Where am I?

Bright light engulfed Lyria's vision as she swam through what seemed like an endless sea of nothingness.

I have to find a way out of this.

Suddenly she "felt" her feet touch ground and she tumbled from out of the searing brightness and into a strange darkness. Lyria scrambled to her feet and looked around. As her eyes adjusted, she glanced around at her surroundings. She appeared to be in the helm of a ship.

Strange grunts and growls could occasionally be heard from above (probably the crew), and the ground shifted and the walls creaked as the ship floated across water.

Weird, she thought curiously. There was the creaking of hinges and a nearby trapdoor on the ceiling opened. She could just make out the shape of a young girl opening it and setting up a ladder.

"Excuse me!" Lyria cried out to her, but the girl did not respond, and continued with setting up the exit. "Um, hello?" This time the girl looked up and let out a strange grunt. Lyria furrowed her brow in confusion at the sight of her eyes, which were a dark, soulless gray and sent shivers down her spine. "A-are you okay?" she again called. Again there was no response, except for the girl standing and walking away from the door, leaving it open for Lyria.

Scrambling to the ladder and climbing as fast as she could, Lyria was frozen in place when she reached the opening of the trapdoor. She gasped.

Sunlight struggled to lighten the scene as thick dark clouds obscured its light across the landscape. Large masts, fitted with huge faded sails, towered over Lyria and the crew.

The crew.

The crew was another story. All of them, at least about 100, scurried across the ship without a word as they made sure of the ship's welfare. But they all moved in a forced, dragging way. Various animals rushed silently around too. Squinting, Lyria realized that all of them had gray eyes, just like the girl.

We are almost there, Master. Lyria gasped as as the sound of a ghostly voice drifted through her skull. Though already capable of telepathy, she prepared to respond to the voice but only to find that she couldn't. My powers can't be gone! Panic rushed through her mind and she raised a hand to rub her forehead.

She cringed and pulled her hand back at the sickening feel of something inflamed and squishy on it. Turning, she saw that the girl from earlier was staring at her... her bare forehead revealing the twisting shape of a—

Lyria darted to the ship's railing and looked down at her reflection. Her hair was jet black and she wore dark colored robes, and the markings of the tattoos of multiple animals could be seen around her neck and arms. But among these strange new features, a twisting black spiral sat horribly on her forehead: the Wyrm. "No," she hissed, "no, no, no."

She had become Zerif of the Spirit Animals series.