Hill woke up with a jolt, his head snapping upward as he let out a ragged gasp. But before he could plummet into a panicked frenzy, his eyes noticed something strange.
He wasn't in that blood-stained arena anymore.
Instead, he was in a completely new area—or world, rather.
He was surrounded by tents that seemed to be made from some sort of bluish-brown material. Beyond the tents, he could see many towering trees whose bark was a strange dull purple. They were so tall that they seemed to disappear into the fog above them.
Because of the fog, he could barely make out the orbs of light that shone from above it.
To his dismay, he looked down and saw he was tied to a pole that was erected in the center of a clearing within the campsite. The rope that was used seemed to actually be some sort of vine, but it wouldn't budge no matter how hard he tried.
His ankles, knees, midsection, and upper torso were all bound to the pole. There was no way he could escape.
He let out a sigh. "This sucks."
The memory of his brutal fight with the plague beast was still fresh in his mind. Strangely enough, Hill couldn't remember if he'd won it or not. All he remembered was fighting hard but still being impaled once again. Everything after that was a complete blank.
I hope that doesn't become a common theme...
Wait, why am I still alive? Did I actually win that trial?
He didn't know the answers to his own questions. But the situation was incredibly puzzling and disorienting. He had died once to a plague beast back on Earth, then he'd probably died to a plague beast in the bloody arena, and now he was tied up in some unknown location.
Is this some form of eternal suffering? Where I'm thrown into random situations and forced to fight for my life?
Hill continued to ponder, biting his lip as he searched his recent memories for a clue. So much so that he didn't notice the approaching footsteps.
A heavy slap to the cheek shook him out of his thoughts.
"Deaf bastard, can you hear me?"
Hill looked to his right, his eyes landing on the lithe figure of a brown-haired woman who seemed to be in her thirties. She was dressed strangely, wearing tattered casual wear that stunk to high heaven. The holes in her clothes were patched with bits of leaf that had an unusually sturdy outer appearance.
Her brown eyes flickered strangely as she met his gaze. She then looked behind him and cupped her hands to her mouth in an attempt to project her voice.
"Hey, Lester! I think we caught an Igashian!"
A masculine voice—Lester, probably—roared in response. "The last time you said that, it was just another earthling girl!"
The woman scowled. "She had blue hair and purple eyes. That isn't natural, especially for an earthling!" She pointed at Hill's confused face. "But this kid has red eyes! Who the hell wears red contacts besides edgy losers?"
"I don't know, Kennedy, maybe an edgy loser!"
"I said 'besides,' you dolt! Pay attention!"
Hill simply sat there in bewilderment as the woman, Kennedy, argued with the approaching man. Contacts? Why would I wear those? My vision's perfect!
Finally, Lester stepped into view.
He was a black-haired, sturdy, dark-skinned individual dressed in a casual shirt and pants set that Hill recognized immediately. In fact, every single article of clothing that Lester was wearing was made by budget brands that were commonly associated with poverty.
"Well, I'll be damned, he does have red eyes!" Lester exclaimed, his hazel eyes sparkling in amazement. "Say, kid. Are you wearing contact lenses?"
Hill shook his head. "If I was, wouldn't you be able to tell? Anyways, why am I tied up—"
Lester turned to Kennedy before bursting out into laughter.
"You're right, contact lenses are pretty obvious to spot..." He said as he leaned in close to Hill's face. "But your red eyes are real."
Immediately his tone shifted from giddy to confrontational, causing Hill to gulp. He wanted to ask them why he'd woken up here, and why he was tied up, and who they were, and all sorts of other questions. But now he felt as if an invisible weight was pressing down on him, snuffing out his spirit.
Kennedy knelt down on the floor beside Hill, eyeing Lester with a dangerous smile on her face. "See, I was right. He's not an earthling."
Lester continued staring at Hill, not regarding Kennedy's comments with any importance. "What is your name?"
"Hillel Tehom, but...my family calls me...they used to call me Hill."
"Alright, Hill," Lester began. "Are you an earthling?"
Hill furrowed his brow. "I am."
"Then prove it."
Hill's eyes narrowed in confusion, but Lester wasn't finished. A strange series of particles swirled around his right arm as he extended it before forming into a sword.
"If you don't prove it, I'll kill you right now."
The man pressed the sharp edge of his blade against the side of Hill's neck. Hill gasped as he felt it slice into his skin, drawing a drop of blood.
He stared into the man's hazel eyes, which seemed to take on a murderous quality. It was evident to him that the man was done talking—now it was his turn to say something.
But what could he say? His mind was going blank from the panic.
He moved his head away from the blade in order to stop the edge from cutting in any further. And then his eyes lit up as he saw something on the man's shirt. Almost immediately, the perfect answer came to mind.
"You're wearing a Shoyel shirt and pant set. I can recognize that logo anywhere. In fact, I know the set costs sixteen crowns, but if you have a membership car—"
"Alright, alright," Lester said, raising his hands in submission as the sword dissipated into light particles. "You're...definitely an earthling."
Kennedy seemed shocked by his answer as well. Turning to Lester, she grabbed him by the shoulder and led him out of view. Soon, all Hill could hear was frantic whispering from somewhere behind him.
Letting out a sigh, he tried to wrench his hands free from the bindings but failed. He wasn't as anxious as he was before, though. He had realized something.
Those two were definitely earthlings. Adding the strange way that they were addressing him, using the term 'earthling,' could only mean one thing.
This wasn't Earth.
If it was, they would be asking 'Is he a human?' instead.
But that presented a new question: What is this place?
That simple question seemed to cause a painful storm to churn within his mind. Due to the supernatural qualities of everything that had happened to him after his death, he was struggling to come to grips with anything really.
Stop thinking about it, he told himself. You lack the facts and details anyway, so why worry? If you're lucky, you'll find the answers soon enough.
Obviously, it wasn't that easy to stop worrying. Not at all.
Finally, Lester returned. Drawing his sword from nothingness like he had before, he chopped off Hill's bindings one by one until he was free to flop to the floor in a heap.
"Sorry," the sturdy man muttered. "We're just on edge due to recent events. Kennedy will explain it to you shortly."