Owen`s excitement moved into his heart, making him look like a young teenager receiving a gift, well, only in spirits. He walked over to the metal door in steady matter and goggling with inquisitive eyes.
The atmosphere was illuminated by the sky of early morning blues but due to lack of light, it had an appearance of uneasiness and unknown mysteries. Owen, however, was unhinged, at least to some degree.
He climbed the ascending stone stairs of the stone structure with stabilized steps, moving ever steady. His vision, suddenly become clouded by faint darkness of shadows but Owen still moved unworried. He arrived near the slanted metal door and smiled lightly.
The inventiveness of the metal door was truly worthy of an ancient artisan, who could rival or even best the expertise of those from ancient earth.
However, due to the faint shadow obstructing his vision prowess, he could not fully see the worth of the carved designs but smiled regardless, in approval, because he could tell the expertise was very good.
Owen narrowed his eyes, trying his best to absorb any visional information remaining from current condition of the metal door.
Henceforth, he made a list of what he could find. In his estimates and findings, the metal door was roughly fifteen centimeters in width, two meters long in height and of course, its diagonal visual appearance.
He investigated further, and found that upper hinge of the metal door was broken, this created the illusion that the door was about to exteriorize away from the doorframe.
Subsequently finishing his analysis, just to make sure, he tried pushing the handle of the metal door but of course, it was tightly locked. He even tried to use his ghostly power but nothing changed. Obviously, he knew this outcome in his expectations.
"Figures, this is going to take some real effort to open it…."
Sighing, he mumbled to his lonesome in hopeless matter and leaned his wooden stick to against the wall, setting his fingers into the thinning gap between the doorframe and the metal door, at the same time, moving his right leg against the stone wall for leg support.
He took a deep breath through his nose and applied a strong grip. Afterward, he pulled with all of his upper strength which caused a small chiming sound from the metal door.
Followed by a creaking echo inside the building. He kept pulling the metal door but it didn't seem to budge and only moved briefly.
Noticing the strain worsening in his muscles, he reflexively let go of the metal door and stumbled his steps, losing his balance, falling on his arse.
The atmosphere became silent, companied by his rapid breathing and heartbeat. After a short while, he coughed and removed the sweat on his cheek.
He relaxed his rushing blood in the body and involuntarily looked upward, towards the outer ceiling of the building, which was supported by the spiraling pillars.
"Damn, the door is heavy…."
Forcing the door down was not going to be easy task but determination still shined his eyes. He stood up and stretched his arms and looked at his wooden stick, took it in arms.
Owen, initially did not want to use the wooden stick because he believed that if he tried to used it, the wooden stick would snap.
Honestly speaking, he somewhat did care about the wooden stick because it was his first item that helped him greatly, so it felt priceless to him.
What childlike thinking….
However, since there were no other options, he didn't have a chance and just shrugged his shoulders. He first tested the durability of the wooden stick, trying to see if this was not a waste of his time but after vigorous trials, he smiled in approval.
"This might work…."
Owen said excitedly, new ascertainment showed in his body movements. Carefully, he placed the stick at the thinning gap of the doorframe and metal door, and applied a strong grip on the wooden stick, subsequently taking a battle stance to hopefully utilize the muscles in his entire body.
In the midst of short silence, he took a single inhale of fresh air in his surroundings and forcibly pushed, using every remaining strength in his body, to defeat his first trial in the world; to make this metal door fall.
The same sounds from before chimed, simultaneously with the creaking sound but louder, echoing in the building. The sounds were enough to force someone to cover their ears, due to the uncomfortable feeling it caused in their bodies.
Owen was no different and shivered slightly as he pushed. He examined the hinges supporting the door and smiled thinly.
The middle hinge was slowly bending due to Owen`s sudden assault, clearly on the verge of breaking. Although, the metal door and the ruins were made by legendary artisans, it was clear to see that the door hinges were ancient and by far not eternal.
So even if, Owen may not have inhuman strength, if he persisted, breaking the hinges was no problem. Realizing this fact, he pushed like a madman, making his muscles slightly tire.
Unknowingly by Owen, however, the stick begun to bend due to his uneven pushing and the force of hinges pulling back the metal door into the doorframe.
Afterwards, it reached its limits and broke, forcing Owen to the ground. He widened his eyes in shock and rebutted loudly.
"Mr. Stick! Damn, I knew this would happen!"
However, He blinked for some seconds and lowed his eye brows.
"Wait, that was my fault. No need to blame the gods for this…."
Owen clenched his wooden stick tightly and shook his head. He stood upward slowly, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion and placed his right hand on his chin, contemplating his next movements.
Plus, to rub it in his face, the damn the metal door was back in place, just a bit more diagonal than before…...
Sighing, he thought of an alternative entry into the stone building. Suddenly, a cold shiver ran through his back. He simultaneously his turned head and body at the unknown omen, his cold eyes in high alert.
He narrowed his eyes and saw two vague red glows, flicking in the distance, hiding in the shadows of the trees. Owen opened his eyes in realization and clenched his fists.
Unknowingly, he stepped a single step backward out of unascertained, enigmatical affrightment.
Sudden fear basically…
"What monstrosity have I encountered now?"
He mumbled and smiled with his white teeth, terror diming in his eyes. The sounds of the forest indifferently sounded in the area, uncaring about the shadowy entity and his presence.
'Let's calm down. I don't need to fight this creature for now. I just need to back away slowly, showing it, I am not a threat….'
Calming his feared mind, he took a deep breath and lowed both of his hands down slowly while taking steady steps backward.
However, unexpectedly, the entity seemed to notice his strange movements and its glowing eyes flicked in the shadows. Owen stopped his movements and guardedly stared at its position of the unknown creature.
'What no-'
Suddenly, the red glowing dots vanished in the darkness and puzzled Owen for a split second. Out of nowhere, something moved out of the shadows of the tree leaves as its surface became partly illuminated by dim light of ambiguous blue, revealing its majesty.
The previously, shadowy, creature resembled an otherworldly bird that made any earthing open their eyes awe.
"A bird….?"
The feathers were crimson red and were slightly mixed of alizarin pink at its tips. Furthermore, its tail feathers were radiating colors similar that of a rainbow.
However, that was not only thing that made Owen prejudiced by the flying scarlet creature, no, it was its radiating aura. The aura surrounding the bird`s feathers were like a secondary protection of skin but radiating harmony that made the eyes of those gazing into trance, plus, it made the feathers shine more beautifully. Furthermore, the bird appeared to illuminating a faint glow by its aura.
It was just too intoxicating for the eyes…
However, Owen snapped back to reality when it flew away from the ruins. He blinked for some time and sighed softy.
"What a beautiful bird…...Man, it has to be the most beautiful creature I have seen in this world by far. Second by the forest wolves."
Owen nonetheless sighed a breath of relief and honestly thought for a sec that the bird was some kind dreadful creature that could kill him in an instant.
"Good thing wasn't…...And who knows, my luck may be turning a 360."
However, was it really luck?
"What that's supposed to mean? No, no! Stop putting doubtful thoughts in my mind!"
Owen thought back to his experience in the ruins and the scarlet bird`s strange movements. He was not completely sure but the scarlet bird never actually tried to enter the area of the ruins, almost like there was something blocking it, like a barrier. Plus, it stayed in the shadows of the forest as if looking scouting for something.
In fact, how was it possible for Owen to not encounter any monsters in the area?
Don't the ruins provide good shelter for the monsters? To nest their young and a good territorial sector for climate and invading monsters?
No matter one tried to slice it, something was definitely up.
"Damn, I guess I need a change of plans."
He mumbled to his concerning thoughts and looked around the area. Sensing an omen, he couldn't help but rub his messy hair in annoyance.
'There is something in the ruins, something strong enough to scare away the monsters in the forest.'
'Have I been discovered?'
'Who knows?'
He narrowed his impassive eyes and clenched his teeth.
'However, one thing I do know is to get the bloody damn away from here!'
Owen thought to himself seriously and looked at the metal door. There was definitely something protecting the ruins as its territory and it had the enough strength to scare surrounding craters in the area. Staying at the ruins is suicidal but trying to open this door down is just asking for it.
'Is it really worth to risk my life for some non-existence treasures? Nah, although I died once before, I don't want to die again. There are some goals I need to complete first….'
However, mentally, Owen was devastated. Who knows what kinds of mythical treasures laid behind this metal door, yet, unknown dangers laid within? There was nothing he could do and if he honestly tried open this metal door, the reward inside might be too low for the price of his life.
'In this world, I am nothing but a cockroach…...and as one, I need to run away when its necessarily.'
Defeated, he stretched his body to relief his mind.
"Honestly, all that for nothing. Pathetic…..."
He took his snapped stick and prepared was to leave, however, Owen heard a faint chiming sound behind him.
"Mm?"
He turned his head around but nothing irregular came into vision.
"Maybe just my imagination. I feel like I am losing myself more and more…..."
However, when he was descending the stone stairs, a loud bang rang behind his back
Bang!
Creak!
"What the....!"