Welcome to

The bright blue sky shone down, with sunlight beaming its warmth upon the land. Birds chirped and the rustling of the tree branches as the wind blew filled the air with the sounds of life. To the north, an expansive open field dotted occasionally with trees. To the west, a dense forest with monsters and animals; beyond that, a mountain range where a large dragon took roost.
Footsteps softly crunched the leaves that littered the ground as a witch, carrying a basket of ingredients necessary for spells and potions, walked back towards town. Her robe was battered and her hat was covered in mud and dirt. She used her staff, which was taller than she was, even with the hat, as a walking cane with her other hand. The bright clear orb that adorned the top reflected the sunlight brilliantly.
"I HATE coming out here to forage," she groaned as she continued walking. She didn't exactly have much of a choice though. Too poor to afford anything of good quality in the market, this was her only option. "Too many bugs, those stupid boars, and not to mention those fucking angry trees!" She sighed. "At least this should keep me for another two weeks if I'm lucky."
The path ahead was long back towards town, but relatively peaceful. A few trees were around, but the mostly open spaces made it easy to see any danger that would be approaching, or anything out of the ordinary. Such as another person, walking around aimlessly and very confused near a tree. The witch slowed her pace, though still wary. Thieves and bandits were common around the area. She gripped onto her staff tightly and readied herself.
"Hello sir," she said, trying her best to sound confident. "Are you okay? You seem lost?"
The man was odd in appearance to say the least. Rather than traditional wear or leather that the witch expected, the man wore just a simple shirt with a depiction of some sort of being on the front in bright colors. His pants were a simple denim pair of jeans and his shoes were sneakers, scuffed from years of wear. He didn't have any sort of weapon on him, nor pouches or a bag with him. From the lack of supplies, the witch thought this man had been the victim of a robbery.
"Huh? Oh, thank goodness! Another person!" the man said excitedly. "I don't know why, but you have to help me! I don't know where I am and when I try to go anywhere, I'm stuck! Look!" The man tried to reach out to the witch, but his hand was stopped, as though touching an invisible wall.
The witch looked at the way the man's hand was stopped. She cautiously reached her hand out, as some monsters were known to create invisible barriers, but none of them should be around here. If there was, it was something that absolutely needed to be reported to the Mage Guild. To her relief, as she reached her hand out, there was nothing stopping her.
"Okay, what the hell?" the man said, scratching his head. He repeatedly tried to reach out, but he was still stopped by some unseen force.
"Is it only here?" the witch asked, starting to move around the area to get a better understanding.
"No, it's all around this tree. I don't know why, but I've been stuck here for days." The man groaned, squatting down and scratching his head again. "You're the first person I've seen in a long time."
"Oh," the witch said, "That is to be expected. This pathway isn't usually frequented because of the dangerous forest nearby. Can you show me exactly where you get stopped?"
The man showed the witch, and she carved into the ground to show the boundary. It was a square shape, centered around the tree that was nearby. The witch crossed her arms, concerned. The way that this was laid out was clearly some sort of magical effect. But, it was no ordinary monster that could have done this. Yet at the same time, if some creature powerful enough to do this was around, there would have been some sort of alert. The only conclusion that she could draw is that this was created by another mage.
"You said that you hadn't seen someone else for a long time. What happened before that?" the witch asked.
"Before that…" The man crossed his arms to think, tapping his foot. "I remember walking through the city at the crosswalk. I had my headphones on at the time and I was listening to something. I couldn't hear the sound of the bus until it was too late. Then it felt like I was floating and I remember someone was talking to me. Then it's really fuzzy after that. The next clear thing I remember is that I woke up here on the ground. And then several days passed until we reach just now. It's weird though. I spent a few days stuck here, but I didn't feel hungry or anything. It didn't even get that cold during the night."
The witch tilted her head in confusion. "Headphones? Bus? What are those things?"
"Wait, you don't know what headphones are? Or a bus? Hang on, hang on, where am I?"
"You're in the outskirts of Fauxivi. Specifically, you're to the southwest," the witch said. She tilted her staff slightly and created a large image of the map of the surrounding area.
"What the-?" the man said in shock. "How are you doing that? Holograms?"
"Doing what?"
"That!" He gestured to the map. "How did you make that appear?"
"It's just a simple spell, really. It's nothing that advanced. A very basic beginner spell, actually."
"Spell?" The man looked around, tapping on the invisible boundary. He looked at the witch, then at the map, then back to the witch. He gulped and took a deep breath. "Tell me, have you ever heard of a place called America, or Japan, or France?"
The witch shook her head. "I can't say that I'm familiar with any of them. They aren't any nations in the world; nor any cities."
The man pounded his fist on the barrier, causing the witch to recoil backwards slightly. "I knew it. I've been sent to another world."
"Another world? You mean, you've travelled dimensions?" The witch seemed rather stunned, but she didn't sound like she doubted the man.
"It would appear so. I'm not from your world." The man paced around, running his hand through his hair before stomping on the ground repeatedly. "Ugh! I finally get to go to another world full of magic and I'm stuck in this stupid box! I don't even know why I'm here!"
"I may be able to get you out," the witch said.
The man turned to her. "Really? How?"
The witch tapped her staff against the boundary and there was a shimmering light. "It looks like someone cast a binding spell on you. Meaning that something around has you bound and stuck here. If I can find what it is, I might be able to undo it." She points over to the tree. "Whatever it is, it seems like it's there."
"Could it be the tree itself?" the man asked, walking over to it.
The witch shook her head as she got closer to the tree. "No. Binding spells like this don't work on living things. They have to be inorganic, like a rock or a sword. It could be as big as a carriage, or as small as a rusty nail." She set down her staff against the tree. "I'm going to climb up here and see if I can find anything."
"Are you sure?" the man asked.
"Don't worry. I'm a seasoned forager." The witch smiled wide and proud before getting a grip on the tree. "Just get below me and get ready to catch me if something happens." The man nodded and got into position.
The witch climbed up the tree, being careful to only grab and climb on the branches that could support her weight. She scoured around the tree, trying to look for anything out of the ordinary at first. With her experienced eyes, no detail like that would have gotten past her. However, she didn't see anything, but her instincts told her that there was something more. She put her hands together and began to chant softly. Light glowed from her fingertips as she traced sigils and glyphs into the air.
There, in the tree branches, she notices a shimmering of something hidden with magic. Cautiously, she reached forward and touched the shimmering.
In a brief second, it disappeared and the witch was face to face with the skull of a decaying corpse.
"AAAAAHHH!" she screamed, recoiling back and losing her balance, falling out of the tree.
"Shit!" The man reaches his arms out to catch her.
The next thing the man knew, he was on the ground, sprawled out. His vision was fuzzy, but blinking slowly adjusted his vision. He looked left and right, trying to see if the witch was okay, but he didn't see her anywhere.
"He-!"
The man stopped as he clutched his throat. The voice that he just spoke with was not his own. It sounded like the witch's voice.
What the hell? he thought. Did something happen when she fell? Why did I sound like her?
"Hello?" He quickly covered his mouth. That was definitely not his voice; it was certainly the witch's.
Cautiously, he pulled his hands away from his mouth, looking down at his hands. They were smooth and gentle, not at all like his own. The nails were polished and refined, and jewelry adorned the fingers and wrists. The man looked down at himself. Two large breasts sat on his chest, as well as the witch's robe, even more battered from the fall.
"This can't be real," he said as he reached up to feel the breasts. As soon as his fingers touched them, a shock of sensations ran through him. His lip quivered slightly and he let out a soft puff of air. "Holy shit. Yeah, they're real. But, why am I her?" He twisted around, getting a good look at her.
"Did I transform into her?" He looked around the area and shook his head. "No, she's not around, and there's no sign that she moved anywhere. So, the only conclusion is that I somehow ended up inside of her."
He let his hands caress the witch's body, running up and down along her sides, shivering at the touch. "How in the world did I end up inside of her?"
He softly squeezed her breasts again, gently moaning from the pleasure. He looked down at the robe again, seeing the curves of the witch's body. "I know I probably shouldn't. But, it just feels so good. Maybe a little peek won't hurt, right?"
He pulled at the collar of the robe, lifting it away from her body and peering down. What greeted him was a soft pair of D-cup sized breasts, supported by a leather bra.
"Whoa. Who knew under this robe that she was such a baddie?"
The man reached back and squeezed his ass, feeling the size and softness. "And she's got quite the ass too. Man, she is sexy."
Then, his hands traced around to the front around the hips and rested at the thighs. He gulped, knowing exactly what was under there. He felt her body twitch in anticipation. He looked around at the empty fields. "Miss? Miss witch lady? Are you here?"
There was no response.
He leaned up back against the tree, tugging at the sides of her robe and hiking them up. Though it was a struggle with her large breasts in the way, the man was able to see the purple cotton panties that the witch had on. He gently ran his fingers along the front, the body twitching at the touch.
"It's so soft," he said, both talking about the flesh and the fabric.
Cautiously, he slipped his fingers underneath the panties and down to her pussy. The heat and wetness coating the fingers almost instantly. The man breathed heavily as he curled a finger. Instantly, the sensation of rubbing against the labia shot through him like lightning, causing him to feel weak in the knees.
"Holy shit," he said with a soft exhale. "From just that little bit?"
He brought a second finger to the folds, letting the pleasure just wash over him. "Fuck, this feels incredible." His other hand reached up, cupping the witch's breasts.
He started to hump his hand, the slickness making it easier and easier to rub where it felt best. The man stroked in rhythm with his breathing. The heat and pleasure of masturbating sends shockwaves through his body.
"So this is what it's like? It's amazing! It's so sensitive! It's-"
Huh?
The man stopped as he heard the witch's voice coming from inside of his head. "Lady, is that you?"
What's going on? Why can't I move? Wait, no, I can feel my hand moving but… I'm not in control? Wait…
The pleasure of touching her sensitive parts caught up to her awareness, sending shocks of pleasure through her.
"I-I can explain!" he stammered, trying to figure out if he even could.
Am I… wait… Mister!? What are you doing inside of me? And being inside of me!?
The man felt a pressure building up inside, like something, or someone was fighting and pushing him out. In his shock, he tried to fight back, but the force was too much for him. He felt himself lose control of the witch's mouth.
"EXPELLIANA!"
The witch shouted and the man felt himself launched forward and he tumbled along the ground until he hit the barrier. The witch quickly pulled her fingers out from under her robe. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and leered at the man.
"What the hell is wrong with you!? Was this all part of your plan or something? What were you doing with my body!? How were you even inside me to begin with!?" she shouted, grabbing her staff from the tree and pointing it at the man. "I feel so unclean now!"
The man quickly raised up his hands. "Whoa whoa, easy now! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Okay, yes, I shouldn't have done that, but I had no idea what was going on. I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or what. And then it just started to feel too good; I couldn't help myself and I got lost in it all."
The witch's frown twitched before she fixed up her clothing. "Fine. I can tell that you are telling the truth." She huffed.
"I'm sorry, I really am," the man said. He ran his fingers through his hair again and sighed.
The witch sighed. "I'll accept your apology, but that doesn't mean that you're forgiven for that."
"I understand," the man said as he looked down at his hands. "But, how did that even happen? Was that something that you did?"
The witch shook her head. "No, that wasn't me. I think…" She walked up to the man and swiped her hand, which passed right through his chest like air. "That's what I was afraid of."
The man watched in horror as it passed through him. "What the-? Am I…?" He patted his chest, able to feel the sensation. "Am I dead?"
"I think so," the witch said with a somber expression. "There was a body in the tree. I'm… pretty sure that was you."
The man sat down on the ground, unable to believe it. "I'm dead, but I'm here. I'm a ghost." He thunked his head back against the invisible barrier and his eyes went wide. "Wait, is that why I'm stuck here!? Can I not leave because my body is here?"
"That seems to be the case."
The man fell to his knees, trying to grasp at the ground, but it only phased right through his fingers. "I'm stuck here forever? What kind of cruel fate is this? What did I do to deserve this kind of hell!?"
The witch squeezed tightly on her staff and sighed again. "I… do know of a way that I can get you out."
"You do?" the man said. "Please! Do so! And I'll do whatever I can to make it up to you! Both for freeing me and for what I was doing to you."
"Fine, I'll accept that. But if you ever do something like that again, I will stick you somewhere that no one will find you for centuries!" The man nodded in understanding.
The witch stepped outside of the boundary and began to chant again. Her hands glowed and she drew symbols in the air, forming a circle. Then, she took the tip of her staff and pushed it through the glowing symbols. The symbols swirled around the orb at the top, causing it to glow a brilliant pink. Then, she tapped the staff against the barrier. Instantly, there was a shattering sound like glass where the boundary was. The man looked down as he began to glow the same pink as the symbol. The orb glowed again before the symbols disappeared and all of the glow disappeared.
"It is done," the witch said.
The man cautiously reached his hand out towards the boundary. To his delight, it was as the witch said. The boundary was gone. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" he said. He ran to give her a hug, but in his excitement, forgot about his current state and simply passed right through the witch. "Oh, right. Dead."
"I cannot do anything about that, unfortunately," the witch said with a dejected look. "But, at least now, you will no longer be trapped in that small area."
"Well, that's something at least," the man said. He took another sigh, walking forward and phasing through the grass that blew from the wind. "I can at least walk around more and see what else is- GAH!"
The man stopped as he felt himself hit another boundary. "Oh, what gives?" he asked, tapping against it. "Is there another boundary here?"
"Not quite," the witch said as she jerked her staff back. As she did, the boundary pushed the man backwards. "As a spirit, you are still bound to something. All spirits are tethered to something, which limits the range of their motion. It can be broken and allow the spirit to roam freely, but I am not strong enough to free you from that. But, what I was able to do is move the tether from your body to my staff."
"So, now I'm stuck around you?" the man asked.
"My staff, more specifically," she clarified.
"Well, it's definitely better than being stuck in that box for who knows how long," the man said as he walked over to the witch.
"If I get stronger, or we find someone who specializes in spirits, we may be able to free you completely from a tether. And I'm still mad at you for what you did earlier, but you don't deserve to be stuck by this tree. So, that's why I decided to bring you along with me."
"Then, I guess that makes us traveling buddies," the man said, trying to make light of the situation. "So if I'm going to be tethered to you, or your staff rather, I better know your name at least. I can't just keep calling you Miss or Lady or Witch the whole time."
"Right, my apologies. I hadn't properly introduced myself." She bows towards the man. "My name is Lilima Van Pelt. And what is your name?"
"My name is-" The man stopped, as though he lost his train of thought. "My name is… is…" His eyes went wide again. "I… don't know my name!"
"I have heard such a thing can happen to spirits. Some of their memories get damaged and lost in their transition from becoming alive to undead," Lilima said.
"Shit, what else have I forgotten?" the man asked, trying to wrack his brain for answers, but they wouldn't come to him.
"Yes, everything about you is such a mystery." Lilima thinks for a bit. "Well, since I also can't just call you Mister or Spirit, I shall give you a name. Given that you appear to have some sort of possession based power, then your name will be Poe. How does that sound?"
"Poe," he said. "Huh, I like it. Poe it is then."
"Well then, Poe, it's good to meet you," Lilima said as she picked up her basket of ingredients. "Now then, let's be off."
"Wait, what about my body in the tree? Shouldn't we at least give it a burial or look for clues?" Poe asked, gesturing to the tree.
"I guess that would be the honorable thing to do."
Lilima sets down her staff and ingredients and once again climbs the tree. However, as she goes to reach for the body, she stops. Lilima makes her way back down the tree. "I'm sorry, but I can't. It's too dangerous."
"Too dangerous? Why is that?" Poe asked, tilting his head.
Lilima turns around to face Poe. "Your tether range was a square, meaning it was created. Natural tether ranges are circular. And your body was hidden with magic. Now that I had a better look, there was also traps on it. If it was moved, it would alert whoever did this. Whatever happened to you was intentional. Someone not only wanted you dead, but wanted you stuck here and didn't want anyone to find out."
"But then why stick me here in this tree?" Poe asked, scratching his head. "Why not put me somewhere that no one would find me, like a lake or bury me?"
Lilima shakes her head. "I don't know. But, I want to help you, so I plan to find out." She picks up her basket of ingredients and her staff. "Plus, right now, your body stays in a protected state. It won't get any worse, so we can always come back later."
"Well, alright. You're the knowledgeable magic one here," Poe said with a sigh. "I'll follow your lead. Though, not like I exactly have a choice. So, where are we going now?"
Lilima points ahead and starts walking with Poe at her side. "We're going to the city, Fauxivi."