Elias felt an irresistible urge to walk to his side as if someone was softly asking him him to do so. At first, the pull was weak, but as he started walking to his side, the pull became stronger and stronger. It was as if something so important that he had to take it.
Elias's steps became hurried as he rushed to the source of his meaning of life. If he could not take what he wanted now, what he desired so deeply and urgently, could he even become the strongest?
As Elias got close to the object, he got a clear view of it. An ethereal slate with some unreadable carvings in it was of pure stone rather than clay. It was cracked and chipped but still had an alluring charm to it.
Elias licked his lips as he frantically picked it up
I have to protect it…
I must keep it safe
He held it close and finally looked around and grinned
"How do I make covering again?"
The river had cleansed him of any covering. If he valued his life, he needed a proper covering.
…
The great cloud grew near as a tan boy was walking on a path. His body was covered in layers of leaves bound hastily by vines; a stone slate was bound to his side of his thigh. His rough hair swayed in the wind as he walked on a path — well, at least something like that.
The path was just a long, grassless patch meant to connect tribes.
The soft sound of water flowing and wind caressing Elias; When he opened his mouth and took a deep breath, the taste of slightly humid air and grass filled him.
The 'path' was narrow with no grass covering it. Trees were sparsely spread out on the meadow; the path led north, where the Red Tiger Empire resided. Elias was having a contradictory discussion with himself.
One part of him wished not to encounter another tribe settlement and experience that horrid stench of blood again. While another part of him wanted to stumble across another tribe to plunder, after all, he would not like to enter the empire empty handed.
The sound of water flowing was steadily increasing as Elias glimpsed a river.
Did he see a river? Or was it his imagination? Because the river disappeared instant. With a confused face, Elias took some steps back, trying to see the river at the right angle.
Why couldn't he see it now?
A Requim beast in the form of a river?
Elias felt his hands get damp with cold sweat as he muttered, "Too confident"
He had just dropped his guard for a second, and he
He
He
He had to go into that river.
The river reappeared as if to call him.
It did not matter whether it was a Requim beast or a trap, something in him compelled him to check the river. Elias's eyebrows furrowed as he slapped himself.
Why would it not matter!
The pain brought him a faint sense of clarity. Thus, biting his lips, he started running. His movements were jerky and irregular as he felt compelled to go to the river again.
He bit his tongue harder, a bead of blood appeared on his lips as he ran northeast, taking a detour from the river.
The air got more and more misty as he slowly grew tired. The exhaustion made his thinking slow, making him want to go find that river.
Why do I want to go to that damned river!
He bit his hand as hard as he could; saliva slowly coated it, and soon the saliva was colored red. His eyes started to tear up, but he was too tired. The pain was making him tired. Running was making him tired.
He was out of breath. His lungs told otherwise, but he was out of breath. He needed to open his mouth and inhale deeply to live.
And so he did; he opened his mouth, tasting the strangely sweet mist.
The air was so refreshing, so invigorating… Elias Kiefer felt as if he could run more, more towards the river.
Elias suddenly felt his body asking him to run; he strained his body and started running.
Running towards the river, of course!
He slowly felt his lungs scream with joy.
His muscles stretched and contracted as if laughing in joy; they were causing him pain as if they were laughing too hard.
He started to shed tears of joy!
Elias fell to his knees, his eyes beaming with joy. He crawled to the river blissfully.
He couldn't see it; but he could sense it, as if it were calling out to him.
...
A young boy was floating on a river, his purple hair sprawled in the water as he floated downstream. The boy was unconscious, his covering barely doing anything to protect him against sharp rocks. The tan young man was floating towards a huge rock; it was as sharp as a sword, sharpened by the flow of the river it cut.
The man was a few metres from the sharp rock, completely unconscious. Inch by inch his body was floating towards the rock. His left thigh was instantly pierced, forming a dire wound.
The wound formed a huge cut, running from his knees to waist with his red bone visible; the immense pain made Elias Kiefer regain his consciousness.
"Where… am I?"
I was running… running away from the river? No, no, I was running toward the river.
Elias immediately started sinking like a rock, unable to keep floating or swimming in agony.
"The fuck! How the hell did I get injured!" he shouted underwater as bubbles left his mouth; unable to breathe, he tried to swim.
His leg was in harrowing pain, as if it were being constantly stabbed by needles or something was cutting it multiple times with a knife; his body was exhausted.
Even moving felt like a chore, but he had to keep swimming; he had to survive after all.
He moved his body forcefully, slowly getting used to the pain. After a few minutes, he could barely think normally; albeit extremely hard to do so.
I am in a river which I do not recognise…
The river seemed endless, like an ocean, not daring to show its riverbed. A thick curtain of mist hid the sky and surroundings.
Elias was swimming without knowing where he was going, desperately trying not to sink. He could not simply float because of two reasons: one was that he had to find a place to rest and recuperate.
Second were the unusually sharp rocks protruding out of the river like sharp blades made to chop anyone who dared to rest. The mist further made it hard to dodge by surprising him with the raised rocks, forcing Elias to be vigilant.
He kept swimming; it had been an hour now. At least that's what it felt like. There was no ground in sight; the rocks were sharp enough to cut him but too small to sit on.
As he kept swimming; doubt crept up into his mind… Will I be able to even find a place to rest? Even if I find one, how will I survive and escape?
My body will give up soon… will my journey to strength end like this?
But his doubt did not weaken his resolve; he had to keep swimming till he found a place to recuperate. That is the only thing important right now.
Elias felt his hands becoming numb from the cold water; his legs weakening from lack of energy. Muscle cramps were molesting his senses, making it hard to keep swimming.
His mind was becoming sloppy, earning him more cuts and wounds.
Is this the end…? No! I refuse to let it end like this.
But the world was cruel; he kept swimming and cutting himself with enough rocks to die already. He kept swimming no matter what.
Each second felt endlessly long; each breath was a struggle against losing consciousness. His eyelids were threatening to relax at any second.
And they did... but he forcefully pulled them up and saw something which brought relief to his very existence, before serving him with confusion as a dessert.
There was a big black platform in front of Elias Kiefer; as Elias got close to it, realizing that it was hovering just above the water, being a perfect cube in size.
The perfect cube seemed to have sides equivalent to roughly a metre as it floated just above the flow of the river.
Elias, as confused as he may be, did not think twice before climbing it and sitting on the black cube.
Instantly he closed his eyes and slept. He did not choose to sleep, but his strengthened body forced him. When he woke up, he felt even more baffled.
"Why am I not bleeding?"
He laughed loudly as he inspected his wound; it was indeed not leaking a drop of blood. it just showed his injured muscles and tendons.