Chapter 2: The dream

{H.P. recovered.}

{Waking up in 3...2...1.}

I started to wake up, "uhh... my head is killing me." There seemed to be a damp cloth on my forehead covering my eyes. "...what happened? and why is my voice so weird?"

{You suffered a critical injury... your wounds have healed, but you will still be in some pain} Said a woman with a ever so slight robotic sounding voice, almost like a Alexy assistant

"Huh?" I decided not to move it wasn't the first time I'd been in the hospital after a night-terror, previously I'd walked out of my apartment and straight into traffic breaking my ribs, arm and leg. "So give it to me strait... how long have I been out?"

{7 days}

"7 DAYS!?" 'I was only out for 3 days after I was hit by that car. what did I do... jump out a window?'

{Yes 7 Days and no you was attacked by a [Shadow iron wolf]}

'Wolf?...does she mean that night-terror?... Wait... I didn't say that last part out loud!...'

"WHAT THE F***!" I tried to bolt upright and remove the damp cloth to see the person talking. That was a BIG MISTAKE!

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" Searing pain shot through my body feeling like was in a raging inferno, I writhed around in agony, each movement causing a burst of pain, each burst of pain causing me to move. The cloth fell from my face so I could see, however due to the pain I kept my eyes closed.

*SLAM!* Someone rushed through the door, *SLAM* the door closed again. I felt somone at my side, placing there hands on my head and chest. I couldn't see what was happening but after about a minute the pain eased and I slowly opened my eyes, and honestly I still don't know what surprised me more, the hut like room I was in, the fact that this unknown girl touching my head seemed to look like an elf or the green light that seemed to be coming from her hands.

'Where am i?, is this a hut?, who let this kid in here? and why is she touching my head?... that light... it can't be... am I dreaming?' I completely forgot about the previos voice and simply stared at the the girl, confused, trying to figure out why she was dressed up in in a very well made cosplay outfit, she looked european or American maybe?, curly shoulder length blond hair, about 13, which in itself was kind of normal to me, originally from the U.K I'd lived in Japan for the last 3 years and often saw young kids dressed up as their favourite characters with their parents or guardians at events.

What was unusual was the fact that as far as I knew there were no competitions or events scheduled for at least a few months so, 'why is she dressed up?', I looked at the girl trying to rationalize what was going on, 'I must've wonderd out of my apartment and somehow ended up at a secret event?...then got hurt?... unlikely... maybe I got hit in traffic bye some rich person and taken to avoid any hassle? kidnapings happen way to often. It makes a bit more sense, not much but a bit'.

'This must be the kids play room or something? it looks so real and her costume is so well made, must've cost a small fortune, she must be using some sort of L.E.D rings for the lights , her prosthetic ears are seamless, this kid must really like elfs, and be supper patient, to sit through the make up process they look way to real.'

The girl noticed me looking at her ears and slightly blushed and looked away.

'Well that's super f***ing uncomfortable I'm 24 and she's like 12 or 13 max. did she learn to react like that from watching anime?...weird! But considering how into elves she is, it kinda makes sense, better not overreact her parents have already kidnapped me to avoid issues with the police, if i act calmly and play along hopefully I can make it out of this, maybe if I play my cards right I can get a nice payoff for keeping this little incident to my self.'

A slight grin appeared across my face.

"Ahem"... She looked back towards me still slightly red 'So weird! how should I act? hmmm... dumb villeger routine?... yeah hopefully she's just really eccentric and not crazy.'

"Sorry for starring, I've never seen a real elf before."

She looked at me sternly for a second like she was trying to tell if I was lying. 'What is with this kid? does she actually believe she's an elf? or is she just f***ing with me?'

"Really?... never? she said in a doubtfull way. 'NOPE!!... she's bat sh** f***ing crazy. I can't even imagine how f***ed her parents are. allowing their child actually believe they're an elf.'

"Yeah. Really, never." She had an american accent. 'Technically i'm not lying, but I don't like misleading people if there's nothing in it for me, but then again I could still get a payoff from her parents sooo.'

A grin appeared across my face once again. She tilted her head trying to think of something.

"Hmm... you must be from a reallllly small village?"

'Sh*t what should I do? if say yes she might ask the name of a village that doesn't exist, if i say no she will think I'm from a non existent city damn, I don't know what to do... ahh! I don't know, I don't know, I don't know... wait that's it, hahaha... yeah it's perfect. Also this kid is still holding my head... so weird.'

"umm... I'm not sure I don't remember" 'The perfect play, i can just act like I've got amnesia... hahaha now to get this kid away from me.'

"umm I'm feeling better now so you can stop holding me." 'hopefully she'll get embarrassed and back off completely.

"humpf!" she turned red and turned her head yet again, but kept holding her hand on my head.

"I am not holding you!" She got angry for a second but the her face softened she almost look worried.

"I'm... healing you... and I can tell your still in pain." She said it like it was a fact.

'She sounds so sure, how does she know that?' I mean yeah I was still hurting all over, but compared to earlier this was more than bearable. 'more importantly this is getting annoying. I want her stop holding me.'

"please can you stop... I know your trying to help but, i'm big enough, old enough and ugly enough to deal with some measly pain." I said sternly

She looked shocked for a second then suddenly... "hehehehe... your funny... hehehe you sound so serious I almost believed you!" 'THE F***! Is this kid trying to p**s me off? I'm 24, 6ft 8 and 300ib and she's seriously mocking me! Just how insane is she?'

"Kid... I've had enough... seriously just stop!" I thought this little girl bearly in her teens, was mocking me and i really didn't have the patience to deal with obnoxious little brats like that girl.

She looked irritated and stared at me. Then...

"hehehehe *snort* ah *snort* hahaha *snort* SO SERIOUS! *snort* ah hahaha haaaa..." Her mocking laughter eventually trailed off. good news, she'd moved her hands to hold her stomach, bad news... I was P**SED!

'F*** the payoff! no one takes the piss out me like this kid or not.'

"THE F*** IS YOUR PROBLEM KID! WHAT EXACTLY IS SO FUNNY? HUH?" Maybe it was because I was in pain or maybe it was the fact that I thought that mere child was mocking me, probably a bit of both but I lost it and snapped at her. Although I was impatient and had a short fuse it normally took a quite a bit more to make me snap at someone like that.

She stood there completely shocked, this time, her face changed from smiling and laughing to irritated. But honestly at the time I just didn't care about how she felt.

"How rude! I know you have lost your memories and that your in pain. But you really shouldn't shout at people trying to help you." I realised my mistake instantly and calmed myself down. 'She's right and she knows it, by that smug look on her face and I know I said she's clearly insane. So she was only doing what she really thought would help... well sh*t! Now I gotta say sorry. i snapped way to quickly and at a child no less, just because she was laughing at me, what was I thinking?... huh... I wonder why she started laughing tho?'

"I'm sorry for shouting, you started laughing and i thought you was mocking me."

"huh? mocking you? no I was laughing because you kept calling me kid and acting all serious, when your clearly younger than me.

'What!? I know I said she's crazy, but this girl might actually have mentle health issues or she's been dosed with something pretty potent.'

"Umm... your what like 13 max?"

"Humpf...15 actually... I'm still growing thank you very much!"

"Then there's no way I'm younger than you kid!"

"What's with all the commotion in here? Lana dear? said an older man who was standing in the doorway.

"Grandpa!!" she shouted. 'F*** how long has he been there? i didn't even see the door open!' I turned to look at the man, he was wearing an old looking finely patterned cloak with a hod covering his head just as he closed the door behind him, for a split second I saw the fact that it was day time and I swear I saw a field in the gap of the closing door.

'That's impossible the countryside is miles away from where I live, just where am I? I really hope he's wearing that just to indulge her.' He turned to the girl, completely ignoring me, I still couldn't see his face, but what I could see was the expertly crafted wooden staff with a rather large gemstone, that looked like a semi transparrant jade egg, with a solid saphire blue ball inside of it, with blue viens running from the ball to the surface of the jade egg making it speckled with hundreds of little blue dots.

The gem was set at top fo the staff, the wood twisted around the bottom half of the gem, giving the appearance of roots coming out the gem and and forming the staff itself.

'That staff! It's way to ornate to simply be indulging her right?' She told her grandfather about how she'd tried to help, and how I got angry with her.

"hmm I see... YOUNG MAN! would you please tell me exactly why you are so angry at my granddaughter?" He was still looking at Lana and even under his cloak I could tell he was angry, his raised voice made Lana flinch, his grip tightened around his staff so much his knuckles had turned white and for a moment it looked like the air was waving around him, almost like he was radiating hot air or gas or something.