Escape From The Darkness

I couldn't see anything to grab onto and I was falling fast. It was only a matter of time before I hit the ground. All I could do was close my eyes and shield myself with my arms to minimize the damage.

As the sunlight above faded, I got closer and closer to the darkness below. The crevice was deeper than I thought and hitting the ground from such a height could be fatal. I could no longer see Wedan trying to save me. I closed my eyes and braced for impact.

When I opened my eyes again, I had somehow landed safely on the ground. I turned my head and saw Wedan shielding me with his arms. He was as cold as his personality and smoke came out of my mouth even when I was next to him. Wedan looked at me and said, "I didn't expect that. Are you all right?"

I stood up immediately and replied, "I'm fine, but what about the elite soldier attacking…"

Wedan interrupted me as he stood up slowly, "Don't worry, indoor fighting isn't his thing. I don't think he'll land here, but reinforcements will arrive soon."

Curious, I asked him, "You seem to know him very well."

"We used to work together," Wedan replied. "He's the second elite soldier. He's one of Furon's favourite soldiers."

"You're an elite soldier too?" I said.

"If I was an elite soldier, he wouldn't attack his own teammate," Wedan replied.

His words made sense, but I wanted to know why he had come to my rescue. "So why did you save me? What changed your mind?"

"I didn't change my mind," Wedan said. "I just couldn't let someone as beautiful as you die. That's all."

"I don't know what to say," I replied.

"Should we leave before the reinforcements arrive?" Wedan asked.

"It's dangerous up there," I said. "Reinforcements could arrive at any moment and it's too dark to see in this area."

"I saw a ledge on the left side of the crevice as we were falling," Wedan said. "If we can reach it, it will take us to another area."

As Wedan headed in the direction he had pointed out, I called after him, "Wedan, thank you for saving me."

"Don't mention it," he replied.

As he left the battlefield, the coldness he exuded seemed to subside, and his personality may have been much different than I thought.

As Wedan started walking, I followed him. The further we went, the darker it became and it was harder to see. But somehow, Wedan confidently continued in the direction we were going. He knew I was behind him and called out to me to make sure I didn't get lost or left behind in the darkness. I could follow the sound of his footsteps, but his voice made it easier.

"Mila, follow me. We're almost there," he said.

"I'm right behind you," I replied.

I wanted to ask Wedan some questions, but we needed to focus on getting out of there first. So I concentrated on following him until we saw light again. The humidity was so high that I no longer felt Wedan's coldness. Despite being in a deep crevice, it was surprisingly quiet.

There was no sign of the elite soldier or anyone else. It was just Wedan and me in the large crevice. After a short walk, Wedan stopped and I didn't hear anything. I kept walking until I bumped into him and asked, "Wedan, why did you stop?"

After a brief silence, he replied, "If we go through these stones, we'll get out of the crevice."

We didn't know where we were going or what we would encounter. The only thing we knew was that there was no other way out. We had to pass between the rocks and reach the other side.

In the darkness, it wasn't difficult to find the entrance because it was in the wall. Before entering, Wedan spoke to me in a sarcastic tone. "Please, ladies first."

I knew he was mocking me, but I wasn't afraid to go first. "Are you always so polite?" I asked.

The stones in front and behind me restricted my movements, but I managed to move slowly to the right. After a few steps, we made it out of the narrow area and out of the crevice. But we didn't know where we were. It was dark, but this time the darkness didn't last long. By chance, Wedan stepped on a torch and we managed to light it.

Now we could see our surroundings again, but the view was not ordinary.

As the flame of the torch illuminated our surroundings, we realized that we were in an abandoned mine. The air was fresher here than in the crevice and I could feel a slight breeze from above, indicating that we were not far from the surface.

Ahead of us were several paths, each leading in a different direction. Wooden supports held the paths in place and there were rails and small wagons scattered around. One path led to another.

We didn't know where to go or what to do. Wedan seemed to be seeing this place for the first time. Even though he didn't say anything, I could see the surprise in his eyes.

The real problem was figuring out which path would lead us out. While Wedan was lost in thought, I didn't disturb him and started looking around for clues. But there were none, except for the pitch darkness ahead and the strange odor in the air.

We couldn't stay here for long. I wanted to talk to Wedan to find a solution, but he was busy examining the rails and looking for a way out. He didn't seem like a thinker from the outside, but we needed to use our wits to escape. The breeze was unpredictable, making it difficult for me to follow the wind.

I couldn't feel the breeze, but strangely I could notice that the scent was changing direction, as if it was coming from something in motion.