Eating.
Swallowing.
Eating.
Swallowing.
Eating.
Swallowing.
Eating.
Shitting.
Drinking.
Eating.
Swallowing.
Time stretched on as Aelon ate and drank the innards of this behemoth of a Nightmare Creature. With time, and patience, the previously cramped space opened up a little.
The black haired boy couldn't ascertain how much time he spent in here. He only knew that if he wanted to survive he had to eat.
Soon, or late, after an hour, or a month, he got out of his trance. These past few days, or weeks, or whatever, his mind had become numb, even disregarding thinking at some point.
This was because of his attribute. [Soft Carapace, Strong Flesh] for once actually gave him an advantage when it came to the mental department. Ironically, the very weakness and frailty that his mind possessed aided him.
Loosing sanity, and the ability to actually shift his mind away from the task at hand, Aelon was relentless, and that very relentlessness paid off well.
He ate his way out of the digestive tract, and had revealed enough space to climb out the tract.
'Finally. Finally FINALLY!'
His joy was short lived though. Survival still mercilessly went on. Now that he had left his previous abode, the digestive tract seemed to flow well again. In the time he spent stuck, many dead Nightmare Creatures, and whatever the abomination swallowed had accumulated above him. With him out, they could continue downwards.
'Alright. Now I can just use my dagger to dig my way out of here.'
Still unable to see, Aelon only apprehended the slippery and tough flesh of the Nightmare Creature, and the pungent smell of iron that violated his nose whenever he cut off a new chunk of it.
Maybe priorly he would have gagged, but this whole situation had tempered him so harshly, he felt that showing any kind of reaction would just be for naught, and a waste of energy that could've been spent on digging.
The flesh was tough, extremely tough to be exact. The only reason why the grey-eyed boy was able to cut through it was because of the augmentation that he received from the corrupted beast. Fortunately the daggers made it more manageable and easier to tear through the soft-tissue, and Aelon managed to accomplish in minutes what usually would've took him hours of eating.
'This... there is hope!'
Tiring himself out, the Aelon continued working, the lethargy he usually would've felt not being present due to the augmentation.
Slowly, but surely, a path opened before him. He had to dig towards the soul core of the corrupted beast to finally kill it.
'Killing a corrupted being as a sleeper... that's one hell of an accomplishment.'
Time passed, as the labor continuously went on. After what felt like days of digging, Aelon's stamina was finally exhausted. He lay on the floor and closed his eyes.
Sleep embraced him before his mind could realize it. The little hope he attained finally allowed his mind to rest in possible futures instead of imminent death.
He dreamt. Something that shouldn't occur in the dream realm. After all he was quite literally in the lands of dream.
But these dreams... they felt so real- too real. Instead of conjuring up possible scenarios it almost seemed as if he was gazing into the past, into a cloud filled by faded memories that were waiting to be released, just like air in a balloon pressing outward.
The balloon exploded. The pressure of the memories in the cloud of containment was too much.
The memories, weren't pleasant. Not in the slightest.
He remembered the smooth hilt of [Minos' Soulblade] in his hand. The cold air of the evening permeating through the air and delivering a freshness that seemed to replenish his spirit.
He remembered fruits that were as addictive as a drug fed to you since infancy, a nectar so sweet it made him fathom that he'd never taste something similar in his life.
The thought of missing out on the pleasure of it's taste, the thought of a future without it sent shivers down his back. He didn't want to. He wanted to return.
But then... something tore through the seductive fragrance that had been arousing his nose. A metallic smell.
The smell of blood.
It was something he had become quite familiar with over these past few months. In the first nightmare, as well as here in the dream realm.
When he looked back, he didn't remember being injured, where could the blood possibly have come from?
It was human blood, iron-based blood, that's why it had the color of red, and also that pungently familiar odor.
He was sure.
The time on the tree was blissful wasn't it? It gave him everything he needed, soul shards-
Where did the soul shards come from?
Nightmare Creatures most probably, but how did a tree kill Nightmare Creatures? Something didn't add up.
A blazing memory illuminated the cloud. Aelon grasped at it.
It was a fire. A fire was burning on one of the branches of the tree. He remembered.
The tree told him to kill- wait what?
The tree told him to kill... humans.
'How the fuck did I end up here then?'
He attacked the humans, one was blind, the other one was black haired, and the strongest one had silver-white hair.
Silver-white hair?
Black hair?
Blind girl?
He knew all of these people very well...
'I attacked Nephis, Sunny, and that blind girl. What was her name again? Cassandra?'
He only remembered being pushed.
Pushed into the water of the dark sea.
'So that's how this vile thing stomached me. It probably tasted my blood in the water.'
Aelon woke up.
He knew his dreams. no, those memories were real.
Nephis, his sister, pushed him.
'Couldn't they have beat me?! They were three! Looking back it was quite apparent I wasn't in my right mind!'
"Fuck!"
A sense of betrayal arose. Should he even feel this way? Wasn't he the one who attacked them first?
'I know this is hypocritical... but... didn't she promise to protect me?!'
She killed him.
At least that was what she probably thought, and also what was contained within her intention when she pushed him.
"This... this is why I shouldn't fucking trust random people. I... I thought at least Sunny was my friend. But Nephis? Nephis... she barely knew me. It makes sense that she pushed me. Even if I'm her brother. I don't know why I expected kinship from her."
A profound sense of dislike stirred in his mind. He knew he wasn't being logical, but in the end... all humans are inherently egocentric.
He blamed her. He shouldn't... but he did.
Aelon continued digging. After he was out of here, he would make sure she knew that.