Bound To This World

Chapter 1

The sun hadn't yet risen when the girl felt a sharp object lightly poking at her back. Thinking it to be just her imagination, she dismissed the feeling and shifted around. The ground was cold and wet. Not the most comfortable spot to sleep. But it was something she'd have to get used to if she never found a way to get back home.

A couple moments passed and she again felt something prodding at her. This time accompanied by the sound of someone muttering. Or, arguing, rather. She could just barely make out two separate voices. Letting her eyes and ears become adjusted to the morning, she turned her head to greet her strange guests. And strange was the perfect word.

The creatures that stood before her were unlike anything she'd ever seen. Practically unidentifiable. One was very thin and mosquito-like, while the other was big and bulky, almost like a toad. They both had blueish-grey skin, carried spears as weapons, and wore armor made of dead tree bark.

"Up. Get up." The thin one said, continuing to jab at her.

"What... what do you...?" The girl struggled to find words.

"No questions. Follow us."

She just nodded and did as she was told, following the two even deeper into the fog, which began to clear as they pushed on. What was this place? It was as if everything had suddenly turned hellish and dismal. The whole area looked like a swamp, surrounded by a completely devastated forest. It was a wonder how anything could survive here.

As they moved further on, passing more of this world's bizarre inhabitants, she could see their destination come into view through the gloom. A large, decayed tree sitting atop hundreds of skeletal roots. A dark, twisted fortress... like something out of fiction. A grim sight, yes, but oddly beautiful.

It wasn't long before the three of them came to a halt, the hefty one mumbling something to his partner and then turning to speak. "You stay," he said with a grunt. "Will return."

"O-okay..." The girl responded in a shaky tone, watching as they walked away. She hadn't even been here a day and already she felt like a prisoner among these things. She could only imagine what sort of torture she would have to endure for the next few years... or however long they decided to keep her.

It looked like she would find out soon enough. A couple minutes later, the guards returned, along with someone else.