Chapter 4: Let's get out of here…Owww!

King Of The Forest

Chapter 4: Let's get out of here…Owww!

*Rumble*. The cell continues to shake with added ferocity. 'Is this area 51?' I ask, fearful. 'No. This cell would be more sophisticated and 5-5-5 said I'm in a prison.'

While I start to analyse the possible scenarios I could be in, I feel my body gradually get better and the pain subsides to something similar to joint pains. 'I think I can move now.'

I try to roll to my left side but a lack of momentum makes me fall back. 'This is way harder than it should be.'

I try and try again till I finally get it and, "ouff". With a groan I'm now on my front side on the floor. 'Okay. Slowly now….'

Using my left hand I try to lift myself and it feels like a one arm pushup but much worse.

Finally getting it, I crawl to the end of the cell and lean on the wall sitting down while facing the bars at the entrance.

'I almost made it out.' I sulk. 'I guess I'm stuck here forever in this weird cell.' Resigning myself to my fate, I slump down.

On my way to depression I feel the feeling of water coursing through me increasing. 'What the hell is this? I mean I don't want it to stop. It feels good, but what exactly is it?'

With nothing better to do I focus on the feeling and find that I can control its movement within me. I try with the feeling outside of my body. The outside water feeling is kinda hard to move like I'm pulling against something.'Why can't I see it though? Is it some invisible heavy gas? But it feels like light water though. Hmmm.'

A mere moment later, it hit me. 'Holy fuck is this mana. That's why I'm feeling better. It's exactly like the novels and manga say it's like, it has to be mana!' I declare. Eyes wide open, I continue to move the mana within me. 'Hehe. Wait let me see if I can…'

Inspired by the knowledge of my new found power, I move the mana and try to push it out through my left palm and…

"Magic" I whisper while looking at the deep black smog around my hand wisping away like smoke into the air.

'Too cool. I wonder if I can make fire.' I close my eye and think hard about producing a flame on my hand, even the temperature because I didn't want to burn my hand.

I feel a nice warmth enveloping my hand and I grin, opening my eye I see a black substance around my hand looking like a candle lit flame. 'Well that's interesting…I guess I can't do fire. Let me try water.'

As I think of turning the black flame into water I see it change shape into a blob covering my hand. 'I guess I can only use this dark magic and kinda give properties of the other types of magic.'

'I lose an eye and arm then get magic. As an otaku I can sa… a dark place, a cell that looks weird, that monster dog thing and magic….' My heart pounding along with my back straightening, I come to a realisation.

"I've been isekai'ed(reincarnated)" I say out loud resulting in a dry cough and the black blob dissipating.

My coughing fit dying down, I continue inwardly 'So…I really did die. Well maybe not here but in my previous world and then I got transported to this…prison?'

I take a look at my body, noticing I'm bare chested and bleeding a little with scabs on the smaller wounds. 'At least I'm still black but, why does this body…' I stop, looking at my lower torso where I see the same birthmark I've known about since I could remember '...feel familiar.'

"Hahh" I sigh. 'So my whole body was transported? No. 5-5-5 and that lady are confirmation that this body has been here this whole time so I guess it might be my consciousness transporting to another universe to the same body. Or maybe it's my soul. I guess there is life after death. Christians are gonna be bummed out when they find out there's no heaven haha.'

'Anyway now that I have magic this situation seems less sucky.' I joke.

'5-5-5 broke the bars after the mana came, I guess used it but how did he do it? ' I think, wondering if I could do the same. ' I remember an orange light at the bars when that thing hit them. I think it's powered by magic too but it wasn't there when 5-5-5 did it. Hmmm'

'You know what, let me wait for me to move without the pain hindering me. I can feel the mana doing its job.' Feeling the pain in my body reducing to a mild ache I rest my head against the wall. 'The mana is increasing around me.'

I move the mana within me around in hopes of speeding my recovery. 'Ooh yeah. Much better.'

****

I awake with a deep breath realising I was asleep. 'I'm still in the cell. I guess that confirms that I'm not in a dream. The mana feels thicker than before.' The mana felt like it just rained and there's a lot of moisture in the air and I could feel my body was in the best shape it could be while injured. I look at my torso and see scabbed wounds. 'I guess it's better than bleeding to death.' I sigh.

'I think it's time to get out of here. I'm sure I can use magic to figure something out.' I say and I begin to stand with some difficulty. Standing straight, I feel my left side has become heavier and I'm slightly tilting towards it. 'This feels weird.' I look to my right side, having to turn my head more than usual, and there's no arm. I can see that, but strangely, I can feel it there, just as it always has been, in my mind's eye. I can feel every digit.

I quickly look away and stare at the bars about five meters away, trying to get my mind off of it. Taking a slow step, my injuries ache with pain but it's bearable and it's like walking is a foreign concept as I almost fall but catch myself. 'Okay. Not as easy as it looks.' I start to shuffle my way to the bars trying to get used to the change in center of gravity.

A couple more steps away, I unconsciously take a step with my right foot and begin to fall to my right. I reach reflexively to break my very real fall with my completely imaginary right hand and my fall is instead broken by my nose, and my nose broken by my fall.

My face on the floor, moaning in pain, my wall of denial is broken. I had been saying it all along but now it really dawned on me. I'm handicapped, and no amount of magic can change the fact right now.

'What did I do to deserve this? Is there a God? Am I paying for my sins, am I….' The atheist in me couldn't believe it but I had to accept my situation.

I touch my nose and feel it sting. I push myself up and stand again this time more depressed. 'I have to get used to walking like this.' I declare and immediately start trying my hardest to quickly get accustomed to my state of being.

After a good while I'm able to walk without falling, each step taking a good amount of focus and while learning I took a lot of uncontrollable glances at the body in the corner of my cell. The constant reminder of my mortality and the smell made me determined to get out of here.

Now at the entrance of the cell, I study the bars and can feel mana coursing through them. I try to put my hand between the spaces and the gap is shielded by something that feels like glass and an orange tint colours it. 'I guess it's like a mana shield but it's dimmer than I remember. Even the crystal light is brighter.'

The black cylindrical bars stood strong as I hit them. Looking through them, I see the pieces that were broken off by 5-5-5 on the floor. 'So new bars are automatically generated after they get destroyed.' Not thinking about the details, I wait.

*Buzz*. No crackle sounded like I expected when I listened for the bars to power down. 'Something different must have happened before when the mana came back. This time it's like it powered down rather than being cut off.'

I approach the bars and reach out to put my fingers through, instinctively using my dominant hand, the right, I slightly jerk forward and phantom pain attacks me and it's like a burning itch. 'Dammit. I forgot.' I yell within, pissed.

'Okay. Left hand, left.' I put my left hand between the bars and my fingers go though, curling to grab the bar. I smirk excitedly.

'Okay just like before.' I focus and move the mana within me to my now clenched fist and a familiar smog covers it. 'Good, good now let's see what this magic can do.'

"Hyah". I punch awkwardly at the bars but nothing happens and, 'aaaaaaahhhhhhh.' my fingers tremble in pain as I squat into the fetal position to soothe my hand.

'That didn't work at all, oh my god, Owww.'