Mystical structure

Pondering about his whereabouts while staying still in one place wouldn't get him anywhere. Thus, despite his exhaustion, he got on his feet and started to venture into this desolate clearing, trying to find out more about his whereabouts.

And now that he had found himself alive, there was also another urgent matter, he needed to address as soon as possible— he needed to search for food and water to sustain himself.

To preserve his energy as much as he could and to know if he wasn't walking in circles, he discarded his protective gear one at a time at particular locations as he moved forward.

But even after walking for so long, as far as his eyes could see, he could neither see any living beings nor any changes in his surroundings. Even the only sound he could hear was his breathing and the occasional howls of the wind. 

"Will I...., die of dehydration?" looking far into the distant horizon as he stopped to catch his breath, he wondered. 

Luckily it wasn't scorching in this place, or else he would have already exhausted much of his energy by now.

"Well..., at least I'm not walking in circles" Kaiser murmured as he noticed that he hadn't encountered any of the protective gear he had discarded on his way. 

Although it was reassuring that he was not walking in circles, still it was damn demoralizing not to see a single change in his surrounding even after walking for god knows how long.

But, whining wouldn't get him anywhere either.

All he could do right now was keep advancing no matter how demoralizing it felt. If he wanted to survive then his only choice was to continue venturing while clutching on to that glimmer of hope of coming out of this situation alive.

Licking his dry lips which by now had already started bleeding, he then continued searching for food and water. 

Time passed like falling sand from the hourglass as he struggled to keep his legs moving. Drenched in sweat, even the blood stain smeared on his clothes and body had already dried. 

He could vividly feel his strength waning with every agonizing moment. 

And to make matters worse, he could feel his throat burning with thirst, his sight turning hazy and his mind plagued by uncertainty and fear.

For a warrior who had survived countless battles, he knew that he had to grab onto that glimmer of hope until his final breath. 

The moment, he let go of that hope, he was bound to doom. After all, as long as he was hopeful, he could keep on moving and who knows he could even survive this ordeal. 

But, right now his hope was starting to falter.

'Perhaps, I'll die here?' A flash of thought penetrated his mind as he could no longer feel his tired bloody legs which by now were covered with blisters.

Finally just as he was about to succumb to his exhaustion, his eyes caught sight of something in the distance— a towering structure rising from the horizon like a mirage.

Despite witnessing the change which he was yearning so desperately to see, right now he doubted the credibility of the sight he was seeing. 

He thought that it was his mind playing tricks on him, showing him hallucinations. After all, it wasn't the first hallucination he had seen since he started his journey. 

Along the way, he had encountered a countless number of oases— all nothing but a mirage. 

'So, it's a tower this time huh?' he thought as he slightly lifted his head to look at the towering structure on the horizon while his body was already buried in the sand.

His sight was still as hazy as ever. 

By now, he couldn't care less whether it was an oasis or the gate to the Palace of Warriors. He had already pushed his body beyond limits.

Maybe, I'll get to rest in peace if I close my eyes

Well, since he could already feel the dulling of his senses, he knew that he was approaching closer to the death's door. 

Maintaining his body day in and day out, he knew his body the best.

But somewhere in his heart, he couldn't agree. He simply couldn't bring himself to accept the fact that he was dying. 

So, what if it was another hallucination? 

Still, he wasn't willing to die without finding out whether whatever he was seeing was a hallucination or a real thing. 

In his dying moment, as he closed his eyes and buried his face in the sand, he found himself groveling on the ground. 

In front of him, stood a towering figure, carrying a sword. Though the man appeared rather threatening, given the fact that he was carrying a sword smeared with blood, oddly enough he found solace in his presence. 

He found his pounding heartbeat stabilizing and his frightened expression turning solemn. 

Remember Kaiser, when times get tough, you need to keep your hope alive and face the situation instead of running away like a coward.

As his deep voice rang in his ear, the figure of the person became hazy. And eventually, it disappeared as he opened his eyes and found himself in the middle of nowhere.

"A dream..., huh?" Kaiser whispered, his tone tinged with a hint of nostalgia. 

With a renewed sense of hope, he then pushed himself to rise. Given his condition, it was extremely painful and difficult to stand upright. 

Yet even so, while gritting his teeth as he endured the pain, he managed to get him up on his knees. And eventually on his feet. 

"Arghhhhhhhh" Letting out a loud agonizing cry, he then pushed himself in the direction of the tower while summoning the last bit of strength remaining in his exhausted body.

Even with his determination, reaching the tower was easier said than done. 

Along the way, he tripped countless times, he could feel his stomach churning from starvation and those plopping blisters on his feet only made matters worse. 

But despite that, he persevered and kept on moving forward. 

And the more closer he got, the more bigger and clearer the structure appeared.

With only a few thousand steps remaining between him and the tower, by now his legs had already given up and he right now was crawling his way towards the tower. 

Strangely enough, he had this feeling that if he got close to that thing, he could be salvaged. 

And relying on that gut feeling, even though his body couldn't keep up, he continued to move toward the structure by any means he could conjure.

Finally, after much struggle as he stood in front of this massive structure whose massiveness he couldn't even dare to fathom, he felt a strange pull coming from it. 

It was as if the tower was calling for him, seducing him to touch it.

It was such a magical feeling that he could hardly resist even at his peak condition let alone in such a miserable condition. 

Without any sort of hesitation, Kaiser then reached out his trembling hand towards it.

The moment he touched it, he got magically transported inside the tower while the whole tower started to rumble like crazy as if it was sinking deep underground.

**** ****

Lucius stared at the sky with eyes full of horror and shock as he witnessed a massive structure falling from the sky, "Wha...t is that thing?"