Leaving the mountain

The putrid smell of rotten corpses that went inside my nostrils was so strong that even my imaginary me puked. Once I looked around me at first it felt as if nothing was happening. The man in front of me once again tired but now he was leaning against the staff instead of laying on the knees waiting for death. Around ten seconds without anything happening. I made a bow but before I was about to shoot, I heard something up above. Something buzzing in the air right above my head. A sound resembling that of several bees, I looked up. There was a dark cloud now, a large dark cloud with a dark hole in the middle. I knew what was coming at this point, a flash of lightning fell down on me. It incinerated me to ashes, I felt it even though I wasn't a human anymore but just a mere pile of ash. Dark ash, then everything reset once again… He stood in the same place, me as well. I still felt the energy from the lightning spasming my limbs. I don't know what time it was at this point but I think it's a good time to wake up. Maybe we will go away.

I opened my eyes. The real light of fire almost blinded me at this point. Very strong light, even if the sand was also reflecting the fake sun, but it wasn't real. My eyes then adjusted to the light and my eyes wandered around the cave. Estel was awake and also eating right now, Matthew as well but already long finished his food. He is a hungry dwarf. What do I expect… Marcus calmed down from our today's encounter and Bog also seemed to get better. At least he stopped looking at me weirdly so there are no suspicions of me. A glimpse at the meat at the entrance, some meat, not a lot but something at least. It will be enough for the next two days. The last two days of sitting here… 9 days altogether and so many things happened… I found a brother of mine, found my way, started training weapon fighting… Just a lot of things that changed me a lot. A lot of stuff I learned and a lot of things I have forgotten once again to not lose myself.

"What time of the day is it?" I asked them, they looked at me. Nothing specific in their gaze. A short silence has appeared between all of us here, maybe 10 seconds without a word being said. Maybe no one knows the real answer?

"We don't know, no one left the cave recently but I think it should be pretty late. I think we should try and start to walk back. Who wants to take the meat?" Matthew answered, at this point, he is the only reliable person to talk to. Estel is in the clouds, Marcus well… Is afraid of me and Bog at this point probably feels disturbed by me and my ideals at this point. I could have not told him what I actually did. Maybe he would be the first one to answer that question but I have to go with Matthew since he is the last one that is still sane. I left the cave to see how it is outside and while stepping I saw what the time was. A nice cold breeze, still cold but not so much as in the night. The sun was slowly going under the horizon, it's summer now so it must be the evening. I went back inside and looked around once again. Not a lot of meat was left, we still have to take the skin with us.

"I can take some of the meat. Matthew and Finn, you should take the skin and the rest of the meat… Bog can you take that?" I was the one prescribing who takes what, I don't want Estel to be disturbed by the 'outside' and Marcus shouldn't be like that. He is just really scared. I don't want to put more on his scared shoulders. Bog did not answer and just did what I told him to do, Matthew and Finn just smiled but Matthew's smile was pretty… 'Filthy'. He wasn't too happy about taking it. I took the meat Estel and Marcus without expression took the two spears to defend us in time of need. We then left the nice and cozy cave, left something for the generation of the next prisoners that will come to this damned place. The map in my head showed that this whole mountain passage was very large. Almost like a small county in the middle of six nations. A weird sight on the map but helpful enough to tell me where the tree is. I see myself on the map. The crown of the tree covered one fourth of the whole mountain so it was large, very large.

It was very easy to navigate because of it. Estel was standing in front and Marcus at the back to cover us from both sides.

"Estel, go this way." A quick and short sentence. Descriptive because I pointed out where we should go to our lead right at the front. Expected no answer but it was a nice surprise that he actually answered it.

"Are you sure?" His voice felt as if those were one of the last moments of his life. But I don't want him to sound like that… I accepted what is happening to him because the same thing happened to me. How easy it is to lose yourself, from all of us in the same cell. I want Estel to survive the most… Not as if I am putting one above the other but he just lost so much of himself, of anything he had before coming there. It's just painful to see an 18 year old in this state. How much of his life was wasted in this place and how much of it still will be wasted when he leaves it.

"Yeah. I remember that this was the direction." Another answer that was as rapid as the lighting itself. I am sure of going in that direction therefore the answer was so quick and so reassuring. Estel shrugged it off and went in the direction I pointed at. We all then followed him, slowly going to the entrance with the cold winds very slowly increasing. We at least are moving so it's not as cold. I hope nothing will happen once we descend down, the change of atmosphere even after two days may be very weird. From the highest mountain in the world to the lowest depths I've ever seen. And something else came to my mind while we were walking…

Finding the mana crystal right under the tree, the sacred deer said that there is something up there. Is it somehow connected to one another? Maybe the deer are also connected to the mana reserves. So many questions in my mind, and the last one for now. If the deer is connected to mana crystals… Does it mean that some of the mana users are still alive under different forms? I don't know, I want to know! I want to learn what is happening with the world and the people residing in it. Even if some may be guilty, maybe all… I want to learn about the mana that was in the world. This may be something that will make me accomplish my goal.

In the real world now instead of my imagination, I once again felt many eyes looking at me from all directions. Each rock, tree, or anything has multiple eyes on them. Red eyes looking at me, at others around me. I don't know why it's happening but we should get there faster. I hope that Lambert, Lupo, and Lucas are still alive. I told him to not attack Lucas but what will be with Lambert and Lupo. Maybe they will be killed even though they are the brain of our operation. The great escape from the prison, only one exit for all of the men in this place. Several hundreds of people in the prison trying to escape, many severely wounded, many hungry, and many unable to move… We will try to escape this hell. Do almost anything to leave and live a normal life right after.

Maybe the people from the last floors aren't exactly the same. Maybe it will be just much harder for them? Maybe it's even worse for them because of their power, maybe they are beaten to a point of killing them but then at the very end leaving them to survive. This could be one of the worst fates to ever be for a human being… Being beaten to death repeatedly and making them survive just to increase the pain for the next time. What a harsh world… I hope we can just flood outside without confrontation, the less we lose the better it will be. We may even escape but there is only one exit and that may be our doom… What a pain to think about...