20 Chapter 20 : Pain that lasts forever! (1)
[The keeper of the Elemental realm has gifted you.]
[Congratulations, wind element has integrated in your skill: card manipulation.]
[Congratulations, your skill: card manipulation has upgraded. Card manipulation : B -> A]
Before Bittu could even be happy by the upgrade to this unbreakable defence skill, he heard the Yeti speak once again.
"I hope this will help you in the upcoming trial you will face.", After the Yeti finished speaking, he turned his head to look at the newcomer in his realm. After a moment, without a single movement from his body, with just a thought, sent Bittu's soul back into his body. Bittu didn't even have the time to react to the words told by the Yeti.
"Welcome to the elemental realm, the successor of the flames."
A few moments ago,
After entering, Aisha was looking around at this strange place she found herself in. Unlike Bittu, she was in a place covered by flames of various colors that could mesmerize anyone at the first sight. These flames that had the potential to burn even the space itself were actively seeking her, as if a child has found something to play with.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh"
As the sight of being engulfed in flames consumed her thoughts, she instinctively emitted a sharp cry of pain, only to realize she wasn't burning at all.
"What's going on? Why.... Why are the flames not burning me?", she said out loud, truly startled by this strange phenomenon.
"In the first place, why am I in a sea of flames?", Aisha was disoriented by the situation she found herself in. Even when nothing happened to her, she was still wary of the behavior of these flames.
"I mean, who would like to stand in the sea of flames which could burn you whole in the blink of an eye?", she was uncomfortable being surrounded by flames.
"I should get to somewhere safe.", She looked around to find somewhere else to head to and leave this uncomfortable place.
She had just looked to her right when she caught sight of something that made her pause.
'Is... that.... Is that him?', she thought as she looked at the familiar back of someone she knew; the fiance...no! ex-fiance of her young miss.
'What is he doing here? Should... Should I approach him?', Aisha thought in hesitation. She felt guilty when she remembered how he had reacted when she had rejected him, but then she remembered why she had done it the way she did.
'No, it's best to have separate ways with a guy like that. He is not worthy of my young miss, who is like an angle.', she thought with slight hostility and adore.
The moment she was about to turn her head away, she saw him suddenly vanish, vanish into thin air, which shocked her to no end as she exclaimed. "What?!", her mouth wide open.
Before she could think further, she heard a regal and majestic voice.
"Welcome to the elemental realm, the successor of the flames."
....
Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!
".... Huff.... Huff.... Huff"
Bittu took deep breaths as he felt his senses respond to the cold floor, bloody smell and the unmistakable sound of the punches landing on his cards, reminding him that he was back in the dungeon, away from that strange realm and that strange sun.
He was currently feeling dizzy, perhaps because of the unconventional method of travel — by his soul. He took deep breaths to calm down. But that didn't last long as he felt the soul numbing pain gradually coming back again.
"No, No, No, WHY ARE YOU BAC–", he couldn't even continue his words before he let out howls of the soul tearing pain,
"Argh"
'No... '
"Arghghghghhhhhhhhh"
'Why is this happening?'
"Aaaaaahhhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhh"
The skeletons, uncaring about anything else in the dungeon, just kept on attacking, as they had been for the past half an hour. At this point, they may as well be the audience to the pain endured by Bittu after stepping foot into the dungeon.
Bittu gritted his teeth, the agony coursing through every fiber of his being as he struggled to even curl into a protective ball. The relentless assault of pain seemed unyielding, each moment stretching into an eternity of torment.
"No... no respite..." he muttered through clenched teeth, his mind clouded with the searing agony. Every movement, every breath, only seemed to intensify the suffering.
Minutes stretched into hours, each passing moment a testament to his endurance. It was as if time itself had become his enemy, dragging out his torment with merciless cruelty.
But gradually, amidst the haze of pain, Bittu slowly sensed a subtle shift. It was almost imperceptible at first, like a faint whisper in the darkness.
'Why?'
'Why do I have to suffer such a magnitude of pain and agony again?'
As the hours dragged on, Bittu found himself able to move, albeit with excruciating effort. Simple gestures became monumental tasks, each movement a triumph over the relentless agony that gripped him.
'.... Am I really so horrible that whatever I do results in me being inflicted by pain? Each time more severe than last?'
'..... '
'Am I really destined for such a fate?'
"Aaarrrggggghhhhhhh"
Clank! Clank! Clank!
'...'
"Aahhhhhhhhhhhhh"
'...'
"Arrrrrhhhhhhh"
'.....no.',
'No...'
'.....One's fate is nothing, but the result determined by the choices one makes..',
'Since I suffered, this must also be the outcome of one of my stupid choice.', After coming to terms with his condition, his thoughts gradually began to shift and think about what has happened after he came into this dungeon.
The first thing he did after coming in was to suffer a gruesome torture for an unknown period. Bittu then thought of the things that he did with his fight with sick of a skeleton and easily came up with an answer.
'Right, I was unaware of the condition of my body thus the slight mistake of being taken by surprise by the weak skeleton had me go through that pain.', Bittu thought with slight happiness that he could easily think of the answer to his question but then dissatisfaction filled him.
'...'
'.....sigh... '
'Was I that careless about my actions? If only I had been careful since the start....no, at least even during the fight, then I would not have to go through such torture.', he thought with regret.
Moving on, Bittu thought about his next encounter with pain, 'After that, my next choice that lead me to a such fate was....my uncontrollable anger.'
'Right, the grey skeleton could sneak an attack on me because I wasn't aware of my surrounding and was only doing things in a crazed manner.', Bittu thought in realization.
While Bittu was in thoughts, after what felt like an eternity, a glimmer of hope emerged from the depths of his despair. With each passing moment, the pain receded ever so slightly, like the tide ebbing away from the shore, and he felt the change in himself.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
With the skeletons still acting as if it were a machine with endless stamina, Bittu continued his thoughts.
'If only I had not lost myself to anger and had controlled myself then–', before Bittu could continue his thoughts, he felt a familiar headache slowly assault him.
'.....'
'Looks like I need to get out of this situation and then think cause it seems my mana is quite low.'
In fact, Bittu was right, his mana was dangerously low right now. In the first place, he could only sustain till now, not because he had that much mana but because of the lingering mana left from the gift given to him by the Yeti. If it wasn't for that, his skill would have long deactivated. But after all this time, that mana has finished, and the mana preserved in his body has also reached quite low, hence the start of the side effects.
"Aarrghhhh.... Come.....on....Stand.... Up..... "
Summoning every ounce of his willpower, even when his body was still in pain, Bittu pushed himself to his feet, his muscles trembling with the effort. With painstaking determination, he forced his limbs to obey, each step a victory over the relentless torment that had once held him captive.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Bittu stood tall amidst the ruins of his suffering. Though the pain still lingered, its grip had loosened enough for him to take action.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Bittu squared his shoulders and faced the skeletal horde with steely resolve. Though his body still screamed in protest, he refused to yield to the agony that threatened to consume him.
*Breath*
".... Huff..... This time, I should not be careless."
.....
In the hotel room,
In the absolute silence of the room that featured sleek contemporary decor and plush bedding, providing a cozy haven for guests to unwind and recharge, Aisha was currently waiting for her lady to return.
"Miss Elena has gone for a while? Why is she not back?", she thought with worry. She knew where her miss went and that it was a safe place, but how could she trust someone after only one encounter, no matter what?
But, right when she was about to check her miss that was sleeping quietly on the ground once again, Elena opened her eyes.
"Huff.... It seems I am back.", said Elena as her gaze landed on Aisha.
"My lady, you are back.", Aisha said with concealed worry.
"Yes, so why don't you show me what you got?", asked Elena with a smile.
"Yes miss, but.....before that I have something to inform you.", Aisha said with some hesitation.
"What do you want to tell me?", Elena asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Miss, I met your.... ex-fiance when I entered that strange realm.", Aisha said in a low voice, still not sure if she should have spilled the beans.
"....."
"What are you talking about? Did I even have a fiance??", Elena replied in confusion, her head still tilting.
".....", Aisha stumbled into speechlessness, unsure of how to respond to the question. Silence took over the place as an awkward atmosphere gradually took place. After a while, Elena said with curiosity and a tinge of excitement, "Let's forget about it. Tell me which skill you got?"
"....Yes, miss. This is what I got... ", Aisha said with some discomfort, as she still couldn't come to terms with how her innocent lady reacted to what she said.
[The keeper of the Elemental realm has gifted you.]
[Congratulations,... ]
