When he passed through the gate, he entered a misty forest. Tall beech and maple trees surrounded him. He could smell the salt of the sea. He even heard the cries of seagulls flying in the overcast sky, but he saw nothing.
Cyrus followed the scent of the sea and climbed a hill. On that hill, there were remnants of a ruined tower. Although the gate he had come through was relatively far from the sea, Cyrus could feel that his senses had sharpened after entering the realm of memories. However, heightened senses weren't the only thing he had gained.
The mist wove through the air like silk threads; it leaped from the foamy crest of the waves and spread level with the sea's surface. Cyrus looked back. The forest trees stretched to infinity, covering the mountain slope like a green blanket.
The foggy air prevented him from seeing beyond. So Cyrus remained in the ruined tower. With no sign of moonlight, he spent the night in darkness, accompanied by the biting cold and the howls of animals.
But the next day, the weather was still foggy. The sunlight barely reached through the mist. Cyrus scanned the surroundings one last time but still saw nothing but the vague shadows of wild trees, frozen in place like cursed ghosts. Even when he climbed to the top of the tower, which was a few meters above the hill's crest, it made no significant difference. There was absolutely nothing among the ruins or atop the tower to guide him. Thus, he sighed and gazed into the mist.
Cyrus had no choice but to leave the ruined nest.
There were many paths to take. Paths whose ends couldn't be seen and were indistinguishable from each other; wrapped in the thick morning mist, they instilled the fear of getting lost in him.
Cyrus looked back. He could still see the tower walls. He decided to try flying. Black wings appeared on his back, reflecting no light. Cyrus bent his knees slightly and then suddenly soared.
From above, the ground was wrapped in a white blanket. The path couldn't be discerned, and as far as the eye could see, everything was uniform. The young branches at the tops of the trees protruded from the white mist like the tips of stalagmites.
Cyrus wanted to descend but changed his mind. Although the forest was shrouded in mist, from that height, he could somewhat see the shore. Not far away, the waves of the sea were pounding the rocky shore. There was no sign of sand; instead, seaweed and waterlogged pieces of wood were scattered along the shore. Seeing this, Cyrus smiled and quickly made his way there.
So he continued flying over the shore.
"So what I sensed there wasn't just an auditory illusion, there really is a sea here. But I couldn't hear anyone. Do my senses only respond to natural elements, or is there really no one here?"
However, the answer to this question was unclear. He took a deep breath and increased his speed to search the shore as quickly as possible, but now he had discovered another truth.
"This is an island?!"
Then, unsure whether he was really trapped on an island or had lost his way, he looked around.
"Oh! There's another landmass!" Seeing that land, he was overjoyed. He immediately left the shore and flew in that direction. The further he went, the fainter the sound of the waves became. However, he thought he was crossing a narrow strait. After a while, when he saw that no matter how far he flew towards that land, he couldn't reach it, he began to question his decision.
"Is there really land there?"
But there was no way to be sure.
"I shouldn't have been so naive to make such a foolish mistake!!"
He regretted not following the coastline at a lower altitude instead of straying from the shore; but it was too late for regrets. He was in the middle of an endless sea, surrounded by a veil of thick mist.
"That's right!!! I can follow the waves to reach the shore."
So he did, but he became even more lost.
"What on earth is happening?!!"
He had no answers. This situation thoroughly confused him. He wondered what to do but found no answers in his mind. When he reached this point, he had no strength left to continue. Everything looked the same. If he looked in a direction and saw a slight difference, he might have tried again, but at that moment, everything looked the same. He saw no difference between north and south, regardless of whether he could even distinguish north from south. Cyrus remained in the same spot for a long time. Bewildered and aimless, he looked around like a newborn. Suddenly, he realized his power was waning, and his color was fading; a feeling nested within him that was both foreign and familiar; he didn't understand it at the moment, but he was experiencing despair.
Despair gnawed at belief like a parasite, hollowing it out from within. That's why despairing whispers didn't die but were trapped in eternal emptiness.
Cyrus had fallen into the same state. The thick sea mist had buried him in an invisible prison; he could go anywhere, but ultimately, he was still in the grip of fate.
Like a sorrowful bird, Cyrus remained above the sea, hugging himself. Loneliness tormented him. The cold, melancholic waves of the forgotten sea passed by and receded; but Cyrus remained in the same spot.
His hope melted away like a snowman, and nothing came to mind.
What was it all for? Why did this journey begin in the first place? If he had known he would end up so lost, would he have embarked on this path from the start?
Cyrus thought of the distant past. A time that would never return. Thinking of the past calmed him, and he stayed there longer.
Amid the short waves of the sea, a small lantern flickered. A wooden boat, riding the dark waves, was heading towards an unknown destination. Inside the boat, someone cast their fishing line into the water. As the boat was tossed about, they smiled calmly.
Seeing that light, Cyrus snapped out of it. Although he knew not every light would guide him, it seemed worth the risk.
The fisherman, with eyes hidden under a straw hat, stared into the distance. Cyrus approached him slowly and landed on the boat. The boat rocked and then settled.
The fisherman pointed in a direction. His lips moved, but no sound came out. Suddenly, several blue flames appeared on the sea.
The fisherman lowered his hand, but the flames didn't disappear. Cyrus bowed slightly in respect, spread his wings, and followed the flames. They vanished one by one and reappeared in another spot.
Cyrus continued his flight.
Gradually, the mist cleared, and he could see a black mountain on an island beyond the misty area. Without hesitation, he flew faster.
The sky had cleared, and the beautiful moonlight shone in the sky.
When he reached the shore, he looked back.
A massive wall of mist stood there, dividing the world in two.
Cyrus was too exhausted to continue flying. So he had no choice but to step onto a narrow path that led into the forest.
From a great distance, a white column rose into the sky, disappearing at a high altitude.
"Haha, it seems I made it, I finally escaped that hell…" Cyrus sighed in relief and said.