noveldrama
Chapter 81 : Dream
Chapter 81 : Dream
Opening my eyes wide, I sit up quickly, my breathing was very labored, and my mind very confused.
Huff... Hufffff... Huffff... Hufff
My heart was racing, cold sweat running down my back, my mind still equally confused. I couldn't remember anything of what happened, just some glimpses of some things, but nothing else.
Looking around, the sun dazzled the entire landscape. I was still sitting on the rock where I fell asleep. Everything around me returned to normal: the somber and dark atmosphere, the blood-red water, the plants. Everything returned to the embrace of life once more, as if nothing had happened. Light is the key, it drives away the darkness and all the evil that accompanies it.
Looking at the water and its crystal-clear purity, I slowly approached. Standing a few centimeters away, I cupped my hands together, scooping up some water and brought it directly to my face. The feeling of fear was still rooted in my bones. The vague image of a serpent with a titanic size passed through my mind. My soul began to tremble as did my body. Fear was deeply rooted within me.
I didn't know why it happened. I couldn't remember anything. It was as if it had never happened, but somehow at the same time, I felt it was very real.
My body continued to tremble. "Damn it, calm down already."
Bang!
I hit myself in the face, trying to calm my nerves and heart that kept beating abnormally. It's not a good feeling at all. It's distressing and desperate to be afraid but not know exactly why.
I continued for a few minutes splashing my face. That feeling just didn't go away. Taking out the bottle, I plunged it into the water, filling it completely. I was very thirsty. Returning to the rock, I sat down and took a deep breath. After a few more minutes, I finally felt like my state was returning to normal.
My mind wandered through the few memories I could recognize.
A very blurred image passed through my mind: it was a boy with black hair and eyes, talking to me. I didn't know his name, but a familiar feeling invaded me.
A battlefield, death all around, and then darkness. Everything turned dark.
I felt a sharp pain pass through my mind every time I tried to remember more. An intense pain pierced my brain as if invisible knives were cutting it into little pieces.
I frowned. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't remember more. Slowly opening my eyes, a beautiful landscape welcomed me. I was still in the same place. Looking at the sky, I saw that the sun was at its highest; it was midday. Getting up slowly.
"It's time to leave this place," I think. Looking at the waterfall right in front of me, it's the entrance to zone 3. Right in the middle of the waterfall, there's a huge hole. I have to go in and walk for a few more hours.
Sighing, I head towards the waterfall. There's nothing I can do for now. I still have many questions swirling in my mind and no answers...
Standing in front of the waterfall, I look up. "It's very high." Frowning, I apply force to my legs, squatting down and pushing myself up.
Bang!
Entering the air, I head towards the waterfall, piercing through the water. I fall perfectly into a large opening. It was dark. I look forward, but there was nothing, just darkness. In the distance, a little light could be seen. It looked like an extremely long tunnel and at the end, you could find the exit.
Taking some dried meat from my ring, I start walking. It's a good time to eat a little, I think...
****
POV Elsa
It's been a few days since I arrived in the city. The first thing I did was sell the orbs. We had a total of 100 rank E orbs. I went straight to the secretary's office and he bought them for 6 gold coins each. So, selling the 100, I got a total of 300 gold coins. I was very happy because with this, Anthony wouldn't have to worry about money anymore.
Thinking of Anthony, my mood turned a little sour. He went to zone 3. Although I was a base-silver rank, he couldn't handle a creature that was a rank far above mine. It was simply suicide, and if I were there, I would be nothing more than a complete nuisance, like in the first few days we entered the forest. So, the most sensible thing was to give up without making any fuss.
The first day, I have to say, I felt the room very empty. The chair next to the window looked lonely. In that place, Anthony spent a lot of time sitting doing absolutely nothing.
Tok... tok... tokk
I heard someone knocking on the door, feeling Ema's presence, I approached with a smile.
Clak!
"Elsa! You're back!" Ema, with her contagious smile, shouted with excitement. Her little eyes sparkled with joy. In her hands, she had a small chocolate cake.
"How are you, Ema? Yes, I'm back." Petting her little head, I respond.
Ema looked around the room, searching for someone, looking back at me, there was a certain concern in her eyes.
"Big sister, where's Mr. Anthony?" she asked with confusion.
Sighing to myself, "He had to stay, he had to do some things," I tell her with a sad smile.
Ema lowers her head, looking at the small cake in her hand, "Will he come back, right?"
"Of course he will, after all he's stronger than me," I tell her confidently. I know he'll come back, he's not easy to kill.
Ema smiles again and extends her little hands, "Look, my mom and I made you a welcome cake! Although it was for both of you, but since Mr. Anthony isn't here, the two of us can eat it, hehehe."
"Alright, let it be so. Come on in, let's go to the desk so we can eat that delicious cake," taking the small cake from Ema's hands, we enter the room.
****
Arriving at the light at the end of the tunnel after several hours of walking, the light bothers me a bit. After being surrounded by darkness, you somehow get used to it. Closing my eyes a little, it takes me a few seconds to adapt to this new environment. When I fully open my eyes, I see what the forest in zone 3 looks like.
The sight that greets you is unsettling. The branches of the trees stand bare, devoid of any leaves, all lying on the ground like a crunchy carpet beneath your feet. It's as if autumn had taken eternal possession of this place, freezing the natural cycle of life.
The sky is barely visible through the dense gray clouds that seem to have permanently settled over the tree canopy. The sun, barely a weak light, struggles to penetrate this grayish blanket, casting ghostly shadows that dance among the naked trunks.
The atmosphere is oppressive and silent, only interrupted by the rustling of the branches beneath your feet and the whisper of the thin layer of mist that spreads throughout the forest, enveloping it in a mysterious aura.
The leaves scattered on the ground display a range of varied colors, from ochres and golds to reddish and brown hues. They are vestiges of the past splendor of this forest, now withered and worn by time. The trees, despite their nakedness, seem to watch you with a penetrating and melancholic gaze, as if they held secrets among their twisted branches.
In fact, this seems a bit more normal, but this sense of danger becomes even stronger and the eyes fixed on you never disappear. This time it's the trees. Although they look lifeless and dry, somehow they also seem full of vitality. It's a strange feeling. I didn't imagine it to be so unsettling at all. The descriptions in the novel didn't do justice to this desolate place.
Sitting at the entrance of the tunnel, I rest for a while to regain some energy after walking for hours. Closing my eyes slightly, I let time pass.
After some time, I slowly open my eyes. Looking at the same forest that didn't change in the slightest, I get up, doing some stretches. I decide it's time to venture into the forest.
With a thought, the sword in its sheath appears in my right hand. Smiling, in front of the forest, I place the sword on my right shoulder. Taking the first steps into zone 3, I venture into the unknown.
As I advance among the trees, I feel a sense of intrigue and fear, as if I were being watched by something more than simple trees. The forest seems to breathe an atmosphere of antiquity and mystery, as if each tree held an untold story, waiting to be discovered among the eternal shadows of this place forgotten by time.