Land of Nowhere [II]

Lucian staggered to his feet, using the branch as a crutch. After heaving up that poison, his body had undergone a speedy recovery.

That wasn't all.

Lucian felt a sense of clarity that he had never thought possible. There was no starlight showing through the tree canopy, yet he could somewhat see, even through the darkness that threatened to consume him.

His vision wasn't perfect, but he was aware that he shouldn't be able to make out his hands in front of his face. Instead, he was able to see his immediate surroundings clearly, and even make out the outline of the trees across the clearing.

Though his body still ached, the throbbing in his head had subsided. A feeling he'd never imagined possible washed over him.

Closing his eyes, Lucian focused on his body. He could feel everything!

The pressure of the grass below his feet, ready to spring up the moment it was relieved of his weight...

Each bead of sweat that ran down his body as it tried to resist the humid climate...

The light breeze that hugged his bare skin as it flowed by...

"What the hell..."

Lucian opened his eyes and focused on taking control of his body. He felt like a child learning to walk for the first time.

It wasn't like he'd forgotten how to move. It was more like every movement felt different from before.

Each step required more focus than it should have, almost like he was trying to control a piece of equipment with too many parts. He could feel every muscle in his feet, legs, and stomach tense and twitch with each movement.

'Is this what it's always taken to move?' He thought to himself.

Lucian was no biologist, but he didn't believe that he was moving any differently from before. It was more like his mind was now more in tune with his various muscle groups.

After becoming used to the sensation, Lucian calmed his nerves as best he could to determine his next course of action. One deep breath after the other followed as the man tried to collect himself.

"Who am I kidding?" Lucian mumbled. "I'm freaking the fuck out!"

His heartbeat quickened, but he stepped forward. Using the branch he'd acquired, he placed one foot in front of the other, planning to walk out of the dark forest.

'Why is it so damn quiet?' He questioned. 'It's really not helping. Shouldn't there be owls or squirrels or something?'

Lucian's stomach growled loudly in response, causing him to jump in fright and almost drop his branch. He was unsure how many hours he'd been lying here, but he was hungry.

It didn't take long to make it to the edge of the clearing... if he could even call it that. There were only a few yards of space in every direction from where he'd awoken.

It appeared that he was dropped off in a small grove of sparsely planted trees. The trees themselves were thick and looked to be quite aged.

Lucian staggered forward, using the branch as a crutch as he moved. The further he got from the clearing, the more he realized that something wasn't right.

With his newfound vision, he could almost clearly see both the clearing and a few rows of the surrounding trees. Beyond that, however...

"Nothing...?" Lucian's heart started to beat faster once again. He picked up the pace, needing to be sure of what he was seeing.

'Three... Six... Nine... Twelve...' Lucian counted to help himself stay calm. 'Thirteen meters. Approximately thirteen meters between the center of the clearing and...'

He wasn't sure what to call it. A dense shroud of nothingness blocked his path forward.

"What... is this?"

Lucian scanned the shadows, trying to make out what was on the other side. He tilted his head, looking as far up into the air as possible, only to find that the darkness never seemed to stop.

Looking to the left and right, Lucian could tell that the surface of the odd structure was perfectly flat. He grunted as he eased himself to the ground.

Looking at the spot between the grass and the shadows proved useless, only confusing him more. The earth seemed to be swallowed by this wall of darkness.

A sense of foreboding washed over him, and it only grew stronger the more he studied the void before him. Lucian forced himself to his feet and started walking alongside the phenomenon, trying to find a way out.

His anxiety only increased the longer he traveled along the grove's edge. Perfectly placed corners turned him every fifteen meters, forcing him to travel another of the flat surfaces.

The pain he felt hadn't subsided, but his muscles were loose enough now that he could walk without the branch. Lucian shoved his walking stick into the ground at one of the corners and traveled around the grove again.

"One... Two... Three..." He counted each corner until he reached the stick once again.

Lucian found that the grove was actually a perfect hexagon. There were no doors, no windows... only the void that seemed to lead to nothing.

"Is it some kind of illusion?" Lucian wondered.

He picked up a twig lying on the ground near him and tossed it into the darkness. One second... two... Lucian counted the seconds, but nothing happened.

Lucian reached forward slowly, allowing his fingers to brush against the edge of the void. As he expected, they slipped through unhindered.

He glanced again at the clearing behind him, taking a deep breath as he steeled his resolve. Images of his wife and children played in his mind as he took one step... and then another.

Soon, his body was submerged in the void. The message that hovered in front of him all this time vanished as if it had never existed.

He sighed in relief, thinking he'd escape this nightmare in a few steps. That was when the cold hit.

A bone-chilling, mind-numbing pain assaulted him from all sides. He tried to scream but found that his tongue was blanketed in ice, and his lungs were freezing.

He took another step, trying his best to escape the pain. Suddenly, the pain was gone.

Lucian opened his eyes and looked around expectantly. His hopes were dashed, and his face became sullen.

That last step had brought him out of the void... and right back into the grove. Just a few inches in front of him, that familiar message glowed.

[Welcome, to The Land of Nowhere.]

[9:23:02]