Chapter 8: Dead?
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'I need water… so thirsty,' He staggered his way through the forest like a zombie under the bright sun.

He could even see his dry skin cracking.

'Why the hell the sun is still high up?' After several hours of traversing through the forest, the sun never shows a sign of setting. Lyden's body was dangerously getting hotter that he felt light-headed as if he had a fever.

'I cannot take this anymore...' He thought, but his body kept moving forward. Occasionally he would take breaks under the shades, but it was barely helping.

'So far I had used 3 of the flowers up… but I will die before I used them all.' He could hardly smell anything from the flower anymore. He had been at it too long and he was physically and mentally exhausted.

He had to put more effort in sniffing out the smell.

Suddenly, he felt the small breeze

The more he walked, the getting stronger the wind was getting.

Eventually, the smell coming off the flower was blown away before Lyden could smell it.

'Where is the wind coming from?' The wind was greatly cooling him down.

Lyden did not need the flower anymore. He decided the breeze, which came out of nowhere, was another clue to help him leave this forest.

He thought whatever causing the wind to stir was better than being in this forest.

The closer he got, the faster the wind blew. It was not before long until he saw the source of it.

"What is that?!" He said shockingly.

It was a 400 meters purple giant statue of a golem kneeling with one knee.

One of his arms was buried halfway into the ground as if it had punched it.

It seems to be here for ages because it was wrapped in all types of plants and grass similar to the forest.

The wind was coming from the ground where one of its arms had dug in.

Lyden looked at the hole trying to be careful to not fall inside of it. As he peered inside, he could not see the bottom except there was a strange translucent purple glow just below where the fist had stopped.

It seems similar to the barrier when he first got in here except the color.

"Is this something similar to the tower from earth? If it is true, then this could lead me somewhere else." Lyden thought of climbing down, but he hesitated to do so. The reason he was against it because if he went down, then he felt that it would be impossible to find the way back home.

However, to go back to where it came through the forest, he was not confident in doing so. The purple forest took a toll on him, and he did not want to go back that way.

From what he could see across the horizon was more of the forest.

After a quick thought, he decided his best option was to climb down into this hole.

"This is going to get me to kill, but at least it would not be as suffering," He wished he had an aretisite to fly him down, but he did not.

He grabbed on to its arm and slowly made his way down as slowly as possible. Thanks to the plants wrapping around the golem, it made it easier for Lyden to climb down.

After several minutes, he made it to the point where he could move not on any further. He was on one of the knuckles of the golem.

Lyden kneels at the edge and stared at the purple barrier below him.

"This is a barrier like the one I saw before." Lyden verified up close. He was close enough that he could touch the purple barrier.

He touched the semi-translucent barrier ever so slightly and it rippled like water.

"If I applied more force, it seems like I could break it easily." Lyden watched it rippled until it stopped.

For five minutes, he was mentally preparing to jump through the barrier.

He recalled about life in his orphanage, all his siblings, and his even his teammates he met briefly.

He came here to become a hunter, to find an aretisite but things did not go as plan. Life took an unexpected turn for Lyden.

He thought about walking away, finding his way back, and heading back home.

That thought would echo inside of him over and over again as he stared beneath him.

A part of him wants to give up because he fears the unknown. Another part of him wants to jump in.

It was because what lies ahead was unknown to him.

"It is decided." Lyden suddenly jumps into the barrier head first. When Lyden had dived in, the barrier dissipated and he could see fogs all around him, which was the same thing that happened when he entered the tower and into the purple forest.

Lyden was fearless.

He did not scream in terror. He did not shut his eyes.

He opened his eyes wide.

He wanted to watch till the very end, even if he would meet with concrete.

He made his choices and he would see this till the very end.

He continued to fell through the thick fog. As he fell, the fog became less and less until he sees a light.

The light grew larger until it encapsulated him.

In the next moment, Lyden found himself surrounded by water.

He was transported inside a sea with no end in sight. The water was raging as if it had detected an intruder and wanted him out.

Lyden consciousness was barely holding on. From one trial to another, his body had taken a heavy toll.

His feeble strength could not go against the currents, so swimming away was not an option for him. All he can do was nothing as he watches himself drown to death.

'Shit… I'm dying… without achieving anything.' In all honesty, Lyden was scared ever since he entered the tower.

He felt scared when the decision to go alone in the unknown tower, but he wanted to find an aretisite so he can come back home with pride.

He felt scared when he was alone in the wood, but when made it to the giant statue, he felt hope that he was getting closer to his dream.

He felt scared when he dove into the dark hole, but since he came this far, he wants to see it till the end.

He felt scared all his life, but this was the first that he went against his fear.

He thought he can overcome any challenges if he tried hard enough, but he figured it was not enough. However, he did not feel any regrets.

As he suffocates, he imaging his future if he had never entered the tower. He would probably go work at a random place. Probably find a girlfriend, and get married. He would live a simple life.

However, he felt like he would always wonder what could have been all his life.

'This is fine… I tried… I give up. I did what I wanted to do and fail, but I won't regret it...' Lyden forced his final smile as he lost consciousness.

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