« There is a time in our life when we feel… Empty. It always happens at some point during our journey, once or twice. And all we can really do is filling ourselves with another force that pushes us forward. »

I woke up from this dream. I don’t know how or even why, but I woke up in the darkness. It wasn’t full of obscurity because I could still discern the walls, however there was no sun nor torches to illuminate the room.

No light, and yet I could clearly see the natural, rocky ceiling above me. I tried to stand up from my position, but my muscles were strangely reluctant as if they were exhausted. I somehow managed to push myself and finally find myself in a sitting position, but the toll it took on me was… Rather unpleasant.

I scanned my surrounding, trying to remember where I woke up. The rough walls, the uneven ground, the overwhelming feeling of deafness startled me. I had no recollection of this room, nor did I have any idea how I ended in this cavern in the first place.

How did I even manage to sleep on this big messy stone that was my mattress?

A metallic sound tinkled at my wrist. It looked like a large bracelet- no, a gauntlet, but the short chain hanging from it told me it was a prisoner’s manacle. I tried to remove it, but there was no way to do it as I saw no keyhole to lock pick, not even a mechanism that could explain how the restrain worked. Fortunately it wasn’t uncomfortable to have. I couldn’t explain how, but I felt no weigh from these pieces of metal.

I tried to put my focus on something else, when suddenly… I felt something. A… Urge to go outside. I wasn’t suffocating here despite the narrowness nor the absence of the sky, yet something urged me to leave this place. Not out of fear, but rather out of… Necessity.

I silently complied, painfully standing up from the tall mattress before awkwardly starting to walk. As my legs threatened to give up, I quickly crouched, using my hands to help me not falling any lower than I already was. I crawled on my four limbs until I reached a wall where I could support myself. For the third time I tried to stand up. Thanks to the wall I could walk on my two feet now, even if my legs were still too weak.

I needed to go. I needed to leave this place and find… Who?

Where am I supposed to go?

Once again, I looked around me, probably trying to find any clue, any sign, or any face that would recognize me and warmly welcome me.

Where is everyone?

Why is nobody here? Don’t they know everything they have was from me? They owe me everything! I am the one that made all of this possible! All of this! Everything! All… What did I do, exactly? What have I gifted them again?

Who… Am I?

Even if I asked this question out loud, nobody would be present to answer me. Shadows surrounded me. No animal to squeak, no wind to blow. I was alone, in a world apart.

…

It took me a while to regain the strength to continue.

And as I moved away from the room, I heard a small stone bouncing from the top of the slope I was escalating.

I skilfully grabbed it while it was passing by me because both the sound it made and its form made me curious. I took the stone close to my eye for inspection, and noticed that its surface was way too smooth to be a mineral. The spherical form of the object intrigued me, especially the small hole which allowed me to see through it.

Finally, I concluded that the object had no peculiar value and decided to drop it. What actually disturbed me was the cause of its fall. Someone was there. Someone, or something.

Whatever it was, it stood between me and the exit.

I slowly climbed the slope, hoping nothing would suddenly jump at me. I had a bad visibility from here, so all I could really do to protect myself was putting my arm in front of me with the idea to prevent any beast from leaping at my throat.

And when I arrived at the top, the view froze me.

Bones. Piles and piles of bones. The chamber was full of skulls, a mortuary where one throws the remains when he finishes his dinner. The skeletons lying in front of me were staring back at me. I felt like I could still hear their shrieks.

I… I didn’t want to be here anymore. I didn’t want to stay here any longer.

Leave. I needed to leave this cavern as soon as possible!

I ran back as fast as I could. The uneven terrain and my tired legs slowed down my pace, but that didn’t stop me from backing away as far as I could.

I ran and ran and ran without looking back, desperatly yelling “Where is the exit? Where is the exit?” in my head. I don’t even remember when I stopped, if I stopped to take a break in this chase. In fact, I never allowed myself to give in.

My muscles couldn’t keep up, my lungs burned me from inside while the chillness of the underground started to make me feel sick. I continued to run, because I knew that if I ever dared to halt my escape, then this thing, whatever it was, would catch up to me.

I ran and ran and ran, and tripped on the floor. I lost my balance, and I neither had the strength nor the tenacity anymore to struggle. I hit myself pretty hard against the stone, fortunately I didn’t sustain any grave wound. I think.

I was physically exhausted. I was mentally tired. But as I waited, nothing happened. When looking at the path I came from, I saw nothing but the long tunnel I traversed.

“So it was illusory… I am hallucinating monsters chasing me…”

However, even if the danger was non-existent, my fatigue heavily weighed on me. I could feel my empty stomach grumbling at me, reminding me of my current sorry condition. I could take a short break now, but that wouldn’t help me satiating my hunger.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I still decided to let myself rest for a while, because my whole body felt utterly untrained for this kind of intense physical activity.

Something on my left side bothered me, maybe the chains from my manacles. But when I picked it up, I recognized an emerald pendant.

The jewel seemed to shine even in this deep darkness, engulfing me with a sensation of… Warmth? That was strange. Why did this necklace seem familiar to me? It felt somehow precious, I couldn’t explain how or why, but… Didn’t… Didn’t she wore it, the girl from my dream?

That must have been a coincidence. Was she even real? However, wasn’t this pendant proof enough that she was?

She knew me. She must have. Then I must find her, maybe she can cure my amnesia? At the very least, she is the only person I can remember so far. My first and only clue for salvation.

But first, I needed to get out of here.

Feeling no more tired, I pushed myself to continue on my journey to the surface. Whatever happened, I must see her. That was what my instincts told me. And my reason too.

But as far as I could see, I just couldn’t tell where I was anymore. Was I close to the surface, or did I just go deeper? Didn’t I just pass that stalagmite earlier? The destination was nowhere to be seen. Every time I thought I was lost, I reminded myself that I was still in the lair of some blood-thirsty monster, and that she was waiting for me.

I kept walking in this maze, and as I did it was inevitable that I would come across something new.

I arrived in a large chamber. Still no sign of light, but the length of the stalactites told me just how old this cavern was. Even though there still was no wind, I felt a fresher atmosphere welcoming me in this room.

*plop*

I heard a clear sound reverberating through the whole cavity.

*plop*

Then a second. Then a third.

Upon closer inspection, I understood it came from said stalactites, dropping small droplets from the ceiling at regular interval.

And right where it fell… Was an underground pond. I approached it out of curiosity, and also because I became thirsty at the sight of water. What if the water wasn’t safe to drink? Well any water is potable when you are that thirsty.

Besides, even if it wasn’t much, it would still fill my stomach.

As I was about to gather some water… I jumped back.

I saw something terrifying in the pond. Was it another trick of my mind? But it didn’t look like. What I saw… Moved.

I could escape once more, but this time this thing was really here. I couldn’t run very fast, it would catch me pretty quickly if I tried. Then my only option left was… To fight back, I guess.

I prepared myself to fight against the beast, once again readying my arm in front of me in order to strangle it with what strength I still held in me. I approached slowly but surely, making sure to not lose focus at the bad time. When I was at the pond’s shore, I saw it again. But it was no beast.

It was my reflection. But that was not a face I could identify myself with, that thing was not a human’s face.

A black sphere protruding from the clothes I was wearing. I touched my cheek to confirm my suspicion, and my movement was replicated by the reflection.

Was that me? Was that really me? No no no, that wasn’t… That wasn’t even funny as a joke. Maybe I was still dizzy and my mind played yet another trick to me. How could I be that?

“It must be a dream. I am still dreaming, am I?” But I already knew I wasn’t. This is reality. I was not normal. I was… Stunned. I didn’t want to process anything anymore. I was dead tired, I couldn’t care anymore. I desperately needed to rest, and I couldn’t refuse.

I laid down on the cold ground, closing my eyes and freeing me from my burden.

I only wanted to rest for a bit. I only wanted some time to accept everything that happened so far.

Nothing more, nothing less.

First, I became drowsy. My limbs started to feel heavier and heavier. I lost sense of what was happening around me, as I was… Drowning.

I was drowning, the water level raised for some reason.

With slight panic, I hurried myself to get back, and there I could see it. The water was rising up, inflating like a balloon, defying the principle of gravity that normally would hold it down.

My limbs felt heavy because something grabbed me. The water grabbed me, and even if it didn’t apply much force, on my side I didn’t have much strength left to properly struggle and break free. And as the water kept rising, it dawned on me.

This was the monster of the cavern. This living mass of water tried to pull me inside it. I tried to fight back against it, however this thing prevented me from catching my breath. I was both tired and suffocating.

I continued to struggle as I felt the water dragging me in another corridor. I felt my consciousness slowly leaving me bit by bit as I clang to my life, but it would soon be over. And in the darkness that enveloped me, I saw a timid, green shining star.

The jewel… Her pendant was glimmering in front of my face, reminding me of my duty. I had to get out of here… To meet her… To save her…

My body wouldn’t answer, but my mind was still sharp. I had no endurance left to move, yet I could still think, I could still be furious. I could still curse.

My anger flared up. I was angry at myself for being this weak, but way angrier at this monster for taking away my freedom.

It was trying to take my freedom, my life, my chance to go and save her. How dare it? How dare it stand in my way?! I punched whatever I could, kicked whatever was in range. I had no breath, yet I growled, I shouted at the monster. I threatened it with all my fury. I swore I would make it disappear from this world if it didn’t release me. My burning anger was about to make me collapse.

And it did. I collapsed on the ground. It was painful.

I quickly looked around to get a sight of the monster, readied a rock to throw at it, whatever I could to kill the monster. But it was gone. I thoroughly scanned my surroundings to check if it wasn’t just ambushing me, but it obviously wasn’t. The walls, the ceiling, the path itself was just a narrow tunnel so there was no way it could easily hide itself anywhere. No, it was simple… Gone.

The monster was suddenly gone, but I was still angry, frustrated, scared. I roared as loud as I could, then hurled my fist at the wall, leaving a scratch where I hit the stone. It felt good, so I repeated my action, again and again. I punched the wall, colliding the gauntlets against the rock which emitted sparks at each impact. My voice resounded in the cavern, but I didn’t care about that.

I gasped for air, leaning against the wall to recover from the shock. I was alive, I was free. Now I could continue making progress on my journey, until I find her. I glanced at the pendant in my hand. My only clue, the only thing in this tight world that warmed and supported me.

But something else warmed my hands.

For some reason, my gauntlets were… Different from usual. They shined, I couldn’t explain how or why, but I did feel an energy coursing inside my body. I felt no fear, rather a sense of familiarity. I had a feeling of power, of control over this energy. I knew it was mine. I understood it was what drove my power. But what power? It saved me, but it was because I used it in the spur of the moment without thinking.

It acted on its own, so I guess I didn’t completely have control over it. But it really was mine, so… I knew I would need to exploit this new strength, but not now. Now, I needed to get out of here.

I kept the necklace close to me while I walked in a random direction. I was already lost, I didn’t know where I came from and which place I didn’t already visit anymore. So I walked. I walked until I would find the exit.

I don’t remember how much time I kept walking in this sunless place, but certainly enough to make me feel nervous. I started to ask myself if this cavern even had such a thing as an exit. But I kept walking, because I knew I would gain nothing from idling around.

It was nerve-wrecking, but each time I was about to lose hope, the shine of the pendant gave me the strength I required to pursue.

And finally, I found something. Dirt. Earth. Soil. And roots. I was under something, under a floor I hoped was covered of grass. The way to the surface was just there, blocked by a wall of dirt.

I didn’t think twice and began digging in, pushing away the mixture of soil and mud. At last, a way to leave this place. Hope filled me with a renewed force. I could see it, it was at my arms range. So I crawled through this narrow path.

One last push, and I could finally be free.

When I was on the other side, I could see the grey sky behind the canopy.