Epic Dreams
Chapter 3
Title: Impotence
Splash...
Endo's body was weakened from the shock he had received earlier. Having fallen from a great height without any preparation, he hit his head on the water and lost consciousness.
It was sheer luck that he hadn't died or broken his neck.
Everything felt so, so...
It was frustrating to have his eyes closed; it was uncomfortable to be unconscious.
Somehow, Endo could feel these emotions within himself.
Then he opened his eyes.
He was at the edge of a river, his shirt caught on a small branch.
He stood up; his right arm was limp and aching. His neck refused to move.
He started walking, but his feet sank into the mud. With each step, memories of what had happened came rushing back.
The bitterness he felt was overwhelming. How unreal was all of this?
"Father?... Where is he?" he murmured.
He remembered, vividly, the tragic end. He collapsed into the mud.
He fell to his knees.
"Hahahahahahahaha..."
He cried there for a long time. But even though he was in despair, nature did not care.
A massive crocodile emerged from the water, heading toward him. Endo saw it.
He didn't care or feel fear. He only wanted to grieve the separation he was facing.
He didn't feel he had the strength to stand up and move forward. But what about his sister and his mother? Who would take care of them in a world filled with terrifying creatures like the ones before?
How would his mother react upon learning that both her husband and son had perished on the same day?
No matter how guilty he felt. He had to get up and move forward—not for himself, but for his family.
He rose and left the area, stepping into the dark forest.
Everything was so confusing, so bitter, so heartbreaking.
The forest was not only vast. There were simply no signs of human interference for miles. Endo knew that.
He stopped walking. He stared at his feet for a long time. Tears streamed down his face. He wanted his father to be okay.
He wanted to see him. He wanted all of this to be just a nightmare.
He collapsed.
His body could no longer withstand the physical and emotional overload. It was too much for him.
Endo's body lay among the foliage. Fortunately, luck was on his side. The energy value of prey was determined by its mass, and he had very little.
If he had a large mass, he likely wouldn't have made it this far. Moreover, many creatures avoided eating corpses or half-dead prey.
Many hours passed.
Endo opened his eyes and looked around, startled. It was dark. Night had fallen, and the only light came from glowing mushrooms and peculiar trees.
He searched for a safe spot and hid. Under a tree.
He curled up and gazed at the terrifying forest that embraced the darkness.
Strange, unsettling sounds echoed in the distance. Even with the clear, cloudless sky, violent thunder could be heard.
Endo thought of his mother's comforting voice, his sister's expressionless face, and the virtue his father carried. He focused on good memories.
He thought of a distant person, someone who seemed to have a different kind of connection.
"I wanted to talk to you... Now I really need you. I miss you..."
Once again, he fell asleep.
This time, it was deeper.
**********
Endo opened his eyes.
It was still dark, but this time, it was even darker. There was no visible source of light. The air was heavy, and a strange smell was noticeable.
He stood up.
As he rose, he sensed a source of light behind him, shaped like a tunnel.
"Did I enter a cave?" he wondered.
He carefully moved his neck, grabbed his injured arm, and slowly walked toward the tunnel of light.
The journey was difficult due to obstacles in the way, which were hard to see in the darkness, but he managed to reach the exit.
Upon stepping outside, he looked back and was surprised: two enormous owls were sleeping inside the cave.
Endo turned around and left the cave, marveling at how incredible it was that the owls had abducted him without his knowledge.
He didn't dwell on it for long and started following a path.
Heading south or north wouldn't make sense; no cardinal direction would be useful. He was absurdly lost.
The owls had disoriented him, so his only option was to keep walking in search of direction and food.
Strange sounds came from all directions, beyond disturbing.
At times, Endo felt as if a leopard was growling behind him, but when he turned around, there was nothing there.
His neck was slightly better, allowing him to look in all possible directions, though he was trembling.
His reaction was expected from a boy who had never left his small town and had recently endured trauma.
The eerie noises faded. The further he walked, the quieter the forest became.
Eventually, only normal sounds—birds, crickets, and other insects—remained.
Endo sensed that the forest was coming to an end. He ran forward and emerged.
However, he hadn't actually left the forest; he had simply entered a treeless area.
In the middle of the open field stood a colossal tree, and beside it, a gigantic bear lay peacefully asleep.
The bear was four times the size of a normal one. It had a deep blue hue, long white fur cascading down its back, and two perfectly placed horns on its head.
It was an extraordinarily beautiful creature, but Endo didn't think about that. It would be madness to admire something like that in his current situation.
The bear lazily opened its eyes and gazed at Endo.
A chill ran down Endo's spine. He suddenly felt exposed, as if he were standing in the middle of a massive crowd. It was strange to feel that way in such a place.
The bear closed its eyes and resumed its slumber. The creature before it was worthless. It was more beneficial to remain still than to approach and kill something so insignificant.
Endo held his breath and retreated into the forest. His body trembled.
He tried to put as much distance as possible between himself and that place.
Once he felt safe, another problem arose: an agonizing hunger gnawed at him.
On top of that, he was desperately thirsty, which made sense—he had gone the entire day without food or water.
But staying calm and sane in this forest was difficult. The sound of beasts devouring and fighting to the death was deeply unsettling.
Endo moved as far away from those disturbing noises as possible.
His feet ached from so much walking. He no longer had the energy to continue.
Since morning, he had not stopped until the middle of the afternoon, and he was completely exhausted.
Whenever he saw a beast, he hid and waited for it to pass. That was another reason he had survived this long.
The vegetation started to thin. Before he realized it, he was in another open field.
He hurriedly looked ahead.
There was nothing there—except hope.
Instead of a mighty bear, there was a lake.
Endo ran desperately toward it.
The grass around the lake was so perfectly trimmed, as if a gardener had meticulously maintained it.
He rushed forward, knelt down, and brought his lips close to the water's surface.
Finally, he would quench his unbearable thirst.
As he neared the water, he saw his reflection. It was so clear it looked like a mirror.
He stopped and took a step back. He touched his own chin. His lips were dry, and he felt like he was punishing himself by not drinking.
He focused on his surroundings.
"Strange," he muttered.
There was absolute silence. No sounds from animals or insects.
"Shouldn't it be the opposite?" he began talking to himself.
And he was right. It was impossible for there to be no animal tracks around or for no beasts to fight over the water.
But none of that was present. It was strange.
He picked up a nearby stone and tossed it into the water.
The stone dissolved and vanished in less than five seconds.
"Son of a bitch."
Words that did not match Endo's age or personality escaped his lips.