With trembling knees, Ren runs as fast as he can through the dark corridors, illuminated by the red alarm lights.
"Fuck!" he yells, grinding his teeth. "I have to find the damn way out of here fast, before he comes!"
Unfortunately, that turns out to be far from easy. At the end of every corridor, two more appear. Ren feels like he's trapped inside a gigantic, almost endless labyrinth.
No matter where he runs, there's nothing but dark passageways or sealed doors. From time to time, he smashes one open—but without luck. They only lead him into yet another twisted corridor.
He keeps running, faster and faster, until he suddenly stumbles. Ren crashes to the ground and slams his forehead against the hard floor. A small Wound opens up, only to close again in the very next moment. Ren doesn't even notice it.
"Shit!"
he yells again and slams his glowing right hand hard against the floor. So hard that the ground caves in, forming a small crater beneath him.
But suddenly, he feels something gentle against his cold skin.
"Hm?"
Confused, he looks down and notices a tiny hole that formed in the floor from the impact. The hole, no larger than a pea, is hidden within the shattered ground—but the most important thing is the air he can feel flowing through it.
"Air?!"
Ren glances quickly to the right and left, checking if he's still alone. Then he clenches his right fist and punches the floor repeatedly, just like he did with the doors earlier.
Finally.
After the last blow, the floor gives in. The problem is that his final strike was a bit too strong—he's punched a hole so large that he falls straight through it. Before he can even realize what's happening, he's in free fall. Even though it lasts no longer than a blink, he must fall ten, maybe even twenty meters.
After hitting the ground, Ren slowly and dazedly gets back to his feet. He finds himself on a large mound of sand. Around him, there's nothing but dunes of orange-brown sand.
But something important is still missing.
Looking up.
And so he does. He lifts his gaze and sees the small opening far above, the one he fell through.
"W… what is that?"
He can't tear his eyes away. Above him floats a massive black-and-green object. It looks like some strange—and above all, gigantic—means of transportation. Shining rails and odd devices cover its surface, things that look like they're providing it with propulsion.
But what shocks him the most is its position. The enormous construct is simply hovering in the air. It has no visible support. It looks as if it's being held aloft by the very magic Emma always talked about in her books.
Ren quickly snaps back to the moment and hurriedly stands up. A sharp pain shoots through his left leg. He looks down and realizes his shin is broken—no, more than that. A whole piece of bone is sticking out through his skin.
In the past, Ren would have probably passed out from the pain. But by now, he can endure it. The pain is still there, but his body seems to have grown used to it through all the torture.
Ren clenches his teeth, bends down to his leg, and pushes the protruding bone back into place. A small groan escapes him, but he quickly forces himself back up.
Just as he's about to move on, something catches his attention.
He's still wearing the metal plate on his neck and right cheek. He barely notices it anymore—it's been part of him for so long.
With determination, he hooks the glowing fingers of his right hand under the edge of the plate. He has to apply enormous strength to peel it off bit by bit. Slowly, skin and flesh tear away from where it was attached.
The pain is so intense that even Ren lets out a scream.
Immediately, the skin pulls together again and the flesh regenerates—but not the way Ren has grown used to. At that exact spot, it doesn't return to normal skin.
He carefully rubs the area with his left hand and feels a scar.
"Why isn't it healing?"
He looks questioningly at the now-glowing plate in his right hand.
"Maybe because he attached it before the regeneration ability started? Well… whatever."
He tosses the plate aside and wipes the blood from his face that formed during the process.
As fast as he can, he starts limping away. One thing is clear: as long as he can still see that flying thing in the sky, Oxaril can still see him too.
He pushes himself forward, meter by meter, moving farther and farther away from the now tiny sand mound where he landed. Around him, there's nothing but sand. No matter where he looks, all he sees is an orange sea of tiny grains.
"Come on! Hurry up, Ren!"
he urges himself on as the sun slowly begins to set above him.
He keeps walking, straight ahead. After all, that's the fastest way away from the thing in the air. Only now, after what feels like an eternity, does he turn around. The bone in his leg has healed again some time ago. His right arm looks normal and human once more. Even its temperature has mostly returned to normal.
After all this time, Ren finally lets it out—a long breath of relief.
He can still see the object in the sky, but it's so small now that you can barely make anything out. There's no way Oxaril could find him from there.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, the ground spins—no, the sky. No, that's wrong. It's him. His body is horizontal.
Not only that. His entire body is flying, and before he can even process what's happening, he crashes into the nearest sand dune. Sand explodes outward on impact, scattering everywhere. Beneath Ren, another crater forms—this one so large it looks as if a small comet has struck the spot. The ground beneath is nothing but dried earth.
"What is it, boy?! Did you really think I'd let you escape? Now, when your body is finally showing the results I've been waiting for so long?!"
A far-too-familiar voice echoes out.
Dazed, Ren struggles back to his feet and looks at him. The monster that kept him imprisoned and tortured him for so long.
"Somehow… I knew it. You were going to find me anyway,"
Ren murmurs, taking a step toward him.
Oxaril grins and steps toward him as well.
"Just look at you. With that glare you're giving me, you look more like a monster than I do! Even your hair and eyes have started to change."
He points to a white streak in Ren's dark blue hair and to his dark red pupils. Ren himself hasn't noticed yet—it's been an eternity since he last saw his own face in a mirror.
What interests Oxaril far more, however, is Ren's arm, which begins to glow again the moment their gazes meet. They continue approaching each other until only a few meters remain between them.
"Running away is pointless with you anyway, right?"
Ren asks sarcastically, grinding his teeth.
"Correct," Oxaril replies.
Ren exhales with a desperate sigh.
"Then I'll do it this way!"
He roars and swings with all his strength. His right arm looks just as dangerous as it did when he woke from his dream. It glows up to the shoulder, and from there, dark gray—almost black—smoke rises into the air.
He strikes quickly, trying to hit Oxaril, but the monster grabs his clenched fist and catches it like a baseball with one Hand. He immediately lets go again, shaking his own hand.
"You exceed my expectations, boy!"
The palm of his hand is completely burned after just that brief contact.
The moment Ren's hand is free again, he winds up for another strike.
"But that's still far from enough!"
Oxaril declares with a laugh and strikes back.
With unbelievable speed—far too fast for Ren to dodge—he hits him in the stomach and sends him flying through the sand dunes once again.
After his short flight, Ren slams into the ground and tumbles several times before coming to a stop.
He quickly pushes himself up onto his knees and vomits blood, which runs down from his mouth and soaks into the sand beneath him. He's probably suffering from multiple internal hemorrhages—his organs must be crushed.
"Fuck!" he yells, slamming his fist into the ground.
"You should pay more attention!"
Ren looks to the side—too late.
Oxaril strikes him directly in the face with his tail, sweeping him off his knees once again.
Ren now lies motionless on his back, staring up at the sky. The sun is barely visible anymore.
It must be almost night.
"What is that bright ball up there anyway?"
he wonders unknowingly—it's the first time in his life he's ever seen the sun.
His vision slowly blurs red. Everything around him feels unreal, as if he's no longer inside his own body. More like a third person watching from the outside.
"I… I can't give up!"
he tries to shout, but nothing comes out of his mouth except blood and bile.
He can't go on. Ren's body is completely spent.
From the side, he feels heavy footsteps slowly approaching. The ground trembles with each one.
"So this is how it ends for me…"
Ren's eyes slowly close. He loses consciousness and sinks into a deep sleep. Yet one thought remains.
The promise he made to his mother.
The promise that—no matter what happens—he will keep living.
Suddenly, he finds himself once again in a dark space, just like in his dream before.
"I guess I'm unconscious again?" he asks himself.
But he hardly cares anymore. Instead, the dark red light above him draws his attention. Dazed, he reaches for it once more—hoping that this time, it will truly free him from his desperate situation.
"Please… someone… anyone. No matter who or what you are. Give me strength… I have to survive…"
Once again, he tries to reach for the light…