Who the fuck placed me in a weird pool while I was out?
Something slick suddenly snaked under my armpits and wrapped itself around my arms, yanking me to the surface and preventing me from continuing to struggle. A loud splash echoed behind me, its waves smacking my back as strong hands gripped my sides, pulling me against a hard chest.
“Luwaeri, I’m here,” a rich tenor male said calmly, his voice triggering something inside me, causing me to close my eyes and lean against them, instantly losing any fight I had. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you. I wanted to make sure I had a robe ready for you when you awoke.”
“I feel like I’m repeating myself...” I muttered, rubbing my brow as I slowly opened my eyes to reveal that I was correct—I was somewhere I’d never been before. “Where am I?”
“You have nothing to be concerned about,Luwaeri,” he reassured. “We’re secure within our hometree.”
There were those words again. They had no meaning to me if I didn’t understand what they meant.
“How come you’re here?” Dropping my hand from my face, I gestured to the strange room around us, allowing it to splash on the glistening water’s surface. “Could you please explain what this is? And how did I end up here?”
Silence fell between us, as if we were both at a loss for words.
I scanned the room, taking in its oddities while allowing the mysterious man to keep me afloat, my breathing slow and steady. I lacked the will and energy to resist him, but I was desperate to figure out what was wrong with me.
Was this real? Or was this a part of a simulation?
The walls were constructed of dark wood. Only it was a continuous piece, but instead of darker veins, it had some sort of pulsating bioluminescence.
To the side of the bottom of a spiral stairwell was an arc entrance covered with thick wood-like branches. Looking up, it appeared to spiral with no end in sight, because I couldn’t see the ceiling from where I swam.
Splashing the surface of the water a few times, I looked down at my hands and wondered why I was swimming in an indoor pool filled with iridescent water.
Every surface was covered in glowing rune-like symbols. Instead of lights and windows, the bioluminescent detailing illuminated the space.
Was I trapped inside a magical tree? Was this what they meant when they said “hometree?”
“I was hoping you’d be the one to explain how you got here,” the man said softly, his thumbs rubbing against my sides, sending shivers up my spine. “The plants informed me that you just appeared. There have been no reports of a spaceship or hovercraft. TheEkoiskrado not travel this far from their homes, and their wingspans are too large to fly through the jungle foliage.”
“What exactly are you saying?” I licked my lips nervously. “That I appeared out of nowhere?”
“Precisely.” Whatever was holding my arms released me quickly as the hands at my sides spun me around. “Are you saying you have no idea how you got here?”
A gasp ripped through my throat as I flinched and tried to get away from this... plant monster.
Teal eyes met mine, framed by emerald plant-like skin and long vine-like hair. His expression shifted between shock, fear, and worry, making me feel ashamed of my reaction to him.
It hurt me to see how I was making him feel.
But I couldn’t help myself. How else could I explain the conflicting and perplexing emotions that raged within me?
The fact that I didn’t fear him surprised me the most. Instead, I was relieved that he was here with me, despite the fact that I'd never met him before in my life.
“No, I don’t,” I muttered as I shook my head. “The last thing I remember doing was going to the restroom to freshen up for the meet and greet after my team won the world championship—”
“Do you recall defeating the pafeldae?” His eyes widened, his glow intensified, before narrowing and looking at my brow. “Your injuries must be worse than I imagined.”
“What’s a pafeldae?” As images of a monster attacking me flashed before my eyes, I shook my head. “Do you mean the cat-spider-scorpion creature? That hideous thing that tried to kill me?”
“Of course that was real.” He pursed his lips and looked at the bare wall with the most bioluminescent runes. “I’m concerned that our hometree did not complete its task—”
“There you go, saying that word again.” Shaking my head and tempted to swim away, I pressed my hands against his firm chest, only to be stopped by his own hands. “What is it with that word?”
“I see our hometree couldn’t keep silent while it healed your body.” Hurt flashed through his teal eyes, which dimmed as he let go of me. “I wanted to be the one to tell you everything.”
“Then explain,” I insisted, coasting backward until we hit the far wall. Lifting my arms one at a time, I looked down at my body, my mouth agape at the state of my attire. “Why am I naked?”
