《Enlil》 Astria Capital city of stars, Astria: The night''s coldness seeped into my bones, The stench of ale and prostitutes entered my nose. Disgusting. My heavy armour drew some attention but it was quickly dispelled when their eyes landed on the claymore I carried. ''Finally.'' My face hidden by the great helm showed joy upon seeing the end of the alleyway, I can finally enter the main streets. ''If that guy is right I will reach the guild in a moment.'' The guild, a haven for people looking for opportunities or so was said. There have been stories of adventurers being knighted for their accomplishments during wars against other races. The continent of Ellil was carved into history through wars and death. Most of these wars were caused by humans, Described as literal hellspawns. It was said in ancient times, the god who ruled over the continent of Ellil released a massive flood which wiped of most of humanity. The other races were protected by him and they all watched the humans die out in silence. But some persevered and survived which impressed the god and in which he granted them extended lifespan so humanity could thrive again. Even though this was a children''s story, the hate between the different races still continued. ''But the guild doesn''t care who you are, they only care about who you can be.'' I as a child always thought of being like the heroes from the stories I heard. But growing up, my mind matured and thought that it was a stupid idea to be following that dream. ''And here I am following that exact stupid dream.'' I chuckled under my helm, I have to thank my brother for getting me this armour. Speaking of my brother he is a squire for a rather famous knight. He was taken in as a page by him when he discovered us begging on road. Those times are etched into my mind, those drunkards constantly beating is, my father dying due to a mistake caused by the gate guards who was under the influence of alcohol, My mom trying to be a prostitute so food can be on the table. Long story short, she was killed by some drunkard who exceeded the time limit and wanted some more fun but she refused which caused him to go completely ballistic. To be honest, her death didn''t really weigh down on me. She wasn''t there in my life for long, atleast from the time I could remember. Cillian does and he still visits her grave. A grave without a body. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Funnily enough I developed a disgust for alcohol. I have to congratulate myself from holding back my anger during my walk through the alleyway. As I was walking with my head low focusing on the road, someone collided into me. My heavy armour kept my balance as the culprit fell to the floor. ''I am pretty sure the streets aren''t cleaned properly.'' The smell was a giveaway. "You okay?" I reached my hand out to him, seemingly from a well off family, the tunic he wore seems to be of good quality. Now I felt bad for ruining his clothes but it wasn''t really my fault to be honest. He took my arm and immediately stood up, the energy radiating from him threatening to end the depressing mood around these parts of the city. "Thank you sir! I''m sorry for bumping into you.'' He had soft auburn hair and some freckles were present on his face, but that heartwarming smile on his face was so huge it made me wonder how his cheeks aren''t split apart. And God was he loud but he seemed like a good kid. "Why are you in such a hurry?" I asked the question that lingered inside my mind, I have never seen a peasant being so urgent other than for his job and I am pretty sure they don''t look this joyous when that happens. "A case of insania striked the old blacksmith''s daughter and the church is doing a public exorcism." Before I could even ask him any further he stormed off to the direction he pointed at. ''Insania? In the city of starmother?'' It was hard to believe insania would pry it''s way into the domain of the goddess of stars, Asteria. Insania had been causing some problems recently but it was in the outskirts of the kingdom of Astreaea, it had not reached the inner parts where the goddess''s divinity is present the most. ''Those cultists are at it again....'' I sighed, it wasn''t a rare occasion to see occult practices and there wasn''t any lack of evil gods. The cult that causes insania was known to worship the goddess called Manea. Not much is known about them but they have caused a lot of atrocities in history. Their main weapon of choice is insania, a curse so deadly it causes a painful death in a matter of days. Yeah it doesn''t seem fast but it isn''t used for quick kills but torture. ''And it spreads what more can you ask for.'' The lives of people are a joke, gods could end them in a matter of seconds and there is also their followers which they shower in blessings. ''I genuinely hate them.'' From the bottom of my heart I hate them, but what can I do? Defeat a god? Impossible. ''I should probably check out the public execution.'' Calling it an exorcism was a joke, all they did was make sure it didn''t spread. I turned around and started walking towards the path that boy ran off to. ********* In the city square a raised platform was present with three seats of honour already being occupied by the church members. It was a standard crucified execution with a crowd gathered around the platform waiting for it to start. A huge wooden stake, in the form of human with spread out limbs stood out. A fair adult woman in a long gown was tied to it. She had long black hair with a silky texture and she was really pretty. Poor girl..... I sighed knowing what will happen to her in a few moments as this was something my brother kept on retelling me when I was young. As being a pretty tall man I had my perks and I could just stand at the back and didn''t need to squeeze in. Yeah during these executions there had been extra deaths due to suffocation. "Hey!" I heard a shout from behind me and even though we only had met for a few minutes I could already tell apart his voice. I turned and saw him looking up at me with a smile. "What is it?" I asked while looking out for announcement of the execution. "Nice to see you again." He answered and stood by my side waiting for the trial. ''That''s it..?'' I was confused so I let it be and continued watching. "Soo, what''s your name?" The question came from the side and I answered without turning towards him. "Cassian." I didn''t ask about his because my full focus was on the girl. Especially on her chest where a demonic face was present which could be seen through her dress. It bulged through her chest, trying to escape, her gown was ripped away which gave us all clear visibility to such a horrifying spectacle. It was similar to a human''s face but it was blood red in colour. Literally, blood seeped out from the top of its skull, its eyes were horrifyingly wide, it was scared. It''s mouth was wide open and it''s horns ripped through her gown, revealing the sharp yet beautiful horns. It was trying to scream, it was how it spread but the church had prepared and the screams were muted. The only scream present was from the blacksmith who was crying for her daughter''s date. Did I forget to mention women nowadays were encouraged by the ruler to have a job? The king felt like making the men work wasn''t efficient enough so he made the woman work too and also the slaves. Especially those from other races. The process continued, the church members praying and using their blessings to counter the insania. ''A fireball could finish the job but that would release the insania from her body so this has to be done...'' He sighed upon seeing the blacksmith break down seeing her daughter suffer, no one willing to offer her a hand. ''From today onwards she will be deemed untouchable.'' I had seen a lot of untouchables throughout my life, the superstition that cursed and diseases could also be spread from family members were still believed to this day. The exorcism continued and more and more heads turned and people left as it was reaching the final stages. I could see the horror present in that boy''s eyes as he left not even saying a goodbye to me. ''I have to ask what satisfaction would they gain from this?'' He looked towards the sky, where heaven the place where gods reside was said to be present. ''Why won''t they stop this?'' This was something I would never get the answer to, maybe I will get one in the future. ''She is roughed up.'' The girl was a gory mess, her limbs mangled up and deep cuts formed all over her body. A demonic face hung down from her open chest with the support of some remaining flesh. Her mother sat on the road with an empty gaze, she knew what her future would be now. Even though it wasn''t something a mother should be thinking right after her daughter''s death, she had no choice. She could only accept it, she now cared about her more than anyone. Living in these times were a struggle for everyone. ''Everyone except the gods.'' My hate for them runs deep. I turned around and left, not towards the guild but towards my home. The guild could wait for tomorrow. Even if you see these horrors for several times, There''s no getting used to it. ''Atleast for me.'' I walked towards my home under the guide of the suspiciously bright starlight, the starmother seems exceptionally angry today. Leaving Astria Adventurer guild: The thick smell of blood, sweat and grime assaulted my nose as I squeezed my way through the innumerable people to get closer to reception. A few clashes were bound to happen as I saw the huge man the size of a bear punt the skinny man infront of him into the floor. I sighed, Astria wasn''t well known for their adventurer guild not some you would expect from a city famous for having a church of stars located there. ''They are ranked at the lowest level in terms of hospitality.'' I had no choice but to spent my time, with these men waiting for my name to be called. Today was a special day, it was the time of mass recruitment by the guild so you don''t need to give them a detailed description about you. Even if you did they won''t care considering the amount of people that are left for recruitment. A paper filled out with some personal information such as location, name, age, experience etc. is enough. These informations could be easily forged. A perfect opportunity for criminals in hiding. ''One third of the people here is an murderer, slavery, blasphemer or a cultist.'' I didn''t have a hard time maybe my armour intimidated them or my above average height did the job. ''After this I will immediately leave the city and head towards the land of no return.'' He wanted to say a goodbye to his brother but unfortunately his brother wasn''t in Astria right now. "Is there a Cassian here?" My ears perked up the moment I heard my name and I stood up, easily towering over the dwarves that were present here. Some heads turned towards me but after a single glance they went back to what they were doing. ''Scouting out newbies huh?'' Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Teams or parties were made by adventurers when they face a mission far beyond a single person''s capabilities. Most of them would disband right after the mission but some would stay together and become a permanent party. I walked through the crowd gathered right outside the guild, there were too much people. But fortunately for me the staff members made space for me to reach the reception. The receptionist wasn''t a human but an elf, He had grayish hair and he had an elegant moustache which was the same colour as his hair. He looked like a normal human except his sharp pointy ear and handsome face. ''Elf are known to be one of the most beautiful people out there.'' "Cassian right?" The moment I stepped into his vision he called out to me. I nodded and handed him the filled out form about my personal information. He took one look at it, I''m pretty he didn''t even read it and placed it together with a stack of paper. He took out a small oval shaped golden plate with my name engraved on it. He handed it over to me and I recieved but before I could even inspect it, I was pushed away by the crowd. ''....I''ll check it after getting out of here.'' I sighed and made my way through this crowd of men and women, avoiding contact with everyone present there. --- I walked through the road with my eyes on the wooden plate in my hand, my eyes widening the more I realised their marvel. ''This is made from an ifragilis tree, which is almost unbreakable when they come in contact with the sun or fire.'' Infragilis trees only grew in the deep dark, and during those times they are the most fragile wood man has ever seen. But when they come in contact with sunlight, Their barks would peel off and the wood inside would turn gold and unbreakable. I always wanted to see these wonders, witness them myself. This is the reason I decided to be an adventurer. ''Curiosity.'' Humans were known for their curiosity. I stored it inside my belt pouch and focused my attention on the road. Today I was in happy mood, after eating some lunch and visiting the church I will be ready to leave. Thinking of the visit to the church I sighed again, my brother is devout believer of the starmother and I have no choice but to accept his request. However my happy mood was ruined when a certain someone shouted at the top of their lungs on the streets. "THE QUEEN IS ARRIVING!" ''A procession?'' I immediately moved closer to the building I was near to and saw a huge number of horses with people of high status riding on them. But the most eye catching one was the woman who wore the royal crown while being in the centre. ''Queen Victoria.'' She was the current ruler of Astreaea. She succeeded the throne when her husband fell to witchcraft. But my eyes didn''t linger on her much, my attention went to another lady who was by her side. She looked exactly like the queen, long silky blonde hair and blue eyes, her face was emotionless and her eyes soulless. She was the daughter of the queen, though the queen never treated her as one. Some rumours have spread that the princess'' father isn''t the late king but she was birthed due to a curse placed on her by the witch. The said witch was the one who led an army of witches and raided the castle. Their motives were unknown and if the rumours were true, the princess should have been already killed by the queen. ''I think it''s true.'' Her name was a proof, maybe it was the queen''s way of declaring war against witchcraft to avenge her husband but that doesn''t justify the way she tests her own daughter. ''Hecate.'' She was named after the goddess of witchcraft, Hecate. I observed her from afar but she somehow seemed to have detected as she turned towards me. Our eyes met. Those serpentine eyes stared into mine and I felt an indescribable feeling rise in my heart. No it wasnt indescribable I know what that feeling is. Fear. My body started trembling, my breathing became heavier. "Haa, haa, haa." I try to calm down but those serpentine eyes were etched into my mind. I immediately stormed off through the alleyway by my side. I ran towards the city gates, my stuff was already packed before heading to the guild and my brother would return tomorrow and the keys were with the church. ''My brother trusts them too much.'' I tried thinking of alot of different things ranging from a cat to a legendary sword but everytime those eyes would pop up in my mind. I might''ve tumbled down for a few times but I still got up and kept on running. A pathetic escape, really how hilarious would it be if you saw a man in heavy knight armor running away like he saw a ghost? ... Ah, if only I could run away from my future turmoils like I did today. Cursed bear The route towards wicca forest: My whole body was covered in sweat as I dragged my body towards the tree infront of me. Right now I was in a field of grass, with trees surrounding me, it was simply magnificent, The grass seemingly perfectly cut though no human activity was present here and the sunshine further complimented their beauty as it shone. ''If I continue I will reach the wicca forest in about an hour.'' I removed my helm, a day had passed since the incident with Hecate but now I seemed to have overcome it. My long black hair dropped down towards my neck and I had to move them out of my face due to the obstruction. ''My brother advised to shorten it for convenience but I kinda like my long hair.'' It was something I took pride in, though I''m not very handsome I''m also not too ugly and in a year I will enter my twenties. I''m not exaggerating but I am a bit better than most. I closed my brown eyes shut, relaxing for a moment but the grunts and footsteps didn''t allow it. ''It is here.'' I sighed, today''s food was found but I would rather be starved than eat that. ''Well there''s nothing I can do about it.'' I opened my eyes as I found myself face-to-face with a huge bear. ''Arcas bear? Did a ursa minor appear last night?'' I stood up, and I removed my claymore from its sheath and took up a defensive stance. Though the bear looked normal, the long tail on its back certainly wasn''t normal. ''Eating an Arcas bear is said to be one of the most idiotic ways to die.'' The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. In my younger days, young men who had eaten the Arcas bear and the woman who had eaten the Castello bear are said to be transformed into them when the ursa minor and the ursa major appears on the sky respectively. Normal bears could also become a arcas or Callisto bear. ''They are commonly called the cursed bears.'' The legends said that a woman named Callisto seduced a god with the help of black magic and successfully bore his child. After the process, the god was said to be in rest for two decades until he was able to move his body again. And during those years, his illegitimate son became a ruler and his mother his in a forest in fear of the god''s return. ''Inshort they were punished by him and were banished from the world, forever cursed to wander the cosmos.'' I took out my leather waterskin and held it towards the sky. The bear''s attention was caught on and it''s eyes immediately went to my waterskin. ''The god didn''t let them get away with only that though, he made sure that they were forever thirsty and they were unable to descend to the world to quench their thirst.'' ''An endless torment.'' I saw that the bear was foaming in it''s and I didnt take any more time as I threw it to the side. The bear''s attention on me was gone as it shuffled towards the waterskin. He ripped it apart, wanting to taste it for the first time in his life. A lot was wasted due to his impatience but he didn''t care, all he wanted was a sip. And finally cold and fresh droplets of water landed on his dry tongue. But almost immediately, the water evaporated leaving his tongue sticking out in a hilarious way. But to him it wasn''t in anyway hilarious. He closed his mouth and lowered his head, staring at the ripped waterskin and the small water puddle formed around it. It was very quiet, I could''ve used this opportunity but I decided to watch. The bear opened his trembling mouth once again, Sticking out his dry tongue and he started to aggressively lick the muddy puddle. Although this amount of water couldn''t quench his thirst, he just wanted to taste it, he never knew where this obsession came from. He knew his body didn''t need water to survive anymore but this obsession served as a phantom pain, reminding him of the time he was a normal bear. But unlike normal thirst, this one was different as if it was almost a frenzy. Similar to before, the water evaporated and all he could taste was dry dirt. Maybe it was really hilarious that the woman who promised to stay a virgin which meant freedom was now binded by the curse of thirst together with her son. It was said that water symbolises purification. The bear stopped and he may have sensed my presence from behind. ''I will die if I give him anymore time.'' I didn''t take any more chances as I raised my claymore and slashed in down the bear''s neck, Detaching it from his body. The bear had time to react but he didn''t, what if he killed this human? Will that quench his thirst? Will it release the trapped constellations? Although he was not the real Arcas, the moment he became an Arcas bear he was already considered as an avatar. He gave up, returning back to his mother''s embrace. I stood there watching the blood puddle becoming bigger and bigger as dying breaths were heard from it''s severed neck. "The gods like toying with mortals right?" I asked not expecting an answer and an answer I didn''t receive. He was already dead and all that left was a bear corpse. I sighed and started to work on it, I could sell its skin and bones atleast. The story of Callisto was a rather famous story but I don''t believe it. ''Well I do but I don''t believe the mainspread one.'' How could a mortal, maybe she was a nymph but not a real God ever dare to seduce a god? And using black magic? Was a god so lowly to be affected by witchcraft used by a lesser being? Lies. Gods who are said to be the most powerful of them all and they hold wisdom incomprehensible by mortals. Then if they act so childish what are we supposed to do? Beat them? Stop them? Impossible. I sat there for an hour, working on the bear and even though I couldn''t eat it, the food I brought would last me for a few days. I stood up while storing my pocket knife back into my belt pouch. I stored as much as goods in my pilgrim bag and sheathed my claymore. I looked up towards the sky, towards where the heavens are said to reside. These petty acts of gods doesn''t really align with what their image. They''re said to be omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent and filled with wisdom. Wisdom huh? ''Are the wisdom of gods on the same level as us mortals?'' Wiccan forest Wiccan forest: I pulled my leg out of the muddy swamp as I flinched due to the pungent smell. The wicca forest was a swampy forest filled with death and danger. Literally, thousands of witch trials were held here and I''m pretty sure I''ve already passed three corpses on my way here. ''No bad omen seems to have been latched onto me.'' Those people must''ve been falsely accused then. ''The bodies are very well preserved.'' The people who had been executed in the Wiccan forest have never had their physical form altered after death. ''Although it isn''t explained why.'' Although the Wiccan forest was a normal forest centuries ago, the witch trials that happened during the broom plague turned it into something sinister. ''The death toll that happened reduced the population in Astreaea by half.'' The broom disease caused human bodies to develop black brush-like clusters on human bodies. The source was a witch''s experiment gone wrong though it''s not confirmed what she was trying to do or if she died during the trials. ''Thousands of bodies are present in this forest although they are very hidden.'' The trees around me had dense green leaves so dark they almost seem black. Their branches and trunks were twisted in a horrifying manner. ''It just feels disturbing to look at.'' Many people recounted that they had a feeling of being watched when they passed through the forest. ''I feel weird but no feeling of being watched.'' Either my instincts wasn''t par on with experienced adventurers or they were just trying to make the newbies the newbies feel insignificant by boasting about themselves. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. There was no safe path for me to follow, I walked along the small stripe of clearing infront of me. All around me was trees and well, more trees. ''I will reach the hanging nest inn after leaving the forest.'' That was something to look forward to, it was a popular inn business which was all around the continent. Speaking of the continent, some people believe that the continent was named after the god who almost wiped out humanity. ''Ellil, a name of a god?'' ''Asteria, Manea, Ellil, and hecate.'' Gods are an interesting concept, everyone believes them because of the miracles that happens through them. But some of them don''t trust the gods. ''Am i considered as one of them?'' I actually don''t know. Do I hate the gods? Or is it because I feel it''s too unfair? ''They are the perfect beings with no need for struggle.'' ''But what is the reason for their existence?'' A question that many had but they wouldn''t be able to ask this. ''Why haven''t I reached the exit yet?'' The forest was huge but not that huge, only an hour and half will be enough to leave the forest. -Click- ''What?'' I didn''t stop, I didn''t want to alert it. I kept my usual pace but slowly fastened my pace but made sure to not make is suspicious. -Click- -Click- -Click- It kept on getting closer and my heart started to beat faster as my fight or flight response was triggered. The place, atmosphere and the strange event made my unable to think properly. I kept on increasing my pace, the sound followed. I power walked my way through the forest while I tried not to look around too much unless something I''m not supposed to see pops up in my vision. No matter how experienced and wise I try to sound after all I''m only a beginner. The clicking sound seems to have disappeared but the feeling of dread still remained in my heart. ''Should I turn around or not?'' Either be in the dark for my safety or step into the dark to light my on ways. That was a bad comparison but it''s the best i could come up with my current state of mind. I immediately clutched my claymore tightly and turned around without a a thought. All I saw was four long legs. Scrawny, brown goat legs. The addition of the length made it even more terrifying. -Click- -Click- -Click- The clicking sound appeared once again as I looked up towards its main body. And right infront of my face was a goat, with long curved goat horns and crimson red eyes. Blood dripped from the corner of it''s eyes and and smell of its saliva which was dripping down made me puke. I wanted to swing my sword but fear chained me down. I wanted to run but fear chained me down. I wanted to atleast beg for my life but my pride held me back. Sometimes in life the biggest obstruction towards your goals are your fear and pride. I freezed, too scared to move or think. A mistake that should be never committed by a adventurer. ''Dont ever freeze in fear no matter who you''re against.'' I wanted to laugh, I never thought I would be in a situation like this. Mistakes like these were made by beginners, who wouldn''t have guessed i would experience the same. ''No matter how much I try, reading and hearing about it around the city is different from the experience.'' The creature opened it''s mouth, it''s teeth fully visible to me as it leaned in for a big bite. ''Goats don''t have sharp teeth so I''m in for some pain.'' I couldn''t do anything else, only being able to ridicule my stupid death. The last I saw was the darkness of it''s mouth. I''m pretty sure I heard a ear-bleeding laugh around me when I froze there but maybe I was hallucinating who knows. ******** Wiccan forest: I regained my consciousness but I was unable to move my body. Not even my eyes as my vision was filled with darkness. It felt like my soul was trapped inside my body. ''It feels uncomfortable.'' I didn''t try to resist, thinking that it would naturally go away but my fear of suffocation said otherwise. I started to squirm although my body didnt move, i tried to force my eyes open. I tried everything I could to wake and it kept on getting more and more uncomfortable. But however with a snap I immediately woke up and found myself in a clearing. Intense headache assaulted my brain and I struggled to stand up. My equipment and weopons were still with but I didn''t really check as my whole focus was on escaping. A wet feeling was present around my temples and on my forehead which may either be sweat of blood. I didn''t really care about my injuries as of right now. And using my last amount of strength, I limped my way towards the end of the forest. Ancient elf Unknown area: I dragged my legs across the plains as my dry throat longed for water. I couldn''t think straight and it was unbelievable that I still have collapsed yet. Blood dripped through my helm''s openings and my eyes threatening to close unless I keep my guard up. ''How much time has passed since then?'' I do not know and I would not like to know. My only focus was to get to safety, although I have left the forest I am in no condition to continue my adventure. ''That creature must''ve been a familiar, witch familiar are said to have the appearances of goats, rats, cats etc.'' That checked out with the appearance but this one is a bit different. ''Is it really a familiar? They are supposed to able to completely copy an appearance.'' The crude work on it''s appearance wasn''t something I should be thinking about right now but what else can I do to make sure my mind doesn''t go blank or lose consciousness. ''Keep thinking don''t stop thinking.'' I don''t if it''s true or not but I''ve heard that constantly thinking can help people keep their consciousness during critical moments. Even if it''s a rumour I still had to give it a try. ''The church always scouts out the forest once every month, there''s no way such a creature can hide from the goddess''s force.'' The month right now is Janus, gotta thank the god of the sun for providing us mortals with his supreme knowledge. So they must''ve conducted a search in Decem and they do these at the start of every month. ''So that creature must''ve sneaked in after the search process.'' ''A witch is on the loose.'' I stopped, that makes things complicated. Witches aren''t really seen in a good light around these parts and if they are accused of on, they will recieve the good old burning at the stake. Atleast that was the case until Victoria took over, now all you can do is to kill yourself before they find you. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ''Losing her husband has made the queen go mad.'' The unidentified tortured bodies found floating on the rivers could be potential witches whom were either wrongly accused or really were one. ''Reporting to the church is necessary.'' A witch''s main gimmick is to cause troubles but if you think that some good may still be present in their hearts, you would end up being one of those skulls lined up in their collections. ''They have already sold their souls to the Wiccan gods.'' Trusting them means death. ''I am tired.'' I couldn''t feel my legs anymore. Just when I about to sit down and rest, I saw something in the distance. ''A village!'' It was surrounded by a rock wall for safety and the gate was open with no guards guarding it. ''No security?'' That was wierd but maybe something happened inside the village? Just as I was about to head towards it, a thought popped up in my mind. ''What if the witch had already captured the village?'' That would be a worst case scenario for me considering that I was already weakened. ''But I have no choice though.'' Either take the gamble and enter the village or leave. ''The guard not being near the gate doesn''t mean that the village is raided right?'' I should''ve probably studied more adventurer tips before heading out but there''s no need to cry over spilled milk. I braced myself as I picked up my pace and pushed my exhausted body to its limits. This may be the most idiotic decision I might have done in my life. ******** Unknown village: ''Completely abandoned and if my theory from earlier was correct, the is already here.'' I sighed, there''s nothing much I can do about it, I can only hope that the church of stars somehow gets information about this. I can try to leave but I am not dumb enough to believe that the witch would let me go. ''My body still hasn''t healed from ,the unknown injuries I received from that monster.'' There wasn''t any visible injuries on my body, My forehead and temples were completely fine even though blood was smeared on there. My main issue is the constant headache and nausea I''m feeling right now, sometimes I completely go off track with my mind and trip on the ground. My bones hurt, my hands feel so weak and I have already lost my feeling in my legs. I leaned my back on a house and just stood there with no guards up. ''This might be my end I guess.'' Though death is scary to think about, I really didn''t know why people are afraid of it. Some say it''s because you won''t be able to see your loved ones, some say it''s because you will lose everything you had and some others doesn''t know the why. Their answers would be something like this. ''I don''t know but I''m just scared.'' It''s a primal fear hammered into our minds, Shackles of fear binding our potential. For me? Death isn''t scary. But losing everything and everyone? That''s scary. That''s why humans love to immortalise themselves. Through stories, poems, war efforts etc. I can''t say I''m too different. It''s the same for me too, living as an ordinary people doing ordinary things only to be forgotten after a few generations of your family. ''I crave their attention.'' It feels like a sense of accomplishment and I could drunk from those praises I would be showered with. Curiousity is one major aspect but the false immortalisation is also a goal. During my rant on false immortalisation, a certain long-eared creature appeared infront of me. It didn''t come from anywhere, just straight up appeared as if it was invisible the whole time. It had long pointy ears and a small stature similar to a goblin, the only difference being that this creature looked a bit more demonic due to its wrinkles and cracks appearing on it''s body and the skin which was similar to human skin. The choice of clothing was also strange as it wore leather armour which gave them protection from weak attacks. "An ancient elf?" I blurted out due to my astonishment, these creatures were the early ancestors of the elves that exist today. And they weren''t the pretty ones like their descendants. The moment it heard my words it disappeared. ''An ancient elf has the ability to cause and spread diseases and the power of invisibility.'' Their small stature and speed is also a advantage to them and they were known as the silent hunters during ancient times. ''But their way of spreading diseases is a disadvantage and no one really knows why they use it.'' The arrow bounced off of my chestplate as I stood up on my feet. I didn''t take out my sword, I was pretty sure lifting it would drain me of my last bits of energy. I stood still, waiting. Waiting for it to come. And then- I turned around with speed that betrayed my body''s condition and grabbed thin air. Or what was supposed to be thin air. A choking sound was heard as the elf in my hand became visible again. "Your footprints are a dead giveaway." Just as I was about to crush its neck, a arrow pierced through my gauntlet. ''Wha-?'' My gauntlet made of metal wasn''t supposed to pierced by some makeshift arrows. I immediately turned towards the direction where the arrow shot out from. The sight I saw caused my eyes to widen. Hundreds of elves, each holding a bow pointing towards me and looking at me with disdain. And then, they all vanished. Captured Underground: I snapped back into reality as I found myself tangled by thorny vines. I gasped for air, I was drenched in my own sweat and I frantically glanced around. Vines. All I saw was endless vines. They glowed with an eerie green light providing low visibility inside this darkness. These vines stretched all over the room and there were people trapped just like me. ''Am I in a cave? Or an underground tunnel?'' The darkness didn''t really help but I am pretty sure that I am surrounded by soil. ''The smell also says the same.'' I tried to wiggle my way out but the vines stayed as unmoving as ever. Although these vines seemed fragile they certainly weren''t and no matter how much I struggled I couldn''t escape. ''These vines are not normal.'' I should be commended for being calm in a situation like this but I''m too exhausted to be scared. I sighed, it wasn''t just me, the people from the village also seemed to be down here. ''Some adventurers are mixed in with the villagers, must''ve been staying there for a rest but unfortunately got captured.'' They all seemed asleep, not even the heat disturbed their sleep. So what now? I didn''t want to waste my energy right now, they are not dead at the moment judging on the basis that they are still breathing. ''Why me? I just started out and I''ve already involved myself with a disaster.'' I genuinely wanted to throw a tantrum but that would take too much energy. ''These vines can''t be broken by my current condition but I can try to squeeze my way out.'' If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I stared with my arms, trying to slowly escape through the gaps. However. Unfortunately for me, the vines acted as if they had a mind of their own, they constricted even more and the thorns pierced through. Now I won''t be in much trouble considering my armour but however the thorn''s tips have pierced through my armour. ''Just a few inches away from my right eye.'' I blinked nervously as I eyed the thorn that stood way too close to my right eyeball. And this tiny enclosure is really triggering my fear of suffocation. ''If only I had turned back.'' Did the encounter with that goat mess with my brain or was I brain dead to begin with? If I knew I would meet some danger on the way, why did I go into the village? I don''t know. As I was in deep thoughts, my body snapped up with a jerk. No, it wasn''t my body but the vines. I looked around and saw the vines moving, a massive behemoth made up of glowing green vines. It carried us to alongside its huge body to god knows where. The green glowy light radiating from them increased as the surrounding walls became more visible. I looked towards where the behemoth was taking us and it seemed like an altar..? The altar looked quite luxurious. It was decorated with all sorts of stuff ranging from deer antlers, goats horns, bull horns, and all sorts of plants too. ''Horns?'' I observed the statue that we were heading towards and saw a half-man half-animal sitting cross legged on the altar. A name appeared in my mind, a name that will be forever etched in my mind after I escape. The Wiccan god of nature, masculine energy and the circle of life and death? ''Horned god.'' That''s all they used to refer to him, his name exists but it isn''t widely known and only a few knows it. ''So the followers of the horned god?'' Witches most of the time acted alone, they rarely teamed up. Except during cult practices. They all wore robes made from moss and tree barks...? Not only that, they had horns. All sorts of horns. Their face was obscured by the darkness of their hoods and the vines started to pull us closer to the statue. They all stood there, unmoving and unfazed maintaining their silence for the sacred ritual. They didn''t even spare us a glance, after all we are just sacrifices. ''The church needs to be held accountable for this mistake.'' A witch cult sneaked into the Wiccan forest which was under the supervision of the church of stars. This would make them look like a joke. ''I need to escape before I get sacrificed.'' I just started out, I don''t want to die. Yet. I felt bad for not having a plan to save the others but what can a weakling like me do? ''I mean if a God blesses me with their divine powers at this moment maybe I could do it.'' I sighed and started to wriggle my way out. Delusions can''t break these vines now, can they? The thorns might pierce through my eye but losing an eye is better than losing my life. But unfortunately for me the vines tightened before I could do anything. Almost like it could read my mind or intentions. When the vines constricts even more, what do you think will happen to my right eye? Now although I was nonchalant about losing an eye there''s a difference between a statement and an experience. I screamed like never before. But all it did was make it harder. "Aaaa-ghk!" My screams were drowned by the thick thorny vines that started to wrap around my body. Although at the start, they only squeezed me, but now? They crushed my armor, the thorns pierced into my body and they held me in place. The thorns got longer like a retractable claw and it reached my bones. One pierced into my throat, one into my right eye, one into my stomach, one into my thigh... They pierced through my bones and held them in place. The vines wrapped around, trapping me inside a thorny cocoon of pain. It was complete darkness inside this vine cocoon and I was unable to scream due to the huge thorn which ran through my throat. I was still alive, able to think and feel. I felt every bit of pain without passing out and it didn''t seem to be a dead end for me. ''S...stil alive?'' Not even being able to think straight due the pain was a real pain. The vines seemed to be releasing something, something into me. A liquid. Maybe it was actually my blood but it didn''t feel like it. It felt foreign and cold. The pain was unbearable. But strangely the pain felt good. I dont know how to describe it. It felt like the good sort of pain. It didn''t even feel like pain, just numbness. My body involuntarily relaxed. My thoughts drowned in drowsiness. An awkward smile stretched uncomfortably across my face. A false sense of safety assaulted my mind. In this tiny cocoon I felt safe. And I didn''t want to leave it anymore. Right now at this moment I felt- ''Bliss'' Involuntary bliss. Origin of the horned god? Forest of the huntress: The forest was quiet, bright sunshine shined through the gaps between the leaves as it fell onto the damp trail infront of me. I followed the trial, one hand occupied with a leash and the other occupied with a bow. A bag of arrows hung down from my shoulder, my leather belt carried a knife and some other necessities. My leash was connected to the necks of four wolves who closely followed me behind, they were silent and cautious. I sighed, my brows were damp with sweat, the forest was eerily quiet and my patience was running thin. Which isn''t good. Today is going to be my first hunt after all. Everything was ready, my plan was perfect, my wolves were well fed, my weapons were newly bought and my archery practices had gained me some muscles and experience. Hunting is a source of living after all. And everyone in the vicinity of the huntress'' forest knows how to hunt. You would be considered a disgrace if you didn''t know how to do so. I glanced towards my left, where the deepest parts of the forest lay and where no mortal dared to step inside. After all, this is where the goddess of the hunt resides. I fastened my pace, I tugged the leash which caused the wolves to increase their speed too. The trial I''m currently walking on is frequently used and the chance of encountering a prey is very low. So, I have to venture deeper into the forest. Way deeper. But not too deep lest I offend the goddess. There had been rumours of such things happening after all. Offend her and you''re dead, she won''t even spare your family. The only reason I''m still lingering around here in the outskirts is to find an easy kill. Which doesn''t seem to possible. I have encountered none. It seems most of them are hiding inside the depths. I guess there''s no other choice then. I stopped, dead on the path and turned left, into the depths of the forest. The wolves followed as I headed deep into the forest. The bright sunlight couldn''t pierce through the trees here, they were so dense they formed a ''roof'' to protect the damp and dark path from sunlight. The surrounding here were more gloomier than the outskirts, the silence however was broken by the cries of crickets. Although after a few moments they disappeared. Something silenced them. Despite the creepy atmosphere, I somehow felt at peace. I always did. Whenever I was by nature. The leaves dripping with droplets of water due to yesterday''s rain, the smell of wet soil, the tall trees and thick bushes were extremely... Tranquil. Comforting. Right now, I was away from civilization, away from humans, away from conflicts. If I die here, no one would know. No one would care. Me included. After all, in the eld, we are all supposed to return to mother nature. However that doesn''t mean I want to die. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. It just meant I would accept it if it comes to such a conclusion. It doesn''t mean I wouldn''t resist nor struggle. I mean, who doesn''t want to live? As I was deep in thoughts, the peaceful and eerie tone of the forest was broken. Broken by... Growls. Growls from behind me, growls from the wolves. I turned around, a weird sensation rose in my heart as I stared at my hunting wolves. I have never seen them acting like this. They were growling, hissing, saliva dripped towards the ground from their open maws as they stared at me in rage. One started barking at me, it''s saliva flew all over the ground and towards me, my face. My right eye to be exact. The others followed suit in barking, they haven''t started getting physically aggressive. Yet. Dammit. I flinched in reflex and immediately abandoned the leash. My free hand rose towards my eye, while the other eye kept a close eye on the wolves. I was calm, surprisingly. What came off as a suprise were their aggression, which I have never seen them do before. One tried jumped to jump onto me with its open maws while the others just kept on barking and freaking out. Although it tried, I slapped it away and turned back and ran. There''s only one explanation for this sudden turn of events. Rabies. To hell with it. Anxiousness rose, impatient hands tried to remove the thick infected saliva, confusion was apparent and danger followed close behind. I ran, the wolves followed closely behind, there were four of them and I am sure I can''t fight them off. I have only one option and that is to run. I can also try to climb and hide in a tree but I don''t think I''m fast enough to climb one while they closely follow me. As I kept on running, a sudden thirst gripped my throat. Huh? I was confused, is this how rabies felt? I didn''t know. All I could do was keep on running and hoping. I passed by many trees, most of them were marked with the common tongue, which I was lucky enough to be literate in. Although most people speak the language, it doesn''t mean they know how read or write it. And all these markings said one thing¨C A warning. Stay out. Only that, nothing more nothing less. I wanted to listen to the warnings, however, the ferocious barking following behind me says otherwise. I sighed, I had no choice other than to keep on going forward. Wait, why forward? A sudden realisation came, I turned right but before I could do so, some squirrels from the trees above fell onto me. Some fell to the ground, most survived while the others were crushed by my foot under momentum. The furry little creature used their claws to hold onto my hair and started nibbling at my skin. No, nibbling isn''t the correct word... They teared through my flesh and skin, revealing parts of my bones underneath. I stopped momentarily under pain and our of rage I grabbed these creatures and threw them to the grounds. However. They were relentless, they didn''t care as they tried to jump onto me once again. I however wouldn''t repeat the same mistake, I grabbed some and squeezed them to death under anger although some managed to get past my hands I still killed them. Blood stained my face, some peeled off flesh and skin hung down from my face. Gasps for air escaped my mouth, disgust rose in my stomach as I stared at the dead squirrels. After calming myself down, I realised¨C I immediately turned around, and there they were. Standing alone, their barking have ceased but their agression still remained in their body language. They were shivering, shaking, not only them... My eyes widened, I was surrounded. Surrounded by animals. Bears, wolves, birds, snakes, countless amounts of such creatures surrounded me. My right eye felt hot and swollen, involuntary tears shed from it. I had no escape, except¨C I turned around and darted towards the forbidden parts of the forest. Either way I''m dead. I just want to delay it. I ran and ran, animal cries followed me as exhaustion filled my legs. Stil I kept on running. However. Just as I was about to take a turn, something crashed into me. It was huge, rough brown fur covered it, and a huge mouth bit down on my shoulder. I screamed in pain. Screams which were drowned. Drowned by the horde of animals. I fainted. Or did I die? ******** I can''t feel, I can''t hear, I can''t see... But I''m still alive. I can sense my body and yet I couldn''t move it. I could sense my eyes and yet I couldn''t see. I couldn''t do anything. Although that state only lasted for a moment. Consciousness flickered back into my body, control returned, I felt my hands, my legs, my eyes, everything... I snapped awake, gasping for air, however all that escaped my mouth were high pitched clicks. What? My body felt weird, it felt sluggish. What happened? I didn''t know. I raised my hands towards my face, they were the same but my forearms were different. It was covered in fur. I ignored it for now and checked my surroundings. I was in what seemed to be an cave, rough stone walls surrounded me and I was laying on the ground. The walls were lined up with torches which lighted up the cave. I slowly stood up albeit almost stumbling onto the cold hard floor. I used the walls as support and started walking under the guide of torches. My body felt foreign, my stomach growled with hunger and thirst gripped my throat. My vision was blurry and my body felt weak and heavy. I kept on walking. I don''t know for how long I walked nor why. I just wanted to escape. In the end, the animals, the animals of nature tried to kill me. Nature tried to kill me. Despite how much I loved it. This didn''t affect my lover or devotion to it though. After all, this is why I love it. It is fair towards all, it is unfair towards all. Impartial and indifferent. Truly out of mortal comprehension. That''s the reason why I love it. As I was thinking, something entered my vision, the path came to an dead end which I could see from the distance. But I didn''t turn back. What made me stop wasn''t the dead end, it was... An altar of stone was built there, and on it a woman slept peacefully. I started to approach her. The altar seemed crudely made and blood dripped onto the ground from it. Each step forward increased my hunger, each step forward dried my throat. My sluggish body almost fell over, I forced every last bit of my willpower to keep walking. Finally I reached the altar, I held onto it''s sides as support and got a close look at the woman. Her face was... Blurry after all. Hunger.. Thirst... My shaking hands approached her face, slowly cradling it. My hand was hesitating. I was hesitating. I was hungry, there was nothing here to solve it except... Was I really gonna do it? I slowly raised her head with my hand, bringing it closer to mine. Why not? At that moment, the woman''s eyes snapped awake. At that moment I saw, despite the blur, I saw. I saw my reflection through her open eyes. An elk stared at me from her reflection. However, this elk''s eyes were situated forward like a predator, it was unlike a prey. Her dull eyes stared at mine. No, they weren''t mine. These eyes were emotionless, they were unnerving. This isn''t me. The woman didn''t resist nor did she scream. She just stared at me. And after what felt like an eternity, she spoke, "Do it, you can''t resist it anymore." Her voice was tranquil and peaceful, just like nature. Just like mother nature. "Hecate''s plans to escape godhood is going to start after all." She continued and I couldn''t hold it back anymore. I opened my maw, lined up with sharp teeth. Today, I will feast.. Feast upon a god. ******** Underground tunnel: Hundreds of footsteps echoed inside the chamber as knights in armour explored the tunnel. They were in a haste, after all, a cult got into the Wiccan forest due to their mistake. The chamber was covered in vines and vine cocoons. An eerie green glow emanated from them as they lit up the surroundings. I stood alone, watching the knights get to work. A female nun stood beside me with a bitter expression on her face. "Aster, how did they get in?", after a moment of hesitation she asked the question she had on her mind for a long time. How was I supposed to answer her? I didn''t know too. "Only the pope knows, Estelle, why don''t you go help them out?" I suggested, I didn''t want to get nagged at this moment, I am already stressed enough. I just wanted to shoo her away. Luckily for me, she left without much questions. I sighed, the knight order of the church of stars were now sent out to explore and investigate the recent cult activities. Apparently, the pope received a ''prophecy'' from the goddess they said. ''Apparently'' A lot of casualties has occurred, the people we have freedom from the cocoons have died on the spot. Every single one of them. Except¨C I stared at the wooden cart beside me, a lone man laid on it, unconscious and filled with injuries. The most gruesome one of them being his right eye and throat. None survived except him, the knights were ordered to leave the bodies here, for now. The survivor was to be taken back to the church. Poor guy. "I wonder how you survived?" Interesting indeed. Rescued Strange. It felt strange to be honest. A moment ago, I was in pure ecstacy, involuntarily, curled up inside a cocoon with no way out. At that moment, I felt no pain nor stress, just bliss. But now? Pain. Every single inch of my body was inflicted with pain beyond my tolerance. It wasn''t from my injuries, I was perfectly fine, perfectly healed. It came from deep within. A churning dull ache, uncomfortable, I resisted the urge to end it here, death seemed really courtable this moment. The wooden surface of the cart wasn''t helping it either. I laid still, staring at the leaves above with dull eyes, a man sat on a rock beside the cart as he kept a close eye on me. I was rescued. By the church. Not good. I felt the man leaning his back against the cart as he spoke nonchalantly, "You know, your condition is really weird for someone who was sacrificed." Sacrificed? And I''m still alive? That was a suprise. A joyful suprise. "The church has taken quite an interest in you." A hateful suprise. After that he went quiet, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Now what? The church has taken an interest in me due to my current condition. Which means I won''t see the light of day again. Who knows what those zealots would do if they get their hands on me. And I was sacrificed? Sacrifices are customs practiced with all sorts of gods, whether good or bad. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Although, human sacrifices are only accepted by those evil ones. There is only two outcomes in a sacrifice, death or a fate worse than death. The latter is that, you would be turned into a corrupted beast or creature. The former is just death, a painful one. I sighed, atleast tried to, the dull ache started from my chest area and spread towards my limbs. Speaking of sacrifices, what the heck was that? A dream? Vision? Hallucinations? Forest of the huntress? Feasting upon a god? I don''t know. I saw the whole event from my own perspective. It felt crude. A crude made-up story, fairytale. It felt rushed, incomplete, filled with doubts... And how did he, I, realise it was a god? And how did he, I, managed to eat a god? Questions with no answers felt uncomfortable. Dammit. I just stared at the leaves, I had no other options as of now and even if I tried to move I can''t. The pain doesn''t allow it, the pain coming from deep within my soul. I wasn''t completely unscathed after all. Either it was a soul injury or something else. What was ''something else'' supposed to mean? I don''t know, I''m not all-knowing. Whatever. I shut my eyes close, there''s still time, they have something else to do here according to what this guy told me. So I should just rest up and regain my energy. Frustrating. But I have no other choice. The cold hard wooden surface did nothing to help, the unnerving silence and unnatural breeze made my spine tingle with uneasiness. I sighed and closed my eyes, waiting for the darkness of sleep to embrace me once again. I''m too tired to worry about reality right now. ******** I sat on a hard rock while leaning against the wooden cart, it was cold to be honest and the temperature was noticably dropping. I was bored, the forest was creepy as it was and being alone here with a half-dead man with me was a liability. Speaking of the half-dead man, he was cozily sleeping on the cart, completely lost in his dreams. All alone. Leaning against the cart was uncomfortable, my head was lying on one of the corners and to be honest I was too lazy to even move. What can I say? I''m just like this, lazily rotting away. A piece of parchment was loosely held by my hand, it was a letter, an order given by the church. It was filled with fancy words and all but the objective was clear. Hunt them down and burn the forest to the ground. Which was quite easy if you ask me. After all, they have sent out two blessed ones of the goddess after all. One being me and the other... My sister, Estelle. She was currently leading the extermination mission while I was guarding the survivor. He won''t be a survivor for long though. He will either die or... There''s no other option. He just dies. Either by our hands or due to the sacrifice. After all, his soul is getting corrupted. According to our observation, it seemed to be the case. He is being turned into a mindless corrupted creature as time passes. Failed ones of divine. He is slowly getting corrupted, it was very slow, nothing like the previous ones, an anamoly. Intriguing indeed. The church has taken an interest in him now. That''s the only reason his head is still connected to his neck. To become either a corrupted beast or a blessed one, you have to perform a ritual. Not a sacrifice, a ritual. No...scratch that, corrupted beasts could also be obtained from sacrifices. Only cults do it though, their sacrificed victims will get corrupted and go on a rampage. The churches don''t do that, any god''s faction that is considered ''good'' doesn''t do that. It''s not the inability to do so, it''s the fear of reputation. Many corrupted creatures have emerged due to rituals, they were the ones who failed their test to become a blessed. It''s not their fault to be honest, it just meant that they were not suitable to hold divinity. The churches have concealed their cases of such corrupted beasts, most were slayed while others... Were still kept alive, either due to their abnormal features or for research. This man right here could be considered to have an abnormal feature. From what we observed, he is more close to a blessed than a corrupted. However, it doesn''t mean he won''t turn out to be a corrupted beast. It just meant that the process was gradual. But it will certainly happen. I sighed, maybe I should''ve exchanged places with Estelle, if this man suddenly turned into a corrupted beast it would be troublesome. It would be troublesome to leave my current position, I have gotten used to the sharp wooden corner against my scalp, it just felt good. A corrupted beast is easy to handle, atleast for me. As I was deep in my musings, a certain noise snapped me back to reality. -click- A clicking noise, like droplets of water dripping onto a water''s surface, however, this one wasn''t due to water. -click-- -click- -click- The noise continued in quick succession, it came from all sides, even the sky didn''t seem safe. Even the ground, it was trembling... Hallucinations? It felt weird to look at the trembling ground. I sighed and stood up, I gave a glance at my metal gauntlets, spikes stuck out from the knuckle areas. A brass knuckle gauntlet. I then glanced around the forest, at every tree, every bush, everything. But I found nothing. And the next thing I knew was that, they weren''t on the surface... A late realisation. At the very next moment, the ground shook and teared open a small but deep trench, I lost my footing and fell deep into the darkness. As I was falling through the darkness, the clicking sounds grew and they felt closer. Way too close. Way too close for my liking. I sighed as I was falling, maybe Estelle was better for this after all. Escape Wiccan forest: The smell of burnt wood permeated throughout the forest as huge wisps of flames spread. I stood alone with hundreds of mindless creatures surrounding me. The intense heat and smoke might kill a normal human but as I have said before I''m not normal. ''They are quite fast with their work.'' Commendable indeed. My sister is leading them so it is to be expected. I glanced around, huge deep trenches surrounded me, about 15 foot depth or so, even though the feeling of falling before felt real, it was an hallucination. An hallucination indeed, it made the depth feel much deeper. A bag filled with horns was hanging on my back. I collected it from these mindless creatures as souvenir. It was a habit that I had developed from my childhood. If something fascinates me I will take it. ''This bag is not fascinating.'' I didn''t have a bag to store the horns so I had to make do with that guy''s bag. It was a bit funny really, when we found him he was clutching onto his bag as if his life depended on it. Although it may be due the cocoon''s internal movement it still was a bit funny. Atleast for me... ''Having superior humour is lonely.'' Well enough of that we have something more important to worry about. ''He escaped.'' It''s commendable that he still had the will to move considering his soul damage. ''The church might''ve already decided his execution.'' I hope it''s not something like the guillotine that would be too undramatic. So I should probably get back to chasing him. But I don''t feel like it. I mean I already took his bag without permission and now I''m trying to take his life without permission. Well I''m not the one taking his life but I would still get an assist. ''Nah.'' I will just tell them he burned down or got eaten by the mindless guys in my report. And they would not question it in the least. Even if it was an obvious lie they can''t do anything because I''m a blessed. But won''t this make the goddess mad? ''Hmph, there had been blasphemers who had been blessed.'' Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. So what should I do now? ''I will regroup back with my team I guess.'' And I chose a random direction and started walking. ******** Wiccan forest: A huge antler came straight for my neck but it was too slow as held it in place with my bare hands. I snapped the antlers and pierced it through the mindless beast''s eyes and straight to its brain. "Lady Estelle! Sir Aster and the survivor has gone missing from their assigned area!" A knight shouted from a distance and God did it make me mad. ''The prisoner somehow must''ve managed to escape and now he''s chasing after him.'' As a quick outlet of anger I ripped the deer''s lower jaw away. Fighting with a nun outfit is difficult but it''s manageable. And the design of stars and astrology engraved onto it makes me want to show it off. Don''t judge me. Right now we were surrounded by hundreds of these horned beasts and that goddamned brother of mine decided to make my job harder. ''Should I throw him into the lands of no return without his wandering soul?'' I was seriously considering that option right now. Only a quarter of our team remained with me, the others are either spreading fire deep within the forest or dead. "Don''t worry about it if we lose the survivor we can substitute my brother''s head on the guillotine!" I shouted back and went back to my murder spree. I grabbed a goat by his throat and ripped it out. Blood spilled and splattered on my face. My whole body was bathed in blood and the plunged smell made me gag. "Elton has fallen!" Well less mouth to feed then. -click- Huh? The beasts suddenly stopped and stared at me. And in my moment of confusion they all rushed towards me. Well that just made my job easier I guess. ******** Wiccan forest: I limped while holding in my grunts of pain as I slowly moved through the forest. The intense heat and my body already being damaged was a great obstruction for my escape but it is what it is. ''Those horned beasts haven''t attacked me, it seems like they think of me as one of them.'' That was something to be happy about. ''And the fact that they could take out those beasts with a snap of their fingers are terrifying.'' I saw that nun brutalising those beasts and I was sure that I was next but those beasts rushed towards her. Almost as if concealing me from her. ''But that guy is still out there.'' He must be searching for me now and I don''t have much time left. I will reach the lands of no return if I pass the forest''s edge but can my body hold on? Thud,thud,thud. I immediately hid behind a tree and slowed down my breathing. Footsteps? -Hey John stop rushing! I heard someone call from the other side but the person he called out to was already about to reach my tree. ''If he finds me I''m dead.'' These must be one of those guys who got lost. The John guy leaned against my tree and yelled back to the other guy. "Don''t worry! We just have to find either Aster or Estelle!" His guard was down and I was a bit suspicious if this was a trap or not. ''However it''s still a perfect chance.'' My right immediately shot out towards his and held his mouth shut. Th flames provided some cover and the other guy was carefully walking through so he didn''t notice. And before the John guy could struggle I pulled his head back and smashed it into the tree. The tree shaked a bit and John fell to the ground. ''Nice but aren''t these guys supposed to be strong?'' "John! You there?" His rushing footsteps echoed and before I knew it my hands reached towards John''s bag and weopons. I hope the goddess forgives me for looting her followers. Wait but aren''t I a follower of the horned god now? So if I asked the starmother''s forgiveness would that make me a blasphemer? ''A mace? Wierd for a knight but it''s still a good weopon.'' And a morningstar too. It was the size of my firearms and a huge spiky ball was attached at the end. ''There is enough food to last me for 3 days too.'' Exactly what I needed in this situation. "Hey Joh-AAAHHH!" An ear piercing scream resounded throughout the forest which gave me goosebumps. I looked towards that guy''s previous location And saw an humanoid beast. It had a hairy body and two twisted goat horns with sharp pointy tips pointing towards the sky. It was a bit bipedal and two blood red eyes was present on it''s goat face. ''Scary.'' However I didn''t have to deal with that. It only stared at me and watched me leave while the human hand hanged lifelessly on its jaws. ''...'' Run and don''t look back. Although it seemed cruel I didn''t have a choice. I fastened my pace without considering my injuries and marched through the forest. I wasn''t strong enough to fight it nor save them. So all I could do was save myself. Although that John guy''s death might be my fault. I passed multiples humans and beast most fighting, most dead but none of them bothered my march. ''My wandering soul must be waiting for me.'' You must be wondering what''s a wandering soul. So let me give a quick rundown of the lands of no return. The continent of Ellil has four kingdoms on each directions. Although these kingdoms are large, they only take up about 20 or something percent of the continent. The remaining percentage? A thick white fog covering ancient ruins and hidden treasures. It also surrounds the kingdoms and the need for a border was erased. I pulled these numbers out of nowhere but it''s close to what we have estimated. The capital city was the nearest city in Astreaea close to the lands of no return. And let me tell you, the continent of Ellil is large and the ten percentage we have is more than enough for us. And about the lands of no return but no one knows its origins and navigating it alone is a death sentence due to the terrain. None had been found after they went in alone. But the greedy mortals couldn''t stop being infatuated with the treasures hidden deep within. So what''s the solution to this problem you may ask. That''s where the wandering souls come in, they are naturally forming spirits found only in the lands of no return. And what causes for them to form is also unknown. Further studies shows that every single person has a unique wandering soul inside the lands of no return for themselves. Almost as if it''s a reflection of their soul. But we stopped there, as long as they do their job it''s fine. And finally my surroundings grew murky and a faint fog appeared around me. I was still able to see but that won''t be the same if I go further. ''Wait.'' And wait I did. For almost 5 minutes. Until I saw a humanoid light walking towards me in the distance. It was a faint blue light and it had the shape of a human except it had no mouth, nose, ears or whatever that makes a human a human. ''Better not waste anymore time.'' I walked towards and guess what? I reached him before he could. I tapped him on the shoulder and said. "Let''s go." He stood there for a moment and nodded. He turned around and started walking and I followed behind. A wandering soul is a compass in the lands where no man could return. And today I officially start my life as an adventurer. Although there had been hiccups along the way. The past is the past why should I worry about it now? The fog grew thicker the further we walked. ''Im excited.'' I really was. Starry dunes Lands of no return: I layed on the sandy terrain while I gazed at the night sky. It was filled with twinkling stars seemingly drawn by a child and they twirled and swirled which made a simple yet magnificent painting. I raised my left arm and swiped downward and the sky broke apart but was quickly recovered by th remaining ''sky''. ''Just fog.'' It''s all fog, in the lands of no return they can influence your surroundings. Just like how I am in a desert right now but maybe after an hour of travel I may end up in a jungle. The insides of the lands of no return shifts every moment except for a select few such as the starry dunes, ancient remains, shadow swamps, sol ruins etc. When you enter through Astreaea you will arrive at starry dunes and through the country of Morsager you will enter the ancient remains. Through Solatellus you will enter the sol ruins and through Enkirus you will enter the shadow swamps. Each area is unique to their own kingdoms. I slowly raised from my resting place and looked towards my wandering soul sitting a bit further away from me. Although the fog is so thick it looks almost solid, it goes around me and it cannot penetrate the small layer around me that repels the fog. So I can see 2 meters around me clearly. Although the reason for this protective layer hasn''t been found as long as it''s useful anything goes. But.. The layer is inconsistent, the lands can influence its size and if it happens at a crucial moment I will die. I slowly stood up and and walked towards him. Sensing my presence behind him he stood and started walking. ''He knows what''s on my mind huh?'' That''s convenient. The fog twirled and danced around me and God did I wish I knew how to paint. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ''Although the starry dunes are a safe area I don''t know where I''ll end up after passing this area.'' It was a gamble but it''s worth the time if you succeed. ''Isn''t that how all the gambles work?'' The soul just kept on walking, his body sometimes phasing through stones and medium sized boulders while I had to go around it or just walk over because it''s just a small stone. ''Now that I think about it he needs a name.'' I''m not someone who''s good with names but I can''t try. ''He is pretty slow though and I''m pretty sure he''s late to everything he is invited to.'' "Your name from now on is Sero." I blurted which caused him to stop, turned around and nod at me. Then he continued what he was doing albeit a bit faster. Too fast. I had to order him to slow down. The walk through the desert wasn''t uneventful though. ******** Starry dunes: I stared at the ruins of what might''ve been a humble house infront of me. Only 3/4 of its walls remained of it revealing the interior of the house. The floor was the same as the ground, full of sand. The walls looked so brittle that it seemed it would collapse with a single touch. And inside it only a single bed was present, God knows how old it was. I approached it. ''Soft.'' I ran my hand through it and although I had my gauntlets on I knew it was sold by the way it sank when I touched it. ''Nothing else.'' Only a bed. ''Or.'' I raised the bed with my arms, gritting my teeth due to the sudden pain caused by my soul injury. And behold there stood a single wooden chest under it. I am someone who would look thrice before heading towards a direction. That wasn''t a good phrase but you get the idea. The wooden chest was wide as my firearms and quiet small actually. ''Jackpot.'' I picked it up and placed the bed down I sat down while Sero was just waiting for me outside. ''Gently.'' I controlled my strength and slowly cracked open the chest. And inside it lied, a old leather book and a black fountain pen. The fountain pen was however a bit strange. Streaks of golden light formed from its back and ended at its tip. It had wavy pattern and perfectly complemented the black colour. ''An ancient book and an enchanted pen!?'' I really hit the jackpot. Ancient books are found in the lands of no return, it spoke of a history long forgotten and cultures that seemingly formed from a fairy tale. Enchantments on the other hand could be done by a master blacksmith or could also be found in dungeons and ruins. I stored both of them in my bag and gently placed the chest back on the bed. "Let''s go." I said with a happy tone and Sero started to guide and I followed behind. "I wonder how the people here reacted to the fog." The fog''s origins are unclear but speculations have been made that it started from the centre. ''And it is spreading.'' Each year the border between the kingdoms and the lands of no return decreases as the fog spreads further. ''Maybe we''ll end up like them too.'' Imagine you were going on about your normal day and a fog so thick you can''t even see your own hands devours your town. Being forgotten by history, erased from existence and fated to be a tiny speckle in this world. I don''t want that. I don''t want to live a long life. I just want to be remembered. I want it because it brings me great pride and satisfaction seeing people revere me. I envy those people who are remembered. What can I do to be like them? Be forever immortalised in the heart of mortals, Forever praised in glory and non erasable by time. ''But can I do that?'' What can bring people to know me? It should be something that seemed impossible before I did it. ''What is something that is deemed impossible?'' I had this thought since young and I never got an answer to this till that day. I still remember those vivid memories of that drunkard spouting nonsense about how a man named Victor conquered the lands of no return. I remember how his ugly mug turned serious each time he spoke of his name. I remember how the tavern slowly went quiet as his story progressed and as he delved into certain detail. I still remember the look of fear and suspicion that was present on the gazes of all the experienced adventurers who were there. I want people to have those expressions when they speak about me. I should be equal to god inside their minds. And since that day I decided my goal. My sole reason for existence and what would make sure nobody forgets it. I will explore and conquer the lands of no return. And it shall be recorded in history. ''I know I dream big so what?'' Being humble is normal but being humble in your dreams? That''s pathetic. It means you don''t trust yourself. You view yourself as a loser. But there''s a difference between dreaming and making it happen. And so with that my journey through the starry dunes comes to an end. Camels Lands of no return: In the quiet yet foggy desert a lone man could be seen walking. He wore a knight armour which was mostly broken and it seemed quite fragile. A faint blue humanoid light infront of him guided him through the fog as the fog started to change. ''I left the dunes I guess.'' The fog''s whipped up and heavy wind blew which almost made tumble down. But I walked through the thick flowy fog infront of me. It was twisting and churning and a tint of blue was mixed with the fog. Right now Sero was holding my hand making sure we would not get lost. ''I hope it''s not an uncharted area.'' That would be certain death for a newbie like me. We walked and walked, I don''t know how much time passed nor how much distance has passed. But finally the fog calmed down and the sandy terrain changed. Right now I stood on barren land filled drought cracks. Which wasn''t really an upgrade from the sandy dunes but it''s not like complaining about it would change it. ''I have ran out of food.'' A real problem now. I should''ve known that when I rushed into here but can you blame for doing it in the heat of the moment? ''Well then let''s keep going.'' Sero started moving and so did I. ''This terrain doesn''t give much of a clue since a lot of terrains in the lands of no return are similar to this.'' ''If I can find a view point then I could try to find something that serves as a sign.'' But if I can''t find any it means this is a uncharted area. Which means... Money. Fun fact, if you find a uncharted area you can write down a detailed report and get paid for it. And so I started writing. The unfortunate thing being that I had to do it in the remaining pages left in the ancient book. Although it isn''t of the best quality it certainly is usable and the fountain pen makes up for it. Letters in golden ink was quickly jolted down the book as I wrote down everything thing that I had seen after entering this area. Which was basically nothing. ''It seems like it''s enchantment make sure it''s ink doesn''t run out.'' This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. That was certainly useful. My pace increased and so did Sero''s. ''By the looks of this place there''s no way I could find food here.'' Which was a bit discouraging but I toughened it out. ''Atleast its better than execution right now I have a chance to live.'' Even after which seemed like an hour of walking I still hadn''t seen anything worth notice. ''Well it''s sad.'' Nowadays my physical health has been great Due to the rest I had gotten during my journey through the starry dunes. My mental health? A bit traumatized due to that eternal bliss I felt but everything else is alright. The only issue being my soul which ofcourse I am enduring. The pain has significantly lessened and it wont flare up until I do something that will strain my body. For example, fighting something twice the size of mine. ''Seriously? Them?'' I looked at the shadows formed by the pack o beasts in the distance. They were about five of them. They were tall, twice my size and the had quite a long neck. They had humps on their back and a skeletal rider was riding them. ''Terror camels?'' I sighed and equipped my mace. Running away was an option but these guys are faster and have more endurance than me. Which means I''m pretty much dead if I don''t fight back. And sensing my hostility they all rushed towards me. The way they were running was making me crack a smile. Their head swung side to side violently while they ran which was a funny sight. And the moment they emerged near my protective layer and layed their eyes on me they all started shrieking. They had gray skin and a small pair of jagged horns on their head. Skeletal remains of their previous victims were attached to their back with a saddle. Don''t ask us where the saddle came from we only discovered like 5% percentage of these lands. What made them terrifying was their speed and their bite force. Unlike normal camels these guys were carnivores. I readied my mace and the moment one approached me with my neck as their target I cracked his kneecap. -Grhkk- It shrieked in pain and one leg kneeled on the ground. ''Now!'' I tried to crack its head but however another one rushed towards me from the side. I raised my gauntlet to protect my neck from its jaws and goddamn it hurts. And another one and another one. I was trying my hardest to protect my neck with both of my arms. ''Well atleast I did that much during my first encounter with wild beasts.'' The bear and the goat doesn''t count. Everyone was trying to pierce through my armor. And every single one of them was biting onto me. One but through my shoulder pad and God was I in pain. "Fuck you!" I bit back. Although raw camel tastes bad it''s not like I have a choice as my limbs were bitten down by the other camels. "Gh-k!" One took my entire left calf off and another took my three fingers from my left hand. Pain turned to rage and soon the camel that I bit down on had the unfortunate of getting his snout ripped off. And I didn''t stop there. i headbutted the one that was chewing on my fingers like grass. And it only made it a bit flimsy and I on the other hand was seeing stars. ''Well I already lost three fingers what more damage is there to be done?'' I thought as I drove my two fingered hand down that camels mouth and ripped out whatever that was in there. The other three soon noticed. Unlike their normal counterpart these guys are as stupid as me. Pretty convenient. And soon they started shredding me. "Fuckkkk!" I screamed like never before. One of them ripped my right cheeks off alongside some flesh surrounding my eyes. I''m pretty sure the left side of skull was visible right now. They weren''t killing me due to their fetish of wearing their victims as trophies but it is only a matter of time. I struggled with everything I had, my mace was already dropped to the ground so all I could respond to them were with kicks and punches. Bites too. Matter of fact I started to take a liking to biting others. My mind went to a silent state as my brain ignored the pain and focused on extermination no matter the damage recieved. Only two were left right now, finally I was able to stand on the ground again. A camel head was held by me by it''s eye sockets. It was still attached to the body. I pierced its eyes and it died of bleeding. My fingers were short or it would''ve died much sooner if I reached its brains. And finally the remaining camels were upon me. I did not use my limbs anymore. It was my maw versus theirs. Camel blood quenched my thirst and their flesh relieved my hunger. It was the same way my blood quenched their thirst and my flesh filled their stomachs. It was an exchange. An exchange of death. The person who runs out of juice first loses. And considering they had a lot of meat on their body it was sure I would lose. But would I? ******** Uncharted area: In a fog filled and barren area, a human could be seen gnawing at corpses of dead terror camels. He seemed to have completely lost it and a skeleton would have more flesh than him if you saw his appearance. It was an exaggeration but it will really make you wonder in awe how he is still alive. "Seriously humans are as savages as mother said.." A sigh accompanied by a graceful voice rang from my side. "Shut up Callon." I ordered the man of high stature while looking up at him. He had sharp pointy ears and a beyond handsome face and long golden hair in locks ran down his shoulders. He was damn tall and had broad shoulders with some muscle outline sticking through his clothes. He wore light leather armour and a bow was hung on his shoulders. Unlike him I was short. Well what else can you expect from a dwarf? We were a duo of adventurers and quite famous actually. "Think we should help him?" He asked with uncertainty as he winced in disgust as the humans swallowed a whole heart which was the size of his head. He scrunched it up first which drained the blood and stuffed it inside. He also drank the blood seems like he is not much of a food waster. "Did he go crazy out of hunger or is it a disease or some curse?" He quipped in but I was quick on my feet as I approached him. The human was still kneeling on the ground clawing and eating whatever was left of the camel. "You okay son?" I put my hands on his shoulder keeping him on place. He seems to have snapped back to reality as he slowly turned his head to gaze back at me. ''Oh.'' And from the eyes visible through his helmet I could see his fear. Fear of death. Something every adventurer has experienced in their life. It''s like a coming of age celebration. "It''s okay." I comforted him and he stared back at the corpses. I could see his body trembling and he seems to be gagging. ''Finally noticed the smell?'' And then to no one''s suprise he vomited. Inside his helmet. ''Well this is one hell of a mess to clean up.'' I sighed as Callon approached us. Explore Lands of no return: I stared at the blazing fire burning on top of the brittle sticks that was gathered infront of me. It was almost at the end of its lifespan considering that the fuel seems to be running out. I was sitting on the barren ground, my armor still on but my helmet was ripped off giving me the freedom of fresh air hitting my skin. ''Drowning in your own vomit is a bad way to die.'' That would be humiliating if it became a widespread story. I raised my head and looked at the dwarf who was grilling some meat on the fire. The fat on the meat melted and dripped onto the fire and the pleasent smell of spices wafted into my nose. "So, Mr.Elgor you''re a veteran right?" I started the conversation off with a simple greeting and he nodded in agreement. He did not reply. "Sorry kid, Elgor is really passionate about cooking." The tall elf chimed in and went back to what he was doing. Which was playing with magic. ''Fascinating.'' I stared at the ball of water floating on top of his hand molding and weaving into all sorts of shapes. Magic was a sensitive subject in the past. It relied on mana, which originates from mother nature. It existed even before the the arrival of gods and all that came from them. It was often confused with witchcraft but a fine line was drawn between them about 500 or something years ago. ''Gods themselves had to solve this confusion.'' They passed their prophecy through their blessed ones which wasn''t quite necessary. ''They can''t even manage to help their own people so why would they meddle with our affairs now?'' Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. No one questioned it. The silence in the air continued until the dwarf spoke up. "It''s ready." He simply informed and handed me a platefull of porridge and the newly cooked meat. ''Quite a bit surprising to know they carry these especial since space is necessary during exploring.'' I recieved it with gratefulness and started to dig in. "I still can''t believe you''re hungry after eating all those beasts." The elf was a bit awestruck due to my appetite I guess. Speaking of them, I realised that my body was completely healed. ''Perks of being a blessed?'' I still am not sure if I''m a blessed one or a mindless creature who failed their transformation. But if it works, let it be. "This uncharted area doesn''t seem that dangerous considering we only have moderate amount of beasts and their strengths are peaked at intermediate." Elgor said as he slurped down on his remaining porridge and wiped his mouth using a piece of cloth. He long flowing white beard it locks looked quite elegant today. And his full body black armor including a top helmet with two small horns sticking out looked quite amazing too. I just stared off into the fog, slowly consuming my food while in thought. "If I''m right we still haven''t explored the centre." The elf said while packing up. These guys are quite th fast fast eaters. The dwarf placed his hands on his hips with a sigh and looked towards me and asked. "So, son are ya willing to come with us?" Maybe it was a way for looking out for newbies. Or his conscience of leaving a youngster alone in these dangerous areas. I thought for a moment and replied with a smile. "Sure." There''s a lot of tips I can learn from a veteran. ******** Uncharted area: I sighed as the weight of the baggage on my shoulder caused it to sore. Although I may look strong for an elf I''m pretty weak compared to other races. So where should I begin? My name''s Callon and I''m a bastard son of a pretty influential and rich guy from my kingdom. Heh, my mom was a whore and my dad a Playboy. I don''t really have much memories of them considering all my time spent with her was during her break times. My dad on the other hand never knew I existed until my mom''s death. How she died you may ask. Some sort of unknown illness. I wasn''t even spared a glimpse of her due to the brothel''s fear of spreading it. Not even after her death. I had it pretty rough in my childhood and being an adventurer was my best choice in my life. ''My so called dad would''ve killed me if I was present in his life any further.'' Being an elf I had recieved a lot of discrimination but the guild opened my eyes to a new world. A world where rank is determined not by birth nor race but strength. Pure utter strength to crush anything in your path. "So Callon, how did you learn magic?" A certain human asked me as he eyed me with excitement. I sighed as I focused on the view infront of me. Three different wandering souls of different sizes guided us. Elgor was our leader and stood infront while I stood at the very back. The human was in the middle and a bow too big for his was in his hands as he marched forward. "From a textbook my mother left me." I answered his question, he was an amusing lad although I wouldn''t get too close to him while he''s starving. Those gruesome sight of those terror camels were still etched into my mind. He opened his mouth but stopped midway. He wants my textbook it seems. "Unfortunately the textbook was long destroyed due to an encounter with a orc so I can''t give it you." As I planned, his attention went towards the orc instead of magic. Although I''m not against teaching him magic, there''s a problem. Magic isn''t for everyone. It is life force produced by mother nature herself and she also has the authority to choose who is worthy enough to wield it. Not even gods can change that fact. "Halt!" Elgor shout made us stop and an unsettling feeling rose in my heart. "What''s the matter?" I asked with a narrowed gaze. The human seemed startled too as he took out a bloodied mace. Some pieces of flesh were still clinging onto the spikes and the smell made me gag. "It seems they have found something." He pointed towards the wandering souls. I looked towards them and saw that they were frozen in their place with their hands pointed towards our right. ''Jackpot.'' This thought resounded over everyone''s minds present here. ''A big enough structure can cause a wandering soul to stop and point towards it.'' And these structures sometimes contains treasures. Which means we have 50/50 chance of eating food tonight. "So we are not ignoring it are we?" The human asked which almost made me laugh out loud. "Nah there''s no way we''re leaving it here." "True." Elgor chimed in too. Elgor is a money freak and he would do anything for it. Except some questionable stuff. And so we changed our path and headed towards our right. ''There is a chance of retirement if we hit big.'' But are we going stop after hitting big? Hell no! The barren land with no life may be the success to our life. Temple Uncharted area: I walked behind Elgor and infront of Callon while holding a large bow which was a bit heavy for me. Our wandering souls walked infront of us and it seems like we hit big. I took a glance around our surroundings, the fog has gotten lighter and we could see a bit into the distance. Huge tall square pillars rose into the sky, seemingly never-ending. They were pure white in colour and golden engravings were carved into their surfaces. ''I assume it''s ancient ellil.'' Yes our continent and language we speak are named the same, got a problem with that? It was awkwardly quiet and it seems like neither of them are much of a talker. Not like I mind though, quietness is quite peaceful. My physical conditions if I were to say was in decent condition. The constant ache from my soul has lessened and I had also gotten used to it. ''Another perk.'' Maybe the gods weren''t that bad. ''They are a lot of stories on how mortals ascended godhood.'' I''ve read quite a few of them and I would describe them as... Interesting I guess. ''Defeat a god and you gain their authority but how?'' I know that it happened in the wierd dream inside the cocoon I had about the horned god. But is that all there is to it? Whatever let''s forget about the gods for now and focus on the road. The pillars were quite elegant but not being able to read the inscriptions and the engravings are a bit irritating. I''m a guy who likes his history. And I''m a guy who can never get bored. If I''m bored, I would get up and go on a stroll while making scenarios and discussing the mysteries of the world inside my mind. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Pretty convenient right? And this walk would continue for hours until legs started to hurt and I feel like not thinking anymore. I also had recieved a lot of strange looks from my parents when I just kept on marching around my house. It was quite funny infact they decided to take me to church fearing that I was possessed. As if that would ever happen. And yes inshort I like to rant a lot inside my mind. We passed innumerable pillars, our anticipation flaring with each step. ''Speaking about my family, I''m pretty sure he has already returned to the capital. "Elgor the wandering souls are acting wierd." Callon said with a heavy tone. This is something that has never happened before. And if it did no one made it out alive to tell the tale. The wandering souls were flickering as if it was a candle on its dying breath. ''If we lose them it''s over for us.'' My grip on my mace tightened. "I know." Elgor nodded, it was better to go back and escape the lands of no returns to report this to the guild. That may take weeks or months on the basis that the lands of no return takes you to a different area randomly everytime you pass another area''s boundaries. Even if Elgor chose to go back, the others wouldn''t agree. Well they would but they would atleast try to convince him. So why isn''t he turning around considering that they would agree with his decision? Greed. It''s not a greed for money. It''s a greed for fame. Callon seeing that Elgor didn''t want to speak much further kept quiet. Either ways they will die in the end unless the fountain of immortality is obtained. But that isn''t possible due to it being gatekeeped by the god of death. ''Why?'' You may ask. Well that''s a story for another time. Callon had been following Elgor for a long time and knows his personality very well. He knew Elgor''s greed for fame wouldn''t let him turn back. ''Hypocritical of me to say that.'' Wasn''t he also the same? The constant humiliation he faced from his own race and the other ones made him develop an inferiority complex. He wanted to be better. Mistakes made him entirely insecure. He was never given a name, He named himself and almost his entire life he was known as a- ''Mistake.'' A debauchers mistake. But everyone has feelings right? Sometimes they push you to the edge, constantly inching towards the deep drop below. Sometimes you completely lose it. He wanted to be hailed as a hero. But a criminal who killed an Elven noble could never be a hero right? ''That was the first time that man had ever showed me kindness.'' Who would''ve expected his ''father'' would save him from the guillotine? And so the three greedy people of different races shared the same path. The pillared path, which will lead them to fame. ******** Pillared path: The fog got lighter and quite a distance could be seen with the naked eye. "Well that''s a suprise!" Elgor''s eyes were wide open with suprise. It wasn''t the same with Callon who was a bit more reserved. The suprise wasn''t ofcourse the the completely white triangle pyramid in the distance. But it was the fog. Even the strongest of each race couldn''t gaze into the secrets of the fog. This phenomenon of the fog getting lighter would be once in a lifetime for some people. The fog has no origin nor end, it is ever-spreading like a plague, The fog takes you to places unknown Covered in treasures wating for owners alone, Expect the unexpected and respect what shouldn''t be disrespected, A blessing in disguise alongside a curse in disguise. It doesn''t matter how mysterious it is all that matters is perspective and how you use it to your advantage. "So are we heading towards the temple now?" I asked with a bit of curiosity, maybe they would like to rest a bit to recover their energy. Elgor seems to be in thought for a moment as he held his chin and shook his head after a few seconds. "We will set up camp and head there after getting proper rest, it''s not like it will run away right?" Elgor said as he placed his bag down. "Expect the unexpected." Callon who was quiet the whole time finally spoke. And yes it was very short. "What if the unexpected thing is that it never was a pyramid and actually an cuboid that plays tricks on our brain?" Elgor asked us a question which we were unable to answer. Well that''s a possibility considering that you should expect the unexpected. And being paranoid is a good quality of mine. I mean it''s being careful with extra steps so why is it bad? A few minutes later: Around a fire lighten by dried wood three people huddled together, absorbing the heat while slurping on their porridge and veggies. The night was quiet but exceptionally cold. ''The leather padding alongside the clothes I''m wearing inside would protect me well enough.'' Callon can use magic to keep himself warm, how do you think we lit a fire? Use the primitive ways? Well maybe if I was alone But now I wasn''t. Now you may ask why is Callon huddled together with us when he can use magic? Well he is doing it for the sake of it. Why not? I gazed towards the sky, stargazing has been one of my favourite hobbies since I was a child. But what met my gaze wasn''t the sky''s pitch black canvas filled with the beauty of stars but a bluish-unending fog. Ah, only four or something days has gone by but I have already gotten homesick Falling Uncharted area: The resting time of the trio was short-lived due to their increasing curiosity on what they would find inside the temple. They set out right after they had filled their bellies considering that they are not bringing their baggage inside and they don''t know how long they would be inside there for. Although they bought a bit of dried meat and water which could possibly last them for two days. If they took too much it would weight them down during a dangerous predicament. I tossed the bag filled with food into the hole dug by Callon and sat back on the ground exhausted. We also had to watch out for beasts or unfriendly adventurers who might steal our food. ''That was the last bag.'' I thought as I wiped the sweat away from my forehead with the back of my hand. ''I need a new helmet.'' I will try to trade for one with fellow adventurers or try to find it by exploring. Considering that it has a hundred percent chance of being enchanted, it is not a bad idea. But it would take too long. "We''re done here!" After filling the hole Callon shouted towards Elgor who was scribbling something on his journal. Yes every adventurer has a journal, it is not mandatory to carry one but it is an unspoken tradition. I stood up and walked close to him, slowly peeking into his journal. ''Wow.'' His hand moved fluidly along the paper as he drew a picture-perfect sketch of the temple onto his journal. "Cassian, it is not good to peek into other people''s stuff without their permission." Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Elgor said with a chuckle and I immediately withdrew my gaze. The fog was still light and that pyramid seems to be the reason. ''Haven''t heard of any pyramid shaped structure from the explorer pages.'' Explorer pages are books that are filled with the reports and recounting of every adventurers. It update twice a month but the issue is that we would have to leave the lands of no returns to get out hands on it. I had the latest one with me but it has been lost during the forest incident. Elgor put away his stuff back into his bag and stood up, he looked towards the elf who had finished filling in the hole and then towards the human who was staring at the pyramid absentmindedly. A smile formed on his face as he asked, "So, shall we get going?" The elf and the human nodded. And thus the trio of different heights set out towards the temple. ******** I stared at the huge entrance of the temple. It was twice the height of Callon and was as wide as Callon if he layed down horizontally. And beyond the entrance stood darkness, Seemingly absorbing light itself as it waited for foolish adventurers to enter it''s maw. Callon stood infront with a ball of flame floating above his hand as he waited for Elgor''s signal. My body was filled with excitement as I clutched onto my mace tightly. And then Elgor gave the signal. Callon threw the fireball into the darkness. It was fast but slow enough to register it in my brain. The light from the flame showed use the surroundings, a narrow hallway that stretched on endlessly. The hallway was pure white and similar to the pillars it was adorned with the engravements of gold. We stared at the fire as it flew away, as it became a small dot in our vision and as it disappeared from our vision. We stood there as time ticked by, waiting for the thing that was lying inside. Elgor gauntlet was glowing in red similar to got iron and yes it was enchanted. Callon on the other hand was stretching out his how with a arrow made from flames. We stood there for a long time, maybe half an hour or more. The heat radiating from Elgor''s gauntlets stopped and Callon had put his bow away. "It seems safe." Elgor said and Callon took a step inside. And I followed with Elgor behind me. ''The fire showed us the path forward and it didn''t smoke out any hostile creatures.'' So it is either a safe place or an intelligent creature is lying inside. But considering that this place is only infested with terror camels and demon goats it is a low possibility. Intelligent beasts are strong and the area they live in would be infested with strong beasts too. So it is a low possibility. But as they say, expect the unexpected. The walking forward was a quiet one, none of us speaking word not wanting to trigger an sound based trap nor any danger inside. Callon''s eyes were glowing blue, mana was densely focused there as he looked out for traps and tried to dismantle them. The problem being that there were no traps in here. Which was wierd but he kept on moving forward. Elgor had an expressionless face as he followed Cassian, a veteran adventurer like him already knew something was off with this place the moment he saw how the fog and the wandering souls reacted. But he still didn''t turn back. And thus the quiet walk through the hallway came to an end when they entered a huge room. Callon''s eyes blazed with mana as he identified his surroundings. "We are inside a dome and there is something like an altar in the centre." He informed his teammates as he walked towards the centre. In the centre there was a raised platform with steps leading to it from four sides. And a statue was present ontop, a pitch black statue of a woman covered robes, her long flowing hair and she had two blood red gems for eyes. The flames in his hands had long disappeared leaving both Elgor and Cassian unable to see. He was immediately awed by the statue. The pitch black colour which was darker than the surrounding darkness and the red Ruby eyes which tugged on his heart. ''Shit, it''s a mind altering spell.'' The worst kind of spell which leaves the target incapable of controlling their impulses. The tug in his heart grew as his shaking hand neared the statue. He tried his best to hold back but he was unable to do so. The moment he made contact with the statue... Nothing happened. No, the surrounding solid objects turned gaseous and the feeling of falling overtook him. He could hear the suprised yelp of Cassian and Elgor''s cursing and he knew he was to blame. ''Well let''s see where it takes us.'' Either death by falling or a new place to explore. Well It was wierd to say the least, a moment ago I was standing on solid ground and now I''m falling to my death. And the endless darkness didn''t make it better, Callon and Elgor were nowhere to be seen and I don''t know how deep this drop is going to be. ''Callon did something stupid.'' It was something that I did not expect from an experienced adventurer but who knows maybe it really wasn''t his fault. My trusty mace was still with me and the lack of wind resistance made my fall faster. Due to me being lost in my thoughts, I failed to see the small wisps of multicolored fog spreading from the darkness. ''What?'' The darkness was no more instead being replaced by the fog, it churned and twisted similar to the way when you enter another area inside the lands of no return. My grip on my mace tightened as I felt solid ground beneath my feet, not knowing that it would be futile. And soon the fog dissipated and darkness returned to my vision again, I stayed silent trying my best to sense anything close by. Even though I couldn''t see right now I could use my other senses. But that didn''t help much considering that I haven''t trained them much. Clank, Clank, Clank, Clank. Marching footsteps echoed, steel collided with the ground to make clanking noises and a foul stench spread throughout the air. Thousands of bright blood red eyes emerged from darkness and they didn''t seem happy to see me. I mean who would? I got into a fighting stance with both my hands on the mace, ready to strike anything that gets near. Even though the darkness doesn''t allow me to see, their eyes certainly will. And soon they moved, the tallest one moved first he charged towards me with the intent to kill. Loud rumbling footsteps echoed, the chamber shook but I stood my ground. The moment the eyes got atleast a meter close to me I swung my mace backwards for a powerful blow. I reeled it backwards and the moment we came face to fa...ribs I smashed it''s ribs. ''Undead?'' The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. They had skeletal bodies, and strong ones too. It was obvious by the fact that I didn''t even scratch it, and it didn''t stop it''s charge as it smacked me with it''s forearm. Bone met flesh and it fucking hurts. I was thrown away and I smashed into a group of undead and they didn''t let this chance go to waste. They caught me and threw me onto the ground. ''Dammit.'' I thought as I saw five pairs of red glowing eyes stared down at me from above. I tried to get up but before I could do so something smashed into my stomach. Which I assume to be a hammer. I was baffled, saliva mixed with blood escaped my mouth and I almost lost consciousness. I was unable to breath, my nose and lungs not obeying me and then it happened again. However this time it was on my chest, That didn''t make it any better, did it? I could feel sharp pointy tips poking my lungs and crushed up ribs were spread throughout my chest area. I started to cough like a rabid dog, blood and snot smearing the ground and my face. It was disgusting to be honest. They didn''t stop instead increased their speed, Blow after blow rained on my body with me unable to do anything. I tried to raise my hand in resistance but that proved to futile when they got crushed along side my body. I was in agony, I could feel chunks of broken bones floating around my organs and some stabbed onto them. I screamed, a blood curling a scream which seems to please these creatures as a ear grinding laugh escaped their mouth. They continued, they mainly used blunt weapons to inflict more pain, and the fact that I was wearing armor made it worse. But I wasn''t in agony for long as they moved away seemingly giving way to something, Something that I assume to be their leader. Those eyes stared at me coldly and I felt something grab onto my throat and it raised me from the ground. I was left dangling from it''s hand, its grip not allowing me to take breath and the fact that my whole body was almost crushed into paste didn''t help it. Even breathing was painful but it was necessary. However it didn''t even allow me to breath. It scrutinized me, the light from its eyes glowing brighter by the second as it slowly closed the distance between our face. The stench was unbearable. And then when we were moments away from a headbutt, it spoke- "O, foul blood of Adam, it brings me great joy seeing you suffer." Its voice sounded similar to the winds howling through gaps between rocks, a whooshing sound to be more precise. I raised my broken arms, the pain trying to force me to stop moving but I knew if I did, I would be no more. I clutched onto it''s bony arms with gritted teeth and despite the pain I slowly used it as support. I tried to pry it''s hands away from my throat but that was a failure so I did the next best thing that came to my mind. I swung my lower body upwards with the help of his hand and used my legs to wrap around his neck. Fortunately for me those creatures atleast left my leg in pretty good condition. I pulled one leg away away and started to smash it into it''s face, kick after kick but it just stood there recieving the blows without even a flinch. But that didn''t discourage me as I continued stomping until he got tired of it. He caught my leg and twisted it, I tried to scream but the bony thump forced its way into my mouth when I tried to scream. I could feel the dry bones touching the back of my throat. His hands were eventually covered in saliva but as a skeletal undead he didn''t seem to care. "Although I would like your suffering a bit longer I don''t want to keep the others waiting." He threw me onto another undead and said something in an unknown language and the undead started carrying me towards God knows where. The pain was unbearable and the way this undead was carrying me didn''t help the fact it hurts. I just hanged on its hands, lifelessly trying to regain as much as energy possible. ''Regeneration got me covered but can I really depend on it?'' What if it didn''t work? What if it was limited? Hehe, that means I''m dead. If you always keeps asking the ''if'' questions you won''t get anywhere. It would just increase your insecurity and make you more frightened to do the stuff you don''t want to do. Having free will is one thing but using it is another. I have only one motto in my life. Live life to the fullest and if it doesn''t work and end in failure, kill yourself. I don''t want to grow old, I don''t want to live forever, I want to die young while being remembered. And if I can''t do that, If I can''t make a legendary legacy, If I''m scared to do anything, If I feel like life is boring, I would kill myself. Yes, I''m someone who gives up easily. I noticed that the undead had stopped moving and he was staring down at something. ''I really need something that can help me see in the dark...'' "Into the well you go." The undead spoke and threw me where it was staring at previously. I fell through the darkness and it was a short fall to be honest. It was similar to the fall I had earlier the difference being there was no fog to break the fall. I fell face first into a slimy, muddy ground. The pungent stench of rotten bodies assaulted my nose and the taste of iron filled my tongue. Don''t ask me why I licked it. The well wasn''t the one filled with water instead it was blood. I turned on my back with great difficulty and gazed into the darkness above. ''A well filled with dead bodies.'' A grave-filled well. I have to commend myself for not fainting while against those undeads but you know a man has his limits. I slowly closed my eyes and tried to distract myself from the pain. ''Tired.'' I sighed in my mind as I slowly drifted into sleep despite the pain. Mother of demons Blood well: I don''t know how much time has passed since I''ve been down here. I immediately lost consciousness after the drop, not much time seems to have been passed since I haven''t been fully recovered yet and I don''t know if the others had escaped or has been captured like me. My throat was parch dry, my bones felt so brittle it seemed it would break due to a gentle breeze, my body was so weak I couldn''t even clench my fists and the pain was unimaginable. Together with the soul ache it was hell. Breathing itself was difficult, broken ribs pierced onto my internal organs, my heart was thundering trying to provide blood. My head was heavy, I wasn''t able to think straight and it felt like my head was being hammered into oblivion. I sometimes fell into micro sleeps against my will but was awaken by the pain and agony that took place in my body. The smell was suffocating, the slimy surface made me uncomfortable and even though it made me vomit I wasn''t physically able to. The quiet darkness around me felt like it was mocking me, silently watching me. I felt like death was close. It was hiding in the darkness, slowly sharpening his scythe and waiting for the decree from the god of death himself to take my life. Death felt so close... Yet so far. Despite the pain, despite not being able to think straight, I knew. I knew I was healing. Regenerating. Slowly but surely, bones and muscles reattached, the headache increasing but the pain alleviating. I know I won''t die due to my regeneration. I don''t know how much I have to wait but I''m sure it''s a short amount of time. I will be as good as new. I just had to wait. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Wait, wait, wait, wait wait- But what to do after that? I need to escape. Climbing out from this gore mess was possible but the darkness didn''t help it. And even if I did I''m sure they are still there. The only hope for me are the others. But we just met, they might''ve escaped by now or they might be dead. Well I wouldn''t blame them. I would''ve done the same. But I would certainly hate them for it. ''No options left?'' The horned god was certainly an option. But the only thing I recieved from him was regeneration. Although it seemed good it was lackluster compared to others. If only I was a bit stronger. I''m not asking for earth shattering strength, Just a bit to hold my own against these monsters and escape. Prayer can be used to call upon a God''s help. Just naming a few of their titles and endless praises would work. Sometimes it wouldn''t. But I won''t. Pity isn''t something I like to recieve. It''s humiliating, those stares of pity, those words of pity, those people helping me due to pity, I hate all of them. I don''t care how good there intentions are. I would rather die than recieve pity. Begging for pity is something that I would never do no matter what. Kind people help others due to them feeling sympathetic towards others. Those times spend on the streets are still etched into my mind. No matter what I won''t forget. Two faced people doing it for reputation. That man who took us in first, abusing us and then almost selling us out to slavery because he got bored,I didn''t forget one bit of that abuse. Pity and sympathy is repulsive for me. I hate accepting charity. Even if you do it with good intentions or not. It''s pathetic. So begging a god for strength is quite pathetic right? I did it during my time in the Wiccan forest right? I''m quite pathetic right? My body slowly started to function, my mind slowly started to clear. ''I don''t need no one''s help to escape.'' I decided, even if it gets me killed. ******** In the cold and quiet darkness, a figure slowly marched through the narrow passages. He had no fleshy body, he was a skeletal undead, He had huge and broad shoulders, His waist area was thin and his legs were stonky. His skull had cracks running through them and two red rubies served as his eyes and to curly goat horns sticking out from his skull. They were pointing towards the ceiling. His red eyes glowed eerily, he knew more people had entered this sacred place which he had protected for centuries and they were not gonna change that. ''Meeting a descendant of Adam was certainly a suprise.'' The name left a bad taste in his mouth even though he had no tongue. ''I still don''t understand what lady Lilith saw in him.'' He still vividly remember that day when his queen stood up for that inferior creature. And how that caused a lot of chain events which caused the demons to go extinct. The mother of all demons made a mistake trusting that creature. ''Mistakes.'' Demons originally ruled half of the world, When the fog didn''t exist and when the continents were a single landmass. They were known as the incarnation of sins. Different demon associated with different sins lived in harmony together with the other races of humanoid creatures despite their natures given by their sins. Until humanity appeared. My hand instinctively clenched, the word ''Humanity'' would make any demon''s blood boil in rage. Not only theirs. ''Enough of reminiscing the past.'' I know it would take a while if I kept on going on with my hate for humans. The remaining intruders also needs to be eliminated. That''s my sole purpose as the queen''s personal guard. And as a demon of wrath and pride, it''s commendable that I still haven''t wasted my time ripped that humans flesh, piece by piece and feeding it to him. Now that I think about it, it has been a long time since I have eaten human flesh. And so, I increased my speed, no intruders must be left alive inside the temple of Lilith, The mother of demons. ******** Blood well: The slimy surface caused me to tumble down to the ground, climbing wasnt a good idea but it''s all I had. My ripped off armor layed somewhere on the ground and I was left with chainmail and leather tunic. The undead guys are really good at removing caved in armor it seems.. I sat back on the fleshy floor, the smell was literally unbearable and I have already puked out what I ate previously. ''I don''t know how long it takes for them to find me and I don''t have much rations left.'' I don''t have any left. Those undeads destroyed all of them. ''Well if it comes to the worst, food is not that scarce.'' I patted the floor and I gagged when the thought of eating it appeared in my mind. I vomited again but all that came out was saliva and bile juice. ''I need to escape.'' There''s no way I''m eating this to sustain myself. Or so I thought. In life not everything goes according to plan. Alive Blood well: A lone figure could be seen, sitting silently on the fleshy floor while leaning against the narrow walls of the well. He sat with crossed legs, looking up with extinguished hope and dreams. Some chunks of half eaten flesh which was ripped off from the floor could be seen on his hand, it was filled with bite marks. Needless to say they tasted horrible, the cold and wet flesh of unknown origins made his stomach churn. He had already puked countless times just to take a bite and it didn''t even help him when he noticed that it can''t fill his stomach. No matter how much he ate. ''I have slept 14 times since my time here.'' A not so bright guess but he estimates that he had been down here for atleast 14 days or less. Atleast he tried. His body has started to absorb the nutrients present in his body by now and the blood from squeezing the flesh made his parched throat go away but the thirst remained. ''I can''t even crawl..'' His head had a splitting migraine and the estimated two weeks inside solitary confinement is making him go crazy. His eyes started deceiving him, unrecognisable colours appeared and uncanny faces stared at him from the distance. He knew he won''t die, the regeneration was too strong for it but without nutrients and strength how can he function? Or can the regeneration bring back his stamina? It doesn''t seems to be working though. He closed his eyes, drowsiness filling his weak bones to the brim. ''Peace.'' It was strange indeed. Finding peace in solitude even though you''re suffering inside there. The peace made from sleep would only last for a few moments and he would go back to the sufferings again. Ripped off skin from his palms started to heal at a visible rate. His broken leg which was twisted in the opposite angle started to revert back. These were the injuries made from climbing the walls. It helped him in a wierd way by increasing his regeneration speed. The more hurt he got, the faster the regeneration gets. And deep inside, the soul ache started to quiet down. The regeneration started to affect his soul. ''It is really hopeless.'' The depth seemed endless, the drop felt like a 30-40 foot drop but he climbed way past that and didn''t even reach the surface. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! He tried again and again and during his previous try he felt irritated and dropped down at 15 feet. ''Should I start to dig?'' The flesh was easy to cut through with his teeth and nails. Or should he wait for reinforcement? No way. They must''ve left by now or dead. Judging by how they treated him it must be the latter. ''Well giving it a try won''t hurt.'' He reached out his shaking hand towards the ground and ripped off a chunk. He got on his knees and started to use both his arms to dig through. Trying to escape this pit. The well seemed endless so wouldn''t the tunnel he makes be endless too? Well maybe. But by making a tunnel he could get a footing on the rocks or soil unlike the slippery flesh. The flesh can''t be endless too right? By his guess it''s made from victims like him. And so he started digging. It didn''t matter to him how much time it would take him to reach the surface or if he ever will. But he would not get discouraged by a possibility and so he started digging with all his strength that he could muster. Only to realise that it was futile. ******** Temple of Lilith: A huge skeleton with pitch black armor walked in the cold and silent hallways of the temple. A cross shaped crack ran through his skull and two curly sharp goat horns were present on his forehead. A battle axe, which was a bit too small for him was held by him. He was the undead demon who had just thrown Cassian into the blood and now he is hunting the remaining intruders. His glowing red ruby eyes dimmed and he stopped dead on his tracks when a short figure appeared in the distance. A dwarf of short stature holding a torch on its last leg navigated through the darkness ''Interesting.'' The skeleton seems to have snorted in arrogance. ... I still remember when they used to serve and how they tried their pitiful best to impress our queen with their blacksmithing abilities. I raised the mace which I took from the human and hurled it at the dwarf at an incredible speed and it landed straight on its face with no resistance. Blood spilled and bones cracked, the dwarf fell on his back with a mace smashed up on his face. I walked towards him, the smell of blood spread and attracted the mindless demon undeads. I picked him up and threw him on my shoulder and started to walk back towards the direction I came from. However the ''dead'' dwarf stabbed a small knife into my eyes. A ruby cracked and my vision blurred. I immediately threw him onto the ground and stomped him head into the floor. The cracked bit fell onto the floor and a small pink wisp of smoke leaked through the cracked ruby. The trapped soul. An undeads soul reside inside their crystsllised eyes and eyes are said to be the windows to the soul. An expert indeed. But weak too. I stomped his head for a few times for good measure and picked him back up. The well''s hunger need to be satiated. ******** An elf of tall stature could be seen marching with dense mana focused on his eyes for night vision. Only Callon was the one who had a better experience than the others and the fact that he could hold himself against others made him valuable. One could only wonder how Elgor convinced Callon. ''Haah...They must be cursing at me.'' I felt dread welling up in my heart, the looks of disappointment is very hurtful. I mean I didn''t mean to do that but the statue was so enticing and the fact that the more weirder and dangerous a place is the more rewards you get made me want to resist less. ''If I save them they would forgive me right?'' Everyone makes mistakes so they wouldn''t blame it on me right? And how can they be sure I caused the disappearance? To be honest, I can try to escape but I still want to save them. They would feel grateful for that. They would be indebted to me and try to repay but me, the epitome of kindness will turn it down and it would make me more revered in their eyes. I feel great satisfaction from that. It may sound weird but that is how I am. The pristine white walls of the temple, untouched by time was marked by symbols I made with a small mana coated knife to make sure I won''t lose my way. Helping others and receiving their gratitudes gives me validity. And I want my name of kindness to spread. It may not sound exactly good or kind but that is the way I am. I am only wearing a mask to obtain validity. It''s not the true person I am. And it''s not like I use it for evil right? So, it''s a win-win situation. And I will abandon them if it gets too dangerous. I only joined Elgor due to seniority and experience but after seeing him in action I know he is a lucky bloke who somehow survived until now. And the human? I only met him for what? A few hours? A day? I couldn''t care less about him. If they die and no bodies are found, it won''t spread and won''t taint my future reputation if I ever have one. Then a cold breeze passed through the hallway and it made me shiver. ''This is a huge maze and the centre area seems to contain something important.'' Which means a way out or.. something else. I didn''t want to idle around here and waste time so, I increased my pace and tried to find the centre. ******** Blood well: Cassian could be seen in his previous position with bloodied hands and his head hung low with desperation. There was no way out indeed. ''It is alive.'' The flesh is alive, slowly pulsing and the deeper he went the hotter it eventually it seared his skin he had to stop. Getting out was hard too considering the darkness made it hard. His eyes were closed shut, Cassian has always been feared of the dark since young and this solitary confinement didn''t really help much. Cassian had no way out. He was getting more and more desperate. ''Should I really do it?'' The tightness returned back to his chest. As if chains were squeezing them, the cold metal stinging his warm beating heart and it didn''t hurt it just felt uncomfortable. The chains slowly started to constrict and he instinctively knew the moment the chain completely constricts he would either be a blessed or a corrupted creatures. These chains... They have always been with him, it just went unnoticed. Slowly biding their time for a moment to strike. Becoming a corrupted creature would be the worst outcome. And even though it''s hypocritical to say, being a blessed is more preferred by him because he can atleast have a rational mind. And then- Thud. Something fell near him which startled Cassian as he snapped out from his desperate decision. ''What?'' Someone else has been captured? Callon or Elgor? Or a entirely new expedition team who had the same fate as them. ''Oh wait he fell near the hole!'' Cassian immediately rushed through the darkness, he had already gotten familiar with this place and was able to retrieve the body before it fell into the hole. And judging by the long beard, it was Elgor the dwarf. A new companion for Cassian inside this solitary darkness. Old coward The moment I woke up I was forced into agony, Broken bones in my skull and the flesh with bits of the floor stuck on screamed in pain. But a hand reached out and shut me up, He then slowly whispered with a certain weakness to his tone. "So..you too huh?" Oh it''s that human brat. Damn useless too and I thought he would be useful considering how he dealt with the terror camels. I didn''t voice out what was going inside my mind though, who knows when he will snap and eat me alive. I couldn''t speak, luckily the bleeding has stopped somehow and some strength is being regained by my body. Drip, drip. A red liquid dripped onto my face, cold yet the moment it made contact it bursted into the warmness of spring and slowly the pain quieted down. ''Oh!? He decided to admit it.'' I knew about the kid''s regeneration and I certainly was going to use to earn some bucks but guess what? Now I''m stuck in this hellhole with him. ''It can heal others too huh.'' Could really fetch a bit of money or...he can be my personal healer. ''He got here earlier than me and he still hadn''t escaped so something''s wrong.'' The darkness filled my vision and the smell of gore and puke assaulted my already destroyed nose. My head was on the kid''s lap and my body layed on some squishy surface, it felt cold and a pulsating sensation could be felt on my back. His thighs felt a skinny and bone made my head uncomfortable but I couldn''t stand up due to my injury. ''Seriously why did I trust that elf with the job as a scout?'' "The undead must''ve gotten you too right?" He spoke again with a hint of drowsiness, His hand collapsed onto my chest and judging by that I guess he fell asleep. My injuries squirmed and skin, flesh and bone healed and reconnected, it didn''t hurt it just felt weird. I slowly rose from his lap, my hands gripping my forehead in phantom pain, those red ruby eyes cleared hinted at an undead and I missed the chance to kill it. A blunder from my part but what can I do when everyone else is incompetent. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. If it weren''t for the promise of riches I wouldn''t have came down here anyways and judging by that elf''s strength he must be out there surviving. I sighed, complaining isn''t going to solve the problem by itself. My gauntlets were stolen, my armor is broken and no food rations too. Sustaining himself would be hard. ''All I have left is...'' He turned back towards the place he laid at, his focus was not on the fleshy ground but on the living breathing human that was laying there unconscious. He knew not to eat the pulsating flesh, it was common sense. And he has regeneration so, a bite won''t be too much to ask right? Elgor ripped out some clothes from his dress, The human was extremely weak and it was enough to hold him captive. An infinite food source indeed. ******** Callon stared at the undead infront of him. As you would have guessed, it was the guardian who hunted down both Elgor and Cassian. He towered over Callon while a battle axe was raised to the air, bringing it down with immense force towards Callon''s skull. Unlike the previous victims Callon was experienced, he swatted the axe away with a short sword and charged in. The swat made the guardian wide open and his long arms won''t reach in time when Callon neared his ribs. He aimed precisely and aimed it at the red Ruby eyes, it would get the job. Only if the guardian was alone, something latched onto the sword, a slippery flesh wrapped around his leg too. It was dripping with blood and countless eyes, tongues, noses, and ears opened up and they seemed too grotesque. The guardian immediately pulled back and got back into a fighting stance. The eyes stared, the ears listened, the noses smell, the tongues tasted and they all wanted Callon. In the midst of this bizzare event, Callon retreated, he ran past the guardian to where he came from, trying to escape the tentacles filled with facial features while also on the lookout for captives. But he came to an halt when he witnessed something upfront. The scene of a dwarf feasting on human meat. The mean laid unconscious on the ground with his stomach torn open, his intestines spilling and blood gushing out. The dwarf picked up the intestine and placed it on his mouth and started devouring. And that''s when Callon noticed that his surroundings have changed, right he was in a huge fleshy room, it was a dome even the floor was spherical. Small red dim glow light from the flesh made this scene more horrifying. That''s when Callon noticed that they seemed to have aged, really fast. The fat and grumpy old dwarf turned into a malnutritioned human child whereas the actual was regenerating. Callon naturally about this fact when he saw it in action but it still fascinated him. "O, Elf, do you see your companion feasting on that human?" A deep raspy voice similar to the howling wind sounded from behind me and I immediately turned back and to my suprise instead of sneaking up on me he was quite far away. He slowly walked towards me. "The time inside the well is accelerated, time eventually erases everything." "That dwarf is disappearing quickly, which shows that he would be a forgotten nobody whereas the human is still there." "Although it is not the best conditions, he is lucky to be alive." "The flesh makes someone who eat it feel hunger on a spiritual level, our queen used it as her favourite torture method and I now know why she liked it." "If someone is exposed to even it''s smell for a long time it makes them go crazy, it is quite similar to insania and they are forced to eat the flesh which further deepens it." The undead chuckled, he was certainly enjoying it. The axe was still with him, he held it both hands and charged towards Callon with no further exchange of words. ******** It hurts. My stomach hurts. My intestines were pulled out mercilessly and my liver has long been missing, my eyes darted towards the culprit and a dwarf with eyes on the brink of insanity and a blooded mouth stared at me in shock. He slapped me across the face. His pupils trembling as he spoke. "Y-you are not supposed to be alive...WHY!?" He raised both his arms and started to punt my face, it was wierd, just a moment ago we were allies and now we are enemies. I threw a punch but instead of hitting him, I grabbed his face and shoved it into ground and got up with pain. My small intestine hanged onto the ground, the tip being aggressively bitten onto by the dwarf. It hurts. I kneeled down and held onto his head and the edge, with gritted teeth I pulled the intestines free although the bitten part was ripped away was still on his mouth. My teeth hurts from gritting them but I had to choice to hurry up when I heard Callon fighting in the distance. Due to the red glow from the flesh it was easier to see. I ran towards them when my regeneration was almost complete, no weapons equipped but hands and jaws are enough. Would biting a skeleton work though? I saw the undead raising his axe into the sky, Callon''s short was inching towards his eyes. Even if Callon makes contact, the undead only loses one eye but Callon would die. And even if he doesn''t he still dies. Just when the skeleton was about to bring the axe down from the air I jumped onto his back. With the sudden weight from a malnutritioned man, the undead jerked forward and the blow missed while a eye was taken out. I put its skull on a head lock and wrapped my legs around it''s ribs. I tried to break it''s joints but it proved futile and Callon immediately pierced the short sword through the gap in it''s knees and pried it open. It fell on his knees and we striked before he got up. My fingers tried to reach his remaining eye while the short sword aimed for the same target. What if the sword pierced my fingers together with the eye? It will regenerate and I have no time to think about things like that now. My adrenaline and regeneration is somehow keeping me conscious and alive so, I don''t want to overload my brain functions. And we killed the guardian... Almost. Callon and I could''ve made it work if not for the horde of undead emerging from the flesh. Cry Skeletons emerged from the wriggling flesh, The guardian used this moment of shock to throw me to the floor but the flesh softened my fall and Callon was able to kick him away and pull me back towards him. The kick didn''t seem much until you find out it''s coated in mana, the undead stumbled back for a moment and almost fell but the flesh supported his body using its tentacles. I looked around, Elgor was nowhere to be seen, maybe dead or hidden by this large wave of undead skeletons. The guardian regained balance, he clutched his skull in silence, we just stared, he is a wild card and who knows what he will try to do. "These ancient bones held me back but now, It''s time for me to become flesh once again." His words confused me for a moment but considering everything that I witnessed so far, It seemed possible. Question is, why didn''t he do it earlier? The undead gathered around us and the guardian raised both his arms in the air and shouted, "O, my brethren, the inferior and rotten blood of Adam has stepped foot into our lands once again however unlike last time, They won''t leave this place alive." The moment he finished his words, tentacles wrapped around him and turned him into a fleshy cocoon of eyes, ears, teeth, nose etc. It submerged back into the ground which made me more paranoid, he can attack from anywhere inside this fleshy mess and I can''t do anything about it. "GRAAAHH!" A battle cry, the undead raised their weapons and horded around us. Callon immediately jumped into action, he coated his arms with flames and started to smash the brittle skeleton bones. I looked away from him, I need focus on my enemy now, I ran towards the nearest undead group, there were five of them. One tried to stab me with a dagger, but I caught his hands and pulled him towards me and I headbutted him with enough force to shatter his skull alongside his eyes. The others didn''t idle around, one bit onto my leg while another tried to stab through my neck, I dodged the stab and picked up the skeleton on the ground who was biting onto my calf. I threw him at the one who tried to stab me, they both collided and fell to the ground, One laying ontop of one another. Before they could get up I stepped onto the chest and ripped off their skulls with both my hands. I darted my eye across the battle field, more and more undead were approaching but my stamina was running dry. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The drowsiness was intense and the fact that those heavy hitters that brutalised me isn''t here is making me more paranoid. I crushed the skull under my grip, these days I have noticed my increase in strength, As days passed I am becoming something more inhumane. Regeneration doesn''t seem to be the only thing I was curse..blessed with. I dropkicked a skeleton, its bones shattering and flying across the floor, I fell to the squishy ground but immediately rolled over to dodge a stab to my eye. But it didn''t make it better because when I finished rolling, a hammer met my face. The floor helped a bit in negating more damage, but my nose was broken and my lower jaw dislocated. I immediately got back into my feet and retreated towards a safe spot. ''Dammit.'' I raised both my hands towards my hanging jaw and pulled, the pain stopped me from ripped it off, it was similar to removing a tooth but more painful. Blood splattered and leaked onto the floor as I ran, I pulled again, my face tightening in pain and finally tore it away. The regeneration had started so it was more difficult to rip it away but it works, I pulled my arm back to its limits and hurled my lower jaw towards a skeleton''s skull. The sound of bones shattering reached my ear but I only gave it a glance before returning to killing more undead. It took out three of them. My jaw was healed back, making me wonder when did I get so daring. Ripping off my own limbs for combat, would I have done this if I didn''t have regeneration? I was lost in my thoughts, mindlessly killing these undead, unlike before this was more precise and less brutal. As I think back, when did it start to change, My mentality on pain, how I resorted to eating the disgusting flesh, my brutal way of combat. It..isn''t like me at all. I''m changing, adapting, becoming more experienced too quick. My personality and mentality is changing, It can make me into a tale of legend like I want but it doesn''t feel complete. If my personality and mentality changes, Would I be the same person? What makes a person unique? It''s their memories, personality and mentality. It isn''t material matters like beauty or strength. It is what makes them unique. Out of these three, if you take away even one thing, that person won''t be the same. A completely new entity, they might look the same, they might sound the same but they aren''t the same person. The fleshy room started to dim its glow and the ground shifted, pores the size of my fists opened and released a stench of gore and death. Around these pores, eyes opened up, tongues stuck out and hair follicles grew. The eyes observed my every action,the tongue spoke in a language erased by time. I looked back for a moment, I could see far but by the sound of shattering bones Callon seems to be doing alright. "Enough." The guardian appeared again. However he was different, he was a muscular flesh similar to those tentacles, eyes, ears, teeth, tongue, nose and hair follicles, all sorts of facial features were present around his body. His body pulsed, dim light similar to the fleshy room radiated from him making it easier to identify him. The skeleton I fought backed up, they weren''t the horned skeletons that threw me in the well, They were human skeletons. ''If we fail would I also be one of them?'' Mindless, broken, slave to order. Would I accept such a fate? I would kill myself. "My brethren, rise from the flesh of our mother!" And the room wriggled, writhed, made me fall to the ground for balance and I took this chance to peek inside the pores. The light inside it was better than the one outside, its interior was filled with...eyes. The moment they sensed my presence, they stared at me, they noticed me, they started weeping. ''What?'' "Hmph, pathetic creatures you can''t even identify your ancestors, how can you call yourself an intelligent creature?" "Anc..estors?" That was a huge blow. I looked at him expecting an answer, flesh similar to his body turned into grotesque wings. It may have been a lie, but these days of over exhaustion has already made me unable to differentiate reality and dreams. So how can I differentiate truth and lies? His body tried to keep itself from falling apart. It was trying to imitate some creature, but that creature has long been forgotten by time, Even those undead ones who survived their extinction forgot them. "I don''t need to answer you, you know exactly what I meant by that." He was right. I know. I know these are humans, alive and well, Death would seem like heaven for them. "They have been there since the start of humanity, who knew they could still think and be rational." The undead guardian chuckled. His lack of morality made Cassian sit on the ground hopelessly, staring at those flesh demons with an unknown emotion. Callon watched from afar, he was already considering escape but he was hesitating. He wasn''t hesitant about leaving both Cassian and Elgor to die, he wanted to make sure they won''t survive to tell the tale. He wants his future saintly image to be untouched by scandals. Elgor was nowhere to be seen, it wasn''t confirmed whether he died or not. Cassian was still on the ground, head hung low, staring at the wailing flesh. He observed. The eyes did weep due to their pain, Not due to their fate nor was it due to their anger, they wept for him. They wept for their descendant who was forced to see them like this. The guardian, his flesh wriggling, sometimes a tentacle trying to emerge and escape but another appears and stuffs it back into the body, he just stared, his tongues spoke the forgotten language, the eyes surrounding him blinked out of sync, pleased with the human''s suffering. Humanity The wriggling flesh around me disgusted me. The unbearable stench, those creepy eyes blinking one after another while staring, those mouths and tongues formed incomprehensible words that felt like metal grating against my ears. If someone asked me to describe hell I would show them this sight. And those demons, they hovered in the air with their ''wings'' If you could even call them ''wings'', it was tendrils of flesh wrapped around together to form something like a wing. Their flesh constantly shifted, the eyes on their face might be on the legs the next moment. The writhing mass of eyes, tongues, mouths, ears, noses and teeth fused together into a grotesque form. An abomination that has no place in this world. They had no legs, it seemed like someone ripped their legs off from their torso, their exposed spine was extremely long and curled up like a scorpion stinger. The sight was frightening enough but what made me more anxious was their eerie silence and their lack of action. They just observed these lower lifeforms the way one observes an ant, they were once the sovereign rulers of this world , it was in their blood to be superior to others. I stared at the human kneeling on the ground, His head hung low and his expression hidden, I had already planned to escape but judging by these demons I don''t think they will allow me. I need him to stand up again and fight, his regeneration can be used as leverage and maybe we can open a gap for me to escape. Callon face was neutral as he darted his eyes across both the demons and Cassian, deducing the best outcome and who he should side with. Either way there was a risk of dying, he is still gambling with his life the demons might not even glance at him and will just kill him without a second thought whereas being with Cassian isn''t any safer too. It was a hard choice for sure but time was not on his side so, he had to make a quick decision. Callon approached Cassian, he could see faint shivering and sweat soaking Cassian''s tunic, was he scared or was he angry at his own helplessness. Callon didn''t know and he didn''t want to know, As long as they could leave this place alive he would be grateful. Wait that sounds wrong.... Callon? Grateful? Gratitude? Him? Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. No he wouldn''t, Cassian should be grateful for his help. ''My brain is just tired or I said it accidentally due to fear.'' He chuckled in his mind, he wanted to receive gratitude and showing gratitude to others or even causing a scenario where he had to will go against his code. He placed a hand on Cassian''s shoulder, he did all this in a casual pace, the demons seemed more interested in their conversation than killing them. Cassian flinched but feeling the warmth permeating from his hand he calmed down. ******** Cassian looked at weeping eyes staring at him, They were bloodshot and their red veins pulsed unnaturally. The revelation of these being humans was a huge blow to Cassian. He thought of himself in their position, forever trapped as rotten flesh for eternity, sharing your body with thousands of humans you''ve known in your life. Spending an eternity in boredom, being alone but never truly alone. Being alone doesn''t mean much but being alone with no human interaction is what drives one crazy. Moreover, it is humiliating being reduced to a meat slab and being forced to spent an eternity in this state of being and when discovered being unable to form a word, being unable to convey your feelings, only being able to cry helplessly. Moreover Cassian was scared, what if he ended up in a state similar to this? What if this was his fate, to share a fleshy chunk as an body for eternity. Horrifying. He wasn''t feeling disgust, pity nor helplessness for them. He was feeling afraid for himself. Callon''s hand on his shoulder snapped him out. He wanted to look back, he wanted to see Callon''s and atleast get some words of encouragement for his current state of mind. But he got none. He was lifted from the floor and forced onto stand on his leg and then Callon let go. The sudden change almost made him lose his balance, his mind was still on the fleshy mass. The suffocating stench didn''t bother him, the unmoving demons didn''t bother, the countless blinking eyes, screaming mouths and twitching tongues didn''t bother him. What bothers him? A fate as worse as this. The quiet room because filled with blood curdling screams, Callon''s face twitched in irritation and the demons were taken by suprise. The scream brought Cassian back to his senses as he ran towards Callon and collided into him. They both fell into the floor, flesh bubble appeared all over the area, they burst with a unknown liquid with an even more strong stench. The flesh around them softened and tentacles wrapped around them and snatched them deep into the fleshy mass. "He found out about the heart!?" The guardian asked but the flesh didn''t respond to him. Realisation settled in his heart and he roared a command, "Find them before they destroy the heart!" The demon charged towards the ground, The flesh moved away which formed a tunnel for them to pass through. His hands clenched, to activate this mass of flesh he had to waste centuries of effort, All that to capture that human. ''His blood is blessed by divinity.'' Perfect for his future plans but the heap of flesh turned against him. He wanted to strike earlier but the transformation was too abrupt and needed some time to adjust, he was trying to delay with his intimidation tactics. "Even if they are a mindless mass of flesh their tenacity truly embodies Adam''s nature." I had to admit he was charismatic and strong, I even saw him as a brother. The red light disappeared, their pitiful attempt to limit my vision was laughable. I flew through the tunnel, pulsating veins bursted open and sprayed me with acidic blood but it was futile. ''The queen made this flesh mass with increased sensitivity even breathing feels like glass shards stabbing your lungs.'' As I reached a certain point, I stopped and turned to the left, I used my claws to tear apart the walls and made my way through. ... Blood spilled as I tore the last piece of flesh which led me to a room which was similar to the one on the surface. However this room was filled with arteries and veins, they all connected a single beating heart which was the size of a war horse. It was twisted in unnatural ways, blood was barely pumping and the moment I entered countless eyes locked onto me. I also noticed my troops had reached this area earlier than me and judging by the fact that they are nowhere to be seen, it means that they escaped. I approached the heart, I raised my claw and gently placed it on the heart which made it twitch. The eyes surrounding the room looked at this with boredom, they knew I was trying to tease them. "You chose their survival over ending your suffering?" My voice echoed with a hint of amusement and confusion. Destroying the heart would free them from their sufferings and those two could definitely do it. But it didn''t lead them here. The moment it dies they can''t be protected anymore. They chose the survival of those two over themselves. They answered my every beck and call live an obedient slave but when it came to their blood they retaliated. They paved the way for their descendant with their own flesh and blood so he could escape. That''s what caused humanity to prosper. That''s how humanity whom were born from sins, the diluted blood of demons were able to carve their name in history. I gripped the heart tightly, the mouth around me gasped but they didn''t grunt or cry in pain, They laughed. They laughed like a lunatic, they were laughing at me. If I kill them, wouldn''t I be helping them? And even if I don''t, they have already gotten used to pain. Humanity was more sinful than their ancestors. Their sheer tenacity and tactics caused the world to bleed in agony. Even gods weren''t able to erase them. ''Like mana, they are a force of nature.'' Humanity truly embodied Adam. Curiosity It was strange, the squishy and slimy insides of the flesh making contact with his skin could still be vividly recalled by him. Those eyes, tongue,strands of hair and mouth all brushed against him and as disgusting as it sounds,Cassian didn''t find it weird nor uncomfortable. Those were his ancestors and saviours and he felt a certain familiarity with them, as one would have with their family. That made it sound even weirder. He trudged through the fog, careful steps to not lose balance, the fog was blowing his opposite direction and it was quite aggressive. He was completely surrounded by fog, his barrier shrank and fog swallowed everything around him, it was hard to determine their current location. His two hands were occupied, one holding onto Callon while the other held onto Sero. Days have passed during their time inside the temple..no maybe weeks. They were still on the uncharted area judging by the barren ground and their food rations which they buried was hard to locate. No it was impossible due to the fog''s condition by now. A pitch black axe with a wooden handle was tied onto his waist belt, it was the loot he got from the guardian. Well he didn''t really take it by himself, the flesh tossed it at him during his fall through the tunnel. That''s the only thing he obtained. What did he lose? Elgor died alongside Cassian trust with him. His mind was exhausted, the existential crisis and that date worse than death won''t be leaving his memories anytime soon. No, it is etched into his mind, showing how truly weak he is, when he stared into their eyes he didn''t see a reflection of a man who will carve a legacy of legends instead he saw a scared and inexperienced boy chasing his futile dreams. It was truly a reality check and it showed him the extreme version of it. Elgor''s death didn''t really give him a big blow, His respect for the man vanished the moment he was feasting on his body like a rabid dog. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Compared to his gains, his losses outclassed them. This reality check was brutal but that isn''t going to stop him is it? He doesn''t mind dying as long as it can paint him in a light of legend. Conquering and exploring the lands of no returns is just a means, it isn''t his goal. So he can turn back right? He can make a name out for himself through other ways right? How about a cook? His food was exceptionally rated during his times as a kid or how about a knight? Yeah they won''t care about his inferior lineage and would make him one. Holy knights also seems like a good option, he is a zealous blind idiot, isn''t he? They all sound pathetic right? Cassian at first saw the lands of no returns as a way to become a legend. His curiosity also played a part in it but it didn''t influence him too much. But now? Those cryptic words said by those guardians, Those pillars filled with ancient languages and those tongues speaking words long erased by history and time made something awaken in him. Something primal, something that won''t change in humans no matter what form they take or what way they live. He awakened his- Curiosity. He will explore the lands of no returns and pry open its secrets. The fog won''t blind his curious eyes, those beasts won''t fill his hunger for knowledge, he has decided it and no changes would be made ever again. Cassian would chase this dream no matter how much he fails and how futile it seems. He started with legacy alongside curiosity and it is still the same goal but with a bit more realisation. He still pursues legacy it''s just that his curiosity grew alongside and it felt like less of an obligation and more interesting. ******** The walking through the fog was silent, Callon''s hand gently gripped Cassian''s and his other hand gripped onto his wandering soul. Losing Elgor didn''t really put a toll on his mind it just meant less mouth to feed and considering that the food rations are not able to be located it was fortunate that Elgor died. The stench from the blood well didn''t leave them, it followed them as a haunting ghost and honestly Callon couldn''t care less. He escaped and that''s all that mattered, he knew Cassian wouldn''t snitch so his reputation is saved for now. ''Should I leave him to his accords or should I shift the blame?'' He didn''t want to leave any loose ends. Maybe Cassian''s career may end due to Elgor''s popularity as a senior dwarven adventurer but how does that have anything to do with innocent Callon who accidentally saw Cassian eating Elgor for his survival? It was a hard decision, one wrong move and the truth would be exposed, honestly it was Elgor''s fault and even if it fell on them, the burden would be equally shared but Callon wants a complete escape not a cracked reputation. He even gave Cassian the axe back when Cassian gave it to him as a kind gesture. His current issue being whether to shift the blame or act as if he and Elgor never met. He and Elgor left during the mourning fest where security was on all time high and they definitely saw him leave with Elgor. He can only shift the blame to escape the taint unless he has a false alibi. His eyes widened a bit when he thought about it, he also had the perfect candidate for it. He stared at the human hand he was clutching onto. Maybe the small amount of camaraderie they had during their time inside the temple influenced this decision but it was better than the risk of framing Cassian as a scapegoat. Cassian would be his alibi, Elgor seperated from him and he joined Cassian, after that they haven''t met any dwarf known as Elgor. That''s a simple yet decent plan. Although he likes benefits he isn''t something that only does things for benefits sometimes, He would trust his heart and emotions too. A genuine smile bloomed on his face as he further perfected his plan inside his head. ******** I marched through the lands, my sore legs healing in a matter of seconds, even a fatal injury would only take two minutes to heal by now. Pain or the concept of long time injury left my system long ago. My abrupt change from a normal human to a regenerating freak was not unwelcomed. But it was strange indeed. I gasped when I lost feeling with the ground, no the ground became as soft as clouds, my feet sinked and the fog became more violent. It turned into a typhoon with me and Callon in the centre, Sero and Callon''s wandering souls were unaffected by material objects. The typhoon stretched towards the heavens as if it was pillar connecting that earth and heaven but it quickly collapsed. It collapsed onto us, our vision blurring with colour we didn''t know even existed. We successfully left the uncharted area and entered a new area, hopefully a safe zone or an already explored zone. The sensation of sinking through the clouds felt addicting, the most comfortable surface I have ever touched. And thus my journey through the uncharted area of demons came to an end. Aftermath Wiccan forest: The Wiccan forest, it existed around the capital for an estimated amount 7 centuries, thousands of dead witch''s and their vengeful souls were trapped in this forest. It was a huge and dark forest, not even light could pass through and countless missing cases have been recorded in this area. The people who travel through this forest are mostly adventurers and most of them do this because they are unable to pay the toll for leaving by the city gates. The tall twisting grotesque trees, the dense tree leaves that won''t allow not even light to pass through and the forest special phenomenon to preserve dead bodies made it an ominous place, avoided by many. All in all it was a creepy and majestic forest with untold secrets and forgotten stories. But now? No such twisting and grotesque trees remained, light shone on the entire forest which was burnt to the ground. Not even a single tree survived, the previous incident that took place here made the church to wipe the whole forest out. Amidst this burnt down forest few groups of knights could be seen, they were cleaning up the forest while retrieving the dead bodies. They all did their duty in silence, not even breathing loudly enough to hear, the inhumanely mutilated bodies infront of them stopped them from talking. One such knight was Cillian, Cassian''s brother, He looked similar to Cassian but with a more mature look and shorter hair. ... I tied the rope around the dead body''s neck and dragged it towards the pile of bodies we have collected. The rotten stench of dead bodies were a bit too much for most of our newbies so the seniors had to do all the work. The way we handle dead bodies may seem a bit extreme but these guys were the cult members who was responsible for the incident that happened in the forest. Not much is disclosed about it but anything tied to cult is not something you''d want to hear. Normally I would''ve done my job and left by now but there was something that made me feel anxious. My brother used the forest to enter the lands of no return. Which meant that, he was dragged into the cult activity. ''There are two seperate piles of bodies, one for the heretics and the other for the victims.'' If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The victim bodies were dealt more delicately, the cult members are surely going to be used as an example by the queen. The queen had always been like this, acting on impulses and having little care for the people and if it wasn''t for the Dukes who were loyal to the kingdom, we would''ve fell by now. ''Losing someone you love is understandable but that doesn''t mean you have to make the life of other''s hard due to it.'' I can understand the pain that the queen is going through, when our parents died and when we were forced to beg on the streets, it was a new kind of horror. I dragged myself to find another corpse, Maybe the rotten face of my brother would appear on it. It isn''t confirmed if he was dead or not and who is there to confirm it other than me? Who would waste their time to find out whether a peasant rookie adventurer died or not? If he is confirmed to be dead, I would feel.. I don''t know what my state of mind would be. Would it be anger and frustration against the church for not purging this god forsaken forest earlier? Or would it be resignation and acceptance? Thinking back to our childhood, he had always worried me, his refusal to kneel down or beg made me wonder how he even survived. It''s true I gave some portion of my earnings to him but it wasn''t enough for even half a bread. Cassian was hard to handle, refusing to eat leftovers that some kind gentleman gave us or refusing to do anything that seemed ''low-class'', well he was what? 9? He was a child and it was understandable. Those days of welled up frustration, debating whether to sell him for money or abandon him, It is something I would never reveal to him. In his eyes I am his perfect big brother, no flaws and full of love. He even forgot about the scars I gave him due to me taking my frustration out on him. At first I felt it was justified. Then I felt- Guilt. So what did I do to make up with him? I gave up my future, I signed a lifelong contract as a servant to a renowned knight, I gave up my dreams so that my brother could chase his. But now? I am uncertain whether that brother of mine still walks the face of earth. However, judging by his stubborn nature I''m sure he is still out there somewhere and the lack of a corpse makes it even more believable. And even if he was caught in the schemes of the cult..he would atleast take one out. I have known him the most since our childhood and needless to say he is a disturbed individual. He is self destructive. The rope I held in my hands were of poor quality, they were used leftover ropes taken from the construction workers. The cultists and victims were easy to differentiate, just look for a horn on their head. The victims are supposed to have mass burial in a single huge grave, it''s not due to them being considered unholy because they sacrificed or anything, it''s just that the higher ups couldn''t care less. The abandoned village would be refilled with population again but that would only happen if the expedition tomorrow seems it safe. And I myself am part of the expedition and no I didn''t want to go there myself but I was forced to. Hundreds of colleagues were still repulsed by the corpses but me and Cassian were forced to share a room with a rotting corpse once, So that doesn''t disgust me much. I found a new corpse and it was from a cultist and like before I tied it to their necks and started dragging him towards the pile. It might seem cruel but that''s how the world is and these weren''t any saints. But I still question their morals, not just the kingdom''s but also the morals of these cultists. What can make them do these inhumane acts? Money? Power? Or wisdom? And why would it matter to them. After we aren''t gods. After all even if you can increase your lifespan, You aren''t going to live forever. So why? Cillian didn''t understand them and he felt like he never would. Some things are better to be left out in the dark. Or else it would lead to unwanted emotions and those emotions will lead to unwanted actions. These actions would have their own consequences. The life of a knight''s squire is quite boring, In my honest opinion I was supposed to join the church of stars but due to Cassian''s repulsive attitude towards them, I gave that up. Everything he did in his boring life was for Cassian and he never really thought about himself. The time begging on the streets, maybe those times were the only moments he thought for himself and not for others. What changed him? Guilt? Or affection? Does he was redemption? A redemption at the cost of his ambitions? Yes. Unlike Cassian, Cillian is willing to abandon his ambitions without selfishness. These brothers have quite the opposite mentality and yet they''re the same. The younger brother Cassian lives and longs for an interesting life and legacy. Whereas the older brother gave up everything for his brother. If you take a look at Cillian''s life you would call it mediocre at best. Cillian thinks the same way too but the need for redemption pushes him forward. The same way the obligation for legacy pushed Cassian forward too. Like I said they are different yet similar. Cassian managed to escape his obligation and turned it into curiosity together with the pursuit of legacy. But would Cillian be able to escape his shackles of redemption? Would he be able to find a purpose other than being a support to Cassian? Street view Astria: The sun peeked over the horizon, slowly rising to start another day, the cold climate painted a small blue hue in the atmosphere. It was dead in the morning, the sun just started to rise and even the roosters whom Cillian particularly detested due to their loud alarming calls still remained asleep. But the peasants did, another day of work meant there might be food on the table, even kids about the age of 5-9 were present around the streets, either begging or working for someone. Cillian walked through this mess of a morning, Wearing his armor which looked similar to Cassian''s alongside his companions. He was tired and a good night of sleep didn''t help it, his shoulders were sore from the heavy lifting yesterday. He remember burying the bodies of the victims, most of them left in disgust and the ones who remained gagged at the smell. The smell of death isn''t suitable for the living. He had to work until night time and his body was weak all over. He gazed at his companions and realised they had the same conditions as him too. There were five of them including himself. They were familiar with eachother and had a strong bond considering that they came from the same slums. Rowen, Gerald, Ronald, Joseph and Cillian, only five of them were chosen for this exploration of the village and every single one of them knew that it was a inadequate number of people. They mused about the mental capacity of their higher ups but none spoke out about it. Gerald was the oldest among the bunch, he was well respected too, Ronald was a genuinely kind guy whom Cillian was really close with. Joseph was quiet but not distant he just doesn''t speak unless he is spoken to, Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Rowen was the youngest of them his age was the same as Cassian''s and his easy going nature was well received. All in all they were a interesting bunch, Cillian respected Gerald like the others whereas he found Joseph as a bit shy. Rowen was easy to talk to and vent, Cillian appreciated him for that. They all walked in silence, towards the gates, A walk surrounded by agricultural lands will lead them to the village. The city gates were a 5 minutes walk away and it was mostly used by the peasants and adventurers. The peasants needed it for farming and the adventurers could enter the lands of no return easier. There was no fee for peasants and knight orders but the adventurers had fees which made most of the newbies take the easier route, the Wiccan forest. Although it was a normal forest in the past, the witch trials made it uninhabitable and it caused the City''s geographical layout to become a mess. Along with the lands of no returns, they both twisted the geography of the city making it unable to progress and it''s territories to become stagnant. Over half of the City was surrounded by the forest, the other half was given to small villages of farmers. The food shortages in Astreaea existed long before the queen''s rule and thus other than a few villages and the inn, the remaining land was fully dedicated to agriculture. You can see the golden paddies surrounded a small trails mad for humans, peasants doing their best to provide for their family, It painted a beautiful picture if you gaze at them during the sunrise or the sunset. The streets didn''t have any lack of beggars, the state of the kingdom has hit an all time low due to the queen''s administration. Cillian gazed at each beggar he passed, their raggedy plates filled with money from the church''s donations and the kindness of others. They passed by them, Cillian eyes met with theirs, their malnutritioned body made him hesitate. Their eyes, he has seen them for countless times but he never got used to it. Sometimes he went out of his way to help someone like them in need when they had the same living conditions has them. It made him hesitate but not enough to stop, He knew the church gave them weekly donations for food. The church money on their plate only showed a fraction of what they received, the beggars were greedy, instead of trying to make their life better they got used to the laziness of their current life. Both Cassian and Cillian detested people like these. Detest is a strong word, they clung to despair and lived of of the pity of others. The other''s were the same, they too came from poverty but unlike these beggars they climbed out from the despair. Cillian looked into their eyes, a habit he had from young he always did it when he spoke to strangers. The slight shifts and shape of their eyes made him be able to guess their emotions. Mostly, some failures were fated to happen. He saw exhaustion, failure, resignation and other unexplainable emotions. He saw those exact emotions from a beggar who was staring blankly into the distance, not even batting an eye when a kid snatched coins from his bowl. ''Oh.'' A sudden sense of realisation hit him. They weren''t clinging to despair, they were swallowed whole. They were waiting for their inevitable death so another can take their place. They were tired of living, they merely existed and survived. They weren''t living, if you compare an undead to them, the undead would seem more alive. They weren''t living, they were surviving without reason. The exhaustion of life and the fear of death gnawed at their hearts. They were miserable. A miserable existence. Cillian took his eyes away from them, the last thing they need is pity. Trying to save a suicidal man is futile. Everything is futile in this world if you think about it. However. Futility doesn''t mean you should be a fleeting existence in your story. No matter how futile it seems keep moving forward. At the end, what you gained or what you lost doesn''t matter. What matters is the journey and the ending you gave to that journey. That''s why Cillian pities them yet finds their stagnant existence detestable. Village The village: Inside a house long abandoned, a young man sat inside with his back leaning against the cold wooden wall while he loosely clutched a crossbow in his arms. He had short wavy black hair, freckles decorated his face and a bit fat clung to his cheeks. He was Rowen and he was tasked with guarding their food supplies. They chose the house closest to the exit and voted on who should be the one guarding their stuff and naturally everyone pointed at him. He was the youngest after all. ''A day, that''s the time limit.'' If they don''t return within a day then he should head back and report. And if the sound of a whistle was blown, he should run without looking back. Precautions that Gerald himself thought up of and a genius one at that. A waterpouch layed by his side, thirst gripped his throat and forced him to pick it up. He poured the water into his mouth, gulping down the entire water stored inside within a single shot. The cold atmosphere made him shiver and the only source of light was the sunset that passed through the wooden window. He would close it soon when it gets dark, the candles they brought would be the only source of light remaining. Eerie and creepy. Just how Rowen liked it. ''I wonder if they met any difficulties.'' Although he liked the fact that they were going on a search related to the supernatural, he was still worried about his companions. He thought about the possibility. ''Gerald would handle it.'' A sentence spoken by many. Atleast once have this sentence been uttered by them. And what if he can''t? What if it was too much for him? Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ''Gerald would handle it.'' It doesn''t matter if it''s too much for him, he would handle it. Rowen stared at the fading light, darkness crept through the corners of the house. He sighed, picked up a piece of wood burning at the fireplace and lit the candles which was spread throughout the house. He approached the window, a cold breeze passed inside which flickered the candles but they stood strong. He stared into the distance, the farmers leaving towards their home after a long day at work with their kids, their smiles of struggles yet happiness made him feel warm. The people intentionally avoided getting close to the village he stayed at, which he was thankful for, they didn''t want any mishaps involving the innocents during their search. He stayed there for a long time, staring into the distance as the sun disappeared into the horizon and thus came the coldness of the night together with its darkness. He sat back at his usual spot, his armor clinking against the wall, the eerie atmosphere awakened something in him. An excited smile crept its way into his face. The isolation, the gripping atmosphere and the unforseen danger, they all made adrenaline course through his veins. After all he was a fan of the supernatural and the excitement he received from this was never experienced by him. He thought back to the days in the slums, he along with his friends explored the graveyards at his persuasive request and the little hotheaded Cassian also followed behind them. Although he was fascinated by the supernatural, he was still frightened by it. These two conflicted emotions gave him life like no other emotions could. His grip on the bow tightened as these emotions wrapped around his heart. ******** The village was dead silent, the darkness swallowed it whole and no signs of life could found inside it. In the darkness of the night, a small ball of light illuminated it, a man held a lantern in his hand while another followed him. Gerald was a gruffy man of high stature, he had ginger hair and a thick ginger beard. Following him closely behind was Cillian, Cassian''s brother and the second silence of the night made them silent too. Gerald sighed, he and his companions were chosen due to his trustworthiness and he felt he was to blame. The frustration of responsibility made his bones weak. The pressure of trustworthiness was no joke. ''Gerald would handle it.'' He detested that sentence. That single sentence gave him inexplicable pressure. Being a leader might''ve seemed honorable and respectable but the pressure given by it would make anyone buckle. If Gerald had a chance, he would''ve been a sheep rather than the herder. During his time as a naive and immature lad, He took on the responsibility and made himself as a leader to the immature children who joined the knight order training to put food on their tables unlike the honorable reason they told others. That decision brought him despair over time. His comrades, his superiors, they all saw him as a machine of trust. Not a fellow human with flaws but a perfect human instead. Although he seemed healthy physically, the mental strain was insane. Maybe that''s why he respected Cillian the most, he was willing to overlook his failures and accept him as himself. It was a breath of relief. If someone like Cillian didn''t exist he would''ve have collaps..no he would be the same. His description of responsibility and pressure may seem like despair and although it is the truth it doesn''t mean he hadn''t gotten used to it. Gerald was no stranger to pressure. It motivated him to stand up by himself but he knew it could also be his downfall if he blundered. It was waiting for him to fail so they can devour him whole. "So.." He looked back, there was no one in sight but the clunking footsteps made sure that Cillian was following him. "I heard about Cassian." He was going to ask the question no one dared to ask Cillian, the whereabouts of Cassian. Cillian understood Gerald''s approach and answered his curiosity before Gerald could pose a question. "His corpse hasn''t been found." The detached tone of Cillian might make anyone believe that the relationship between the brothers were strained. But Gerald who had known them since he could remember knew, that Cillian had undying trust in Cassian. Gerald hummed in agreement, their conversation was kept short, it was better to be quiet during an exploration of unknown danger. He thought back to his plan, although it wasn''t a foolproof plan it was still decent. He and Cillian went one way while Joseph and Ronald searched the other. Rowen was guarding their supplies and he was the only weak link. If he was attacked it meant that their enemies were closing in from the exit and surrounded them. Like I said it was waiting for Gerald to slip. But Gerald was no stranger right? At first he survived the pressure but now? He was taking small steps to thrive on it. -whistle- A whistle blew from the distance, it made him stop with a frown. He froze, the darkness crept in from his surroundings, maybe he failed? Maybe the pressure broke him? It came from area where Joseph and Ronald were sent to explore. But the frown loosened from his face when he listened closely. It wasn''t a whistle of danger. He turned back and whispered to Cillian who was covered by darkness, "It seems like they have discovered something." Impostor The village: Inside a house, made of clay and stones, two men were seemingly searching for something, the darkness of the house was illuminated by a small lantern held by the shorter man and the other one just quietly followed behind him. Ronald and Joseph had seperated from Cillian and Gerald as per Gerald''s order and they were now conducting a search of their own. They agreed without much resistance, Joseph wouldn''t mind who he went with and Ronald just wanted to get this over with and leave this abandoned village. Ronald stared at the rotten wooden table in the centre of house, Joseph had a frown on his nose as they both stood in silence. "It''s Oak wood, it''s a bit suspicious and we haven''t came across anything like that here." Oak wood was more resistant towards rot but he can''t be sure, maybe it was very old. But the village has been only built for 12 years Joseph rarely spoke and when he did so it was for something important, Ronald turned to face Joseph with a low voice, "Although it''s suspicious we can''t scratch off the possibility it''s natural rot,So let''s leave and search another house." Joseph turned towards the open door, the darkness in the distance did not sit well with them. No one among them liked the darkness even Rowen hated it despite his love for the supernatural. He gasped, the cold air filled his lungs, "No signs of danger has been found yet, the church will conduct a search by themselves after our report goes through." Confusion was apparent in his voice. The church decided to see if the influence of the supernatural still remained here which was the ''reason'' they told them. "Really makes you wonder why they sent us here if they had already decided to sent the blessed ones." Ronald shared the same confusion as Joseph, they all did. If the village was deemed safe then the kingdom would repopulate the village, From what they heard it seems like the kingdom is willing to sent over the refugees they received from the sea. The reason for the absence of life inside the village were the heretics that did a mass sacrifice inside the Wiccan forest. Ronald sighed, he felt bad for the people involved in the mass cult sacrifice and he even pitied Cillian after he heard Cassian was abducted by them. But he didn''t show that pity outwards, Cillian wouldn''t mind it but Cassian despised pity. He would pity others but wont receive it from others. Ronald however can''t stop it, that''s how he is, he was kind. A genuine kindness. He didn''t why he was like that, he listened to hsi heart more than his brain and that earned him respect. Maybe it was his nature to be kind? He didn''t know but he wasn''t complaining either. It brought him no joy nor satisfaction, he just did it. There were no purpose or thoughts behind his actions. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. They both left the house, the lamp might burn for another 30 minutes before it gets extinguished and if they want to refill it, they need to go back to Rowen. ******** The village: Ronald walked infront of me, the lamp in his hands burned brightly but the shadows still managed to devour our surroundings. The light made his face visible in the darkness and I could see the fear in his eyes increasing. The eyes don''t lie, a trait I picked up from Cillian. The eerie silence was also creeping me out but not as much as him, what made my heart pound wasn''t fear but the feeling of something wrong. It crept around like nails prickling my skin, my paranoia trying its best to make me turn around but I didn''t listen. The village so far has been normal, the only thing that makes me question its legitimacy is the unending darkness. It was so dense it made an illusion of being solid, I know the others also had the same idea but they were acting oblivious. If we don''t notice them they might leave us. I sighed in my mind, I just wanted to return to my cozy bed and sleep my days away. Thud. Something...no someone fell, I looked forward and saw the absence of the lamp, the light from it vanished and the darkness took over. I walked forward, my each step calculated and as I guessed a huge hole was in the middle of the path. The lamp was on the ground and Ronald too. "You okay?" I shouted towards him, no answer came. But something picked up the lamp, "Yeah, sorry I didn''t notice the fall." It was ''Ronald'', the lamp illuminated his smiling face, my face remained as stoic as ever as I shouted back again, "I''ll search for ropes to get you out!" He seemed in thought and after a few moments he yelled back, "Sure but can you use the whistle to call them, this tunnel seems to be what we were looking for!" I nodded. He nodded along. I turned around without sparing a glance at ''Ronald'' again and I ran. I ran towards the area where Gerald and Cillian were searching. As I ran, I took out a whistle from my bag, it was not the one used for emergency, it was used if you find something of notice. I didn''t want to alert that creature afterall. That was not Ronald. Although I didn''t know the exact depth of the tunnel I knew it was pretty deep and no normal human can survive that fall without atleast a broken arm or leg. And he nodded along with me, why would he do that? And how did he know I nodded even though the light could only illuminate his face? The whistle blew, my speed increased, I reached for the spiked mace I hung on my belt. I ran and ran, the darkness stretching endlessly, my footsteps echoed in the silent night of the unknown. The ever increasing paranoia gripped at my heart maybe survival wouldn''t be possible against such a creature. But I would survive. ''It can imitate Ronald perfectly, but the uncanny vibes it gave out helped me differentiate him but what can I say about the others?'' Can he trust the ''Gerald'' and ''Cillian'' whom might be heading his way? No matter how perfectly you imitate a human it would be just a ''doll'' without emotions. "Joseph!? Is that you?" As I was long in thought a gruffy voice called out, a lamp appeared in the distance, I didn''t answer nor stop I ran past it. It didn''t stop me, I know it wouldn''t. How would it stop me? As I passed it I took a close looked at the creature''s body, only the head remained normal. Everything else? Goat. The unnatural goat body bore a unfitting human head. The hooves turned around or chase but how can a goat surpass a human? But that''s no normal goat, isn''t it? So I ignored. I ran. Change of plans, leave the village alone. No blame would be placed on me. This was something Gerald himself told us before entering the village. ''As long as one survives and tells the tale we don''t mind sacrificing ourselves.'' A remarkable man indeed. The question is...how would I escape? ******** At the same time: "Honey! Open the door." Inside a long abandoned house, filled with lit candles, a woman gently knocked on the door. A man of about 19 could be seen inside the house, deep inside the dark corner, shivering in fear. His shaking hands clutched the loaded crossbow and his closed shut eyes narrowly opened to look towards the window he had previously closed. Something was pushing it from the outside, the hinges of the wooden window creaked and through the small gap some strands of hair was let inside the house, an eye peeked through, searching deep inside the house. Rowen was sitting on its blind spot, he changed his focus to the door, and the small window next to it. It was open which filled him with dread and what made him so frightened was the neck. Yes the long twisted neck. The woman had wrapped her neck around the house. Or that''s what it seemed like. He wanted to close it but he didn''t want to alert her. He knew the moment the hinges break or the moment she tries to see through the open window, he is dead. His heart pounded, goosebumps constantly covered him, fear shook him to the core. The more he looked the more he feared. He buried his face into his knees, his hand tightly clutching the crossbow. He didn''t know how long he sat there for. The knocking stopped along with the woman''s noise, his eyes were closed shut. ''If I don''t gaze at her I won''t get frightened right?'' This thought etched onto him. Rowen surrendered to fear. Rowan was a coward, someone who is fascinated by the unknown and the supernatural but he is also someone who would rather die than glimpse at it. A pathetic man. That''s what Cassian called him. And maybe he was right. The sound of wooden planks splintering was heard throughout the eerie silence, the window has been broken. Hesitation.. He hesitated. But fear overcame that hesitation. Blood spilled from his mouth, it dripped onto the crossbow he held, Rowen bit his own tongue out. Despite his fascination towards the supernatural, he knew some things are better left unnoticed. ''If you are afraid to face your fears it''s better to kill yourself rather than put up a humiliating resistance.'' Those words... Cassian truly was different from others. He chose suicide rather than overcoming his fears. But remember he is a coward. He didn''t completely bite of his tongue, only a small cut was inflicted. He is also afraid of death, isn''t he? He is pathetic, isn''t he? The village which seemed normal overturned and became something sinister. The squires who entered he village has been trapped inside. All hope has been lost. Lost I lightly jogged, it was better to save up my stamina rather than go on a full on sprint without knowing what''s ahead. The goat creature followed behind me, its speed can''t even match a normal goat which gave me more confidence to jog rather than sprint. The face of Gerald was impassive, goat cries escaped from its closed mouth and the lamp it held was burning endlessly. A singular human hand attached to its back carried the lamp and the ever consuming darkness slowly closed in the lamp''s light. It didn''t seem to be getting tired. But me? Exhaustion filled my bones, I didn''t know how long it has been since I started running, maybe the fake ''Ronald'' noticed my escape. I assume Ronald to be dead, his death was way too abrupt, not even a scream or resistance could be seen. Horrifying. If ''it'' could kill him that instantly why did it not do the same with me? The sound of goat hooves cluttering on the ground reached my ears. Oh how I hated it. The sound was delayed, it could only be heard when it leaps onto the air and when it lands, it''s dead silent. Escape and report. We decided on that before entering the village. As long as atleast one of us manages to escape. But I''m not that heartless, am I? My survival comes first but why should I survive? What''s after survival? Simply survive? How is that different from death? Eventually you will get tired of surviving. Without them I have no joy or purpose in living. Ronald might not be dead and if there''s a sliver of possibility I will save him. It might seem stupid but this isn''t out of logic of survival, it''s out of morality and loyalty. My pace remained the same, the fear of another pit on the road seemed possible but I have no option to stop. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. It might seem comical, a man running on a leisure pace while a goat creature follows him. I ran in the dark, the fear of collision was forgotten and it was no different from being blind. It felt suffocating, the endless tangile darkness remained indifferent, whatever happens inside will never reach the light. Fear gripped my heart, the goat cries changed to wails and laughter. Human laughter with a demonic touch. It was mocking me, infuriating. Gerald and Cillian went together, Rowen is alone in the house where we have stored our supplies. I hesitated, ''Ronald'' might have already noticed it so there''s no need to hide it now. I took a whistle from my pouch and blew. It was the whistle of danger, the cue for Rowen to escape without looking back. But Rowen is alone by himself, a perfect opportunity for these creatures. Which meant that Rowen might not be alive anymore. Instead of Rowen, ''Rowen'' might be there. I sighed, the fear of the unknown didn''t sit well with me. I wasn''t really afraid of it, just uncomfortable. But now? I felt fear. My heart pounded, I wanted to dig a pit and hide, maybe bargain or just sleep. If I fell unconscious, I won''t be able to witness them right? What frightened me wasn''t the creature itself but the suffocating darkness. As long as a physical body is present it meant I could fight back. But how can I fight darkness? I felt like a blind man in search of eyes. During this futile attempt at escape, I have stumbled and fell numerous times but I still stood up. Giving up wasn''t an option for me. ******** The village: Gerald sat on the floor, his hands gripping his hair tightly, his expression remained unknown as his head hung low. Cillian gazed onto the outside sight, his figure hiding behind the window to not notify the creatures. They were on their way towards Joseph and Ronald but we''re forced to hide in this two story building. Their lamp had long been extinguished, the only source of light being the lamps held by the ''Geralds'', ''Ronalds'', ''Rowens'', ''Josephs'' and the ''Cillians''. Goat bodies with human heads, a tale of folklore turned true overnight. The pressure proved to be too much for Gerald, Cillian felt frustration rise in his heart, the situation of others were unknown. All in all, it was hopeless. Gerald sighed in his heart, they didn''t even dare to breath loudly as not to alert the creatures. His plan of atleast one surviving proved to be futile, the enemy''s goals remained unknown along with that they are capable of. ''Are they mocking us or are they trying to save time by frightening us?'' He thought about it, why would they try to frighten them if they could kill them right away? That meant they were incapable of that right? He stood up, his mind made up, he walked towards the window, his hands on the wall guiding him towards Cillian. Eventually his fingers grazed against Cillian, he tapped his shoulder, a sign to leave. Cillian turned away from the window, it was time to leave. They came face to face, the darkness his their expression but they both knew they were ready. However. Something felt wrong. Even if they were quiet due to the monsters outside and despite the darkness covering their faces, something felt wrong.. Cillian felt wrong.. Gerald moved his hand towards Cillian''s face, trying his best to take in his features. An outstretched grin, dry skin, no nose, the distance between the eyebrows and the eyes were too high, his face was long like a horse... Gerald took back his shaking hands, the urge to scream collided with the lump in his throat, the darkness and the unknown entity in the darkness made him fall onto the floor. Gerald wasn''t with Cillian anymore. He was alone, with a creature of horror. ******** Darkness: My breath hitched, I don''t know how long it has been since I started running, the goat still followed me, its speed slightly increasing by the moment as if to mock my exhaustion. Its laughter, a mix of human and goat cries, something that makes you stay up at night. My legs were starting to betray me, the exhaustion and pain made it want relief rather than escape from this hell. I have long abandoned my mace, not willingly, it just slipped out from my hand. I don''t know what''s the situation at the other side, maybe they are suffering the same thing as me or something worse or maybe they noticed it before me and escaped. Or maybe they''re dead.. No not dead, their lives would be carried out by these fakes. Cold death, hidden by the darkness, identity stolen and died in fear and not knowing why they deserved this. A rock, hidden by the darkness, made me stumble, my hands raised in reflex and I avoided my face being planted onto the ground. The goat got close, its laughter was so close to my ear, despite my exhaustion the fear made me stand up and run. And run and run, like a machine of cowardice. Eventually I''ll get tired and won''t even be able to move, what would happen then? Just where did everything go wrong? I have been running for too long, I might''ve escaped the village by now, it was a small village but the darkness made me question my perception of time and distance. No I''m sure the distance I''ve ran was enough to escape the village, so why? So why haven''t I stepped on a any paddies surrounding the village yet? Don''t tell me.. Am I lost? Lost inside the darkness? And thus Joseph was wandering inside the cold and inevitable darkness, lost without direction nor help. The isolating darkness made him hallucinate, the goat creature has disappeared long ago but he still ran. The laughter disappeared but he still ran. It became a second nature, etched into his mind. Run. And run he did. Until exhaustion took over and he was left in the cold night, alone. All alone. Cloud Lands of no return: My head spun, the hunger in my bones made it so brittle that I couldn''t even raise my arms, different sorts of colours appeared from the corner of my eyes as I forced my body to move. My legs sunk into the ground with each step, slightly wet due the moisture trapped inside the ground. The ground was strange, soft and squishy, like clouds and the sweet smell they released smelled like apples. No matter how much it tried to make me take a bit, I didn''t. If I did, I won''t be alive anymore. Callon was missing, Sero was walking infront of me, indifferent, all he had to do was to guide me, he didn''t mind if I died or not. My cheeks had sunken, the hollowness in my stomach ate at itself, usually 2 weeks of starvation won''t be this severe from what I heard but the properties of the blood well made it severe. If only, if only I got something to eat. Anything. Even rocks. I couldn''t really blame Elgor, can I? He was just trying to survive. Everyone wants to survive. Hunger can make a man do things that he may regret for the rest of his lives. Pitiful really. Starvation is a pitiful and horrifying experience. However no matter Elgor''s reasons, I still hate him. And yet I pity him. The fog was gentle, like a breeze and the cloudy surface made up for the most comfortable bed I have ever touched. However, sleeping wasn''t an option. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. I forced myself to dodge the incoming foot, a giant foot to be exact. The clouds broke my fall and I immediately sat up, staring at the giant cloud legs marching without a destination. No not one, thousands of such giants were present here but the fog didn''t really help with my sight. Their whole body was hidden by the fog, you can only see them when they''re on their way to stomp you to death. No tremors, no build ups, you either keep your eyes peeled to notice them or you die. Unlike those barren lands, this wasn''t an uncharted area. It was explored by a lot of adventurers and was given the name¨C Marching clouds. The ground here, as I described previously is very soft and the smell coming from it can persuade you to try them. They taste exactly as they smell, sweet. But after a few hours, people might notice their body turn to clouds and there''s no way to stop it. They turn into a cloud statue which vaguely looks like their former self. I have come across 5 or 6 of them right now, My body was shaking, eyes blurring, on the verge of death. Just lumps of clouds put against eachother to poorly imitate a humanoid body. Like a child''s clay model. My legs still kept on moving, although my regeneration could seem like it could save me from a few stomps from these giants, it can''t. Similar to eating the clouds, the giants can turn you into cloud statues too if you touch them. Callon has been missing since the moment I came to my senses. Only three options, he abandoned me, he got turned into a cloud or we were separated due to the fog. If he died it would make me.. Sad? I don''t know how I would feel. I can''t really care about it now.. I''m on the verge of death but the blade of death isn''t sharp enough. The starvation has already started to work numbers on my head. I, I feel like an undead.. Alive yet dead. Maybe I''m similar to these mindless giants. Marching without purpose. The regeneration kept me alive, pain disappears from my body after only a few moments, it may seem like it''s saving me but it''s not. It''s torturing me. But it''s still helping me. Without a legacy how can I be remembered? Without living how can I create such a legacy? Without living how can I feed my curiosity? So, Endure. Endure. But for how long? And what next? The axe tied to my belt dangled loosely towards the ground, sometimes hitting my thighs. I''m tired. Seriously. I want to sleep. I want to eat. I want rest, I can''t keep moving like this. I am no beast, I''m human. I want to stop, lay down, give up and maybe turn into a lump of clouds, existing forever as a statue. Seems nice.. But horrifying. Trapped for an eternity inside a body you can''t control seems horrifying. No it doesn''t seem, it is horrifying. Sero kept on walking, his uncaring attitude towards my suffering really made me wonder¨C Even if they''re called a wandering soul, do they really have a soul? I want to give up and rest. It has been a long time since I relaxed without fear. And yet my body kept on moving. Moving forward, I didn''t even need to control my body or maybe the lack of sleep and food made it seems so. Moving forward.. It became an instinct in me. I wanted to cry. But my body was too weak to produce tears. Just where did it go wrong? I miss home, I miss my brother and his friends, I miss the food from Astria. I want to go bac..No. I don''t want to go back. My heart is conflicted, should turn back or move forward? If I turn back, will I be able to return, will the place I call home still remain? Will I remember the path towards home? No. I forgot. Even Cillian''s face is vague in my memories. So I can only move forward right? With the hopes of being at a better place, maybe a safe zone. So I kept on walking despite my body''s screams for rest. Hunger gnawed at me, trying to eat whatever remaining muscles I had, my stomach touched my spine, an emptiness formed inside my stomach. My eyes blinked, each blink adding more darkness, trying to sleep but I won''t allow my body to do that. Sleep deprived and starved, I kept on walking. I wonder how they would react if they found out I don''t remember their face. Would they get frustrated or would they try to make me remember them. Or like me, they also forgot about me. My mind is fading, my fleeting existence seemed futile yet purposeful as I walked on this cloudy terrain with no destination. I felt miserable. I am miserable. Past His feet sunk into the ground, the smell of freshly peeled apples called upon him, His legs begging for release and his stomach begging for energy. Callon don''t remember what happened after he passed over from the barren lands to the marching clouds, Cassian was nowhere to be seen and he himself couldn''t navigate around. His wandering soul was besides him, walking in silence while he panted and gasped for air, Thirst gripped his throat like never before. ''Is he alive?'' Instead of worrying about himself, he was worried about Cassian. No it can''t be called ''worrying'', more like... He didn''t know. He wouldn''t be sad if he died but preferred him to be alive. Is that considered being ''worried''? He didn''t know. The cloudy surface was cold, gentle fog brushed past his skin, the cloud statues frequently reminding him of the dangers of these lands. Food and water. Essential for living. A luxury given to humans by the gods themselves. A luxury that Callon and Cassian can''t experience right now. Or anymore. The marching giants and their threatening steps were both fascinating and terrifying. Those lumps of clouds vaguely forming a leg. Callon joined the veteran Elgor for benefits. But all he got was the cold reality. He was humbled. The ember of greed in his heart has been humbled. The greed of validation has been humbled. But not extinguished. He just needed to add fuel, so the fire can burn. Burn brightly. Either it burns out or it burns forever. Depends on the fuel. Will he himself be a good enough fuel for this fire? The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. He didn''t know. But it''s worth a try. And he can''t turn back now, can he? He had only been starving for 5 days, Cassian? More. Water isn''t hard to get, mana can make it. Food? Mana can but he can''t. If he isn''t wrong, he can go maximum two weeks without food. And after that? Death. There''s no getting around it. No luck, no willpower, no endurance. Death by starvation. ''So is he dead?'' Cassian''s regeneration wasn''t a secret anymore. Although it suprised Callon that Cassian was a blessed. Natural mana doesn''t support healing. If something was supposed to be injured or dead, they should stay injured or dead. But regeneration? It''s a god''s gift. Cassian was blessed by a god. But his regeneration doesn''t seem all powerful. He still needs food, water, shelter and everything a mortal needs. He is still a mortal. And he has seen his condition during the blood well fight. And he can vaguely guess his current condition. Marching on without purpose.. Most people would break, they would surrender. But not Cassian. He lives, he survives. He may not win, he may lose but he will survive. Surviving for purpose. Which leads to the question. If Cassian never got food, would he died from starvation? Or would his body eat himself due to his regeneration keeping him alive. And at the end there''s nothing left, only a corpse with consciousness. Would that be considered ''death''. Eventually the consciousness would go crazy and it would ''die'' too right? Would it be considered true death? Alive yet dead. Would Cassian end up as a husk or would he shine? It depends on how he uses his regeneration. Callon kept on walking, he will try to find Cassian on the way and if he can''t find him even after reaching the area''s edge, he will give up. And thus he kept on walking. ******** I glanced at the woman kneeling infront of me, Her eyes glaring at me with disgust. To which I can understand but never sympathise. She looked similar to a human, incredibly beautiful too except for those two goat horns sticking out from her forehead. I leaned back against the throne, her throne. The smell of blood still remained fresh inside the temple of Lilith, the plan went smoothly and I.. I succeeded. Edom has fallen. And yet a hollow feeling remains in my heart. Lilith remained silent, kneeling, her eyes glancing at the surviving demons, maybe thinking of a way to save them. Too bad, they''re all going to die. It was necessary for the demons to be eradicated. Not because they threatened the rise of humans, even if they tried they can''t. It''s because, the mother, doesn''t allow their race to exist anymore. The will of the universe is my will. The universe birthed humanity for balance and balance it shall receive. That''s my, Adam''s, promise. Lilith tried to speak up, commendation considering that I ripped her throat away a moment ago for trying to speak. The regeneration factor of demons are really interesting. Regeneration.. Why does that ring a bell? "Adam.." A raspy voice called out, Lilith raised her head and I could see disgust in her eyes for calling me by name. Hmm? Although she regenerated her voice isn''t back completely. And she feels it''s humiliating to beg huh? A ruler never begs their subjects. Quite unfortunate. She continued, the pain broke her voice a couple of times but she still finished her sentence. "I know you despise us..but as your former bride, I ask you this favour...please let the remaining demons escape.." Wrong. She was wrong. I don''t despise them. I am indifferent towards them. I stared at her face with my blue eyes, I could see her helplessness, exhaustion and genuine concern for her species. Oh.. No. A certain feeling rose in my heart, pity. A feeling I never had before. I felt pity towards her and the demons. Doubts invaded my mind. Why did I do this? Why would I betray them for a universe that never cared about me? Thoughts which went against my code intruded my mind. It felt like blasphemy to have such thoughts of the mother universe. I wasn''t supposed to have these kinds of thoughts. Oh wait. These thoughts aren''t mine. These thoughts aren''t supposed to be Adam''s. Adam is a bland character. He has no ambition, no resolution, no personal opinions. A puppet made by nature to eradicate the demons. When the demons get eradicated, humanity will rise. And more importantly, the fog will be released. The empty throne of the end could be claimed. These thoughts he just had weren''t his, these were from another person. Another human. He frantically looked around, the throne room looked normal but something felt off. The shadow and the light didn''t align, the corners looked crude, the demon''s started to loose their features, he looked towards the far off door which seemed to be drawn onto the wall. Someone was observing him, as a vision. A descendant maybe. Maybe someone was watching the past from his perspective. Only three humans were present by now, so only a human of the future can see him. Why was he sure it was a human? He don''t know.. He is merely a vision from the past. A past long forgotten, long hidden by the fog. A past humanity never wants to remember. A past of bloodshed. Then let it be forgotten. But don''t invade my mind. For my descendant who is watching this, I will something to you. When the empty thrones are usurped, When the false kings are freed, When the throne of the end is claimed, The universe will go back to its slumber. As the weights of these words settled in, the temple disappeared, the kneeling Lilith turned into a pile of flesh, the remaining demons turned into undeads. The throne room remained the same but forgotten. Adam stared at his hands, they weren''t the pristine soft hands he had, they were rough and tough as leather, filled with callouses. His soft blond hair had turned black. He sighed. Cassian sighed. Starvation had already made him go crazy. Vision Throne room: I sighed as I leaned back into the throne, The white robes Adam wore clung to my body like a second skin. The coldness permeating from the throne seeped through it bringing a chill down my spine. The throne room grew eerie and silent, the shadows and lights grew stranger and stranger, the kneeling figures started distorting and the distance between the drawn door increased. Staying here may seem frightening but I would choose this over marching like a corpse anyday. I gently touched my stomach, the hollowness was gone and the creeping hunger had disappeared. I was finally free from starvation. I smiled, how long has it been since I genuinely smiled? Safe. I felt safe. When was the last time I felt safe? When? Oh I remember when.. My body jolted, I stood up. How long.. How long has been since I started observing Adam? My barefoot made contact with the chilling floor, the demons raised their heads as they flared at me. The flesh lump looked similar to those ancient humans. Hair, teeth, mouth, tongue, ear, nose etc. An amalgamation. Nature nor god had any hand in the creation of those creatures. The flesh squirmed on the ground, I stepped over it. The shadows on the ground made for the illusion of a great pit threatening to swallow me whole, I stepped over it. The demons glared at me, waiting to rip me to shreds as I approached them, I walked passed them. When was the last time I felt safe? The cocoon. But was I truly safe inside that cocoon? No. Not at all. So what would be the difference between this place and the cocoon. I ran towards the door, even if it is not real, I will break these walls to escape. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. What happened to my body? Is it marching on like a dead soul, wandering without purpose? Or has it been turned into a lump of clouds? Or did the starvation shatter my mind and all this is a fragment of my imagination? Who knows. I ran. The shadows loomed over, trying to stop but I didn''t surrender. Just as I was about to reach the door, I stepped on a shadow. No it wasn''t a shadow, not a normal one. A pit of darkness. I fell. The momentary confusion forced me to look up, my eyes glued to the last bit of light coming from the surface till they all disappeared. I landed with a splash, sticky liquid dripping all over my body. A metallic and rotten smell wafted my nose. A smell I was a bit too familiar with. The smell of corpses. The fragrance used to decorate the blood well. It was complete darkness, the cold liquid constantly forcing me to swim for air. The well wasn''t fully filled, if it was I would be dead. Only the bottom was filled and the depth was more than thrice my size. Torture. You''d have to constantly stay awake not to drown and the eternal darkness would shatter your brain. But I don''t have any time to waste here, this is nothing but a dream, a vision. I need to return to reality. Escape from this dream. But how? Dream... If you sleep you will at times dream. I can wait. I''m patient. But not now. I closed my eyes, trying to fall asleep maybe I can sleep in my dream to wake up? I don''t even know. I''m desperate. If I lose my body in the reality I will lose everything. I haven''t built my legacy yet. I haven''t satisfied my curiosity yet. I can''t stop here. The freezing liquid which I assume to be blood doesn''t seem to get the idea. Just how am I supposed to sleep here. I just want to return. I can endure the starvation and thrust just.. Just let me return. Trapped. I''m trapped. My legs constantly paddled, keeping me afloat, the water sometimes accidentally leaks into my mouth. The rotten blood was awful. I can taste.. If. What if, what if this actually was my body? No no let''s not go there. I''m desperate but delusions won''t solve it. Just how can I escape this? Nothing is here to save me? What am I supposed to do now!? Pray? Beg for a god that would waste his time on something else rather than helping their subjects? Beg? Beg who? Fight? How? Succumb to it? Surrender.. Surrendering seems nice. Doesn''t it. A temporal releif for eternal suffering seems nice, doesn''t it. I raised my hand from the water and gripped my throat tight. I gritted my teeth and ripped my throat off. It hurts. The sleep deprivation and starvation from before had kept my brain distracted during the fight with those undeads. But now? I was completely awake. Not completely. I''m still trapped inside a vision. A vision of the past. Blood rapidly gushed out from my throat, warm blood met cold blood, my eyelids seemed heavy and they dropped. No regeneration. The blessing of the horned god was nowhere to be seen. My body lost control as I slowly fell to the bottom. Losing consciousness.. Or so I thought. ''Why am I still alive?'' It was still here. Even when the cold blood covered my open eyes, when my whole body sunk, it was here. My consciousness was still here. My body was still working. I inhaled the cold and pungent blood, drowning myself. But despite that, I was still alive. Oh, how I envy those who died during the sacrifice. And thus Cassian sunk deeply, into the cold and deep well, hidden by darkness. He was lost in time. He was lost in a vision of the past. He was drowned by it. ******** Marching clouds: Callon sighed, the constant reminder for food ringing in his stomach has been unanswered for a long time. His shoulders were slumped, his knees were sore from walking but he knew he can''t rest. Rest equals death. ... Cassian was nowhere to be seen. And I think I won''t be able to find him too. A shame really. He was a good ally and he knew when to keep his silence about the incident regarding Elgor. Truly a shame. The scent of apples around here frustrated me to no end. You can consume it but death will follow afterwards. What a messed up place. The lands of no return, truly a force of destruction and death. The fog started to clear, the layer around me has expanded upto 6 meters and I could see the giants before they can''t even enter the layer. The fog was that thin. I have to hope for a safe zone after passing this area. I hope the safe zone isn''t nothing like the starry dunes or anything like that. They have no resources. Well you can enter th kingdom of Astreaea from the starry dunes but not all could be said about the others. And the chances of me getting a safe is zone close to zero. I wouldn''t mind an area filled with people too, either they would ''accidentally'' stumble upon me and offer me help or I''d start pillaging. There''s no other options. Just as I was thinking about pillaging, a figure appeared in the distance. A single marching figure. Excitement rose in my heart, there''s only one person and I can dispose his body easily too. I walked towards him but he didn''t react. The fog concealed his noticable features unless I got close. I approached him with slow steps. Him? Still the same, the same rhythm, the same pace and no change in posture. Paranoia kicked in, that thing seemed a bit inhumane to be moving like that. It was too late for realisation as it came face to face. And yes it was inhumane. It made me speechless. A marching corpse with no resemblance to an alive human. It started to walk past me but I stopped it from moving forward. My hand gripped it''s shoulder, I could feel the skin sticking to the bones as if it''s a part of it. It''s face turned towards me. A face I could never forget no matter how little time we spent. Cassian has lost it. Deal Marching clouds: Callon sighed, sweat clung to his forehead as he carried a human on his shoulders, the human''s limbs were tied to stop him from moving, although small twitches could be seen on his legs. It was quite unnerving to see Cassian still walking, flailing his legs in the air even after Callon has picked him off the ground. Incomprehensible mumbling could be heard escaping from Cassian''s mouth but Callon had no time to listen to that. Well he did catch a few words. Empty thrones. That was the only thing that was clear to him. Everything was incomprehensible blabbering. Cassian''s water deprived throat still spoke, the hoarse sound similar to those of the undead. Well Cassian wasn''t any different from an undead, was he? Maybe if you compare them both, the undead may seem more sane. ... My shoulder felt sore, my eyes blinked and each the time the darkness increased, I can''t go on like this without sleep. But thankfully no matter where you start from inside the marching clouds, you can leave the area after a three day travel. By now at the very least two days have passed. Which meant that they were close to leaving. I adjusted my grip on Cassian''s legs to stop him from falling off, his slight movements on the leg kept on decreasing. He has run out of stamina. And I think he hasn''t completely lost it. Maybe, just maybe I can bring him back. Bring him.. But why? Would I get any benefits from this? No. So why? I don''t know. Is it because of his regeneration? That can''t be even if he has a blessing from a god it doesn''t seem that strong. Or do I think of him as a comrade, companion even. Do I? Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. I don''t know. This is on pure impulse. And I want to see him alive. Is this kindness? The ''emotion'' that I have been acting out for validation? Is this true kindness? It tastes bitter. It''s not take and give or taking everything, it''s giving and not expecting anything back. Kindness was bitter. A kind of bitter I like..no, a kind of bitter taste that I could endure. Frustration welled up in my heart, emotional attachment and feelings were all abandoned by me the moment I left my kingdom. So why? Why are they coming back to me? Haunting me endlessly. Was mother right all along? Was I truly kind like she said? No I wasn''t. How would the words that escaped a prostitute''s mouth be true? I''m a mistake. Half my life, that was my name. ''Mistake.'' But mistakes often end up as a success right? No. Mistakes are mistakes. And they should stay that way. I stopped my contemplation, the past can''t solve the current predicament nor was it able to fill my stomach. I focused on my way ahead, the thin fog has thickened and it would start to get difficult to dodge the marching giants from now on. The fog started to be heavy, along with Cassian''s weight it started to burden my shoulders. It was best for me to abandon him but I didn''t. I don''t know why I''m doing this but I''m sure I will see it through. I will stay as his companion if he can get his sanity back. I still need to think logically, don''t I? Despite my impulse to stay with him if he remains as a mindless human I will abandon him without second thought. As if agreeing Cassian mumbled something. I chuckled. That was a bit funny. ******** Cold blood went through my nose and into my lungs, it flooded my internal body through the massive tear that ran through my throat. I was immobile, not even being able to twitch a finger. I tried, I tried flailing my arms, I tried kicking my legs but nothing happened. The chilling sensation on my open eyes kept my mind from falling asleep. It felt nice.. Not too cold nor hot. It wasn''t in the middle either. A good type of coldness. The blood was thick, extremely so, it felt like slimy and seemed semi-solid. I could feel it squirming around and ultimately squirming inside me. Daron filled my vision, nothing could be heard by my ears. My sense of smell has long been lost. Only touch remained. Alongside pain. But pain was the least of my worries. An escape. I don''t know how long it has been since I''ve been trapped here, maybe I''ve been already turned into a cloud statue. Who knows. Ah... Anything. I will do anything to escape. "Anything." Suprise. My first response was suprise. I, I just spoke, didn''t I? And my sound was clear even under this squirming mess. The blood started to sizzle, it turned solid, my blood turned solid. I wasn''t able to breath the blood anymore which was a relief. Truly a relief. I was now buried in solidified blood, previously I was drowning in it. No.. It wasn''t blood. Eyes, teary eyes touched all over my body, tongues licked me, teethful of mouths bit onto me, hairs prickled my skin. A new kind of torture. Inside this small enclosure, it was claustrophobic and unnerving. Uncomfortable. I wanted to struggle but I couldn''t. I could only just sit there and experience it. I hated it. I truly hated it. Frustration. I''m frustrated. Death is easier, clinging to my dreams sounded nice but is there any hope for me to escape now? Just why? Who can answer me, just why? Is it due to my hatred of gods or something else. Why? The tongues stopped alongside the mouths. A deep guttural voice rang, almost rupturing my ear drums. Despite the darkness, I knew the voice came from those tongues and mouths. "Why not? After all we are a vision of the past." It was torture, their voice filled with pure agony. Some sounded like a child, an adult, a teen or some elderly and they all had something in common. Pains and wails. Thousands of souls were trapped inside a massive flesh heap. The pity I felt for Lilith has long been abandoned. She deserved it alongside those demons. Another voice came. "It''s fun isn''t it? We suffered the same but worse and have you ever felt grateful after we saved you Cassian?" Oh.. I know them. The ancient humans, the first ever humans, my ancestors whom were turned into a hivemind of flesh by Lilith. They are still suffering inside that temple, aren''t they? But what does that have to do with me? Frustration turned rage. I don''t care if I can''t move anymore. Do they think that them suffering makes it okay to torment me? I don''t care about them, matter of fact I''ve already forgotten about them. This sensation and their words just brought back memories of the temple despite only little time being passed. The guttural voice rang again, however this time they were laughing. Giggling children, mocking teenagers, joyful adults, raspy elders. Mocking me. They were mocking me. I just want to escape from this hell. "You said you''d do anything right? Why don''t you beg?" "You wouldn''t, your pride doesn''t allow you to." "So how about a deal?" Deal? Really? Would I accept it. Would it be something I accept? "Why don''t you be forgotten, erased from history and memories, and maybe we can help you escape." No- Out of reflex I said ''No''. However I wasn''t able to say it physically using my mouth. The only thing that escaped my mouth since entering this blood well was ''anything''. So, they knew I couldn''t answer. A cruel joke. My mind faded. I fell unconscious. Grateful The fog was thin, a cold sensation could be felt when it touched my skin and some droplets of water remained on my body. The fog was filled with moisture. Cassian was placed on the ground, no longer moving nor mumbling but still alive. I sat besides him, the sandy ground stuck to my wet clothes. Fruits. Lots of them. They all were placed between us, it was still a miracle that we stumbled upon a safe zone. I have already filled my stomach, Cassian however.. I crushed a pile of fruits, mostly apples and shoved it down his throat but it didn''t go down. I hate to get my hands dirty but I still had to do it. He involuntarily gagged and tried to spit it out but we don''t want that, do we? All it did was make him choke. Now how should I get around this? I sighed. Maybe I need crush them a bit more. And so I did. I slid it down his throat, my hand remained there until I was sure it went through. It went past his throat but I don''t know if it reached him stomach. Maybe it got stuck midway and he might be choking right now. A burden indeed. A burden I''ve decided to carry. I sat cross legged on the ground, the sand was fine and a huge coconut tree rose from the ground. We were in the Oasis islands, a safe zone. These islands were small, only 10 to 15 meters long and wide, they had coconut trees which bore fruits instead of coconuts. These fruits looked similar to their normal counterparts but tasted a bit more sweet. They were more colourful, shinier, not even a single imperfection could be seen. Too perfect. Perfect. Thousands of such Islands lined up, the ''ocean'' these islands resided in were shallow water. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Drinkable water ofcourse. These islands were perfect lined, not even one small mistake nor deformation and they all looked the same. I still can''t believe it. Starvation has stopped haunting us. Finally. But what about Cassian? I stared at him, the crushed up fruits might''ve already reached his stomach and to wash it down I''ve already forced water down his mouth. So I only need to wait. Three sleeps. Which may equate to three days. That''s how patient I am. Paranoia is still gripping my brain. It was strange that we found a safe at a crucial time. It was too convenient. The fact that we were on the verge of starvation and somehow stumbled upon here makes me wonder.. Is it luck or something else. The unnatural silence and the lack of people here is slightly unnerving me. This place has been deemed safe by the guild itself. And it might be the paranoia of trying to stay alive playing tricks on my mind. It has been that way since I met Cassian. But he has had it worse. He is still alive though. I wonder if he can eat himself to stay alive, His regeneration would get it covered right? I sighed and crushed more fruits into pulp and picked Cassian back up. I opened his mouth, saliva slid down, disgusting. I pressed my hands inside, the wet and warm saliva stained my hands, the inner fleshy walls pressed against my hands as I force fed him. Just wake up. ******** Consciousness gradually returned, my eyes tried to open. But no it didn''t. Did I even have eyes? I don''t remember. I had eyes but I don''t how it felt like to have them anymore. I tried to move, atleast what remained in my memories as ''movement'' but no, I couldn''t do it. Why can''t I move? What happened to me.. Didn''t they say they would help me escape? But I declined after hearing their offer, didn''t I? I don''t want to be forgotten. Being forgotten was the only way to escape. Or so they said. I declined without even thinking. But why? Why is there a feeling of disappointment in me. Why am I disappointed? Was I hoping to escape despite the catch of being forgotten. Did I really hope that would happen? Really? When did I hit so low? When? I am still able to think clearly no disorientation despite my current predicament. I have forgotten to move, I have forgotten to speak, to see, to hear. My body has forgotten all these movements. However. I still remember how to hope and dream. I still know how to cling to them. So. Why did I hope to escape by getting erased from memory. Is that truly hope? It isn''t, right? Then what is hope? I don''t know. I don''t understand it yet I cling onto it. No matter how much time I am forced to spend here, I won''t surrender. Not anymore. I value my ambitions over personal opinions. But how can hope go against this? Whatever it is. I don''t have a physical, I''m a lone consciousness, drifting alone in this endless expanse of darkness. I have long forgotten how the sensation of touch felt like. I know how it feels but don''t remember feeling it. A confusing dilemma indeed. My mind was ever active, body not present, A sweet aftertaste in my mou.. In my what? Taste? No, its pain. Someone slipped their hands into my throat. Their fingers nails scraped my inner throat, the urge to gag was suppressed by the lack of stamina. Sensation returned. Memories returned. Memories makes a person who they are. Without Cassian''s memories, how can I truly call myself Cassian. The vague faces of Cillian and his bunch turned clear. The haunting hunger returned but by a lower degree. How I missed it. My hands twitched, albeit a bit clunky. My first thoughts screamed to struggle, to fully experience my body moving. To roll, to run or anything. I just needed to know how sensation truly felt like. However. My legs moved on their own. I didn''t notice when. But I was able to move now. No notice, no realisation, nothing. I was just able to move. Vision still hasn''t returned but my body moved on its own, the instincts to keep moving took over as my legs started to move on its own. The cold air prickled my skin, droplets of water fell on my face. Was it raining? ******** Callon reeled his wet hand back from Cassian''s mouth, his nails scraping against Cassian''s throats as a small amount of blood stained his finger tips. He has fed Cassian for how long? This might be the eighth time by now. He still hasn''t slept yet, exhaustion has slowly caught on but he had his rest the moment he arrived here. ... Sticky saliva, disgusting, I shoved my hand into the sand, trying to wipe it away. It only made the sand stick to my hand. Disgusting indeed. But survival is more important that my disgust. Next pulp. I took out more fruits, after my rest, the whole time was spent in picking up fruits. For eating now and for storing. These fruits won''t rot. They never will. I tried to pick Cassian up again however he slapped my hands away. Slapped.. I stared at the hand he slapped away. I heard someone shuffling and running but my focus was on my hand. He woke up? I abandoned the fruits in my hand, Cassian had already ran off into the distance, his footsteps on the sand disoriented, it seems he has lost balance. He fell alot. I heard water splashing, I ran towards the sound and there I saw. Through the eerie and thin fog, a figure kneeled in the shallow waters. His focus wholeheartedly on his unmoving reflection on the water. Crying. He was crying. Crying to be still alive. Grateful. He was grateful. Grateful l to be still alive. Baskets Food. A luxury itself. A luxury I could finally enjoy. I ravished the pile of fruits Callon had collected, not even leaving a single seed behind. Hunger had almost turned me into an empty husk, that claustrophobic vision is still vivid in my heart. Never. Never will I starve, never again. I was knee deep inside the shallow water, The cold damp pants clinging to my legs like a second skin. The fog was cold, filled with moisture, my face was covered with droplets of water hidden in it. The thin fog gave us much more options, I could see faint silhouettes of Islands around me. Callon walked ahead, silent, he had been this way ever since my awakening. I clutched my axe in my left hand, its pitch black blade was strange but unacceptable, Mangled up roots merged into one to form a handle. It wrapped around the blade, my hands gripped it tightly despite the safe zone. My eyelids were heavy, resting was an option but Callon doesn''t seem to want that. He is either too paranoid or something is wrong. I glanced around, the perfectly aligned islands, The crystal clear water, fruits that are too good to be true and.. And the lack of people. This is a safe zone, isn''t it? Unlike normal areas inside the lands of no returns, the safe zones are supposed to be filled with people. Especially the ones like oasis islands. So why are there no fellow adventurers around? Did we enter this area at a time others couldn''t? Rare but possible. I agree with Callon on his paranoia. Something feels wrong. But nothing seems wrong. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Instincts and paranoia. I trust them more than my five senses. Especially my paranoia. Callon seemed more impatient than I was. Is he scared of being alone? I was unconscious the whole time and he must''ve spent his time inside this eerie area all by himself. It sounds frightening indeed. "Are you sure we should leave the lands of no return?" I asked, that question has been lingering in my mind for long and Callon didn''t give an exploration when he told me that outright statement. He took a deep breath, measuring his words, After a few seconds he answered, "Despite our need for exploring we need to rest." "And it will only be for a few days, after that we will return here." With that being said he went back to silence. "Together?" I asked, I have already started to see him as someone I can trust despite his shadiness. He turned around, looked me in the eyes and smiled, "Why not?" He seemed genuine. No, he actually was. Relieved. I am relieved to hear that answer. Although leaving the lands of no return sounded a bit depressing, the chance too explore new kingdoms and their cultures makes up for it. The issue is that, we don''t know where we will end up after exiting this area, the fog is random and it does not care about your wishes. What Callon seemed to said was, if we somehow ended up at places like the starry dunes or the sol ruins, we would not waste the chance to escape. And thus under the cold fog we walked in silence. We skipped tens of Islands on our way, sometimes stopping for a rest. We didn''t have anything to store food which was a bummer. We needed something similar to a basket atleast. What exactly could we use as a basket here? We can use the trees but none of knows how to do that. On that basis even if he had materials we won''t be able to make even a crude basket. What else could we use? Now that I think about it. A ribcage might work actually, we can dry up the flesh and skin to toughen it, water could also be stored with it, right? It might work. I looked towards my ribs, this is gonna be painful. I have regeneration, don''t I? Pain would hold me back. But I would rather be tormented by pain than hunger. I wanted to suggest this to Callon but I don''t want him to look at me in a weird light. But starvation.. I sighed. I opened my mouth. Either this can make him uncomfortable or... Or what? He can only feel uncomfortable. No one can feel comfortable by such a suggestion, right? The Cassian who left Astria with dreams and hopes wouldn''t have such a suggestion. The Cassian standing here now would have such a suggestion. Hesitation.. Will I be able to hesitate with such choices anymore? I don''t know. No matter which Cassian I am, I would still be clinging to his hopes and dreams. No matter what. And if I, Cassian ever dares to abandon them. Therefore I would abandon my identity alongside them. ******** My hands hung down, heavy, holding two makeshift baskets. They were filled to the brim with fruits, leaves were placed around them on the inside to protect and cover them. Cover them from the blood, but it proved to be a bit futile as blood seeped in through the leaves. More flavour and fragrance I assume. I chuckled in my mind. Just why did I turn out to be like this? Blood dripped as I walked, however the pristine water still remained unchanged. The blood disappeared, fragmented, as it entered the water. Callon''s face was hidden by the fog but similar to me, he was holding two such rib baskets. But I know despite his pragmatism, this has made him uncomfortable. I could still remember his face crumbling to shock when I suggested my Idea. And he has been quiet after that but unlike before he didn''t even answer me when I tried to strike up a conversation with him. He was unnerved. Truly unsettling. Indeed it was. I nearly broke down. Not out of pain nor hunger. Adaptation. The experiences I had till now had made me adapt. Involuntarily. Changes I did not like. I am growing cold, pragmatic, detached. I don''t want that. I hate it. Without feelings, impulses and dreams how can you truly say you are ''living''? But this was necessary. The only reason I did it. This is my bottom line. Hurting myself doesn''t have the weight of hurting others. It feels wrong and when I imagine myself at their stead, I feel guilty. I would not endure it like them. For me, emotional and mental torture seemed more painful than physical. But it doesn''t invalidate the physical torture. It still hurts like hell. I realised that I could detach myself from pain. How is pain any different from the other sensations you feel on your skin? Tickling, goosebumps, shivering afterall they''re just sensations felt on the skin. What makes pain different? Tickling can seem repulsive but not as much as pain. So why is pain different? I don''t know. And I don''t want to go down that rabbit hole. Pain is good. It makes you feel alive as they say. But to me it makes me feel....human? Despite my earlier statement of being able to detach from pain, I''m unable to completely do so. A constant reminder remains in me. A constant reminder buried deep inside my subconscious, a constant reminder to why I feel pain. I can''t imagine a world without pain. If I ever physically detach myself from pain then it meant I had gone too far. I would be too far gone. If I even got to such a point in life, I would resent it. Resent myself and what I''ve become. Leaving The water was cold, extremely so. I walked through it in silence and I held two crudely made baskets on my hands. Crude. Rib baskets. My hands shook, it wasn''t physical toll, something weighed on my mind, on my morality. I wanted to drop it. But I know if I did that, death would follow after we leave. Rest. After all those things we went through, a hard earned rest was necessary. I still don''t understand why Cassian questioned it. Questioned my decision to leave if we got a chance to do so. Did he forget everything that has happened till now? Or does he not care about those? His suggestion to use his own ribcages as baskets horrified me. It was necessary for survival, I, too, had thought of making something to carry these fruits. And I was hoping I would find some materials on the way out. But I have never thought of self mutilation. You might have regeneration but why? Do you not have any self respect? I wanted to ask him these questions. But a glance at his face made me rethink my choice. I could see it. He was horrified, disgusted and resentment was etched onto his face. He is disgusted by his choice. We could have used anything, we could''ve at least tried to make bags out of these leaves, right? Despite their brittleness we can atleast try. We can even use those trees, we can hollow them out, so then why? Why did I agree? This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. To see how far he goes? Was I thinking he was joking about it? Why didn''t I hesitate? No, I did hesitate. But I never expected him to mutilate himself when I agreed. I passed it as a joke. Rationalising for survival is one thing but.. There are no buts. It was not rational, it was irrational. An irrational choice made by an inexperienced man. Disturbing. A disturbing choice. The fog began to weigh down on me, moisture trapped deep inside showering me in cold droplets of water. It seems like we are reaching the edge of the oasis islands. A safe zone. A creepy safe zone. I don''t care about how deep it unsettled me before, Cassian''s choice was more disturbing for me. It weighed down on my morality. But not too much. It''s disturbed me a little bit. Not too much. Two companions by situation, walking through knee deep water, surrounded by mini islands. Faint, loose fog surrounded them. And thus fog was growing thicker and denser as time passed by. Two faint blue, smoky humanoid lights walked ahead, leading them, guiding them through this safe zone. And in their hands, they carried the products of the self mutilation done on one of them. Everything looked fine, the atmosphere was silent and oddly peaceful, the temperature was cold and soothing , the only issue was the haunting baskets they carried. For Callon and Cassian, it might not seem much. A memory that would not be forgotten but not brought up. A memory which would be seemingly insignificant in the future. The only issue is that how would it influence the relationship between Callon and Cassian? Callon doesn''t know the answer to that question. But this isn''t enough. It isn''t enough to crumble their twisted companionship. ******** I stared at the waking figure of Callon ahead, I could sense his glances every now and then he gave me. Is he worried? Worried about my sanity? Genuine worry or selfish worry? Maybe worried that I would stab him on the back after going insane? or genuinely worried about me? Or just disturbed by my actions? I don''t know. I don''t want to know. The bleeding has stopped but the damage has already been done, the fruits were covered in blood and a metallic smell emanated from it. My shoulders ached, it didn''t linger long due to my regeneration. Hesitation, huh? Why didn''t I hesitate to do this? To be honest, I knew we had a lot of options, A lot of options to make something to store these fruits. So why didn''t I hesitate? No, why did I do it? I wanted to know.. I wanted to know if hesitation still lingers in my heart. If I''m still the same. And I got the answer. I still do. I still do Pain makes me hesitate. It does. It really does. But pain doesn''t linger long, does it? A certain god''s blessing doesn''t allow it, does it? Pain no longer remains on my body. And I fear hesitation will disappear along with it, gradually. I never asked for this. It hurts. I know it hurts but the feeling of hurt doesn''t remain. Why? Why was I the one who received a blessing? It wasn''t even a ritual for his blessings, it was a sacrifice for more corrupted creatures. So why? Did the horned god think it was hilarious? To give a man who resents the gods a blessing from a god himself? Resentment. Now that I think about it, why do I resent them? Is it due to their indifference to the sufferings of the mortals? I''m the same, I, too, am indifferent. However I''m helpless, the gods on the other hand are said to be omnipotent. Is it due to their pettiness? The myth of the Arcas bear and the Callisto bear might not even be true. So why do I hate them? Inferiority. I hate them due to that. I hate them due to their superiority over me. Over us mortals. The splashing water disappeared which caused me to focus on the real world instead of my musings. The fog has gotten too dense that even Sero couldn''t be visible. Only a faint light remained. Callon had slowed him pace and has gotten closer to me. The solid ground met my feet, everything including even the islands have disappeared. The fog twisted and swirled, I and Calllon stood, we cannot afford to seperate like the previous time. The fog started to form incomprehensible shapes, an outline formed infront of us. An outline of a door. Bright light shone through, my hopes increased. Maybe it won''t be dangerous as the barren lands. No, it had a name. The barren lands had a name. Edom. A name forgotten by memories and time. I hope it''s not as dangerous as Edom. Callon walked ahead, getting closer to the exit. I looked back, no islands or water came in sight, they have disappeared. Vanished. Almost as if forgotten. I sighed, temporary relief like these were always welcomed. Let''s hope for a better future. As I and Callon were about to step inside the door. The ground vanished. It vanished without notice, it was there and now it''s not. Unable to react we couldn''t resist. The ground became intangible, it became fog. And we fell. Gravity took place, our weight shifted and momentary fear and shock took over. The fruits were gathered were almost lost but we held through. We were swallowed by the fog. Grove Thin fog surrounded us, the smell of burning wood into the darkness. I leaned back, the sound of crunching wood reached my ears as I stared at the burning fire infront of me. The light provided by it illuminated Callon''s sleeping face, it was peaceful and quiet. I glanced around and all I could see were roots. Brittle and ancient roots. They stretched endlessly into the fog. Some pillars of roots rose into the ceiling, supporting it. The pillars were crude, piles of roots weaving together with one another to form these pillars. The piles of roots thinned the closer they got to the ceiling. The ceiling was of course, roots. They were thin and gnarly. This was a grove. An underground grove. And these weren''t just roots they are trees. Infragilis trees. Their wood was known to be unbreakable and it was abundant in the lands of no return. You just have to be lucky to find a grove. It was cold, extremely so. The fire gave little warmth and yet Callon somehow slept through it. A surprise indeed. The infragilis trees are brittle and they can only show their worth when they come in contact with sunlight. They are highly sought after. Which means we are rich. However we don''t have anything to carry these roots. I exhaled, thin mist escaped my mouth as my hand rose, fingers closed around one of my ribs and they pulled. No, they didn''t. They stopped. I stopped. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Pain. Due to pain I stopped. However the pain vanished a moment later. I sighed and closed my eyes, the heat emanating from the fire hitting my face. We burned the roots for warmth. We had already cut off its connection with the other roots, it was surrounded by nothing but ground. Rock hard ground with soil. We don''t know how much we dug or how much distance we seperated it from the other roots. We stopped it when we felt it was safe. I was leaning against a pillar and trying my best to make myself comfortable. However. The noise of breaking roots, the dust and particles releasing from it and the fact that this wasn''t the most comfortable place to sleep stopped me from doing so. I opened my eyes once again, exhaustion still clung to them but I still forced them open. The burning fire was on its last leg, the brittle roots wouldn''t last for long and we had to restock it frequently. That''s the reason why one of us was sleeping while the other was still awake. It''s not like the ''bed'' we''re sleeping on would stop me from doing so, it just made it uncomfortable. If the fire runs out we''re dead. The grove is deep underground and it is extremely cold. And it''s not from the grove. The coldness was caused due to the fog. The fog was frosty. It was too cold. I sighed, the temporary silence and rest felt odd. It was odd indeed. I felt safe. It wasn''t the false safety that I felt during the vision and the forest incident. It felt real. It felt comfortable. However. I have lost a lot. Just for this temporary shelter. A safe shelter. A completely not so safe shelter. What have I lost by now? I lost my armor. I lost my plaque given by the guild. I lost my first ever findings. I lost my obligation for legacy. And as time passes I''m slowly losing my hesitation. I stared absent-mindedly at the ceiling, the heat from the fire keeping me awake. My feet were bare, they were numb. What have I gained? I gained power. I gained self awareness, no, my self awareness rose. I gained appreciation for myself, for my identity. I gained experience. I gained curiosity. And finally I still have my hopes and ambitions left. So did I gain more or did I lose more? Does it matter? Even if I gained more, I still lost a lot. Even if I lost more, my gains could replace them. Balance. It was a tie between them. I neither lost more nor gained more. They''re balanced. So what haven''t I gained and what haven''t I lost. What remains of the naive adventurer who just left Astria? Fear. Fear still remains. Whether it was the fear of the unknown or the fear or death. My biggest fear is being forgotten. Pain. Pain remains in my heart but not in body. It is a reality check, it stops me from going too far. But how long can it last? Hesitation. It is slowly fading. How can a human without hesitation be considered human. Ambition. As strong as ever. It is the only reason I haven''t turned back. Friendship and family. I consider Callon a friend no matter how wrong that decision is. I glanced at his peaceful expression as he slept. I consider him a friend. Despite his questionable morals. Cillian might be waiting for my return, right? A return that may never happen considering my dreams. He might be at least waiting for my letter. The cold got closer and closer, the light dimmed and the warmth started to fade. I stopped, thoughts won''t keep the fire burning, Do they? I stood up, my body felt heavy and I stumbled which almost made me fall. My body felt heavy, the cold remained as indifferent as ever and our fire was starting to die out. The fire has started to die out. It was our hope in this grove. It was our fiery hope. It is a bit of an stretch considering Callon would light them up again but I don''t want to be an inconvenience towards him. I stretched my hands into the air, I only stopped when I heard satisfied pops from my spine. I glanced around, Sero was standing near me, just beside the pillar and similar to him Callon''s wandering soul stood beside him. They were silent and unmoving. Lifeless. They were lifeless. I focused back on the task, the fire was dying out and more roots are needed. Which were easy to find. They were everywhere. I turned back, the pillar I previously leaned on came to my sight. I had an idea. An idea that may be brilliant or outright stupid. And I got to work. ... I snuggled back into the pillar, however more deeper. The fire burned brightly, the fuel was restocked from my pillar. I snuggled deeper, a small nest-like hole was dug by me. Despite how much the roots grinded against my skin or how uncomfortable they felt, they felt good. Not physically. In my heart, I felt at peace. Comfortable. Drowsy. But I can''t sleep now. I just need wait until Callon wakes up. Wait.. For how long? Until he wakes up. I will wait. Purpose I yawned, the cold fog stung into my skin and my groggy eyes were threatening to close. Although I''ve slept for a long time, it still didn''t seem I''ve gained something out of it. My body is well rested but I want to sleep a bit more. A little bit more. I stared at the fire burning in the darkness, the rib baskets laid around it as the fire illuminated the blood stained fruits. Eating them seemed repulsive. But I can stomach that disgust. I can. Hunger? Never could I. I glanced at the small burrow, only Cassian''s legs remained on the ground while his body was devoured by the roots. He was sleeping although I could see him twist and turn, his slight shivering in the cold also made me realise how fragile he was. Yes, he can regenerate from any injury but that doesn''t mean he is invincible. He can get hurt. He still feels hunger. He follows his emotions. He is strong yet fragile. Fragile. I have never considered him fragile. His sanity still remained despite his death march through hunger. He still fought without a second thought despite waking up to cannibalism of himself. His rationalism was terrifying, even most seasoned adventurers would be unnerved by his choices. He was disturbing. And yet here I am, with him. Despite his bad qualities, I consider him a companion. His choices are disturbing but he inflicts those thoughts only on himself. I know. I know that he is kind. Cassian is kind. He feels bad for Elgor. I know he does. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Despite what Elgor did to him. I can never understand the logic behind it. He felt pity. Mere pity made him feel bad for the person who tried eat him alive. Why? Did he imagine himself in such a situation? Did he think he would do the same? I would. But if such a choice came right now, I wouldn''t. I would do it if it was the time we first met. His pity, his kindness and his decisions to hurt himself rather than others makes him feel fragile. A fragility I admire. A weakness I want to remain in him. If he lost these he wouldn''t be the same and he can''t return to who he once was. Just like these brittle roots. I leaned back into my pillar, the roots were uncomfortable to lay on but I got used to it. I stared at the ceiling, the darkness and the fog concealing the roots. He was just like these roots. Safe inside a dark isolated grove, fragile and protected. But when sunlight grazes them, they change. Something unknown factors made changes in them. Just like how his regeneration is slowly changing him. The roots become what they were meant to become, unbreakable. But if they become unbreakable they can''t return to what they once were. Their shape and size would remain the same. If Cassian changes this quick, he won''t be able to process them all. He wouldn''t know what to do. He would be lost. The roots would be deemed useless if they seemed insufficient due to their size or shape. They would be discarded. They would be discarded if they can''t serve their original purpose. Despite how strong or invincible Cassian gets, if he doesn''t know what to do with them would he be truly considered useful? The roots would be discarded as something useless. Unrecognisable. No one is without imperfections. Imperfections is a part of them. If you take it away, they won''t be the same. Especially Cassian. He is afraid of change. He is afraid of his fading hesitation. I understand. But I can''t relate. I can''t relate to someone who is so humane yet inhumane. So, what can I do about it? Nothing. There are many uncertainties in this world, nothing goes according to your wishes. You can''t change the mind of someone like Cassian. He is involuntarily changing and he is resigning to them without resistance. Despite these foreign changes, he accepts them. He accepts them as a part of himself. You can''t change his mind. That would seem more restrictive for him. Claustrophobic and uncomfortable. He wants to do what his mind wants to do. However. He did something he wasn''t sure about. I remember it. The first time we met. He had no motivation nor hopes. All I could see in him was obligation. Something a majority of the adventurers have. Whether it was an obligation for money, power of status. They wanted them but found no excitement in how they got them. For them it felt like obligation. I felt the same from Cassian too. But now? I don''t see it. I see curiosity. His awestruck expressions everytime something happens inside the fog, his rapid glances at everything which seems interesting and his interest in history all led me that conclusion. He is curious. I like that. Losses and gains are natural. But in his case it''s more about identity. He is losing parts of his identity while also gaining new things to add. That''s frightening. Slowly losing yourself while something else takes over you is frightening. If so would he be considered as the same Cassian I''ve been with or someone else entirely? I don''t know. Troublesome. He was truly troublesome. A trouble I can handle as of now. In the future? Maybe. The question is, how would this affect me? Would it be a life lesson? Regrets? Or something unforgettable? I hope it isn''t the regrets. His mindset, resolve and tenacity are admirable. Also enviable. I, too, want to be admired. I at first wanted it to be through kindness. I wanted their gratitude and admiration. I wanted them. To prove myself. Why? To prove myself I''m not a ''mistake''. To prove myself I have a purpose. And I have understood that¨C everyone in this world has a purpose. No matter how useless and insufficient they seemed. And my purpose is to be admired. But not through gratitude and appreciation. So then how? I don''t know. Should I be like Cassian. To be unbearably stubborn? Admiration through imitation seems unearned. It truly is. Then how? I don''t know. But I will discover it. Gradually I will. I have a purpose. That''s progress. A purpose to be admired. In which should I be admired. I want it to be in a positive way. I want it to be something never seen before. Something no mortal has ever tried. Will I achieve it? I don''t kno- No, I will achieve it. I will strive for it no matter what happens nor how much time it takes. Only death can stop me. Only death. I will achieve my purpose. In no way would I be a fleeting memory in the minds of people. In no way would I be forgotten. I want to admired, remembrance doesn''t matter. Deified. I want to be deified. Worshipped? So my purpose was to be worshipped and admired? I think so. A mortal standing on the same level as the gods? Provocative. It will lead to disaster. But if it comes to it, would I really care? Gods are something people admire and appreciate. But never have I seen genuine love towards them. Except from the fanatical church members. So a mortal challenging them, would be ironic. Admirable. Them smiting me means my dreams have been achieved. It means I achieved the status of a deity through admiration. It means my purpose have been fulfilled. That''s my purpose in life. But how will I achieve it? Will I achieve it? Trust I walked, each step crushing brittle roots as the sound of my footsteps never ceased to lower. The fog was cold and thin, I liked it. I like cold. I prefer it over heat. Two baskets filled with blood stained fruits hung from my hands, the crude ropes made from leaves wouldn''t last long it seems. Callon walked ahead, I don''t know why but being behind and following him seemed more natural for me. More natural huh? The silence was peaceful, we didn''t speak much and yet we knew what had to be done. Almost as if we knew eachother for a long time. We know when to give up or when to stop. We know what the other might be thinking or thinks of doing. Our actions and thoughts don''t contradict eachother. Or so it seems. Was it a fated encounter? Or. Is it delusion? Manipulation? Am I easy to read? Easy to fool? What he shows on the outside isn''t him but something he uses to gain trust. Something sinister. A possibility on the lower end of chances. But still a possibility. I consider him a friend but I still can''t trust him. I can but not completely. Paranoia doesn''t allow it. It doesn''t care about feelings or emotions, it only make doubts that will linger and disturb my mind. It won''t disappear. And sometimes it won''t even be true. But sometimes it can also be true. It won''t disappoint. A contradiction that made me survive. And it still does. Something that I''m grateful for. Gnarly roots stretched endlessly on the ground, pillars of such roots surrounded us. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. A ball of fire floated on top of Callon''s hand as he led the way. Two glowing blue lights walked further ahead. Sero was as indifferent as always alongside his fellow lifeless wandering soul. Speaking of gratitude. I glanced at me, myself. Unharmed, unmoving and alive. All thanks to a certain variable. A god''s blessing. Regeneration. A curse as it also a blessing. No, it''s a blessing. It''s still a blessing. No matter how much it seems like a curse. It''s a blessing. Something that I''m grateful for. Blessings and curses, what is truly the difference between them? On what basis are they decided? Which makes your life easier? My regeneration never did so, it only made it more painful but it made me survive to feel that pain. Or is it on the basis of which helps you the most? Regeneration helped me alot, but not without a price. It made me appreciate, adapt and learn. It made me appreciate pain and human nature. It made me adapt to the changes. The adaptation seemed subtle yet effective. My soul was never injured to begin with. It was a late realisation. It was adapting to the foreign changes that was engraved onto it. It was something a human shouldn''t have had. Divinity. A fraction of it. It made me learn, learn desperation, learn isolation and it made me to learn how precious a person''s self identity is worth. So, on what basis is it decided? On what basis is a blessing and a curse decided? It matters on your perspective. Anything. Anything in this world can be considered both a blessing and a curse. All that matters is how you see and use it. Seeing it alone isn''t enough. Using without knowing its purpose isn''t enough. I may not have started with the best starts but I can improve. It''s a blessing. Don''t limit creativity just because you have a shallow perception. Don''t limit your potential due to fear. You''re killing yourself by doing so. You''re killing your future, you''re killing your future self. And one day you might look back, back to where it all started. Nothing will remain from those times. Only regret will remain in you. Regret. Have I ever felt it? No? I did. In that vision I did. I wanted to trade my legacy for survival. I regret that. I became hopeless. I regret that. In these moments of regret, something pulled me out. Something caused me to never stop moving forward. Curiosity alongside obsession for legacy. But something helped them. My regeneration. Without it I wouldn''t have gotten so far. And I''m grateful for that. I opened my mouth,my eyes stared at the figure walking ahead of me. "Callon, have you ever felt regret?" A question. A simple question and yet the weight behind it was intense. His body language remained the same, his voice had the same tone but something seemed off. Something.. Guilt was apparent in his voice. In his silence. That''s regret, alongside guilt. "Yes." A simple answer. A simple answer which caused us to be enveloped by silence once again. However, this silence was more suffocating. Callon was still the same but now it seemed like something was weighing down on his steps. I, we didn''t continue on with that conversation. It will do more harm than good. Everyone has their own struggles. And sometimes they want help and they want to ask for it but they are unable to do so. They want to share, they want to relate, they want to cope and finally they want someone who will make them think their life is meaningful. And some others, despite their struggles never does so. Doing so will make them seem incompetent and vulnerable. I am the same. Callon, too, is the same. They want to keep to themselves, they want to solve it themselves and finally they want to do it alone. To prove something. I''m the same, it''s the same way I hate pity and charity towards me. I understand him. That''s why it is better to leave him be. Maybe paranoia was wrong this time. Maybe, considering all of our similarities. Maybe, just maybe he is someone I can trust fully. Trust. I want to trust him but I''m unable to do so. No matter what he did. He saved me from that temple, starvation and he will continue to do so. And I would still doubt him. Wait. When did I start to become nitpicky about trust? What made me do so? Was it the incident with Elgor? To be honest, I haven''t even spent a week together with him. That won''t make me have trust issues. So what made me have it? What developed trust issues in me? Who are the people I trust in my life? Cillian. Cillian and... No one? No, not even Cillian. Why? He is my brother, isn''t he? So why can''t I trust him fully. Why can''t I do so? Was I always like this? Unable to trust. It is a recent development, right? Right? No, if it was recent then why can''t I remember someone who I have really trusted? No one. So, was I always like this? Yes, I was and still am. My mind and heart agreed. And so did I, I have always been like this. Resignation. A habit I have picked up recently. Just as my hesitation and pain is fading, just as new emotions like curiosity and hopes are growing, I gave no resistance. I resigned to them and accepted them. Because it''s a part of me. It was so subtle that I didn''t even notice it. It was disguised as paranoia. Slowly creeping into my mind, filling it with doubts and insecurities. Trust issues has always been a part of me. I just didn''t notice them nor accept them. And now I do. Why? Why did I accept them and not try to change myself? Why should I change myself for others? And it''s a part of me. Why should I reject them? I just have trust issues, it''s not like I''m unable to trust anyone. It just takes time.. Will it? I mean how could a person like me who can''t even trust his brother, trust someone else? A brother who was alongside him on death''s door. Whether through starvation or diseases. He was always with me. Despite how much of a burden I was. I am horrible. I''m truly horrible. Will I be able to trust anyone in life? With that thought, I mindlessly followed Callon. Lost in thought, lost in doubts, mindlessly into the fog. Regret Two crudely made rib baskets hung from my hands, the skin was dried and the smell of rot never came. The fog around me was more like mist, the cold seeped into my skin and bones. Roots surrounded us, infragilis trees truly deserve to be a wonder of the world. Two blue humanoid lights walked upfront, indifferent as they guided us. A human, quiet and restrained, followed me behind. The fog veiled his figure, only a faint silhouette and the sound of crunching roots signified his presence. My shoulders were sore from all this walking, The grove filled with infragilis trees were a safe place. A safe zone. It was yet another safe zone. The silence was soothing, both of us were left to our thoughts as we walked through the fog. Despite the lack of resources, I feel at peace. It felt safer than the oasis islands. It was perfect, it had everything such as food, water, shelter and anything for survival. Yet it felt unsafe. My paranoia told me to flee. And flee I did. Alongside Cassian, he too, had the same feeling about the oasis islands. So maybe it was better to leave. Staying there and leaving from there was a gamble. Staying there was an uncertainty. Leaving there and letting the fog choose your next destination was also, a uncertainty. I chose the one which made me feel safe the most. And it didn''t disappoint. Cassian''s cooperative attitude was also helping. He agreed to leave. The only time he questioned me was when I informed him of my decision to leave the lands of return. Which suprised me. He wasn''t scared of leaving the safe zone instead he was confused on leaving the unknown lands filled with danger. Something a normal person wouldn''t have done or agreed. After all, they would rather rot inside a safe zone rather than heading out into the dangers that almost made them go insane. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. They would want to stay inside their comfort zone. They would feel and might seem safe. However. When they step into the real world, when their perspective widens, they will realise. They will regret. They would wish to turn back time, to have one more chance. But no one would grant such a wish. They, too, are busy with their life. They are regretting, enjoying, grieving, mourning and detaching as they go on with their everyday life. They have their own struggles. They won''t even glance at you even if you beg or Cry. It''s not because they''re bad people. It''s just because they don''t have time. Time for relaxing. Time for slothing. They don''t even have time for themselves, then why should they waste their precious time on you? Rest is paradise for them. But why? Everyone deserves rest. But why are they held back from doing so? They have to live after all. Rest is something used to regain energy. ''Resting'' isn''t enough to live. It''s a part of it. A good part. An important part. The life of a mortal is constant cycle of emotions, sufferings and finally salvation. They wake up, eat, work, have momentary fun, Return home, sleep and repeat. And at the end, when their time is running out they will ponder. And these ponderings always have something in common. Regret. They will regret. Regret huh? I don''t really consider it as a negative emotion. I glanced behind, at the silhouette following me behind. His question still lingered in my mind. In my heart. Have I ever felt regret? Have I ever regretted? Yes, I have. That is a stupid question. Everyone in their life has regretted. They have regretted many decisions. It''s not a one time thing. It''s a part of the circle known as life. After all regret is memorable. It makes you ponder on your failures, embarrassment and weaknesses. Failures makes you stronger. No, the regret you receive from it does. But you have to work for it. Simply receiving it won''t do. Regret can pull you into the deepest pits of failure and depression. But it can also be your driving motivation for success. As for me? Regret is simply regret. It''s not motivating nor depressing. ''What if I did that?'' ''Why did I do that?'' These two questions. Only these remained during regret. Nothing else. Regret. I stopped, looked behind as the silhouette got closer. I waited until his face was visible, where his expressions could be seen. "Cassian, what is your biggest regret in life?" He stopped, my eyes scanned his face intensely. And all I could see was.. Confusion. He was confused. "Why are you asking such a question now?" His voice was confused and taken aback by the sudden question. He asked back, I sighed and just turned around. Cassian didn''t react to abrupt departure, he just stood there confused. Infuriating. So, he can ask me about my regrets but when I do, it''s confusing. I really don''t understand how his mind works. I do understand it but sometimes I don''t. We are similar yet so different. "Forget it." I don''t want him to question my actions right now. He is difficult to get through. Speaking to him feels like speaking to a brick wall. Sometimes he agrees, sometimes he may answer and sometimes he doesn''t understand what you''re talking about. His aspect on socialising is on the lower end of the list. Is he socially awkward or does he not like speaking to others? Wait, aren''t they both the same? Whatever. What was there to be confused about my question? I mused as I crushed the roots under my foot. But something seemed wrong, their resistance was a bit higher than before and they were thicker. Which means we are close to the exit. It can''t mean danger considering this is a safe place. A safe place that makes me feel safe. Unlike the oasis islands. Everyone has regrets in their life and there is one that would never be forgotten by them. Their biggest regret. A past that haunts them till death. Even accompanying them into the afterlife. So what was my biggest regret? Was it venturing into the unknown lands of no return? Was it letting my greed take over and entering that temple? Or was it accompanying this disturbed man who is slowly losing and gaining parts of himself? None. My biggest regret was murder. Not due to guilt nor empathy. It was because I got caught. Chained. Tortured. Saved. Banished. Chained by people who knew the truth yet kept quiet. Tortured by the people who knew the truth and were part of it. Saved by the man I despised the most. Banished by the man I despised the most. My regret was getting caught. That''s my biggest regret. My biggest regret in life. Footsteps stumbled behind me, a human silhouette caught upto my pace. He, too, had baskets made from humans ribs in his hands. I glanced at him, he was staring at me. I showed no cracks in my face, his face was full of emotions. I was relaxed, he was tensed. "It.." His voice was soft, a softness that didn''t seem weak. "It was trying to abandon my dreams in the hopes of survival." Each word was clear despite the emotions expressed on his face. His face was tired, exhausted and his eyes.. His eyes were sulky. But I knew this wasn''t the only emotions he was feeling. When you regret, a wave of emotions follow it. Disgust, anger, envy, denial, and finally resignation. His face showed none but it showed all. He was still vulnerable. Was. And is. It''s not bad. Vulnerability is good. It makes you feel alive. Invincibility and perfection isn''t something mortals can''t achieve. It''s what makes us ''mortals''. And that is good. Sudden The roots under my foot no longer broken, Neither were they feeble. Their barks had peeled away, revealing the golden wood hidden inside of them. The golden roots were indeed the infragilis trees. In its true glory. Countless shiny golden roots surrounded us, they stretched endlessly as they twisted together. They interwined, countless holes peeking through, the roots barely glinting as they provided light. Helpful. They gave us more visibility in this fog, the dim golden light could be seen anywhere in our surroundings. They were indeed helpful. But not enough to trust them. Just because it looks ''good'' doesn''t mean its good. My bare feet was hurting, the roots were tough like iron and cold as well. The fog however wasn''t cold no more, it was warm. A warmth that slowly increased. A warmth still bearable but as time goes on it will start to become unbearable. Callon walked by my side, no longer ahead, however the two wandering souls didn''t seem to do so. They still walked ahead, unmoved and uncaring, for them no creature can cause harm. They were guides, their only goal is to guide us through this unforgiving lands and they don''t care whether we live or not. They guide. They always do. And that''s all they do. "How?" I voiced out my question, a question that also disturbed my companion. "I don''t know." Callon answered as such, yet his expression remained serious and tensed. He was frowning, we mortals aren''t all-knowing and that certainty is infuriating him. Having no knowledge of something dangerous is frightening. It''s even more frightening if you had that realisation when you''re deep inside that danger. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. I can''t blame him. I really can''t. Only the light from the sun can cause the fragile infragilis trees to turn into the unbreakable woods, but how can sunlight exist in this deep dark grove? Expect the unexpected as they say. So how can they change? "Either this is due to natural causes or something unknown is causing it.." Callon''s voice trailed off, I side-eyed and so did he, our eyes met and I knew he was just as clueless as I. Which means... Either we''re dead or.. I don''t know. Maybe this is something that''s natural. We, the people of Enlil, never had fully explored the lands of no return nor have we ever discovered everything that has been hidden in the fogs of time. So maybe this is naturally occuring. Maybe we''re being a bit too cautious. Maybe we should let our guards down. No. The moment you have such thoughts in these lands, remember that''s the moment where death is the closest to you. Never let your guards down. A heat source can''t cause such changes in the infragilis trees. A ''normal'' heat source can''t. Only the heat and light from the sun could. And where can such a thing be present here? Unanswered questions and unwilling answers. And two powerless mortals guided by soulless souls in these forgotten fogs. Truly poetic. Tired. I truly am. I''m exhausted. It wasn''t an exhaustion caused by overwork or lack of rest. It was something more. An exhaustion that refuses to leave. Where did it began? Where did this exhaustion started to haunt me? I know. That forest. That forest started it all. Those events that happened there.. How can I describe it? This exhaustion didn''t remain the same after all. It increased. It fueled on my sufferings. I know it does. Those visions of the past, they are feeding it, They are haunting me. The horned god''s past and Adam''s past are still vivid in my head. Unforgotten. Despite being forgotten by time. They are remembered. Although only I do. Yet they are still remembered. Just like how I want to be. I want to be remembered. However. Not by a single person, not by some random adventurer who can kick the bucket at moment. I want to be remembered by all. As long as civilization lasts, I want to be remembered. Not as visions but as legacy and myth. I sighed, Callon noticed it too but he remained quiet and kept his doubts to himself. Visions. Yes, those visions, they are haunting me. Alongside that indescribable exhaustion. Why? Visions I can understand. They are the weight of the past. Humanity''s rise is important to be remembered. However, it can''t be said the same about that vision of the hunter. It was crude and rushed, just like Adam''s vision although the latter had more clarity. Hmm? I stopped dead on my track, hand clutching my chest with an indescribable expression. My facial muscles contorted, mucus alongside tears fell onto the ground, evaporated by the roots. My mind raced, goosebumps appeared around me, the feeling of being watched send shivers down my spine. My chest felt heavy, my heart felt strange and foreign as if it wasn''t mine. A sudden change. A sudden change in my body, a sudden change that was unwelcomed. A instinctual primal fear overtook my body as I turned towards Callon. No one. There was no one. My eyes were blurry, and all I could see blurred up fog. I gritted my teeth, he has vanished, searching for him wasn''t an option anymore. Due to this abnormal feeling I''m having as of now. Fear, fear of something unknown and foreign. A presence crawled up my spine, it slithered towards my chest, towards my heart. Sweat soaked me, I unwillingly shivered, my heartbeat increased as I felt it being tightened. Something was constricting it, something was trying to crush it. Fingers wrapped around my heart. Rough and long, aged and experienced. My breath hitched, unlike before I felt it. I clearly felt it. I felt pain. Clear pain. A pain that sleep depravity nor hunger can distract. A pain I will remember. My heart tightened again, I could feel it trying to beat, trying to pump blood but the hand wrapped around it didn''t allow it does so. It squeezed, my heart was on the verge of exploding alongside the muffled heartbeats, I knew it was going to explode. The pressure increased, the beating heart tried to resist however it proved to be futile and further increased the pain. It felt foreign. The force bended my heart, tears welled up in my eyes. My heart was curled up into a ball, I could feel it it ripping slightly, I wanted to scream. But I couldn''t. The hand didn''t care nor did it stop as I collapsed to the ground. As my heart was squeezed to mince meat. As I lost consciousness. As I approached the doors of death. The darkness returned. The loathed darkness I never wanted to return to. I could hear Callon''s panicked voice but I couldn''t understand them. Where was he? All this time? Late, he was too late. I felt his hands on my shoulders as he stopped me from face planting into the ground. He shaked me, trying to wake me up. However. I was too far gone. I returned to the darkness once again. The darkness that made me regret, that made me hate, that made me hope. That made me appreciate, that made me want to live. But can it be said the same again. Will I be able to escape once again? I don''t know. It all happened in an instant. An instant is all that was needed. That is all it is needed for a mortal''s life to end. That is more than enough for such a feeble creature. Such a pitiful being. Such a miserable being. Again My grip tightened on the man''s shoulder as I stopped him from collapsing onto the ground, I laid him into the ground and closely inspected him. Cassian eyes remained open, his jaw hung low and nothing seemed off about him. And yet he fainted. I clicked my tongue in frustration, just why? What happened? A moment ago he was normal, walking with me in silence, when he stopped it was a bit strange but I didn''t pay much heed to it. And now? He is unconscious. Not dead. He can''t die. His regeneration won''t allow him to do so. He can''t die, right? He can''t die a physical death. However. The memories of the walking corpse resurfaced in my mind as I frowned. I sighed, infuriating, it was frustrating too. I checked his pulse, nothing, it was completely static and his blood was still warm. I stood back up, there was nothing else to do, I picked him up from the ground and got back on track. Tme was starting to show its worth. Sweat clung to my body like second skin, the fog has turned an orange hue as the heat from it rose. And as time passes it will rise. Which means we have no time to waste. I threw him onto my shoulder and started to power walk through these roots. The golden roots glinted in this bearable yet unbearable light. Mocking. As if mocking a man with no protection from this heat. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Frustrating. Why now? I side-eyed the unconscious man on my shoulder, I don''t know what happened to him nor would I like to know. Time is precious. And I can''t waste it. Not now. Never. It was a safe zone, a safe zone that made me feel ''safe'' unlike the oasis islands. But now? It''s a trap. Disguised as ''safe''. And it managed to trick me. Then my companion fainted the moment it started. Dammit. The added weight wasn''t heavy but it still slowed me down. The heat rose, unlike before it was now at a faster pace. Why now? Cassian''s rib baskets were already abandoned when he fainted and I also abandoned one of my own too. Just to carry him. Why? He is semi immortal, isn''t he? Yes he will burn, yes he will turn to ashes but he can still come back. Then why? Why the hell am I carrying him and not the food? Why is he unconscious at such an important moment? Why do I value his life over my survival? I don''t know. I don''t want to think much about it now. I looked at my skin, it was starting to get itchy and red. The heat further increased. The golden roots heated up too, they weren''t the feeble crunchy roots a moment ago, right now they were the wondrous infragilis trees. The unbreakable infragilis wood. They are the same as any metal as of now. Their glow increased, the heat reached upto foot despite my footwear. A searing heat that made me gasp. It hurts. I winced in pain. The more time spent on the air meant less time on these searing roots. My pace increased, the thought of saving stamina was thrown out of the window, all I could think about right now was escape. Escape from this foggy furnace. I''m not gonna make it out alive, aren''t I? Thinking I will survive is only delusion. And yet I kept on running. Like a madman. The rib baskets has already been abandoned, My legs flailed, my vision blurred and I felt blisters forming all around my body. Survival was bleak. And still I clung onto that delusion. No.. I still clung onto that hope. It wasn''t delusion, it was hope. A hopeful escape. A hopeless death. ******** My eyes snapped open, sweat clung to my clothes, I immediately sat up as I woke up to an unfamiliar surrounding. Wood. Wooden walls, wooden ceiling, wooden floor, a table alongside the bed I was sitting. The table was close to the bed and room seemed cramped. A lone door was on the corner of the room. A vision? Again? I sighed, that heart crushing pain was still vivid in my heart. What about Callon? He disappeared from my sight and appeared when I collapsed, what''s happening in the outside world right now? Did he abandon me after considering me as a burden? Or. Is he carrying me through the fog? I don''t know. But I will know the answer when I escape this. If I could even do so. I looked around, my eyes prying for any abnormalities in the room. It was dark, extremely so, the only source of light was the lantern, it illuminated the room as long shadows hid in the corners. The flame was small yet firm, I took it in my hands as I got off from the bed. The wooden floor seemed old so I was extra careful to not make any sound. A lone window stood out as I approached it, My steps felt strange and my height seemed weird. Almost as if I was shorter than before. I reached the wooden window, I reached my hand out to open it and I... Suddenly stopped. My hand froze in the air, my mind entirely focused on my ears. On the noise. The noise that''s coming from the outside. Goat cries. It was goat cries. I slowly pulled my hand back as a deep sense of nostalgia took place. A deep sense of trauma. A deep sense of fear. I stepped back, however this time much more cautiously. Memories of the forest resurfaced, especially that goat. That demonic goat. That corrupted creature of the Horned god. I slowly got back onto the bed and leaned against the wall. The shadows dancing in the corner of the room creeped in, they danced and twirled, Mesmerizingly eerie. The goat cries started to distort, almost as if a mix of human laughter and goat cries. Mocking laughter echoed outside. Horrifying goat wails echoed outside. The room felt cold, foreign and detached. I felt powerless, frightened and resigned There was nothing else I could do except accept it. Accept and face it. There''s no other choice. No escape. And they also knew it. And they mocked. The laughter increased, it got to a point I felt like they were right behind the wooden wall. Maybe they are. I placed the lantern beside me, on the bed, Its flames weren''t so firm no more. It was on its dying leg. I stared at the seemingly normal door with all my focus. Waiting. And hoping. Waiting for it to come. Hoping it doesn''t come. Deer It was eerie, cold, the cries of goats and human laughter still lingered in the air and they had been maintaining the same intensity. The lantern burned, illuminating the room and I''m thankful for it. It seemed unending. I''m grateful for that. I don''t know what I will do if I lost my only source of light inside this vision or whatever it is. I don''t know how much time passed, maybe hours or even a day might''ve passed by now. And yet the darkness of the night remained. The door had no abnormalities, it seemed like they wouldn''t come through it. It ''seemed''. Not confirmed. I didn''t take my eyes of the door for too long, sometimes I would spare a glance at the windows and the shadowy corners. I want to go back. Did something happen while I''m in this state? Did any danger occur while I''m unconscious? Is Callon safe? Am I safe? Is my physical body safe? I don''t know. I can''t rely on the regeneration right now. Why can''t I? It was a blessing given to me by the horned god. And if my assumption is correct then the horned god is the reason why I''m in this state. Why? I don''t know. Maybe it isn''t even him, maybe it was due to the changes in the area. That can''t be true considering Callon seemed to be doing well before I lost consciousness. I can''t think of any other entity or object or whatever it is that can influence me like the horned god. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Why though? That''s my question. An unanswered question. My eyes widened, the sound of splintering wood alongside the goat laughter reached my ears. I glanced at the door, previously it was a door but now all it remained was broken wood. And there I saw... I saw a figure. A silhouette. A normal humanoid silhouette. Except for its head. The silhouette''s head was abnormal, too long, too uncanny. Unnerving. Just like last time, I thought of something I wasn''t supposed to do and now I have face the consequences. Why? I jumped from my bed, I clutched the lantern in my hand. The figure didn''t move nor did it respond. And neither did I want it to do so. I ran. I ran towards the wooden window and smashed into it. Wooden splinters pierced my skin but I could care less. The window alongside the wall surrounding it broke as I fell. As I fell from a two story house. Towards the ground. I landed with a thud, rolling over to break my fall as I immersion stood up. I raised my lantern, it''s faint light seemed even more feeble when the darkness itself seemed tangible. As if trying to devour the light. But still I saw my surroundings. And it caused me to freeze. I saw my surroundings due to lantern light. Lantern lights. They didn''t come from mine. Instead. Goats. Goats with human head stared at me, their closed mouth laughed with mocked as they looked at me with indifference. A human hand emerging from their back held their lanterns. I was terrified. They didn''t have a frightening form, they seemed weird but not frightening. But something... Something about them made the hair around my body stand up in fear. They didn''t move, they didn''t attack nor did they stop their cries. They just observed. Waiting for my next move with indifference. Is it truly indifference. Or is it mockery? The mockery that can be heard from their laughter? Mocking me? My helplessness? Infuriating. And terrifying. I didn''t move nor did they. I observed as did they. My hand tightened around the lantern, should I run or not? They seemed weak, powerless, I could kill them without much resistance. But I didn''t. I felt scared. Scared of the unknown. What if they aren''t weak? What if they were mocking me as appearing weak? What if they''re a wolf in a sheep''s skin. A goat''s skin. I don''t have much choice, do I? I turned around and ran with all my might, That figure is still inside the house and the goats served no other purpose than intimidation. The dark felt suffocating, my bare feet scraped and stubbed on pebbles and rocks but I couldn''t stop. The pain was way less. Way less than my other experiences. But it''s still pain. My lantern seemed useless in this darkness, abandoning it would''ve been better but I didn''t. I clung to it, the only source of light. Hooves soon followed, they were following me. Laughter followed. I glanced back and there I saw. The faint lantern light illuminated their indifferent faces as the followed. They weren''t fast nor were they slow. They were just following me at a suitable pace. They were in no hurry. They were laid back, almost as if they knew.. As if they knew there''s no escape. Escape.. How can I escape? How? Can I be lucky like last time? Will I be forever stuck here? Why? What am I even doing? Why am I doing this? How am I supposed to do this? I don''t know. I ran, my pace increased as did the goats. I glanced back once again, their numbers have increased. There was no notice, nothing out of the ordinary, the sound of hooves remained the same as it did in the start and yet more hooves were added. I focused on their faces, there were woman, men, children and they all looked at me with indifference. Their faces seemed similar and yet foreign. As I was focused on them, something collided.. Something collided into me. I fell, my foot scraped across the surface as it drew blood. Instinctively, my hands reached for the ground to break my fall, however it made it worse. The lantern broke as it clashed against the ground and its broken glass shard stabbed into my palms. It hurts. The coldness of the night stung against my wounds. Painful. The momentary confusion was unreal. Fur. I felt fur when I crashed into it. Coarse rough fur. I raised my head and stared at the thing that caused me to fall. A deer. A human-headed deer. The faint light illuminated its face. The following hooves drew closer as they gradually slowed down. Despite my instincts screaming at me to escape, I couldn''t. I couldn''t take my eyes of the creature infront of me. I stared at it as I saw myself. A Cassian-headed deer. Not a goat. A deer. Its twisted pointy antlers pointed towards the sky, piercing through the darkness. Its face, a reflection of mine, looked at me with nothing but hatred. Not indifference. Hatred. I couldn''t take my eyes off of it. I couldn''t take my eyes off of him. I couldn''t take my eyes off of myself. Reflection Goats surrounded me, the light from their lanterns illuminated their faces and that''s all it did. Everything else was devoured by the darkness. I sat, sprawled on the ground, my eyes staring at the deer. At myself. Its face twisted in fury, its gritted teeth dripped saliva onto the ground. Its eyes stared at me with the intent to kill. To kill itself. To kill myself. My face, its face didn''t change nor blink, it just stared. At me. The goats quieted down, returning the silence of the night as we both stared at eachother. Why? Doubts filled my mind. Why? Why aren''t I running? Why aren''t I getting up? Why aren''t I scared? Why am I looking at myself? Why with hatred? Why do I hate myself? Everything else around me seemed insignificant as I ignored them. The deer was small and scrawny. A human arm extended from its back holding a lantern, just like the goat. However its lantern was different, no..it wasn''t lantern. It was a torch. A golden torch. Its flames brightly illuminated the surroundings, not even the darkness could contain it. And then I saw, I realised. The deer...it was injured. Iron thorns wrapped tightly around its body drawing blood. It was a suprise for sure. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. My eyes followed their path and noticed they originated from its chest. From its heart. A bloody hole, mangled flesh shredded by the silver thorny vines escaped from its heart and wrapped around the creature. I glanced at its face again. Realisation hit. Its hatred wasn''t pointed towards me. It was rage. Rage due to pain. I.. I don''t hate myself. I hate pai..wait. I don''t hate pain. I never hated it. Infact I appreciate it, it signifies my hesitation. So then why? I gazed into its eyes. So then why do you hate pain? The deer didn''t answer, its face remained the same. I took a quick glance around, the lanterns were nowhere to be seen. Light has disappeared. Alongside the goats. Bad news. I immediately stood up, the deer didn''t react to my sudden movement instead it just looked at me. I stared back at it too. Fascinating. And intriguing. We both stared. For a long time. We both stared at eachother, at our reflection, With no care in the world. Oh. Realisation hit again. The chains of thorns clanked as they tightened, the mangled flesh started to.. Heal. However the thorns didn''t allow as they shredded the flesh once again. I see. He is just like me. He is me. He doesn''t hate pain. He hates that he has to live through it. He hates his regeneration. Just like me. He is a reflection of myself. No.. He is an imitation. I hate the regeneration and yet I appreciate. However. He doesn''t. He is a crudely made imitation inside a dream. He isn''t me. The deer stood there frozen. I don''t know how much time has passed nor do I know if the goats have disappeared. But I know. I know that I will escape. I reached my hand out and snatched the golden torch from its hand. I didn''t hesitate, why should I? Its just a mere imitation, why should I hesitate against it? The deer offered no resistance, it just stood there, frozen, with the same expression. However. The torch resisted. It felt like touching burning coal. I almost dropped it. I gritted my teeth, searing heat struck against my palm. I passed it into my other palm, the torch however didn''t go alone as it ripped away skin from my palm. I sighed. It was painful. But still useful. And I ran. Without even sparing a glance at my crude self. I ran. I ran to escape. And then hooves followed. However this time, it was a singular entity. Laughter ensued. However it wasn''t an unfamiliar laugh. It was mine. I didn''t need to glance back to know who it was. The searing hot golden torch in my hands illuminated the surroundings. Way better than the lantern. But it wasn''t enough to beat the darkness. I could see the ground and what was infront of me. Nothing else. I couldn''t see into the distance not could I see the deer chasing me. And thus a crude imitation chased. It chased its true self. Its ''true self'' which it assumes to be its perfect self. However an imitation can never be true. It can never compare. It is futile. It also knew that. And yet it chased. Not for perfection. But for its true self. For its identity. To find himself. However. How can a shadow compare to its light? How can it outrun its light? ******** I ran, exhaustion crept up my bones alongside paranoia. The searing heat from the torch never faltered nor did it reduce. The air didn''t affect the ever burning flame, almost as if it was being avoided on purpose. I glanced back. Nothing. I saw nothing other than darkness. But I heard. I heard and felt. The slight tremors in the ground, the sound of hooves clashing against it. It felt unreal. They didn''t align with eachother. The timing is off. A delayed sound. The imitation was still chasing me. No matter how fast the light is, its shadow would always follow it. That''s how it is. That''s how nature works. But this goes against nature. The deer, the prey, has become the predator. The human, the predator, has become the prey. However. In the end, they''re all the same. Creations of nature. Fundamentally different creations that has now gone against the nature''s cycle. How long will this last? Why is it still chasing me? I glanced back again, a frightening thought crept up my mind. That''s not possible... He is not completely similar to me right? Its just a crude creation, imitation. However it still retains some of the original characteristics. If my assumption is correct. Like me, he won''t stop chasing. He won''t stop hoping nor would he stop running. He won''t stop. Just like how I chase my legacy, he won''t stop chasing his light. We won''t stop until we accomplish our quest. Our hopes and dreams. Our ambitions. My ambitions. My pace increased despite the exhaustion. My legs tried to give out but I said no. My brain screamed at me to rest but I ignored it. My throat begged for water and the answer it received was indifference. I ran. I never stopped running. No matter what. I can''t let an imitation defeat the original. No matter what. I am the original. I am alive. Its just imitation. It''s soulless. And thus through this suffocating darkness.. The shadow chased its light. Suffer I ran, for how long? I don''t know. Nor will I ever will. The sound of hooves sinking through sand, The glaring sun high up in the sky, the sandy dunes... Everything made no sense. How was it supposed to make sense? I''m in a dream after all. The suffocating darkness, the goaty laughter, The muddy village path... Everything has disappeared. How? I don''t know. It just happened in the blink of an eye, literally. I was running through darkness a moment ago and here I am now... Running through an unforgiving desert. Thirst gripped my throat, my legs begged for rest, my eyes drooped due to exhaustion. But I didn''t stop. I ignored my body. I ignored its warnings. And kept on running. After all, this a dream. Or a vision. Whatever it is. It isn''t reality. I''m grateful for that. I glanced behind, towards my shadow. Not the dark humanoid one. But the grotesque deer. He was still following me, his hatred still plastered across his face as he stained the grainy sand with his blood. The thorns tightened around his body once more. Bulging flesh stuck through the gaps provided by those chains, not without harm though. However. Despite intense bleeding he was still alive. His regeneration wouldn''t let him die. Just like me. I wonder, if the thorns tightened any further would he pop like a watermelon? Blood would splatter everywhere and his organs would be sent flying. The blood would be absorbed by the sand, his flesh and organs would be eaten by the vultures. And at the end, he would disappear. That''s how ''life'' was supposed to be. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The ''life'' dictated by nature. But here it isn''t the case. External interference stepped in.. Divinity stepped in. His regeneration would bring him back. Nature dictates how death was supposed to be for us mortals and animals alike. But divinity breaks off these chains. Divinity made us something more than mere ''lives''. Meaningful lives? No. But it certainly made us something more. It gave us what? I don''t know how to describe it.. It broke off our fate dictated by nature, I guess. However. The chains it broke off released us. Released us into a cage. A cage of divinity and nature. A fate of being toyed around by both. A fate we could only resign to. A meaningless existence. I sighed. The sand was hot, really hot, but not as hot as the torch I was holding. It shimmered under the sun, I still held onto it even though it''s not useful anymore. What if I went back to that darkness again? Just like how I entered this desert? Maybe. The desert heat was unbearable. The sand was burning my soles. It was painful. But a bearable pain. Unbearable heat and bearable pain huh? Strangely enough, I haven''t started sweating yet. I don''t know why though. My eyes were squinted due to the harsh sun, my long hair had long been disappeared, my height has shortened and my skin.. It was tanned and rough, similar to my original one. I clutched my smooth straight hair, it was light brown. I have changed. Changes that I couldn''t notice inside the darkness. But now? I''ve noticed it all. A change I''m familiar with. The horned god''s and Adam''s were both experienced by me in their perspective. The only difference is that, now I can control myself. I have free will. I shortened my pace as did the shadow. It was mimicking my movements. My decisions. Everything it could mimic, it will. My steps sunk deep into the sand, the heat absorbed by them released onto my foot. I sighed. I stepped onto the sand once more with my other leg. And pushed forw- And fell. The sand collapsed. It collapsed. It was hollow underneath. I fell, my eyes searching for anything. Anything that can help. It happened way too fast. I glanced all around, nothing. I couldn''t find anything. It was pure darkness. ******** Like I said, pure darkness. Blood oozed from my injuries as I laid on the ground in silence. I stared at the ceiling, to where I came from, But nothing could be seen except darkness I laid on a wet mushy surface, it was my own flesh and blood. My bones, I don''t know how many of them remains unharmed. My skull has cracked, crushed even, my eyes.. My eyes were there but not my vision. I could feel the crushed part of my skull cave in, it was painful. I haven''t started regenerating. Yet. Or will I? Who knows. The pain felt vague and vivid at the same time. It didn''t even seem like pain at all. I''m thankful for that. Without regeneration I wouldn''t want to be laying here in this condition while feeling every single injuries, every single broken bones and every single pain caused by them. I have lost control over my body, the broken bones kept throbbing like toothache. Albeit at a higher level. That''s the best description I could come up with. I sighed or atleast tried to. In this supposed to be silent darkness, a whimpering noise stood out. It wasn''t from me. It was from ''Cassian''. The deer. The sound of iron clashing against eachother echoed, the whimpering increased as it turned into gasps and cries. The laughter disappeared. Its laughter had long been extinguished. It was in pain. It was in need of aid. We both were in pain. I however felt more detached towards it. After all this isn''t real. This isn''t my reality. The deer however might feel this is reality. It''s where it came from after all. This is its reality. An imitation''s reality. The groans and cries of pain increased. It sounded inhumane. A mix of deer cries alongside human wails. It grated against my ears, trying to etch it deep into my eardrums. I hate it. I despise it. It was disturbing me. My peaceful moment. Just why? What is your problem with me? You''re going to die anyways, so let me rest. I despised it. And more importantly. I struggled, my left arm wasn''t completely unusable. I rolled, gritting at the pain as I rolled onto my stomach. Why are you crying? I reached my left arm out and crawled towards the whimpers. It was hell. My battered body scraped against the rough ground as I left a bloody trail. My already broken bones screamed at me, throbbing, nausea and dizziness gripped me in their claws. A dull ache. That''s the best way I could describe my broken bones. I have lost complete strength in them and some areas have started to become numb. Death was getting closer. And here I was crawling away from it. Towards the deer. Towards myself. Towards what kept me alive Towards my regeneration. I crawled and crawled, slow and steady crawls. For how long? I don''t know. I don''t care. As long as I reached it. I don''t mind. I felt a wet sensation on my left arm, my heart raced, it was blood. Not mine. The cries of pain were too closed to my ears, Its head just above mine. I raised my left arm, towards it, towards the chains. Both of them despite the other being completely broken. And I pulled, the chain felt feeble under my arms. Too feeble. It started to bend under pressure, the wails stopped. Its focus changed towards my arms. Is he being rescued? Finally free from this torment? From this curse? These must be the thoughts flooding his mind at this moment. He was finally being free. Isn''t he? Or. Is he? I stopped bending it and fell towards the ground with a squishy sound. I fell onto its blood. Disgusting deer cries returned as its head bit onto my hair and tried to pick me up. It hurts to be honest. It raised me up, towards the chains. It wanted freedom. No. I wouldn''t give it freedom. I want it to continue its suffering. Its torment. My suffering. My torment. Our suffering. Our torment. As we always did. These thorns are the curse that''s keeping us alive. Without it, we''re dead. It didn''t seem bad to be honest. Death was better that these unnecessary sufferings I went through. Matter of fact, I wouldn''t mind dying here and now. Despite my fear of death. I wouldn''t mind it. If not for my ambitions. So. So, for my dreams you have to suffer. We have to suffer. Continue to suffer. I dropped my arms as blood dripped from them onto the ground. I could feel the hair it was biting onto tearing away from my scalp. However before that could happen, it dropped me. Towards the ground. Did it finally understand me? Was it agreeing? Compromising? Ofcourse no. Who would? A hoof planted itself on the back of my skull as I lost consciousness. I died. Heat Pain. The sharp hoof pierced through my skull and crushed my brain. I felt pain. A momentary pain. Then. Darkness. Not the previous suffocating darkness, it was peaceful. Peaceful. The momentary pain disappeared and a new sensation took place. No..it wasn''t new, it was the same old pain. Pain after pain. I woke up with a jerk, blood and some unknown pus covered my whole. The wet sensation was uncomfortable. As I stood up, something seperated from my back. And an intense heat hit my back causing it to sting in pain. I turned around and saw¨C My skin. On the golden roots. It ripped away. I cursed in pain, the intense heat was unbearable. I have returned to the furnace once again. A stench emanated from my body, from my burning body. Melting body. The unknown pus-like liquid was indeed my melting flesh. Painful. I gritted my teeth, my hands dug deep into my palms and my legs stood on their own. No matter the pain, I can''t die. No matter the pain, I need to escape. My eyes frantically looked around in confusion. Thick endless fog with an orange tint, flowy golden roots, Sero and... A pitch black axe at my foot. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. I picked it up, its wooden handle remained untouched by the heat and the roots. I picked it up I ran, flimsily, but I didn''t care about how ridiculous it looked. My soles burned as it made contact with the shining golden roots, the fog was grilling me inside out. I couldn''t even sweat. It was evaporated away. Or. Dehydration. Dammit. Callon was missing, dead maybe, however in my mind my safety was the first priority. Why? I can''t die but he can. I should probably go back, shouldn''t I? I glanced back, there wasn''t anyone there. I was alone. Except the blue soul leading me towards an exit. Sero, although indifferent, was the only one who remained with me. What happened to Callon? Is he alive? Dead? No one, no normal mortal can survive this heat. But can he do it? He can control mana, he can control the water element. But in this heat, the water would already be evaporated the moment it gets conjured. So he''s dead... Unless a miracle happens. However, scars will remain. Even if he was completely healed physically, scars will remain. Emotional scars. Either by fear, pain, death or... Feeling of being betrayed. He can die, I can''t. But I''m the one who''s running for safety at this moment instead of him. Why? I''m sure he hasn''t abandoned me. He wouldn''t... Right? Yes. Stop. Stop trying to justify yourself. Myself. Accept it. A coward I am. Cowardice infront of pain even though death can never claim me. Accept it. Accept it that I''m a coward. I am. I am a coward. I ran, sometimes stumbling, sometimes melting, sometimes burning, but I didn''t stop. I couldn''t. I wouldn''t. Death has never seemed this delectable. And yet I reject it. Keep on suffering for my goals. That''s what I said to the deer. It would quite hypocritical of me to give up due to pain, no? Enough. I sighed or atleast tried to. All that came out from my mouth were coughs, gasps and searing saliva. Even the air felt suffocating and yet I still breathed in. I don''t know if this air is usable for my lungs but I still inhaled. Who knows, maybe it is usable. The hot air assaulted my nose and my lungs. It felt as if melting magma was poured onto my lungs. Although I''ve never felt such pain as magma being poured onto my lungs. Dammit. The irregularly intertwined roots caused me to stumble countless times, the indifferent wandering soul was running infront of me while I struggled to keep up. No it wasn''t running. Floating? Now that I think about it, Sero''s body has seemed a bit more smokey lately. Similar to those descriptions of the djinns. Wandering souls are mysterious, we still don''t know nothing about them while they know a lot about us. After all, everyone alive in this world has a wandering soul. This is one of their mysteries. The moment the make contact with the fog, they turn smokey. A lot of experiments were done with them. A lot in which casualities were numerous. One of such experiments found out that¨C As long as a wandering shadow is near you in a radius of 400 feet, they can find you and you won''t be lost in the fog. That''s why we left them outside back then. Also, monsters don''t attack them. They''re intangible to such. Whatever dangers lies in the lands of no return, They don''t have to fear it. I sighed, the ongoing rant about the wandering souls did nothing to distract me from the pain. The slow yet fading pain. Pus-like liquid covered my body, its unbearable stench assaulted my nose alongside the intense heat. Hellish. I was in agony. I wanted to scream and roll around in pain. I wanted to give up and return. I wanted to go home. I wanted to go back and search for Callon. But I didn''t. I made a decision. Maybe it''s a brilliant decision. Or. A regrettable decision. No matter which it was, I made it. And I will complete it. I will accomplish it. As I ran through this root-filled furnace, I decided. I decided to not turn nor look back. The pain felt detached, the heat felt faulty, the stench smelt bland. In my thoughts, everything faded. In my thoughts, I melted. In my thoughts, I decided. I ran. Towards escape. Towards exit. The fog whipped up, maybe it answered my hopes. The intense fog swirled and twirled, it crashed into my with a poof as my bare body burned under heat. It happened all around me. Sero was barely visible in this intense orange fog, it stuck close to me as it stopped. We have reached. We have reached the exit it seems. I stood there, confused. Now what? There was no door, no tornado, or a barrier like last times. Do I just keep walking? Is the exit similar to the one in the starry dunes? I didn''t know. Sero stopped so did I. In the starry dunes Sero kept on walking, but here he has stopped. So... should I wait? In this intense heat? My clothes were burned away, torn apart and destroyed. Standing in this searing fog as it constantly crashed into me while it twisted and swirled was hellish. I couldn''t die. That made it even more hellish. So I just stood there, waiting. Waiting. With my soulless wandering soul. Unmoving, almost uncanny. The swirling fog grew larger as I stared in awe and pain. It was like a mountain of hellish heat, looking down me. And then. The mountain fell. And crashed into me. I was swallowed whole alongside my wandering soul. I was devoured by the heat. Into the unknown. Bald The shift of vision was nauseating, my body failed to even walk properly, I couldn''t even see properly. My blurry eyes, my burnt regenerating flesh, my body depraved of water, dehydration... A massive headache assaulted my brain, my lungs felt like they were on fire, my senses of smell and hearing started to fade. It was hell. I don''t know where I am, I don''t know where the fog took me, I don''t even know what I''m doing. Everything was blurry, a blurry shade or gray, small lumps of light decorated it. I assume those are lights. I stumbled, using the the walls or whatever it was as support and made my way forward. Water. Liquid. Anything. Anything to satisfy my thirst. Please. Anything. My throat was so dry it felt as if I swallowed a lump of coiled thorny vines, each swallow of saliva felt like hell. Dammit. Dammit. Dammit. Why. Why? Why?! My vision blurred further, the dizziness stripped me of my sense of direction, only my nails...my fingers held on. Held onto the cold hard brick wall. But soon it will fall. Soon. Not now, soon, which means I still have time. Incomprehensible colours danced in my vision, they twisted, they absorbed, they shrunk, they expanded... Just ignore them. Then, suddenly! Something, no, someone or whatever it was collided into me. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Or did I collide onto them? I don''t know. My hand dropped from the wall, my balance left the floor, a shriek entered my ear but I ignored it. Whatever it was, I''m sorry. I fell onto it, a humanoid creature, its voice came out in shrieks and cries of pain and terror. It struggled under my body, under my weight as we both fell to the ground. I kept my body optimal position as not to let the creature escape. After all, I''m thirsty. Blood is liquid. I just need it for the satisfaction, to give my parched throat a release. We both fell to the ground and I didn''t let it escape. I trapped it under my body, its meaningless struggle was ignored and although its cries were quite pitiful, I didn''t care. I just... I opened my mouth, my jaw creaked, it was difficult to even breath as of now, it was miracle I was even able to walk and think. I opened my mouth with great difficulty and bit onto flesh. Coarse, rotten, mangled flesh. Disgusting. Repulsive. But I didn''t remove my mouth. Why? Blood. Liquid. Water. Thirst. I sucked in whatever it was into my mouth, into my throat, into my stomach to slap away the hands of thirst that gripped my throat. Its cries became louder, its struggles became more frantic, however, it couldn''t escape. Not until I''m satisfied. I''m sorry. Forgive me. It''s just how it is. I kept on sucking, it was cold, odourless, tasteless but I knew it was something a human wasn''t supposed to consume. But can I be considered human? Ofcourse I can. I''m human, no matter what. Desperation leads to regretful actions. But this one... I wouldn''t regret this. Maybe. I layed there, on top, sucking out its life, eating its flesh when I regained more strength until I could fully replenish myself. I was desperate. But not regretful. I won''t be regretful. ******** Liar. I leaned against the cold brick walls, cold blood stained my forearms and my face. I stared at the dead humanoid creature with dull eyes, I could still feel its mangled flesh stuck between my teeth. Liar. I''m a liar. I stared at the humano crea-, no, I stared at the human. The dead human. The dead that I have killed. With my own hands, with my own teeth. She, yes it was a woman, had long black hair and fair skin. That''s all that remained. Only her skin and hair were her distinguishable features, half her scalp was even missing. She laid on a puddle of her own blood, my handiwork. Dammit. I... I ate a human. For survival. Dammit. It left a bad after taste in my mouth now. I regret it, mostly. No, scratch that, partially or maybe even less. It was between her and me and although I can''t die, it doesn''t mean I''m invincible. I still have mortal urges and needs. I''m still mortal. Bound by the material world. I then gave a few glances towards my left and right, towards the long hallway lit by torches. I sighed and leaned even further back, I gently closed my eyes as the massive headache started to subside. Now what? I entered an unknown dungeon? Labrynth? Or whatever it was and the first thing I did was cannibalise a fellow human. Out of survival, of course. I regretted it but that regret quickly vanished after I gained clarity. What is a human doing here anyways? It can''t be an adventurer, not this weak and she didn''t seem to have any weapon on her. Speaking of weapons, somehow I still held onto the axe subconsciously through my way here. ''Subconsciously.'' Then, what should I do now? Where even am I? Is this a dungeon or a labrynth? If it is I hope it''s the former and not the latter. A dungeon was more structured than a labrynth after all. A labrynth is more flexible, no, it''s more chaotic. A death filled maze. That''s not even the worst part. I dug into my memories, those nights of continuously memorising the explorer pages. A structure like a dungeon or a labrynth have special attributes attached to them. The major one is that they disappear. They vanish after a fixed amount of time. No one knows how to calculate this. So it is adviced to leave as soon as possible. Then there are special attributes like treasures or any of that sort. These structures will vanish after a period of time, sometimes even treasuries will form within them. The main objective is to leave as soon as possible, of course. The question is, should I search for valuables or any of that sort? Even though I don''t know the time limit... I opened my eyes once again, my gaze returned to that dead ''human'', my hand tightened around axe as I slowly stood up. My internet has already been piqued when I found ''humans'' here. It would be a shame if I left without knowing their origins, wouldn''t it? I ran a hand through my hair, or what was supposed to be my hair. I was bald, well mostly, most of my hair was burned away although a bald head might have looked better than what I have right now. I sighed and gazed at the blue smoky soul beside me, he gazed at me too. After all, the ''human'' wasn''t the only anamoly. The fog. There was no fog. Or atleast there was no fog in the observable distance. "Let''s go." A simple command and that''s all it took for Sero to start moving and for me to follow him. Into the fogless hallways guided by torches, however, I was guided by this blue soul. I was¨C Bald, naked, confused and curious. The soul was¨C Indifferent. As I, Cassian, followed the soulless blue soul, I felt as if he had forgotten something important. Something I wasn''t supposed to forget. Something I was supposed to remember forever. Something that felt like sin to forget. But I forgot.