The dungeon

Elijah rushed to the church, stealthily avoiding any encounters with the bear. In a matter of seconds, he reached the doorstep of the Church of Combat. However, an uneasy sensation crept over his back as if he were being watched. Elijah swiftly turned his head but found no one in sight except for a homeless man cloaked in a long, dirty brown garment, holding a weird mask in his hands.

Elijah hurriedly stepped into the church; he entered the lobby, but no one was in there(of course), he thought inwardly. He raced to Bargi's office, but he was not there. (Where is he?) Elijah ran around the church searching for the man, but he didn't see him.

While taking a sharp turn in the moonlight hallway, he bumped into someone

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. The girl got up off her feet, and Elijah recognized the girl to be the one who had called him to the office

"I'm fine…I remember that I didn't give you my name the last time. It's Selina." Selina had a slight smile on her face

(I never once noticed that she had smiled before, even though I have met her before, but….I feel as though I have been ignoring all the people I've met. If there is a way home, then I would instead not get attached to them … I don't even want to remember their faces.. because it might hurt me in the end, even though I don't know them much).

Elijah was taken aback by his surge in emotion to the point where he fell to the floor (could it be one of the effects of the potion that Cassian used on me). Elijah wanted to believe that, but it was wrong; all he had felt were his own emotions after dying and also being turned into a monster by corruption. His mind could not find a way to deal with it, so the moment he saw Selina, all of his emotions came flowing down on him.

Selina went to her knees, and she slowly helped Elijah off his feet. "When you bumped into me, the potion effects must have doubled…" she mumbled; Elijah had some tears in his eyes, then wiped them away. He then asked in a confused tone, "What potion effects?" Selina cleared her throat and then answered while she played with her hair

"Earlier today, I did an experiment using some of the flowers from the garden as a replacement for the ones I had lost; it turns out the flowers heighten the effects way beyond my expectation, " Elijah sighed, then asked while he held his forehead with his left palm" what were you trying to make?" Elijah inquired; Selina came closer to Elijah and whispered into his right ear, "I was trying to make a truth surme ~" Elijah's expression shifted to neutral, and then he asked another question:" How did the potion get in me?"

She opened her arms wide and then made a blowing sound with her mouth." It blew up on you?" Selina nodded "And the potion got on you…." She nodded her head, and Elijah smacked his forehead. "So the reason I was feeling super emotional was because of you?" Elijah inquired, Selina had light-fair skin with some freckles on her cheeks and black hair; her eyes were a beautiful shade of green, and her lips were a pale peach color. She had a slim body, and she wore a pokie dot dress that reached over her knees.

While Elijah was here, he never once tried to remember any of their faces, even his own, because once it was time to go home, would he have the will to leave? Elijah inquired, "Do you know where Bargi is?" Selina rubbed her chin while she lowered her head, In a few seconds, she answered, "he should be in the dungeon." Elijah was shocked. He hid and then headed in the direction of the dungeon.

A few seconds passed by, and Elijah was in his thoughts

Will you care about the people here once you find a way home?

Elijah paused for a second (..no, I do not care about these people). Elijah rexaled his body; he was okay with that answer, but he felt doubt; he ignored it and then walked down the staircase that led to the dungeon.

"Bargi!" Elijah yelled out. He heard no answer, and as he slowly went down the staircase, he saw Bargi patiently waiting, but for what?

Bargi looked behind him. He saw Elijah in tattered clothes, then inquired, "What is it?"

Elijah walked to Bargi then answered:

"Cassian said to bring the punishing force.." Bargi lowered his gaze at the gate, then looked at Elijah with a deepened look. In a few moments, Bargi moved with swiftness as he climbed the staircase. Elijah was left alone in the dungeon.

————

(What was that earlier) He thought back to the question he had asked himself earlier (am I going insane..or did that have something to do with the potion that Selina used?). At that moment, he heard a noise from the gate, and it sounded like two people were walking. Elijah got up from the floor and then bolted to the staircase. He didn't go up yet because he was curious to see who would come out, yet at the same time, he was scared witless.

A few more seconds passed, and the growing sounds of footsteps drew closer. The gate slowly opened, and what came out of it was a huge surprise. yet at the same time, he knew this would happen, but he still felt lost at the idea.

what walked out were the two that he saw sleeping on his bed earlier, Amala and Elliot. The two looked tired. They were covered head to toe in bruises. Elijah walked over to them and asked, "How are you two holding up?" Elliot looked at Elijah with a tired look, then answered, "What do you think?" Seeing that the two looked like they had just escaped a fearsome battle, the gates they came from slowly shut; it was like it was alive.

Amala asked, "Where is Bargi?" Her slightly tanned face was covered in cuts and blood, and her hands were the same. They were in bad shape; Elliot's olive skin had cuts and bruises all over, and his eyes looked as though he had not gotten any periods of sleep in months; his hair also seemed to have grown a bit. It now reached his neck.

"Bargi went to go get the punishing force….I guess, could you guys explain what that is?" Elliot opened his mouth to speak, but Amala stopped him. "What happened?" she asked, her tone solemn. Elijah recounted the events, including his meeting with Selina.

"Hmm… with our current condition, don't think we can help; we would just hold him back," Amala said with a tinge of weakness. After that, Elliot opened his mouth to speak, "The punishing force is a group of crusaders that fight …monsters or to be exact, people that have been corrupted," Elijah thought for a few seconds (so on that night, those men were on a mission to take out that monster, but I got caught up… then they thought I was apart of a secret organization…) Elijah helped the two get up then lead them to the stairs then a question popped up.

Will you save them?

Elijah remained silent, and he was careful of his steps. He was afraid that he would bump into Selina. but that fear came through

"Need some help?" she asked, her black hair stretched down to her shoulders, She walked over to Amala and then helped her while Elijah held Elliot. The two were silent as they walked through the halls, It was late at night at this point they weren't trying to wake anyone up, but Elijah's stomach growled, Selina looked at him and then asked with her sweet voice, "You hungry?" Elijah replied, "Did the potion effects wear off yet?" Her expression relaxed, and then she added, "Yes, you spent two hours in that dungeon. The potion should have worn off by then." Elijah was satisfied with the answer(Two hours passed? I thought I was in the dungeon for a few minutes). As if Amala knew what he was about to ask, she said:

"In the dungeon, time, both inside and outside, flows differently; on the outside, it could feel as though you have been there for a few minutes, but in reality, it could be hours, while on the inside, you could feel as though you have spent days inside but on the outside that could be mere hours, your body still ages both inside and outside the gate"

Elijah felt safe by that answer and then turned to Selina; she asked again, "Are you hungry?" Elijah shook his head.

she slowly chuckled. After a few silent minutes passed, they reached their destination, and they were in front of the doors to Amala and Elliot's room. The two got off Elijah and Amala's backs, and Selina singled Elijah to follow her. The two reached her room, and they walked in. "Wait here," she said with a slight grin. Elijah sat on the small couch. The seats were very comforting to him, but he still sat in a few minutes Selina came out with a small plate of food.