A slight vibration shook the earth, signifying the start of an earthquake. The quiet stillness of the earth had begun to shake once more.
Auron jolted awake, his mind focused more than any other time in his life. Over the countless years of waiting, he had run through his plan to escape thousands upon thousands of times. He would definitely not miss this chance.
'You got this Auron, you only have one chance. If you mess this up, who even knows when the next opportunity will come rumbling by? ENACT PLAN; PUSH, THAT, ROCK!' While cheering himself on in his head, Auron tensed up his entire body, ready to push.
Due to the blessing of immortality granted by the Goddess of Death Morgana, Auron's body always stays at its peak physical state, never degrading or running out of energy. For the past 500 years, this had been the cause of excruciating torture as the rubble continually crush his body while it repaired itself, but now it is an unmistakable chance!
As the earthquake picked up, the rubble and dirt around Auron began to shake slightly, loosening ever so slightly. The earthquake quickly reached its peak, moving the rubble just enough to have a small gap.
'Now! PUSH THAT ROCK!' Auron gritted his teeth so hard they nearly shattered. His entire body put forth maximum energy as he pushed the rubble on top of him with all his strength. Slowly but steadily the rubble pushed up. The large chunk of rubble wedged itself between the ground and the rubble next to it, creating a small gap large enough for someone to sit up in. The earthquake continued to shake everything, threatening to cause the rubble to fall back down.
'I WON'T LET THIS DAMN ROCK FALL!'
Pulling out 110% of his power, Auron held firm. Every part of his body was shaking with strain, his muscles bulging, his feet creating dents in the floor. Even so, the rock did not move a single inch.
5 seconds passed... 10 seconds... 30 seconds... 1 minute...
After 2 minutes, when Auron's will was on the verge of collapse, the shaking ceased. The earthquake had ended, and the rubble had remained firmly wedged in place. He had succeeded.
Auron collapsed onto the ground, taking as deep a breath he could with such limited air. He laid there with a large smile, the first smile he has had in what seems like an eternity. His whole body coursed with energy, no long shackled by the constant pressure and pain that assaulted his body.
'The hardest part is done, now I just need to carefully dig a path through the collapsed tunnel. I managed to dash halfway down the corridor before being trapped, so I should only be a couple minute walk away from the entrance.'
When the earthquake that freed him shook the collapsed ruins, many pieces of the collapsed part of the tunnel were shaken loose. Many such smaller rubble, which is not load-bearing, piled up in the gaps between the larger rubble. Moving that rubble was the key to his escape.
After doing a quick stretch of his whole body, Auron made his way to the right side of the gap he created, where numerous small chunks of rubble rested. He slowly and carefully moved the rubble behind him, filling the area he freed himself from, and opening the way forward.
Auron crawled through the cramped spaces he opened up, which were only a couple inches wider and taller than his own body. He weaved around the larger pieces of rubble at a snail's pace, but was getting closer and closer to the exit.
Two hours after starting his cramped endeavor, Auron encountered his first major problem. A section of the tunnel had been almost completely blocked off by rubble too large to safely move. Only a small gap, a few inches smaller than his shoulders are wide, was accessible. He would have to maneuver his way through the small hole without getting stuck or causing a collapse.
Putting his left arm through first, Auron started crawling through the gap. His shoulders were as rounded forward as they could go, but he still felt his right shoulder get caught on the rock. He quickly froze, careful to not push on the hole too much and cause a collapse.
Auron crawled back out and decided on trying again, but the same result popped up. He tried multiple different approaches such as going feet first, but every time his shoulders would get slightly caught and not go through. It was not going to work the conventional way.
'Shit, this is gonna hurt, but I'm too close to freedom to back out now.' Grimacing, Auron grabbed his shoulder and yanked it out of its socket. It was bent further toward the chest than normally possible.
"FUCK!" Auron shouted his first word in 500 years. Despite enduring constant pain for centuries, it still was not pleasant to mutilate his own shoulder.
He quickly squeezed through the hole, just barely fitting with his busted ass shoulder. As soon as he was fully past the gap his shoulder popped back in place, the pain quickly fading away.
'Thank the goddess I can turn my immortality on and off,' he thought as he rubbed his newly repaired shoulder.
In the end, that first obstacle turned out to also be the last one. Auron continued clearing his way out without any issues.
The final rock was pushed out of the way, and sunlight illuminated the inside of Auron's small crawlspace. A slight wind rustled his hair, the chirping of nearby birds entered his ears. He had done it, he was now fully free.
Auron quickly crawled out of the hole, standing up straight for the first time in ages. He squinted his eyes, adjusting to the light he had been deprived of. Taking in a deep breath, he stood in place enjoying the gentle atmosphere of spring.
The forest had expanded, filling the clearing that once housed the tomb. Tree's, flowers, and shrubbery filled the whole surroundings. The once crumbling entrance was now just a pile of rocks covered in moss.
As his mind relaxed and the tension faded, he fell onto his back and spread out on the grass, and fell into a deep sleep. With his goal complete he needed a deep rest to treat his mental fatigue. He slept there with a peaceful smile plastered onto his face.
-
Perched on a branch, a fiery red bird with exquisitely beautiful feathers, was eating a small forest rat. It was a very young phinx, a mixed blood bird with a small quantity of phoenix blood. As a descendant of a God-beast, phinx have small reproductive rates, and are fairly rare around the world. Although, they are nowhere near as rare as a full blooded God-beast, which reaches power rivaling a god upon maturity.
Finishing up its meal, the phinx started getting sleepy, wanting to take a nap. It took flying off the branch, through the forest, looking for a suitable spot to rest. After flying through the tree's for a couple of minutes, something with a deep scarlet red caught its eye. Swooping down to investigate, the phinx found a strange creature lying on the ground sleeping.
The phinx was only five years old, having only left its nest a couple of months ago to live on its own. As such, it had never encountered a human before. However, this creature gave the phinx a feeling of comfort. Something about the man's aura pleased the bird.
It quite liked the man's long red hair, which was the same shade of color as its own feathers. It decided that it would take its nap here. The phinx used its slender beak to gather up the loose strands of hair, bunching it up into a suitable bed. After it was done with its work, it nestled in atop the hair and against the man's head, falling asleep with the man.