Chapter 7: Tal walks.

King Of The Forest 

Chapter 7: Tal walks.

At the serving table, I notice something that gives me hope and also fills me with fear. 'So I guess that's how they got to the cells.'

A large gaping hole right above the entrance I used to get in the cafeteria. The hole, big enough to almost fit a truck, has dirt and blood covering it.

I look around first then get closer. Standing on a table I can see through the hole and it seems like inside is a room with some rectangular objects but they're all moved around and unorganized. Probably by the monsters.

I get down and start moving a table to the wall. With a chair on top of it I'm able to reach the hole with a jump and that's where the problem starts. I can't jump well. The jump is over a meter so even if I could I still need to prop myself up with my hand to get in and I don't have much confidence in that. 'Hmmm. Magic? No. I don't think I could make something able to hold my weight or have enough focus to maintain it while climbing.' *Rumble*. The building shakes but much softer this time. 'I guess it's jumping.' I throw the bar and sack filled with food over into the hole and get to jumping.

I finally get in after a while and looking at the room one of my suspicions is confirmed. 'A file storage room huh.' A dry cold, dry breeze travels around making me shiver a little. 'A breeze in a storage room? It must be from outside.' I pick up the bar and sack and move closer into the room looking for the way out.

As I'm walking through the trashed file room, I'm taking glances at file cabinets and some of the labels have numbers on them. '350-400?? It must be the inmates' files. Maybe I can find mine.'

A strong gust of cold wind on my right almost makes me stumble. I look to my right and there it is. Another hole the same size as the one I used to get in here but this one had a very different view. The night sky. Bright stars and a crescent moon, more beautiful than any I've ever seen. 'I thought it was weird I didn't see any sunlight. Turns out it's night time. I wonder how long it's been since I first woke up.' I go over to the hole excited with my heart beating.

At the hole, I can finally look out to see where I am. Look down I see the wall of the prison and it slopes down to meet the ground and it's white. 'Snow?' There are some trees surrounding the area and they all have the same white patch on them. I look farther into the distance, sweeping my eye and I catch smoke rising quite a distance from here. 'Is that another prison? Maybe it's villages like in the novels. It was probably attacked by monsters too.' I quickly make assumptions then look down to see the sloping wall.

'It would have been easier to slide down but it's too steep and it's at least a 10 drop down.' I move into the room because I'm getting cold. 'Let's see what can I..' while trying to think of a way down I spot a file cabinet. This cabinet had a label I was looking for as I searched for the exit. '550-600.' I go to it and it's locked but that's no problem for the bar.

****

[Inmate 556.

Name: Tal (last name unknown)

Age: Born Sar 1986. 14 sars at time of capture.

Race: Human male, Arrac descent.

Mage level: Né mage

Dark mana attribute. Type 1 mutation (Temperature Control)

Official Recorded Background.

An orphan born in Tressi Village, Rak region. Commoner parents killed by manticore attack. Raised in the village orphanage.

No noble relation.

Inmate said to have good natural talent in dark mana manipulation and upon capture was in the beginning stages of exploring his type 1 mutation.

Inmate 556. Found in suspicion of colluding with terrorist organisation, Black hand as an accomplice to his teacher, Rath Kul. Investigations are still proceeding.

For treason, inmate 556 is to spend 5 years in prison for the magic-able, Arkshu, in the talos region.]

'14. No I remember being 18. I look 18 right now but anyway. At least I have the same name. So I'm an orphan here too huh…. Guilty by association. I might not even be guilty. I mean the investigations are still going on.' After reading my file a lot of things came to light. I now knew the reason I was in imprisoned and it was idiotic. "Hahhh" I sigh. "At least I can…," *grrrrrrrr*...

A low growl stops me from speaking further. 'The time I decide to speak out loud an….' sounds of something big running towards me got louder and there it was. The monster dog.

"Shit."

I turn and run to the hole. I look back and the monster is gaining on me. "Fuck." I jump.

I fall for a second before sliding on the wall of the building. I try to slow down my descent using the bar but it's futile using one hand and it slips out of my hand, falling with me. Looking down I see the white ground approach and I brace myself. *bouff *

I feel something crack as I land and I know it's a part of my leg. Luckily the snow was deep enough to break most of my fall.

Crouching in the knee length snow I look up to the hole in the prison walls and the monster is roaring but not coming down. 'At least it isn't coming.'

I force myself up and start moving with a limp.

****

"Shit it's cold." Teeth chattering and a hundred or so meters away from the prison wall, I complain. I look back like I did many times to see the prison and it's kinda like a pyramid, a long pyramid. 'Still a weird pyramid from this distance too huh. Different universe, different rules I guess.' The view of the prison is slowly getting blocked and I'm glad for it.

Walking through the snow there are plenty of trees surrounding me kinda like I'm in a woodland area and there's snow everywhere. I limp painfully trying to gain distance hoping nothing happens.

After a few hours of walking I'm resting under a tree shivering and eating some mushed bread. A cold breeze brings a chill to my back and some curses back at it. I look around for some shelter and there's nothing that could shield me from this. I start to think of ways I could heat up. 'It's too cold to check my leg here but I think it's a sprain. I should have gotten more clothes. Can I start a fire here?' I look around this snow-filled woodland and bury my head into my knees getting into the fetal position. 'I wish I had fire magic. Things would be so simple. I don't think dark…; didn't my file say temperature control. Yeah that's right. In the cell I made the dark fire heat up.'

I look up and bring my shivering hand close to me.' Okay come on.' I move the dark mana but it's hard to focus with the cold biting onto me. A moment later, I see the black smog finally appear and I release more mana and let the black mist cover my whole body, almost emptying my mana and looking very ominous in the white snow. 'Just like before, come on.' I think about the ethereal smog heating up and like magic, a sudden warmth like a lukewarm bath covers my whole body but I can still feel the cold wind brushing against me. 'I don't think I can liquidate the mana right now. I have to make it hotter.' I focus more on increasing the heat and nothing happens. 'Fuck how do I do this.'

I try and try again but my lack of knowledge in magic sponsors my continued failure. 'Okay think, I can control the temperature I just need to figure out how. Ummm…. The liquid and solid forms…maybe mana is like matter..yes matter. To heat it up I just need to move the particles around.' I try feeling for the particles in the dark mana but there's nothing, no particles. 'what?? How does it form bonds then? Do I have to make it into a liquid?' Contemplating the discovery I made I lose focus and the mana loses temperature. The sudden cold stops my thoughts and I quickly reheat the mana. 'Fuck. Okay what if I just move the mana itself.' I control the mana to circle around me and it sort of works. 'So I am right but it's not enough. I guess the only way is to use the liquid form. I'm sure I can increase the temperature more in that form.'

I trudge through the snow this time looking different. On my chest is a matte black jiggly substance that shakes as I move looking like a thick jello vest and it also covers my right stub. This substance is also on my feet up to my knees like boots and on my hand like a gauntlet but the thickness of both is less than the one on my chest.

I figured out the heat problem by turning the dark mana into liquid form and making parts with it because I didn't have enough mana for my whole body. The heating part was basically vibrating the bonds of mana and with the focus I had, I could make the liquid form heat up quite higher than the smog and that was enough for me.

'It's weird that I can't physically feel the movement but I can feel the mana vibrate. It also takes so much attention to heat up and maintain the liquid form and now I gotta walk until dawn cause I know I can't use magic in my sleep. I don't want to freeze to death. I should learn that.' Slightly comfortable, I think about the various uses of my magic and my plans after getting through this….

"Hahhh hahhh" tired breaths come out of me as I lean on a tree. 'I've been walking for hours now and the sun still hasn't come out. I need to sleep. I hope the village isn't….' Right there it clicks and I stop immediately. I now realise where I've been going. 'Why am I going to the village? That's stupid. What if there's monsters waiting there? It was on fire for god sake Tal.' I yell at myself.  "shit." I look back and see the trail I made that goes on until my eyes can't see anymore. The trees prevent me from seeing the prison but I know it's there.

I stand in shame for a while with loud breaths then take a complete 90 degree turn right there and start walking. Again.