~ unknown location ~

  [The Year 8616 in the current Age]

  THE SOUND of water, sporadically dripping on cold stones, slowly woke him up - his consciousness resurfacing trough the foggy haze of already forgotten dreams.

  A ray of morning dawn shone on the floor of a barren cold room, the light illuminating mouldy stones. The golden surface, however, was marred - shadowy lines criss-crossing the area in a regular pattern.

  A youth laid sprawled on his belly on a stony floor - like some drunkard who had returned from a night of heavy carousing. His face was discoloured and the left eye swollen shut, blood crusted around the edges.

  Shallow breaths and a sudden exhale of air marked the gradual return of the youth’s awareness to his surroundings. He tried to get up, intending to position his left arm next to his head for a better grip. However, a scathing pain stopped the motion right from the start. A strangled whimper escaped his lips and his face contorted into a suffering grimace.

  The youth took a couple of shallow breaths and groggily turned over, wincing from the pain the movement caused. His left arm flopped over unnaturally, hitting the floor with a dull thud, and the surge of pain that followed was so intense it sent him spiralling into unconsciousness.

  Eljas woke once more, noticing that the ray of light had shifted from its previous spot. By now, the illuminated surface - still divided into neat rectangles - had begun to climb the wall.

  The strange image rekindled the memory of his earlier observation before passing out.

  This time, he followed the ray of sunlight with his eyes and thanks to the stirred up particles in the air, he was able to track the sunlight all the way over the barren room, across his head and towards a small opening high up on the wall right behind him.

  The sight of thick bars instead of a proper window jolted Eljas upright. The following pain pushed him back down at once.

  ′A barred window…′ The thought pierced his mind like a bolt of ice.

  ?W-Where am I?…“ he groaned.

  However, he received no answer. An oppressive silence, further augmented by the barren cold walls around him, reigned supreme.

  Eljas continued to look for any clue in the room he found himself in - desperately hoping to find a hidden answer to these abhorrent circumstances. His gaze wandered around, while scrutinising the ceiling and the walls of the room.

  He recognised cobwebs and shocking amounts of mould, but nothing else that warranted further attention.

  ?W-what is t-this place“ he whispered.

  His mind was in disarray and he wasn’t able to rekindle his memories, as if a dense fog had settled in its place. A distracting throb at his left temple wasn’t being of any help, too.

  He gingerly raised his right hand - dreading the pain the previous movement with his other arm had caused. Though this time, thankfully, nothing happened.

  Emboldened, he manoeuvred his hand toward the source of the throbbing and found a large bump just above his left eye. He winced as his fingers brushed gently against his swollen eyelid.

  A sudden noise from somewhere near his feet jolted him back to the reality of the unknown situation he was currently in.

  The noise was getting louder and Eljas, full of dread, slowly rose his head and glanced over his rapidly rising and falling chest, looking for the source of the increasing commotion.

  He spotted it instantly and let out a terrified shout, scrambling backward as best he could.

  Two scraggy rodents, their red eyes glowing in the deepening shadows, were poised over his right foot clashing with each other. His shoes had nearly succumbed to their biting and scratching and the first signs of pink unmarred flesh was beginning to shine through the fabrics.

  This, in turn, only emboldened the two scavengers further and threw them into a frenzied state. The promise of fresh flesh in such a desolate space an invigorating incentive.

  Eljas, however, tried to get as much distance away from them as possible. His throbbing head and the flaring pain of his left arm forgotten at the moment, drowned under the rush of panicked emotion and the image of being eaten alive by rodents in his mind.

  He crawled backwards as fast as he could, heavily leaning on his uninjured right arm. The cold and wet stone wall, suddenly appearing at his back, stopped his terrified escape.

  His hastened retreat caused an undesirable effect. The rodents had momentarily stopped their vicious fight and two pairs of blood red eyes were fixed on him.

  For a brief moment everything went still, as if the world was holding its breath and waiting expectantly for what the next situation would bring.

  Eljas had his eyes glued on the two scavengers who seemed to have agreed on a temporary truce, for they were working in tandem and slowly scurrying towards his position.

  The last rays of light must have slipped beyond the confines of his prison, for the shadows had only deepened since he first laid eyes on his attackers.

  The cell - for that’s what it could only be, in his mind - was now swallowed by darkness. Only the blood-red eyes of the two approaching fiends remained, glowing in the black, a chilling reminder of the impossible nightmare he had awoken into.

  He tried to calm himself. However, it wasn’t enough, the breaths were ragged and the permanent throbbing at his temple wouldn’t allow any respite to his stressed mind.

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  Eljas fumbled around with his right hand, desperately searching for something - anything - that could help him defend himself against the onslaught that was sure to come in mere moments. But his fingernails only scratched at the clumps of mould that grew out of the gaps between the stones, finding nothing of worth.

  As if recognising his desperate attempt, the two rodents simultaneously let out an ear-piercing screech and jumped him.

  ?GAHHhh..“ Eljas screamed in fright.

  The first cat-sized rodent landed directly in front of his feet, clearly aiming for the same foot again. Eljas reacted purely on instinct—he jerked back, earning a fresh wave of excruciating pain—while lashing out with his other leg. His foot connected solidly with the creature’s midsection, sending it flying in a wide arc across the room.

  Sadly, Eljas wasn’t able to witness his mighty defence. The other rodent had been right behind the first one and had instantly taken advantage of the distraction. Man and creature found themselves face to face. Savage red eyes and frightened grey eyes staring at each other, a moment that seemed to take forever.

  The suspense was interrupted by the creature exploding forth and the young man frantically trying to bat the attacking monster away - angered screeches and high pitched, terrified screams intermingling in a cacophony of primal sounds.

  In the end, the rodent—its malevolent gaze still fixed on Eljas—finally turned away and retreated into the looming darkness, slinking off in search of its injured kin as easier prey.

  In its wake, Eljas bleeding from many scratches, was left slumped against the wall - utterly tired and terrified.

  The two states warred within him, while Eljas continued to imagine subtle movements stirring in the darkness. At one point, a chorus of screeches erupted from the far corner of the room, only to cease abruptly. What followed were occasional, muffled sounds - flesh being torn away - echoing faintly through the gloom.

  He had no way of knowing how much time had passed; there was no trace of light or stars to anchor his sense of time. The only constant was his ragged breathing, shifting in rhythm each time he thought he recognised the approach of yet another attacker.

  But the creature did not return.

  Eljas awoke from his dreamless slumber with a start - the memory of the previous day’s tribulation still seared into his mind. Though, he didn’t see any immediate danger and rested his head back against the wall. He closed his eyes and let out a resigned sign. A few moments later he reopened them warily, but nothing had changed.

  Slowly, he began checking every corner of the room and, to his immense relief, found nothing out of the ordinary.

  The ray of light had returned in full, bathing a much larger section of the floor in its glow. Eljas estimated it must be around midday. When he had regained consciousness the previous day, it must have been many hours later than it was now.

  He resumed his observation, focused for the first time on himself. He couldn’t help but notice the bedraggled state he was in, his clothes were dirty - streaks of green from the surrounding mould smeared on his sleeves and trousers. There were tears and holes - luckily they weren’t that big yet.

  Losing these clothes now, although they were in an extraordinarily pitiful condition, would be a devastating blow in his opinion. Facing those red eyed creatures naked would be a true nightmare…

  "The creatures!" he remembered, and his eyes darted around the room in a sudden, frantic search once again.

  Eerily, none were visible. The room was devoid of any living presence - except for him. Had he dreamt yesterday’s events?

  Spooked, Eljas began to stand, only to feel again his left arm protest violently against the movement. Even the slightest shift in his body - especially near his shoulder - sent waves of pain surging through him. Yet, beneath the pain, he noticed something more troubling: a creeping numbness slowly consuming the entire arm.

  He could barely feel his hand anymore.

  Once on his feet, he rested for a brief moment against the wall. The coldness somewhat relieving the throbbing pain. Luckily, his head was feeling much better. The bump on his temple a little bit less pronounced.

  ′Progress′, he thought. Though, his numb arm was steadily climbing the mental ladder of bad things currently happening to him. He had a foreboding of what had befallen him, but he dearly hoped that he was wrong. There was only one thing left to do.

  He gazed upwards, looking towards the small window, and imagined what the sky might look like at the moment.

  The view gradually blurred into an indistinct afterimage as his eyes welled up. A shuddering breath escaped his lips, and he stubbornly wiped the tears away with the hem of his shirt.

  Carefully, he began to remove his shirt, the cold air gradually raising goosebumps all over his upper body.

  The shirt slipped to the floor as the sight of his upper arm and shoulder stole his breath away. Starting from the elbow upward, his pale skin gave way to angry shades of red and purple - the worst of the discolouration concentrated around his swollen, visibly dislocated shoulder.

  He reached out gingerly, fingers brushing along the swollen area, bracing for the familiar surge of vindictive pain. But instead, he felt only a muted pressure, dull and heavy, pressing through the numbness that had taken hold.

  ?You’d think I personally offended the honour of The Five…” Eljas groaned.

  “Or rather Lady Luck” he despaired.

  He knew, of course, that the shoulder would have to be cared for at once. The longer he waited, the worse it would get. The method, however, was primitive and crude - the danger of further injury ever-present.

  Eljas knew the procedure. He had learned it only recently during his preparation for The Becoming, a rite of passage that every youth had to overcome before being recognised as an adult by society.

  However, he was still afraid. One wrong movement or overextension and the future consequences would be dire.

  He would have to get into a comfortable position, laying on his back and trying to empty his mind off any thoughts, and enter a state of meditation - the goal was to relax his muscles as much as possible.

  Eljas lay down, the cold surface of the room leaping up to meet him at once. Slowly, the cold seeped into his skin. However, this time he welcomed it. It would help him reach a state of trance, at least he hoped so.

  He closed his eyes, took deep breaths trying to centre his consciousness deep inside of him. He had done this often in the past, harbouring a deep seated wish to join the ranks of the gifted society of this world - made up of powerful mages, mighty warriors and skilful artisans.

  He lost himself in these thoughts, slowly falling ever deeper. At some point, his surroundings and all outside stimuli had faded into nothing - the muted pain and lingering numbness in his shoulder the only sensations left anchoring his consciousness.

  Eljas slowly extended his injured arm out to the side, raising the arm gently and bending the elbow so that the palm touched the top of the head. When he felt the contact, he stopped for a moment, giving it time to acclimate and focused on the feeling.

  He gently proceeded to rotate the hand behind his head, gradually moving his hand down toward the nape of the neck. The healer of his hometown had helpfully described the motion - as if trying to scratch your neck - in her teachings. He had always found it funny.

  Next, he proceeded with his hand towards the opposite shoulder. Immediately the pain flared up again and made him nearly lose his meditative state. Losing his concentration now would surely spell disaster. Alongside the pain, the pressure on his shoulder began to increase. A good sign in his opinion, as it surely meant that his nerves were still in working condition. He stopped again and took some time to relax.

  `Now or never` he thought and pushed.

  The pain spiked sharply, but it was immediately followed by a soft pop as the shoulder snapped back into place. Immediate relief flooded his mind and body, the pressure lessening at once. He opened his eyes and was shocked to be greeted by darkness.

  The second day in this desolate place had come to an end.

  The last thing he did was to reposition his upper arm next to his body and carefully fold his forearm over his belly.

  Eljas fell asleep right after that.