Reborn

“Emrys! Wake up!”

“Emrys! Wake up!”

Liam heard the loud whispers, but he wasn't sure if he was supposed to open his eyes or not.

“Emrys! It’s time! Wake up!” The whisper returned, and this time, it was louder, causing Liam to attempt to open his eyes almost immediately, but it felt as though he couldn't control his body.

Suddenly, the memories of the encounter of the previous night surged into his mind, and he grunted in pain, shaking his head as he saw flashing images of his body plummeting from the tall building until he crashed to the ground and blacked out silently.

He gasped! His eyes opened widely, and he blinked severally, panting at the tension that he felt all over him.

“Where am I?” His mind questioned as he saw the bright stars that looked like they could be reached with a single jump, and the color of the atmosphere was glittery like nothing he had ever seen before.

“Is this…heaven?” He struggled with the uncertainty that nestled in his mind as he looked around, but all he could see was a cascading river and the green land where he lay.

Fastening his hands on the grass, he pushed himself upward but was forced to cover his eyes as the brightness of the stars attacked his face, causing him to grunt and cover his eyes almost immediately.

“Emrys?” The serene female voice returned, and he gasped at once.

“Who is that? Show your face!” He looked around, but it was obvious that he was the only one in the green land, and the only sound he could account for was that of the flowing river and the sound of strange birds chirping from a distance away from him.

Liam felt a certain way that he wasn't used to, and he looked down at his body. He saw that he was in a black cloak, and his body was bigger and heavier than he could remember.

“What?” He gasped when he lifted his arms to see that the color of his skin was different, brownish and shiny with hairs surrounding his brawny arms.

“This is not my body.” He gasped again, and looking at the river close to him, he crawled toward it and looked at his reflection on its surface.

“What?” His eyes widened in disbelief as he saw that the color of his hair was no longer brown but raven-black with curls that ran down his shoulders with a hood covering part of his head. The color of his eyes had also changed from brown to bright green just like the grass he was kneeling on.

“This isn't real, Liam! This is just a dream.” He touched the mustache above his lips and felt that it was real. He had smooth skin with no hairs on his face the last time he remembered, but the man he was looking at had facial hairs and was a bit older than him.

“What is this?” He looked at the object hanging on his neck and touched it slowly. It was an ancient amulet, crafted with silver, and shaped like a flower. It had a round hole in its middle, indicating that something was missing from it.

“I must be dreaming! I just have to close my eyes and open it.” He shut his eyes almost immediately while he struggled to maintain stable breathing.

“Thie is real, Emrys. You are not dreaming.”

Liam fell to the ground as soon as he heard the voice again, and when he looked around, he still couldn’t see anyone.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?”

“Which of them should I answer first? My identity? Or what I want from you?”

“Why can't I see you? Are you in my head?” Liam panicked as he was sure that he could hear the female voice, but there was still no one around him.

“Another question. You still haven't made up your mind, Emrys.”

“Why do you keep calling me that? My name is Liam. Liam Robinson.”

“Not anymore, Emrys. You are Emrys, son of the Divine.” The voice responded almost immediately, and a green turtle appeared on the surface of the water.

Liam gasped at once and crawled backward, looking at the strange creature with a little apprehension.

“I can see that you are not comfortable with this. Let me try something else.” The turtle disappeared, and a white rabbit appeared in front of him.

“Better?”

“Whoa! A talking rabbit?” Liam gasped and stood up at once before he took four steps backward without taking his eyes off the rabbit.

“I see that didn’t work. Let’s try something more… familiar.” The serene voice said, and a beautiful lady appeared before him as soon as the rabbit vanished. She was dressed in a white royal gown with golden embroideries and a veil covering her white hair.

She dazzled with a brightness that made Liam blink severally as he watched her descend from above until her bare feet touched the ground with her arms widely spread.

“Who are you?” Liam asked with his eyes full of admiration for the ravishing lady.

“I see that you are comfortable with this. I am called by many names. Brina, the mediator of the forest. But you can call me Brina, and I am your guardian.” The lady started to walk toward Liam who became worried at once.

“Stop right there! Where is this place?”

“The infinite forest. The magical land, hidden beneath the thickets of the ancient forest, far from the reach of Humans.”

“Infinite forest.”

“Yes, Emrys. This is the land that holds the balance between the spirit world and the Human world.”

“Why do you keep calling me that? My name is Liam!” Liam corrected at once, but Brina chuckled almost immediately, while her bright eyes sparked with rays just like the stars.

“You are Emrys. The warlord of the Infinite Forest, and the son of the Divine.”

“No, that’s not true. I don't even know who my parents are, and the last thing I remember was…” Liam became speechless as soon as he remembered the incident that led to his death.

“Pamela?” He whispered.

“You must forget about your past and embrace your future, Emrys,” Brina said with a smile on her face, but Liam looked at her with so much bemusement.

“What future are you talking about? I only wanted to be a Doctor.”

“You must forget about that now. The warlord chose you as his successor, seeing how innocent and ambitious you are, and observing your plight, he knew you were the perfect choice to carry out this great task. You have been found worthy, Emrys. The immortal, and the Lord of the Universe.” Brina bowed profoundly with her smile intact.

Liam remained speechless while he watched the strange lady bow to him, and when she lifted her face slowly, she continued.

“I have been watching you for a while, Emrys, and I am sure that you are the chosen one. Your destiny has been sealed, and the fate of the two worlds rests on your shoulders.”

Dave gasped as soon as he heard the words from Brina.

“It was you! You were that strange old lady at the restaurant.” Liam said, and Brina nodded with a smile.

“The infinite forest is in grave danger, Emrys, and you are the only one who can save it from the impending doom that lurks around. The dark Lord has risen, and he is raising an army of the forsaken to destroy the infinite Forest. You must stop him, or he will destroy the entire universe. The Human world is incapable of defeating him.”

Brina paused for a few seconds before she continued.

“He has grown stronger and has awakened the dark powers of the evil forest. You must embrace your future and help defeat the Dark Lord, Emrys.”

“Dark Lord?”

“Yes, Emrys. Lord Darius. He is the wicked sorcerer who escaped from his dungron and killed the Warlord Phaunos of the forest who chose you to succeed him before he died. You must defeat Darius before he gets hold of the elementals.” Brina said with a gloom on her face.

“This doesn't make sense to me. Why would anyone choose me to rescue the universe from a Dark Lord? I am just a college student, I don't even have any magical powers or abilities.”

“Worry not, Emrys. The son of the Divine is with you. That ancient relic on your neck is the key to your new identity.”

“This?” Liam looked at the Amulet around his neck with so much doubt.

“Yes, Emrys. That is the strongest weapon in the entire universe, capable of summoning the strongest and the greatest powers. With it, you shall stand unrivaled, and no one can stand in your way.”

“This is a lot,” Liam whispered to himself, and then he looked at the amulet for a few seconds before lifting his face to look at Brina.

“How do I make use of it?”

“You must find the infinite pearl, that is the only way to activate its potency.”

“Where do I find this pearl?”

“You must hurry to the cave of the enchantress. She was the lover of Lord Phaunos and took the pearl as a souvenir to remember him for eternity. I must warn you, Emrys. She may seem alluring, but she is very dangerous and can cage your soul with her for eternity.”

“What?”

“Yes, Emrys. Circe is her name. She is the daughter of Helios and lives in a cave on an Island where she remains with her servants, waiting for souls she can entrap. She cannot be trusted. You must make her believe that you are her lover, that is the only way she can trust you enough to give you the pearl.”

Liam looked at Brina with so many questions running through his mind amidst the uncertainty he harbored, and to get a grip on himself, he took in a deep breath which he let out slowly.

“How do I get to this Island?”