Existence Is My Woven Tapestry

The green fields were expansive yet seemingly endless. The air brushing past them ever so lightly as they took a look around. This world seemed fresh with no blight, demon or disaster ever inflicted to it. A camp where they had been relocated by the visitors.

Reynolds felt the shift in the air, vastly different to what he was accustomed to. Here it felt as if it were alive, held purpose with a faint tinge of prickliness crawling all over his skin. Something he noticed when he paused to look at but other than that everything seemed like paradise.

The people here weren't adorned in robes or saintly attire but not simple either. Their faces smug as they watched those below them with amusement, whispering to each other before a loud voice echoed through their ears.

"People of the fallen world, welcome to Arnica. A world where magic exists and feats that you deemed only for dreams accomplishable." The source remained unanimous. Some of them were still adjusting, their eyes darting all over.

"However nothing in this world comes for free you see. The king of this land was benevolent enough to donate an entire city to you, having any and all the accomodations you'll need here."

"What we will require from you is merely your intellect, what you harbor in your minds and you all will all live peacefully. But some of you may disappear here and there due to our clients getting a little hands on but worry not, the difference in your numbers won't be noticeable."

Reynolds gritted his teeth, his mind finally realizing what deal Malcolm had signed for their security. 'That bastard! He sold us as slaves so that he can get to live an easier life. When I get my hands on him...' Such thoughts ran through his mind as he tried to locate Malcolm within the crowd however couldn't find him.

"You may take your time to explore the city, after all a lot of effort and resources went into it all." The voice cut shot before gates opened allowing free roam. The gates that held them had clerks at them who seemed apathetic.

Reynolds made his way to the gate to which he was forced to stretch his hand. "Arghh!" He cried out in pain, a holographic crest manifested on his wrist before forming into a tattoo. The clerk also took notes of his body before permitting him to walk.

"From now on, you shall be identified as No.271. Please make your way to your room." The tone was flat, the clerk's eyes never leaving the sheet that floated and the pen that wrote by itself. It was strange to Reynolds seeing such a scene before his attention went back to his hand.

The tattoo now taking a closer look at it had a circle with two swords embedded in it diagonally. He knew that something was extremely wrong however he couldn't dwell on it too much before he made his way into his room.

Small, compact with a simple bed and water bucket for showers. He was alone in his room, the halls stretched with other captives coming to realize what exactly they had signed themselves into. "They're going to use us as slaves for data harvest."

One commented as Reynolds looked out of the window to see the beautiful and expansive world waiting to be explored and yet he was couped up in a cage under the label of protection and salvation. Looking at the clerk who remained apathetic to what went on around him, one of the people started asked what was going on.

"Just keep walking and don't ask questions." One of the guards mused, his face rough with his sword sheathed. He was adorned in fantasy medieval armor alongside the clerk who went on with his business. "You... You're using us as slaves!" The man went on.

At this point it had devolved into a scene with multiple onlookers. "So what? It's not like you're going to do anything about it." The clerk spoke to the guard in their language, incomprehensible to Reynolds and the captive. The guard seemed sour as he lowered his tone.

"As for you, you should know that in this world, power is everything." With a flick of his wrists, a light cut imprinted itself onto the captive who expresser pain only for a scolding to come. "Quit your whining and move on!" No one dared to come and help him, choosing to watch it all unfold from the sides.

This merely confirmed Reynolds suspicions as he backed away from the window and crashed onto his bed. Stiff with a single sheet for cover, barely a difference from the SafeZone that he was in. His mind couldn't help but wonder as to how everything felt so surreal. Everything felt like a dream and yet he was very much alive.

'I guess I'll have to live the rest of my life as a slave till they kill me.' Dark lines grew over his face that stared at the ceiling, rudimentary as he could slowly feel the room that he was in heat up from the sun.

He begrudgingly made his way to the window once more and opened it to let in some fresh air before falling into contemplation.

***

"Her traces end here. There are faint residues of malcore. Too refined to be human. The elves could've gotten her before us." A squad sent to capture Crimson realized that she was already claimed by the elves. "Inform Corwin about this." A lady, her demeanor calm and regal spoke as she looked around.

The place was a mess not to mention a bit of the ground had been removed. "Is that..." Moving closer, her eyes landed on faint traces of golden blood. "She offered a fight and managed to hurt one of them? She's more dangerous than we thought."

Her name Lysandra Verille, Corwin's deputy. One brought out a ball, refined and perfectly sphere before imbuing mana into it. Whispers later he returned it back into his storage. "It's great that we were able to fool that pathetic human granting us access to such freaks. Maybe we can synthesise a hybrid from one of them, possibly an army."

"Miss Lysandra, other kingdoms are breaching and harvesting humans as well. Elves as well across seas." She didn't seem bothered by this piece of information after all, they were intrigued with the mechanics of this world. It was vastly different from theirs, instead of jungles and expansive plains they were met with skyscrapers and tarmac roads.

Flashy neon signs and a variety of means for transportation. This world lacked mana but it was compensated in terms of technology. "As expected, we should be quick with out work." A dust cloud enveloped their figures and looking once more they were gone.

***

She had anticipated sterile white rooms, impeccably clean tables for her to be experimented on only to be met with a grounded and earthy setting. For her everything came off as primitive but what she couldn't overlook was the mana present in this world.

She had tried regaining control of her body but the caster remained unyielding as he knew that it would spell doom for them. Metallic chains were strapped to her figure however her blood despite the magic fortifying it was unable to put her down which resulted with her almost breaking free but they were able to manage it and pin her down.

"Her blood is extremely precious. Capable of shattering chains fortified with mana, capable of piercing through barriers with ease and extreme regenerative abilities. It's a shock that the fallen world had such a monster." Whispers rang behind the glass as they all watched Crimson akin to a rare specimen.

The spell was being recast as the leader of the platoon took his leave from the crypts of the elven mazes and back to the royal court. He made his way through with no interference past the guards. In the grand court, all kinds of whispers and mysteries drifted about, the designs mythical and ancient.

He fell on one knee as he faced the pair seated at the throne. His face calm and regal. "You may speak." The voice crisp rang making him look up. "The mission was a success, your majesty. We were able to capture the one known as Crimson and have her in our custody."

The king seemed pleased, his queen intrigued as she tilted her head at the news. "That's good news." The king spoke, his face indiscernible as his green jaded eyes rested on his soldier. They did the same tactic the humans executed. Offering aid to the fallen world and along the way came to know about Crimson and her tales.

"The Mutant Immune To The Plague!" Such news were prevalent all over the world,all kinds of personnel tracking her done however she managed to be two steps ahead. But her luck came to an end when the elven royal court wanted her captured and studied not to save the mutants in the dying world but for their own use.

So far only demons possessed the regenerative factor by default. They had been briefed about the solar flares and the mutations that came along with it. They remained unaffected to it not by chance but by design, Solon's work who remained elusive even to them.

"We were however unable to find the one addressed as Solon." The court wasn't as full as it usually was on a regular. This extraction operation was covert, with few people privy to it's existence. "For a human of the fallen world to evade even our men, they're clearly not simple. Maybe it's nothing more than a human playing a role he doesn't understand."

One of those present mused only to be proven wrong. "That individual's name was present even before the Fractures former in their world thus it can't be a human of this world, regardless make sure that you find him." The queen mused, a smile on her cherry pink lips as her golden eyes remained half asleep.

"In the meantime, Lady Vlyaine will be taking over as the head of the Crimson Project." And with that she fell silent. A few more ramblings went on about the specifics of it, stating how their project was invulnerable to mana.

"She managed to shatter a high complex barrier spell cast by a Gravechant with her blood. Not to mention she remained unaffected by any mental attacks whatsoever. We suffered a loss, one man during the capture." Most were impressed and their intrigues peaked the more they heard about Crimson.

Shortly after the court was dismissed. Some whispering about the changes to come with crimson and new technology in their hands. A revolutionary change to the new world of Arcania.