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Apprentice to Eternity

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Chapter 1 - Ch.1 (The Cave)

The Cave:

A young man clad in animal skins was running from a pack of wolves. He leaped from tree to tree, a mix of fear and determination etched on his face. A thin sheen of sweat covered his face, and his back was completely soaked. "Why in the world are they so fast?" he bellowed. He had circled a 5 km area when he finally reached a clearing and stopped, turning around. The wolves slowed down as well, their expressions ferocious. "Come on, then! Catch me!" he challenged.

As if triggered by his taunt, the wolves surged forward. Just as they were about to pounce, the ground beneath them gave way, collapsing into a large pit. The entire pack fell in and was trapped. Exhausted, Aekesh, son of the Sun Tribe leader, slumped to the ground. The Sun Tribe resided in a mountain cavern and was a relatively small community of 5,000 members. Aekesh had always been an intelligent boy. He learned to read and write at a much younger age than his peers and possessed exceptional skill in crafting traps. Today, he had evaded the guards his father had assigned to watch him and descended the mountain to hunt. He had intended to hunt for smaller, less dangerous animals, but after walking for several miles, he had no luck.

"Where have all the animals gone?" Aekesh wondered aloud. "I distinctly remember seeing many roaming around here yesterday." After continuing for a while, his ears perked up. He swiftly climbed a 40-foot-tall tree and scanned a particular direction, his expression filled with horror. "What the hell are wolves doing in this area?" he thought. "Isn't this supposed to be a haven for herbivores?"

Calming himself down, he gave a small smile that betrayed his lingering fear. "Enough with small game," he thought. "Time to hunt some big prey." He swung from tree to tree, putting as much distance between himself and the wolves as possible. After another two miles, he spotted a sizeable pit camouflaged by bushes. "Perfect," he thought. Aekesh spent the next three hours meticulously covering the pit with a thatched structure he had taken two hours to build.

Now came the moment of truth. "If I survive, I survive. If I don't, well, what's the point of living trapped in that small space anyway?"

The story continues...

Aekesh retrieved a waterskin from his belt and took a few gulps. "They won't escape, will they?" he muttered between swallows. "I don't think so; there's nothing for them to grab onto to get out of the pit. It's getting dark. I need to find a place to rest quickly. Other creatures like them might be lurking around."

After walking for a while, he spotted a cave. "Is this the wolves' cave? Ha! I never thought fate would be so kind all of a sudden." Aekesh cautiously entered the cave to ensure no other beasts were present. "Hahaha! Fate truly favors me today. Escape the mountain, find large prey, find an empty cave to rest in – how perfect!" After using leftover thatch from the trap to block the entrance, he built a campfire and settled down to sleep.

Aekesh slept soundly for eight hours. He woke up the next morning feeling stiff but otherwise alright. After some light exercise, he emerged from the cave to find the wolves still trapped. "Good, they're still stuck. I should gather my things and return to inform Father. Maybe he'll recognize my competence and finally set me free."

Inside the cave, he collected his belongings. Just as he was about to leave, a thought struck him. "I haven't explored the cave's depths yet."

Venturing deeper, visibility decreased significantly. "Good thing I brought the means to make fire," Aekesh remarked.

What he saw after lighting the fire defied all logic. "What? Why is this wall pitch black?" He reached out to touch the wall, but his arm inexplicably phased through it, causing him to fall. The wall wasn't a wall at all but an incredibly thin crack in space, thinner than even atoms. He tumbled through the darkness, bouncing and spinning until – WHAM! Aekesh landed hard on something solid. Silence. He lay there, breathing heavily. One thing was certain: he wasn't in the cave anymore. He had fallen… somewhere else.

Aekesh trudged through knee-high grass, the sun a relentless ball of heat in the clear blue sky. This land was unlike anything he had ever seen back home. Here, the ground seemed to stretch on forever, a vast green carpet that met the hazy distance in a shimmering mirage. Back in his village, nestled between familiar brown mountains, the world made sense. The houses were square, the trees reached straight for the sky, and the river flowed in a predictable path. Here, though... here the very ground seemed to tilt and roll beneath his feet.

Aekesh Looked back but there was nothing besides green there, Where the hell did cave go where am I, After some time he calmed down, what's the use of sitting here and crying i need to continue forword. Aekesh climbed strange bumps in the earth that shouldn't have been possible, their sides slanted in ways that made his head spin. He walked through fields where the air itself shimmered like heat rising off hot coals. Every step brought a new wonder: a tall, skinny tree that somehow bent upwards in a smooth curve, a pool of water that reflected the sky in a warped in wobbly mess, what is this place. It was a place that filled him with a strange mix of excitement and fear.

"By the spirits," he muttered to himself, wiping sweat from his brow. "Is this some kind of dream?"

Finally, after what felt like weeks, the endless green gave way to something different. The ground began to rise, forming a low hill that seemed to ripple slightly in the heat. Aekesh squinted, his heart pounding with a strange anticipation. As he crested the hill, the sight that greeted him made him gasp.

There, nestled within the heart of the impossible landscape, stood a castle. An upside-down castle, balanced precariously on a single tip. How it defied gravity was beyond comprehension, yet there it stood, a mockery of everything Aekesh thought he knew.

"Whoa..." he breathed, his voice barely a whisper. He circled the castle slowly, marveling at its impossible form. The strangeness of it all made his head spin. He touched the rough stone wall, the coolness seeping into his palm. It felt real, solid. But how could something so...wrong...exist?

But the moment he touched it, the world turned upside down. Literally. Aekesh started falling towards the sky. With a startled cry, he reacted quickly and grabbed onto the edge of the castle floor, scrambling to pull himself up. As soon as he stood on solid ground again, a wave of nausea hit him, and he doubled over, emptying his stomach. What in the world is Happening to me, Where am I, how the hell is ground above me, Aekesh seemed to be having mental breakdown, but he somehow calmed himself, After Calming down Aekesh Looked the the edge of castle floor. Thinking what would have happened if he had fell down or should he say up there, sent chills down his spine

Despite the confusion and discomfort, Aekesh persevered. He pushed himself upright and continued towards the castle entrance.

Suddenly, a soft rustling sound came from a nearby archway. A curtain of emerald vines cascaded down, obscuring the entrance. Curiosity warring with caution, Aekesh inched closer. He hesitantly reached out and pushed aside the vines.

A garden, unlike anything his village elders had ever described, sprawled before him. Flowers bloomed in colors he'd never seen before, some glowing softly in the afternoon light, others defying all reason by drooping upside down. Strange, beautiful creatures flitted between the plants, their forms a mix of familiar animals and things out of nightmares. A hush fell over Aekesh, a sense of awe washing over him.

"This..." he whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "This is beyond anything I ever imagined." He cautiously stepped forward, his boots sinking slightly into the soft, spongy ground. The air hummed with an unseen energy, making the hairs on his arms stand on end. He felt small, insignificant, in the face of this impossible beauty.

A small, iridescent butterfly with wings that shimmered like soap bubbles landed on his finger. Aekesh held his breath, afraid to startle the creature. It fluttered its wings delicately, then took flight, disappearing deeper into the fantastical garden. Aekesh smiled, a feeling of wonder warming his chest. This place, he realized, wasn't just different - it was magical.

Suddenly, he saw something, or someone. A normal-looking gardener, If Have 6 eyes and bright purple skin was considered normal, was Cutting some bioluminescent looking plant