She was asleep, her face turned toward him, bathed in the soft glow of the firelight. Even in the dim light, he could see that she was beautiful, her long, wavy auburn hair fell past her shoulders, slightly tousled and streaked with dirt and leaves, giving her a rugged yet stunning appearance. Her high cheekbones hinted at nobility, while the smattering of freckles across her nose added a charming youthful innocence. But her beauty was overshadowed by weariness. Dark circles underlined her striking green eyes, making them appear even larger and more luminous, filled with determination and strength. Her skin was fair but drawn, hinting at exhaustion and perhaps even malnutrition. Small cuts and bruises dotted her arms and face, partially covered by makeshift bandages fashioned from soft, natural fibres, a stark contrast to his own crude wrappings. She looked like she’d been through a war, a silent testament to the dangers that plagued this land. Despite her evident hardships, there was a gentleness about her, a softness in her sleeping demeanour that drew him in.

  William shifted slightly, trying to get a better look, hoping to study the details of this unexpected saviour. But the movement caused a soft rustle, the dry leaves beneath him crackling softly. The young woman stirred, her eyelids fluttering open. She blinked, disoriented for a moment, her gaze unfocused before finding him, and suddenly clarity swept across her face.

  She sat up quickly, concern replacing the peaceful expression she'd worn in sleep. Her voice was soft yet clear, each word spoken resonating with warmth and kindness. Despite the foreign sounds, warmth radiated from her tone, a gentleness that transcended the language barrier. William found himself captivated by the sound, the musicality of her voice, even as he struggled to grasp what she was saying.

  William shook his head, attempting to clear the lingering fog of the dream, the unsettling images and emotions fading like mist in sunlight. "I... I don't understand," he stammered, his voice hoarse and scratchy from disuse and dehydration. He pointed to his ears and started shaking his head, trying to convey the message visually.

  The young woman frowned, tilting her head slightly as a delicate furrow appeared on her brow. With graceful movements, she raised her hands, fingers weaving an intricate pattern, a silent dance in the flickering firelight. She then spoke a few words in the foreign language and a faint, golden glow emanated from her fingertips, shimmering in the air like heat rising from sun-baked stone. “This can’t be magic, can it?” he thought, both awed and bewildered.

  She spoke again, and this time, miraculously, he understood her. The words flowed from her lips like a soothing river, clear and distinct, forming coherent sentences in his mind.

  "Can you understand me now?" she asked, concern lacing her tone, an inquiry that eased his apprehension.

  William stared at her, dumbfounded, his mind racing to reconcile the impossible reality. "Yes... yes, I can. What... what did you do?"

  "A simple translation spell," she said, shrugging, her smile warm and inviting as if this were the most ordinary occurrence. “Magic,” he mused incredulously, “Real magic. I've been rescued by a mage...”

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  "A temporary measure, just so we can communicate. My name is Julia."

  "William," he replied, still trying to process the significance of this moment, grappling with the undeniable evidence of magic. "Magic... is that what you just did?" The question felt absurd, yet in the context of his current circumstances, it seemed oddly appropriate.

  Julia nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "A minor enchantment. It won't last long, perhaps a day or two at most. I found you in the forest, unconscious. You were injured. We brought you here, to this cave, to tend to your wounds."

  “We?” William asked, his mind finally catching up to the implications of her words.

  “Myself and my companion, Edward. He’s out scouting the area and looking for supplies. He should be back soon.” She paused, her gaze shifting to his bandaged leg, her expression deepening with concern. “Your wound... it was infected. A goblin bite, I presume?”

  William nodded, wincing as memories of the searing pain flooded back. “Yup, one hundred percent goblin inflicted.” He couldn’t fight back a grim smile, thinking of how absurd his situation had become. Julia had an odd look on her face, confused slightly by William’s response. She thought it might just be some nuances to the translation spell, and then chose to ignore it.

  "You were lucky," Julia continued, her voice filled with quiet authority. "You used the citrusroot leaves. They have potent healing properties and would definitely help against infection. They are quite rare to find, so you were extremely fortunate. It's already working, though you'll need to rest for a few days. We've been changing the dressing and keeping it clean using various things we've foraged. But you should get better in a few days." She gestured to a small pile of herbs and leaves near the fire, their unfamiliar shapes and colours adding another layer of mystery to this strange world.

  William looked at the bandages again, a surge of gratitude enveloping him, warming his chest and easing the lingering fear. He'd stumbled upon a cure by sheer luck, guided by seeing the leaves effects on the bugs, so there was some logic to the madness. But it still felt like a blind leap of faith in a world that defied all logic. “Thank you,” he said, his voice thick with emotion, the words inadequate to express the depth of his gratitude. “You saved my life. Both of you.”

  Julia smiled, a fleeting expression that illuminated her weary features, a flash of warmth that cut through the cave's chill. “We do what we can. These are dark times. We must help each other if we are to survive.”

  William decided to be cautious. He wouldn’t reveal the truth about his arrival, not yet, not until he understood more about this world and these people. He needed to be careful, to observe, to gather information. “I’m not from around here. I have travelled far from my homeland but got lost in my travels and ended up here. I was foraging in the forest,” he improvised, weaving a plausible lie. “Looking for edible plants. I got lost, disoriented, and then... the goblin attacked me. I barely managed to escape. I must have passed out from the pain and blood loss. I remember seeing the leaves and... and I just hoped they might help.”

  Julia nodded, her expression sympathetic. “Goblins are a menace. They've become bolder in recent months, venturing further from their usual territories, raiding villages, attacking travellers. They are a symptom of a larger sickness, a plague upon the land.”

  “Recent months?” William asked, eager to learn more about this world, piece together its many puzzles. “What's causing them to be bolder? Are we safe here?”

  As William pressed for answers, he couldn’t help but think about the dream from earlier, of a shadowed figure raising corpses from the ground, of the dread that had curled in his stomach like a festering wound. What if the dangers of this world weren’t just distant threats? What would be the price of survival in this harsh reality?

  Little did he know that his simple question would push him toward a desperate and dangerous path.