Epic Dreams
Chapter 5
Title: Impotence (3)
When Endo tried to abandon the monkey, the animal insisted on following him.
Endo understood that the creature wanted to accompany its benefactor and realized that it would be an easy prey for wild animals.
But Endo was worried about that. He knew very well why he was still alive.
He was not nutritious for the beasts, but what about that monkey? Would the same apply to him? Would he not attract misfortune?
"Tsk."
He needed company, and at that moment, nothing else mattered.
Endo placed the small, brownish monkey on his back. The monkey seemed happy.
"I'll call you Red from now on."
°°°°
"I come from a city called Libra. It's an incredible city! There, people are incredibly kind, and you can find anything..."
Endo was feeling lonely, so he started telling the monkey on his back everything about his life.
It was good to have someone by his side to talk to and escape reality.
Whenever something dangerous approached, he would hide. The monkey sensed the danger and remained still.
Sometimes, it was the monkey that alerted Endo to a potential threat.
Endo found some wild fruits that seemed edible and had them for lunch.
Two days passed.
There was no improvement. Endo didn't know where he was or how to find a point of orientation.
Even when climbing trees or small hills to look at the horizon, all he could see was vegetation stretching in every direction.
"Ahmm." He was exhausted.
He removed the monkey's bandages and realized it was completely healed.
Those weren't wounds that should have healed in less than a week, but two days had been enough.
As Endo observed the monkey's limbs, he felt a slight tingling on his neck.
He reached his hand toward the discomfort but couldn't reach his neck.
He grabbed onto something.
Startled, he turned to see what it was.
A huge, reddish bee had its stinger embedded in his neck.
"Ukh."
Endo jumped, and the bee flew away.
The moment it left, an agonizing pain filled him.
Endo couldn't bear the pain and collapsed.
One of his eyes lost control, and his right arm suffered the same fate.
His entire body was out of control.
It was an indescribable situation, as if his mind had been placed inside a foreign body, unable to do anything but watch what that body did.
His mind seemed to be in the middle of a vast darkness.
Neither his eyes nor his breathing were under his control.
When his eyes made rapid, uncoordinated movements, Endo managed to see the desperate monkey trying to wake him up.
It was comforting to know that someone cared about him.
He couldn't close his eyes. Even though he met all the conditions to be unconscious, he remained aware.
The only thing he could do at that moment was wait and see what would happen.
Either he would meet the creator, or he would get up and reunite with his family.
Time passed.
He realized he had opened his eyes.
He was himself.
Or so he could say.
Endo stood up. His body ached; everything was numb, his mobility drastically reduced.
He touched the spot where the bee had stung him. There was a horrible wound.
He was not well, but something felt off. He didn't know what it was, but he sensed that something bad was happening.
Looking at the ground, he noticed a variety of fruits. The monkey was sleeping near a log, and Endo realized he was covered in leaves.
He picked up a fruit and tried to bite into it but couldn't. His jaw ached.
He kept trying until he succeeded. When he finally bit down, he realized what was wrong.
His left eye was blind.
He was completely incapacitated. He couldn't see anything at all with his left eye.
It could have been worse. He ate the entire fruit, then woke up the monkey.
The monkey was happy to see that Endo was okay. They ate, and Endo got up to continue the long journey.
However, this time, he was extremely exhausted. His own body felt heavy, and he had an agonizing headache.
He remembered his father's words on the day they were attacked by the wolves. (It makes sense... so much sense.)
A faint smile appeared on his face.
He looked up at the sky and started laughing. He seemed so happy.
Even though it made no sense, his laughter was genuine. He didn't seem happy; he was happy.
He had probably reached the limit of what the human mind could endure.
As he laughed like a madman, all the trees around him began to sway.
It was so strange that it seemed as if they were moving. Endo was in no condition to understand this phenomenon, but he decided to keep moving forward.
Something fell in front of him.
He could feel that it was something extremely powerful.
Without any fear, he looked at the beast that was about to end his miserable life.
There was no time.
He was gravely electrocuted.
That place showed no mercy.
He was just a normal boy, with no mysterious or hidden powers, from an ordinary family.
It was a great miracle that he had survived this long.
"I should have asked your name."
He muttered something meaningless before blacking out and losing consciousness.
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Endo had a dream.
In the dream, he was carrying something in his hands while walking through a desert.
The object he carried was so heavy, and the path was so long.
He felt exhausted. He wanted to give up and find a place to rest.
"Then what happened?" a soft voice asked.
The moment he heard the voice, Endo pulled himself together, felt more energized, and continued walking through that endless desert.
*******************
Endo opened his eyes.
He looked around and realized he was in a comfortable place.
He sat up.
He noticed that the floor was made of branches. It was a bit dark, making it difficult to see clearly.
He saw an exit and walked toward it.
He realized he was in a tree, and in front of him were hundreds of animals.
Looking at all those animals, he didn't think about anything. He just observed them calmly. He was tired of everything.
He wasn't attacked. He focused on the characteristics of the animals—they were monkeys.
On the shoulders of the monkey that seemed to be the leader sat the small monkey he had saved before.
Perhaps the world didn't want him to die.
Or maybe the world wanted him to suffer a little more before his death.
With those thoughts, Endo looked at the monkeys once more and waved.