduction.

"Don't be foolish, mortal. If you value your life, answer my question." he boomed. I raise my eyebrows. Mortal? Then what the hell are you? Taken aback by the unwanted and unexpected nickname, I mindlessly respond.

"My name is Atlas." The man seated further up the staircase gasped, eyes widened with my response. He raised his staff and cracked it against the ground, surely splintering the marble flooring. Within the blink of an eye, I was thrown to the floor, and screams erupted from around me.


Warning: Reading beyond this point is not advised. Everything beyond this chapter was written many moons ago and written by a much younger me. Stay tuned for the revamped version. 

Updated: January 1, 2021



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