Chapter 1.2: (Unfamiliar Surrounding)
The light filled my vision, I slowly closed my eyes in discomfort. I gently rubbed my eyes to alleviate the stinging sensation caused by the harsh glare of the bright light.
Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I found myself in a much larger section of the cave. The cave was filled with luminescent rocks emitting a powerful glow.
Each rock was a canvas of vibrant colors, ranging from iridescent blues to emerald greens to deep red-orange and etc...., The luminescence seemed to emanate from within the rocks themselves, casting a light upon the cavern's interior.
The rocks' surfaces were smooth and polished, as if they had been carefully crafted by the nature.
"What is this place?" I muttered
I also encountered a variety of new and unique plants that I had never seen before. eyeing the unusual plants before me. "what kind of plant is this? It looks so weird." It's quite odd to refer to it as a flower, especially considering its strange and off-putting scent.
Then My stomach began to growl "I'm hungry...."
As I tilted my head to search for an edible plant inside the cave. but what I saw were strange, unfamiliar species bearing exotic fruits. However, a wave of caution washed over me as I couldn't determine if these fruits were safe to eat or potentially poisonous.
Since I couldn't tell if they were edible I tried to find another plant but they were all just big leafs, some were oddly shaped and some seemed to be buried in the ground.
I feel exhausted and hungry so I sat down in the corner of the cave.
While my eyes fixed on the mysterious plant in front of me, and I was pondering out loud, "I've never come across anything quite like it in all the plant books I've perused. And those glowing rocks nearby, I've never seen or heard a rock shine like that before"
Then I stand and started to explore the cave
While exploring, I stumbled upon a curious object that caught my attention - a skull. I couldn't resist the urge to investigate and determine whether it was from a human or an animal. With cautious curiosity, I attempted to pick up the skull, my mind racing at the possibility of what it could be.
But It appeared to be stuck on the ground, so I decided to dig it out using my hands and a few random rocks to break through the solid ground that surrounding it.
"What the F**k!!, The ground surrounding this skull is rock solid, is this a cement!?.. Why it's so hard How many times do I need to smacked this shit!? There wasn't even a single scratch or sign of damage."
Sweats started to pour down to my face, I felt completely drained
Then I made the decision to hydrate myself by grabbing a refreshing cold water, and then taking the time to cleanse and rejuvenate my skin by washing my face.
I stood up slowly and felt stiff in my muscles and joints, especially in my hips and lower back.
"I think I've been sitting for too long," I muttered, my voice uneven. A dull ache throbbed in my back, and my palm tingled with discomfort. I drew in a heavy breath, trying to steady myself.
When I'm about to fetch some water from the river
I caught sight of something glinting faintly in the dirt. Curious, I brushed the soil away and uncovered an intact pickaxe, half-buried and forgotten. Its wooden handle was worn and weathered, the steel head still catching a dull shine. Lying just beside the skull.
I froze, silence pressing against me, my breath caught in my chest. Then the words tore out of me before I could stop them.
"What the hell! Are you kidding me!?"
The shout scraped my throat raw, leaving it dry and aching. Swearing only drained me further, so I forced myself to look away, swallowed the unease, and kept walking.
When I finally reached the river/spring, the steady sound of rushing water filled my ears, a gentle rhythm that eased the weight of my steps. I lowered myself to the edge, resting on one knee, and let my fingers sink into the cool current. The water flowed smoothly over my skin.
I shaped my hands into a cup and lifted the clear water to my lips. The first sip washed away the dryness in my throat, the second made me sigh in relief, and by the third, I felt life return to my body.
"Ahh... that feels so much better," I whispered to myself, almost laughing at how thirsty I had been. For a moment, I simply sat there, letting the river's calm soothe me, before finally pulling myself back to my task.
With the pickaxe I had found earlier, I rose and returned to the spot where the skull lay half-buried in the earth. My grip tightened on the weathered handle as I swung it down. The steel head struck hard, sending a dull crack through the ground. A small fragment of the solid ground broke.
I stared at it for a moment in silence. "Great... just great. This is going to take forever," I muttered under my breath.
Still, I kept going. Strike after strike, the soil loosened bit by bit. Sweat rolled down my forehead, dripping onto the earth. My arms ached, but I pressed on, driven by a strange determination I couldn't quite explain. Minutes blurred into hours, the sound of the pickaxe hitting dirt echoing in the lonely air.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity—nearly an hour of effort—the last clump of earth gave way. The skull, once trapped beneath the soil, now rested fully exposed before me. Its hollow sockets sockets stared upward.
I wiped the sweat from my brow, breathing heavily. "There you are," I said quietly, my voice caught somewhere between relief and unease.
"I'm so tired haha...ha..ha..."
"Finally finished... That was tough, but now I can finally see it."
I knelt down and picked up the skull from the ground, carefully brushing away the dirt to reveal its weathered features,and in my surprised it turned out to be neither human nor animal skull
The skull was unlike anything I had ever seen before, If I'm gonna put it into words
It was too strange to call it a human skull, with it's elongated jaw and sharp teeth, but it's too humane too call it an animal skull, with its eerie resemblance to a human face
It was not an animal nor a human it was a creature that i have never seen before.
I glanced back at the pickaxe. The pickaxe still stood where I had left it, its wooden handle withered and creaking with age, the metal head touched with rust. It remained planted in the soil beside the shallow hole I had dug earlier,
It wouldn't be of much use to me anymore, and carrying it around was far too heavy. So I left it where it was and walked on.
As I strolled through the cave, my eyes were drawn to the unusual symbols, marks, and drawings that had been intricately carved into the walls. I noticed the depths of the cave, that the space around me was opening up, revealing a larger and stranger environment.
Suddenly, a mysterious sight appeared before me as I walked through the cave.
The walls that were supposed to be solid rock instead took me by surprise when I realized that they were actually made of bricks. It was unexpected to see bricks in that part of the structure, and it gave off the impression that it might be a dungeon. The contrast between the expected rock and the actual bricks added a layer of mystery and intrigue to the surroundings. It made me wonder what purpose the bricks served and what secrets might be hidden within those walls. The discovery added an unexpected and captivating element to the atmosphere.
As I walk I caught a whiff of an unpleasant odor, I instinctively reached for my nose to cover it, in an attempt to shield myself from the offensive scent.
"What's that smell? It stinks!" I said, holding my nose.
The pungent odor of this dungeon hangs heavy in the air, casting a palpable sense of foreboding over the entire space. It is a smell that seems to have seeped into the very stones of the walls, permeating the air with an ancient mustiness that speaks of confinement and decay. It is a scent that is much older than the cave itself.
The darkness in the dungeon makes it difficult to see anything so I reached out and plucked a loose luminous stone from the cave wall. Its glow shimmered faintly, a warm yellowish orange that reminded me of fading firelight. I brushed away the clinging dirt and small fragments of rock until its surface shone more clearly, the light pulsing gently in my hand. Holding it close, I let its glow spill across the rough walls and floor to guide me way deeper into the dungeon's darkness.
I took two confident steps forward, I suddenly feel a strange and unexpected resistance under my foot. Looking down, I realize that I have stepped on something hard and fragile, almost like a Brittle peace of wood. Upon closer inspection, I recognize the distinctive texture and shape of a bone.
Upon closer inspection, I realized that the object I had accidentally stepped on was in fact a human bone.
However I chose to ignore it and kept going.
And I calmly spoke, "Did people inhabit this place before, or were they also just stranded like me?"
"What a joke... as if anyone would actually choose to live in a place like this." I forced a laugh, letting the words slip out as if in jest, though the sound felt hollow. I was only trying to lighten the heavy air before me, yet deep inside I still wavered, unsure if I should press forward or turn back.
But in the end, I took a step forward, letting my feet carry me deeper as the urge to explore pushed me on.
At the end, a manmade circular ravine stretched out before me. the walls loomed high, deep, and shrouded in darkness, resembling the night sky.
In that darkness, I witnessed delicate, ethereal orbs gliding gracefully. These luminous spheres appeared to be crafted from pure light, resembling fluffy balls that floated weightlessly, shimmering and twinkling like stars in the night sky.
The walls are filled with over a hundreds or thousands of passages and tunnels, resembling an ant nest. In addition, there are ancient man-made waterways with water cascading down.
The dark passages and tunnels are completely devoid of light, with remnants of bones and ancient artifacts at each entrance.
At the center, a colossal, glowing cube hovers majestically. This cube is a fascinating structure with a solid three-dimensional shape, reminiscent of a Rubik's cube with six square faces, eight corners and twelve edges. Surrounding this magnificent cube are tiny, luminous spheres that dance and glitter like playful small moving stars.
Below is deep circular ravine filled with dark, murky water. The surface was still.
And Beneath and above the water lies a collection of statues depicting humans in a state of fear and panic, climbing towards the center where a massive humanoid statue stands. This humanoid statue has long, exquisitely carved hair that looks like it's flowing with a silky-smooth texture. It has four muscular arms and wears an intricately carved blindfold over its eyes.
The humanoid statue's right upper hand is outstretched beneath the floating, glowing cube.
The statues are shrouded in an intricate tapestry of moss and lichen, their once-pristine surfaces rendered verdant and weathered by the relentless march of time.
"Beautiful" just slipped out of my mouth without me realizing it.
I took a deep breath, unable to look away. "This place is breathtaking, I can't even begin to describe it in words. The floating orbs of light resemble small stars in the night sky, and they are surrounding the statue of something indescribable. In its hands, there is a glowing Rubik's Cube that is more magnificent than the stars."
I stepped forward and peered over the edge of the ravine. The air was cold.
Suddenly, the huge glowing cube started to rotate. Click! Click! It twisted and turned like a Rubik's cube, spinning at an incredible speed. Then, with a Boom!, it broke apart into smaller cubes that flew/shot towards me like shooting stars at lightning speed, yet utterly soundless, with no air to strike against me despite such terrifying velocity. Whoosh! One of the cubes stopped right at my feet, hovering in place.
For an instant, it felt as if my entire lower half had been torn apart, sending me crashing to the ground. My legs trembled uncontrollably as my hands clutched at them, desperate to confirm they were still attached to the rest of my upper body. My breathing came ragged, each gasp are uneven.
"Wh... what just happened?" I gasped, still clutching desperately at my legs.
And then the cubes began to flew towards me, one after the other. Zzzt! Purple lightning crackled around them as they suddenly stop, flickering for a moment before stopping completely.
Forming a staircase of glowing cubes, as if they were telling me that they would guide me.