A broad red sun hung high in the sky, strangely bright and hot, shining down on the dense forest below. It burned onto the pale skin of a man who lay in a small clearing surrounded by broken branches and leaves, breathing shallowly.
Nero blinked heavily. For the past few hours, he had been constantly losing and regaining consciousness, while dark black flames burned on his right arm, his many broken bones piercing sharply into his flesh, bringing with them constant waves of unbearable pain. On top of all that, Nero had a terrible headache that felt as if someone were trying to hammer a message into his skull with a chisel.
His thoughts swirled heavily, feeling unnaturally slow, as if moving through honey. His normally quick mind had been damaged by the few seconds he had spent in this strange, chaotic dimension.
Images flashed before his eyes; time flew by. He saw the sun high above him, a sun completely foreign, as it leaped across the sky, having moved a little further each time Nero woke from unconsciousness.
At night, strange constellations shone down on him with a pale light, and three moons seemed to be vying for dominion over the heavens.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but when he woke up to another day, he noticed that the pain that had taken over his entire body had subsided to a dull throbbing. Nero blinked with heavy eyelids, and for the first time since he'd landed on that floor, he moved his body. His head tilted to the side as he looked down at his right hand. Shocked, or at least what Nero perceived as shock in his trance-like state, he realized that the black flames had died out, but what remained was not bare white bone, as he had expected, but rather his entire arm seemed to have regenerated at some point recently. He clenched his hand into a fist; he felt nothing, it was completely numb, yet his muscles reacted as usual. But Nero couldn't take much joy in it, for once again his mind drifted into nothingness, into a dreamless, thoughtless, unconscious state.
The next time he woke up, it was to a loud growl. Nero blinked heavily, but finally, he could think more clearly again. Though his mind was still foggy, it had improved significantly. The pain from his broken bones had also faded into a distant memory.
Another loud growl could be heard; Nero sat up abruptly, stars dancing before his eyes as his weakened body and mind rebelled.
Nevertheless, Nero looked around frantically, his hands raised, commanding his magic, but to his shock, he realized that something was wrong. Completely wrong. His magic... was gone. It was hard to describe, but it felt as if Nero had lost his sight.
He raised his hands again, concentrated, tried to command his magic, the shadows around him, just as he had managed to do with such ease not long ago, but nothing stirred. Another growl, which Nero finally realized was coming from his stomach, screaming in rage for food. Nero stared at his pale white fingers in disbelief. His magic had been taken from him. The loss of his fortress, the loss of his army, his generals, his homeland, he could accept all of that, but who was he without his magic?
He shook his head, a determined look lighting up his eyes. He had survived; something had saved him and taken his magic away in the process. That seemed like a fair trade to Nero, for death would not bring him his magic.
He steadied his mind, suppressing the feeling of emptiness within him. He had once risen from a mere mortal to a demigod; as long as there was still a breath in his lungs, he could do it again.
Nero stood up, pulling himself together. Sitting here and grieving over the past would achieve nothing. He had to look forward. He had to find a new way to regain his magical abilities. There had to be a possibility. In recent years, he had discovered numerous cultivation methods. Crystals were not the only way to obtain magic.
Not knowing which direction to go, he simply followed a bright star in the sky. The forest resembled the ones on his planet precisely in terms of vegetation. The plants and trees in this forest were exactly the same as those he already knew.
He spotted some small reptiles he didn't recognize, as well as a new species of birds. But he encountered no dangerous predators, which relieved him as he wouldn't stand a chance against a tiger-like creature. However, it didn't take long for him to see something new.
Through the dense forest, Nero noticed a faint glow, clearly emanating from an open fire.
He cautiously approached it, making sure not to make any noise. Finally, he managed to peer through the bushes and spotted three people sitting around a campfire. The fact that they were humans didn't surprise Nero much, as intelligent beings in most cases resembled humans.
Nero observed them and, astonishingly, understood what they were saying. Confused, he reached for his neck and felt a faint glow as he touched a specific spot.
-So the symbols Ramor engraved on my skin are still there.-
Nero pressed another spot, trying to activate another symbol, but unfortunately, without success. The one symbol that allowed him to understand foreign languages remained passive and required no magic to activate.
Meanwhile, the other symbols all required magic to activate, so they were currently of no use to Nero.
The three people were two women and a man, sitting around a campfire and enjoying roasted meat. Nero observed briefly, attempting to comprehend what they were saying, but he could only catch fragments of their words.
Just as Nero was about to retreat, one of the men suddenly perked up and raised his hand, looking in Nero's direction. Nero cursed internally, turned around, and started running.
He heard shouts behind him and the sound of the people moving through the forest. Suddenly, Nero felt a dull blow to his back, causing him to stumble. He barely managed to regain his balance and continue running.
Now, he wished he had his cloak again, which provided him with good protection against attacks from behind with its embroidered symbols, but sadly it was destroyed alongside Shire, who sacrificed himself to buy the rest time.
Nero ran as fast as he could through the forest, but suddenly, a gigantic stone wall appeared in front of him. Shocked, Nero came to a halt and started running alongside the wall.
Not even half a minute later, something hit his leg, and an awful pain shot through Nero. This time, he couldn't recover his balance and fell, rolling on the ground.
The three individuals surrounded Nero. Nero tried to get up, but one of the men pressed the palm of his hand down, and Nero was restrained by an unseen force.
-A wind mage...- Nero thought desperately.
One of the women looked at Nero with disgust.
"It seems one of the mortals has escaped," she said distantly.
The other woman nodded in agreement.
"Look at his clothes. He definitely came from the camp. The question is how he managed to escape."
Nero didn't understand what they were talking about, but there was nothing he could do. He knew best how little chance a mortal stood against a mage, let alone three against one.
Nero recognized the look in people's eyes as they looked down at him. He knew that expression all too well, having often cast it upon his subordinates himself. It was the look of a superior being gazing at something that, in his eyes, was nothing more than an object, like a chair or a table. It was the gaze of someone who knew he could end his opponent's life with a single thought, and do so without consequence.
Lowly Polykenas always cowered when Nero looked at them that way, and that was exactly what Nero was doing here. He was powerless, helpless without magic. So he played the role of a mortal perfectly; he trembled, tears welled up in his eyes, he breathed heavily, and so on, even though his heart was cold. He hated having to take on this role, but he wasn't foolish enough to throw his life away for the sake of pride.
It seemed ironic to him. He had spent the last years of his free life striving to become stronger, to never be oppressed again, yet now he was once again a weak being at the mercy of the stronger ones.
Nero was lifted into the air, floating through the forest. After some time, the forest thinned out, and they arrived at a smaller wall. Another man approached the group and greeted them politely.
"One of the mortals escaped here," one of the women said.
The man looked shocked at Nero.
"How the fuck did he manage that?" the man asked.
The woman shrugged.
"How should I know? That's your responsibility."
The man nodded.
"I'll have it investigated immediately. And you, young man, better get back to work, and I'll forget about all this."
Nero nodded obediently, preferring to play along rather than endure torture. He was pushed into the camp and looked around. He found himself in a small settlement surrounded by a large wall. Everything was filled with fields, and poorly dressed people hurried about.
Nero sighed inwardly as he looked around. He had a feeling it was going to be very difficult to get out of here.