4 Chapter III: Into Avalorre

And then I awoke..

Sitting up after waking from what felt like a bad nightmare I found myself in rather strange place laying in somewhat comfy bed.

The room was dark, bound by wood-lined walls as chatter echoed through the floorboards beneath me. A candle lit the crooked nightstand aside me, and I could barely make out a darkly hooded figure that shifted on the other side of the room leaning against the wall across from my bed.

This was definitely not my home or at least not what I remembered yet it somehow remained vaguely familiar like I had been here before. It was almost straight out of a those fantasy books I used to read with swords and magic and all that jazz. There was a creaking sound that broke the silence. It was the hooded stranger starring at me again as he shifted somewhat.

" I see you're awake finally. " he spoke verbally.

" What Happened? " I asked.

" What the hell is going on here?! " I questioned him a second time.

" And who are you?! What is this place?! Where am I?! My family, where's my family?!! " I demanded with an onslaught of hasty questions.

The hooded man stepped forward out of the shadow rolling back the cloth lining his head revealing a man whom appeared almost slightly older than myself by a few years. He had some peculiar looking grey eyes that I never saw before, a scar to the side of his left temple that ran down his cheek, sandy-brown hair pulled back into a impartial ponytail, and he wore midnight-black pants, draped in a charcoal trench coat with strange symbols etched along the seams with what appeared to be a sword hilt pushed to the side.

" Relax kid, you're safe for the moment. I'm a a good friend of your fathers. We grew up together but, you may call me Aziell. " he stated.

" Are you going to answer my damn questions?! " I demanded.

Aziell cracked a smile and replied, " In due time kid, In due time. I will tell all there is to know but, first there are a few things we must do." And he beckoned me to follow him.

I began to stand letting my feet hit the floor only to halt in seconds later realizing I had been stripped down to nothing but my boxers.

" Hey! Where's my clothes? " I said looking around as Aziell threw them at my face after picking them off the corner chair.

Aziell laughed for a brief second. " Oh, that was the Lady of the Tavern. She thought you might feel a little more comfortable that way while resting even though I felt it was unnecessary. You'll meet her soon enough but, for now hurry and get dressed already! " He stepped outside the room for a brief minute just long enough for me to put my clothes on.

Lady of the Tavern I pondered quietly to myself for a second and wondered where in the world did I end up? The door swung back open a few minutes later as Aziell beckoned at me a second time. Guess I had no choice so I may as well just go along with him or at least until I figure out what the hell is going on long enough to put two and two together.

We headed out of the room around the corner through a tightly enclosed hallway, down two flights of stairs stacked atop one another beyond what appeared to be a rather small dinning area with a few people glancing at me as we walked out the front door.

Before I could blink my eyes we were already outside on a whim amidst a brightly lit sky within a bustling town. Several buildings came into view as my eyes readjusted to the daylight. I guess I ended up crammed inside of some small two story hole-in-the-wall tavern glancing back at the impartially dry patched, wood-framed building with a rugged roof.

" Where in the hell.. are we Aziell? " I asked him.

" Oh, this old place? Welcome back to Hallore! This is just one of many places in our realm of Avalorre." He said looking back at me as he continued on down the road one foot in front of the other.

" Hallore?! Old Place?! Back?! What in the world do you mean? " I said to him with a puzzled look.

" I've never even heard of this place and I certainly don't remember it in Geography Class! Heck, it's not even on the Map! " I added.

Aziell grinned for a moment then said, " Well kid, you've got a lot to learn. Everything you thought you knew is far from the truth. The reason being most don't know simply because they're just too blind to wake up and realize it. "

" English please! I have no idea what the heck you're talking about! " I expressed with frustration.

" Look, the real truth is despite what you know and get told, everyone is often too busy with their own lives to pay attention to anything else. Basically, the world only sees what it wants to see. It is the nature of humans being so caught up in everything mostly themselves. Now are you going to keep playing this 21,000 questions game or can we get where we are going already? We could've been there by now if you'd just stay quiet. Next thing I know you'll be asking " Are we there yet? " " Aziell responded with a final sarcastic remark.

" Meh.. " I grumbled then sighed to myself and we kept on walking.

" If anything kid, be thankful to your host family you're even still alive! The strange feeling you had then was your mind trying to warn you. You've already had a glimpse of The Darkness on the rise and trust me, that not even the beginning of it. Now enough, I've already said too much and just know I'm with you for a reason. It's my job to keep you safe in any way I can. I will fill you in more soon but, lets just keep going and things will be explained soon. " Aziell told me.