Running while focusing on his legs, every step he took was like fifteen steps. In the distance, he spotted a towering, wooden clock tower. He skidded to a stop before the old, chipped wooden gate that stood between him and his ascent.
"Locked with chains, huh."
He cut the chains—it fell with a clatter—pulling the door open. The darkness inside, barely lit by the light from above, lighting the top of the wooden ladder.
Probably a window or balcony.
Climbing the top, he was met with the balcony, the wyverns flying past left and right.
Okay…
He let out a silent whistle, his grip tightening on the hilt. Let's begin.
Tapping into his super-speed, slowing world around him, he hopped off the balcony onto the wyvern. He sliced the parasite, detached it from the wyvern, threw it and jumped onto the next. He just kept doing the same thing over and over again. His arms yelled, his legs begged, but he didn't stop. He couldn't stop.
"How many…? How many did I get? Hundreds? Thousands? Goddammit!"
He breathed raspily, his sweat-drenched face glistening in the sun, looking at the sea of wyverns before him.
"It just never ends."
He continued onward. Stab, dislodge, and jump. Several hours of repeated, constant, consecutive three actions. Every turn of his arm, twitch of his finger, and every joint howled in pain.
The cycle of the same actions, coupled with the state of his body, he suddenly felt light.
Light? What? Who is…
He saw himself in third person—slicing, detaching and jumping.
That's me, but why am I… looking at myself? Why did I take on such a burden? W… Why did I decide to eliminate all the wyverns alone? Wasn't I supposed to do things with others, not by myself?
Damn it! Goddamn myself! Damn myself for making the same mistake of taking the burden alone. when I should've been sharing it. Fuck me, man. Fuck… I did the same thing in that goblin forest. THE SAME FUCKING THING! Why don't I learn, MAN! Learn from my STUPID ASS MISTAKES… damn it... I'm such a— WHOA!
WHOOSH!
He was jolted back in his body, holding a dislodged parasite. Every breath he took was followed with a wheeze, everything within his body was just a crescendo pain. He swiveled his head …and laughed.
"Ahahaha—"
He went into a coughing fit, throwing the parasite in his hand away, still looking around him, the world now moving as if moving in water.
"I don't see it… I don't see any parasites. Ahahaha! None. Nada. Zero. Zilch. HAHAHA! G-Get me off this thing."
He peeked over the wyvern.
"Oh, I'm just above a building."
He hopped off the wyvern, his feet met the roof.
"AH!"
THUD!
A twinge shot from his legs, making him double over, face meeting the ground. He groaned, his feet, body, and entire self throbbing in pain.
"Oww…"
He got up to his feet.
"AH— Aahh, m-my leg, my… everything… It hurts."
Dammit, I'm spent… I'm totally spen—
SCREEECH!
An angry howl pierced the air, vibrating him through his core. The back of his neck burned scorching hot.
W-What!?
He turned around.
"SHIT I FORGOT!"
The mother of all wyverns glared at him, getting closer to him with each flap. The pain enveloping his body dulled to none, a sudden burst of energy filled him. He jumped to his feet on the flat part of the roof, slid off the slanted part and sprinted away from the second flying creature chasing him.
Same plan, get it out of the kingdom and deal with it.
SCREECH!
He ran through the entrance gate coincidentally meeting his path, each step covering the distance of five.
* * *
"Haah Haah Haah."
He staggered out of the kingdom through the same archway entrance. He looked to his left.
"No, that's where the bears are. Right I go."
He sprinted away from the thunderous flaps, encompassed by the forest's shadow. He leapt over giant roots, ducked under low-hanging branches, and covered his mouth with a palm to block the myriad of insects colliding with his face.
SCREEEECH!
Y-Yep, that's my motivat—
SCREECH!
"MOTIVATION!"
Endless running later, he found himself in a huge clearing, stretching far until meeting the trees on the other side.
Oh no, please tell me this is not where it is go—
"AH!"
He twisted his ankle, tripping and falling.
His super-speed momentum carried him, body ragdolling all the way to other—
THUD! CRACK! WHEEZE!
His back collided with the giant tree on the other side of the clearing, the impact punching the air from his lungs. Behind him, the bark cratered inward, cracks and chips splintered around him.
He sat, slumped over, holding the back of his head, vision blurring and church bells tolling in his ears. He looked ahead—despite the blurriness—the mother wyvern flew closer and closer.
His head throbbed in pain, like someone was hitting his skull from the inside. He groaned, tears flowing down his face.
"It hurts… head, body, everything… hurts."
The blurriness and the pain intensified.
I…
He sniffled.
I guess this is it. It's coming closer and I… I may be saved by a miracle but… I don't want it…
He shook his head.
I don't want to be saved anymore. Everything is pain. My powers, my conversation with parents… all… a pain.
Mom… Dad… I tried. Every single day I try to talk and—
"AH!" He squeezed his head in his hands, shaking it.
I don't want to continue thinking… thoughts… they h… urt…
Before he could meet the darkness, the last thing he saw was something huge and black colliding with the mother wyvern.
###
End of Chapter 3
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