Suddenly something came to break the peace, 'This sensation... I've felt it before.' Auto denoted as he hid amongst the crowd.
'I gotta know where this is coming from.' He looked around and focused, it's a string! No a chord. It's something chord-like 'It's magic.'
'This sensation is magic... But who could have it?'
Auto, much to his consternation, surveyed and scanned the area. His concerns were justified, if the power was pressed onto the wrong hands this might work out to everyone's dismay.
Auto checked everywhere, crossed through multiple streets and even hanging in the sewers. But the thread kept switching courses, the thought of why he was even capable of sensing magic without having magic himself hasn't even crossed his mind.
But then suddenly, **SNAP** the link was gone. Auto could no longer trace the thread.
'It's gone? How could it? Why why why why why? Gone without a trace?' I just stood there as sweat trickled down my face, it wasn't visible but I was desperately gasping for air.
My heart feels like it's about to collapse, that was the harshest heart attack I've ever felt.
But I must find it, I must and I must. I don't know why I feel so tired, this shouldn't be this exhausting. My hands are trembling, and I can only flail them while I search aimlessly high and low, I don't know why I feel like this.
Should I be happy? Someone finally got magic, shouldn't I be happy that I can claim it too?
No... I can't use magic, all this time I've been using my class and I've only learnt the basics of sensing magic and that doesn't even nearly correlate to this!
Why am I being so competitive? Whether good or bad we will find the person anyway, why do I feel... No... What do I feel?
Swept away by the wind, he caught himself jumping off the ledge with an entire forest right under him. He was caught off by surprise, but now he started descending to the bottom of the lake.
'Oof! That was a tough fall, say what is a waterfall even doing here exactly?' He asked himself.
'No one has ever talked about this place, or probably just never heard of it because I'm always busy crafting potions.'
Auto climbed a tree to get a clearer view of the fall. 'Ah so I see...
BUt HOW ON EARTH IS THIS A NEARLY STRAIGHT 50 FOOT JUMP? YOU'RE TELLING ME NO ONE EVER CAME HERE BECAUSE THIS INCLINE IS SO HIGH? WHAT IS THAT? 80 DEGREES? HOW THE FUCK IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE IS THIS LIKE THE MAP BORDER OR SOMETHING?'
Auto picked himself up but noticed lighting behind the waterfall, he swam inside only to discover a hidden passage within a cavern. There he saw a blue lamp, he decided to take it with him but there it was again-- The thread of magic.
Not even thinking twice he presumed the thread was coming from within the cavern and logically he chased it down. But he couldn't be farther from the truth, crawling further he felt an eerie tingle linger across his shoulder sending shivers down his spine.
His throat tightened and his grip loosened, instead of the excitement of finally unveiling the truth. He only felt a looming sense of dread and fear burden his shoulders, by that point he knew...
𝓗𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓼𝓮𝓭.
His heart pounding, his rhythm lost, trapped in the dark he could only await his fate. And so he ran, he ran from the unknown but the hunter knew more. He ran desperately praying to the gods that he'd find an exit, eventually he reached a mineshaft elevator and quickly hopped inside.
The hooded figure threw fire balls which helped Auto narrow down his choices to teal, orange, and fire magic. The fire was teal, but that doesn't remove orange magic because most orange magic users are also capable of using teal magic but most teal users can't use orange magic.
The chase finally reached an end, but it only left Auto more puzzled and with more questions rather than having anything answered. The truth only felt more shrouded as the more he tried uncovering it.
Thoughts like 'Who was that?' or 'Why did I feel so miserable?' kept flashing across his mind, pestering him like flies. He could only break down in despair biting his clothes to prevent himself from biting his tongue.
The blaring retraction of the elevator chains broke Auto out of his reverie, he felt it... He felt the man approaching.
The chains clattered as he began to climb, I can hear him. I can hear him get closer, I wanna run but my legs are trembling. He's getting closer, with each grueling step he climbed the searing chains like a burning rope.
You can hear the power with each pull the aggression he doesn't withhold. My heart skipped a beat, with shear will power he broke out of the tunnel and climbed the elevator with burning hot chains.
This guy is a monster.
His hand had been scorched leaving burn marks rooted deep inside his flesh, if it wasn't already terrifying enough he used green magic.
This bastard used green magic and partially healed his hand, unlike teal magic that at least had a lot of relativity to orange magic green magic has such a far away relativity from these two that it shouldn't even be possible.
How is he not corrupted yet? No... Is he... That look on his eyes. His magnetic gaze that radiate absolute dominance, this isn't an obstacle I can overcome.
I should run... I should run I should run I should run I should run I should run I should run I should run.
What is this? I can't... I'm- I don't even know anymore.
His hands were blistering and he was strongly panting, the hooded figure now activated orange magic, Auto was able to react quickly and dodged the fireball shot at him.
The blisters were starting to take a toll on a 7 foot giant, Auto took this opportunity to escape. Blinded by a hazy fog he ran with his head shaking uncontrollably, he ran through a forest with an endless cycle of greenery.
Unable to find a way back home, what worse is that he noticed his bag get stolen. Now he's only been left with 3 healing potions and 2 speed potions, he cried in anger. His surroundings alienated from the place he'd been longing to be, from the place he once was.
Amidst the woods ravens flocked and dark feathers began falling as it hits night, the owl was on the hunt. Auto couldn't even process a single event, let alone mumble a word. His thoughts slowly shattering as his world began to spiral into the abyss, he wanted to be seen, he wanted to live happily, but here he realized that he had asked for too much.
He chased his dreams and because of the fear of being replaced he placed his life in peril, whilst standing above the leaves the owl stood smiling. It took a different form this time, it had a raven's head, a neck of a centipede and a body of a caterpillar. Its black feathers still coated its elongated body as it bleeds it's insides out of its mouth, constructing masks around its slithery body that smiled like a creep in Japan.
Shrouded by the dangling fear, he could not help but be coerced by it. He listened to his instincts and knelt down solemnly, the owl paused in its tracks "Is this really the person that survived day break against me?" or something that goes along those lines maybe he said that, I don't know. Narrators can't mind read these guys.
'What's wrong boy? Do yOU wanT Me tO EaT yoU?' The owl cackled while splashing his blood-stench saliva. The owl switched forms again, this time with a crow's face and a large owl body. However his neck was elongated and he stood like a peacock.
It seemed to enjoy teasing Auto, but all that has an end will have to reach an end, the owl struck to get a bite. But instinctively Auto's body told him to keep on moving, to run, to push past his limits, for the first time ever, he didn't try chasing a target. He was running away from it before he even had a chance to chase it.
The tables have turned on him, luck was not on his side, neither was time. He had been dealt a bad hand, and all he had was a saber and dagger along with a bit of potions. 'I don't think I'm enough for this, I don't think I can fight it even with these potions.'
He navigated through the endless junctions of trees, unable to find a manageable escape. He was exhausted beyond his mind, he could be swept away and knocked out with one clean blow. But he kept running, out of fear, out of desperation.
For once in life I thrived, for once I belonged, and I'm not gonna let anything take it from me! Not when I've come this far. I don't even know how I'm still alive right now, every thought takes a minute to process. Every decision I've made feels pre-emptive.
Everything feels beyond my grasp and all I can do is run, I feel as if the road ahead has been blocked. My head is jammed beyond my mind can handle, the endless expanse of trees that I just can't seem to navigate. I CAN'T FIND A WAY BACK HOME, I can't survive this night like this. I can't here I just can't.
I've been running for 2 hours, I'm in dire need for water, I feel like throwing up so hard I can fill buckets worth of it. To add to the hideous monstrosity chasing me down, I also have a rival awaiting my return just to bring me down. Hasn't life given me enough hardships already?
I already lost everything once, it wasn't my fault. I'm sorry for Aira but it wasn't my fault, none of it would've ever happened if I had knew.
But instead...
Maybe...
As soon I thought about her.
As soon as with time it approached, the split second that the haze dissipated.
A split second nudge.
His vision never felt more vivid, He ran with a clear head, with a clear goal in mind. He came across a corridor, with signs, statues, and symbols surrounding it. But he didn't come to get engrossed with the design, he came in search of shelter.
Although he was powerless he still had the will to live, he immersed himself in the sprawling expanses of corridors where he momentarily lost the owl. He hid behind a chest and rip a piece of his clothes, and with a bit of blood he borrowed from somewhere unknown he wrote in it "The owl is playing with you, survive with fear and face it with courage and only then can you uncover your inner spirit."
He cut a small peeking whole into one spot of the chest, but being careful not to make too much noise. The chest was empty so this implies it had already been looted, but hey! There's tons of elephants in the room.
Where is he?
Why did he hide in a chest?
And why is he writing a letter?