Beyond the unchanging scenes from a memory, he felt something different. He felt that the restraint placed upon his consciousness started to loosen, and for the first time in ever, he moved. Step by figurative step, he searched for a way to escape from the place he was in.
Like a blind man, he groped and fumbled about, using his consciousness to try to find out where the anchor of the restriction was. He thought that he had this kind of memory before, searching for a way to undo the seal placed on something, but he wasn’t sure. Everything felt different when the only thing he can move was just his mind, and what he currently sought was something he felt more difficult to find compared to what he remembered.
Bit by bit, he scoured his surroundings, using the minute difference of things he senses to determine what he had and what he had not examined. He didn’t find anything he could use as quickly as he wanted to, but the long captivity had made him at least more patient than the man he used to be.
After a long period of scrutiny, he found most of what he needed. He wasn’t sure that he found all the anchor, pivot, and leverage he could use to free himself, but he felt it was enough for his purpose. He hadn’t known what was the rule and form of the restriction he was in, but he was confident in figuring it out. After pausing to figuratively do a warm-up, he started to poke and prod.
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Though he had only succeeded in making a small hole in the restriction, he felt that there was no use in enlarging it. He knew that it wasn’t enough if he wanted to get out, but something told him that if he kept going with his current method, he wouldn’t be able to escape. The restriction will tighten up like a pulled net and he would be back and trapped with no way to move again.
He paused to make a decision briefly, making an account of all variables he had found while poking and prodding the seal. He briefly remembered that this situation was something he was familiar with. Two choices with no winning option, only something that led to different but similarly negative consequences.
He had always been a stubborn and reckless person when he was still the one before. always thinking that “I am the hero, it would definitely work out in the end” whenever he was stuck making a distasteful choice. It ended with those guys betraying him and trapped him here.
He could have waited for a next chance, ending his struggle here, but he wasn’t someone who was passive and could patiently wait for the perfect chance. It would also felt like he was giving up. Or he could change his method to be overpowering through the seals anchor instead patiently prodding it like before. but it felt so much like the old-time that he felt minor dislike in ever considering it.
He decided to just risk forcing the seal, telling himself ‘the alternative would be another wait’ to get rid of his own apprehension. He took a figurative deep breath and can’t help but pull up the edge of his lips when some nostalgic voice ran through his mind. it says ‘one more time for old sake’, and he felt mirth over the sentiments behind it.
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