"Ahhh!" Abel jerked awake from the nightmare he was having. His hand wiped at his sweaty face before running through his long blue hair. He had been reliving his own personal hell in his nightmare. Having gone through the feeling of his limbs being chewed on multiple times in his mind, except the pain felt as real as ever.
His mind replayed the memories; how he had almost died, until he was saved by Audu, but the price for a new life being this mysterious 'System'. A System he had no idea about, and Audu wasn't willing to share much about either.
"That damn old man..." Abel muttered before sliding out of bed. He was sure that if he tried to go back to sleep, he would be revisited by that memory.
Although the System was supposed to help him offset the trauma, it hadn't done much. When he asked Audu about it, the old man had said, 'If it does all the work, doesn't that mean you have nothing to your name?'. Abel had felt quite embarrassed when he thought about it. He had always tried to rely on himself, but the moment he saw something that could help him overcome a hurdle so easily, he was already slacking off.
He walked through the corridor that led out of the house from his room, careful to make sure none of the floor boards creaked. He stepped out of the house, and down into the grass that surrounded it, letting the grass run between his toes. A soft, cool breeze blew, rustling the leaves on the trees and cooling Abel's heated face.
"Ah... a fresh breeze never fails to relax my mind." He whispered as he sat down on the grass.
Time slowly passed by, and soon, the day was breaking. The sound of distant cocks announcing the new day could be heard faintly. Abel just sat there, thinking, and letting his energy run through freely. He had always felt at peace when surrounded by nature. That was why he didn't mind living this far away from the main town with Audu.
The soft sound of the door opening and closing behind him roused him from his thoughts. His eyelids parted, giving way to dazzling purple irises.
"Morning, old man. How are you feeling?" Abel asked without turning back.
Audu walked up to his side, opting to stand, rather than sit down. The older man's back wasn't as bent as before and he stood straighter than ever in the years Abel had known him. The wrinkles present on his face from the day before were all gone, making him look a tad bit younger.
"I should be asking you that, kid. How was your rest?" Audu replied, placing a hand on Abel's head.
"It was so-so. I couldn't sleep at a certain point." Abel answered with a small shrug.
"I see..." A thoughtful look crossed Audu's face when he heard Abel's answer. "To be honest, I expected it. There isn't much I can do for you at this point. Perhaps some medicinal calming teas and incense will help."
"Maybe..." Abel trailed off, letting his gaze follow the activities of birds going about their day in the trees.
***
Thud.
The large and heavy body of a Ground Rat dropped lifelessly to the ground. Abel used his dagger to dig out the grey Core from the middle of its chest. Around him were at least a dozen more dead Ground Rats, all with their Cores completely gone. The satchel oh his back was halfway full with the dull gray Cores of the Ground Rats.
"The old man was right. These Ground Rats are not match for me anymore..." Abel whispered thoughtfully as he flexed his right arm. Muscles bulged and veins looked ready to pop.
It had been a week since the incident, and Abel had decided to return to the Towers. Audu hadn't tried to stop him, instead, encouraging him to see how much he had changed and how much farther he could push himself.
If there was anything he wasn't happy with aside from the change in appearance, it would be the fact the everyone in Holbs, the little town by the Tower, thought he was dead.
When Heather and Aileen had made it to the gate, they had requested for some help from the Tower Runners who were lingering nearby. By the time the rescue party had arrived, the battle had already ended, and Abel was nowhere to be found. The bodies of Hank and Nick were retrieved and taken back to their families.
Aileen was devastated, plagued with guilt that Abel had died to save her when she had acted wrongly to him at first. If Heather hadn't stayed to comfort her, then she might have slid even deeper into the pit of depression that threatened to overwhelm her.
Abel had half a mind to contact her and tell her about his status, but he decided to hold out on it first. It wouldn't be too good if some random looking guy reached out to her and insisted that he was a lost friend. It might even have the opposite effect and rile her up even further!
'What a mess...' Abel thought as he made his way even further into the Floor. The rocky terrain was as plain as ever with the only cover being a few massive rocks, a few bushes, and some gatherings of trees here and there.
~Rustle...
A nearby bush shook as a small creature lurked, trying to stalk Abel. Too bad for it he had noticed it first.
The creature greatly resembled a mole, if only a giant one. It's eyes were squinted, as though missing a pair of glasses to help it see well. It sported whiskers and small, twisted ears. Although its looks were so terrible that even a blind person would notice, it was an extremely dangerous predator if it remained unnoticed.
"Ahh, here we go again." Abel groaned as he pulled out his dagger.