I was sent flying inside the cave with great force. The scenery around me scrolled rapidly as my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness.
Finally, I slammed onto the ground with a huge thud and rolled over a few meters, before hitting a wall.
That hurt like hell. My head spun and my vision was blurry. I wouldn't be surprised to have a few broken ribs and twisted joints. Still, I got up and made my way forward, heading for the hidden airship.
I vividly remembered the seriousness in David's voice, his arm that was blown off, and all the blood that was splattered on the ground.
Fear crept in inside me. 'What if he dies..?' I thought, unable to shake off this feeling of helplessness.
Nonetheless, he had told me to leave. What sort of moron would I be if I didn't follow his advice? Wasting his noble sacrifice in the process?
So I ran. Even if my muscles screamed to stop, I endured. Even if my consciousness seemed to be slipping away, I persisted.
Soon, I heard another thunderous boom that nearly broke my eardrums and shook the mountain, I stumbled, almost falling, but I quickly regained my balance.
It almost felt like I had run for two days straight, however, soon enough, I finally recognized the figure of a familiar ship. A majestic shape with a pure white color, giving off a peaceful sense of security.
Forthwith, I crossed in one breath the few remaining meters that separated me and the vessel, promptly boarding it.
Then I immediately collapsed just as I had entered, my body no longer capable of holding itself. Only a minute after, Isaac had arrived with eyes full of worry, and inquired hurriedly.
"Where is David— what happened?"
Panting, I tried my best to get the words out of my mouth, "We were... attacked..." I gasped, each syllable I said made my lungs feel like they were burning, but I had to finish what I had to say. "He lost... an arm, and is fending off the enemy..."
I said those words almost like a long exhale. I did not even comprehend what I was saying nor what had happened. What enemy was I talking about? Did he really lose an arm? Maybe it was just my imagination.
Isaac however, listened silently, his complexion paling by the second.
"Did he say something before you left..?"
He asked with a hushed voice, as if afraid to receive an answer he didn't want.
I left the question hanging for a few seconds, before finally making out my phrase...
"He told me... to leave with you."
His eyes widened upon hearing my words, then his face suddenly turned grave. Perhaps he knew what David's words implied and had already made a decision...
"Then we are leaving." He said with finality.
"But what about David?" I asked in a low voice. Inside me I knew that we couldn't afford to wait longer with possible threats looming over us. However, I still felt like I had to ask.
But Isaac's final words made me feel cold, as if I had lost the warmth of a family member, my complexion crumbling.
"If he lives, then we'll meet him at our headquarters, however if he doesn't show up even after a month..." He paused... and looked away. Thereafter, he turned around and walked, probably headed toward the Operations center.
And I just stayed on the ground, dazed.
Only one last thought of him ultimately dying lingered in my mind... until I blacked out, overrun by muscle pain and exhaustion.
***
A gray-haired young man silently walked amid an endless sea of green. He slowly made his way throughout the forest, each step taking him further away from the canyon that had brought death and despair to people.
His fair skin and clothes were dirty from dirt and dust as well as red blood that had dried after a long time.
He had crossed trees and grass, bypassed beasts and carnivorous plants, avoiding dangers as easily as jumping over a fence.
His clear blue eyes carefully scanned the surroundings before advancing his foot forward.
After an entire day of hiking, Louis had successfully made it out of the Pyhrmas mountain range.
Now free of any constraints, he decided to travel the world and uncover every single secret, in order to find a way to go back to his home, Earth. He had a loving family waiting for him to come back, therefore he couldn't simply enjoy his life here passively waiting for something to drop from the sky.
Thus he took out a map of the region from his spatial subspace to check the location of the nearest human settlement. Although he did not have a single map of the Pyhrmas mountain range, he did have some of the rest of world, including his current location.
Therefore, the one he took out depicted the entirety of the humongous piece of land, The Cyrisse continent. According to Louis' calculations it was a bit smaller than Earth's entirety of America but with a shape more similar to that of Eurasia. He was currently in the Republic of Minova, the northernmost place of the continent just below the Pyhrmas mountain range.
The city closest to Louis' current location was Verkhoïansk. A small town located on the outskirts of the Republic, and with very few trade routes passing across it as it wasn't a suitable area for commerce.
Nonetheless, this small town was now Louis' destination, so having made up his mind, he calmly marched toward the south, not urged by any concerns and worries in this world.
Then suddenly, just as he was about to take his first step, the sound of engines reached his ears along with the whistling of wind. The sound gradually grew louder and louder, forcing Louis to look up, toward the sound.
The sight that greeted his eyes was one of wonder, especially so for someone who came from Earth and did not know much of advanced technologies except in movies.
High up in the sky, an enormous airship flew among the birds under the sun, its pure white almost blending in with the surrounding clouds. It rapidly passed by, fading in the horizon, only letting the onlookers marvel at its might.
Just like Louis, the vessel was headed south. 'Perhaps I could encounter other huge ships like this one, and maybe even board one! And maybe it could bring me back to Earth by space travel...' Those fantasies lingered longly in his mind, but he soon refocused and resumed his march.
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[A/N]
Now I'm sure you noticed Louis' PoV was external. I know I'm insisting a lot on this but I like this feature of my story so I would appreciate it if you readers could also discern the little good that it brings to it… and if you don't like it then just tell me and I won't do any more of this.
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