◄ Location: Seckoe Desert: /̸̨̛̛̤̬̙̹̩̤̣̪̙̘̼͖̉͊́̈́̇̿́͋́͑̒̇͂͛̋̃͠ͅ!̵͔͍̓́̽̈́̅͠?̵̦̮̹̥͔͇̓͒̄̄̏͗̾̐̑̓͆̎̚̕͝͝ | Time: Year 427.3/̸̨̛̛̤̬̙̹̩̤̣̪̙̘̼͖̉͊́̈́̇̿́͋́͑̒̇͂͛̋̃͠ͅ!̵͔͍̓́̽̈́̅͠!̵͔͍̓́̽̈́̅͠?̵̦̮̹̥͔͇̓͒̄̄̏͗̾̐̑̓͆̎̚̕͝͝ ►

Advancing through the darkness embedded in the time-frozen sea, the sand resumed its harmonic ethereal movement. The warm breeze of air signaled the dawn, as the tapestry of distant stars and galaxies that adorned the celestial dome started to fade from the west in a gradient of blues, pink, and finally orange.

The imperative warnings of light provoked a lethargic reaction in the few lifeforms that maned to survive in that unforgiving land, their instincts whispering to them to dive under the waves, seek refugee in their shells, or hide in the unusual opening between rocks.

It was truly a shame, that neither the evolution nor revolution of species enabled them to get a hold of the beauty of that moment. It wasn't something a beast could understand and much less appreciate.

It was also sad no human had ventured so deep into those lands for centuries, maybe more. It was simply a no man's land, with nothing to find, and a lot to lose.

Still, in the middle of that desert, there was a place, hidden between mountains of sandstone, behind the barrier of illusions produced by the temperatures of the day. Somewhere you could easily describe as a seed of life, an oasis in an inhospitable land.

Vegetation of all kinds thrived around its waters. Creatures of land, air, and water nourishing from its grace. Fruit, woods, and insects that had been considered extinguished from the planet millennia ago found themselves in that paradise, hidden away from the longest of arms of human greed.

The few protected nature, so Nature would return the favor gracefully.

And so water started pouring down, burying him down together with his temple under layers of water, preventing him from being found by his enemies, while his eternal body gently digested and released his fire within, enabling the order of nature to persist.

Time had passed quickly, glass breaks down rapidly on the scale of eternity, and it was finally time to receive his legacy.

"I wonder if maybe they will be able to make it..."

| Ugh-gth |

I spasm on the floor as my gelid trachea fails to get any air into my lungs, my gelid arms shake without stopping, and my eyes are fixed into position from the cold. And even if I could see, the darkness would be far too deep to find anything.

|Agh-AgHg--|

Another cry, just like me, I can notice the ground shaking in agony as a fuming-cold fist collides against the ground repeatedly in an attempt to ease the pain.

Just like me a few mere seconds ago, he struggles to separate his fingers, joined together by a layer of frost. His teeth clenched to the point crimson-colored liquid starts pouring down to the floor. It's only after a few seconds that his eyes, partly free now, manage to land on me, our gazes grow intertwined, but we utter no words.

As seconds flow, breathing becomes easier as the air on the outside of our bodies is warm enough to keep the agony from going into a crescendo. As my lower back begins to store up my bodily heat I manage to feel my legs numb legs for the first time. I struggle to make myself into a ball folding my knees with the help of my arms with the little mobility I gained. This strategy seems to work effectively, my recovery accelerates and he notices it.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

He slowly crawls near enough for his figure to be easily visible in the dark, his moves mimic my position without lifting his gaze off me for a single second. His golden eyes no longer look dead or aggressive, he is just as aware as I am. Our nature somehow warns us of our closeness and whispers we can trust each other, but we are still reticent, the distance between us remains constant.

| Ghaa |

I exhale the cold air from my insides, letting a cloud of visible air form on my lips. It's transparent but the whitish color makes a contrast with the background, the only source of light in the area seems to be a couple of purple-glowing mushrooms growing from the rough stone surface. As my pale fingertips become soft and warm I begin to caress the worn-out floor, I explore my immediate surroundings with my hands trying to find anything useful to help me stand up. And after a couple of minutes of blindly searching, I manage to find something laying on the floor, what seems to be a cold hard succession of complex metal objects.

'What was the exact name?'

Chains, yes. I find what seems to be a chain, almost doubling my arm's girth, I follow the chain for another few minutes, my knees are beginning to hurt from dragging them across the floor, but I think I'm nearing the end.

| Clanck |

The chain echoes in cascade as I grab off it, I find myself facing what seems to be a vertical extension of the floor, spanning back into the darkness that hides what is above.

| Gulp |

'Just how big is this place?'

That question roams in my mind for a while, it does seem like I could get lost in here if I'm not careful of my direction, still, I have been careful enough to set one of those mushroom lamps as a temporary landmark for my little excursion, so I guess it'll be fine.

My pale hands grab onto the vertical rock, I drive my mass forwards in order not to fall and begin powering my trembling legs.

| Pack |

I fall down, it seems my back and legs are not strong enough to assume a normal posture. It seems to crawl will be my preferred mode of transport for a while more, although I do not think it will take that much longer as I seem to be recuperating just fine.

I use my "free time" to gaze back at him, it seems he is doing just fine, he seems to be stretching his legs in order to be able to walk, I can imagine he must be as sore as I am. The next thing I notice is the architecture, it may be the lightning or maybe my eyes have grown a little accustomed to the dark, that which I imagined to be a vertical floor seems to really be a pillar of sorts. The column has a strong sturdy base that exponentially thins towards the top, the floor follows a ringed pattern from the inside to the outside in a circular motion, with strange letters and symbols spanned across it.

My eyes are closed, I do not really see that far away but my mind plays it out perfectly, like some sort of lost information hovering in the void.

'Maybe it's not the first time I have been here.'

A natural conclusion, it fits my narrative.

'Let's try again.'

I repeat my actions grabbing onto the base of the pillar once more and pulling myself upwards, this time I manage to stand up on my two feet. However, the clumsy control I exert over my body hasn't reached the necessary level to walk by myself and the moment I try walking without support I fall backward and hit the back of my head.

'Now that hurt.'

Still, I manage to awkwardly laugh it off and try again, this time I walk a few steps on my own before the inertia inevitably sends me back to the ground. I expect it to happen though, my hands are ready and react fast enough to stop the fall.

My knees and hands feel weak, their surface layered with bruises and small cuts. Yet I stand up again and try once more the necessity. No, the challenge to walk on my own two feet seems entertaining enough for me at the moment.

'One last try.'

I convince myself. I take things slowly this time around and do not walk directly, I first learn to stand up, then I start walking. Finding a linear progression between small uncoordinated steps to a faster and more stable movement.

Before I notice it, I'm able to walk on my own.

After what seemed like hours fixated on learning to walk, I lift my eyes. The previous eerie scene of shadows and darkness seems to have completely disappeared under my little game. My eyes take a while to adapt to the new lightning as I scan around in a hurry.

The difference sticks out like a glowing mushroom in the darkness. A single powerful beam of light enters the hall through an opening on the ceiling of a distant ceiling. My skin feels warm as its cyan rays land on it, contrary to the harsh cold stone, its touch is nurturing and delicate.

Just like me, his gaze also seems absorbed in the mysteriousness of the radiation. Standing on his two legs just like I am, the two of us contemplate the beauty of the above. Curiosity and amazement move our bodies as we both walk toward the center of the hall, we do not mind standing too close together anymore.

It seems we found something that joins us.

Embellished by the beauty of the blue above, through the gate that leads to the outside we stare at the sky. Not a sky full of stars, or a white moon. No. It's a sky of life, algae, crystalline waters, breathing moving fish, sentient creatures, and unknown ruins. It's the door to the outside, the unknown. We stand in a forgotten cavern, born together, breathing together, and learning together.

The door to the outside is open.