The gigantic entity continued its descent at a maddening speed, shattering everything in its path—branches and creatures alike. Sami himself heard several final screams that seemed to belong to creatures that had tried to resist…
Sami was exhausted, wounded, and confused. Worst of all, he didn't know where he was, or why he had even come to this place. Too many questions and too many rapid-fire events made his head ache terribly. Without realizing it, the strength drained from his hands.
"Damn it!"
The moment Sami lost his grip on the creature, he slipped quickly through the air. Due to inertia, he too began to fall towards the dark abyss at a terrifying speed. He couldn't see anything and had no idea of his location or what was below him. He desperately tried to grab onto something, but suddenly, he slammed into something rough and extremely hard. He felt his ribs piercing his skin, then the blows continued as he crashed into one trunk after another.
He could no longer move. He didn't know what he should do, or even when he decided to use his sword to gain some visibility. In his pain and confusion, he unconsciously activated his sword's other ability:
"[Moon Ray]."
A powerful, brilliant light shot out, illuminating everything around him, even blinding Sami's own vision. However, through that light, he realized one thing: the sheer terror and enormity of this endless abyss. He looked like a small star hanging in a black sky.
The light gradually faded over the seconds, and without him noticing, he began to feel thousands… no, millions of eyes staring at him with the intent to completely devour. A primitive, terrifying fear shot up his spine. His body began to tremble, and his falling speed increased.
But before those gazes could reach him, he suddenly felt something solid beneath him, as if he had landed on an invisible platform, and then… he vanished from that place.
He opened his eyes with difficulty; his face was covered in bruises and blood, and he couldn't see well. Then he suddenly felt a warm, comforting energy penetrating his body. It was as if life was being pumped back into him. The suffocating pain began to fade, the sounds tearing at his mind quieted, and the weakness that had paralyzed his movement started to disappear.
He opened his eyes a little. The place was dark, but he felt the presence of people beside him, and even heard human words whispered, which reassured him.
Finally, he could identify the voice:
"When will he wake up? We don't have much time to stay here."
The moment he heard those words, he realized who it was.
"Thank goodness… It's Niko."
And as soon as he regained full consciousness, after being healed, he began to feel a harsh cold stinging his skin and numerous strange smells filling his nostrils.
He opened his eyes completely.
All he could see was darkness. He immediately activated his ability:
"[Demon Sight]."
Vision unfolded before him, in black and white only, but it was clearer than the absolute darkness around him.
There, Niko sat with his disheveled blond hair and drowsy eyes, wearing a complex, multi-layered armor covering his body in two dark colors. He was looking at Sami warily, then glancing backward as if anticipating something.
On the other side of the trunk sat a short girl with messy, relatively long blond hair, staring at him with sharp eyes. She looked utterly exhausted, sweat dripping from her brow despite the cold.
Sami recognized her immediately. He had seen her on the Colosseum's opening day. She was the Colosseum Supervisor's daughter. From her state, he deduced she was the one who had saved and healed him.
This scene made him realize several things quickly:
"First, I'm not dead. I was transported to another place. Fortunately, I'm not alone. It seems I'm in a forest… but there's no forest like this in the human world. Given the distance I fell, I must have covered at least several kilometers. This means I'm in the second ordeal… and likely, the mistake I made when I released the light is what made Niko see me and teleport me. And this girl… it seems she has a healing ability. Well… it seems my bad luck has its limits after all."
Sami moved slightly, and the other two turned to him.
Niko said in a low voice, almost a whisper, while his eyes kept staring into the void:
"Sami, if you can hear me, that's a good start. In short, we rescued you by chance… but we've lost a lot. We don't have time. The moment Young Eagle returns, we'll descend immediately. If you have enough energy, carry 'Viva' quietly, and hold my hand. We'll talk more later."
Sami sighed. But he knew Niko well enough to understand he wasn't joking. He got up quietly, first checking his body. His clothes were torn and covered in blood, but his body was completely intact.
He approached the girl and turned his back to her without uttering a word. She didn't speak either, just approached him and quietly climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Niko also approached, quietly and silently. Sami grabbed his hand.
Everyone was silent. Even Niko seemed to be breathing silently.
Sami understood that Niko could also see in the dark, but the girl couldn't, which was why he had to carry her. He also realized Niko knew about Sami's vision ability, so he was relying on him for movement.
After seconds of silence and anticipation, as the limits of Sami's vision ended in the deep darkness, Niko's body suddenly shuddered as if he'd been struck, and then he pulled Sami's hand tightly.
In an instant, everything before them vanished.
And one second later, a new scene appeared before them: a huge stone wall and a long, dilapidated corridor.
Niko didn't speak much, just turned to Sami and said quietly:
"Follow me. Try to copy my movements exactly, and stay as silent as possible."
Niko began to walk in a strange way through the corridor, moving towards the right wall, then back to the left in a backwards manner. Sami followed silently, carrying Viva on his back.
Suddenly, something small appeared on Niko's shoulder and began to grow gradually until its shape became clear. It was a boy wearing slightly torn white clothes, with neatly combed black hair.
Sami recognized him instantly. It was Young Eagle.
They continued walking with convoluted steps, moving backwards sometimes, on one foot other times, until they reached the end of the wall… but Niko didn't stop.
Instead, he walked through the wall.
Sami paused for a moment, staring at the wall trying to understand what was happening, but after a few moments, he gave in… and followed him.
While thinking to himself:
"What in the world is going on here?"
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