'Ouch!'
'It hurts!'
'If this keeps up, I'll end up dying!'
The man, whose very existence was a mystery even to himself, lay pinned to the floor. To him, it felt as though someone repeatedly ran him over on purpose.
His body no longer obeyed him. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to move.
'It…'
The pain rose to the surface of his thoughts and drowned out everything else. He found it difficult to concentrate or even begin to think of anything other than the incessant, stabbing pain that pierced him from all sides.
It was so excruciating, in fact, that he felt as though objects weighing tonnes were raining down on him. The only difference, however, was that the bones in his body did not shatter.
Worse than that… Something was missing from his body. A vital element without which he could not live. He was as good as paralysed.
He was not even able to breathe. His head, whose craving for blood was so immense, seemed to be drowning in blood… The blood dripped from his nose onto the stony ground on which he lay; and after every cough, he coughed up more blood.
This, too, seemed to have no end. Everything felt numb. He was no longer alive, yet he was not completely dead. Was he even still alive at all? Not even he knew any more.
A stench that could make anyone retch hung in the air. Despite this fact, his sense of smell was completely gone; and blood was all around his dying body.
One might wonder how his body had managed to resist death until that very moment. No one in their right mind could endure such a thing. Therefore, he could do nothing but accept his fate.
He squeezed his eyelids shut with all his might, hoping that this nightmare would soon be over and that he would simply have to get up again; and that is exactly what he did.
His entire consciousness slowly faded away as time went on, until the only thing left was his body, upon which the storm continued to pour down, with no end in sight.
***
The pain was still there, but it was no longer so overwhelming. Nevertheless, he was bound in one spot, unable to move. An iron chain held his joints firmly in place.
Everything was so quiet. Never before had he experienced such a peaceful atmosphere. He wanted to keep his eyes closed so he could continue living in his dreams. He completely tuned out the annoying noises in the background.
At least, he tried to. All the conversations of the judges and the crackling flames of the lanterns hanging from the ceiling were too loud to allow him the peace he sought. They disrupted his entire sense of harmony.
For a moment, it crossed his mind to keep his eyes closed for the rest of his life. However, he had the feeling that someone was constantly trying to reach him:
"Aqauixos! Please get up. It's your turn next."
He could hear the unfamiliar voice, but his priority was to remain as calm as possible. So he simply stopped listening. The person, meanwhile, kept shaking his body.
'Aquaixos? Huh?'
Upon hearing that name, his curiosity was aroused. He had to give up his composure, but he could always enjoy that later.
He concentrated on the distant voice far away from him. The voice seemed to be that of a woman. It sounded as though she were in the middle of a heated discussion, yet her voice remained calm and soothing:
"He should be able to imagine the punishment he deserves. I hereby declare that a justified judgement has been handed down. In ten years, the condemned man will once again be granted the opportunity to see the light of day. Until then, the criminal with the number 4075 shall be held in the Roi-Jhaaza prison. If you..."
He'd heard enough. These matters were probably none of his business anyway. For now at least... More than that… If he carried on listening, he wouldn't be able to enjoy his freedom. He felt as though he were as free as an eagle in the sky.
High above the clouds, he found himself soaring. The sun was closer to him than it had ever been before, whilst its rays made his skin glow. The clouds beneath him moved with the sun, which soon afterwards vanished behind the horizon. From other directions, the moons came into view.
It was a sight made in heaven.
Day and night shifted faster and faster. The sky would brightened and then darkness would fall again. When dawn broke, dusk inevitably followed.
This went on until, finally, time stood still. Although, only for a brief moment.
The strong air currents above the clouds raced across the sky. Feeling the wind brush against his skin, he decided to let it guide him on his journey.
However, various kinds of flying creatures surpassed him. Even though he did not recognise them, he realised how different they all were – both outwardly and inwardly. He knew he did not belong with them; and so he cast aside his fear and let himself fall.
He left everything that was important to him behind. Without looking back, he fell deeper and deeper into the unknown.
Everything around him turned white. Clouds clung to his skin. The cool, cold sensation was refreshing in one sense, but it made him reconsider his decisions. The mist around him did not last long.
Shortly afterwards, he left that place and drifted steadily further away from the sky he had wanted to touch with his hand. But he had accepted that he shouldn't chase after something he knew he wasn't destined to reach.
In front of him, in every direction, stretched a vast expanse of turquoise open water. At the end, he reached a place far more beautiful than the one he had been trying to get to.
A dot in the ocean, growing ever larger, caught his eye, and he adjusted his descent to head towards it. He drew progressively closer to his target, and in the end, he narrowly missed it. However, the landing turned out to be not at all painful. In fact… it was actually quite pleasant.
The refreshing sensation of swimming upwards overtook him before he had even broken the surface. However, just as he broke through, a sailing ship appeared right beside him.
The water shimmered with a gentle opalescent glow. The beautiful sight of the world was as dreamlike and mysterious as ever.
Not a single trace of dangerous creatures could be found in the ocean, where the sun's rays sometimes shone down, making everything glisten.
With the sole exception of the ship he was trying to reach. For a moment, he forgot the presence of the great monstrosity sailing on the bright sea with the wind. He trembled at the sight, even though it was all taking place in his imaginary world. What sort of people could possibly be capable of controlling such a vessel?
The ship's hull floated on the water. As he drew closer, he looked up at the dozens of masts that held the sails in place.
An endless shadow enveloped everything. Its vastness obscured the glimmer of the sun, which shone from time to time. The sea, however… It whispered to him. But he denied hearing it and carried on swimming towards the lightless ship.
The outer hull was made entirely of wood, showing not a single sign of rot.
The rest of it, which was on the deck, could not be seen from where he stood. So, once he had reached it, he grabbed hold of the rope to climb up.
Slowly, he started to climb it. He had no shortage of strength, so he wasn't worried that he wouldn't reach the deck.
However, he didn't look back; and when he finally did — even though he didn't want to admit it — to see who was speaking to him, he failed to notice that someone had cut the rope from above. The sound of the voice was faltering and an unintentional shaking could be heard:
"If you don't get up of your own accord right now… then your punishment will be doubled. Stand up already, my child."
Aquaixos opened his mouth to speak. But the words refused to come out. Despite this, he was in a much better state now than when he had been lying on the ground. That's why he was finally able to speak again:
"Give me just one more minute."
Immediately afterwards, he heard a female voice — one he recognised — calling his name out loud:
"Prisoner Aquaixos Monaji, step forward."
In his mind's eye, the ocean dried up completely as he crashed onto the hard ground. The horizon, which had previously stretched out in every direction in the same beautiful colour, had now become a place surrounded by impenetrable walls.
He felt as though the chair on which he was sitting had been lifted up from both sides. It was time for him to open his eyes once again and stop mixing up reality with mere daydreams.
All the discussion and the loud noises suddenly flooded his thoughts, leaving no room for anything else to coexist with reality.
Three loud blows rang out on a strange instrument, struck simultaneously by several Aziyakias. The echoes filled the rooms with a repetitive, muffled sound. When they finally faded, everything else suddenly came to a halt.
'What sort of place is this? The air is so… stifling.'