" Urgh." Noah woke up feeling dreadful pain throughout his whole body. He opened his heavy eyes and tried to move his body, but he couldn't. Every muscle in his body hurt like hell, especially his arm, which was stinging with severe pain.
He was lying on the hard floor, but he could feel soft grass on his back; someone must have been taking care of him. He was grateful for not being buried alive at least, but he was not sure if he could live for much longer with his fatal injuries.
" Fuck...I am alive?" He saw the familiar ceiling of the large cave. His mouth was dry, because of which even his speech sounded like a broken whistle.
" Argh. Shit!" He pulled his body up to look around; all the cages were empty. The beast's corpse was stashed away in one of them, but no people could be seen anywhere inside the vast cave, which was brightly lit because somebody had torn off the blinders covering the entrance.
" You keep on surprising me. I really thought you wouldn't make it; at least, that's what I hoped." The ball of light appeared out of nowhere, blinding him for a moment.
" You really were rooting for my death. I wish I could turn you into a lighter right now, but I don't have any energy to argue."
" I just want to go back; if you lose your life, it means that contract has been annulled, but now I have to look after you because I can't physically harm anyone."
" That's good news for me. Can we move on to you helping me? But first, how are you and don't say you don't know this time!? You are clearly hiding something."
Noah checked his injuries as he started to become aware of his dire situation. With everything that happened yesterday, he partially felt it was a dream, but now, with an injured arm and numerous injuries, he began to accept his circumstances.
He wanted to leave his past behind, but for some reason, time and time again, something was pulling him back to the abyss. He finally started to enjoy his lazy life and actually started to forget those faces, with countless sleepless nightmares. He could finally sleep more than a few hours later, but everything changed when he mysteriously got dragged to this place.
" So, do you remember I went inside your head? There is a part that I can't access, which is no less than impossible if you know what I am capable of." The entity replied seriously. For it, Noah was becoming more and more endearing.
It even tried to rummage around in his mind when he was asleep but still couldn't penetrate the hidden section. There was something different about this human, and it decided to put effort into helping him.
" We are not talking about me; I am just a normal person. Why did you bring me here?" Noah completely brushed off its statement.
" I don't know how you got here. I am only a servant that has a specific task, a worker of the timeless watch that overseas time."
" What? What watch?"
" You wouldn't understand even if I explained. You only need to understand that you have somehow ended up in this place, which is a lot different from the place you call Urth? If that's shocking, then what you did after that was pure impossible."
" You mean that dream thing?"
" That dream thing is a higher plane that overseas countless lower planes like this. Even if the strongest people in all lower dimensions combined their power, they wouldn't be able to scratch the gate of ascension. Still, you somehow completely disregarded it and visited the higher plane and actually lived to tell the tale."
" I don't understand any of that, and I don't care. What do I have to do to return, and why the fuck are you speaking that way?" Noah felt immense cringe when the ball of light changed its voice to soft-spoken female.
" Why you don't like it? There are countless memories regarding it inside your head, and they are mostly pleasant, too. Strangely, you can't even understand the language, but like looking at them naked doing something, I guess? Strange.."
" Fuck! Don't poke around my head anymore! Just answer my question." Noah had an affinity to Japanese culture and was himself a man of that culture.
" I don't know, but I know it's out there somewhere."
" What does that mean? You said yourself that you are a higher being or something."
" So you were listening." It sounded like," Like I said, there are other people with powers. Unlike your place, this plane has plenty of them, but they are scattered around the world. There might be someone who could contact a higher plane to get you your answers."
" Why don't you do it?"
" I said I can't go back! If you are willing to die, I will send the answers to your soul!"
" For a helper, you are a really shitty one...Ow ow, fuck can you do something about this?" Noah was too engrossed in conversation and accidentally bumped his elbow. It was only a touch, but it hurt like lightning passing through his whole body.
" It's been two days; your summon counter must have reset already; why don't you summon a potion or something?"
" Two days! I have been out for two whole days? Why didn't you tell me before?" Noah was flabbergasted by his shitty companion!
" You never asked."
" Fine! What's this potion? How should I summon it?"
" Oh right, you can't. It's a higher-realm item; you have to look for a healer or something. I can't say when; we probably had to cut your arm. A sharp knife would do the job, right?"
" Are you fucking joking with me right now?" Noah was pissed. He couldn't lose an arm. What's more, it's his dominant hand!
" Young man, you are finally awake. I thought you were dead for a second." Suddenly, someone entered the cave. It was the same old man that Noah used to converse with that had tried to lift him up.
" Who are you? Are you the one taking care of me?"
" Yeah, my name is Alastair. It's a pleasure to meet a brave young man like you." The old man said with a smile, but Noah didn't let his guard down. He knew everyone fled, but for some reason, the old man stayed behind to take care of him? Was he after his unique abilities? Noah was ready to do the necessary thing for his survival!