Elias's room was a chaotic mess of school books and clothes strewn about, yet it felt eerily still as the morning light filtered in through the curtains. He hadn't realized it was already morning until a series of knocks startled him out of his reverie.
"Elias, you in there?" Jenna's familiar voice called from the other side of the door, accompanied by more chatter and laughter.
Elias shook off the lingering haze of his dream, quickly glancing at the diary and ring on his desk. He still couldn't comprehend how they were here, but there was no time to dwell on it now. He ran a hand through his hair, attempting to look somewhat presentable, and opened the door.
Jenna stood there with a bright smile, flanked by a couple of their friends Tom, a lanky guy with a mischievous grin, and Sarah, a girl with a penchant for sarcasm. "Hey, you look like you've seen a ghost. Ready for another thrilling day of school?" Jenna teased.
Elias forced a grin. "Yeah, just a rough night. Let's go."
"Rough night? Cramming for finals again?" Tom asked, slapping Elias on the back.
"Something like that," Elias replied, not really wanting to get into the details of his bizarre experience.
Jenna remarks. "You need to take it easy. You'll burn out before you even get to college."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "You guys, stop with the nerdy antics. C'mon, let's get moving before we're late."
The day at school dragged on with the usual monotony. Elias tried to focus on his classes, but his mind kept wandering back to the events of the morning. He could barely process the mundane chatter of his classmates, and even Jenna's attempts at conversation barely registered.
During lunch, the group gathered at their usual spot in the cafeteria. Tom was animatedly recounting a story about his latest prank. "So, I rigged the principal's office chair to make a fart noise every time he sits down."
"No way!" Jenna exclaimed, laughing. "What did he do?"
"He turned red as a beet and kept looking around, thinking someone in the office was playing a joke on him. Every time he sat down, it happened again," Tom said, grinning from ear to ear.
Sarah shook her head. "You guys are terrible. Mr. Hanley is going to catch you one day, you know."
Elias managed a chuckle, though his mind was still elsewhere. Jenna noticed and nudged him. "Hey, you alright? You've been out of it all day."
Elias nodded, trying to shake off his unease. "Yeah, just... tired. What's up for the weekend?"
Jenna's eyes lit up. "Well, we were thinking of having a slumber party on my parents' cabin in the woods. Thought it would be a nice getaway."
Elias raised an eyebrow. "Sounds fun. Who's coming?"
"The usual crew," Jenna replied. " And by that I mean just us. We thought it'd be nice to hang out and relax."
Tom leaned in, smirking. "And by relax, she means she's going to crush us all at board games."
"Dream on, Tom," Jenna shot back playfully. "You know I'm the reigning champion."
Elias managed a genuine smile for the first time all day. "Alright, I'm in."
Back home, Elias began to pack his bag for the weekend. As he tossed clothes and essentials into a duffel bag, his eyes kept drifting to the ring and diary on his desk. He picked up the ring, its cold metal sending a shiver through him, and slipped it into his pocket. The diary followed, tucked safely into his bag.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered to himself. "I'm probably just losing my mind."
He zipped up his bag and took one last look around his room. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the floor. He grabbed his phone and texted Jenna: Ready to go. See you guys in a bit.
As Elias was about to head out the door, a strange sensation washed over him. It was as if the air around him thickened, pressing in from all sides. He stumbled, trying to steady himself against the doorframe.
"This again?," he whispered, panic rising in his chest.
The room around him seemed to warp and twist, the walls bending and distorting in impossible ways. Elias's vision blurred, and he felt a sudden, violent tug, as if he were being yanked through space and time.
He barely had time to scream before everything went dark.
When Elias finally regained consciousness, he found himself lying on a cold, hard surface. The air was different here crisp and filled with unfamiliar scents. He slowly pushed himself up, his head pounding and his body aching.
Looking around, Elias realized he was in a dense forest, the trees towering above him like ancient sentinels. The sounds of strange creatures echoed through the underbrush, and an eerie mist hung low to the ground.
As he tried to gather his thoughts, he noticed something strange about his body. He was no longer in his own skin again. Instead, he was in a massive, muscular form, towering at seven feet tall. He glanced down and saw that his left arm was missing, replaced by a well-healed stump.
Panic surged through him. "What happened to my arm?" he gasped, frantically feeling the empty space where his arm should be. The reality of his new form hit him hard. He stumbled, looking around for something anything that could help him make sense of this situation.
In the distance, he spotted a pond shimmering through the trees. Desperate for answers, he sprinted towards it, tripping over roots and rocks as he went. When he reached the water's edge, he knelt down, staring at his reflection.
A rugged, muscular man with a square jaw and weathered skin stared back at him. His eyes, still Elias's, were wide with shock. The man's one remaining arm was as thick as a tree trunk, covered in scars and calluses from years of hard labor. Elias touched his face, feeling the unfamiliar contours, the rough stubble of a beard he had never grown.
"Great, I'm inside another man again, as awful as that sounds," he whispered, his voice a low, rumbling baritone. "How is this even possible?, so me being Marcus wasn't a dream?"
He sat back on his heels, trying to calm his racing thoughts. As he did, fragments of memories that weren't his own started to flood his mind memories of woodcutting, of living a solitary life in a small cabin deep in the forest.
Memories that weren't his own began to flood his mind, each one bringing a new wave of pain. He saw through the eyes of the woodcutter, a man named Garrick, living a hard and solitary life in the forest. Garrick's memories were filled with sorrow and determination, and Elias was powerless to stop them from overwhelming him.
Garrick's past unfolded in vivid, painful detail. He saw through Garrick's eyes the face of his wife, Alina, a kind and gentle woman with eyes full of love. He remembered her soft voice and the way she used to laugh, a sound that seemed to make the whole world brighter.
"Garrick, you work too hard," Alina said one evening, sitting by the fire with her hand resting on her swollen belly.
Garrick smiled, kneeling beside her. "I just want to make sure we have everything ready for when our little one arrives."
Alina reached out and touched his cheek. "You're going to be a wonderful father."
He kissed her hand, feeling an overwhelming sense of love and responsibility. "And you'll be an amazing mother."
The memory shifted, and Elias found himself in the midst of a nightmare. Alina was in labor, her face contorted in pain. Garrick was by her side, holding her hand as she fought to bring their child into the world.
"Stay with me, Alina," Garrick pleaded, his voice breaking. "You're strong. You can do this."
Alina's grip on his hand tightened, then slackened. With a final, agonized breath, she whispered, "Take care of her, Garrick. Promise me…"
Tears streamed down Garrick's face as he held their newborn daughter, Elara, in his arms. "I promise, Alina. I promise."
The memories continued to flood Elias's mind, now showing Garrick's life as a single father. Elara was a frail child, often bedridden and weak. Despite her illness, she had a radiant smile that lit up Garrick's world.
"Papa, can we go outside today?" Elara asked one morning, her voice barely more than a whisper.
Garrick knelt by her bed, stroking her hair gently. "Not today, little one. You need to rest and get better."
Elara's eyes filled with tears. "I'm tired of being sick, Papa. I want to play like the other children."
Garrick's heart broke every time he saw her like this. He forced a smile. "I know, sweetheart. But I'm going to find a way to make you better. I promise."
To keep that promise, Garrick worked tirelessly. He spent long hours in the forest, cutting down trees to sell the lumber. Every swing of the axe was driven by his desperation to earn enough money for a cure. He remembered the humiliation of being rejected by the army due to his missing arm, a wound that had healed long ago but still marked him as less than whole.
"Please, I need this job," Garrick had begged the recruiting officer. "I'll do anything. My daughter's life depends on it."
The officer had looked at him with pity. "I'm sorry, Garrick, but we can't take you with your disability. It's too dangerous."
Tears streamed down Elias's face as the memories continued to assault him. He saw Garrick's daily struggle to provide for Elara, the long hours spent in the forest chopping wood, and the constant worry over her deteriorating health. Every moment of Garrick's pain and determination burned into Elias's consciousness, leaving him trembling and gasping for breath.
Elias collapsed onto the ground, his body wracked with sobs. The weight of Garrick's life, his losses, and his unyielding resolve pressed down on him like a physical burden. He could feel the rough calluses on Garrick's hands, the ache in his muscles from years of labor, and the gnawing anxiety that never left his mind.
Slowly, the torrent of memories began to subside, leaving Elias in a state of raw, trembling exhaustion. He lay there, staring up at the sky through the canopy of trees, trying to process everything he had just experienced. The reality of Garrick's life, his struggles, and his love for Elara were now a part of Elias, and he knew that he couldn't ignore them.
Determined to honor Garrick's resolve, Elias picked up the axe once more. He knew he had to find the cabin, to see Elara, and to figure out how to continue Garrick's mission to save her. The journey ahead was uncertain and filled with challenges, but Elias felt a newfound strength and purpose within him.
As he started walking towards the smoke in the distance, Elias whispered a vow to himself, and to Garrick. "I'll do whatever it takes. For Elara."
And with that, he moved forward, carrying both his own identity and Garrick's legacy with him into the unknown.