Chapter 50 - First Night on the Campaign Map
In the darkness of the early morning, on that vast, calm sea, a young man dressed in black walked as if he were carrying the sun in his hands. The light from his torch cast a strong, yellow glow. Luke could even see his reflection in the water perfectly.
His footsteps were the only thing breaking the calm of that sea, which resembled a lake more than anything else. Sleepy, tired, and perhaps even panicked, Luke decided to keep walking. Thoughts raced through his mind, telling him he might be heading in the wrong direction, and he knew it. Luke didn't use logic to make his decision; he simply fixed on a position and followed it straight. It was the only thing his mind could do without collapsing; if he stopped, it was over.
The worst part was that Luke saw no signs of anything, no one. The worst part was that Luke didn't even see any fish; he was wondering how long he could last without food. Even though he had a small amount of meat and a piece of military rations, he knew it was only a matter of time before they ran out. The worst part was that he couldn't even eat sparingly to make his food last because, with the meat being wet and the heat… it was only a matter of time before it started to spoil.
His mind raced with theories he tried to bury. His thoughts were things like: 'What if I'm the only one in this world?', 'What if there was an error and I was sent somewhere else?', 'Why aren't they here? Did they die?', 'What if the world of the card is as big as Terra and I was unlucky enough to be thrown in the middle of the ocean?'. His thoughts turned dark.
Luke sighed and kept walking.
Every step he took became harder; his feet were tired of stepping in and out of the water. It was as if a weight was being added to him with each step.
"ROOOAR!!"
A distant roar echoed in all directions. The roar was similar to that of a bear, mixed with the sound of a whale. Immediately, Luke's body felt a chill, and he extinguished the torch. Without taking another step, Luke froze in place, remaining in darkness with only the moonlight to illuminate.
Another monstrous roar came from the distant right, heading towards the infinite horizon. Trying to focus as much as possible using his wolf senses, Luke furrowed his brow, straining his eyes to see something.
Luke stood still like a statue, not taking another step. He remained frozen, staring in the direction from which the mournful roar had come. A mixture of thoughts raced through his mind.
Ignoring his worries, he fixed himself in a straight position facing the direction of the roar and stayed put. Still standing after a while, he felt sleep creeping in, but he fought to ignore it.
Got it!
Conjuring the hammer, he placed it on the ground with the head pointing in the direction of the roar. Sitting down, he stayed there, still on alert. Taking a bit of meat from his bag, he conjured the canteen and ate for a while.
Time lost all meaning as he stayed in the same position, staring in the direction of the monstrous roar. Luke didn't know how long he had been there, but at some point, he succumbed to sleep.
The night was far from one of his best or most comfortable. He woke up constantly whenever his body went slack, causing him to faceplant into the water. These scares jolted him awake, making him think he was in the middle of a fight.
After laughing at himself, Luke went back to sleep sitting down. Even while sleeping, he did his best to stay alert. Previously, he might have stayed fully awake or not slept at all, as he had done while crossing the Veil. But after spending an entire day walking and under the sun, he felt exhausted. To make matters worse, the night was very cold, and being wet didn't help. Luke didn't dare to light the torch again, even though his hopes screamed that it was the only way for someone to see him. After all, the light of the flame in the darkness was a way for him to try to contact Alice and Anna.
When morning arrived, Luke got up. Looking in all directions to make sure he hadn't missed anything, he checked the position of the hammer on the ground. The water was calm, so he knew the hammer wouldn't move, plus it was heavy.
Picking up the hammer, he decided to follow the direction from which the terrifying sound had come during the night. He bitterly regretted thinking it wouldn't be anything good, but if he had heard the noise, there was a chance Alice and Anna had heard it too.
Maybe they'll think the same thing and decide to follow the noise to try to regroup.
Sighing, he began his torturous walk.
Drinking some water, he was happy to have this canteen and never worry about being thirsty again.
"Even if it wasn't infinite, I'd have a sea of options here..." he laughed at his own joke.
"But Little Anna doesn't have a canteen..."
What am I thinking? I should think more about myself; after all, it's my life, and everyone needs to protect their own.
He didn't know why, but he quickened his pace.
The expanse of blue water reflecting the sky presented a unique landscape. Luke thought that at some point, he would step and be off the small sandy ground, sinking into the ocean.
With this thought, a mix of fear and worries arose in his mind. The fact that the sandy ground beneath him could end at any moment made him wonder what he would have to do. After all, there would be no way for him to continue. The fear was so intense that he began to question whether this sandy pocket was the only piece of land in this world.
As he mused, he saw a black dot on the horizon. His body froze at the sight, and joy filled him as he started running. The dot was very far away, but he knew it was solid ground.
In the sky above him, he heard a noise and saw a bird flying toward the island.
Finally!
Feeling relieved, he stopped and then resumed walking.
"Land in sight..."
He continued walking, focusing more and more on the black dot that grew larger as he approached. The bird was already much further ahead, almost disappearing into the sky as it flew toward the island.
As Luke got closer to the island, it grew larger. But then, when his vision focused on the distance, he noticed something strange.
Starting to run toward the small black protuberance, he stopped to analyze what the "island" was.
A whale?
From a distance, he saw what seemed to be a beached whale.
No, a monstrous whale.
Swallowing hard, he analyzed the large fallen monster, wondering if it was dead. As he got closer, he saw several birds tearing pieces from the massive creature. A large wound on the monster's belly was oozing blood and organs, making it look like a disgusting red mud.
Luke was filled with doubts and thoughts.
What killed something this big?
His fear quickly pondered this, wondering how such a gigantic creature died.
That hole in the stomach was certainly not a simple injury; it came from some kind of battle.
The whale, now closer to him, was a giant monster at least 50 meters long. Its skin was a dark gray, almost black, and it had sharp teeth. One day, that creature had been alive, and more thoughts crossed Luke's mind.
How was a whale living in a shallow sea?