My home was unusually cold on my last day. So was the rest of the farm, perhaps my coldness to it had been reciprocated, or I had finally felt regret for my departure. I sauntered towards the old, beat-up chest in the corner of my room, and rummaged for the items I had thought of taking with me.

I trudged outside and took one last look at it. The farm: I had grown up on it, played on it, and toiled on it. The forest winds mourned my entry into the canopy, and the weight on my back seemed to get heavier as time went on, as if it were trying to stop me.

I wouldn’t turn back, though. I craved adventure, even though I possessed no true understanding of the word. Thoughts of the past began to consume me, questions rushed in and out, it was the most worried I had ever been. I tripped over a stone, and I fell down, seeing it. There it was, the whispering tunnel, I scrambled to my feet, and had a good look at it.

Vines overlapped vines, and the shaft’s stone was ancient, older than any measurement of time...It intimidated yet excited me, but it nearly drove me mad merely standing there. I ran towards it, diving in, absent of any thought of any consequences. I was not a few metres in before I was thrown into the fray, and my life was changed forever.

Immediately, I felt the weight of my rucksack gone, I had nothing now. It had either been left behind, by my own fault or the tunnel’s—or perhaps it was flung off my back, regardless, I needed to start all over again.

I had never seen such a place, it was beautiful. It wasn’t like home, though. No grass, or natural beauty, just stone. Grand structures and edifices destroyed, rebuilt, and destroyed again, it was akin to looking at history. Water and magma fell seemingly from the sky, pouring on to the people down below. The brittle ground had innumerable cavities in it, and it trembled beneath my weight. One false step and I could be sent plummeting to my death.

That was just the beginning, though. In my shock, within a few short seconds of my observations, I heard it. Voices, so many voices, in pain, helplessness, fear, and frighteningly some in pure ecstasy. Explosions, the rushing of water, it was overwhelming.

There were so many people, some were clad in armour, the others were like me: unacquainted with this terrain and helpless. We were fresh game to hunt. I vividly remember a man pleading for his life, only to have his arms and head mercilessly sliced clean off...The armoured men and women were nightmarish, deriving pleasure from the chaos.

They swarmed like wasps, chasing and hunting them—and I was next... The foul malodour emanating from this sadistic massacre was a mixture of blood, gunpowder, smoke, and rot. I was overcome with euphoria and horror all at the same time, all encapsulated with a feeling of hopelessness.

Nice story bookmarked

It was as if I peered into the future and found my life devoid of any possible purpose. My petrified state was quickly disturbed, however, as the sound of a soaring arrow passed my head, almost clipping my ear. I was starstruck, even though I could move, albeit by stumbling, I had nowhere to go until I felt an urgent shove.

The man responsible for the shove was also clad in armour, but he was different; perhaps he was a rogue, or simply a part of another faction; I was too afraid to ask any questions.

“Run! For the love of Pete, run as fast as you can. Get as far away as you can from this place, use one of the highways, and take this!” He thrust me a soft, golden fruit which I promptly pocketed along with a dagger. “It’s far too dangerous here, you won’t survive. Run for your life!”

I love it.

Suddenly, a palid, grey arrow struck him in his back., he screamed in agony while he attempted to clutch the arrow in a vain attempt to remove it. He fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face as he collapsed onto the frigid, stone floor. In his distress, I noticed how despairing his countenance was, and that it gave me the sense that he acknowledged his fate was inexorable. He then he told me in a meek voice to go, and that I did.

I headed north, or at least I thought was north. It was hot, and the steam and smoke didn’t help. I couldn’t see, I could hardly breathe, and I felt so aimless, yet I kept on going...

After an hour or two, my legs began to ache and my arms felt limp. Everything looked the same, except for some foliage that had somehow not been choked by smog. I collapsed on the side of the highway and hid behind a large, but stable rock that I could comfortably lean on. I kept my dagger in one hand, and I reached the other into my pocket.

emotional.

Too long for me to read but I like it.

Not reading that

The fruit was soft and ripe, but it wasn’t a simple yellow colour, it had an impossible iridescence, that of bubbles or the wings of a butterfly. It reminded me of the sun atop the glistening rivers of home...Home, so far away, why was I never grateful? I truly missed it, even though I tried not to admit it, even to myself.

I sat there for a good fifteen minutes, hoping I wouldn’t be found. There was a nasty bruise, and a cut on my left leg that I hadn’t noticed. It hurt quite a bit, but I suppose I never noticed while I was running. I was exhausted, not just from running, but simply by breathing. The air was hardly equipped for a simple human like myself, but it was just enough to survive by…

It was remarkable I wasn’t dead...I looked at the fruit sitting in my palm and decided to eat a scant portion of it, only a little, though, as this could be my saving grace, and I’d rather not waste it. I was hesitant to try to break off a piece, but I did so anyway. A small piece, gold on the outside, sunny orange and vibrant yellow on the inside. I popped it in my mouth and tried to savour its palatable flavour.

It was sweet, not too sweet, but quite delightful. It was the only comforting thing I had done when I arrived here. There was a slight tang at the end, and it was deeply refreshing. I swallowed it, and not a few minutes after, my leg felt slightly strange. I examined my leg, and it appeared that the bruise had shrink, and the slice in my leg looked to have closed up ever so slightly.

Thanks man, I'm glad you like it lol