When my legs finally gave out, I tumbled forward.
But I did not stop.
If my legs cannot exert themselves anymore, I still have my hands. But that doesn't mean I will crawl back home. That is plain idiocy. I have my head too. I still possess the capabilities to think, or at least I believe so.
That is why I begin to dig at the ground beside a tree. I clawed at the earth half in desperation, while keeping my ears open for any sounds. With its colossal size, stealth was probably not its forte. I dug till my fingernails broke; I took the objective in my hands and used it to continue my digging mania, until I got a trench deep enough for myself.
Wasting no time at all, I throw myself in and began to refill the hole with one hand while taking out an oxygen mask with the other. It is obvious that such an advanced technological tool is used for diving in waters; I guess this time I'm diving under the ground then.
With much effort, I managed to cover myself and lie beneath the ground. By any chance, the guardian would miss me and move away, clearing difficulties off my escape path. Of course, with careful inspection the digging would be easily identifiable, but the reason I chose to dig beside the tree was to depend on the shade of the tree in this vast and dark forest. I prayed that the guardian has myopia and that my gamble would pay off.
Two hours past. With my legs straight, I had minimised the likelihood of cramps occurring. Of course, the strains will definitely appear, but running with a strained leg is better than limping with cramped leg muscles.
Unfortunately my hands are not as lucky. In my desperation I had forgot to take extra precaution. Now I end up with my broken fingernails in direct contact with the dirt and soil. Infection has already started and the pain makes me want to scream. But I hold myself back and bit down on my lips.
The only comfortable place is my face where the oxygen mask is covering its entirety, but such a small bliss holds negligible effect in regaining my composure.
And then, I heard it.
The slithering noise of the guardian.
As it made its way across the deep forest growth, the feeling of its rage is being transmitted on my skin. I forced my shivers back into my heart and took slow, deep breaths. I know for a fact that the moment I am found, the chances of my survival will definitely plummet below zero with no exceptions.
Will it notice me?
Is my hiding spot seen?
How good is its hearing ability?
I subconsciously held my breath as the subtle trembles of the earth shook with the guardian's advance.
And just like that, silence descended. The previous shaking was gone.
Did it finally pass…
For a short while, I saw white. Moments after, did I only manage to realise that my vision had a whiteout due to the extreme pain that made me flinch. The adrenaline rush gave me a momentary numb feeling, but as my sight quickly regained, my instincts screamed that I was in the air.
How?
In my field of vision I managed to capture three glaring sights.
The tail that smashed the ground where my left arm lay.
The crimson eyes that glared at me.
Finally, the nostrils that open and close as though it is an extremely versatile organ.
"!"
I should have realised. No factors are fixed when facing a divine beast. The proof of its intelligence was already shown when it dealt with us in a composed manner. What definitive evidence was it that led me to conclude that it did not possess strong olfactory senses?
Not reacting to the sulphur bomb didn't mean that it was insensitive to it. In fact, it could have been sensitive, which was why it did not react. It relied on its hearing instead to locate the intruders. Its choice of senses at the different situations clearly showed its intelligence. Why had I not noticed this possibility?
The sulphur bomb, in actuality, has come to bite back at us. When the bait volunteer used the bomb, the smell washed over the entire area, including us. It was more likely that the guardian found me not by sight but rather the smell of rotten eggs that I continue to carry with me even now. I was careless.
The tail which should have smacked the ground came swinging from my right out of the corner of my eye. Right now, I was nothing more than an easy target since movement in mid-air was never the forte of us humans. In desperation, I twisted my body and the tail missed my vitals.
However, I was not fortunate enough to avoid the strike completely and the speed at which the tail was swung gorged out a portion of my side. As if I was not already numb enough from my dangling left arm, my right side seems to bore open a hole. Blood is flowing, but I was tumbling on the ground too much to notice that. I used my momentum to take the largest distance I could away from the guardian.
I have to keep moving.
With the objective held in still functioning right arm, I dragged my body across the forest floor, unknowingly leaving a blood trail behind. I know that the scent of my blood is a more than enough trail to the guardian, but my mind is so dulled by pain I had ceased to care in this aspect. My adrenaline rush previously was long gone, and all that is left in me is my will to move. I knew not the reason to move, but I was seriously convinced to do so.
Regardless, the stinging presence of death loomed closer behind me.
"Finally…" Out of nowhere, this word leaked out of my mouth.
That is strange. What exactly was I waiting for, and manage to acquire it now?
And then, I felt another presence before me.
"You brat… It's another close shave again huh."
Just above my head, the voice of my salvation rang out in a light tone.
As my limp body was lifted, I felt my consciousness dim in the end.
***
I sat at a cliff edge overlooking an orange sea that reflected the glow of the late sunset.
Dusk is nearly ending, yet this moment felt as if it would last forever.
I found myself contented with the notion of gazing at this beautiful scenery. With a relaxed posture, my body laid backwards with my hands propping it up from behind. My legs dangled precariously, but I knew somehow that I was safe. There was a gentle breeze that tickled my face and combed my ruffled hair, granting me an endearing atmosphere. Yet, there was a gradual discomfort growing on me. It has gotten to a point where I find it too much to ignore and quite impossible to enjoy the view comfortably.
I pulled my hands to the front in order to stand up and try to shake away this repulsive feeling. But before I can do so, I saw my hands dyed in a dark metallic colour.
What is this?
I thought that leaning my body weight on my arms was the reason I can't feel my arms, but it turns out that they have rusted instead. Unknowingly, even my legs started to rust as well.
At some point in time, the warm rays of the sun did naught but scorch my rusted limbs.
Unable to stand it, I stood up and turn around to shield my face from the sun.
It was this time that I came to discover what laid opposite the sunset.
What appeared to be a forest from the initial visage is completely torn apart by the next impression upon a closer inspection. Trees that were supposed to be trees were actually skyscrapers in the colour similar to the rust on my limbs. The top of those superstructures looked luxurious and emanated an aura of magnificence. In contrast, as my eyes travelled downwards, my marvel transformed into disgust at the dark and gloomy air offered by the base of the buildings. Among this dread, what stood out most were unidentifiable creatures calling to me. Their arms stretched out, seemingly reaching for me to join their ranks.
I shuddered and tried to turn. However, this time I was incapable of doing so. Looking down, the soft grass that should have been where I was sitting on previously has changed into urban concrete, and my feet that had already rusted melded into the cold, lifeless floor.
Looking up again, I realised that the dark scene before me has closed in to my position.
That is weird…
How can an entire metropolis move towards me?
Or… was I the one getting closer?
The faces I could not see became clearer as well due to the shrinking proximity. I start to identify them one by one, and to my horror, none of them were strangers to me.
They were children of the same orphanage as I was.
Of which, three new faces had already join their ranks before me.
***
I woke up in cold sweat, followed by an assault on my nerves that seem to paint my world white.
…A dream.
And not just any dream. It is the same dream that I always see after each task entrusted to me. I always felt that it is trying to tell me something, but something this surreal is really beyond my limits of comprehension. I never tried to approach anyone and ask for their help in this matter.
…because, I always fear that their faces will be the next ones to appear in my dream.
This reminds me, I am alive.
I should be reporting to the officials right now. Thinking as such, I stood from my bed and began to don a set of formal uniform. This is a uniform that every child in this orphanage is issued. My actions were methodical as I recalled the task and our expedition to undertake it, bit by bit. The encounter, the escape, I recounted every single aspect explicitly. The screams, the shouts, the pain, I absorbed everything into my mind. I took in every bit of information without discrimination, without care for my emotions, and without fail.
It is because, these are actions done by these very hands of mine.
I found myself looking at my palms just like how I did in my dream.
When I left my room, I gave it one last check before I left. The colour of the walls that were painted orange similar to a certain sunset that was supposed to be a calming colour. Yet, it disturbs my very being.