Chapter 1

Kianic quickly rose up from the ground and wildy looked at his surroundings. He was in the middle of a forest, this wasn't the game's starting area. The trees were much larger here and his group had all respawned in the starting city. Where in the world was he?!

"What the-" Kianic stopped himself from speaking. This wasn't his voice, not the one he recognized. His voice was normally much higher pitched than what he had just heard.

"Aaahh" He made another noise, not speaking this time to make sure he'd heard correctly. His voice was much deeper and lower than normal. He looked at his hands and they seemed rougher than before. As he looked downward Kianic noticed he wore a ragged tunic and pants, what he had been wearing within the game. But they felt real. He could feel the roughness in great detail.

His name he couldn't remember, his voice and hands changing, the incredibly real sensations. What was going on?

He paused for a second as he heard a sound, it was water. Perhaps there was a river nearby? Kianic began to walk towards the noise and came across a small stream. He knelt down and nervously went to look at his reflection, the feeling of butterflies within his stomach had begun to set in. 

This face wasn't his. Kianic couldn't remember what his old face looked like but it wasn't this. What was presented before him in the reflection of the water was a young man, in his twenties. He had red hair and a stubble of the same color.

Suddenly, a tumbling sound echoed within the forest. Perhaps they were people?

Sparing no time to ponder his situation, Kianic set out towards the sound. If they were people perhaps they could help him. Perhaps they could answer his questions! No systems or terminals had popped up in front of him either in the time that elapsed. This most definitely was no longer the game. This was real. He had played more than enough to know the difference.

As Kianic walked towards the sound it grew louder. He could partially distinguish the tumbling. It sounded as if it were wood.

Kianic then came across a dirt path, and in the distance he could see it, a carriage! His excitement to see people overcame all sense of hesitation and he ran towards the carriage. But as he inched closer to the carriage, Kianic suddenly hit the floor and was surrounded by men in horses. His face stung from the force his face met the dirt.

They wore leather and thick-clothed armor and all looked at him with a scowl. Whoever these men were, they didn't seem to have good intentions towards him. The men quickly broke the circle to allow a man who appeared of a higher rank than them to see Kianic. The man wore a banner over his armor, a cloth dyed one half blue and the other half yellow.

The armored man with the banner spoke and surprisingly, Kianic could understand him, "He's most likely one that escaped, chain him and throw him in." He spoke with an indifferent tone before setting out further up the dirt trail.

The men wordlessly followed the order. Violently grabbing Kianic and chaining his legs and arms before throwing him in the carriage he had so fervently approached earlier. Revealing people, chained just like him, within it.

The carriage was dark, light piercing only through small openings caged with iron bars at the top of the carriage and one in the door the armored men had just thrown him in from. This whole experience had exhausted him, and with his head resting on his arms, Kianic fell asleep.

The carriage ride continued and the swaying of the trees could no longer be heard. Instead, it was replaced with the bustling noise of a city. Kianic was woken up by the noise and the rumbling of the carriage being stopped.

The door to the carriage was opened and Kianic was slightly blinded by the bright light.

A man's voice bellowed, "Get out!" The people within the carriage rose up and Kianic soon followed them as they slowly walked out the carriage. 

As Kianic walked out, the outside was revealed to him. It was a teeming city, with a large gate and wall within the distance. The streets were paved and buildings lined all throughout the area. But his sightseeing was cut short as one of the armored men harshly smacked his head.

"Pay attention to the captain!" he yelled at Kianic.

Kianic forcefully regained his composure and stayed in line. The captain directed the line Kianic was in to walk with a couple of the armored men. As the group walked they stayed silent, not wanting to agitate the guards.

They soon came to the entrance of an old grey stone brick building and the guards directed the line to enter. The building had stairs that led to an underground basement and within the basement was a prison. Full of metal cages with dirt floors, separated by stone brick walls. Illuminated only by a few half burnt torches placed upon the walls.

Kianic was pushed into one of the cages, along with four others. After placing everyone within their cells, the guards left, leaving the prisoners alone.

Kianic had never experienced such a terrible thing. He wasn't built for this type of treatment. This life! It seemed as if his face couldn't hide his thoughts, as an older man approached him and spoke to him.

The man spoke, "Are you okay young man?" Kianic raised his head to see the man. He seemed to be in his forties or fifties. The man was bald and had a dark brown beard. He looked to be athletic and had a burly build.

Kianic rambled, "I- I don't know. I'm not supposed to be here! I- I don't even know why I've been thrown in here!" His clear frustration leaked out of his reply.

The older man replied in a somber but empathetic tone, "Such is the fate of a slave young man..."

Only through the man's reply had Kianic realized the situation he was truly in.