The Mine Boy [2]

The Mine Boy [2]

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استيقظ أليكس باكرًا في الصباح الباكر، بينما كانت أشعة الشمس الصفراء تتسلل عبر نوافذ الحانة القديمة. كان الهواء باردًا، يحمل رائحة التراب الرطب التي تملأ المدينة عند الفجر.

نهض من فراشه سريعًا، متجاهلًا التعب الذي لا يزال يثقل كاهله بعد ليلة نوم خفيفة. غسل وجهه في الحوض القريب، ثم ارتدى ملابسه البسيطة، مستعدًا لمغامرته الجديدة.

خرج من الحانة بخطوات ثابتة، وعيناه مثبتتان على المدينة التي تنبض بالحياة تدريجيًا. ارتفعت أصوات العربات والباعة الجائلين، بينما حمل الهواء رائحة الخبز الطازج والمشروبات الساخنة التي تُحضّر في الحانات الصغيرة.

توجه أليكس نحو السوق القديم، حيث كان المستودع الكبير الذي وصفه توماس يلوح في الأفق.

عندما وصل إلى المستودع، وجد نفسه واقفًا أمام مبنى ضخم متهالك. كانت جدرانه ملطخة ببقع داكنة من الرطوبة، ونوافذه مسيّجة بألواح خشبية عتيقة. توقف أمام الباب الكبير، وجهًا لوجه مع رجل ضخم الجثة يرتدي ملابس عمل ممزقة وقبعة من القش.

"هل أنت جارل؟" سأل أليكس بهدوء.

لقد درسه الرجل عن كثب قبل أن يجيب بصوت أجش، "ماذا تريد؟"

أجاب أليكس بثقة، محاولاً أن يبدو واثقاً من نفسه على الرغم من تسارع نبضات قلبه: "لقد أرسلني توماس. أخبرني أنك بحاجة إلى عمال".

توقف جارل عن تنظيف معوله الصدئ، ونظر إلى أليكس بنظرة حادة وضيقة. ضحكة حادة خرجت من شفتيه السميكتين.

"أرسل لي توماس هذا العصفور الهزيل؟" هدر وهو يضرب الأرض بفأسه. "أتظن أن المناجم مكانٌ للضعفاء؟"

شعر أليكس بحرقة في عينيه، لكنه حافظ على رباطة جأشه. "أستطيع العمل بجد كأي رجل. لا تفترض أنني عديم الفائدة."

أدار جارل رأسه جانبًا وبصق على الأرض، ثم أشار إلى كومة من المعاول الصدئة. "خمس دقائق. سأختبرك بنفسي."

وقف أليكس أمام صخرة ضخمة في ساحة المستودع، ممسكًا بالمعول الثقيل. توقف العمال الآخرون لمشاهدة "العصفور النحيل" الذي تجرأ على تحدي جارل.

"اكسرها!" صرخ جارل.

تعرقت يدَا أليكس وهو يرفع المعول الثقيل. كانت كل الأنظار عليه، وانتشر ضحك مكتوم بين العمال.

"اكسرها!" صرخ جارل مرة أخرى، وكان صوته يهز جدران المستودع.

أخذ أليكس نفسًا عميقًا وضرب.

رنين!

لم تترك الضربة الأولى سوى خدش بسيط على الصخرة، فضحك بعض العمال.

"هل هذا كل ما لديك؟" سخر جارل.

لكن أليكس لم يستسلم. رفع المعول مجددًا، هذه المرة بتركيز أكبر. شعر بدفء غريب يتصاعد في صدره، لكنه كتمه عمدًا.

كسر!

الضربة الثانية تركت شقًا واضحًا في منتصف الصخرة، مما أدى إلى إسكات الضحك.

حكّ جارل ذقنه بدهشة. "ليس سيئًا... بالنسبة لضعيف."

Alex took another deep breath and raised the pickaxe once more. This time, his eyes were locked on the rock, and his arms trembled slightly from the effort.

He lifted the pickaxe high, took a step forward, and delivered another harsh blow.

Crash!

The sound was deafening this time, and the blow split the rock deeper, sending fragments flying. Everyone froze for a moment, their breaths quickening in the dust-filled air.

Alex, panting heavily, stared at the shattered rock before him. He hadn't destroyed it completely, but the damage was undeniable—the deep crack at its core was enough to prove his determination.

Jarl looked at the shattered rock, then back at Alex. The sternness in his expression softened slightly. "Alright, I can't deny it. You've still got a lot to learn, but you passed the test."

"Come with me," Jarl said suddenly in a gruffer voice. "I'll show you your workplace."

Alex followed the burly man across the dusty warehouse yard, where the other workers resumed their tasks after the spectacle. Some looked at him with admiration, while others seemed unconvinced.

"Here," Jarl stopped him in front of a dark entrance carved into the rock. "This is your tunnel. Your job today is to clear the scattered rocks and widen the passage."

He handed Alex a rusty metal lantern. "Watch out for cave-ins. If you hear the alarm, get out immediately."

Alex cautiously entered the tunnel, the dim lantern light revealing only a few meters ahead. The air was thick and humid, reeking of metal and earth. After ten minutes of walking, he reached the end of the passage, where piles of rocks awaited him.

Gripping the pickaxe with his aching hands, he began working. Each strike required tremendous effort, but he kept going. Two exhausting hours passed, sweat pouring down his forehead, mixing with the mine's dust.

Drops of sweat fell from Alex's brow as he continued his steady strikes. His fingers bled under the rough gloves, but he didn't stop.

Clang... clang... clang...

The rhythmic sound of the pickaxe against the stone created a soothing rhythm in the pitch-black darkness. But then—

Clink—

This strike was different. The metal had hit something much harder than ordinary rock. Alex leaned forward, revealing a metallic glint in the tunnel wall under his lantern's light.

He approached the shimmering spot slowly, his heart pounding, sweat still dripping from his forehead. The place was so quiet he could hear his own breath and faint whispers coming from the depths of the tunnel.

He moved closer to where he'd struck and raised the lantern. A metallic gleam stood out among the rocks—a strange piece of metal, covered in a thin layer of dust and dirt, but glowing with an eerie light.

This was no ordinary ore.

Alex took a deep breath and began brushing away the dust.

As he cleared the debris, he noticed something unusual about its shape. The metal seemed to form a protective shell around something.

And when he finally wiped away the last layer of grime, he uncovered a massive book, encased in intricate engravings and a layer of gleaming metal that shielded it like armor.

"What is this...?" he whispered hoarsely.

Alex stared at the book hidden inside the metal casing. Its cover was heavy, adorned with strange symbols and intricate details.

Kneeling in the dark tunnel, his hands trembling, Alex held the mysterious metal book. The dim lantern light revealed cryptic engravings on its surface.

And when he opened it, he discovered that its pages weren't made of paper—they were thin metal sheets inscribed with familiar handwriting.

"First day of winter, the ninth year after the disaster..."

Alex's voice caught in his throat. This was his handwriting. But he had no memory of writing these words.

The journal's pages were filled with drawings and details:

A sketch of a faceless creature

An endless void

"If you're reading this, it means I succeeded in hiding it... and my memory has been erased again."

Alex's throat went dry. How could he have written something he didn't remember?

Between the pages, a drawn picture fell out, depicting three people:

A man resembling Darius... but dead

Leo, but with cold eyes and a strange tattoo on his arm

Himself, but with a mustache and beard

On the back of the picture was written: "We won't let them kill us again."

The Final Message

On the last page, he found a brief note:

"Other original, if you've found this, it means the danger is near. It's awakening, and it's hungry. Find the Hero. He's the only one who can help you now."

A sudden tremor made him jerk abruptly. Shouts and alarm bells echoed from the tunnel entrance.

"Cave-in! Everyone out!"

The moment Alex heard the warning cries, he felt the journal tremble in his hands. The metal engravings on the cover began to glow with a faint black light, then... they started melting like snow under his fingers.

"No!" Alex whispered, trying to grab the pages as they dissolved into streams of glowing metal. But his fingers passed through them as if they were ghosts.

The sound of the collapsing tunnel grew closer. Alex jumped up and sprinted at full speed.

"Alex! Over here!" Jarl shouted from the tunnel entrance, trying to pull him to safety.

The moment Alex grabbed his hand, an ear-splitting crash echoed behind him. The tunnel he'd just been in collapsed completely, buried under tons of rock.

"That was too damn close!" Jarl said, gripping Alex's shoulder. "What kept you in there?"

Alex looked at Jarl, his eyes still wide with shock from the bizarre discovery. "Nothing... just a stubborn rock," he lied quickly.

رفع جارل حاجبه لكنه لم يضغط عليه أكثر. "حسنًا، أنت محظوظ لأنك على قيد الحياة. لقد انهار النفق بأكمله."

عاد أليكس إلى غرفته في الحانة بخطوات ثقيلة، جسده منهك وعقله في حالة تأهب قصوى. لم يستطع نسيان لحظة اختفاء المفكرة المعدنية بين أصابعه.

أو ما قرأه بالداخل...