As much as she desired to rest, Aislene refused even small breaks. Stumbling, falling, getting back up, and continuing was all she could do to keep from losing herself in the ever-changing jungle. Her leaf shawl was useful in many ways. It kept her from getting wet, and it cooled her down in the humid oven created by the trees. Panting, she kept up her slow and steady pace. The mountainous wall ahead was getting closer. Its rocky texture created many holds and gripping points to climb. But the circular cut-off at the top abruptly switched from stone to fluorescent diamonds. Trapped in a cylinder coliseum of earth capped with a shiny dome, the world around was strikingly similar to the snow globes she would often see being sold in the markets during winter's reign. The similarity of the dome induced strong feelings of longing for her home. As pointless as her life was, erasing the thousands of somewhat happy memories wasn't possible. And forgetting her feelings for each experience was even less likely. As she reminisced about people and places, she could see the outer edge rising far higher than the trees nearby. Decorated with shrubbery and soft dirt, she came upon the bottom of the wall. At a glance, there were no signs of a door existing. But she remembered the way it melded back into the wall after first entering. Its opening crevices were expertly hidden. Unless someone looked hard to find it, no-one would ever notice its existence without actively searching. Pressing a hand to the wall for balance, she began feeling around for any out-of-place shapes or textures. Touching her hands to every reachable surface of the wall was the only way to find it, and even then, it would be yet another difficulty to open. She wandered in every direction while remaining close to the border, looking for her goal. Her fingers blistered and bled while her dirtied feet trudged through mud, grass, dirt, water, sand, thickets, and accidentally on a colorful snake. Nevertheless, she pressed on without regard to herself. Over the past few days, she'd learned to prioritize the greater reward that came later, as opposed to the immediate gratification she so desperately wanted. Aislene was tired and sick. She was injured and trapped. What could she do to prolong her life past this endeavor? A question she constantly answered, from which another would arise, and then another, and then another, and so on. From the moment she was held down at knife-point by a stranger to her weak trot along the edge of this vivarium, the solution was never satisfying but always served her best interest. Or maybe she could have done something differently. Maybe if she hadn't followed the Cybien's cruel cries, she wouldn't be here, maybe if she hadn't taken notice of those bones just before meeting the bear, she wouldn't be slowly dying of anemia, maybe if she had insisted on staying one more night at Eembees mansion none of this would have happened. The inability to know what could have been was psychological torture that kept her alert and alive. If she hadn't been smarter then, she would be now. She muttered her plan like a mantra. As if forgetting it would be equal to death. Only a single thread of hope existed now. It was survival. Merely breathing as she was meant there was a way out. So long as her soul still resided in her body, her life would continue despite all further trials and tribulations. Abreaction of determination flourished within her heart, hinting at the slightest of smiles on her gaunt face. That moment of clarity is when her hand grazed a conspicuous rock that felt different from all the others. When examined, it had different colorations, its texture was smoother, and it appeared to be painted on the wall. Eyes snapping into focus, she rigorously felt and touched that one spot in every way she could. She pushed, scratched, pressed, rubbed, attacked, and did the same to everything surrounding it. No reaction or budge resulted. It just appeared abnormal to its surroundings but could easily go undetected if she were distracted. Even so, she didn't want to stop solving this puzzle. After endlessly feeling around for something different, she knew that this had to be the door. And if she couldn't escape soon, then Fiadh appear again to stop her. As though thinking of her was a summoning, the snap of a large branch jerked Aislene's attention away from the stone door. Staring at the greenery surrounding, she didn't see anything different from what had been there before. As quickly as the sound came, the culprit had gone. Hoping it was a small animal, she went back to messing with the stone door. No matter what she did to it, it wouldn't move. After looking very closely, she could almost clearly see the cracks where it opens up. The time it took a cat to climb a tree was the distance between moments of hearing the first branch crack and the second. Looking back again, she still saw nothing. But now she knew that it wasn't an animal. No animal would make the same mistake twice when stalking prey. Aislene began panicking as she scurried her hands over the smooth part of the door. Desperately working around it as stress tears stung her eyes. The thought of going back to her tree cage was daunting. The darkness was overwhelming. Fear was constant, and a way out wasn't possible without strength or help. Which she had neither of. Scratch, press, hit, rub, all these things did nothing to the rocky door. No budge, no give, no chance of it opening. The third breaking sound behind her rang out, followed by heavy footsteps. Looking over her shoulder with mixtures of anger and serenity in her expression, she quickly calmed herself before pulling over her mask of fear. Feigning weakness may allow her to get close, and she still had her stake. The final step of her plan was put into motion, albeit not as well-timed as she hoped.

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