The multiple eyes on the giant abomination started to open and move erratically. The prisoner tried to defy the force that was making it kneel down, the mouth that was located near its abdomen started to take in air, large amounts of goo started to seep out of its body.
En shouted inside my head to take shelter and cover my ears.
The prisoner with all its might yanked the chains that bind it and screamed on the top of its lungs. Its deep below shook the surroundings, my ears started to bleed while my head started to fill up with malicious thoughts. En tried with all his best to keep me sane while Eclaireuse although a little exhausted used her remaining soul force to create a barrier.
The chains harshly rubbed with each other, high pitched screeching could be heard as the chains were getting stretched. The chains started to blink wildly, symbols flickered faster. The chains started pulling on the prisoner even more.
The golden barrier that Eclaireuse erected started to flicker as cracks started to manifest. I clutched my chest as I spew out blood. The vibrations that was screened by the barrier alone damaged my insides. Thankfully after a few moment, the prisoner stopped screaming and was forced back down by the chains that was holding it.
With some difficulty I breathed in and tried to recover my energy so that I could recover quickly. Looking outside the cave, I watched as the prisoner lay with its face down in the goo as it was punished by the chains in trying to escape.
"En what is happening? Why is that thing trying to escape?"
"Driven by its last will before it died, it only seeks destruction. But do not be fooled by its weakened demeanor, that thing is quite powerful and cunning at that."
I watched at the prisoner who was breathing heavily, its strength was drained from its attempt to try and defy the chains.
"How should we escape En?"
"Recover your energy first, then we shall attempt to dive inside the shadow in order to escape from the prisoner."
I nodded and proceeded to take a marble from the pouch that was in my waist, but to my surprise the pouch was empty.
"En where is the remaining battery, I thought I still had 10 remaining."
"It's all been used. During the time you were passed out I took the liberty to activate your powers and turn into a shadow form so that we would not be detected by the prisoner as you slowly sink. You have been unconscious for at least an hour now, and I can't use Eclaireuse's barrier since it would glow golden."
I sighed as I leaned my back towards the cavern wall; I looked up and calculated the time that I had been travelling inside the abyss. I guess morning classes should have started by now and that's another absent for me.
I tried thinking about school and not the grave situation that I am in right now. I swore to myself that this will be the last time I will travel inside this damned abyss.
Although it my seemed cruel to Eric, I could not take it anymore. I already had my fill with this terrible abyss, too much close calls had already happened to me. I'm not even sure that the book of dreams was given by my grandfather during my birthday anymore. I sighed as I decided to throw out the book once I return to the real world and never enter the abyss anymore.
Even now I was not sure if I could return to the real world. With the prisoner of the abyss of dreams outside the cave, the being that was the source of the wretched miasma and the one who caused that massive maelstrom. I am not a little bit optimistic in my situation. Although I was bestowed power by a powerful being, it was still in its early phase and quite inconvenient to use.
'Wait that's right, why don't I plead for that powerful being and request for help.'
An idea sprouted inside my head as I quickly informed En to try and ask the powerful being for assistance in my predicament.
"En, can you try and ask the powerful being that had given me power and ask if it could help me in this situation."
"Well, I'll try but don't get your hopes up."
I hopefully waited for an answer as I leaned on the caves wall and tried to recover my energy. After a couple of minutes En spoke to me.
"The being says that it can help you in this situation."
I smiled as I quickly stood up ready for me to be beamed up like those scenes in a science fiction movie
"But it won't."
"Wait what? Why?!"
My hopes were crushed as I heard what En has just said.
"Since it will affect you growth is what it said. The being will only move when you are near your death and it will only help once since it would use up its remaining powers to assist you and would enter into a complete hibernation state. Uhm, it also said that you are in your own since it was you who had put yourself in this situation."
"Dang it."
I cursed. My plans to easily escape this situation have been destroyed. I could not understand why such being was concerned in my growth, if it had such tremendous power why wouldn't it help me. Although I was mad at the being for not helping, knowing that it will help me at death's door at least gave me a little hope to escape this mess I made, although I will be far from unscathed at that time.
After a few minutes of being mad towards the being that would not help me directly, I tried to calm down and started to plan my escape in this wretched abyss.
I carefully peeked out of the cave once more and look at the status of the prisoner. Thankfully it was still lying down with its face in the black goo, without observing it carefully one would think that it was dead since it was not breathing, but if you watch carefully, you could see that its eyes were still looking at its surrounding particularly on the chains that were binding its body.
I look away from the prisoner and looked at the surrounding; I searched for a place that could be easily traverse by my shadow form since I would need rest stops to replenish my energy. Now you might ask, why not travel it in one go? Well my friend, as I told you, the prisoner was as high as a mountain and held inside a cylindrical cell. And unfortunately the cave that I am located at was only leg level of the massive abomination that was the prisoner of the abyss of dreams. Thankfully I did not sink even further since what was beneath me was a deep pool of black goo that seeped out from the prisoner, I would be dead if I plunge directly inside that pool and Eclaireuse's barrier would not even hold a second.
I watched and tried to see if there were any caves that was the same like mine above me that can provide me a place to hide if ever the prisoner wakes and try to escape once more. And thankfully there were, and a lot at that, but only until the shoulder level of the prisoner, above that I could not see from where I was located.
After an hour, my energy reserves were full (25/25). I plan to use at most 20 points of energy to travel up and the remaining 5 would be to escape if there is an emergency.
I breathed out and slowly relaxed myself. I then concentrated and dove inside the wall of the cave and as if no clipping inside a game I could see spaces that could be caves and see how deep they were, I even noticed some spaces that were closed and had no entrance. I quickly swam to a cave that was higher to mine and I carefully watched my energy bar as it quickly deplete. An energy bar that would take 20 minutes to deplete took me 5 minutes to use 20 points of energy as I scrambled towards a cave that was sufficiently deep.
I gasped as I breathed in air, I was heavily sweating and my body was very tired. I collapsed and lie down on the floor of the cave, Eclaireuse quickly erected another barrier to protect me from the miasma as my shadow form started to recede.
"Haah…Haah… Why is my energy being quickly consumed En?"
"It's because of the miasma. The miasma had already seeped on the walls of the abyss and your shadow form needs a lot more energy to travel and protect you from it."
With all my remaining energy I looked towards the exit of the cave to see how far I had traveled. I cursed as I noticed that I only traveled until the knee level of the massive monster.
"Dang It!"
I passed out.