Arthur froze for a moment, his eyes darting through the trees. The woods were quiet and only the faint rustle of leaves were heard.
He blinked and shook his head. "...What was that?" he muttered under his breath.
A few seconds passed and nothing, it was just silence.
Arthur tightened his grip on his spear, scanning the treeline again. The hairs on his neck stood on end. After a while, when nothing stirred, he exhaled slowly and forced a laugh. "Maybe I haven't been sleeping enough," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah… that's probably it."
Even so, his tone carried a trace of unease.
He crouched beside the boar, pulling a coil of rope from his satchel. With practiced movements, he tied its legs together and slung the line across his shoulder, bracing himself for the weight.
"Let's get you home," he muttered, adjusting the load before starting the walk back toward the village.
Still, as he moved through the forest, Arthur couldn't help glancing over his shoulder every now and then, just to make sure he was really alone.
Arthur walked in silence, the boar heavy on his back, the weight of it biting into his shoulders. It was heavier than he thought.
The sun had started to dip behind the trees, casting long, thin shadows across the path.
A faint tension built in his chest that he couldn't shake. "I'm just being paranoid," he muttered, forcing a small laugh as he adjusted his grip on the rope.But the feeling didn't fade.
Arthur has been walking for some time now with each step seeming to echo too long and the sound of it being swallowed by the woods. He glanced around. The trees all seemed to look like the same dark trunks, tangled roots, a mess of branches blotting out the sky.
After a while, he frowned. "Wait…" he said quietly, slowing his pace. "I should be near the village by now."
Arthur stopped completely, turning in a slow circle. The path behind him was gone, swallowed by the trees. Every trunk, every patch of grass looked the same.
Taking a few steps back, scanning the ground. There were no footprints or broken branches. Nothing to prove he'd even walked this way. Just the same endless green stretching out in every direction.
Arthur rubbed the back of his neck, an unease feeling creeping up his spine. "That's… strange," he muttered, glancing around again. "I don't remember this part of the forest at all."
The air around him felt heavier. The wind had quieted, and even the rustling leaves seemed to hold their breath. He took another look around, squinting between the trees but everything blurred together, the same shapes, the same shadows, like the forest itself was in a still picture.
His stomach sank. "That's… not right," he whispered, taking a step back. "I've walked this way a dozen times. How-"
He cut himself off, shutting his eyes for a moment and taking a slow breath. "Okay, calm down. Just… calm down. This is just all in your head"
He rubbed his temple, trying to piece it together, but his memory felt blurry like parts of it had been wiped clean. His chest tightened as he looked around once more, the silence pressing in.
And even as he tried to steady his breathing, a thought crept into his mind. 'Why can't I remember which way home is?'
The place around him was unfamiliar and distant. It feels like Arthur was stuck in a dream. With this in mind Arthur quickly pinched hard on his arm, half-expecting to jolt awake. But to his dread the sting was real.
"What the fuck, this aint no dream at all" His heartbeat quickened. Arthur thought about shouting, calling for help but quickly pushed the thought away. 'If something was out here, it'd only catch its attention.'
A shiver ran through him. Goosebumps prickled across his arms as he turned in slow circles, trying to make sense of where he was. "What the hell is going on…" he whispered under his breath.
But the forest offered no answer; it was just silence.
Arthur hesitated for a moment, weighing his options. Should he stay here and wait it out? But what if he ended up stuck here forever? Or should he keep moving, risk getting even more lost, and hope he might find a way out?
He frowned, glancing between the trees. Neither choice felt right but standing around wouldn't change anything either.
He clenched his jaw, forcing his breathing to slow. "Alright," he muttered under his breath, adjusting the rope on his shoulder. "Hmm , standing here won't help."
Arthur walked carefully, his boots pressing into the soil. The wind blew softly through the trees, making the leaves rustle around him. There were no insects and animals that could be seen or heard. It was just wind and the sound of his own steps.
He looked around, gripping the rope that held the boar tighter. "Where did everything go…" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
That's when he noticed something in the distance. Between the trees, a dark shape stood tall against the sky. At first, he thought it was just a cliff or a mountain, but as he took a few steps closer, the shape began to take form stone walls, tall spires, and broken towers that reached for the clouds.
"A… castle?" Arthur muttered under his breath, staring in disbelief.
It didn't make sense as there weren't supposed to be any castles anywhere near Lumin. The only one he knew of was in Aetheria, and that was days away from here.
He'd lived in these woods his whole life; he would've known if something like this existed. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was pulling him towards it.
He hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the path behind him, though there wasn't much of a path left to see.
Arthur let out a tired sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well… not like I've got a better option," he muttered under his breath, forcing a faint grin that didn't quite reach his eyes.
He started walking again. Each step crunched over dry twigs and fallen leaves. His curiosity was starting to beat out his caution.
The trees began to thin, and when Arthur reached the edge of the clearing, he finally stopped.
Before him stood a massive castle, so large he could barely see where its walls ended. The walls were cracked and worn, its towers half-collapsed, with thick vines crawling up the walls like veins. Despite its decay, the structure still loomed tall, refusing to fall, as if defying time itself.
Arthur stared up at it, a mix of awe and unease on his face.. The sight sent a strange feeling through his chest.
He adjusted the rope on his shoulder, the weight of the boar pulling against his back. "This castle should have answers on why I'm stuck in this nightmare," he muttered quietly.