Chapter 1:Rude awakening
Chapter 1:
Before I died, I remember working all my efforts towards some grand masterpiece. The memory of spending sleepless nights pouring everything I had into finishing it (with vigor and ambition driving me) haunting my mind. I feel as though I completed this work of mine and although I died, the feeling of relief and acceptance from this comforts me. I think it is a sign that I truly did accomplish what I had labored so diligently to complete, but deep down there is still a certain bitter feeling telling me, "Maybe I'm lying to myself-maybe I didn't really reach my goal". Now that I'm no longer alive, I'm destined to never find out which is true.
All it took was a speeding car, and in an instant I-along with my life's work-had been wiped out. The memory of two headlights beaming and crashing right into me replaying itself in my head. All my limbs went numb; my legs, arms, nose, even skin, all of them! Everything felt non-existent, my body had shut down, and at this point the only remainder I have of myself is my own awareness (which seems to slowly be fading). It started off without me realizing it but, the memories of my past life are also gradually wilting away.
Memories of my childhood were all being erased. Although I tried my hardest to fight it, I kept on forgetting. I tried replaying every memory I could remember but some absolute power seemed to overrule my efforts. I spent what felt like an eternity losing bits and pieces of myself; the faces of my parents, brother, friends, and all the memories we shared together-they all just flew out of my grasp.
If it wasn't for this mysterious masterpiece I held onto so dearly, my conscious mind would have been erased as we speak. It is quite bizarre to think I was alive not so long ago but now it feels as though it has been an eternity since my last breath. I have long been trapped in this dark place of which I am only surrounded and comforted by my own thoughts, and the remains of my memories.
I feel tired. My awareness is slowing wearing away—I've grown weary of fighting in vain for incomplete memories, maybe now I can finally rest.
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My thoughts halted as my conscious slowly sunk deeper and deeper into the darkness that embraced me. It felt comfortable and welcoming, and just like that I fell asleep.
3rd Person POV
The place was just like any forest on Earth; green-vibrant leaves, lush berry bushes, and an enchanting stretch of bright green grass swaying gracefully with respect to the motion of the smooth breeze. The only taint to this majestic scenery was a certain haven of toxicity; a ditch that was scarring the land. Deep inside it lied an even more morbid sight; hundreds and hundreds of corpses. A pungent smell of rotting human flesh and the metallic scent of blood arose from the ditch and contaminated the air around it.
Some of the corpses were decapitated others were missing their arms and legs and thousands of dead bodies similar to them were laying inside decaying with the passage of time.
This part of the forest was as silent as death; only the buzzing of flies was present as they feasted on the dead—suddenly under all the grimy and filthy corpses a muddy hand twitched just slightly at first—soon followed a pained groan of a young boy who looked no older than 12 as he rose up from among the dead. First his dirty hand, then slowly he dug himself out slowly and gasped for air with laboured breaths and zombie-like groans.
His features couldn't be discerned easily: the mud was clinging onto his face and hair tightly. The rags he wore were dyed red with blood dirt and bits of decaying flesh.
The boy coughed violently as he tried weakly to sit up. His frail looking arms that were propping him up suddenly lost strength and sent him back down to the blood-soaked ground, the smell, repulsive and desorianting caused a massive gag reflex within the boy.
The boy gathered all the strength he could and tried to sit up again, it went on for a few minutes as he weakly tried to stand only to fall again but eventually he succeeded. He tried pointlessly to wipe away the mud in his face—after a while he gave up and paid attention to his surroundings maybe he could find something to speed up the process.
One look at his vile surroundings brought horror onto his face. He fell to the ground throwing up all the acid in his churning stomach. The sight may have been normal in this world but to him who was born and raised during a period of peace—this was too much to perceive during his few minutes of being awake.
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MC POV
I stayed on my hands and knees; thousands of thoughts racing throw my head as my chest heaved quickly. 'Where was I?'—All this had to be a horrid dream but it all felt so real, the squishing sound of the mud under my grasp, the disgusting smell and as if to add more to my misery I have a pounding headache. This felt worse than any hang-over.
Without wasting anytime; I crawled my way passed the reeking pile of bodies doing my best to ignore them(It wasn't easy)—as far as my blurry eyes could see there seemed to be a way out straight ahead.
It took all my efforts to skulk up the slope but I was motivated to leave this gory place so I persevered and finally I made it out. I did not stay to celebrate my small victory instead opting to stand on my wobbly feet and leave the place: any other location other than this one was much preferred.
Slowly and unsteadily, I made my way walking away from the grimy place, my sight was blurry, my throat dry and the heavy smell seemed to cling onto me no matter how far I walked—I have never felt this dirty and sick in my life!
...…
3rd person POV
The boy walked wobblingly through the forest, he felt weak and fatigued but didn't stop to rest, his pace was slow and aimless but he knew he was making some sort of progress away from the unpleasantness he left behind.
He managed to keep this up for a few minutes; pushing through the pain. Thirst and fatigue but eventually his whole body gave out and he fell flat on the grass and blacked out.
On any other day the boy would've died either succumbing to hunger or being the next meal for the forest animals but luck seemed to favor him—a figure appeared magically and abruptly before the collapsed boy, the figure wore a white cloak with strange signs and symbols written on it.
The stranger eyed the boy for a few seconds; deliberating what to do. They reached out their hand hesitantly but discarded the reluctance immediately.
The stranger's hand lit up in a white translucent light and engulfed the boy. A miraculous event took place soon after—the injuries on the boy's face started healing and closing up visibly and his torn clothes also started glowing slightly before being cleaned of all the blood and mud.
The phenomenon went on for only minute before the figure retracted their hand and bent down to pick up the boy in a princess carry and disappear magically from the place.
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Hope this prologue is to your liking if so then please join my P.A.T.R.E.O.N...…..I'll post two chapters a week for now until I'm done with my exams...….