Finally Out

On a certain spot on the cave, there's a seemingly thin sheet of an unknown material. Dimensional size is 1x1 foot. It seems that it was originally from a hard rock that was sliced off cleanly. Its surface is quite smooth but not smooth enough to use as a mirror.

He walked towards that corner and picked up the sheet. He scrutinized it for a bit then after deciding that it passes his standards, he brought it with him as he walked towards the only entrance on the cave.

Outside, flashes of lightning constantly plague the surroundings. There are even some of the taller rocks that broke down after it was struck. There are numerous rocks in the area. Directly in front of the cave is one such rock. It's a bit smaller than the rock in which the cave was built-in.

"Plan is to run towards those rocks. Those rocks can provide some cover. Based on his memory, Horn City is behind the mountain and I can see in front of me a tall mountain that is some distance away." He carefully looked around then dashed off in which he holds the sheet on top of his head. He thought that he can shield himself from the lightning using the sheet as a form of a physical barrier.

With some difficulty, he was able to run and move from one rock to another. Violent winds threaten to blow him up away but he held on. After a while, he already traversed around five hundred meters from the cave. He was almost struck by a lightning for ten times already. His face was flushed with great anxiety. Every step feels like his last step.

At this point in time, he was beside a rock and was planning to move to the next rock but that rock was so far away. The distance from this rock to the nearest rock is three hundred meters. Constant flashes of lightning incinerate the ground in between. It's like a forbidden land of death. Anyone who tries to cross will likely bear the full might of the heavens.

"OMG! How can I cross this distance?!" He held his hand close to his heart and he can feel it is pounding really hard. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He held it for four seconds then slowly exhaled it for the same count. He kept doing these deep breathing exercises until it reduces his anxiety for a bit.

He looked behind and tried to discern how far is he from the cave but eventually shook his head.

"There's no turning back now. I need to get to the Horn City as soon as possible."

With that, he closed his eyes again and worked on his imagination. He imagined that he run towards that next rock and no lightning will hit him. He will be able to cross this with his life still intact on the end. He replayed this again and again on his mind.

"There's a saying that, 'If you believe it hard enough, your wishes can come through.' Though that seems silly, I have no other choice right now but to believe I'll survive this."

With that, he put on his serious expression and entered a calm state. Every magician needs to have a strong will and mind. So entering a calm state is something that he can do if he really wants to.

He held the sheet above his head using one of his hand and on the count of three, he started dashing towards the next rock with the fastest speed that he is capable of.

He barely dashed a distance of ten meters when a bolt of lightning as thick as an arm came in contact with the sheet he is holding and he felt an extreme danger that he never felt before.

*BAAM*

The sheet broke into countless pieces and as he was previously holding the sheet, the lightning flow easily through his whole body.

"AHHHH!"

He felt intense pain he never felt before. He felt that every fiber of his being was being sliced to tiny pieces in that instant. Every arc of lightning bore through every cell. Smoke filled his body as his skin was burnt. He can't help but to spit a mouthful of blood. Due to the intense pain, he lost his balance and he started to fall to the ground. He also started to lose consciousness.

"Am I really going to die?"

Tears started to stream down on his face.

He still wants to see his father!

He still wants to save his father!

His mind and body were overwhelmed with such a strong flood of emotion. Unknowingly, at that point, he didn't realize that he considered Geralt's father as his own father.

Dust blew everywhere as his body touched the ground. Countless lightning continues to ravage the plain as if nothing happened.

He fell face down. A stream of memories with Geralt's father started to play on his mind. The smile on his father's cheeks. The warmth of fatherly love.

"I need to stay alive for the sake of his father!" Strong desire to live come rushing throughout his being.

With extreme difficulty, he tried to open his eyes. He opened it slightly for a bit while waiting for the dust to settle down.

Once it is clear, he can see his arm and hand as it was outstretched when he fell. It was a terrible sight. Skin is badly burnt black. Even some flesh is visible and was also burnt.

He tried to move his hand but he can't even feel his fingers. Though, he can feel that his organs are starting to regenerate. At the rate of the regeneration, it seems that it will take several days before he fully recovers.

"AHHH! I need to get there soon!" He vents out all the emotions that are flooding him. This strong desire somehow speed up his regeneration exponentially. He can see his fingers starting to regain its healthy color.

"It seems that it will not take long before I can fully recover?" His eyes light up with eagerness. He also felt that the regenerated cells on his body seem to exude the vitality of a lightning. It seems stronger several times over. "So, lightning has the tempering effect?" He muttered.

An hour passed.

He is now mostly recovered. He looked around his surroundings. Lightning still wreaks havoc as usual.

"It seems that in the entire time I was lying down here. Not a single lightning befall on me?" He pondered on this odd situation. When he decided to dash towards the next rock earlier, it wasn't even a minute and he was struck by a lightning.

He is still regenerating but he can now move. He decided to test a theory he just thought.

He started crawling!

He was able to crawl for twenty meters when a flash of lightning struck the nearby ground. It formed a small crater. The distance was only five meters from him.

"It seems that I can still get hit by a lightning but in this position, that odds of being directly struck was greatly reduced." His eyes shined with happiness for his discovery.

He continued crawling for the remaining distance to the next rock. Several lightning almost struck him while on the way and fortunately, he managed to reach the rock safely this time.

He leaned on the rock as he catches his breath. Crawling for almost three hundred meters with no rest was really draining.

After catching his breath, he cut a tiny piece of skin on his arm. A small amount of blood oozed. The wound closed itself very slowly.

"Just as I thought, the regeneration was even slower than when I've tested it on the cave. It seems this regeneration ability uses some kind of energy which I'm unaware of and it is almost depleted." He can feel that his body is even struggling to close that tiny cut.

"With such a limit, it seems that I can't be struck down again or I will really lose my life. Though, if I really die, will I wake up on the real world?" He's still wondering the answer to this question but right now, it is not the right time to risk it.

He looked down on himself and found that his clothes are intact with some holes and his brown bag was even impressive, it wasn't damaged at all.

"This bag is interesting, I should check it later. I will now continue the journey."

With that in mind, he treads carefully towards the mountain. Hiding on the rocks and even crawling when necessary were employed to ensure his safety.

He continued on until...

He felt that a light touched his skin. It is warm. He looked up and saw that the sky cleared up. The sky is blue with light fluffy clouds. In front of him is a tall towering mountain full of trees and vegetation.

"I'm finally out!" He exclaimed in happiness as the towering mountain looms over him.