"Shugel, you should probably take that with you."
His mom pointed at the umbrella as she looked at his son, about to leave the house. His black eyes and hair matched the color of his attire.
"Nah, It will be fine mom. My luck is not as bad as sis's."
He felt the urge to turn and look at his mother's eyes after saying that. But it was better if he didn't, he knew what was swirling in her eyes. If he did turn—
He left the house before that thought could form any further.
As he strolled down the road, the ambience of the street and activity welcomed his senses.
The boy was not sure if his friend was serious about it but,
He did say he wanted to visit sis with me.
For the past four years, the boy had visited his sister's house every year. It had always been like an alone endeavor for him to get away from life. This year was no different, but he had gotten close to some people in his life and his one and only friend was one of them.
"Though I am not sure if he was serious about coming with me... I should probably go check on him."
His friend's house was near the bus stand. On the way, he stopped at his house.
"Damn this guy, how the hell is he still alive." said Shugel, as he looked at his friend's room.
The room was a living mess of trash.
"Sorry about the room, come inside" said his friend, as he hurriedly moved some stuff to create space.
"Let's just sit in the living room, your parents aren't at home anyways." Shugel was repulsed by sheer audacity of this guy to even invite him inside this dustbin of a room, and instead suggested to sit in the living room.
"Yeah, Sure." Bobby, his friend sighed as if some knife had been removed from his throat.
"That day you said you wanted to come to my sister's house. I thought you weren't serious so I didn't tell you about date and time." said Shugel, as he sat down in the living room couch
"I was pretty serious when I said that, I wanted to pay my respects to her. Wait, don't tell me, it's today?" Bobby looked at Shugel's expression, and knowing the kind of person Shugel was, Bobby was pretty sure it was as he said.
"Lemme Say it Again, ' I didn't think you were serious.' "
"I knew it! Start taking me seriously first." Bobby looked at the watch, and asked when the bus would leave.
"We have 20 mins. Next one will leave in 2 hours." Shugel said with a blank face, calculating the possible routes.
"What do we do?" Bobby was scratching his hair as he looked towards Shugel.
For Shugel he had already told him some time before that he usually goes for two or more days.
"I mean you already know we won't be returning till tomorrow, If you still want to come, I can wait."
Bobby looked at the clock, "I mean my parents aren't at home and…"
Ding Dong* The house bell rang before Bobby could finish his sentence.
"Wait for a moment."
Shugel sat on the couch as he saw him leave to open the door.
There was a glass table in front of him, a particular shine to it due to sunlight coming from windows.
I wonder if this year…
"Is Shugel here? you should have told sooner if he was coming!"
"Wait— did you lose your keys again!?"
He could hear the voice from the entrance. He knew that voice, footsteps approaching the living room, and some figure of a girl was peeking from the entrance.
"How are you doing Shugel?" The girl asked.
"Oh, hey what are you doing here shouldn't you be with your parents." Shugel now understood the reason behind that weird expression on Bobby's face then.
"What do you mean?"
"Forget that, you wanna go on a trip?"
"Wait, you sure about that?" Just as he said that, Bobby, who had just reached the living room, asked.
"It's fine, you were worried about your sister so it's better if she comes along with us."
"What's this trip thing? Will someone explain it to me?"
Shugel knew Bobby would have not come if his sister was to be left alone at home. With their parents being out of the station, it was better if they both came. It was not like anything would go wrong.
"Sia, pack your clothes in thirty minutes! I will get ready soon after I tell mom and dad" Bobby pushed Sia, his sister, towards her room.
"At least explain—"
—Shugel looked at the clock as his senses felt the ambience of just another chaotic day in this sibling's household.
***
There wasn't much resistance from Bobby's parents when he told them that Sia would be going with him, other than Sia taking a long to pack her things.
By the time they reached the station, there was still some time. Shugel booked their tickets after confirming seats available.
"Here's your ticket, by the way we will need to stop at my relative's house to take the keys. I lost mine."
"Should we take something for them then?" Sia asked, as Shugel handed the ticket to Bobby.
"It should be fine… okay fine let's take something. Stop with that gaze already."
"Haha! She still has my mother's habit of taking gifts every time. Not like it's a bad thing, but Shugel your reaction is stil!Aa—" Bobby laughed at how Shugel could not resist his sister's scary gaze.
Sia's mother was someone who had a very strict policy of always taking gifts when visiting relatives. Sia probably got this from her mother, as she thought that she pinched his laughing brother.
"You guys get on the bus, we can buy something at the station there. It's time to leave." As Shugel said a whistle was heard, marking the time for departure.
Sia looked at scenery change from town, to trees to mountain, through her window she saw as wind fluttered her hair. Bobby, whose seat was taken by her sister, was sitting with Shugel behind.
"So soothing, you are quite lucky when it comes to your 'by default' travel list."
"If only you said that after not losing your seat to your sister and taking mine to look at the scenery."
Shugel looked at the time, they would soon reach his relatives hometown.
"Hey, Bobby, go wake her up, our stop is near." He pointed at Sia who had fallen asleep while admiring the wind.
"Umm, have we arrived?" Sia asked as she was woken by Bobby.
With the sound of brakes hitting the tire, the velocity of the bus decreased. Shugel passed by them.
"Get up, we have arrived."
—As they walked by the lane, Shugel stopped by a fruit shop and bought some fruits as a gift. Bobby and Sia walked around the park nearby while they waited for Shugel.
Before they could complete the second round, He walked towards them with a bag of fruits.
"Lemme hold that." Sia took the plastic bag from Shugel's hand.
"Fine, give me your bag then." He didn't mind so he let her hold it, it was lighter than her bag anyway
Bobby was grinning before Shugel handed the bag to him.
"Wha— why are you giving it to me!?"
"Who else am I supposed to give it to, hold it. Let's go."
The place where they had stopped was an hour away from his relative's house.
Shugel rang the bell, as they stood outside the bungalow. They had finally arrived at his relatives house.
"It's Shugel!" The kid, who had just opened the door, pointed at Shugel.
"Learn some manners, kid, and call me big brother Shugel." He picked the girl up who was 12 years younger than him.
"Don't want to! last time you said I was a big girl." Girl puffed her cheeks as she tried to act like an angry big girl.
—' where does her idea of a big girl even come from? '
"Where's your moma?"
"Umm Moma has gone to market! And dad is in the kitchen!"
Shugel put her down as his ears still felt the aftermath of her energetic ear ringing voice up close from when he was holding her.
Bobby and Sia stood behind quite as they were pretty unfamiliar with this place. Shugel guided them through, and they followed his lead.
"Anyway, Gis, they are your one and only big brother's friend. Say hi to them."
Gis looked towards Bobby and Sia with a huge grin.
"I am Gis! I am a big, big, supper big Girl hehe~" She stood in a classic superman pose, and with no shame introduced her tiny self as a big girl to a 6ft4 almost adult stranger guy. Shugel looked at this comedic spectacle trying to hold his laugh.
"I am Bobby, I super small kid take good care of me." He shook Gis's hand, as he gently introduced himself.
"I am even younger than him, so please take super~duper~ good care of me, okay." Sia picked up Gis, snatching her from Bobby's hand, as she cuddled with her.
"Ahhh le~me Goooo! ahaha—thar tin…"
As the Gis fought against Sia named the cuteness devouring monster. Shugel and Bobby went inside, Sia followed them.
After introducing them to his uncle and keeping their bags in the room they had a lot of time till they would leave.
Shugel showed them around the house, and when they were returning inside after seeing the garden. His aunt had returned from the market.
"Gis, don't let your dad in the kitchen ever."
When Shugel heard her voice, he went to the kitchen. A burning stench, increasing as he got closer to the kitchen.
"Oh, Shugel! Please take Gis with you, your uncle is not gonna live tonight."
He looked at the source of burning stench,
—How did he even manage to burn the microwave?
"Come on, Gis let's go."
"Introduce me to your friends later, okay." said his aunt, before he left the scene.
Later that night, they all sat in the dining hall. And as everyone looked at each other, Shugel introduced Bobby and Sia to his aunt.
"Oh how wonderful, so you both are siblings. I know your mother, she was a friend of mine when we were in school." She looked at Sia, as remembered her old friend.
"But I never told you my mother's name."
"It's your family name, also you look very much like her."
"Muma is friends with the stranger's muma! Dad! Dad! Is dad also friends with the stranger's dad?" Gis shook her dad with full force and excitement, who sat motionless, head down, slowly eating, ignoring eye contact with his wife.
"Oh, Gis stop pestering your dad and let him enjoy his cooking."
Shugel looked at the scene unfold, he felt bad for his uncle, but after burning the food and running away before aunt could return home.
"About tomorrow, I would like it if we can leave early." Said Shugel, as he looked at his aunt.
"We have talked about this before that your uncle is on leave tomorrow, so anytime is fine." She would have liked it if Shugel would have stayed for some days, but, she knew—
"Can I go too~" Gis looked at her mother.
"No dear you can't, mom will get lonely otherwise."
Bobby and Sia felt strange tension in the air as Shugel and his aunt talked. But it disappeared as quickly as it appeared when Gis spoke.
Shugel did not speak any further, and continued with the food on his plate. He remained silent while eating, yet why did it feel strange to her? Sia wondered.
She ignored the feeling and went back to enjoying her food, cooked by Shugel's aunt. It was delicious.
—The white plate was the moon that night.
Early in the morning, everyone was at the hall with their bags, ready to leave.
"Everyone moves to the main door. The car is ready." said uncle, before he headed towards the maingate.
"Gis is still asleep, you should probably say goodbye to her. You being her only brother, she is very attached to you." his aunt looked at him, as she said that to Shugel.
"I know, she and my sis were so close, and now I am the only one left." His voice, unlike usual, was soft, almost soothing with a smile as he remembered his sister.
Sia stood there, overhearing the conversation. She felt that strange rift in the atmosphere again, so subtle, yet throbbing.
Shugel headed upstairs after that, and Sia was left alone with his aunt.
"Please take care of him."
Sia was a bit dumbfounded at those sudden words.
"Oh! sorry, looks like I made you uncomfortable. Don't worry, I don't mean it like that. I am just grateful he can now talk about these things."
"No, you just caught me off guard. What do you mean? Talk about—"
"Hey we are leaving!!" Bobby, who had gone with Shugel uncle, yelled.
"Come on, let's go. I am sure you know what I meant." Aunt took Sia's bag, and headed to the maingate.
Soon after, when all had reached the maingate, Shugel also came out of the house after saying goodbye to Gis.
"Well then, time to take off huh. Everyone get inside the car!" Said uncle, with excitement.
—Shugel waved goodbye to his aunt, as they entered the car and took off.
***
The sun was at its peak. By the time they crossed two major mountain paths, Sia had already puked more than thrice. Currently they were in the midst of Yama mountain roads, the zig-zag turns were enough to make anyone nauseous.
Bobby was comforting his sister who had just fallen asleep to avoid losing more stomach fluids.
The music playing in the car blended with the atmosphere, filling the silence between everyone in the car.
Shugel was lost in his own thoughts, letting the music in the background and nostalgia sink in until finally.
"Haaaaaaaaaa~ have we finally arrived!?." Sia asked as she looked at the house in front of her.
Her rate of recovery was commendable. Shugel and Bobby looked pretty tired from all the traveling. His uncle was taking their things off from the car after which they all said goodbye to him.
"Your uncle went pretty soon didn't he?" Bobby asked as the car vanished from their sight as they waved goodbye.
"I am pretty used to it by now, also he isn't the type to skip his job. What a tiring life indeed." Shugel replied.
"So we are alone now!?" Sia felt anxious yet excited at the same time.
"Nah, but if you'd like to think of it as like that then sure. Anyways, the main thing is we can't stay in the house because it will be pretty dirty, I last visited here one year ago." Shugel explained that they would staying at the resort near them
"That sounds more fun!!" Sia picked her suitcase before she— "Arry!? Which way is it." but realized they were surrounded by mountains.
It was as if they were in the middle of the mountain and had to find a way home, not in literal terms. There were more trees than any man-made structures in their surroundings. They were close to nature.
"Follow me, it's just a ten minute walk from here. The resort is pretty much surrounded by trees so it's obvious you don't see it." Shugel pointed his finger towards the green sign board which was covered in vines.
Shugel had already informed the owner of the resort about the number of people he would be accompanied by beforehand. Normally he would just enter the house without any consideration but this time he had friends with him. Even though he knew a bit of dust won't cause any problem. He still wanted to change his usual way of doing things and spend his sister's fifth year death anniversary having proper fun with his friends. For that was what his sister always wished for him, which he failed to fulfill - no-
***
Later that evening, Shugel waited for sometime before everyone got some rest in their rooms, and after soaking in the hot spring, he went to their room and told them to come with him.
"Do you think she would like them?" Bobby pointed at the white jasmine looking bouquet of flowers, as he asked Shugel.
"She was the type to love any kind of flower. Let's take them." Shugel replied as he picked two more similar looking bouquets of flowers from the shop near the entrance of the resort, and gave one of them to Sia.
Sia, now, pretty much had a clear image of what this trip was all about, and why Bobby, her older brother, gave off an unusual aura. From the conversation and things she knew it was pretty much clear they were here because today was the death anniversary of Shugel's sister.
She didn't know much about Shugel's sister. He wasn't type to share much about himself.
Bobby respected Shugel that's why he wanted to pay respect to someone his friend loved so much.
They both didn't mind Sia tagging along and doing whatever she wanted but, why did she feel frustrated? She wanted to be part of the emotions they shared.
While Sia was occupied with these thoughts they were now, once again standing in front of the same house when they had first arrived here.
"The back of the house is connected directly to the forest so be careful." Shugel warned them in a dramatic tone, as if trying to scare them.
"Bro I should be the one warning you to be careful, you are shorter than me." Bobby huffed.
Their sense of humor was as basic as it could get, if they were trying to be funny that is.
Shugel unlocked the door and the wooden main gate opened with a creak sound.
"Your family used to live here before they shifted to your current house?" Bobby remembered Shugel had once told him about this place where they used to live before shifting to their new house.
"Though I don't have many memories, but It was around five years ago after my big sister's disappearance."
Disappearance? Sia's ear twitched, but without blurring out her thoughts she waited for Shugel to elaborate, which he never did.
—I feel like asking him, what does he mean by disappearance? Wasn't it death!? Sia thought.
They entered the house, like any house in a hilly region, the interior of the house was almost filled with a wooden aesthetic. The air was a bit humid and dust was stuck to the surface.
Without touching anything, they went to the back of the house. The backyard was an open garden connected directly to the forest.
Sia remembered Shugel's warning about the forest, even though it turned into lame joke between two friends, seeing the sight with one's own eyes made her more aware of possible dangers.
"I was joking back then, you don't have to worry about any dangerous animal attacking us. The resort we are currently staying at is contracted with respective agencies to keep this area safe from animals. Though you might have to worry about snakes." Shugel explained to Sia, who was looking pretty tense.
"Snake!?" Sia squeaked, taking quick turns to see if there was any snake.
"Haha, why are you scared of snakes?" Bobby laughed as he teased his sister.
"There aren't any snakes around. It's a bit rare but still I warned you." Shugel calmed her, and then pointed towards a sakura tree with no leaves at the center of the garden.
Below that tree was a tombstone.
The silence creeped in and they silently paid their respects to the grave of Abelia Kasane— The elder sister of Shugel Kasane.
***
By the time they were done, the sun had completely fallen, and the orange hue soon faded into night. Three bouquets of flowers rested on the top of the grave.
"It's getting dark outside, we should go inside now." Shugel suggested, and started walking towards the house.
Sia and Bobby followed Shugel.
"So are we going back to the resort?" Sia was curious.
"I was thinking of playing cards." Bobby murmured.
"Come to my room then." Shugel suggested after hearing Bobby's murmur. After they returned to the resort they all gathered in Shugel's room to play cards.
There wasn't anything special that happened, they simply had fun playing cards. The game went on for some hours before everyone went back to their rooms.
That night around three o'clock... Shugel had a dream... a very familiar dream, a dream which would be forgotten just after waking up. Every Year the same dream would repeat when he comes here.
While he was in this dream he was aware that this was not his dream. The world he saw, people he saw, things he heard, things he understood were out of the world.
It was as if someone else's memories were being flashed into his senses in quick succession. All the emotions turning into dread every time, eventually, before he would wake up.
What did he see, what did he feel, what did he hear, what happened!?... Nothing came back with him into the real world.
All remained in the world of dreams... But one thing was for sure... Death.
Beyond and before death everything was blank. Death was the memory and peace was the sensation... Dread was the reaction of the body which couldn't accept death as it woke up from the dream; From someone else's memories, from the nightmare.
"Again that dream... Why can't I remember!?..." Shugel murmured in frustration.
His body was sweating profusely, the temperature was abnormal, thoughts were a mess... Fear was— Fear?
***
--The fresh breeze grazed his skin.
After waking up from that nightmare. Shugel went outside to get some fresh air and calm his body temperature. The closed spaces enhanced his fear and anxiety, as a result it was only natural for him to get out of there.
There were not many people awake at that moment, some staff members and guards that's all. Shugel checked the time, it was already past three o'clock.
He was strolling on the roof when he noticed footsteps coming upstairs. He stopped for a bit to hear, to confirm the footsteps. Then he saw a familiar silhouette.
"What are you doing here?" Shugel asked the silhouette.
"Eh!? I saw you come here at this time so... Like... I came to check."
The silhouette walked towards him, soon after it crossed the shed the shadow casted by the moon was left behind and the moonlight revealed the features of the silhouette.
Her hair was open and clothes saggy, her black eyes reflected the full moon if one would look deeply into them. Sia, his friend's younger sister, stood in front of him.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Shugel was a bit curious.
"Somehow I can't fall asleep even though I am starting to feel tired... It's weird. I was going to my brother's room to take his money. That's when I saw you."
"Stealing is bad." Shugel tried to joke but his mind was still not at ease to pull that off.
Sia noticed this and went straight for the question.
"You... Tell me what's going on?" Sia closed the distance between them and looked him in the eyes as she narrowed them.
Sia was just a year younger than him. The sudden movement of closing distance between them obviously made him feel a bit cornered.
The distance was not intimate enough to make him feel uncomfortable. It was just her eyes and the silence that created the illusion.
Shugel tried to ignore what she meant, but her eyes didn't let him, and soon.
"A dream..." Shugel murmured.
"Dream?" Sia's eyes relaxed a bit while still demanding more words from him.
"Ever since my sister's death every year on this date I dream of something... A dream that I forget as soon as I wake up.
I wake up in fear as if... I don't know how to explain it to you."
His thoughts were a mess, he knew he could explain it but something which he had forgotten by now stopped him... Something he couldn't comprehend nor remember.
"I don't know if it's okay for me to ask but, is your sister really dead? If yes then, what did you mean by disappearance."
"Shugel stopped for a second, his eyes looked at her. Her eyes were serious, worried and confused. He shifted his eyes to the door instinctively then he spoke.
"I don't know. When I was little she disappeared, the night she disappeared she was making me sleep cuz I was afraid of something. I don't remember 'what'. All my memories are hazy like a dream. I don't even know what is real and not. All I can remember is she was making me calm down and sleep… I was terrified of something, she was saying something to me.
"The next day she was nowhere to be found, my parents asked me but I knew nothing. Months went by. We had already filed a police complaint but we could not find her, not even her dead body. Finally my parents had given up, and accepted something for which there was no proof."
While Shugel told all this, Sia carefully listened, she did not say anything or ask anything in between she just patiently listened.
"There are many things I don't remember, my childhood is like a hazy dream." Shugel looked once again at her.
There was silence. Both waiting for each other's words... After a while Sia let her breath escape and relaxed herself.
"I don't even know what to say... But Shugel if she is alive I hope she is safe but if not I wish her soul is at peace. I may be awkward and may have gone a bit far with that question but I know for sure, that past is past and if you don't share it, the reality becomes nothing less than a dream. Because In the end only you will remember it before eventually your memories too will become lost."
Her voice was calm, just like how Shugel explained it to her, she calmly understood him.
Shugel was pretty calm when he explained it to her, even after his thoughts being chaos he neatly picked his words. He understood her concerns. It was not as if he was someone oblivious to others, so when she asked him about this, he knew how she felt.
"You said it..." Shugel smiled as if he remembered something.
"Umm?"
"Nothing you just reminded of something she used to say. You should go to sleep now. I will sleep after sometime too."
"I think now I may actually be able to sleep. Good night then."
There wasn't much left to talk and even if they did, who knew how it would turnout. What Shugel revealed was a shock to her but the plague that consumed her mind when she knew nothing was no more.
Something had been lifted and now she could feel the tiredness take over.
After Sia left, Shugel looked at the sky and let out his breath.
"A false grave huh?" Shugel whispered to himself.
Soon as his whisper faded, a sound not of his own. A sound even quieter than his whisper. A child? where was this voice coming from late at night.
He moved closer to the voice and looked from the edge of the roof. There he saw it.
As soon as he saw it he was confused but nonetheless worried. Why was a child running towards the jungle!? There was not much time... Questions like whose child was it? Who left it alone and all the questions which should have came never got the chance to dominate his mind and just as the child disappeared in the forest—
Why is such a young child even there!? This is bad... I don't feel right
Shugel ran downstairs before exiting the resort he told the guard about what he saw and asked him to find the parents and before the guard could even say anything he went running toward the forest.
The child shouldn't have gone that far. He hoped.
Shugel's eyes narrowed as he looked at the forest in front of him. Beyond was complete darkness. He turned on the torch which he had picked in hurry from the guard.
He called out to the child while turning the light from one tree to another.
His senses were being overwhelmed, his awareness touching the temple of his consciousness.
There was this uneasy feeling... It was as if the forest was calling him. The temptation was as if his senses, thoughts and mind were clashing with each other. A temptation so abnormal that it creeped.
One step, two step, three step into the forest and the feeling grew slowly but ignoring it Shugel called out.
"someone here?"
Suddenly among the sound of leaves the sound of footsteps was picked by his ears. He flashed the light towards the source of that sound, there he caught a glimpse of a silhouette which soon disappeared, like a child playing hide&seek.
Sudden unease grew deeper... It looked like a human silhouette, of a child, it resembled the child he was calling out for.
He could see the light of the resort even though he had come pretty far and was a bit deep into the forest. If only… he wanted he could return and wait for the staff to respond and handle this.
I should probably return there is no way that that silhouette was normal... Where did it even disappear!?
But what if it was actually a child? I will probably lose the position once I go outside the forest?
His body was protesting. The silence of the forest and dead wind was like a mirror for the uneasiness he was trying to suppress.
While this internal conflict between terror and ethics went on the rational mind took over. Shugel moved towards the place where the silhouette was just before disappearing.
Soon after reaching that place he rotated his torch light.
"Is someone here? Whoever it is if you can hear me then please—"
Again the sound of footsteps, it was louder! From behind! His body reflexively turned back.
There was nothing, no one was there but the sound of footsteps did not stop, they kept getting louder... It was as if something invisible was running towards him.
He didn't understand what to do, the speed with which it was coming towards him, his body and mind were too confused and terrified to move, it was incomprehensible to him.
His sight was focused on the source of the footsteps all this time before all of a sudden.
The sound of footsteps stopped just in front of him. He could not see anyone, his body frozen, was his heart even beating at this point? He wondered.
He tried to reach his hand in front of him... The forest fell into absolute silence, his breath... His breath... His breath... Someone else's breath...
A scream!!
Just behind him something screamed into his ear! his eyes caught a glimpse of a black shadow... Pure terror
He did not remember much after that, he was running senseless without any direction, his torch had fallen somewhere... Pure dread and horror consumed him, it was the same as the nightmares, just this time he could move his body and run.
Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run!
"Agk" Shugel lost his balance, rolled on the ground and fell down a slope and lost consciousness.
What was happening one would wonder? What did he see? Was it a creature? Or spirit? One thing was for sure it was terrifying and surreal. Why did he even come here? Shugel would surely regret coming here if he was conscious right now.
He had fallen from a slope after he lost his balance while running at full speed. That too in this dense forest where the moonlight, which trickled down from the openings left by the forest trees, was the only source of light.
How many hours or minutes or even seconds who knew had passed, slowly Shugel's consciousness surfaced to reality...
His body was burning.
He tried to move but the adrenaline rush which was supposed to save him from the pain failed because he had already lost consciousness, and woken up after his body had completely processed the damage.
Consciousness? Why was he unconscious? What was he doing here? Just what was happening it all slowly started making sense as his mind slowly pieced together the memories that were starting to surface.
With that also came terror. Shugel Kasane was terrified. His body shivering, his mind questioning and his senses heightened.
Shugel Kasane felt inexplicably terrified as he stood up abruptly. However, before his feet straightened. His brain protested with throbbing pain. It made him temporarily lose his strength as he fell uncontrollably.
He stood once again by propping himself up. Obviously, the pain was still there but he found it easy to push his body this way to stand up.
His surroundings were dark but from what little he could make out he had fallen into an underground cave like structure.
Where he stood currently was a dome like structure of stones into which the moonlight trickled down from the large cracks.
If he could climb up he should...
I am not sure if I will find my way back. Also, I am in no condition to climb.
All hope was not lost because, though it was a forest there were people who usually came to explore the caves down here because there were many mineral deposits here.
Mass mining of these minerals was banned by the government, which meant it was a pretty good tourist spot.
At Least that's what he heard once but the credibility of the source was equivalent to a drunk man's blabbering.
That thing I saw back then what was it, a spirit? Or some creature?
Sound of leafs, was it wind blowing them or—
Shugel looked toward the entrance of the cave... The forest terrified him, he wanted to catch a break.
Is it even safe to enter the cave?
Is this a dream!? No, this is real... But still what should I do now... I have lost my phone somewhere. I can't even call someone.
He could feel something approaching someone...
I don't like it here, but there is no choice but to wait for the morning. I am not returning to the forest.
Shugel looked at the cave's entrance and entered it, he didn't go that deep.
Something was happening to his consciousness ever since seeing that child and following it into the forest he felt like something was controlling him... His body, his emotions, his thoughts.
Why would he find darkness so comfortable, why did this temptation— something deep down, something ominous playing with his mind. This was him. This was him, completely natural nothing was wrong!?!$&$&##$
This is not me! Something is wrong this is not…
A tiny white luminous particle of light flowing.
As soon as the realization hit him, a sudden white light consumed the darkness of the cave, his eyes could not see anything... White was the world, white were his thoughts, white it all seemed to be.
He tried to protect his eyes but it was too late... After a few blinks his eyes refocused, no, even his consciousness too, even his soul refocused.
His world had suddenly turned white and after the light vanished he was supposed to be back to the darkness—But He wasn't.
When his eyes refocused, overwhelming natural blue light surrounded him from everywhere—
What?....
Before he could even think or process this sudden change of reality... A sudden nausea hit him.
It was as if his soul was trying to leave the body. No, it was as if his soul was being ripped from his body for a second.
It started with sudden nausea, then uncontrollable pain and psychological urge to scream, cry, murder, protect, live, die, torture, cut his throat and what more, which he could not even process, which all soon disappeared.
He could feel his gastric juices violently coming up his throat—
"Aurgaaaaahahh!!!Graaaaah!!Orgaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Shugel kasane fell on the ground as his body lost all its strength and vomited in pure shock, all his gastric juices came out with the mix of blood in there.
His eyes were deep wide from all the shock and pain his body was going through, tears dripping from those red eyes.
Slowly his body relaxed, it felt as if his soul had been drained from his body but now he was in no condition to process all this.
As soon as white light had faded, his eyes didn't open in the place he was before. Rather, It was a place he knew nothing about.
There were blue glowing crystals everywhere and it was not a narrow cave but the center of a Labyrinth like space from some fantasy novel. At Least that's how surreal it all appeared to Shugel. Even the events that followed all this felt surreal.
There was a blue glowing pond in front of him, there was water. He did not know the reason why the water was glowing, was it because the water was surrounded by these glowing blue crystals or was it because it was nectar?
He was too tired to even see if there was an exit from here... His soul could not even feel fear or anything at this point. There was no will to do anything. All there was was thirst.
Unquenchable thirst, all his soul wished was something that could satisfy that thirst, all his body could think of was water, all his mind could believe it to be was nectar.
He tried to stand up but lost his balance at the first try, there was no strength in his body. If he could not walk, so be it...
Shugel kasane crawled. In his eyes reflected the pond of blue nectar, and in the pond of nectar reflected his face.
There was a crow... who knew if there was... It didn't matter because as soon as the boy drank the blue nectar his soul drowned in eternal darkness and peace.
So even if there was a crow, it would have vanished with the boy's consciousness, or have flyed towards the world beyond the end with him; somewhere where his consciousness was drowning.
***
--Deep, deep, somewhere deep in the consciousness of nothingness.
The boy finds himself surrounded by nothingness. He was nothing... He? Boy?
'It' was not anything here, 'it' was formless. One with the consciousness of the universe. No, it was.
Something had separated it from the higher self and made it aware of the ego, the concept called 'I, me, myself'
Now there existed two egos. He wanted to know what the other ego was, who that someone else was? What did it want? But it didn't matter even if he asked infinite questions and got infinite answers from the other presence, because it would all be forgotten.
These memories can't be taken to the world of illusions that binds everything, all the universes. Physical world is not enough to hold something like this, it will shatter. That's why one can only find fragments of truth in the physical world.
"This is the wish of the stars, all I can do is become your curse and hope."
It always ends the same way, and so the world is shattered. Just how many worlds have shattered like this she wondered as she whispered this to him.
—And so, the boy, Shugel Kasane forgot everything once again until the stars would wish for him to remember.
***
"I am saying this boy looks like someone from Hesper nobility, we couldn't just leave him in the Labyrinth to die."
"I understand. Now that I have confirmed his features he certainly looks like he is from the Noble lineage. But what was a human doing in labyrinth that deep in Elvian kingdom, that too in The Teleportation Labyrinth."
"I am glad you understood. what a shame we can't risk selling him as a slave he would have fetched a good price."
"Enough I said we will compensate you for taking him from your party. Obviously, it won't be much but don't forget, we can not give you anything at all, and simply snatch your goods from you. Adventure guilds have the full right to do that in a case of emergency, you know that right?"
"Tsk sure sure, thank you for your kind gesture, now I would like to take whatever you can offer me in exchange."
"Go collect it yourself."
From the deep darkness he heard two voices conversing to each other. Though the topic of conversation and terms used didn't make sense. The voices were completely unknown and how they spoke felt different. It was not as if he did not understand... Strangely enough he did understand. It was just the sound of those voices.
His eyes were heavy, as a result his eyes could still not open. There were two voices. The first voice to enter his ears was of an annoyed male who seemed to be in his thirties from the tone of the voice.
The topic of conversation seemed to be someone from nobility.
The second voice that entered his ears was of a woman who seemed to be in her twenties; she had a fairly bold and resonant voice. The way she talked made the conversation or argument one sided, her voice was cold and indifferent.
He heard the owner of male voice leave the room or wherever they were with thud... The boy's eyes opened.
An unfamiliar wooden ceiling which greeted his eyes. It was already day time it seemed. He tried to move his head and raise his body but before that.
"Oh, you are awake.".
There was a woman in front of him, she was looking at him. Her hair was green and she was wearing a robe out of some fantasy novel. It was not hiding her face nor the neck, rather it looked like a robe but was something else.
What caught his attention and surprised him was not all this but something different. Something you normally don't even notice when you meet someone; Her ears.
Her ears where long and pointy, way bigger than any normal human and her eyes and aura screamed it was—
' An elf? '
A green haired, long and pointy eared woman stood in front of him.
—An elf stood in front of Shugel Kasane.