"Haa!"
A piercing pain woke me up from my slumber.
"Ughh!" I grabbed my right arm; the pain was extremely vivid despite there being no arm.
"Hah... Damn it!" The pain eventually lessened, but didn't go away.
Looking to my right side, where my arm had once been, I felt my chest tighten slightly. Although this was a fantasy world, regrowing an arm wasn't just something I could do just because I wanted to. It took time, too much time.
My only other option was...
'I guess I gotta get a prosthetic.'
I could've tried getting a new arm, but the academy would start soon, and regrowing one would've been easier if I had started immediately after losing it, but it's already been a while since it was lost.
"Haa..." I sighed and stood up.
Scanning my surroundings, I found myself in the waterfall's cave once again, and the realisation came to me.
"I'm... alive." I was genuinely surprised.
I thought I was done for. Although I tried desperately to survive, a part of me believed that was my end, that I would end up just like Cassian in the novel.
"H-ha," I laughed, tears rolling down my face.
"HAHAHAHA! I'M ALIVE!!"
I don't know how long, but I laughed for a while, tears continuously falling.
Eventually, I stopped laughing, and my smile faded.
'How did I get here?'
I remembered leading the creature to the waterfall, but after that...
Nothing.
Just as I was trying to comprehend my situation, a figure came through the waterfall.
My face paled.
In front of me stood a creature that resembled a bear but was around twice a normal bear's size.
I recognised it as the one that chased me and Paul, also the one that marked me.
'Shit!'
The creature approached and just as I was about to act...
It dropped something from its mouth on the ground and nudged it toward me.
It was...
'A fish?'
Or at least something that looked like one.
The creature stared at me and once again nudged the fish in my direction.
"...You want me to eat?"
It nodded.
"...!" My eyes widened
"Y-you understand me?"
It nodded again.
'H-how?'
I never heard of this, even the novel never mentioned a rift creature understanding human language; they were described as creatures that can never ally with humans, and yet here was one trying to feed me.
"...Is this because I helped you?"
It nodded.
'So this is the one I rode.'
I cautiously approached the fish and grabbed it, watching the creature's movements, but... it didn't move, it simply watched me as if it was... protecting me?
I looked at the fish in my hand, which was quite grotesque, resembling a salmon, and was about the same size as one.
I felt a lump in my throat.
I really didn't want to eat it like this; I wanted to cook it.
"Can I cook this?"
The creature tilted its head as if it didn't understand the question.
"Haa..."
That day I ate raw fish.
------
Honestly, I was still scared shitless.
While I was eating, I kept my gaze fixed on the creature. I didn't know if it would attack at any moment, and the fish was meant to distract me.
It simply stared at me while I ate as if it was waiting for me to finish.
Once I finished, it began to move toward me.
'Shit!' I sprang up and prepared myself to run.
But just then.
It kneeled.
"...?"
I stared at it for a moment.
'What is it doing?'
I didn't know what it was trying to do, but I had an idea.
"Do you want me to climb on you?"
It nodded.
"..."
I saw no other choice, so...
'Oh god, I'm gonna regret this.'
I climbed on it.
It stood back up, and I almost fell as my centre of gravity changed quickly.
Gripping the creature tightly, I regained my composure, and it began to move out of the cave through the waterfall.
I still felt a vivid phantom pain in my non-existent right arm, but tried my best to ignore it.
As soon as we left, an incredibly putrid smell pierced my nostrils.
"What the!!" I covered my nose with my hand to block the smell.
Looking around, I saw the reason for the smell.
Corpses.
There were multiple corpses of creatures surrounding the waterfall, their bodies rotting. There were all kinds of creatures, ranging from bird-like ones to something that looked like an octopus on land.
Gazing down, I also noticed that it was riddled with cuts and a massive wound that showed it had fought.
"Is this your doing?" I questioned it.
It then nodded, confirming my thoughts.
'It... protected me.'
It could've left me here to die, but it protected me from the other creatures.
"...Thanks."
Bear didn't react to my thanks, but I let it go and instructed it to move. I decided to call it Bear.
"We need to go in the direction of the cave you found me originally." I almost slapped Bear's head to try to lead it, but stopped myself.
It nodded and began to move.
Surprisingly, our journey was relatively peaceful. We weren't even attacked, but that didn't mean there weren't other creatures watching.
It was just that the Bear's presence had made them stay put.
'Well, aren't you a convenient ride?' I smiled.
It was... strange, but I found myself trusting Bear despite all the betrayals of the past. This was probably the only sincere care I've received in this life since my mother died.
Funny how it came from a being from another dimension instead of another human. I laughed at the thought, but decided to stop thinking about it and just continued to lead Bear toward the cave.
It didn't take long, but we eventually reached a familiar part of the forest, and in an instant, our surroundings changed.
We found ourselves back in the cave from before.
I told Bear which direction to head, and we finally reached the exit, but it was still blocked.
That wasn't a problem anymore.
"Bear, I need you to break that rock."
Bear backed up slightly and charged at the rock.
-CRASH
The rock broke into multiple pieces as the sunlight shone through, revealing the outside world.
"Hah..." I let out a breath. "I survived."
Bear then moved out of the cave, and I can't describe how I felt leaving that hellhole. A mixture of happiness, mental exhaustion, and... excitement. After all, this was the world of a novel I read, and I would be the one to change the ending.
The slight breeze brushed against my face as my lips curled into a small smile.
"Okay, Bear, let's go," I tapped on its side, signalling it to move, but...
It didn't.
It kneeled, letting me get off.
Bear then looked at me, our eyes locking on to one another.
A weird feeling began to form in my body, my mind felt cold as if I'd gotten a brain freeze, but it didn't hurt.
It felt... comfortable.
A bright light began to envelop Bear as its figure began to fade away, but I felt something enter me.
My mind cleared, and the reason for everything just clicked as if I had known from the very beginning.
Bear had died, but sent its essence toward me.
I smiled. "Thanks... I'll use it well."
I turned around and walked to my next destination, already decided.
This was the beginning of my life's journey.
The Survivor's Requiem.