Chapter 23 End Of The Countdown

[Time remaining]

[00:00:46:54]

It was just like yesterday when the countdown was seven days. Just like yesterday he got stabbed and had to live his whole week denying the fact that he was wallowing in the pain of betrayal.

His dream apartment?

He hadn't even had the time to take proper measures, not with the second trial coming so fast. At least he has been eating to his content, sometimes using the motel's services and sometimes going to a restaurant whenever he feels like clearing his head.

He did try expensive meals the first two days, but he found himself losing his appetite afterward. Every time he ate and he is reminded of the countdown, the food suddenly becomes bitter.

Like that he couldn't just lay around, he had to think–think of how to survive in that dark world.

But nothing worked. His lack of license prevented him from getting equipment from any shop, although using his familiarization with Eleanor's shop he could have been able to buy one at least but he contemplated till he finally decided not to go. That place had Mael written all over it and he just didn't want to face the bastard again‐ -even though he wasn't sure Mael would still be there, he didn't want to take the chance.

He looked out of the window.

The red light that seeped out of the horizon due to the surfacing of the twilight reddened a part of his small room while the thick darkness unlike other nights radiated every other corner.

There was no one to say goodbye to, no one to talk to, no one that will be expecting his return.

All he could do was look into the red sky as seconds blew into minutes and minutes into seconds...

[00:00:00:04]

[00:00:00:03]

[00:00:00:02]

[00:00:00:01]

[00:00:00:00]

[Alert]

[The abyss draws you in]

[You will be transported to the abyss]

'Huh? I'm not even asleep though?'

Raith was baffled, he thought the abyss was something that would happen when he sleeps, so he had made sure to sleep so much that he didn't feel sleepy the entire night of this horror that was coming.

He saw his lower body, starting from his legs, fade into the darkness, and like smoke, the rest of his body followed through.

'Damn! What will I call this'

He thought as he was met by a massive black gate with an eerie and weird structure, one he could not find meaning for but felt somewhat familiar.

Three heads with different horn structures were sculpted on the black gate, and in a position of a spiral with the horns intertwining.

Raith belatedly looked down and saw no solid surface, instantly realizing he was floating in a plane of darkness that flowed like clouds, the gate that stared into his soul was the only solid structure that could be seen no matter how far and wide he looked, it was just the darkness.

'Where is this?'

Like he would always watch in movies, he imagined the space as a mass of water and swam further.

It worked.

He slowly swam towards the gate the closer he got to it, the bigger he got in front of him and as he touched the gate he realized he was shrouded in the entire structure of the gate the whole time.

He lifted his head and couldn't see the high end of the gate, it was the same for the bottom end, the left end, and the right end. And behind him was sparkling light like a star, it was a new change to the place but his instincts felt safer closer to the door than to the star.

Staring at it suddenly made him feel naked and defenseless.

These were symbols he couldn't understand but maybe this is the real. way of entering the abyss, he thought to himself and wondered why he didn't enter the right way the first time.

Applying a little push force to the gate in front of him‐ -before he could tell it coming, he was warped into the gate that slowly creaked open and the mass completely disappeared.

***

Meanwhile.

"Oiioioiii!! Leane did you feel that!"

"Feel what?"

A pointed-ear female with white hair decorated by flower lilies and with a white and overflowing gown asked as she climbed down the ladder of the towering shelves to meet the brown-haired man with a hollow face who had spoken to her first.

"This is not a joking matter we must–

"Shush"

With her fingers on her small round lips, he came to an abrupt pause.

"We can't disturb the archons because of some trivial matters. Felfhiem is a place of horror and disaster... even if he does enter, he won't be able to survive, we sealed his dust remember? He is powerless regardless of how much he tries."

"Still we should..."

The man hesitated as she turned to him with an emotionless face.

"I apologize."

He dropped his shoulders and bowed his head.

"As the Pontifex of Alachra, it is my duty as bestowed on me by her lady to manage matters regarding Fel. The dust choosing him was a mistake. I pity him for his life would be filled with so much suffering, he will try and try yet he won't be able to move a step forward... because he is bound to the essence of failure and is just a pawn of it."

Tears rolled down the lady's white cheek as she spoke and cleaned her tears dry afterward.

"Leane..."

The man's eyes were filled with dread, as he had just seen the greatest display of wickedness.

'How can she destroy a young man's life like that and still cry for him'

His shoulders shivered as he thought about the unreasonable and crazy stunt Laene had pulled seven years ago, the day Raith was supposed to be selected as a hero.

***

This was not the abyss Raith knew and it was confusing.

[Welcome to Felfhiem]

"Un?"