"hah…hah…hah"
A young man with silken black hair and pale Azure eyes was sprawled across in middle of the ground. The black shaded grass felt comforting and warm as it transmitted the trapped heat of the early sunlight.
They are also many more interesting things about black-colored vegetation that Flame would have read ardently to improve his survival chances inside the rifts.
However, currently Flame was neither in the right mood nor in the adept state to think anything more than about his own life…
Pitiful life.
His pale Azure eyes reflected the calm moving grey clouds as they proved to be a great source of calming, and distracting his mind from the hideous view on his stomach.
He needs to save as much as energy and remain conscious for what is about to happen next.
Now that, around a liter of fresh human blood had scattered in the middle of the Dead Forest, crawling with spikey abominations, Flame knew it wouldn't be much longer before the Headless inhabitants will crawl out like a madman onto him.
The vibrations of the ground increased and increased as slowly grey clouds floated away like ships floating on serene water.
Beside him was a…corpse—or rather it could also be described—
A chaotic mess of an ethically disordered—mushed rotten chunk of meat.
Taking an educated guess, Flame concluded that the leech must have been originally around 10 cm in length before it sucked some of Flame's precious blood. however, now it seemed it was around triple its original size and also much fatter.
Flame could only lament on his poor luck
Where could have this lecherous leech come from?
'Elixir pond'
That was the only possible answer.
Leeches are worm-like parasitic creatures that like only two things.
One, living in muddy areas
And second, perhaps their most favorite thing. Sucking lots of blood.
In hindsight, this parasitic leech must be also some kind of evolved creature who lived near the Elixir pond.
And when Flame decided to act cool—laying down on the bank and trying to act like a mature person who learns from his past mistakes, the lecherous leech must have crawled up on him.
'Elusive...'
It had slowly and steadily drained his blood, until Flame finally punched into his own stomach like a lunatic
And that led to his current state.
Flame gritted his teeth inside his thoughts, as even the mere task might take some valuable energy out of him. with slow, cautious movements, he reached to pull of his T-shirt
"Arghh!"
He groaned
As he had expected, his T-shirt was stuck rigidly against the harrowing wound, acting as some sort of makeshift stiches and coincidently, preventing Flame from loosing more of his blood.
'But then, who was the surgeon of stiches?'
He couldn't help but wonder. He knew that the meagre task of opening his eyes and staying conscious was taking most of his energy, but he couldn't help, but succumb to his evil curiosity.
Eventually the answer flowed automatically in his thoughts
'…Leech…bite…time passed…dry blood…stick shirt…leech…surgeon'
Flame didn't struggle anymore and let his morbid black shirt stick tightly to him.
Thud!
The vibrations were getting more and more vivid. Flame could smell the smell of rot rising from the dead grass.
After about ten seconds, when wind started to began to blow heavily, Flame mustered himself to get move.
Slowly his sore muscles quivered and strained as the meagre strength coursed through them, only to be subjugated by his drowsiness
In span of another 10 seconds, Flame was standing on the dark shaded grass of Dead Forest. His eyes were almost hollow, devoid of life while his body quivered with every second passed.
His eyes regained their colour a bit as he saw the distant trees shuddering and plunging down into ground as swaths of monster rushed at the centre.
After some shallow breaths, and mental screaming, he took his first step and then second and then third…
Soon, his body moved towards the deep chasm.
There was only one chance for him to survive.
His mind was blank from all the thoughts, except only a single instinctual desire drove him. the rush of different hormones and the adrenaline helped to act as a proxy for the empty blood vessels.
Flame covered the distance before the ancient colossal tree and himself in about some unknown amount of time.
His legs quickly rested near the edge where the charred roots started sprawling down into the abyssal chasm.
Flame stood there and watched the nearest root which he have to catch. His senses were all messed up.
With the little bit of consciousness remaining, Flame took few steps backwards and removed his training pants, tying them tightly around the deep gaping wound near his abs.
Thud!Thu…
The swarm of spiked monster emerged from dead trees and shook earth with their heavy steps, only to be fell deaf to Flame's ears
He squinted his eyes and grounded his teeth, and looked towards the chasm.
Only a single thought ran throw his mind…
'Lucy had pulled it off'
So,
'I must do the same'
With that final thought, Flame ran towards the chasm with all his remaining strength. The muscles of his abs strained as he took heavy consecutive steps and the wound on his abdomen festered and the makeshift stiches screamed.
But all that pain could be much worser if there was no Lucy. all that pain wouldn't have even experienced if there was no Lucy. he would have been possessed by the cursed spirit of the Benevolent Tyrant and have made the funniest joke out of him, if there was no Lucy!.
Flame strained on his foot and put his all strength in that one single moment.
He jumped high into the air, momentarily hovering above the abyssal chasm. The mere glance of the abyssal swirling darkness gave made his skin crawl.
What would happen, if were to fall into heart of the very darkness?
Suddenly, Flame's eyes widened as he saw the distance of mere inches between him and the charred ancient roots
"NO!"
He flailed his hands and ignored the screaming stiches. He just wanted to survive!
He had done the same several times. And survived several times.
If he just grips the root even for a slightest of time, he could then accomplish his goal.
The moment which felt like eternity passed due to the natural laws and his eyes turned wide.
He had exhausted himself so much, so much to an extraordinary extent and then did an impossible jump that his body finally gave up.
There was a limit to everything
And Flame's body had reached its limit for a long time and now... he reached to the limit again.
'shit'
His body began to descend straight down into the bottomless abyss.
He felt his body grow weaker and... lighter.
The dark air kissed him beguilingly, tempting to its enchanting dark embrace.