The darkness takes me before I can argue.
My head is clear this time.
I stay still, assessing. My body feels whole but different. Lighter somehow. The chest pain has faded to a dull ache. My mouth is dry, but my mind is sharp.
I remember it all this time. The forest, the chimera, the damn thing spearing me with its tongue. Fen carrying me.
Dying? I'm certain I died.
So where the hell am I now?
I open my eyes. A high ceiling arches above me, inlaid with gold and silver in constellation patterns. Not a hospital. Definitely not GUIDE headquarters.
Sitting up takes effort, but my muscles respond. I'm wearing a thin white linen slip. The bed beneath me is massive, with impossibly soft sheets. Where's Fen? The thought shoots through me with unexpected urgency. The last thing I remember is his face, his eyes wide with panic as he carried me.
The room is spacious. Polished stone walls. Heavy wooden furniture with intricate carvings. No sign of him here. The air smells of herbs and something like honey, but underneath that, I search for his scent—that forest and spice combination. Nothing. A hollow feeling settles in my chest.
I need to find him. The thought feels less like concern for an ally and more like a physical necessity.
Across the room, curtains flutter, letting in fresh air.
Assess, analyze, prepare. Find a weapon, identify exits, determine position. But first, test physical capabilities.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed. The stone floor feels warm underfoot, heated somehow. I stand, testing my balance. Stronger than I should be after what happened.
How long have I been down?
I touch my chest where I know the wound was… it’s gone. Completely healed. Not even a scar. I run my fingers over the spot again, searching for any lingering tenderness. Nothing. How long have I been out?
The breeze draws me to the windows. I cross the room silently, keeping my footfalls light out of habit. Fifteen steps from bed to window. The curtains are thin enough to show light and movement outside. I pull them back.
"Fuck."
The view stops me cold. Below me stretches a city that can't exist. At least not on Earth. Golden towers rise like knife blades catching the sun. White buildings with metallic roofs extend to a horizon dominated by mountains that make the Alps look like speed bumps. The peaks disappear into clouds, massive beyond anything I've ever seen.
Even the sky looks wrong. It’s a deeper blue, with what look like multiple moons visible despite the daylight.
I must be hallucinating. Or dead. Or trapped in some weird coma dream while the venom finishes me off.
But the stone railing under my fingers feels solid. The air in my lungs is crisp and clean. Below, people move through streets that seem paved with cut stones, and their clothes look like something out of a renaissance festival.
I'm not on Earth.
The thought should terrify me, but after hunting monsters for years, I've learned to adapt fast.
A quick check confirms there's no way down from this balcony. I'm several stories up in what appears to be a castle. Only exit is through my room.
I spot a robe hanging near the bed, dark blue with silver stitching. I put it on over the slip, appreciating the extra coverage. No shoes in sight, but the floors are smooth enough. And clean.
Time to do some recon.
I open the door silently. Outside, a corridor stretches in both directions, lined with columns and tapestries showing battles and strange creatures and paintings of people I don’t recognize.
No guards. No obvious cameras or security. Either they don't see me as a threat, or they're very confident.
I pick a direction and move forward, senses on high alert. My mission parameters are simple—find Fen.
The hallway opens into a round chamber with multiple exits. Sunlight streams through stained glass windows, casting colored patterns on the stone floor. A massive tree is carved into the ceiling, branches spreading across the dome.
