In an underground facility similar to the one ray had been in previously. There was the throne and the inconspicuous pattern on the ground just like the ones before.
Suddenly the ruins lit up in a metallic red and projected itself in the air. The walls seemed to have been given life as they protruded towards the throne. While the throne itself started to get covered by the root like protrusions made of earth and light. Like a cocoon they all started to twine around the throne. The originally empty throne was nowhere to be seen. Now only a giant cocoon was left in the area, entangled with the settling mystical lights in the air.
Soon they stilled like calm water. These changes went unnoticed by all beings and they stayed that way for an incalculable period of time.
**************
An incalculable amount of time had passed when the cocoon started to throb violently. After a few minutes of battle the cocoon walls finally couldn't keep up any more and faltered.
Plop!
A slimy figure tore apart the cocoon and fell down from the inside of it. More slime-like fluid kept flowing out, tainting the place with it's weird smell. Yet the figure was unaffected by it all.
It was only after a few hours the figure started to Twitch about, letting the world know it's alive.
Soon it started to make legible movements instead of just randomly swinging it's limbs like a fish out of the water
*************
The figure finally stood up properly after a series of comical attempts. Taking a deep breath, vigilance flashed in it's eyes.
'What the fuck just happened?'
of course the figure was ray who wasn't quite sure what had just happened.
Confused and paranoid, Ray started to take in his surroundings and assess his current situation, without moving from his original position. All he could conclude was that this place was somehow familiar to him. When he followed that familiarity in his mind he ended up with a terrible headache, resulting in him being brought to his knees.
It was then he realized that other than his environment, he wasn't quite sure of himself. He couldn't remember who he was or why he was there. Other than some basic knowledge like walking and stuff which is almost instinctive to any adult, including his own tongue he couldn't recall anything else.
Not being able to remember something that you're supposed to know like the back of your hand was very frustrating. As such planning to let his brain rest from mental torment he moved on, presumably to start a new life...
**************
In a peaceful lush-green forest, peaceful as in a normal forest filled with cooings and Hawking of birds and the incessant calling of critters...
Under the collective shades of trees, a spot on the land seemed to wiggling. Normally it could have been passed off as daily activities of a mole or the sort but this one gave off exceptionally strong movements, not to consider the size of the disturbances. It had to be one extra-fat mole to make such movements.
After the birds atop the tree nearby had fed it's younglings for two full rounds, the underground critter had finally shown itself. Turns out our fat fat mole was just ray finally finding his way out of that ruin. He had really suffered quite a bit during this period of time. After his decision to move on he was met with the vicissitudes of abandoned ruins.
There was no way to determine where he was nor where to proceed!
Poor Ray had to swallow his doubts and go wherever he could, towards the exit of the place he was in- a hall of sorts. Else he had a very bad feeling about making that place his home, not to mention he didn't have any food and the only liquid found was that slime thingy. Of course he couldn't drink that unknown stinking fluid.
After seven days since he awoke from his slumber, he had finally reached the ends of his path. But the traveling which took a full did not make him excited, instead he slouched against cave walls, his bum down to earth.
It was a dead end!
With nowhere to go nor anything to eat he just... sat there... in the dark off-putting ruins. Although he had forgotten almost everything, it was almost, not everything.
Sigh!
A crestfallen ray sat with his back against the wall. He had already reached his limits. Wandering this dark damp place, with nothing and I mean nothing at all! Not even clothes! He had got himself cut up plenty and made friends with the local residents there, whom, being venomous spiders, lizards and rat-like creatures didn't think it would be nice to welcome him with a meal. Infact they were very rude. Not only did they attack him at first sight but once a spider invaded his private spaces, trying to make it it's own. Of course ray wouldn't let himself be taken advantage of just like that. So he killed and ate the enemy just like how they (the enemy, in this case spider) had taught him.
Alas he didn't know at that time that those spiders were venomous. He had to endure hellish pain while his paralyzed body began twist and discharge all kinds of fluids and even solids.Poor ray just had his journey downgraded.... and it was only the beginning
**************
Sigh!
Recalling just kind this world had been for him in past seven days, Ray once again felt all the horrors. As for how he determined time, he just kept count of how many times he had been too hungry and times he had to sleep. He combined the results to get a crude idea of time passage.
Just as he was losing hope and going through what happened the past few days, he recalled a very important clue, a clue which could lead him to Freedom!
'hah! Guess I better try that small opening I found before... Of course I still have to figure out how I'm gonna fit through that after all I left that place since I couldn't fit in there the first time..'
Standing up, he gently patted his dirty and exposed bum. And he started to go towards his last hope in a pace that was neither walking nor running as the dark unmaintained tunnel couldn't allow him to run at full speed. Not to mention that he would be as good as dead anon, after starving for 7 days with not even water. He had placed all his hope and whatever strength he had left in this 'Hope'.
Still it took him 3 more days with his weakened body to reach his destination even if he now knew the place and had familiarized himself. Fortunately or unfortunately his body had not just weakened but lost weight due to starving, making him almost half the size he was when compared to his first appearance here, in this tunnel.
When he finally reached the place, he was truly surprised to find himself able to pass through the small opening in the tunnel wall, even if that was only barely. At first he could only fit his limb, after that he had to use his nails to dig into the mud an make a slightly larger opening. For the first he was here, even if he had dug more than what he dug now, it still wouldn't have been enough. The place he was trying to reach must have been a section of the tunnel that had collapsed from the constant erosion of time. As evident from the surrounding walls slightly bending inwards.
**************
Once he had pushed himself through that hole and he fell out on the other side, he stood up and started to walk again. This side was not that different from before, in fact even if it was different he wouldn't know as he was mobilizing all his attention on something else, that is to keep going, for he had no choice.
The tunnel on this side had extended in a elevated fashion, seemingly leading to the surface. This was no miracle. A man-made underground facility suchlike this one had to have at least a couple of exits somewhere. In actuality he could be said to have been unlucky to not find even a clue as where the exit was. And so he started to walk as fast as he can, without tripping over the rocks and stones nor scraping his assailable skin from the hard walls...
'It had been over 2 days' he thought. Unsure of how long it actually had been. His only companion was his own thoughts. In the dark tunnel, with enfeebled hope, his lone steps resounded. Even his new friends, the spiders and whatnot, had left him now. For he reached yet another dead end!
Or so he thought.
**************
Having reached yet another dead end he once again, sat down, now with all hope lost, his body trembling from overexertion and starvation. He could fell his end slowly nearing him for the past day or so. He wished, put himself in a illusion, that it would be this nightmare that ends, not himself, Even if he knew it was just a farce.
"I can't even remember what I am doing here…. What is my name? My past? Is there even a past to me? What is me? ... Arghh"
Such venomous negative thoughts slowly sprouted in his heart, tearing him apart from the inside. He was now just waiting, waiting for something unexplainable to happen. And he didn't want that to happen. No, he never wanted it to happen. But all he could do now was explore the fuzzy feeling he had, his hunger, his suddenly heavy heart. That was all he could do now. He wanted to just sleep, but his pain-filled body wouldn't allow that. He wanted to try another path, but he wasn't allowed that either.
It was then, when he had truly given up and calmed his mind, he heard something, the sound of hope!.
**************
*scree*
*rustle rustle!*
A series of tumultuous sounds reverberated in the long gloomy tunnel.
"huh"
Hearing it, and realising this could mean something marvelous, he quickly stood up and put his ear to the walls. Suppressing the growing hope and excitement he slowly traced his surrounding walls with his ears, heedful for the place with most concentration of those noises.
He didn't care that the rocky tunnel walls would scrape him. He didn't care the blood dripping down his ear, flowing down his shoulder, tracing his past abrasions. He care not for pain which wouldn't cease but for his l release. And soon enough, he found it.
On the top portion of the wall which blocked his way, he could hear. The outside world, His freedom!
"This.. this is it! Yes..yes YES"
With everything he had he started to dig through it, uncaring of the potential hazard of the old rotted wooden abutment.
Clank
Clatter
Slowly he could see it, see the light. His hope, His salvation….
Soon he could reach his hand to the outside. Then his head, before bringing out his body and lay on the ground, with his back to the ground. His eyes staring at the sky mixed in with waving trees and small birds. A gentle breeze washed over him as he laid there without any strength to anything whatsoever. He just wanted to sleep. To embrace the forest, as if to become one with Nature. His eyes were closed before he knew it.
**************
With the spring breeze as his blanket he had already slept for a day. However, unknown to him, his weak, wounded and naked body had been chanced upon by a abstruse group, who then proceeded to examine his body before packing his along with their paraphernalia. With his fate now murky, he would be in for a surprise- and no one knew if for a bitter one or one sweet.