You awake in a foreign place. It reminds you nothing of the rustic buildings and ancient architecture displayed predominantly in Astorea and Falderen. It seems to be something abnormal. Something outside the world of Terrasphere and the real world. It's complete darkness with the exception of flickering lights which illuminate the haunting place. It looks like a modern laboratory. Vials and testing chambers bring little life into the room and racks of needles and brewing potions decorate the walls. Somehow, you know it isn't
real. It's not an illusion yet it was also not reality and that thought runs a chill down your spine. You blink. You breathe. You feel your saliva building up at the back of your throat and you swallow hard. Yet, despite all the normalcy in this, you feel disturbed. As if something was out-of-place and unnatural. As if you were staring at a reflection of yourself and yet, despite having the same physical attributes, you see nothing but a stranger wearing your skin.
After you finish your quick inspection of the area, you attempt to stand up. Your legs quiver and your arms shake for some reason you cannot remember. That thought widens your eyes and you look up and down and all around. What were you doing before you woke up here? What happened? Where were you? Who were you?!
And then you hear footsteps in the distance. Petite, soft steps that had an uneasy pause between each step. Seconds, or even minutes, of uneven intervals were between each step. You attempt to rasp something out. All that manages to crawl of your throat is a dry cough and, before long, you are stuck in an uncontrollable fit of wracking coughs and a pain which felt as if your body was splitting apart at the seams. As if you were made of stitching that got torn apart and all your stuffing was pooling around you, on the floor, as you slowly choked on the suddenly wet ground. Liquid gathered in your lungs and every panicked breath, every desperate cry...it hurt. Your eyes began to roll to the back of your head. Your vision darkens.
And then you feel a hand pulling your head out of what could only be the oozy sludge of death and decay. As your neck bends to an impossible-fatal- angle, your eyes open wide and pop out of your skull as you see the face of a young girl staring back with humorless eyes and a cruel grin. Behind her was a broken, clear glass tank with broken shards and black, viscous liquid pouring out. The same liquid which nearly brought you to death.
The Voodoo Witch
Oh ho! Looks like you're all right and ready and just popped out of the oven, Franky! Now, time for you to meet your brothers and sisters and all! Aren't you excited?
You aren't excited. Not in the least. Yet you let your eyes linger to where the girl had maneuvered your head to face next and you see a sight which stuns you.
The Voodoo Witch
Don't worry, my beautiful Frankenstein's Monster. They're just eggs for now but you'll have to protect them, you see? My enchantment on our glorious home was broken by some force and, unfortunately, some wanderers and adventurers in Norforva have caught a wind to my activities. You'll need to make sure to keep all those bad humans and faerins and felis and yladians away from your siblings! I'll leave this task up to you!
She grinned before she scuttled away and, before you had any choice in the matter, a bright let erupted and burned your eyes. You clawed at your face as it burnt and rotted and, when you opened them again, you see the visages of several humanoid figures. 'Enemies,' you mind supplied. And, without another word, you seem to have regained strength in your limbs and body and charge straight for them. You may not know what's going on, but you know that you've been tasked to protect your siblings, these eggs, with your life. You will do as you were told.
