Awakening Of The New Emperor

POV: Recruit 79

"—up! Wake up!"

"Come on!"

The voice was pestering, consistent... loud.

"Get... UP!" Along with the raise in tone, I felt a force swing at my chest, enough to jolt my eyes wide awake.

I sat curled up in a ball, like I was freezing to death. And I was, the bitter cold was nothing but harsh against my skin, despite still being inside. The fact that I had no layers outside of my thin, ripped clothes didn't help much either.

Looking over at the individual who woke me, I was delighted to see a familiar face.

"Oswin!" I exclaimed, bringing my body upwards.

"What the hell... happened to me?" I asked, confused on how I got here. My mind raced back to the artifact, refusing to remember the events after I had touched it.

I was all too aware of them.

But I just didn't want to remember. It couldn't be real.

Until I could confirm that it was, I'll keep it a secret.

"You tell me," Oswin answered. "It seems curiosity killed the cat. After you activated that scanner, I was already in the hallway, and a giant stone slab blocked me from entering. It was infused with nexus as well, so no matter what attack I threw at it—I couldn't even make a dent."

'Interesting..' I thought.

'But that doesn't make sense, I got slammed into the wall many times. While I was more worried about the pain, the walls took heavy damage...'

'Maybe the gate was different?'

"After that, all that happened was just the constant shaking of the floor, along with the occasional muffled scream. I thought you had been ambushed," he finished explaining.

"Well, I definitely wouldn't say ambushed. I mean, I can't recall anything myself," I lied. Truth was, while I had grown to trust Oswin this past month, along with learn a lot more about him—there was this feeling I got every time I was around him. Like a giant, chained bolt locking away his presence, like it was impossible to read the guy.

"Maybe the fact that the statue isn't here anymore might point to what happened?" He asked.

Wait, that's true...

I looked over, and the statue, just as he said, was gone.

The platform was back, however just out of the corner of my eye, I was able to see to the side of it, and of course, the scanner was gone as well.

'So that did all really happen,' I thought to myself, still amazed and shocked.

"Well, I don't know about you, but after being trapped in this 'room' for however long it was, I think it's a great time to get moving again!" Oswin exclaimed, not even thinking about asking how I am physically, or even mentally.

Yet, to him, even I don't know what happened, so I guess I can't really say mentally.

But my clothes weren't ripped before...

Did he just not care?

"I suppose you're right, it'll feel good to get some fresh air anyway," I reply honestly. I was really looking forward to getting out of this humid room.

***

We had been out and moving for a few hours now.

The fresh air was truly 'refreshing' you could say, something that I had missed so much in such short of a time that I could nearly shed a tear just at the thought of it.

I could almost taste it...

"Let's take a break and have a bite, yeah?" Oswin suggested, of which I agreed immediately.

A meal sounds very delightful right about now.

We drifted off course just a touch to find a nice, spacious patch of flat ground. Oswin went out into the forest and came back dragging a hefty log, one that we were able to sit down on and use as a makeshift bench.

In the meantime, I had gotten the fire started and the meat cooking.

Just the sound of the fire crackling and popping around right before me was enough for my mouth to begin watering. The scent of roasting meat filled the air as the minutes passed, rich and intoxicating. My stomach grumbled in protest—it was unbelievable just how truly starved I was until now.

Oswin smirked as he stepped over, turning the skewers over the flame. "You look like you're about to dive into the flame," he teased.

"You know, I'm considering it," I joked around.

A few minutes went by as we kept closely examining the meat together, until Oswin was brave enough to slide one of the skewers out and take a test bite. "It's done!" He exclaimed.

"That's all I needed to hear!"

I didn't hesitate, grabbing another skewer and taking a hearty bite. The moment the juices of the cooked meat hit my tongue, I nearly melted into the rough log.

Oswin chuckled, taking a bite of his own. "Good, huh?"

I nodded, barely able to respond as I devoured the rest of it. For a while, we ate in silence, letting the warmth of the fire and the simplicity of the moment sink in, a nice contrast to the more tensed journey that we'd be facing.

A sense of peace was nice after the recent events...

Eventually, Oswin spoke. "We're finally getting close to your region," he begun. "Any idea what you're gonna do when you get back? Or where you're going to go?"

"I'm really not sure to be honest. I'll probably just find the closest base and admit myself in for questioning, as is standard protocol for ones considered 'hostages' previously. Hopefully I can return to a normal post within the week," I answer truthfully.

 "Well, whatever you do, try to live a little more."

I mulled that over, staring into the fire. 'So, home is close, eh?' I thought to myself.

Thinking back to the journey I've had, I couldn't help be grateful for the experiences I've had. Minus the bad, of course...

But there was some good.

Some light in the sea of darkness.

"Do you mind putting out the fire? It's about time to head off again" Oswin interrupted my self reflectance, food still being chewed in his mouth. "Yeah, I don't mind," I answered.

I finished eating the last bit of my portion before tossing the skewer stick into the forest, taking a few steps forward towards the fire. I crouched down, ready to smother the flames—when something inside me began to stir. A sudden... pulse.

Before I even realized what was happening, energy surged out all at once.

A deep hum filled the air as lumps of nexus energy exploded from my palm, swelling into a massive, pulsating sphere of pure energy. It cracked violently, distorting the space around it, before it suddenly imploded.

The shockwave sent me flying backward, knocking the breath from my lungs as I crashed into the dirt.

Oswin stood up immediately in response, the few crumbs of his meal that remained dropping to the floor along with his skewer. "What the hell was that?"

I could barely keep my vision. 'Oh hey, that put out the fire...'

Just as I had predicted came to pass. I succumbed to unconsciousness momentarily after.