*In an unknown location.*
If one was asked: What is the most painful way someone could die, the answer would commonly be dying of suffocation through drowning. The feeling of air leaving your body and not coming back as water gushes straight into your lungs is horrifying.
Now, imagine that happening inside a violent tsunami with a pressure that could easily crush an elephant and turn them into meat paste. The pain was tens of times worse than before. That was exactly what Talon was feeling at that moment.
The crushing pressure of water was pressing on every single part of his body. His bones and muscles were getting relentlessly squashed as he was pushed around by the current as if he was a weightless leaf being carried around by wind.
'I... can't breathe...' Parting his eyes open, Talon felt his throat burning with extreme pain. He felt exhausted, his mind wasn't working properly, he tried to move his body and yet couldn't do it.
All he could do was feel the pain and it was so unbearable that he didn't even find the power to scream, groan, or do anything else.
'Damn it... Why does it always end up like this? I hate this... It's so suffocating... I don't want it... I don't want to feel this...' He thought to himself.
Even though in his head he was cursing this horrible pain, never did he think that he regretted ending up in such a deadly situation. He had done it knowing fully well what was going to happen and he was more than glad that he did.
'I hope Hyun-Jae and Sophie are ok... They might've found a place to land... Hopefully the waves didn't reach them.' He thought to himself as he looked at the darkness all around him.
His eyes were too tired to try and peer through this lightless environment. The chilling coldness engulfed his body as he continued sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss.
At that moment, he noticed a silhouette appear within his vision. The silhouette shined brightly like a beacon of hope in a dark, cold world. Her ethereal beauty was always so mesmerizing to look at even in the most horrible situations.
"A..crypha..." He moved his lips, trying to say her name, only to suck in more water.
The woman stared at him with a horrified look.
"You need to move, please! You have to get out!" She said in a begging tone as she stretched her hand to hold him, only to pull it away the moment she did due to the extreme pain coming from her soul.
Just the thought of helping him damaged her soul and made her cough blood. Yet, she still kept trying.
"No! Noo!! I need to get him out!" As she fought the horrible burning sensation coming from her very core, Talon was having a completely different thought.
'How am I going to get out of this problem? I can't even move my finger... Am I really going to die here? That would be so anticlimactic. It's actually funny. I mean, I was able to survive so many things and yet I would end up dying alone in a cold, wet pit.
If I do, I won't be able to fulfill Acrypha's promise... I don't want to leave her alone in this world... I can't do that yet...' He thought to himself with a scoff.
He was really finding it funny that things might very much end here. After all the near-death situations that he came across and the miraculous ways he survived all of them as if death didn't recognize him as a target, it made him question whether he was really going to die ever.
Perhaps this was the end of his lucky trip.
[Ding!]
[Does the host want to open the first gate?]
Squinting, he slowly rose up and moved his hair back with a shocked look on his face. Looking around him, he blinked confusedly.
"Where the hell am I?" He murmured in a quiet tone.
Around him, he saw what he could only describe as a dessert. Endless yellow dunes of sand stretched as far as the eye could see, not even a drop of water could be found. The second detail Talon noticed was the sky itself.
There was no trace of the core gate. All he could see were two shiny suns floating in the air. One is more inclined to the east and one for the west.
"... I really went to another world..." He spoke in disbelief.
Even though he was already expecting that he was going to do it... Never did he thought it would happen so quickly and so suddenly. It wasn't a part of his plans to go this early. Yet, here he was, far away from home.
"Talon!"
At that moment, he heard a familiar voice calling for him. Turning around, he was met with a soft sensation hitting his face before he fell to the ground again. A pair of boobs wrapped around his head. Talon struggled for a second before he pulled his head out and looked at Acrypha with a wide smile.
"Acrypha! I didn't know you came too!"
He couldn't be any more happy to see the otherworldly beauty here. He thought that he left her behind on earth.
"You little rascal! You almost gave me a heart attack right there!" The girl said as she gave him a light tap on the head with an angry look. However, her happy smile made it look very fake. She was clearly glad that Talon was fine.
"I'm sorry, haha. I really thought I was screwed right there."
'Well, I would have been very dead if I didn't enter the gate.' Talon thought to himself with a smile.
"... Sigh, what can I even do with you?" Sighing tiredly, Acrypha hugged Talon again as she closed her eyes. "Did you even think what could've happened if you didn't have the gate ready to open?"
"... Well..."
"I thought so. You followed your heart, didn't you? Saving that girl from death." She said with a knowing look on her face.
"... I couldn't think twice about it. My body moved on its own at the time. I couldn't leave Hyun-Jae to die even if it meant that I was going to die instead."
"..."
"I'm really sorry for doing that but even if I go back, I would still do it again without hesitation." Staring into Acrypha's eyes with a dead serious look that didn't leave any room for questions.
Acrypha blinked silently before she shook her head. "I already expected that response. That's you after all. It's not that hard to predict." She smiled wryly before she lifted herself up and put her hand on Talon's face. "I'm just glad that you're alive, that's what matters."
Talon felt the warmth of Acrypha's hands and closed his eyes for a moment. "Mm, thank you."
A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don't forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!