A few seconds passed as the sounds of their frantic movement got ever closer, before the outlines of three lanky figures appeared within the fog. They were bipedal and strangely humanoid in shape, only with elongated arms and a head that appeared to have had the jaw split from its skull.
Once the creatures took notice of the figures opposite of them inside the thick fog, they hunched onto the floor and roared, letting out their signature screeches. Their blood-curling screams were louder than any sound he had heard in years, causing David's eardrums to shudder and his body to tremble from the intensity of the sound alone.
In response to this, the unknown man swiftly drew his blade and the creatures' screams were cut short as their outlines were dissected and split, following the sharp sound of something slicing through air.
David was surprised to see their blood spraying out from within the fog, splattering onto the ground before him, and even more surprised at the pale, emaciated arm that rolled over just a moment later. The blood pouring from the limb fizzled and gave off light fumes upon contact with the sand.
He looked over at the stranger to see thin whisps of silvery blue light flickering across the edges of the blade, dissipating once the sword returned to its sheath.
The man then turned to David, speaking with an aged voice coated in a thick, near Persian accent,
"I offer shelter at my village but let us move quickly. I do not wish to be filthened by her tears if I can avoid it."
His voice was unhurried. It was as if the situation was something ordinary and not one where monsters nearly killed a person in front of him. The man then seemed to realize something,
"Where are your clothes, young one?"
David remained silent, still bewildered at having witnessed what seemed like magic while also narrowly escaping being devoured by.. humanoid monsters?
'I would walk over to inspect the corpses but I don't really feel like stepping in their blood without shoes.'
A moment later, he considered the man's question and responded.
"I was knocked out and placed in the desert. They must've stripped me while I was unconscious.."
'Technically not a lie, she also took the clothes that I wore during our meeting. Or perhaps they were never real to begin with-'
"Hmm.. I understand. Sounds like you were robbed and left for dead. At a bad time, at that. Her tears bring out many-a beasts that seek to make the world their hunting ground, though you were particularly unfortunate to be stalked so soon after your previous misfortune."
"Her tears?"
David could feel his consciousness slowly slipping while he continued the conversation. It seemed now that he was safe, his fatigue came close to overwhelming him.
"Have you not heard of the goddess who has cursed our lands? She weeps and our people weeps alongside her, as they're put at the mercy of many terrors that would normally not stray so far from the dark places that birth them."
"What were those beasts that were after me? I've never seen anything like them."
The man chuckled, apparently amused by the younger man's naivety.
"Spirits, not beasts. They are made when a weak-willed soul allows their mind to be consumed by hunger. Deformed and driven to insanity, ghouls are evil spirits that seek to devour that which they once were."
The man seemed distracted by something as he stopped and let out a sigh before continuing,
"They usually appear in burial grounds, exhuming and devouring the rotting corpses of our fallen but when this rain begins they are attracted to the surface, their senses sharpened as they communicate across long distances in search of prey."
"It sounded like there were more than three of them earlier. Will they follow us, or give up now that their friends are dead?"
"I'm not an expert on ghouls, son, but I know that it does not matter. Now, let us return to my village. My skin is wet from her tears and it is souring my mood as we dawdle."
Nodding, David raised his body weakly, pushing himself against the tree so as to not fall back down from exhaustion.
"Thank you, for saving me. I don't think I can do much to return the favor.. but I owe you one."
"Don't worry young one, there will come a time where you repay me" he responded while looking over, not so much at David but more so.. through him.
They began walking through the thinly spread mix of coconut and other palm trees, the fog and night-time darkness still obstructing everything outside their immediate vicinity. David did his best to follow while maintaining a respectful distance to the older man who walked with brisk steps, not wanting to waste another minute in the rain.
It was a struggle to keep up in his fatigued state and the stranger showed no inclination for wanting to support him, or wait. It didn't take long, however, for them to arrive safely at their destination.
Some minutes of walking later, the older man spoke, just before the outlines of a building appeared within the fog.
"You may sleep here, it is where my guests stay when they come to check on our progress."
It was a small, one-room house with walls made of hardened clay and a thatched roof on top. Very primitive yet it appeared clean and smooth, almost as if raised by a singular motion. It had a simple wooden door neatly attached to a similarly sized opening in one of the walls, and a set of sandstone steps leading up to it.
The older man positioned himself by the side of the door and motioned David inside.
"Rest well, I will have one of my servants bring clothes for you to wear in the morning."
".. thank you."
The older man then left, disappearing back into the fog, assumedly to travel back to his own abode.
Exhausted, David sluggishly made his way up the stairs and entered the house. It was pitch black and there didn't seem to be a light source. Even so, he managed to locate a rustic bed in one of the back corners and quickly laid down to rest in it.
Normally he would struggle to fall asleep, as he had consistently done for many years now, yet the events of the day had drained him of all his energy. He lacked even the ability to think coherently, much less keep himself awake against the waves of fatigue that came flooding his consciousness the moment he laid down.
He fell asleep thinking about the ghouls and what they might look like, and how easily they were slain by the man with the blade.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The next morning David woke up to find his naked and bruised body sprawled across the bed, aching from the pain of having greatly overexerted himself the day prior. Not being much of a morning person, he took a few minutes to acclimate himself before seating himself on the side of the bed, looking around the room while yawning loudly.
The room was small and consisted of a table and chair, two beds in each corner of the room, and a small drawer in between the beds. All were of crude, palmwood design.
On top of the drawer laid a blue tunic, its color worn and faded, and a pair of knee-high trousers made up of some unknown, gray material. David put them both on and was impressed by how well they fit before standing up, preparing to exit and look around the village.
As he moved towards the door, he noticed a small hand mirror laying flat on the table standing in the corner opposite to his bed.
He picked it up and took a look at the reflection, expecting to see a burnt and weary reflection in its stained surface but what he saw was not the face he had grown used to over the years. It was both similar and entirely different.
Looking back at him was the face of a handsome young man, not much different from the past. What was different was the kind of handsomeness as his previous face had a sort of innocence to it, whereas this new one appeared almost devilish. It was sharper and more defined, yet still carried the essence of his previous boyish looks.
His wheat colored hair looked appeared very similar to before in shape and texture. It was still soft in texture and of medium-short length, hanging slightly to one side. The only difference was that it had been colored dark, like the feathers of a young raven.
Moving on, David was shocked to find that the biggest change laid in his eyes.
The previous mess of blue, green and brown had been replaced by an inky black, with small, navy blue and indigo flecks splattered within its depths. Besides the exquisite coloring of the pupils, his eyes appeared dull and dispirited- far different from the previous pair that had gotten used to smiling even through life's horrors.
His face similarly felt suppressed and unresponsive. He was still capable of smiling if he forced it, as he had tested while looking at the mirror, but it no longer seemed joyful.
Instead others would see it for what it was; merely a guise to appease.
'This isn't what I used to look like.. I suppose she had to make a new body for me as my old one was ruined but then why not make me appear the same as I did on Earth? Instead I've become some kind of freak, albeit a good looking one. Can't even smile the way I used to. Well.. whatever, I guess..'
Not knowing what to make of his transformation, though somewhat appreciative of the fact that his face now seemed a better fit to his personality, David eventually decided to exit the house and look around the place that he's in. He figured he needed to get a feel for the people of these lands, even if he didn't want to stay in the desert for long.
Opening the old wooden door and stepping outside, he was greeted by sharp rays of sunlight momentarily blocking his vision.
It was still raining since the day before but the fog was no more. Instead he was able to see the village for what it was, mainly similar-looking but significantly larger houses, as well as the occasional palm tree providing the non-existent streets with partial relief from the suns' rays.
People, men and women with caramel skin and black and brown hair, were walking back and forth in the village. Some carried baskets while others ran about carrying poles or other items that they had apparent use for, and a few children where slipping in the sand, chasing each other in a game of tag. Off in the distance he could see the vast ocean and a small, half-built wooden bridge leading out into it.
Based on the large sun's position, it seemed to be early morning moving closer to midday, which David suspected meant peak activity for people completing tasks around the village.
As he stood there silently taking in the busy atmosphere of this beach village, David attracted a lot of attention from everyone who turned his way, making him very conscious of his new looks. He assumed it to be partly because of his hair being unusually dark despite his fairer complexion, but also because he's a stranger in an assumedly isolated community.
Looking around he saw no one who looked even remotely similar to him so it's no wonder they would be intrigued.
He soon walked over to one of the people who first noticed him, a middle-aged woman with brittle brown hair, dressed in a long gown and carrying a woven laundry basket in her arms.
He greeted her with a light wave and attempted to smile before speaking, "What is this place?"
Staring back with a slight frown forming on her face, the woman answered warily, "You're in the village Nargil. Why do you not know this? Who are you?"
"I'm a traveler that got lost in the desert and was saved by someone who brought me here. I didn't catch his name but he had a sword hanging from his waist. Do you know who I might be referring to and where I can find him?"
The mention of a man carrying a blade seemed to remind her of something, as she stood up straight and smiled, then spoke in a fawning voice,
"The only person carrying a sword in this village would be lord Kasra. He lives in the building overlooking the village, up that hill."
The woman then pointed off in the direction opposite of the ocean.
"You should hurry, esteemed guest, lest her tears stain your beautiful hair."
That last comment caught him a bit off guard but he thanked the woman for her help nonetheless, to which she replied with a deep and exaggerated bow.
Atop the hill in the distance, he could see a large building built of stone and wood, many times larger than the houses nearby. It was not just constructed with different materials from the rest, it also looked like it was built with an entirely different level of technology.
It was definitely a place befitting the lord of the village.
As he began walking in the direction of the building, he thought about the Goddess once more, and specifically the attitude people seemed to hold against her. Since David first heard about "her tears" that were said to curse the land and bring out monsters, he had made the connection to the Goddess who gave him life.
While he walked towards the house in the back of the village he kept hearing about her tears, how unfortunate it was to be raining again, and so on. It was clear the people of the desert held a grudge against her, who they believed was responsible for most of their plights.
The only question he had was why.
'If she was capable of making a body for me and placing it in this world, then shouldn't she have placed me elsewhere? Why not place me in.. Astaria?'
Looking up at the strong desert suns as the rain trickled softly against his skin, he spoke quietly, his soothing, dull voice sounding out to no one in particular.
"Why am I instead in a desert where everyone seems to hate her?"