Chapter 11:

Interlude

Reborn alone in a Pristine World


The crops were coming along nicely. The rain last night brought some much needed moisture. This summer had been dry, but it would be too much to call it a drought. After all, the one three years ago was a lot worse.

I looked upon my house. There was some work that needed to be done on the roof. The wooden beams had begun to show their age. They had been holding strong for the last few years. But I was still limited in the choice of tools, not to mention other useful things for woodworking like varnish and the like. I ran my hand atop the grains. They were beginning to transition to a nice brown color, the harvest could only be a month away.

Who thought that I would come to such a nice place from the dump I called my home before this. I could consider myself lucky that I escaped, even though to this day I don’t know how. All I knew is that it had to do with those weird runestones.

Large monoliths, made from almost completely black stone, inscribed with purple runes, which occasionally glowed purple. In all my time here I have yet to find anything like them. There is no rock anywhere close to here that looked similar to them. There is nothing here that could be used to inscribe something into them, everything I had tried didn’t even scratch their surface. There was no color which could replicate the mesmerizing purple used for their runes. There was no mechanism which should allow them to glow.

And yet they are here, runes carved into them, purple and glowing. I don’t know who or what placed them here. Or for what purpose. Was it for saving troubled souls like me? Plenty of people that I knew had it way worse than me, so why was I transported? The secret within them had plagued me for years now, never making any progress other than finding another weird property.

But I was able to mostly block them from my mind. After all I had built up a nice home, a nice farm here. The scenery was incomparable to anything in my old world. The pristine blue lake, the dark and cool forests, the awe inducing, snow topped mountains. This world probably had more to offer, but I wasn’t intent on exploring far. I was happy here.

That night the monoliths once again glowed. I could only guess that another unfortunate soul was transported here. Not that I ever met someone else here. But something was different this time. Instead of only the monoliths glowing to rob me of my sleep, the horizon was also alight with the same shade of purple. Whatever these monoliths do, it happened nearby.

It was an unsettling feeling. Those things clearly were powerful and whatever they did had to be equally powerful. I was not intent on finding out.

- - -

The beast once again stirred. This time the howl was distant, clearly not aimed at me. I knew better than to trust that distance. Whatever it was hunting was sure to meet an untimely end. I had been lucky once, I’ll probably never be that lucky again. Unlike last time, I was armed to the teeth. That encounter taught me fear and that I was easily controlled by it. Well I chose not to be controlled by it anymore. It might have been only crude weapons, but I was ready to defend myself.

Tempest cowered in the corner. As an animal which probably had to survive in the same environment as that thing, I understood the fear he was feeling. I went over to pet him.

“I will keep you safe, no matter what.” There was no way he understood me, but my body language and gentle tone conveyed the intent. He grew less tense, snuggling into my lap. “Someday I will kill it.”, I said with an unshakable resolve. I had something to live for here. I will not let it get taken from me again. Painful memories of my old life flooded back into my mind. I shook my head, as if to whirl them out. “Not again…”

This time it was Tempest who comforted me. A small whelp and a lick in the face quickly distracted me from my dark thoughts. “Heh, thanks friend.” I made sure to thank him by giving him a treat. The berries were rare and hard to cultivate, but tasty to man and animal alike.They always make for a nice treat, even when dried.

No more cries from the beast. It must have taken down its prey in a single strike. For now I was safe.

I once again went outside, my gaze drifting across the large lake in front of me. “I wonder if there is anyone else around…” As I said those words, Tempest nuzzled my leg. “Apart from you of course.” I smiled.

Even if I was alone here, life wasn’t half bad.