The Presence

Slowly, slowly I am making my way to Nemea. I'm more weary and alert to the dangers around after the wraith incident. I should probably abandon this whole journey but what will I do? where would I go? I think it might be best for me to continue. After pondering on what I'm doing I start to get the feeling of being watched. I feel as if my soul itself is about to run out of my body. I notice a lake nearby in the distance in a wide open field with only a single tree covering some of it for shade. "I think I'll go take a drink of water and wash my face, I must not be feeling good." I walk over to the lake and notice a corpse of a deer nearby. "I wonder where that came from?" I get closer to the water and take a look at myself in the reflection.

I have deep scratches all over my face. I grab a scoop of water and throw it over my face. My face squinches as the water irritates the scratches and stings my face. "I think I'll take a rest here." I take the sword off of my waist and sit near the lake reflecting on everything that happened so far. "This is the first time since arriving here I can actually have some time to myself." I lay back staring into the sky. "What the fuck is even going on, I met Gods and Goddesses, a weird old man, and fucking wraiths. what is my luck." I turn to my side and close my eyes "to top it off I don't even remember how I got here." I lay there in my thoughts until I feel a tingling on the back of my neck. I smack the back of my neck and forget about it.

Again I feel a tingling this time on my neck moving towards my back. I turn over on my back and as I open my eyes I see a middle aged man looking down on me. He has long black hair with hints of white in it and a medium length beard. I bolt sitting up as he backed away. I look behind me and he disappears. "Holy shit what was that." I look toward the lake in front of me and just across the water I see the man standing there. He is wearing black robe covering half of his upper body leaving the left arm exposed. He has a cane in his right hand hunching over it. His feet look dirty and bruised as he is wearing nothing on them. He has a muscular physique and he wears what looks to be gold trimming on his robes.

I sit there looking at him when a dog appears behind me sniffing me. Startled I turn quickly to see behind me and there is no dog there. I look back across the water and no one is standing there. "I must be going crazy, I need sleep." I lay back down and close my eyes. While I sleep the only thing I can see are big brownish black eyes staring at me. I wake up but I'm unable to move or open my eyes. I can feel my body conscious but I physically cant move or talk. I can only lay there and watch these eyes stare at me.

I grow uneasy as I stare at these soulless eyes. I feel leathery coldness touch my arm as if a dog is sniffing my arm. I can feel the repeated breathing of the dog on my skin. I hear a small growl next to my ear as I hear a faint whistle from a distance. I can hear the footsteps from the dog retreating. I awaken and dart up looking around as I grasp for air. my eyes wide open and all I can feel is the sense of dread over my body. I lean over to the water and splash my face. After I look into the water I see those same exact eyes I had seen in my sleep only this time the man appears in the reflection of the water with them. I quickly stand up and look behind me and again, no one is around and there are no traces of anyone besides me being there.

I go to grab my sword and it isn't there. I look all around and I find nothing around me. I look towards the tree and I see the sword sticking out of it as if someone stabbed the tree. I reach out to the sword and pull it out. "How the fuck did that happen." I look around gripping the sword with both hand "alright stop playing games, whoever's there better come out or else." I stand there spinning around looking for anyone. No one came forward and I sheath the sword but keeping a firm grip on the hilt with my right hand. I decided to just walk away from here until I notice an apple on the floor next to the tree. "Hmm,That wasn't there." I lean down and grab the apple cleaning it on my clothes. I take a bite out of it. "I haven't had anything to eat in a little bit now." I take another bite of the apple and look towards the water as I finish eating it.

Once I finish it I throw the core towards the tree. I turn around and I see another apple on the floor. "Am I going crazy?" I walk over to the apple and pick it up. "Well I haven't ate so I guess I'll eat it." I finish the apple and throw the core towards the tree again. I look down and see another apple laying there in the same spot. "Alright, now I know I'm going crazy." I decided to leave the apple and walk away. I start walking and I can feel someone staring at me again. I continue walking and again in the distance I see the same man from the lake in the distance. I stop and look at him and turn my head to look behind me. The landscape has changed and the lake is no longer there.

"There is no way" I tell myself as I look back towards the man who is standing there. From behind I can hear faint barking as I whip my body around and see a dog running towards me. I turn back around and bolt. I run faster than I ever ran before. While I'm running I look behind me and the dog isn't there anymore. I stop running and look back ahead of me and see that the man disappeared as well. I grow increasingly confused as I start to continue walking. "I swear something had to be wrong with that water" I joke to myself. Again I hear the faint sound of barking coming from behind me. I look over my shoulder to see a dog rushing towards me. I try to run, but I cant. Its like my feet have melted into the ground. I crouch down covering my face. the dog disappears as it gets closer to me. I pick up my head and look as there isn't anything there. From behind I someone whispers in my ear "Your coming with me."

Before I can make a move everything around me starts spinning and my head gets dizzy, and suddenly I pass out. I wake up on the floor with a splitting headache and confusion. I look down to make sure the sword is still at my waist. "Where am I?" I look around trying to see where I am. Everything around me is just black stone and metal. I get up and look around to try to find a door. I look around but I don't find anything. "I'm literally just locked in a room with no exit." Almost instantly after I said that a door appears on the wall in front of me. "Weird" I say as I make my way to the door. I reach out and grab the doorknob and twist, expecting it to be locked. I twist the knob and push the door as it opens up. I step outside of the room and enter a long hallway with torches on the wall. "This is pretty creepy." I grab a torch off the wall and walk to the left from the room. As I make my way down the hallway, I can hear voices. faintly but enough for me to hear someone is there. I stop walking and try to make out what is being said but I am to far to hear exact words. I continue walking until I come closer to a door.

As I get closer I hear more talking in what sounds like the same voices. "είναι έτοιμη η μεγαλειότητά του για τον κρατούμενο." I stand there confused "are they speaking a different language?" I shuffle past the room as quickly and quietly as I can. I continue down the hall. As I continue I walk to where I think the hallway ends as it opens up into a big open space with stairs going up. "This must be the way out." I proceed towards the stair as I hear voices coming from above. "πρέπει να περιπολούμε την περιοχή του μπουντρούμι σήμερα, μισώ αυτήν την περιοχή." I turn and try to find a place to hide. I come across a room as I quietly open, enter and shut the door. "What are they speaking" I ask myself. "Greek." A voice comes from behind me scaring me. I turn towards the voice and see a woman standing there. "I'm sorry, did I startle you?" She stands there looking at me. The woman standing there was beautiful.

She stood at about 6ft tall and wearing a robe covering her whole body. She wears a gold necklace and gold trimming on her clothes. "Are you going to sit there or are you going to tell me who you are and what you are doing here?" I look at her and stand up "I don't know what I'm doing here, I just woke up here and I'm trying to leave." I look at her and her face changes from neutral to scary. "Oh you're the one his Majesty bought over, I can't let you leave, I hope you understand." Her body starts to change as she grows 2 extra arms and 2 extra faces. I sit there shocked and in fear. I attempt to make a run for it. "Do you fear me mortal? Do you wish to run? I cannot let you leave so easily." She pushes the door closed and grabs me. "I'm afraid he will have to speak with you now rather than later." She grabs me and as I look into her eyes I start to grow dizzy and suddenly I pass out.

I awaken in a daze on the floor this time on a rug that was soft and beautiful. Its color of red was bright and the lining of white made the rug pop. It had a very elegant design of flowers throughout the rug. I look up and see a door ahead of me. "Glad you're awake!" I look around and see the woman behind me back into her original form. "How did end up here? Why me?" She looks at me and shrugs her shoulders as she walks ahead of me and opens the door. "Come" she reaches her hand out. I get up and start walking over to the door. I step through the door way and enter into a giant room filled with guards and 2 thrones. One throne were black with gold trimming and a 2 pronged spear next to it. The other was A dark green color with colorful flowers all around it. In between the thrones was a black dog whos fur shined in the light with a black spiked collar around his neck. As he picks his head up 2 other heads appear next this first one.

The dog sits up and a man walks through a doorway on the right of the thrones. He walks in and looks at me while sitting down. The man has a blueish tint to his skin, long black hair and a beard. He has a helmet on his head and has black fancy robes on his body. He grabs the 2 pronged spear next to him and slams it on the floor. In a deep demanding voice "Now let the trial began!"