After swallowing the fish, the man's physical changes became more obvious. His skin color changed from gray to normal flesh color, and his cheeks were faintly rosy, as if the blood finally started flowing again. His chapped lips gradually regained some luster, and even his lifeless eyes began to flicker with a faint light.
The man slowly straightened up, his shoulders shrugged slightly, as if he was adapting to the power of recovery. Although his movements were slow, they no longer seemed so stiff and mechanical. He looked down at his hands, his fingertips trembling slightly, as if he also felt the changes in his body. After a moment, he raised his head and looked directly at Perry, and a low hoarse sound came out of his throat.
"You...recovered a little?" Perry said with a brave face, his voice was hoarser than he thought. He tried to stay calm, but his eyes couldn't help but wander back and forth between the other person and the stream, ready to deal with any unexpected situation at any time.
The man didn't answer directly, but just laughed again, then suddenly tightened the iron chain on his wrist. The chain made a harsh sound, as if protesting his brute force. He looked away from Perry and stared at the fish swimming in the stream, his eyes rekindled with burning desire.
Perry followed his line of sight and saw the small fish at the bottom of the water still swimming leisurely, not realizing that their companions had just been swallowed. He looked down at the clear stream and cursed his situation in his heart, "This guy is not as crazy as before... Maybe if I give him more food, he will get better?"
But in order to find out who this man is and why he was imprisoned here, Perry knew he had no choice. He took a deep breath and muttered in a low voice as if he had made some important decision: "Okay, catch a few more... But you have to tell me what happened."
He squatted down again and locked his eyes on the fish in the water. Maybe the blood of the fish dripped into the water and attracted other fish to gather around, so he didn't have to dive down to catch the fish now. In order to catch the fish better, he picked up a sharp stone flake instead of empty-handed this time. Although the stone flake was rough, it had a sharp edge and could be used as a simple tool. Perry tried not to make any noise, holding the stone and slowly reaching into the water, his movements were extremely slow, fearing to alarm the agile prey.
The only sounds in the cave were the gentle flow of the stream and the breathing of Perry and the man, and the air became dull and quiet.
Perry aimed at the right moment and stabbed the water surface violently, splashing a burst of water. A few seconds later, Perry lifted the stone out of the water, and a fresh fish was twisting desperately on the stone. He finally breathed a sigh of relief, and a smug smile rose slightly at the corner of his mouth, and then quickly disappeared.
"Here you go." Perry handed the fish over, but this time, he seemed more careful. He did not approach the man, but gently placed the fish on the ground and pushed it over with his feet. He did not want to take any risks that might put him in danger.
The man lowered his head, quickly bit the fish's tail like a beast in the hunt, and then began to tear the fish meat with his teeth. His movements were still rough, and the fish blood flowed down his chin, forming a glaring red mark on the ground in front of him.
Perry stood aside, watching all this with a complicated look. Although he had tried his best to calm himself, this strange scene still made him feel uncomfortable. He felt his palms sweating slightly, and silently repeated a question in his heart: "What is this guy? Is he a human or something else?"
After swallowing the last bite of fish, the man looked up at Perry, and a strange smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. There was a bit of coldness in his eyes, but there was also a hint of complex emotions.
"It's not enough... Come again... Quickly." His voice was clearer this time, but with an unquestionable sense of oppression, as if he didn't need to ask at all, but was giving orders. Those deep eyes pierced into Perry's heart like a blade, making him feel cold all over.
Perry clenched his teeth, and his anger and fear were intertwined. He clenched his fists and tried to make his voice sound firmer: "I have already given you two fish, how many more do you want? "There was a hint of annoyance in his tone, but more of it was fear of the monster in front of him.
The man raised his head slightly, and the corners of his mouth twitched, as if he wanted to smile, but in the end it turned into an indifferent expression. He whispered: "More... the more the better..." There was no pleading in his tone, only a heavy pressure that made people unable to refuse.
Perry couldn't help but curse in a low voice when he heard this: "Damn it, does he think he is a king? "He shook his head, trying to suppress his dissatisfaction. He knew that resistance was meaningless, this guy was much stronger than him, and the only thing he could do now was to try his best to meet the other party's requirements to avoid greater danger.
He squatted again and stared at the small fish swimming in the stream. This time his movements were more urgent, because he felt the burning eyes behind him staring at him, as if they could pounce on him at any time. Perry was almost racing against time. He quickly stabbed into the water with a stone and caught three more fish in succession.
When he piled the five fish on the ground and handed them to the man, his hands had been scratched by several small wounds from the fish scales. He panted, staring at the man's wolfing appearance, and his heart was full of fear and confusion: "What on earth is this guy? Is he a human? Or some kind of monster? "
As the fish were eaten one by one, the man's body changed more significantly. His cheeks gradually regained their healthy rosiness, his pale lips became fuller, and even his originally cracked skin began to radiate luster. His eyes became clearer and clearer, and even revealed a sense of majesty that made people unable to look directly at him. Until he ate half of the last fish, he suddenly stopped and threw the fish aside casually.
Perry immediately seized this opportunity and asked in a hurried tone: "Since you are full, can you tell me now, who are you?"
The man was silent for a while, his eyes slightly lowered, as if he was recalling or struggling. His voice became low and clear, and he slowly uttered a name: "...Limoz."
"Limoz?" Perry repeated the unfamiliar name, but his mind was blank, "Limoz, did you catch me here? Why did you catch me? "
Limoz raised his head, a complex emotion flashed in his eyes. He stared at Perry for a while, as if judging whether he deserved to be told the truth. After a moment, he slowly shook his head, his tone cold but with a hint of heaviness: "It's not me... you are cursed."
"Curse?" Perry was stunned. This answer was completely beyond his expectations. "What curse? What are you talking about?"
Limoz took a deep breath, as if organizing his words. He raised his hand and pointed to the vine-covered rock wall around the cave, and slowly said: "This place is not an ordinary cave... It is a cage for the cursed. Anyone who is chosen will be brought here. You can come here because you are carrying some kind of ancient curse and I am the guardian of the curse. "
"Curse?" Perry's face turned pale instantly, his pupils slightly dilated, and his tone was full of shock and uneasiness. He had never thought that he would be involved in a so-called "curse", which was completely beyond his understanding. His throat seemed to be blocked by something, and he finally squeezed out a sentence: "What curse? What are you talking about?"
Limoz did not answer immediately, but took a deep breath slowly. His eyes swept around the cave, and the rock wall covered with vines was like some kind of claustrophobic barrier, making people breathless. He raised his hand, his fingers trembling slightly, pointing to a corner of the cave, and said in a low and indifferent voice: "This place is not an ordinary cave... It is a cage for those who are cursed. Anyone who is chosen will be brought here. You can come here because you are carrying some kind of ancient curse ——and me, your fate will be the same as mine."
"What do you mean by the same as you?" Perry's voice trembled with a hint of uneasiness. He subconsciously took a step back, and his heels hit the stones on the ground, making a crisp sound. He shook his head desperately, trying to deny this absurd statement, "Impossible! I haven't done anything bad! Why me? Why was I chosen?"
Limoz's eyes became deep and cold, as if he saw through all of Perry's resistance and struggle. He said without any emotion: "You also saw that shadow."
"Shadow?" Perry was stunned, and then he remembered the scene before he fainted, when the blurry black shadow passed by his eyes. His heartbeat began to speed up, and he lowered his voice: "You mean... that thing? What is it?"
"That shadow is the symbol of the curse of the forbidden magician." Limoz said slowly, his voice seemed to carry a heavy pressure, "The forbidden magician maintains his life with the power of darkness, and this power requires the sacrifice of human life energy. Every once in a while, they will choose a new "sacrifice". And you ——unfortunately, have been chosen."
"Sacrifice?" Perry's brain was in a mess. He felt his body getting colder and colder, as if some invisible force was draining his temperature. "No, impossible! I'm just an ordinary person, why is it me?"
Limoz ignored his protest and continued: "You can't be an ordinary person. You have the energy that guy needs. However, once you are targeted by the curse, there is no possibility of escape. My magic power is almost exhausted, and now the forbidden magician needs a new sacrifice to continue his power. And you... are the one who replaces me."
Perry tried to calm himself down, but his brain seemed to be torn by countless voices. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to ask: "Then what should I do? How can I leave here? How can I get rid of this damn curse?"
Limoz turned his eyes back to the stream, as if he didn't want to look directly at Perry. His voice was so low that it was almost inaudible: "I don't know... But now, you can only survive. As long as you are caught by the dark magician, you will replace me and become the next victim."
"Who is the dark magician?" Perry felt that his tone was already filled with anxious anger. He couldn't stand this ambiguous answer, "You should know more, right?"
Limoz was silent for a while, and suddenly looked up and asked a question that Perry didn't expect: "What year is it now?"
"Year?" Perry was stunned for a moment, fortunately he checked the time of this world during class, "3541... June 20th."
Limoz frowned slightly, and he murmured in a low voice, with a hint of bitterness in his voice: "It's been so long... 3541..."
Just when Perry wanted to ask more questions, a low sound suddenly came from the depths of the cave, as if something was moving slowly, the sound was heavy and slow, as if it came from deep underground. Perry's body suddenly stiffened, he turned his head, his eyes quickly swept to the source of the sound, and his tone was alert: "What is that sound?"
Limoz's expression suddenly became extremely nervous, his body trembled slightly, and a strange light flashed in his eyes. He lowered his head and muttered to himself: "It's coming... That thing is coming..."
"What is coming?" Perry felt a chill that went through his bones. His hands clenched involuntarily, and his heart seemed to be tightly grasped by someone. "What are you talking about? What is it?"
Limoz's eyes became empty, and he repeated a sentence in his mouth, his voice low and slow: "It's coming... We can't escape..."