Here, in the darkness, it was where I was left to rot. Here, near the crawling and hungering shadows, I was left to die. With still fresh blood staining the ground, the shadows curled around the still barely breathing body. In the dark, in a secluded garden, it mourned the loss of an innocent life filled with potential. The mourning shadows cocooned the still body, transporting it into the softly lit garden which sat on the edge of nothingness.
They sucked in a deep breath, their arms like lead as they sluggishly pulled themselves upward out of the cocoon embracing them. The white & colourful strings of silk & other substances clung to their body, making it hard to fully break out.
"..." it was hard for Cassian to breathe, a heavy pain pinched their chest & made it much harder to think than before they were…
A piercing headache throbs through their head as they recall the recent encounter with… their friend. They were sure that the person that attacked them was their classmate that went missing a few years ago, however everything was a haze, the only really memorable thing being the very red liquid that every human being bleeds.
"I haven't had someone like you in a very long time." Cassian's head turned abruptly in the direction of the tired voice, their somewhat blurred vision surprisingly revealing a young man around their age.
"..." The man seemed relatively indifferent before sighing.
"I don't get many visitors around this part of the woods, especially since the Garden itself does not favor many people." He said, a gust of wind picking speed behind him, the leaves of the golden tree rustling with it.
Cassian did not know what to say, having still had trouble processing the past few minutes. Their head & chest still ached, their memories were blurry & they began to notice that there weren't any animals, not even a small critter of any kind in the place they found themselves in.
"How do you feel?" the young boy asked, walking & reaching a hand out to pull Cassian out of the cocoon they found themselves in.
">?>??>>." Cassian opened their mouth but barely any sound came out, unable to speak, their throat parched, they licked their lips & teeth before sucking in a deep breath.
"S-sorry but who are you?" Cassian asked. Stumbling a little bit, they regained their balance before taking in their surroundings. The golden tree whose branches eclipsed the dark star studded sky caught their attention immediately, its place in the middle of the garden drawing attention as if placed appropriately there. The mysterious boy stood beside them, helping them regain their balance.
Cassian also noticed how their clothes were different, things such as their pink faded pink sweater & black pants were changed into a dull rainbow coloured chrysalis like dress with black segmented wrappings around their legs ending with their feet in boots. Their arms were covered in black bandages, ending near the bicep. Their hair was also longer, shimmering with specks of black stars. The confusion turned into horror & fascination, which ended with regret & slight aching pain.