I extend my senses and notice it is a person.
Seeing that, a surprise appeared on my face. Not because it was a person—I already expected it given their soul sense, which I had sensed the first time—but because the person was familiar.
It is a Prime from the village.
I had exchanged a few words with him a couple of times in the village.
He is coming toward my direction, moving cautiously in stealth. I want to move away. Instead, I spread my soul sense far and wide.
A few seconds later, there was relief in my eyes, but I remained cautious as he came closer.
Two and a half minutes passed, and he finally sensed me. A few seconds later, he increases his speed. Soon, I changed my posture and brought caution to my eyes.
It is a matter of caution. He might be from the village, but that doesn’t mean I will trust him blindly.
Still, I trust it a little; it is the reason I am still standing where I am.
A few minutes later, the man landed in front of me. "Prime Arys," he greeted. "Prime Wolfden," I replied.
He is a man who looks to be in his mid-thirties. He is green-skinned, with purple hair and eyes, and a long tail with a feathery tip.
The man is an Early Prime, one of the few who have levelled up to Prime from Sovereign.
He is also one of the oldest in here. He had been here for millennia.
"Everybody in the village is worried about you. You were supposed to return in a week," he said, his voice turning serious.
"My apologies, Prime Wolfden; I got injured and had to rest for a few days."
"Since I was close, I decided I might finish what I had come here to do," I replied, looking at the various devices I had placed around the rift. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ N0velFire.ɴet
Seeing that, the man smiled.
"You didn’t waste any time at all. Most who come try to find a way to leave as soon as possible, but even they spend some time taking in the reason, before starting the escape business." He said, looking at the devices.
"There are a lot of things for me to do; I have to return home. I cannot spend decades, much less centuries and millennia here," I replied, and the smile on the man’s face disappeared.
"Home, family. It had been such a long time that even I remember them like yesterday; I did not feel the same longing as I used to."
"Though I want to get out of this place, and like I did with everyone before you, who tried to find a way out of this realm. I will place my faith in you, too."
"I hope, you will find a success, where rest failed and get us out of damn prison," he stated, with hope appearing in his eyes.
The hope is different; it is aged and withered, but it is still burning brightly.
I don’t know if I would have been able to keep the hope in my heart. If I had been in the realm as long as the man.
The millennia are a long time; I would go mad if I stayed in a place for so long.
For a few minutes, nobody spoke before the man opened his mouth.
"Thank you, Prime Wolfden," I thanked.
"Take care, Prime Arys; I will see you back in the village," wished the man and flew away before I could reply.
I looked at the flying away for a few seconds before turning to the screen in front of me.
I am gathering data fast; I will be finished in a few minutes. My tools are quite good, and I have already calibrated them to get the type of data I need.
I studied what my tools were gathering while my soul sensed waves around.
There are monsters, but stealth is keeping me hidden, and the monsters didn’t seem to be interested in tools that didn’t have the pulse of the living, which made things much easier.
"Getting out of this place would be one of the greatest challenges I would ever face," I said after a few minutes as I analysed the data with my clone.
That doesn’t mean I will not.
I have knowledge and advantages that others don’t. I will try my best to get out of this realm, and I will not stop until I achieve it.
Because staying isn’t an option.
I miss my family. I don’t know how they are; whether they are alive or in harm.
I am worried especially about Marina and my child. I don’t know whether she had given a bird; is my child a girl or a boy?
These questions keep me awake all night, and if I get trapped in this place, these questions will kill me.
So, I have to get out. No matter what I have to do.
A few minutes passed, and I was looking at the graph when my soul sensed something: energies.
People’s energies. There are two of them. They are faint, but I can tell without a doubt that they belong to people, and one of them is familiar.
I thought for a moment before flying away. Leaving my tools there.
Nothing will happen to them, even if something does. I have others, and besides, I have collected most of the data and collected the returns.
Though it wouldn’t come to that, as I had nothing to happen to the tools.
A minute passed, and then another. My expression turned serious.
"It is a battle," I said to myself, and I also recognised the other person from the sample I had got. That person is very dangerous.
I thought about stopping, but a moment later. Flew away faster.
I did it until I reached the edge of their soul sense and slowed down. I don’t want to be discovered, not yet, not by that man or the monsters watching.
A lot of monsters have gathered. Some are powerful enough that I wouldn’t want to engage with them.