While we rested, I couldn't shake the sense of the forest's significance. It felt like the bizarre game might never conclude, so I considered that if we were going to be stuck here, we might as well remain in the forest where it was relatively warmer.
When I uncovered my hands, which were protected by gloves, I could still sense the intense cold, but it was much milder compared to the region we had come from. So, if it came down to it, we only needed to retreat to this forest.
Everything about the forest was a lot better than the region outside the forest. When we were in the region outside the forest we couldn't just decide to stop and rest.
Staying in one place for an extended period was risky in numerous ways; we could get buried by the snow or succumb to the cold.
So, we were faced with two deadly options: either succumb to exhaustion from trudging through a knee-deep river of snow that felt like it went on forever or stop in one spot and risk getting buried by the snow.
There was no winning really when it came to the snow...
It was quite unfortunate that my first experience with snow was under such challenging circumstances.
Many people back home admired the cold weather because my country didn't have it. If I ever manage to escape the Cold Lands, even the word "snow" will evoke a sense of dread in me. It might become the most dreaded word in the history of mankind for me.
We were resting on the three trees when Sky decided to speak.
" I know this might sound crazy but this feels so much like a game," Sky said.
The last time we had a conversation about the many things this place could be it didn't last long because she became emotional about it.... But here she was bringing it up again.
The truth of the matter is that whether we could figure out what the whole situation was, it still wouldn't magically fly us out of there to our houses.
'If wishes were horses ' I thought as I listened to what Sky had to say.
"For real though! " She said when she got no response from anyone... Somehow the exhaustion made her want to speak more.
But then what she said was close to what the strange messages said...
'The message box '
" Hey guys! I just remembered something I've been meaning to ask you " I said as I sprang up from the hard tree I laid my back on.
"Do your messages change sometimes? " I asked.
I noticed Hassan was paying keen attention unlike before... His expression changed to that of confusion when I asked the question.
"What do you mean?" Sky asked with a hint of annoyance evident in her voice.
She must have been angry that she was cut off so I said to her " I'm sorry for interrupting you but about your messages, what kind of messages do you guys get?"
They looked at each other as if the question was ridiculous and then Hassan answered " About my accomplishments in the Cold Lands? Don't you get such messages too?" He looked at me and then at Sky, perhaps still confused by the question.
"I do but sometimes I %@$$@-@6@:@+#- &@%@%# "
"What are you trying to say?" Hassan asked
"What language is that ?" Sky asked
Something strange just happened. Halfway through what I had said strange words that I couldn't understand started pouring out of my mouth.
I tried to talk again and again and found out it wasn't random. Immediately I got to the part about the strange group chat my language changed into something that even I couldn't decipher.
"Are you trying to joke?" Hassan asked
"Of course not, " I said but then the words weren't backing up what just happened. To them, this was even stranger ...
"Do you have any strange thing going on in your messages?" I asked trying not to talk directly about the strange group chat but still, they were confused, looking back and forth between themselves and me... It almost looked like they were looking at me like I was crazy.
"Never mind," I said exhausted by the strange occurrence.
Everything about the Cold Land was never straightforward but from what I could decipher it seemed as if the organizers were censoring what I was saying...
This again proved the might of the people in charge. For them to be able to create this large simulation and even alter the words coming out of my mouth.
It made me wonder ' Am I even real? '
I stared ahead of me blanking out the concerned questions of Sky and Hassan.
Every day back at home I had these kinds of questions gnawing at the back of my mind " What does it mean to exist ?" "What is existence?"
I'd look at myself in the mirror and wonder how humans could exist ...
But here it even got worse ... I was being controlled without feeling any sense of influence. It made me wonder if I was just a puppet made to believe that I had some level of control when in a real sense I didn't...
Not as if I could tell what was real and what wasn't. Who could tell if this wasn't a long terrible dream?
"Hey, Jess," Sky was shaking me. To them, I had asked one question and then seemed to have a mental lapse and then zoned out.
In this strange place that could easily be a sign of losing one's sanity.
"Is something wrong? Are you okay? "
Hassan asked, and they both appeared concerned.
It was usual to space out momentarily, but what had just occurred seemed to be beyond the usual range of normalcy.
"I am," I said to them. These words came out in whispers. It seemed the mental strain that I had just momentarily witnessed had made me reluctant to talk.
But when I glanced at my companions, I understood that I needed to muster the strength to say something, anything, to assure them that I wasn't losing my mind.
"Don't mind me. It's probably the effect of my attribute," I lied, uncertain if it would be believed. Surprisingly, it worked.
They retreated and returned to where they had been resting earlier.
"That was really weird," Sky said as she let out a sigh.
Hassan remained silent, merely observing me until I closed my eyes. Even then, I could sense his gaze on me. He was likely trying to make sense of what had just transpired.
But he didn't ask any questions...
Once more, the place was enveloped in silence, except for the usual insect noises that filled the air.
I couldn't help but wonder about the chances of these insects turning into predators.
Without as much as a waste of time, I got sucked into sleep and the next time I opened my eyes was when I realized I had been sleeping.
Nothing was waiting for me in my dreamland; no memories or even spontaneous dreams. I even wondered if I dreamt at all because I couldn't remember what I dreamt about.
While sleep was supposed to be relaxing and rejuvenating, I woke up feeling even more aches and discomfort than when I had fallen asleep.
As my mind became more alert I noticed a constant sound echoing in the air. It was repetitive ...
'What's that?' I wondered as I rubbed my eyes and then looked ahead of me.
It was Sky. She was swinging the frost fire dagger.
With each swing the frost-fire dagger gleamed with a mystical radiance, changing its intensity between high and low from time to time.
Sky was no longer in her winter cloak and was sweating profusely. She must have been doing this for a long time which made me wonder how long I was asleep.
"What are you doing?" Hassan asked. He was lying opposite where I was and adjacent to Sky.
From the way he yawned and stretched his body, I guessed that he too was waking up from sleep.
So even he was tired even though he hadn't said so.
Sky looked at him and turned back to what she was doing. It appeared as though she was a bit offended by that question.
It was obvious what she was doing... She was training herself so she would be able to defend herself when push came to shove. Not everyone was like Hassan who had a skill that had to do with combat.
And maybe why she ignored his question was that she thought there was a hint of mockery in it.
"Hey, let me help you with that"
Sky stopped immediately Hassan offered to help. She looked at him with so much focus and attention.
From her expression, only you could tell that she really wanted to learn how to fight.
She was in dire need of learning how to wield the dagger properly.
While I wasn't an expert on dagger combat, I could tell from observing Sky that she was making some significant mistakes.
I could compare Sky's dagger technique to Hassan's. He wielded his dagger with the intent to kill, while Sky seemed to handle it with a hint of apprehension as if she were slightly afraid of the blade.