After hanging down in the darkness for a while and thinking about various different shocking things, Flame finally decided to lift his body up.
It was no way easy. In fact, if he even had his both hands, he might still face trouble climbing up due to the abnormally thick roots of the ancient tree.
In the end, Flame had no other choice.
He just randomly swayed his legs in the darkness, not knowing exactly where, and struggled to catch some fish.
Luckily, before his grip started to weaken, he found another of the roots hanging down nearby. He meticulously gripped the vertically hanging root with both of his legs side by side, sandwiching the thick root between his feet and moved his body upwards.
Fortunately, he couldn't see anything in the darkness, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to cope with his naked body doing the all the awkward acrobatics. Not to mention the distracting things…
"hah!"
Flame sighed heavily and cautiously balanced his body between the chain of horizontal thick roots. The thick heavy roots swayed for a while and then finally balanced themselves.
After thoroughly confirming that the roots have stabilized, he relaxed.
Many thoughts were currently swirling in his minds while many of them were questions and many more were… curses.
What is happening with him? how did the wound left by that lecherous sucker heal up suddenly? Where the hell are his clothes and most importantly where is hand.
A whole right hand.
It had gone missing without a trace of its existence. In fact, Flame didn't even feel like he ever had any right hand or any wound before. He was only able to remember the fact because of his muscle memory and instincts.
"how it is even possible!? how can I forgot about my arm and more importantly how can it not leave any trace?"
If the hand was 'somehow' severed from his body while descent, then how did it not leave any wound or mark of its missing? The whole right hand had gone missing starting from his right shoulder.
Flame's eyes quickly looked at his stomach, even though he wasn't able to see. His instincts forced him to act like one.
He rubbed his left hand all over the grotesque wound left by the lecherous leech.
But to his dismay—or not dismay, there was nothing but milk like smooth skin. In fact, the smoothness of his skin made him frown a little. His little to none abdomen muscles which he had trained from going on expeditions and lifting heavy bags as a porter, looked more firmer and tighter.
In the end, Flame could only sigh and place his righ—left hand on his head.
"I don't know for what I should be surprised anymore"
The creepy walls of the chasm reflected his voice nth time and echoed, but now, even the echoes felt somewhat normal.
At least he knew their reason.
…
After some unknown time passed.
Grhh!
Suddenly, a voice teared through the darkness and resounded.
After Flame gave himself some time to accept some things and get reason out of it, Flame finally understood something.
That...
He understood nothing.
Instead, something caught his attention. It was hunger.
And thirst.
Even though, due to some extraordinary magical phenomenon Flame's wounds healed and the fatigue from blood-loss vanished, he still felt his stomach growling from hunger.
His dry lips looked—felt drier as he remembered that he did not drink any water since, entering the rift.
Initially, he had everything, including a water bottle, an energy bar, some survival tools like hooks, pins, knives, ropes, but since he had decided to run straight into the Dark Forest, he forgot to even bring his bag.
He neither had the freedom nor the money to buy a spatial magical device.
'what is the benefit in thinking about it now?'
He sighed to himself.
Then, he turned his up, trying to look for some source of light, but luck wasn't on his side. Then, he turned his head down and did the same.
The only plus point for him was that, he didn't need to lament by saying that 'there is nothing upside and there is nothing downside'
Instead he could just say 'there is just nothing' and gain ounce of sanity in himself.
'till now...maybe ten? twenty? Twenty hours have passed'
Flame was trying to approximate the amount of time he had spent inside the rift. Normally, for a Descendant, Eight hours are considered max limit, before the adverse effect of Awakened man would start
And, as for, what exactly is that adverse effect is…
'nothing! Nothing is the adverse effect! Absolutely nothing happens!'
It was absolutely ridiculous. It was like saying to a physics teacher that he doesn't know that there are actually seven laws of motion, four newton's laws and we are living inside a black hole.
How could the research of around a century, done by the most genius brains of the earth can be wrong…
And to such an extent!
He had easily spent around two days and he didn't feel anything wrong. He never felt like himself turning into some monster or disappearing from existence, or turning into the headless monster.
He was a still a human! A Descendant ranked individual Claimed by the Call!
'…then again. I can't even see the Runes. Neither did I hear any voice after killing both the Descendant Headless monster and probably an Awakened ranked leech…something is definitely wrong here'
Flame concluded as he felt that, the cursing towards the scientist of the Blood province is not right thing to do. There must be definitely something different going on here.
After all, there was something unique and strange about the incidents which happened with him.
Like having almost possessed by Tyrant's spirit, seeing a lonely silhouette and hearing murmurs like being Called, then seeing the Descendant monster, then passing through the side of the battlefield where some of the genius Awakened humans of the human society were fighting.
Didn't it sound too odd that no one noticed him?
Now thinking again about it, Flame also remembered that he had almost controlled the murmurs and also might have comprehended them if given some time…
So, what does that mean?
Flame didn't know. Maybe Tyrant somewhat possessed him. Maybe he had already accepted a Call and was following its Origins, but both of them had their shortcoming.
Like, accepting a Call doesn't mean that you can escape the law of nature. it was an absolute that Descendants are not meant for an Awakened ranked Rifts and prolonged exposure to Awakened Rifts will have adverse effect on the Descendant.
and most importantly Runes are what gives you the further description about the Calls and without Runes, even the notion of Call feels hollow and useless.
So does the adverse effect thing…
Dismissing the useless thoughts Flame heard another voice of his stomach growl!
'I need to do something. Staying at a place is not going to do me any good, but I don't know how down below I am and neither do I know how high am I from the bottom…that is even if there is one'
Flame stared in the darkness and thought more about his options
'If I was to climb up, and let's assume—'somehow' I reach at the top. Is it safe for me?'
Will he be safe?
Who knows…
But he does have a possible outcomes imagined.
Now that he is bleeding and is about some miles away from the Pond, it would at least take sometime for him to reach there and wash away the scent of his fresh blood.
So…
'this time, I might get my bowls eviscerated for sure. The giant will absolutely show no mercy to plunge his spiked hand into my tiny body…Ahhh! That would sure feel like hell—wait! why am I making that face? it will definitely feel like hell and worse, I might have to squirm around in pain!'
Flame shook his head vigorously on that idea.
Even though, there might be a chance that all the Headless creatures might have followed his lead into the Chasm and might not have been Lucky as him, but he still didn't know much about the monsters above Turbid Grade.
He has only heard about then from one of the Awakened that, monsters above Turbid Grade are nothing like monsters. They have enough intelligence to rival a teenager, someone who is older than him, then how could he even possible to think to climb back upwards.
In the case of Crystal Thorns, it was very much possible that the monster above Turbid grade will be able to sense the oddity in the sudden disappearance of blood of their kin and might have decided to go against following them.
'very likely'
As for climbing down…
Flame acted as though as he was looking down and then contemplated over his thoughts
'the monsters falling from above will absolutely have no chance to survive at the bottom. As for my climbing down…it would be much easier compared to climbing up. There can be something to eat…at least something raw is definitely there, but there are other problems'
Like, he has no idea about the actual depth of the chasm and also, he didn't even know what will he do by going down there.
Will be wishing for some different magical phenomenon to save himself like how it went with the wound left by Leech?
But that kind of magical phenomenon has a problem. It might require something in return.
considering some supernatural assumptions… Like how his whole right hand went missing and he almost forgot about it.
What would be losing this time?
What could be the cost of returning to Earth?
'my soul perhaps…'
Flame felt grim and then thought again.
Now that he has some of the ideas about the pros and cons of both the direction, he might be able to come to a decision.
Unknown distance?
'Applied to both.'
Unknown life expectancy?
'Applied to both'
Good quality food?
'Might not find anywhere'
Water?
'There is that Elixir pond'
Difficulty?
'Climbing up will be more difficult'
Lucy?
'no idea, most probably somewhere hiding inside the forest'
Flame couldn't remember options anymore, so he stopped and counted down the score-board.
Then, stared into the darkness
"Agrhh! Why am I so unlucky? Its 1-1 score currently. I need something more to consider. If only I had my broken hand, I would have thrown it down and checked the distance or wait…something else. I can try to cut one of my fingers and throw it down…"
Somehow the idea felt obnoxiously acceptable. He had already lost an arm and even forgotten about it for a while. Now it might not make much difference if he lost one measly little finger, in exchange of untimely death.
After all, death seems the only correct option for now.
Flame suddenly fell silent.
"…"
And stared into the darkness again,
Then, he prayed
"LUCY! PLEASE COME BACK! I AM BECOMING TURNING INTO A LUNATIC"