As I rolled down the cliff like a rock pushed off the edge, I finally realized what I needed to do—I accepted it and chose to fall.
I didn't move at all.
My body was smashed, battered, and broken. I closed my eyes, blood trickling from their corners, gritting what teeth I had left as I surrendered completely.
This place wouldn't harm my physical body. The first time I was here, I woke up from it without suffering from anything at all.
It never had anything to do with my real body. It was truly all an illusion.
I couldn't even begin to gather my thoughts, but I finally felt my consciousness fade away. I didn't even try to hold back, in fact all I wanted was to die.
There was a certain part of me that wished this wasn't an illusion. I just wanted it all to end.
Now, my eyes refused to stay open. My skull throbbed and my body broke.
I couldn't even budge. Not even slightly. It felt like my face was being held and dragged and my body being crushed and smashed.
Accepting this outcome, my vision finally went dark. Before it completely went out, I looked at the distant foggy land and trees once more.
I was fascinated by the beauty in front of me.
But, I was already dead.
My corpse must have been crushed, leaving nothing but grizzly meat.
I heard a slight noise before sensation returned to my body, after I had lost all awareness, and my senses came back to me.
I opened my eyes very slowly, as my mind was barely able to even think.
In front of me were Ros and Lara. They looked at me as if I was a living corpse.
Ros stepped closer to me, Lara standing just behind him keeping her wheat colored eyes locked onto mine.
"Are you alright?" Ros asked, stepping closer with a concerned look.
My mind was numb, yet a smile found its way through.
As I slightly smiled, tears started overflowing.
I began crying like a newborn child. I knew it was pathetic, but the sight of another human that even cared for me made my emotions explode.
I barely made any noise while crying. I just let my tears come out as my breath grew shaky and my body trembled.
I couldn't hold it back, even if I tried, I wouldn't be able to.
Memories flashed in my head, before I even came to this world. I was bullied. I was hurt and abandoned by my only family. I had no one to lean on, no one to help me figure it all out! I even lost my only friends that cared for me, as well.
And it was even worse when I'd gotten to this world. Why was I always the one who had to suffer?
Ros opened his arms widely before coming even closer and closing them on me as I was still sitting on the ground, crying my eyes out.
I kept sniffing and crying as more and more memories—including the battle with the Hollow— flooded onto me.
Lara watched closely from behind, with a sympathetic expression on her face.
***
Time passed, and I was slowly able to hold myself back from embarrassing myself any further.
The barrier stood still in a circular shape, emitting a faint green light. One look at it and I already knew it was powerful to withstand many types of blows.
Lara had her back leaned on the barrier, hugging her knees as she was sitting with her head tilted on one side.
Ros was also sitting down, grabbing hold of his staff as his head was locked on the ground.
Silence hung in the air, there was zero noise. It felt like there was nobody at all.
Then, the slight sound of clothes broke the silence. I looked and it was Ros, his eyes were directed at me, and he held an expression that basically meant worry.
"Sorry for that. I wasn't feeling right." I reassured.
"You don't have to apologize, but what even happened? That wasn't like you." Ros asked.
I frowned as I turned my head down, considering whether I should tell them or not.
"We won't make it out of here unless you start working with us." Lara finally spoke, after a long time of silence. She was looking away from me.
Her words weighed heavily on me. She seemed to be growing tired of this gloomy and dark place too.
If I couldn't do this, how could I say we're in the same party?
Letting out a sigh before lifting my head up again, I held eye contact as I decided to tell them. Lara looked at me as I was about to start explaining.
I explained everything thoroughly, as a rough expression overtook my face.
I told them all of it with an excruciating amount of details, to make them know just how real it all felt, and the mental toll it left on me.
They stayed bitterly silent as I explained everything, from what happened in the snowy field to the cliff illusion.
They shared the same sympathetic, but serious look on their faces after I'd finished talking.
"I'm sorry that happened to you." Ros apologized, then added after slightly tilting his head, "Yet, I haven't heard of something like this before. Even a conceptual ability with an improved core mechanism wouldn't be able to make an illusion seem so… Real."
I shrugged, mainly because I had no clue what he meant by a conceptual ability or a mechanism. I hadn't spent that long collecting information during my time here, it seemed like I had a long way to go.
"I don't know what or how to feel anymore… It might happen again, before I even realize it." I spoke once more, holding my tone.
"Then we need to move."Lara stood and brushed the dust from her clothes—more out of habit than need, "Don't forget our main objective." she reminded.
Lara sounded serious, but I knew that she wasn't wrong. To stop that from happening again, and completing our mission, I had to also stand on my feet again.
Ros also stepped up as he released his barrier, then he looked at me and stretched out his hand, to help me stand.
"Let's go. We're all in this." Ros said, as he had a smile on his face.
My eyes widened, I was surprised, but mostly relieved. I nodded, sharing a smile with him as I took his hand and got back on my feet.