Chapter 2: Discovery

I screamed and jerked up, slamming my head into the rock above my head. I cried out in pain and fell back down, reaching quickly for the spot on my forehead that now throbbed angrily. I held myself gingerly while I recovered, and gasped for breath as my mind and body recovered from the nightmare. As the throbbing abated, I found myself regretting having moved so suddenly as a sharp pain shot through my shoulder. I groaned, almost whimpering before rolling to my side on my makeshift bed. I took a few deep breaths to calm down, rubbed my throat gently, and reminded myself that I wasn't being choked to death or fighting for my life again.

I gave myself a few minutes to recover while my heart slowed down and the sweat that I was drenched in cooled and evaporated. I put a hand to my face and gently rubbed my cheeks, in an attempt to alleviate the stress that had been mounting. I frowned silently, noting with concern that my skin was hot to the touch, and different parts of my body ached along with the throbbing in my shoulder. Overall, I felt awful. and I wanted to lay here and sleep more, but I knew that rest wasn't going to be possible. I sighed sullenly and let my thoughts drift back to the nightmares that were haunting me.

"Three nights in a row… Why do I have to keep reliving this?"

I looked up at the rock that sat above me, hoping to find an answer. I didn't get one after a few minutes of silent contemplation, which sucked, but it wasn't unexpected. I mustered up a bit of strength and shimmied out from under the small outcropping of stone that was providing me with protection from the cold wind blowing through the forest. It was early in the morning and the sun was just coming out, covering the area in soft orange and yellow rays. A few feet away from me was a fire that had burned itself down to embers, and next to that was a small pile of assorted gear that I still had with me. I complained to myself, thinking about how I should have been home in a warm bed by now, but nothing had gone according to plan on the mission.

"It's all because of that stupid crystal. I can't believe we didn't think about what it could do to someone."

The retrieval mission that had started great, turned into a disaster. The black crystal my team had stolen began to spill out massive amounts of energy in the middle of the night, for seemingly no reason at all. Luna, who had been the one carrying it at the time, suffered the brunt of its effects and turned into nothing more than a monster. The malevolent energy had leaked out and latched onto her, and then my teammates, driving them into a monstrous rage. The events following after that almost matched the nightmare I had just had, and although it seemed crazy, I had trouble wrapping my head around it. Luna and my teammates had gone insane or were being controlled, leaving me as the only one left that was unaffected. I ended up fighting them off, managing to kill or injure them enough to stop, until only Luna remained. After our fight, I was sucked into some kind of dark mass that had appeared from the crystal and found myself falling through a place I could hardly describe with words.

It was as if I had been sent into the stars. All around me were floating islands, lights, and swirling masses of light and darkness. I was weightless but fell downwards in an uncontrollable tumble. All my efforts to right myself or fight back were worthless as I felt myself being pulled somewhere. Nothing felt right about the place and I passed out from the constant twisting and turning before I arrived. When I woke up, I was in a forest that I didn't recognize, and I had been recovering in my makeshift camp since then.

The forest I was in looked similar to those from my homeland, but many things stood out that told me that it was different. Some of the fauna was foreign and I found myself fending off plants that could move and seemed to have an appetite for me and other creatures. Another strange thing was the temperature. It was supposed to be mid-summer, but it was cool and dry with occasional spots of snow. As if that wasn't enough, when I looked up into the sky at night I could see two moons. Two! I knew for a fact that there weren't two moons orbiting the planet, which left my gut clenching with worry, while my head spun with concern. I could only speculate as to where I was, but the possible reality of somehow being on another planet was almost too much to handle.

I sighed, wishing that I was home, and set the problem of not knowing where I was aside because I was currently facing a more pressing issue. I was quickly running out of supplies and I was stuck resting in this small camp. Time was working against me, and my wound was healing slowly. Additionally, strange black veins were now on my shoulder where I had been stabbed, and that concerned me. I bit my lip, wondering with a heavy frown what my team would have done… and quickly shoved the emotions that came with them away. I couldn't let my feelings distract me right now. I needed to clear my head and focus on my goals: Get into a stable position, figure out where I was, and get myself back home to report to my village.

I stood up slowly, thankful that I could still walk after what had happened, and put a hand to my shoulder when it throbbed with a dull pain. Although it wasn't actively bleeding anymore, every movement threatened to tear off the scab that had formed and I was almost out of bandages. Mindful of my shoulder, I rubbed my eyes to clear away some of the crust and got out from under the blanket I had. I was very thankful to have had it in my pack, because I probably would have frozen by now if I didn't have it. I complained inwardly, knowing that I shouldn't have needed it, but I was now stuck in a place that was much colder than I was used to.

I shook my head and quickly rolled up the blanket, strapping it to my pack with two belt buckles, and threw a large brown cloak over my shoulders. It wasn't perfect at keeping the wind at bay, but every bit of protection I could get helped. I regretted the fact that I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and berated myself for not packing a set of warmer clothes. I grumbled and sat down by the old fire, thankful that I had at least recovered a decent bit of my chakra, then went over my plan for the day. I was going to be scouting out the area towards the west to gather some information. During my time in this little camp, I was able to spot a few plumes of smoke rising into the sky and I was assuming that there was some kind of settlement or village close by. I would have investigated sooner, but something was causing my chakra to restore itself much slower than usual and I needed to recover from my wound. Problems were stacking up against me and I was slowly being pressed to my limits.

Making matters worse was the fact that I was in a weakened state. I would have to be extremely cautious as I explored because if I didn't know where I was, and any possible miss-step could place me in untold danger. The local fauna had already been causing me some trouble and I didn't know what to expect as I traveled around the forest. Add the possibility of possible hostiles where the fires were and I had a recipe for trouble, or worse. Caution would be the key to my success today.

I tucked my backpack under the rock to keep it out of sight and grabbed my tanto, strapping it behind my waist. I stepped over to the fire and picked up a small pouch that I clipped to my belt, just in case I found any food while exploring, and took a quick drink of water from a small metal canteen. As I drank the water, I couldn't help but notice the scratchy and dry feeling that was slowly overtaking my throat. I sighed, hoping that it wouldn't get worse, and grabbed a filling, but bland ration bar that I had stashed in my pack. As I munched on it, I made one final sweep of the camp to make sure everything was in place and then turned, walking west with a slow gait, towards the hazy smoke slowly rising into the sky.

It didn't take long for me to get cold as I walked under the canopy of the forest. I shivered as the harsh wind blew past me, chilling my skin, and pulled my cloak as close to my body as I could. I wasn't particularly fond of the cold, but I guess it was better than burning up in the summer heat. I rubbed my hands together and stopped at a particularly large tree, then made a quick mark on the trunk to signal where I had been, giving me an easy path back once I was finished. I put my tanto back and sighed to myself. The wind was doing a good job of nipping away at my resolve, so I decided that it would be best to distract myself from the discomfort by paying more attention to the scenery around me.

The forest itself was actually quite beautiful. Daylight filtered through the canopy and illuminated sections of the ground with bright beams of light, leaving other swaths of dirt and grass dark. The surrounding area was also mostly quiet, aside from the wind whistling softly, the babble of a nearby stream, and the occasional rustle of branches and leaves as an animal moved through the trees. I paused for a moment and watched a squirrel running along the trunk of a tree, and found comfort in the amount of activity and life that was present. The forest seemed to be very much alive, seemingly in spite of the cool season, and it gave me hope that somehow, I would thrive as well. I smiled silently to myself and continued my trek, walking for about an hour before I stopped for a small break. I found a small clearing next to a face of rock that gave me some protection from the wind and munched on some berries that I found. I also took a look at some strange red crystals that sprouted from the ground like a geyser of water, noting that they thrummed with some type of energy, and crackled every now and then with a sparkle of light. I decided to give them a wide berth until I knew what they were and took about five more minutes to rest before continuing on my way.

It took me an hour after I passed the crystals to finally reach my destination. I was able to make out a large wooden fence of some kind in the distance and I quickened my pace in excitement. I was thinking about food, shelter, and aid as I drew closer, and soon enough I was able to see that the fence was made from wooden logs that were about twelve feet tall. They stood up side by side and were reinforced with thick rope near the top and bottom. The fence stretched out farther than I could see to both my right and left, although my vision was obscured by trees and shrubbery. Beyond the wall, I could hear various sounds and voices that broke the comfortable silence I was in. Somewhat nervous and excited, I hopped up into a tree that was close enough to let me see over the fence, but far enough for me to remain relatively hidden.

I settled into the tree, holding my shoulder as I leaned heavily against the trunk and looked into what was clearly a village. The fence wrapped around in an awkward circle for several hundred feet and had four openings for people to enter and exit at. Dirt paths spanned the village and several houses were built in small clusters inside of the fence, making up a majority of the town. I thought it was strange that some of the houses were much larger than I would have expected, the doors being easily twice as tall as I was, but I ignored that for now. In the center of the town, there was a large well and a massive, granite building that was constructed on large slabs of stone, with thick pillars that reached up from the slab to support the roof of the building. I frowned and grew confused as I looked around. The style of architecture was not something that I had seen before, adding to the unfamiliarity I felt. A bit frazzled, I looked down at the inhabitants that were mulling about and my brain almost stopped. Walking around, going about their business, were bipedal apes, cats, and moles. Even more shocking than that were the four-legged dragons with wings that were talking with others, which caused me to almost fall off of the branch I was on.

I stood with my mouth agape for several seconds before I smacked myself on the forehead. I may be in a completely foreign place, but I wasn't dumb. Whatever I was seeing in front of me couldn't have been real and there was a simple solution to this problem. I closed my eyes as I put my palms together and sent a small wave of chakra through my body. I took a small glance and frowned when this didn't change what I was seeing and then repeated the process a few more times before I grit my teeth in frustration. Whatever this was had to have been fairly advanced, otherwise it would have been dispelled. Without much of a choice, I pulled my short sword from its sheath and made a small cut across my left palm. Once again I was met with the same sight and I growled in exasperation.

"What the hell?! That should have worked!"

I let out a heavy breath, coughed, and then grabbed a small piece of cloth from the pouch on my waist. I wrapped my palm gently, trying to ignore the sudden dread that was settling in my mind and body. If this wasn't an illusion… I shook my head and smacked my forehead again. I couldn't think that was true! That wouldn't make any sense! There had to be something more to-

"Hey, are you ok?"

My train of thought was interrupted as a feminine voice called out to me. I whirled around, trying to figure out where the voice came from, and put a hand on my tanto.

"Hey, I'm down here! What are you doing up there?"

My eyebrows furrowed and I looked down at the ground. Sitting next to the tree was a smaller dark blue dragon with a teal underbelly. She had four white horns on her head that curled backward and she was looking up at me with both confusion and concern. Her sharp teeth flashed a smile as she reared up and put her forelegs onto the tree.

"Hellooo? Earth to mysterious strangerrrr!"

I couldn't process what I was seeing and responded in the only way that my mind could handle. I ran. Or at least, I took a step forward and almost fell out of the tree. I realized my mistake, regained my balance, jumped down from the tree, rolled to absorb the impact, jumped to my feet, and sprinted as fast as I could away from the dragon. She called out after me in surprise and then anger, but I was easily able to lose her. I followed the marks that I had made earlier and ran, my cloak stretching out behind me as the wind whipped my face, and searched for a place to hide. Trees flashed by and the columns of light breaking through the canopy seemed to blur together with the shadows, making the forest appear more menacing than before. My mind raced, trying desperately to rationalize and make sense of what I was seeing.

"This can't be real! I'm caught up in some weird dream or illusion or-"

I quickly grew tired quickly and cursed my lack of energy. Hoping that I had created enough distance between us, I jumped up into another tree and went still, controlling my breath so as not to make a sound. Shortly after I did this, the dragon flew by, calling out for me.

"Hey! I didn't mean to scare you! Come back!"

I debated on whether or not to respond, but she flew up above the canopy and out of sight before I could make a decision. I felt my abdomen clench up and I held back a few coughs, wanting to make sure she was gone first. When I felt that she was, I jumped back down to the ground and took several deep breaths, and coughed to clear my throat. I began walking back to camp and felt my mind swirling as I tried to make sense of everything.

"Where am I? Why can dragons talk? What happened to me? How far am I from home? What am I going to do?"

Thoughts like these darted through my mind and I was obsessed with these thoughts as I walked. I was sucked deep into my own thoughts, trying to make sense of things, when I suddenly found myself back at camp. I shook my head in surprise and looked up to the sky. The sun had moved to the point where it would soon disappear from my view and I berated myself for losing my focus for so long.

"You idiot! You can't just stop paying attention like that! What if you were attacked, or that dragon had found you again?!"

I growled and smacked myself on the forehead. Now that I had been pulled back to reality, I noticed that my chest felt constricted and I took a few deep breaths in an attempt to shake the feeling. My headache from the morning returned with a vengeance and it was hard for me to think as I sat down under the rock I was using as shelter. I shivered as a cold wind blew through the clearing, so I spent the next few minutes gathering firewood and calming down, going through a simple mantra to keep my mind clear. When I eventually felt calm enough, I set the kindling into the ashes of my previous fire and lit it with a simple fire jutsu.

I sat back down and stared into the fire, letting the warmth of the flames wash over me as my head pounded inside of my skull. To help myself understand or theorize what was going on, I went over things that I knew. There were certain types of animals in my world that could talk with humans, but this was something entirely different. I couldn't think of any story or rumor that had ever mentioned anything like this, but if I was in an entirely new world then maybe it was normal. That thought terrified me and I flew into a fit of anxiety. My chest tightened up again and my heart pounded loudly in my chest, causing my head to throb with it. I couldn't think or figure things out like this right now. I stared over into the fire and used the sharp crackle and gentle sway of the flames to anchor myself back to a calm state. Through all of this, I barely noticed as the rays of the sun started to dissipate, causing darkness to creep up and envelop the area. I sat like this, frozen, unaware of time passing until the pain in my head and the exhaustion of my body forced me to lie down. I grabbed my blanket from my pack and spread it over myself before closing my eyes, hoping that somehow things would magically change in the morning.

Edit 6/1/2021 and 6/4/2021

Minor Grammar and Spelling fixes.

Edit 10/24/2022

Fairly large description changes early on in the chapter, as well as grammar and spelling fixes.