1 Prologue- Unknown Forest?

I exhaled, and my breath turned into a frosty cloud in the cold air. "Winter is certainly coming early this year," I remarked, pulling my coat tighter around me. "Right, Luna?" I said, looking down to find a black cat nestled in the warmth of my coat. Luna stretched lazily, her green eyes blinking sleepily as she purred in contentment, clearly unfazed by the cold. It seemed she had found the perfect cozy spot for herself.

"Cats sure know how to make humans their servants," I mused with a smile, gently scratching behind Luna's ears. She responded with a satisfied purr, a true master in the art of getting what she wanted.

I was on my way to another city on the bus, which shook every time it passed over a bumpy area of the road.

The seats weren't exactly comfortable, and I had to move a few times whenever I felt stiffened.

Even though the wind was cold, I found it refreshing; it was my favorite season after all.

I thought I might fall asleep, but sadly, before I could do that, my nap was disturbed.

Ignoring the commotion, I shifted my attention back to the scenery outside. There wasn't much to see except a few buildings and people walking around.

Then, in a moment of blinking, I saw trees in the distance. I tilted my head in confusion. Did I miss something? When did we leave the city? Besides, I don't remember having to pass a forest to reach our destination. Something was not right.

I looked around the bus to see if other passengers had noticed this abrupt change or if the driver had made any announcements. Perhaps there was a logical explanation for the unexpected detour.

"Hey, what is happening?"

"Where are we?"

"Don't ask me. I don't know."

"Well, is anyone else here? What the hell is this place?"

"If I knew that, would we be doing this? I think we're all in the same situation. Do you remember anything?"

People started talking. They all looked confused, and it didn't seem like they knew what was going on either.

"Please calm down," the driver tried to reassure the frantic passengers. His efforts were in vain, as the shouting continued.

"You, you brought us here, didn't you?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"What is your intention?"

"No, no, I didn't do anything..." the driver defended himself against the people's accusations. He seemed as confused as them, but unlike them, he kept his cool. It didn't seem like he had anything to do with it. But if he did, then he was a damn good actor, as his performance looked flawless.

I pulled out my phone to check the GPS and see our current location, but I was surprised to find that my phone wouldn't turn on. Confused, I tried to restart it, but the screen stayed black.

Is the battery dead?

No, I'm sure my phone was at seventy percent before riding the bus, so how could it be empty in this short moment?

I sighed, returned the phone to my pocket, and then looked at Luna, who remained nestled in my coat, seemingly undisturbed by the situation. She really could sleep anywhere, huh. Aren't cats supposed to be extra sensitive, or is she just too lazy to care?

I stood up, carefully making sure that Luna remained nestled in my coat. The chaotic atmosphere on the bus was unsettling, but the people started to calm down, realizing that they were in this situation together, and no one seemed to know what was happening. But I couldn't ignore the need to find out what had happened and where we were.

Approaching the bus driver, who still appeared bewildered but calm, I asked, "Why are you not moving? Is there something wrong with the bus?"

The bus driver looked at me and replied, "I've tried to start the bus, but it seems like it won't budge. It's as if the engine just stopped working when we entered this... strange place."

"I see."

I turned to the person who was closest to me, who was also listening to my conversation with the bus driver.

"Can you check your phone? Is it working?"

"Huh, no, I tried to check our location, but it didn't turn on," the guy said while pulling his phone and showing me its dark screen. "It's not just me; everyone's phones seem not to be working."

"I see," I continued, "maybe it has something to do with the batteries. That would explain why the bus isn't working either."

"It makes sense," the guy nodded.

I turned toward the bus driver, "Is there any way to contact someone for help or figure out our location? A two-way radio, perhaps?"

The bus driver sighed, clearly frustrated but trying to remain composed. "I don't have any means of communication either. We're all in the dark here."

"I understand."

Since we were stuck and there's no use trying to figure out the situation from anyone here, it would be better to look at where we are and try to see if there's anything that might help us find whatever is going on.

I glanced at the other passengers and saw that some of them were outside. A few of them checked their phones, but judging from their disappointed faces, they were also out of luck.

I too stepped out of the bus, and I stepped on grass? Looking around, I didn't find any sign of a road. It was as if the bus was lifted and placed here.

My gaze shifted across the sky.

A clear blue sky, check.

A warm breeze, check.

One sun, check.

Two moons, check... Huh, wait a minute, something ain't right.

Since when were there two moons? Where did the other one come from?

A cold sweat trickled down my back, and my mouth was agape open.

This is a joke, right?

Or is this some kind of hallucination? A dream? Am I still asleep back home?

But looking at the people around me who were as shocked as I was, it didn't seem like I was dreaming.

I closed my eyes and reopened them; nothing changed. The second moon was still there.

Well, this just got a whole lot more interesting.

Are we perhaps inside a big room, and the sky is a mere painting?

Did we get kidnapped?

By whom?

What do they want?

I don't think I have anything worth being kidnapped for.

Okay, let's calm down.

I took a deep breath to calm my racing heartbeat. Maybe the sound of my heartbeat was loud, which woke Luna out of her nap. She raised her head out of my coat, her curious green eyes scanning the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Stay here!"

I held her a little tighter to prevent her from suddenly jumping and leaving to play.

"Over here!"

A sudden shout came from the other side of the bus, loud enough for everyone to hear it. Carefully, I walked around the bus to see what was happening. Other passengers had also heard the call and were beginning to gather around. It seemed like someone had discovered something worth investigating.

There were a few things scattered around the bus. The most conspicuous were the weapons. I had never seen them before – bows and arrows, swords and shields, spears and maces. The presence of a wide variety of weapons that would be used in the Middle Ages was certainly weird.

"These are the real deal,"

They weren't fake. For the most part, the swords were dull, and the weapons were old, but there were a few sharp ones.

"Why are these weapons here? Who would put them?"

People started whispering while some checked the weapons. I too picked up a dagger that was near me and carefully inspected it.

It had a dull edge with rough edges, it looked old and poorly made, and I doubted it could cut anything hard.

As I inspected the weapon, my thoughts couldn't help but drift away.

Who put these weapons here?

What are these weapons for?

Did the kidnappers think we might need this? For what purpose?

They wouldn't ask us to fight each other, right?

I looked around the sky again but didn't see any kind of drone that could record what was happening.

I remembered a movie where a bunch of people were brought to an island, and they had to kill each other to win some kind of prize. At that time, it was pretty cool, but I surely didn't want to be part of that experiment.

I sighed.

Everything seemed crazy and unrealistic.

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