How many days had passed since then?
Alexei woke up with a groggy head. The influx of memories made him very uncomfortable and dizzy and it took him some time to determine that he was no longer dreaming.
He remembered nearly dying. Although it left for an unknown reason instead of killing him, the boss did reduce him into a very miserable state. He remembered that all his bones, tendons, and muscles had broken and that he was covered with countless wounds. His figure probably did not even resemble a human anymore. If he was sent back to modern times looking like that, the police would probably invite priests and exorcists to determine what monster he had become or which monster caused him to look like that,
Still, the first thing Alexei did after regaining consciousness was to bend his head to check the item that should be hanging around his neck.
"My Gift!"
His hands were trembling.
It was still there!
Alexei's pupils were shaking, and so did his lips, as he held the precious pendant as if it was his entire life's fortune. The pretty bluish luster the gem gave off instantly made his mood cheery to the point that he nearly forgot everything in his surroundings.
"It's real!"
"I did get my Gift two years in advance." He happily exclaimed.
When he recovered from the excitement, Alexei hurriedly surveyed the surroundings. He frowned when he saw that he was no longer in that forest. The entrance to the boss' lair was no longer within sight. In fact, the place was totally not what he remembered.
This was a rocky region. Everywhere he looked, there were only rock hills, fields blanketed with pebbles and high piles of dirt, and rock caves.
He could barely spot any trace of green. The only saving grace was that at least, the area was not as creepy as the marsh. Here, bird cries could be heard from the distance, which meant that the sky at least had marks of life. There should not be a violent Boss nearby.
When he checked his body, he was horrified when he saw that he had completely healed!
"So this is why I felt weird when I woke up. There's no pain or discomfort anywhere." Alexei was really stunned. His eyes opened wide and his lips trembled.
"Oh my god. This is a miracle."
"But who did this? Who saved me?"
He immediately knew that he was only in this miraculous situation because somebody had found him and used magic on him. There was no way his newly gotten Gift would be able to do this.
Gifts were essentially conduits that function to help a Gift user to manipulate the elements. It was an amazing item that came from the divine, but it was still just a tool, not a sentient being that had a mind of its own. Maybe those who were already at the apex of power had nurtured their Gifts to hold passive skills. However, that only applied to very strong individuals, not newbies like Alexei. In short, his newly gotten Gift would not have healed him on its own even if it could bestow abilities related to healing.
Alexei was really curious about the person who healed him. Right now, he was alone so the other party must have gone out to hunt or look for food. He was relieved as he needed some time to think for himself. Of course, he also felt trouble since the favor was really huge, and he possessed nothing that he could use as repayment.
He tried to stand up and found that his bones and muscles were a little stiff.
'I probably have slept for so long. Or maybe this is a side effect?'
He began taking small steps and then eventually started walking around. He did not stray away from the open camp of course. When he got tired, which unsurprisingly happened pretty fast, he chose to sit atop a huge rock as he waited for his benefactor to come back.
Who would have thought it would take him three hours to see another person in that dull place?
To kill time, Alexei marveled at his body parts that had completely recovered. There was no trace of wounds anywhere. This made him wonder if his savior, by any chance, was a saintess of a church dedicated to a Sovereign. Yet the possibility sounded far-fetched since this place did not seem like somewhere church authorities would want to visit.
More time passed. Alexei was not aware since the sky above showed no sign of change. Everywhere around him was dark so he was getting nervous the more time passed. To distract himself, he let his thoughts run wild. There were just so many things to consider.
However, when he was not paying attention, a person silently drew near his location.
"So you're awake?" His train of thoughts halted when a voice not from him rang from behind.
Surprised and taken aback, he jumped from his seat and warily turned around. 'When did somebody get near me?'
A woman with golden blonde hair and ash blue eyes came into view. She looked to be someone in her late twenties, wearing grey clothes that had simple and practical designs, yet were made of high-class fabric. Her appearance was just too disconnected from the barrenness of the place.
With a raised brow, she said, "It's good that you're finally awake."
"Ah, yes." Alexei nervously replied, studying the expression of the other. "Are you the one who saved me?"
"Do you see anybody else here?"
He was dumbfounded after realizing that he did ask a stupid question. He watched the woman approach the open camp and pack up. There were actually not many things there. Only two beddings, a pot, a pair of utensils, and a huge bag.
The woman beckoned her to follow her, saying that they had to move.
Alexei reluctantly nodded and started to walk behind the woman. His eyes wandered around for a while before he spoke again, "I am very thankful to you for saving my life, miss. If it's alright with you, I would like to know my benefactor's name."
"Mikaela Hanover."
'Huh...'
If Mikaela was not walking in front, she would have seen Alexei's eyes widening in surprise.
The name was very familiar to him. Not only to him but to everyone else who played the game. Mikaela Hanover was one of the most important playable characters for the first arc of the game. This made him wonder if he somehow ended up in Ventus, Nation of the Wind. The thought made him hopeful since one of the things he most worried about was the pursuit of the Dark Palace.
However, was this person really the Mikaela Hanover that he knew?
Unbeknownst to him, the woman actually felt the change in Alexei's heartbeat. She knew he was surprised. But she thought nothing of it since she held no interest in whatever ran in his mind. She also had a guess. 'It's probably because I mentioned my last name.'
Regardless of nation, only nobles could have a last name.
"How about you? How do people call you?" he heard her ask.
"Hey," Alexei subconsciously said. It was not a reply since in reality her question registered in his mind late. He was about to ask whether this was the land ruled by the Sovereign of Wind when he heard a dissatisfied hum from the other.
'Nevermind, let's ask later.'
Alexei flinched for a moment before he nervously added, "T-that's what they call me." He lied.
"Your name is Hey?" Mikaela raised an eyebrow again as she glanced over her shoulder.
Alexei's face showed hesitation. He studied the person before him and fell into doubt. Mikaela Hanover should not be in her late twenties already. Based on lore, she should be younger than him, Alexei. He did not know if the other was using a tool or something. But he thought there would be no harm to being careful since he was in a foreign land.
"Actually, I have no name. I'm a slave. " At this part, he purposely lowered his tone and made his voice trail off. "My master experimented with his artifact on me and the result is that I somehow separated from him."
In the end, Alexei chose to mix truth with lies. Well technically, none of his words were false since he was indeed a slave. The Leader, his owner, never called him by his name and always treated him like an experimental subject, and the relic had transported him far away.
Mikaela nodded. "I see. So do you know what Mavria is?"
'Uhhh... What kind of question is that?' He nearly responded.
Alexei rummaged through his memories but he could not recall the playable Mikaela being such a weird character.
Doubt evident from his expression, he answered, "Savior. I might be a slave, but at least I know the name of the world we live in."
"Good. This makes explaining easier." The woman nodded, then continued expressionlessly, "We're not in Mavria. This means in this place, you are not anybody's slave anymore. But this is the abyss, so I don't think you can really say that you got lucky."
"P-pardon?"
Mikaela merely glanced at him, speaking no more. Yet, that was already enough as a confirmation. Alexei who initially thought they were somewhere in Ventus stared blankly ahead with disbelief written all over his face.
'How could that be? The abyss? That abyss?'
Colors drained from his face as he resumed walking.
He had a hard time processing the information for several minutes. He went through denial, fear, and all sorts of emotions before he eventually chose to change his mindset.
'If it's really so, it really makes sense. The Alexei in the story probably escaped the Dark Palace through that thing's help too. The actual bad news is that it happens to me way earlier.'
Thankfully, the woman did not walk fast so even though his mind was preoccupied with something else, he did not end up losing sight of Mikaela. The latter was clearly being considerate of him.
When he realized this, Alexei thought that dwelling on matters that had passed would not be a smart choice in his current situation. This made him shake his head secretly. He had to think of his future.
With this in mind, he quickened his pace to catch up. Then he hurriedly said, "Savior, I don't know this place and don't know how and why I ended up here. Honestly, I am scared. But before I fainted, I remembered being at the death's door. If not for you, I would have died already. I don't know how to repay your kindness apart from being your servant."
The silence that reigned after was very awkward.
The wind in the area was not very strong. Most probably its momentum was blocked by several rock hills and caves. Only their faint breathing noises echoed alongside their footsteps.
Alexei waited for the woman's response, but even after walking for several minutes, all she did was throw him a glance. That glance made his heart skip a beat though. It left him nervous and wondering if the woman realized his intention.
'Why is this Mikaela so different from the one I know from the game? She's not supposed to be a woman of few words.'
The strange atmosphere between them persisted until they reached a human settlement near a huge tower that seemed to pierce the sky.
Alexei had no way of knowing Mikaela's reason for being here. But he kept on following her. He even made sure to keep his mouth shut to not annoy her. He did so because he knew that she was strong.
'In this place, strength is all that matters. If you're weak, you must train to get stronger while under the protection of somebody strong.'
He thought as he tightened his grip on his newly obtained Gift.