His stomach sank. "Oh no…"
The two goblins glanced at him as they passed, smirking and whispering in a strange tongue.
Nathan spun around and ran to the tree again.
Still sealed.
He banged on it. "Please! Let me go! I didn't mean to come here!"
But suddenly—hands grabbed his arms from behind. Large, rough, and ice cold.
"No! Wait! Let me go!" he shouted, struggling, but the hands were too strong.
He turned his head. Two goblins—bigger than the first ones—gripped him tightly, dragging him down the glowing street.
"Where are you taking me?! Please!" Nathan begged.
They didn't answer.
Instead, they took him through tall, twisted gates, up a grand stone path, and into a large estate built of moss, bones, and shining green glass.
They shoved open a set of massive doors and threw Nathan into a huge room lit by hanging crystals.
Sitting on a tall stone throne was a Goblin with a thick gold crown and a cloak made of red feathers.
His skin was dark green, his voice low and raspy.
"Who is this human?" the Goblin King barked. "Why did you bring him before me?"
Nathan dropped to his knees, trembling. "I… I didn't know anyone lived here. I swear, I had no idea—"
"Silence!" the king thundered. "Why have you entered our kingdom? What do you bring me? Gold? Diamonds?"
Nathan's heart raced. "No, Your Highness, I didn't bring anything. I crashed my car outside… I didn't even know this world existed."
The Goblin King's eyes narrowed. "He brings no gold! No diamonds! Lock him up!"
"No—please! Wait!" Nathan cried out, his hands reaching forward. "I'm not a threat! I didn't come to steal anything! Please, I have a daughter—I need to get back to her!"
But the goblins didn't care.
Two large guards came forward.
Panicking, Nathan scrambled to his feet and bolted toward the doors.
"Stop him!" a voice shouted behind him.
He darted down the hallway, breathing hard, but soon—three more goblin guards appeared in front of him, blocking the way.
"Please—don't do this!" he begged.
They didn't even speak. The guards from behind caught up and tackled him to the ground.
Everything went dark.
When Nathan opened his eyes, he was in a prison cell.
Cold stone walls. A locked iron gate. A bucket in the corner.
He rushed to the bars and gripped them tightly.
"Hello?! Anyone?! Please, let me out! I'm not supposed to be here!"
A voice behind him chuckled darkly.
Nathan turned.
In the far corner of the cell sat a massive figure with glowing green eyes and pointed ears—an Elf. But this wasn't the kind of Elf from children's books. He looked like a warrior, dressed in thick furs and leather armor.
"You really messed up, didn't you?" the Elf said, smirking.
Nathan blinked. "What?"
The Elf chuckled again. "Coming here, uninvited… without gold… while that greedy Goblin King is in power? What were you thinking?"
Nathan stepped back. "I didn't know. I swear. I didn't even mean to come here. I… I was in an accident. I was trying to escape my life. My wife wants to leave me. Her family hates me. I've got nothing left."
The Elf stared at him for a moment, his face serious now.
Then he said quietly, "Sometimes, losing everything is what brings you to where you're meant to be."
Nathan didn't understand. "What do you mean?"
The Elf leaned back on his stone bed, his arms folded across his broad chest as he studied Nathan with a lazy sort of smirk.
"You really have no idea where you are, do you?" he said in a deep, rough voice that echoed slightly off the stone walls. "You're in the Goblin Realm now. And Goblins—especially our king—are greedy beyond measure. Gold, silver, gems… they don't care what it is, as long as it's shiny and worth something."
Nathan stood by the iron bars of the cell, still gripping them like they might somehow melt away if he held tight enough. "I told you," he said, trying to keep calm, "I didn't come here on purpose. I crashed my cab into a tree and—suddenly the tree opened up. One second I was outside, and the next thing I knew, I was in this place."
The Elf tilted his head, one eyebrow raised. "You crashed into the Baobab?"
Nathan nodded. "Yeah."
The Elf let out a long whistle. "That tree hasn't opened in centuries. You're either really lucky… or really cursed."
Nathan looked over his shoulder at the gray walls. "Right now, I'd say cursed."
The Elf stood slowly, his height towering over Nathan. His boots thudded lightly on the floor as he crossed the room.
"You don't understand how things work here," the Elf said. "When someone from your world crosses into ours, they're expected to offer something. A gift. A bribe. Something. Especially if you come face-to-face with the Goblin King. He doesn't do kindness. He does business."
Nathan frowned. "But I didn't know. I didn't even know this place existed. How was I supposed to bring gold when I didn't even know I was stepping into a whole other world?"
The Elf chuckled, but it wasn't a friendly sound. "Yeah, well, try telling that to His Majesty. He doesn't care what you knew or didn't. To him, you're just a broke outsider wasting his time."
Nathan turned away, frustration bubbling in his chest. "This is insane. I didn't ask for this. I wasn't trying to cause trouble. My life was already falling apart back there. I just needed air. I needed space to think."
The Elf walked over to the wall and sat down again. "And now you've got plenty of it," he said dryly, gesturing to the cold, empty cell.
Nathan sat on the hard floor with a sigh. His head dropped into his hands. "My daughter… she's waiting for me."
The Elf didn't say anything for a moment. Then, in a softer voice, he asked, "You have a kid?"
Nathan nodded. "Yeah. Her name's Emily. She's the only thing that still makes sense in my life. Everything else… everything else is just broken."
The Elf leaned his head back against the wall and stared at the ceiling. "Then you're gonna have to fight like hell to get out of here, Nathan. Because no one escapes this place unless they've got something real to offer."
Nathan looked up, eyes wide. "Like what?"
The Elf smiled faintly. "Gold would've helped. But maybe… just maybe, something stronger than gold might do the trick."
"Like what?" Nathan pressed.
The Elf opened one eye and looked at him seriously.
" I hope you can fight ? I mean boxing and Martial Art, that is what has kept me alive for the past one year in this cell!
"What?!
" Yes, it is call game of death, the king Goblin uses his prisoner to earn money, you will be take out with other prisoners then the people will pick their choice of prisoners to fight and it is a fight to death!