Blinded by the surrounding lights, Alden's eyes struggled to adjust. Upon reaching the cave's entrance, he noticed torches placed at regular intervals, their flickering flames casting an eerie glow. The peculiar situation intensified his throbbing headache, and he found solace by gripping the cold cave walls.

Before him, a new figure emerged - a man donned in helmet, armor, sword, and a shield. In one hand, he clutched a torch, and he recognized Alden's approach.

"Hey! Hey, Who goes there? I'm talking to you! Who are you? It is forbidden to enter this part of the city!" he declared, setting down his torch and unsheathing his sword.

Alden stammered, "I—I'm Alden Liet! Please, calm down!" as he massaged his temples, his head pounding.

Inowa, the cave guard, responded with a mocking laugh. "Ha ha! Anyway, my name is Inowa! You're coming with me without any difficulty!" he taunted sarcastically.

Alden remained confused, muttering to himself, "What's going on here? What the hell is going on here? !" Frustration shook him, and he could no longer contain his anger.

"Hey, hey! Calm down! Now keep your hands where I can see them!" urged the guard.

Alden, paying little heed to the guard's words, swiftly drew the sword he had recently acquired - or at least he assumed it was his - from the leather belt around his waist. He pointed it menacingly at the advancing guard. The guard charged toward Alden, swinging his sword with determination.

In a desperate bid to defend himself, Alden swung his sword once in the direction of the guard's blade, only to be astounded as the dragon motif on the hilt unexpectedly stirred. His amazement was short-lived as a peculiar occurrence unfolded. A slim, dark line materialized along the path of his swing, and the guard's sword coincidentally intersected this line, causing the sword's metal section to vanish alongside the mysterious line.

Stunned by the sudden disappearance of his weapon, the guard could only marvel at the hilt that remained in his hand. Capitalizing on this momentary distraction, Alden seized a nearby rock and delivered a forceful blow to the guard's helmet, producing a resounding clang. The guard crumpled to the ground, allowing Alden to make a hasty escape from the cave. Despite his throbbing headache and a series of collisions with the cave's walls, Alden found his way to the city center.

With a wild panic in his eyes, Alden surveyed the vibrant surroundings. The area was brilliantly illuminated, teeming with a multitude of people. Suddenly, the voice of the approaching guard pierced the air from behind him: "Get him! He's getting away!" The guard's shout echoed as he hurriedly tried to adjust his misshapen helmet.

Alden sensed his life was in peril in this bewildering place where the unfolding events remained a riddle to him. Something unusual loomed, though he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. This was no longer the familiar place he had once known; it had undergone a startling transformation. In that tense moment, his instincts resonated with a single imperative: "Escape from here!" It appeared to Alden that the only refuge lay in the "Zar’Ikat Pit", a big deep hole lying in the city’s outskirts, the key to evading this subterranean labyrinth.

Alden sprinted toward the Pit. While passing through the city square, his attention was drawn to an awe-inspiring sight: a statue emerging from the city's center, extending all the way to the underground city's ceiling. It felt as though time itself had momentarily slowed for Alden. The statue, a magnificent representation of a human figure, held a short sword, resembling a gladius, with grandeur and grace as it ascended.

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What bewildered Alden wasn't just the statue's splendor, but its sudden presence. "Where did this statue come? Am I even in the same city?" he pondered aloud, even as he observed an increasing number of guards pursuing him, their shouts growing louder. Without further hesitation, Alden resumed his frantic escape.

He hurried past the stone structures one after another, his legs moving with unexpected swiftness, as if he had forgotten their true speed. His sole certainty rested in the undeniable fact that something had gone awry in the city of his birth and upbringing, and within himself as well. As his racing thoughts blurred with emotion, he continued to flee.

Upon arriving at the Pit, Alden found himself uncertain about his next move. The vast chasm ascended seven stories beneath the Earth's surface and spanned almost as wide as the city center's diameter. He fretted, and he found out that in hurry he didn’t think all of this through "How am I going to climb through from this place?" while city guards continued to pursue him.

In a state of fear, Alden unsheathed his sword, his feet retreating involuntarily. Abruptly, his back made contact with the earthen wall of the pit. He assumed he was cornered and there was no way out, but then a peculiar sensation overcame him. He found himself encased by a substance reminiscent of ivy, although its texture felt fleshy. In alarm, he gazed upward, realizing that the ivy emanated from the very earth itself.

"What's this?!" Alden exclaimed, as the cold glares of the guards faded into darkness. He felt drawn toward the light. At one point, the notion of severing the vine with the sword crossed his mind, but he recollected his primary objective - reaching the surface. Thus, he decided to await his ascent. Sheathing his sword, he reached for a glass bottle, one of the three items on his belt. He applied a few drops of the black oil to his palm and rubbed it onto his face.

Indeed, these towering entities bore a striking resemblance to colossal mushrooms. Crowning these colossal fungi, a peculiar cavity-like feature gave the impression of an eye, emitting a soft white light. Their heads displayed an array of miniature craters, while tendrils of varying lengths sprouted from the top, their stems thick, woody, and sinuous.

Alden teetered on the brink of losing his sanity in the face of such surreal sights. However, a sudden tremor snapped him back to reality. Swiftly, he reached for his sword, initially tucked into his waistband when he retrieved the glass bottle. His intention was to sever the encroaching vine, but the relentless shaking made it nearly impossible.

The vine persisted in hoisting Alden higher into the air, enfolding him and elevating him to the level of its crown. A peculiar recess within the vine emitted a soft white glow. As Alden neared this orifice, he discerned that the white light was comprised of myriad minuscule, hair-like pollen particles.

In an abrupt revelation, Alden understood that these tiny white pollen grains were converging upon him. Wherever they came into contact with his skin, an intense, burning sensation ensued. Overwhelmed by pain, he cried out, and just as he believed the ordeal was inescapable, he flung his sword into the mushroom's pit.

Alden began to descend, floating through the air toward the ground. He struck a tree branch, then another, and another, crashing through the foliage until he finally reached solid ground. Surveying his surroundings in astonishment, he wondered, "Where is this place?" Absent were the colossal mushrooms; instead, he found himself amidst a verdant forest, where the trees swayed gracefully with the wind.

Gazing up at the sky and the radiant sun, Alden reveled in the breathtaking view. However, his prolonged observation of the sun led to a searing sensation on his face. Swiftly, he retrieved the glass bottle from his belt and applied the black oil contained within it to every exposed inch of his body.

"Earth!" Alden marveled, "My God! I can't believe I made it here!" He found himself in unsure about his destination, engulfed by the lush expanse of trees. As he scanned the horizon through the forest, his eyes settled on two mountains standing majestically in the distance. A red light blinked intermittently, a short distance ahead, captivating his curiosity. Alden advanced in that direction, and soon, he spotted an intriguing object protruding from a tree: "That looks exactly like my sword"

With his sword securely at his side, Alden embarked on a journey with no clear destination in mind. He couldn't understand how did he get to this unfamiliar place. His sole yearning was to encounter someone who could guide him to the immense Pit, near the subterranean city. Yet, the surroundings remained eerily vacant, compelling him to traverse the terrain for an extended period, an eternity it seemed.