My steps into the labyrinth were heavy. I still wondered if I would continue or not. By the time I turned around, I felt like the guard would pull out his gun and fire at me. So I slowly entered the maze, and I was almost stunned as the place grew darker. I feel like I’m somewhere else. I feel like I’m not in the palace anymore. I feel like I’m not alone in using the ability I have. Now I totally realize I’m not the only one with a unique ability in this kingdom. And I'd like to think that all of this is not true! I want to think that this is just a dream, but this isn't!
This is real!
I'm in deep trouble. I've entered a place I don't know where in the world it's located. The surroundings are dark; the bushes and stems of dancing trees are thick. The trees are not just ordinary; they're very large and the leaves are thick.
I heard a thundering roar. I was taken aback. I can't be wrong; that sounds like a fierce lion! On my left are wild beasts on the ground, I could totally feel it. Good thing I have this kind of ability, because if I happened to enter a place like this without any specialties, I'd be doomed.
Then suddenly, I heard a long hiss reverberated in the area. I turned to my right, it was the sound of a big snake. I can't be wrong, it's not just a snake! It's bigger than the ordinary snake! I looked straight in front of me, to whatever there was I had to face. I knew I was surrounded by wild and ferocious creatures, and this was not the time to be swallowed up by fear.
"Oh shit!" I shouted when I heard someone shoot behind me. I don’t understand if it was the guard outside or just someone else besides me in this wilds! I ran straight in front of me! The sound of leaves has recently been replaced by the sound of animals.
"You won't survive! You can never get out of here!" Yelled someone outside which triggered me. He's implying I'm weak and that I will not get out of here anymore, but I am just about to prove him wrong. I can get out of here. And I can't to survive to punch that guard's face.
"I will get out of this fucking illusion!" I yelled in frustration.
When I said that, the surroundings seemed to stop. It was silent for a moment, seemingly shocked at what I said. Does the forest listen to people with abilities? Did I hit the bullseye? That I'm in an illusion and I just escaped since my realization? Am going to be all right now? But I seemed to be mistaken; from the silence of the forest, a large and fierce lion appeared before me! It looked at me furiously, as if it wanted to eat me.
"You're not real!" I weakly said as I backed away, then I picked up a rock and simply hit the lion. "Oh shit!" It was cheap for me to realize the lion in front of me was real. If I don't run at this time, I would die!
I need to run
So I freaking ran!
I was running fast, but the lion was also running fast keeping up with my pace. During my run, the lion also ran to chase me as if it had been waiting for my attempt. But my senses are so sharp, my senses are incredibly awake, and it’s time to use them. I didn't close my eyes anymore. I felt the color of my eyes change. I knew at that time that my sharper sight and hearing had come to life, because I could finally hear the surroundings better and see the bigger picture.
The lion roared in anger while chasing me. I saw a tree. It was high, but I could climb it. This was not what I had done before in District 1. Life on the streets was hard, so I had to be more courageous. Fortunately, I ran up the tree, and I was just so out of breath after the lion beat me, but it didn't reached me at all. It tried several times to reach me by jumping, biting and waiting for me to go down, but it did not succeed. Just when I thought could finally breathe, I was totally mistaken once again. Because I heard the sound of a big snake behind me.
"Oh no!" I shrieked as soon as I turned around, the snake opened its mouth to swallow me. I immediately jumped to the other branch and clung to a few more branches of the tree to move. I don’t care if I look like a monkey anymore; I have to find a rock to get stuck on. "Aarrrgghhh!" I shouted when the branch I was holding was cut off, and I fell on the big rock. I cried in pain when my bleeding knee that was hit earlier received the impact.
Fudge! Curse this place! I was overwhelmed by the pain, I could feel the pain to my core. I felt the pain spread all over my body that I was ready to cripple at any moment. Another roar filled the area again. I was breathing too fast at that time, if I get swallowed by the pain I would be completely defeated. I can't die yet.
"Breath. Just breath. Just breath..." I said to myself as I struggled with the pain and stood up to face the lion in front of me.
My eyesight and hearing are impaired. It is not possible! The pain engulfed my body and affected my ability. It couldn’t be! No, this can't be! I need to live, and I'm triggered with the fact that my abilities are not working well when I needed it the most. With the whip courage I had, I bit my lips and decided. I'm going to fight this shit! I closed my eyes and sighed. I gathered the strength I still had and slowly looked up. As I opened up, my ability actively participated with me.
Now, braver, stronger, and sharper. Because I can now also feel the surroundings even if it's meters away from me. I can feel everything around me within my diameter. I can feel the action of various creatures around me. And I was not wrong. I am not alone. Someone else is around. I was totally not alone at all. They all stopped what they were doing and looked in my direction, the people who were there before me. I don’t know if they see me like I see them or if they just feel me. But they are all looking in my direction.
I stared. My sight shifted as I got distracted by the creature in front of me. I can’t see now the vision in my mind earlier. What I see now is the lion raging at me. I'm inside a labyrinth. I just have to think that this large maze is like the garden I have cut before. I just have to cut this creature in front of me. I just thought that I was cutting Madam Imelda's Garden again where I worked in District 1, with leaves falling and branches being cut off. I picked up the branch I had cut when I fell from the big tree and pointed it at the lion's eye in front of me.
I just need to hit the bullseye.
"One..." I counted in my mind. I waited for the lion to come at me and our vision to level properly so that I could measure the distance of my target. "Two..." The lion jumped, raised itself, and prepared its mouth to eat me, but I wasn't shaken. I also positioned myself and prepared. "Three..." The lion's mouth opened and jumped towards me. Using my ability, I watched the lion's movements closely. I would strike it with the branch I was holding. Whether I succeed or not—whatever, I know I will succeed.
It's faster compared to its ordinary speed. I know it's angry, so it has doubled its speed.
The lion jumped.
I raised my hands.
Everything moved in slow motion.
The lion's head was level with the height of my hand. I swayed to its opposite side, and with all my strength, I struck the branch I was holding onto the lion. Its blood splattered on my face. After I pierced it, I immediately took the branch from its burial and again pierced it into the heart of the lion.
I drowned in my seat. I was like a piece of cloth blown away by the wind, and I flew away because the lion went against me even after being struck. At the same time as I fell on the bloody lawn and my body weakened, the lion fell in front of me restless and barely breathing. I freaking hit the bullseye!
Didn't I?
I don't miss a hit. That’s what Marcus tells me every time we play on the lawn with Laura. I always win when we play darts with our small thin arrows. We have a big circle, and I always hit the target. But that was when we were still young. Time passed; those moments never happened again. We started prioritizing our personal obligations to our family.
The memory faded and what appeared before my eyes was the result of my action. The lion fell in front of me. It was still breathing, but it seemed to have lost the strength to rush me again. I did it! I freaking hit the bullseye! Didn't I? I looked at the lion. It had fallen and its chest was bloody. I wanted to breathe properly now, but I couldn’t, because I knew my suffering had just began.
The lion is still breathing. I am not that kind of person to take a life. Even though I wanted to stab the lion repeatedly to make sure no one would ever follow me in the wilds again, my conscience swallowed me up. I can't take a life, whether human or animal. So I got up and stomped away, leaving the lion behind. I didn't kill the lion, but I knew it wouldn't bother me again.
I also feel like my eyes have returned to their original color because I am no longer using my ability. I have not been able to control my ability properly, so I still have difficulty using it. I rolled my eyes and looked for an exit, but I saw nothing. I still need to find a precious stone to get out. I tried to feel the presences of the people I had felt earlier, but I couldn’t envisioned them anymore. I can’t use my ability anymore. I don’t know if it has a limit or I just can’t really use it properly at this time.
I just need to find a stone! This is their battle area. I know this is where the group who are to look for the stones train, and I can say that this place is very dangerous. If they've been training here and looking for the stones, where else is there to look for stones when they could've found it all?
My knees started to hurt, so I sat on a rock for a while and rested.
"You can't get out of there alive! You've just had an easy trial. You can't survive the next ones! "
I looked at the source of the voice. It’s from the sky. I know they see what I’m doing. I knew at this time it was like they were watching a movie. I knew they were waiting for my next misery, and I knew it with that naughty guard. Once I get out of here, I'm gonna punch that freaking sentry's face.
"You're the one who won't live when I get out of here!" I shouted and looked at the sky menacingly. I knew it wasn’t the real heaven; I was in a place that I thought was an illusion. All my life, I never thought this would happen to me, and even more so, I never thought there was such a place in Eufrata. The voice didn't speak again; it just seemed to be waiting for what I would do next.
"Wait for me to get out. Let's see if I could still spare you!" I boldly threatened, then stood up and walked away.
I need to find a stone so I began searching. A precious stone. I didn’t use my search ability; I manually looked at every stone I passed. Glowing. They said it looks different from any other rocks or stones. And suddenly, a stone with a different color appeared before my eyes. You would really notice it immediately because of its difference compared to other stones.
I can't be wrong! I found one! Its color is red, and it is more beautiful than the other rocks. It's not just a stone, it's a precious stone. I walked twice to the location of the piece. It is hidden under a thick and stinging stinging plant.
Just when I was about to get it, I heard a long hiss. I recoiled when a large red-eyed snake greeted me before I reached the location of the gem. I closed my eyes tightly when I realize I have nothing to hold on to or anything defensive. A long hiss echoed again. Slowly, the snake approached me, its eyes strange, seemingly hypnotizing. I couldn’t help myself but whimper in fear. I seemed to be drowning in its beauty;
Beauty... beautiful eyes, those mesmerizing eyes are indeed astonishing. Suddenly, everything seemed to be hazy.
"Veluriya..." I started hearing familiar voices out of nowhere, "Verulia!"
Am I high? Why am I back on my district? But this time, it's totally different. The people on the streets already had their own houses. Their faces are lively with their own families.
"Veluriya!" A voice called.
My forehead furrowed because the place changed. What the heck? Did I hit on something— I don't do drugs but why do I feel so high? What was I doing at this time? This happened a long time ago. Why am I here? Marcus, my friend is right before my eyes.
"Marcus? What are you doing here? "
Astonishment spread across his face at my actions.
"We're going to play Laura's bow and arrow! Come on!" He gladly said, "Come on, we'll beat you!" he added, and the young Marcus pulled me towards the waiting young Laura.
What the fuck is happening? Why do they look like children to me? Did I turn into a kid as well? Oh my gosh!
"We'll beat you!" An excited young Laura said as I turned my head.
Then I realized that the time I was standing in was when we were still in the district. The street people still had their own houses before we were evicted. Laura, Marcus, and I are still free to play; we are still free to be with each other. There is no developing feeling that is strange, only friendship.
"Let's just stay here," said young Marcus as he stared at me. I didn't know what to answer.
"Here we really are!" grinned young Laura.
"Don't go with them, Veluriya! You're just here! "
I stopped whatever I'm doing, Marcus is suddenly crying. He's begging me not to leave them, but where am I going? I'm not leaving. What the hell? Now my head is throbbing badly.
"You just got here, we'll always be together..."
No, what is he saying? Their cheerful faces turned into lamenting reactions, they began to cry, which made my head hurt even more. My headache— I can't take it anymore. I'm confused! It's my first time encountering this kind of nonfeasance!
"No! You're not real! You are not real! " I shouted, their weeping faces replaced by shock. Shit, the headache! It's like my head is being torn apart by the pain.
"Veluriya, what are you saying?"
"You're not real! Stop calling me Veluriya, that's not my name!" I yelled. Everything around us began to disappear. It's like smoke disappearing.
"Verulia!"
I backed away, "NO! It's not my name! GO AWAY! It's not my name! You're not real! GO AWAY! STAY AWAY FROM ME! "
The tears that I had just held back were finally falling. I’m starting to accept that everything is just an illusion, and by that time, I’m already losing.
"You are not real. You left me, I am already a prisoner of the Palace! You are not real, it is not true..." I cried.
I'm losing.
The battle began when the snake's eyes and mine met. I've been hypnotized. I could feel myself rising from the ground. I am no longer on the surface. The snake has gripped me, I was hypnotized and I am in peril.