MY LIFE IN THE FORGOTTEN WORLD!

We were walking among the trees, listening to the chirping of birds and the refreshing smell of the air coming from the forest.

I saw a small river in front of me, so I proceeded forward and approached it.

"Ah! I'm really thirsty, what luck."

I sat at the edge of the river and started drinking the water. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Garoun sitting and drinking water as well.

"How refreshing, isn't it, Garoun?"

I wiped my mouth from the drops of cold water and looked at Garoun to ask him, but as usual, he didn't answer.

"Anyway, when will we reach the city? I am really tired."

I asked while rubbing my twisted ankle, which still hurt a little.

"It is not far, we will reach it soon."

Garoun answered me unusually while standing and moving across the river, so I followed him, a little shocked by his response.

"I'm not from here, can you tell me about the city we are going to?"

I asked, trying to find some information about the place I'm in and to know what awaits me in this life.

"You're not from here? You must be from the forest dwellers, right?"

Garoun asked me in surprise, this was the first reaction he showed.

"Forest dwellers? What's that? Anyway, I'll play along."

"Ah! Yes, I am one of the forest dwellers. Can you tell me a little about the city?"

Garoun remained silent for some time as we walked, and then finally spoke: "It is called the outer city."

He fell silent immediately after saying this sentence.

"And? Continue, is that all?"

"You will know when we get there."

Silence spread after he said this sentence, and we continued walking to what he calls the outer city.

"At least explain a little, don't leave me feeling this curious."

I pushed away a tree branch that was blocking my view, and I understood what he meant.

A stone wall about 8 meters high extended beyond my sight, with many cracks and crevices indicating what the wall had endured.

In the middle of it was a closed gate, half the height of the wall and wide enough to allow four trucks to pass comfortably. To the right of the gate, there was a small door about two meters high from which people were entering and exiting.

I stood in my place, shocked as I looked at the large gate in front of me, which I saw for the first time.

I quickly came out of my daze and followed Garoun to the door that was beside the gate.

"I think I am currently in some kind of world from the medieval ages."

I concluded that from the clothes of the people entering and exiting the gate, and the different weapons such as swords, bows, and spears hanging on their backs.

I walked directly behind Garoun when we entered the door due to my anxiety about this new environment that I saw for the first time.

"Oh! Garoun, you have returned. Who is this behind you?"

Asked a guard wearing fabric armor and a sword on his waist, looking at Garoun in surprise.

"He is one of the forest dwellers."

In response to his question, Garoun answered with the fewest words as usual, but it seemed he said something that made everyone there stare at me.

"One of the forest dwellers? Did I hear correctly?"

"I thought they were just legends. I didn't expect to see one with my own eyes."

The chattering started immediately after Garoun said I was one of the forest dwellers, which I now wished I hadn't told him I was.

"Damn! Why are the forest dwellers just legends? Isn't it normal for a person to live outside the city?"

"Ah! Attracted attention from the first day. My future looks bright."

I whispered in a low voice as I lamented my luck among the tears.

"Oh! A forest dweller. This is the first time I see someone from them. You brought someone interesting this time, Garoun."

The guard looked at me closely after coming out of his initial shock and praised Garoun for bringing me to the city.

"Anyway, this is not important. Let's go in."

Garoun said that coldly as usual, but this time he seemed colder, perhaps because of waiting for a long time and the people's attention on us.

"Of course, excuse me for the inconvenience, please come in."

The guard replied, stuttering because of Garoun's heavy tone and fear in his eyes.

"It seems people here fear Garoun. He must be an important person."

I followed Garoun after the guard stepped aside to let us pass and saw the city from the inside.

I expected to find a medieval city, but what I found was much worse.

The overpowering bad smell hit my nose immediately. The houses built in an irregular manner from wood and straw seemed like they would collapse at any moment.

"There are no roads even, what is this? And why are people walking like this, all cautious and with a look of fear in their eyes?"

There were large crowds of people walking with cautious expressions, as if they were going to be in an accident at any moment. Their emaciated bodies showed the kind of life they lived from hunger and poverty, wearing tattered and old clothes that might even belong to their fathers.

I walked behind Garoun, sticking to his clothes because of the gloomy atmosphere I felt and the looks of people.

"Hey, kid, I've brought you to the city. Now go away from me."

Garoun suddenly stopped and looked at me with cold eyes that didn't care what would happen to me after he left me alone.

"What? Will you leave me alone? I am just a child, what do you expect me to do alone?"

I tried to arouse his sympathy since I was a child, but it seemed it didn't work.

"So what? What does that have to do with me? Manage on your own, goodbye."

He walked away immediately after waving his hand to me, so I followed him from a distance as I walked cautiously from people.

I continued following him at a distance until we reached a slightly isolated area surrounded by a wooden fence, with a small farm in it and a wooden house that looked better than the other houses.

Garoun opened the farm gate and entered inside, and I didn't know whether to follow him or not.

"Ugh! Didn't I tell you to stay away from me? Why are you still behind me?"

Garoun grumbled as he gave me his back, and I didn't know what to say to him. Even if I told him that I was currently feeling scared and confused and didn't know what to do, he would most likely respond to me with the same previous answer. So I stayed silent behind the gate with my head down.

"..."

"Fine! You will stay here for just today. Tomorrow you will go find a place to live."

I raised my head, shocked by what I heard, and looked at Garoun from behind as he opened the house door and entered.

A flood of feelings overwhelmed me, from joy and reassurance to humiliation, shame, and pity for myself.

"I will live! Even if I have to humiliate and lower my head and lose my dignity, I will live as long as I am alive. Everything else doesn't matter. What good are these things if I am dead?"

I clenched my fists tightly as I promised myself to live no matter what.

I entered the farm and closed the gate, following Garoun to the wooden house.

Well, it is not a house in the literal sense, just a single room about twenty meters in size and two and a half meters high, containing only a table with three plates and cups, two chairs, and a pile of straw in the corner.

"Ha-ha, damn this world. At least clean the place."

I entered inside, and the smell of dust made me cough.

*Cough! Cough!*

Garoun went directly to the straw bed, placing his bow beside it, and told me: "Don't mess with the place and don't ruin the farm outside."

And just like that, he fell asleep. So I explored the room a bit, sat down, leaned against the wall to rest a bit, and soon sleep overcame me.

Death, waking up in the lab, facing the wolf, and walking for hours—all these fatigues accumulated on me as I was in the body of a child that had been dormant for several years. So I slept for the first time in this world, ignorant of what the future holds for me.