Chapter 1: Reborn

I gradually woke up feeling from the state of unconsciousness that was forced upon me. I looked forward to the darkness, to the eternal, black and cool death and instead, the smell of life crashed into my nose from every direction – fresh, metallic and cutting – in bitter contrast to the smell of burnt flesh and gunpowder that filled my nostrils on the battlefields.

I eased my eyes to look and I was on a bed of grass; a sight that sent messages to my legs from the ticklish feel of the grass. I gasped and shut my eyes immediately, my head throbbing when I slowly opened them again to the unfamiliarity of the room. Everywhere I looked I saw an exuberant landscape of an unspoiled country that looked almost like a dream. Handsome trees with glistening leaves were dancing their branches in the air while they staking to the canopy of the sky having the colours of blue. The ground and even trees were covered in wild flowers I did not know the names of, and the fragrance of these flowers blended in the air as if they were designed to be so.

I tried to carefully consider what was before me These thoughts ran through my head –

'how did I end up here? Was this some trick of the mind, some fevered hallucination brought on by the fact that she was about to die?'

The last thoughts I had before my death were of a brutal fight – the Tarnished that do not surrender And now… this?

I pronounced the word softly for the air was heavy, "It must be a dream," I whispered. At the same time, the grasp of the cool ground in my hands, the heat against my face, and the mild crackle of the leaves above me seemed more real to me than anything.

Stretching my neck to look at the myriad of spikes and plates jutting out from my body, I felt the comforting bulk of my Armor settle against my back as I stood. I looked down to see the body Armor, sectioned, perfect, glistening a little in the half-shaded air. I shed my Armor after so many fights; The vibrant gold had turned dull due to all the dried blood of the adversaries fallen to my blade , and the emblem of a lion's mane was still clear where it had stood for my spirit.

I quickly looked around and saw my great swords , the black steel gleaming in the midst of the greens and the reds of the wild. These two swords that had engravings of the lions on the handles as my Armor had been my companions during many battles. I stretched my arm out and grabbed the hilts of both weapons, and the familiar heavy comforting feel of them met my touch.

Assuming a steadier position, I slid my swords across my back ; the hilt pressed against my skin give steady support. I twisted to see the view that lay before me and I was not disappointed; mountains rose in the distance and their summits touched the white clouds which were glinting under the sun. A trite river which was distinct and free flowing meandered through the valley below, and the waters gleaming as if they were actually made up of crystals.

"Where am I?" I asked out loud as if the very air was muffling my voice There was nothing that could be compared to this place. It had nothing of the ravaged countries I have been fighting for, nothing of the war that marked my life.

I moved, and every movement was cautious now, the way a man treads unsure if he is really awake or still asleep and dreaming. I could hear birds chirping at the top of the trees; the music they produced sounded a little barbarous but pleasant. A slight wind fanned my face then I smelled the fresh forest fragrance of the raw environment around me.

Could this indeed be what a dream is all about? And if it was not, then what kind of a world had I woken up in to? My brain could not fathom this in any sensible way and I was left totally confused.

"Show yourself," I said my voice echoing in the room unnecessarily. Along these lines, the recipient goes all out by uttering the famous line, "Whoever or whatever brought me here!"

Only the forest replied to me, responding in the way that only the trees and the birds could , with the wind and the dawn. I was the loneliest person on the face of the globe – completely and absolutely – in a reality that cannot be described.

This time a shiver and lift of terror and marvel ran through me simultaneously I was amazed , An opportunity for a second life, a rebirth in a world I could not comprehend might offer something, some clue or a direction at a least.

Taking a large gulp of air, I shut my eyes tight and prepared for the worst, and proceeded forward another inch into the darkness. Open wide, untamed and full of wonders the wilderness lay ahead of me, waiting to give up its treasures with the passage of every single second.

'' What is this?''