HYLOPHOBIA: Fear of forests.

My eyes snapped open with the impact of my body hitting the ground. It felt like I fell off a cliff when I landed on my back. I landed on a heap ruffled dried leaves. It looked like someone made it there for my arrival.

When I regained my vision, I was in a different place. I was in a a place that looked like a burnt and abandoned forest. I could've said it looked like a savanna but it looked worse. Everything was dark. The trees were black with only three to four branches around them. Ashes and dried leaves were displayed on the ground with no trace of green grass. The atmosphere was different but it wasn't a good difference. It had the smell of burnt wood with a hint of metal.

The skies were turning dark so I guessed it was evening here.

The only problem was that I could clearly remember passing out in the asylum, how did I get here?

"Welcome to Anel" I heard Ignis say behind me. I turned to see him, Lux and another guy I wasn't familiar with. His hair was as dark as Lux's with his eyes bright blue. He had birthmarks on his cheekbones which were very similar to mine but his were just five dots on each cheek. He was dressed in casual jeans and a T-shirt with his arms folded behind him.

"It's burnt" I pointed out.

"Yeah, we see that"

"Did you guys bring me here?"

"No" Ignis said "He teleported us here" he pointed to the mystery guy behind him. "Caeli, meet Axel"

"It's nice to meet you" I said and he just nodded.

"He's kinda weird so get used to it" Ignis said "Let's move"

"To where? This place looks deserted"

"Don't be silly, Caeli. We have a house too" he said and took my hand in his. With all I'd seen, Ignis was the most playful amongst them. He just had his way of making situations look better than they were. Lux was the bossy and most serious

It seemed like they already knew the way so I followed as Ignis dragged me through dead trees. I held the doll close to me to avoid getting any black dirt on it.

I'd never been so confused about my life before. In just one week, I escaped the asylum. The place I thought i'd spend the rest of my life. It was the most unexpected thing. I certainly didn't see it coming. If I was told a week ago that I would meet people similar to me with paranormal powers, I definitely wouldn't have believed it.

I could've demanded to go home but the real question was, did I really have a home? My parents were dead and the community blamed it on me without proof. I would be back in the asylum if I decided to go home. They surely wouldn't forget my face, the birthmarks alone were enough for proper recognition. They would be calling 911 if they saw a trace and the asylum was the last place I wanted to be so yeah, I preferred Anel.

I wasn't sure if I was still on earth. It looked like I was in another dimension entirely. I'd never heard of a place called Anel before and never had I seen a forest filled with burnt trees and black ground. Definitely, I wasn't on earth anymore and I wasn't concerned.

Lux wasn't a type of guy that would waste time on something unproductive and he wouldn't just bring me out here to kill me. There was a reason behind it. Something about me being their only hope. Even when I never admitted it to him, I was very grateful for the escape.

"Home sweet home" I heard Ignis say as we got to a place I could only describe to be rocks upon rocks. They were huge rocks arranged on top of each other with a small opening I guessed to be the entrance. It didn't look like home to me, just a pile of ancient rocks. They were greyish in colour with some of them black in colour. I could've said I was surprised but anything was possible with them.

"You like in rocks" I pointed out.

Ignis gasped "How dare you say something like that to Jenifer!"

"You guys named it?"

"He did" Lux said, moving past me. He found his way through the opening and went inside. It was then I noticed how awkward it was for him to look all official in suit. I mean, the place looked all ancient and all and he made it look like we came from the future.

Axel gave me one last glance and followed Lux. I had to admit, he was weirder than I thought. Not that I didn't like weird, weird was okay but he was different.

"Does he talk?"

"Yeah" Ignis said "He's also a really good cook. He does all the cooking here."

"He's mysterious"

"Are you into mysterious?" He smirked "Cause I can be mysterious just for you" He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Let's just go inside" I chuckled. "You're very funny for a guy that stays with two quiet and mysterious guys" I said as I followed Ignis as he went through the entrance.

"At least, you like one thing about me" he winked "Get ready to be amazed my queen."

At first, the whole place was dark and cold just like I'd expected it to be. The only light was the one from the entrance which only got darker as Ignis led me further inside. The only good thing about the place was the faint aroma of homemade pie. At least, it was better than the smell of burnt wood outside.

"So" I started "You live in the dark. I can't be more amazed"

"Don't be silly, sweetheart. We're just getting started" He said before stopping. It was dark so I couldn't process what he was doing but it looked like he placed his hand on something. I heard two beeps before before I heard something behind me. Something I could only describe to be... An elevator?

It's white light brightened up the whole place. It looked like a regular elevator you would find in the asylum. The only difference was that this one was built in between rocks. It was like civilization in a rural area. I had no idea there could be technology here. An elevator was the least I'd expected.

Ignis stepped in and I followed. It was then I sensed that the aroma of the pie was stronger here. That alone made my stomach grumble. I couldn't imagine how nice it would be to eat something different from the regular toast I got at the asylum.

"That's Axel" Ignis stated "He makes the best pies" He tapped some buttons and we we I felt us begin to descend.

"Who made all these?"

"Well, we all did but Axel's the tech genius here so he brought up the idea"

"Figured out" I paused "This place looks deserted. I doubt they're people here"

"They are. We don't live where they most people stay. Most people don't actually come here" he explained.

"Is it any thing like where I come from?"

"Worse" he paused "But it once was better. Believe me, our technology twenty years ago was better than yours would be in the next hundred years"

"What happened?"

"Someone decided it would be nice to bring hell to Anel" He muttered. "That's not a story for now Caeli. It's time to take a personal tour round Jenifer!" He squealed as the elevator opened.

He sure wasn't joking when he said their technology was better than ours could be.

The first thing I noticed was how bright it was. White lights adorned the whole place, it almost looked like a hospital. They were situated in the walls with a large chandelier hung above.

The temperature was warmer and more favourable than the cold outside. I wrapped my arms around myself and let out the air I didn't know was inside.

The floor was made of shiny blue marble. It was so neat and spotless, my eyes couldn't catch a single dirt. White chairs were displayed at the further end with a television in front of it. In the middle was a white furry rug with a little glass table in front of it.

At the right was a place filled with different computers and other technological devices. A very large screen was attached to the wall in front of it with other mini computers beneath. A chair was in front of it which I guessed belonged to Axel.

To my left was the kitchen. It had every thing you could possibly need in a kitchen. Just like every other part, it was clean and completely spotless. Something I definitely didn't expect from three boys living all by themselves.

At least, not from Ignis.

"Welcome home Caeli" Ignis said as he plopped down on the couch "That's your room" he pointed at a door at the corner. I was probably too amazed by how beautiful the house was, I didn't notice there was a door there.

"They're clothes there so make yourself comfortable."

"Thanks" I muttered.

I was about to leave when I felt something itchy on my arm. It was on the same spot the little girl had hurt me earlier. At first, I thought it was a normal itch but it only increased. As seconds passed, my arm became hotter. It felt like I had hot water on my arm with an itch that only increased as I tried to suppress it.

"Are you alright?" Ignis asked. He stood up when he noticed I didn't look okay. "What's wrong with your arm?"

"I don't know" I said "It's hot and itchy" I explained as I scratched it harder.

"Wait" Ignis said as he held my hand and dragged my sleeve up.

I gasped at the sight of it. Right there on my arm was black ink in the form of a ring. It looked like a simple circle tattoo on my arm. It was red from all the itching. It was a little circle right beneath my wrist but the effect had affected my entire arm.

"Ignis, what's happening to me?"

"Mark of the Seer"