-It felt empty. My mind drifted around in a realm, that hat completely succumbed to its darkness. Falling. Falling forever. It felt like I was falling forever into this pit created by the Abyss. The longer I fell, the faster I went. All my senses were numb. It was... it was finally complete silence. The voices that consumed my mind were fading away and the silence I longed for finally came upon me. My eyes noticed something unusual in this place. There appeared a light in the depths of this place. I fell and touched that mysterious light. The next moment I awoke from my Dream.
…
My entire body wanted to succumb to the pain I felt. Several broken ribs, multiple small holes in my body making me lose too much blood, my internal organs damaged and the ink - like black cracks in my skin across my entire body.
-Pain wasn′t the right word to describe how badly I felt. Being crushed to death multiple times would have been a better fate than this.
I couldn′t move my body an inch, even trying to open my eyes caused great pain to me. But nonetheless I needed to get a grasp of the situation, so I hardly managed to hold my left eye open. Although my vision was extremely blurry and had a dark red tone to it, I was able to make out some things.
- A cave, no… a prison.
I found myself behind what looked like metal rods.
- Two people, one on the right side and the other on the left side standing outside the prison.
“How did I end up here?” I thought while being unable to understand the situation completely.
It was cold and eerie, the air felt wet and piercing cold in that small prison. The smell of my own blood filled the cave I resided in.
“The last thing I remember. Right, I fought against that monster and killed it, but I ended up fainting at the end. Did those people who stood by imprison me?”
- “How cowardly of them.”
- “My mask is still on, but the left side of it broke down. They probably weren′t able to take it off, due to it being bound to me.”
I slightly lowered my head to see my lower body. My whole upper body was covered in bandages, every part of it. I only had my pants on, my shoes were missing, and my shirt must have been torn apart while fighting.
-But I can′t recreate them right now! I don′t have any Qi left. But that’s not the problem right now and my hands are tied with rope as well.
…
- So how can I escape this situation?
…
After he collected his thoughts, he came to a simple conclusion.
- “They must have come prepared to this Dungeon, bringing all these supplies, meaning they thought it would take a longer time to conquer this place. The two factions split up after entering. At first, they seemed to attack each other, but now they look like they work together. These two guards have different uniforms, one of them had orange armor and the other a blue one, so they must have made a temporary alliance after realizing the difficulty of this place.”
- “They also must have realized that I am an outsider, so they locked me up, treated me to keep me alive. So that they could question me later when I wake up. I should escape as soon as I can, but I can barely even see, not to say that I can′t even move my body. If they figure out I′m awake, I am done. But what can I do in my state? The only thing I can do is wait.”
Drop. Drop.
The sound of a liquid dropping to the ground on the right side of him. Filled with interest I searched for the sound with my eyes and there it is. I found the origin of the sound.
-The ink- colored liquid!
Before the appearance of that Monster, it was green colored, but it seemed to start corrupting after it appeared.
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- “The green liquid must be something like a source to the dungeon, but why did it corrupt?”
- “Could the shadow Monsters be corrupting the Dungeon?”
He throws a last glance at the guards that looked into the other direction, unaware of him awakening. While struggling, he managed to push himself to the right, making his body fall to the side, sliding down the wall behind him. He immediately looked in the direction of the guards, but they didn’t notice anything. Now he pressed his face to the ground and before him was a small amount of that ink water.
- “This is a big gamble but there is no other choice! This ink healed that monster, so there is a chance it can heal me too!”
Making up his mind and resolving himself to the act he starts drinking the liquid out of the small puddle. After quickly finishing, he felt a sting in his heart. Right after his entire body succumbed to pain, making him want to scream out in agony, but he suppressed his voice.
Due to the pain both his eyes open wide. Even his right eye where his skin had ripped apart from his upper right face, through his eye and down to his chin. The flesh where his skin was ripped was colored ominously black with a faint blue color. But something changed before his eyes were colored white, now they have turned completely black. His iris in his eyes were still the same purple. The left eye was unharmed, but a faint of darkness was found within them.
Laying on his side, panting in pain and agony. He noticed the guards suddenly looking to the left side.
Step. Step.
Suddenly the sound of heavy steps sounded in the cave, coming in our direction. There were multiple other people closing in. I quickly closed my eyes to avoid them noticing me.
The two guards bowed down as far as they could and gave him a salute with their arms - Crossing their arms before them. That person arrived. He wore elegant white pants and a shirt with a long red cape on his back.
“Welcome SIR!” Both guards shouted.
That person asked in a youthful, yet horrifying voice.
- “Did the prisoner wake up?” He asked in a voice that could make someone suffocate.
While I lay on the ground, I saw his lower body with my left eye half open.
“NO, HE HAS NOT AWAKEN YET, SIR!” The guard in orange armor reported with fear filling his crumbling voice.
He gave a glance upon my body behind the metal bars.
- “Is that so?” He asked in a sarcastic voice.
He slowly put his hands to his chest and swung it in the air toward the guard in blue. But seemingly nothing happened. Suddenly he ordered the other guard.
- “Open the prison door.”
Without asking a question he complied with his request, but the moment he moved to open the door. The guard with blue armor still stood there unnaturally without moving an inch.
After the prison opened, he walked up to Kage laying on the ground. He gazed down upon his body from the top with his piercing orange eyes. His orange spiky hair split into two on the side. Everything about him was menacing.
A smile formed on his face; his eyes closed he asked in a menacing funny tone.
- “How long are you going to pretend to be asleep, until you heal?”
Kage opened his left eye and took notes of his appearance.
-So, he saw through me right away…...This is going to be difficult.
- “So, who are you?” That elegant person asked with the same tone.
- “Aren′t you supposed to state your own name first, when asking for another’s?” Kage replied with a question.
- “My, aren′t you feisty one, but why am I supposed to tell my name to someone like you? But I will humor you a little bit. Many call me Dawn. “
- “So, who are you”
-Dawn? He must be the leader of the orange faction, I didn′t notice it was him because my vision is too blurry. So, he is one of the people Lyra talked about.
-My name is Cheon.
- “Cheon? Hmmm Haven′t heard of you. But my people told me that you defeated one of those little beasts, right. So, you must have some power at least, but you are nothing compared to me. Hehe”
-It′s better to not tell him my real name.
Dawn swung his leg back and kicked Kage right in the face.
- “Pfftt” he laughed.
- “argh” Kage let out his pain as Dawn kicked his face that was partly covered by his mask.
He spat on his face and declared arrogantly.
- “You are nothing more than a worm in front of me.”
He turned around and walked out of the prison. Other guards appeared, with someone kept captive. The person was held by two guards in orange armor.
- “Throw her in there, she might be useful later on.” Dawn ordered them, with a cold look on his face.
The two guards threw her in, and she panted in pain, while landing on the ground. The guard that stood by closed the prison door right after she was thrown in. Dawn started walking away to the left side, but something suddenly came to his mind.
- “Ahh right, don′t forget to burn that body too. I don′t want to see any more of that women’s guards.”
“W-What…?” Before the guard by the cell could ask, it happened.
The guard that stood by the right side of the cell, with blue armor. His head slowly slides off its intended place and soon after his body collapses like a dead body.
The guard was shocked, as the dead body fell to ground.
-What happened? The guard asked.
Kage remembered that Dawn swung his arm right before he entered this prison.
- It must have been the attack he unleashed before. I didn′t even see him land it.
The guard started to move the dead body outside. The new prisoner still lay on the ground. She had short brown hair, with black clothing.
-Although I′m still unable to move normally, I should be able to somehow push myself up. After I drank the ink liquid, it felt like it flowed into every part of my body, and I somehow feel like I can move now.
- “It must be the healing effect of the ink, but I can barely move even now.”
I tried to move my hands, but they just wouldn′t move. I struggled, but it didn′t move from its place. I exhausted myself, just by trying to move myself and so I succumbed to my accumulated exhaustion and my injuries. And I fell asleep once again.
- “I′m back again”
I was back. Back in that dark place from before. The Place filled with complete darkness.
Pop.
Something appeared before me, giving off a purple light. Due to the sudden light, I closed my eyes for a moment but opened them shortly after. And I saw it, something that felt familiar. It was a purple interface, the System.
In that moment, suddenly memories from my past flowed back into my mind uncontrollably and I remembered.
- “My Family, Thorin and Omen.”
- One by one my memories came to me in little pieces, and I remembered my Family that I couldn′t protect on earth. Thorin Grimbeard the blacksmith in Lumenvall, who I was unable to help and protect. And…Omen the person who caused all this, the death of Thorin, the destruction of Lumenvall and my anger that I feel towards the shadows of this world.
As these memories came back to haunt me, I found my path forward within them. The voices that had haunted me to kill the shadows reappeared again in my mind and I awoke from that place filled with complete darkness.
The moment I opened my left eye; I saw the other prisoner kneeling before me. Her short brown hair hangs down her face as she locked eyes with me.
She backed away her head and asked in a concerned voice.
- “Are you okay? You seemed to have a nightmare.”
The beating of my heart fastened. The voices came back to haunt me and with-it pieces of my memories. Within them my destinated path appeared before me.
- I finally remember it!
- Just wait, I will kill you Omen!
End of chapter 23 ------------------------------------------------------------------- To be continued