"I don't know how you even managed to get up that hill. I know that I set the criteria in place but I didn't think that you would be able to fill it. You're what, twelve? Thirteen at most?"
How had he gotten over here so quickly? One second I was watching him stare at us from afar and the next he was right before me, talking as if he hadn't just randomly appeared out of nowhere. Forget that, what was happening right now? I couldn't move any part of my body but I could see and hear everything. Elle was just sitting looking at the structure that was still in the same place, there was no wind, and the grass wasn't moving at all.
"Right, you don't know who I am or what I'm doing. If you're wondering how any of this is happening, the simple answer is that I drew an ace. The complicated answer is something that you'll get in about five years."
I had to wait five years just to understand how he was able to break every single rule about, I don't know, living that there is? Maybe he's saying that I'm too young to understand it? But he seems to know about me, and if he knew about me then he'd know that my mind operates faster than any other person he's ever met before. Maybe he does know that then, and he's saying something else. Does he mean that he'll tell me the real explanation behind how he's able to do this in five years? How is he so sure that we'll meet again? Well, he knows me now, so I guess it wouldn't be that hard to find me. What if I've run away from this life of constant moving? Is he going to run around the continent looking for me?
"The simple answer is yes again."
What? Was I talking out loud? How did he hear what I was thinking? Is he a psychic? Is that how he's going to find me? Is that how he knows who I am? If he's a psychic then what if he's making me see things that aren't real? What if this entire thing is fake? Is Elle actually here right now? Did I trip and fall and get knocked out when I started to run? That would make sense, but how would he do anything to me when I'm knocked out? Did he knock me out?
"I drew a seven that time, so I only caught that last thought. Anyway, I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but I don't have time to answer any of them. I've been keeping my eye on you for a while mostly because you run really fast, and I think that's interesting. I think that you don't just run fast, but you do other things quickly as well. I can't just pull you out of this current situation of yours and test you to see how much you can actually do, so for the time being I'm just going to let you, I don't know, figure it out. You've been able to do that pretty well so far so I believe in you."
I heard a large "boom" from somewhere below me, and the hill started to shrink into the ground. Just before we went back under the tops of the trees, the man said just one more thing.
"Well, Reindt would love this one."
It seemed like everything went back to normal. I felt a burst of wind in my face, and I felt the ground fall out from under me. The hill had completely disappeared after only a few seconds and I was left with Elle looking everywhere around us trying to figure out where the noise we heard was coming from. We waited a few more seconds, the sounds were getting louder every single time we heard them. Just as we both turned in the same direction we saw the beast making these noises.
Well, it's been a nice life. Unfortunately, I'm about to be killed by a Chidle King.
It was huge, the top of its head almost touched the leaves on the trees that were already giant themselves. Every part of its body was covered in black fur that changed to orange as you went further out. Every single tooth that it had looked like it could cut straight through the trees, and that it would be even easier to slice right through us.
Elle had already started running away, but she wasn't fast enough at all, not even close. The chidle king quickly caught up to her and I knew that I had to do something. Could I hurt it? I know that I could hit it quickly, maybe get out a good one to two hundred punches in a second but I didn't know if it would do anything. I never figured out if I was strong or not. I had no clue if my powers went beyond my speed.
I didn't have a choice. If I let it get anywhere near Elle she wouldn't last a second. I immediately rushed at it, and I threw a punch at it as hard as I could. It felt like my shoulder would fly off from my body if there wasn't something in front of it. The moment that it made contact with the Chidle King, I immediately felt a jolt throughout my entire body. It was like I was hitting the walls of the church, I couldn't move it at all. Even if I threw my entire body at it as fast as I could I'd only be hurting myself anymore.
It didn't matter. It was me or Elle. I threw hit, after hit, after hit. I didn't know how long I had been punching it for, maybe a second? Maybe two? I saw my arms for a moment, they were fully dark purple, I must have broken every single bone in both of my arms, but I was still throwing punches. I started kicking it as well, and soon after my legs turned the same color of purple that my arms already were. Just as I threw my last kick, I fell over on my back. I couldn't move anything, I was breathing faster than I could think. I heard a large noise in front of me but I couldn't see what it was. I raised my head barely to see that I had won against the Chidle King. It was knocked over on its side, even if for a moment. All that Elle needed to do was run into the forest and she'd get away. She'd-
"Oh Phrosus, he with everything yet both so little. Hear my final plea and give to this man an escape from his suffering."
What was she doing? I saw a circle of light surround me as she continued her prayer. Why wasn't she running?
"Return to him the memories that you have taken for your own keeping, for yours or his safety, both are at risk. Hear my plea, O' Phrosus, He has taken that which should have been given to me, he has taken your role in mine own eyes. This false pretense must be corrected."
When did she learn the prayer of reversal? Where did she get the Essence of Aerdal from? Why was she using it on me? Why was she standing there? The Chidle King was starting to get back up right behind her. Why wasn't she running? Why was she trying to save me? Questions rushed through my head, and I couldn't think. All that was still clear was the lights which were getting brighter as she continued with the prayer. The Chidle King was almost fully up, she needed to run. She needed to get away from me, she needed to save the essence for herself, she needed to escape.
"O' Phrosus, let me take back that which I should never have relinquished. Let me give you that which you crave, let me allow you return to possession of all the eye can see, of all the mind can know. Let this man be free of responsibilities that shall never lie on his shoulders again, for his sacrifice should never be made."
My legs and arms had returned to their normal color, I could move my body again. I quickly stood up and held my arms out so she could jump into them once more. I don't care if her skin got red, at least she'd still have skin. I needed to prepare so that I could run as fast as I could the moment I was fully carrying her.
"Elle, let's go-"
I heard a noise that sounded like a tomato being cut open. No, it sounded more like stabbing a knife through a tomato. Was someone cooking food nearby? I felt a strange thing dribble onto my face. It was warm and felt kind of like water. I saw it come over my eyes, it was a dark red. This must be a nightmare. Maybe Elle is cutting a tomato open right over my head because I haven't woken up yet. I'm really going to chase her down this time, I can't let her get away. I mean how could she do something to hurt me-
"I love you, Celio."
Her voice was shaking. She sounded like she was out of breath, like she was running to catch up to me just to tell me something. She wanted to tell me that? I knew that. Well, I'm pretty sure I knew that. Why else would she act like this all the time? Well, I guess I'll forgive her for this little prank because I didn't wake up in time. I looked up and-
There she was. Lifted up off the ground, with the claws of the Chidle sticking straight through her body. Blood dripped from its claws onto my face, and her arms and legs just laid there being held up by the rest of her body.
"Celio, you need to run."
I couldn't move at all. Third time today, and I couldn't make myself move a single part of myself. I was frozen in place.
"Celio, GO!"
The Chidle King's claws only moved a bit and she was torn open. I didn't have time to look at her destroyed corpse, her scream was all it took to send me running as fast as I could in the opposite direction. Roots didn't matter. Vines didn't matter. Trees didn't matter. I felt the wind slam in my face like I was about to run into a wall, no, like I was constantly running into one. I ran, and I ran. I didn't know how fast I was going, but I felt like I would catch fire at any second. One root that was large enough to trip me was all it took and I was sent flying. I was twisting around faster than my eyes could see, I went from one blurry image of the forest trees to another of the ground filled with dirt and plants of several kinds.
My back slammed into the ground, and I rolled another large distance before finally coming to a stop. I was outside of the forest, I could see Neupont. Just before I could get myself up and running again, I saw the same figure that I met atop the giant hill. He must have been saying something while he was walking up to me but I couldn't hear. I couldn't hear anything but my own extremely fast breathing. Other than that, everything else was drowned out by my ears ringing. Eventually, he got close enough to me that I could make out a word or two.
"Reindt would really hate you."
He paused for a few seconds before speaking again.
"I still think you're interesting though."