Chapter 65 : I Am Alive
Danny opened his eyes.
He sat there in silence for a second, taking in his heavy body and remembering the pain he had been feeling.
But then he realised something.
Some of his wounds were healing.
Though he was still in pain and had a few injuries, his condition was much better than he expected.
Slowly, he raised his hands.
He was ALIVE.
Despite everything that had happened on the mountain, and despite the monsters that had tried their best to tear him apart, he had made IT.
He let tears run down his face.
He didn’t bother wiping them.
For once, he didn’t care how much of a pitiful sight he was.
He had made IT through another terrible day.
He turned his head to look at the mouth of the cave.
There was no snow.
The light was blinding. Danny blinked a few times as he saw the bright light shining down onto the rocky floor. It was confusing. He had been surrounded by snow and darkness for ages.
He pushed himself up.
His legs wobbled, but he managed to get up.
He took a deep breath.
Before he knew IT, he was screaming.
"I’M ALIVE!"
The echo of his voice bounced around the cave.
"DO YOU HEAR ME?! I’M ALIVE!"
Suddenly, the ground shook.
Danny went stiff.
A deep rumble echoed around inside the cave. Rocks fell from the roof of the cave and landed around him. Cracks ran up the walls.
Danny’s eyes widened.
"What the hell—"
The cave started to collapse.
"DAMN IT!"
Ignoring the pain in his body, Danny ran towards the mouth of the cave. He grabbed his sword and whatever supplies he could carry. He sprinted out of the cave.
Just in time.
As soon as he had got out of the cave, a strong shockwave shot out of the cave.
It hit him in the back, sending him flying. He landed on the ground and rolled around as he tumbled uncontrollably.
THUD!
Danny lay still for a few seconds. He looked up at the bright sky through the trees.
Slowly, he raised a hand and looked at himself.
Nothing seemed to be broken.
Or at least, nothing that wasn’t already broken.
"Damn IT," he groaned. "I almost killed myself."
Danny chuckled weakly.
Then smiled.
He was ALIVE.
And for now, that was all that mattered.
---
Danny ran off, leaving the collapsing cave behind.
The bright light made things easier to see, but didn’t help his situation.
Everything hurt.
Even though his injuries were better, he was nowhere near fully healed. The sword felt heavier and carrying his small pile of supplies was tiring.
He was hungry.
Tired.
And had absolutely no clue where he was going.
The grey-haired man was gone.
He didn’t know if he was ALIVE. He didn’t know where he had gone. And he didn’t know if they would meet again.
He was alone.
Danny walked over to a tree and leant against IT. He tried to catch his breath.
"Fort Haven..,"
he muttered.
That’s where he needed to go.
But what way?
All around him were trees. The ground was bumpy with rocks. Occasionally there were weird noises coming from somewhere.
Nothing was familiar.
No map. No reliable navigation. No one to ask for help.
For the first time since leaving the mountain path, Danny realised how helpless he was.
He could go the wrong way for ages. He could stumble into another monster’s territory. He could starve to death. Or he could just collapse from his injuries and no-one would ever find him.
He frowned, his smile disappearing.
"Am I seriously going to die out here?"
He hung his head.
The thought terrified him.
He had survived the slavers, the monsters, the freezing mountains and the Hollow Mirebeast. He had even woken up an Echo.
But he was still no closer to safety.
He was just a boy wandering around in a world that wanted him dead.
Danny gripped his sword tighter.
Then he thought about the Demon of Death.
He remembered waking up strangely and receiving power. He had wanted to have power to survive. To avenge his mother and everyone who had died in Ravenfall.
He wanted to find whoever was responsible and make them pay.
But now he was alone in the wilderness, he couldn’t help but doubt.
_Demon of Death... Was this really what YOU gave ME?_
He looked at his shaking hands.
"Great. Just great."
No reply.
Of course there wouldn’t be.
The Demon of Death wasn’t standing beside him, guiding him through the wilderness.
He had woken up an Echo, but he didn’t understand IT. He didn’t know what IT could DO. How to properly use IT. Or if IT would help.
He had received something amazing.
But he was still hungry.
Injured.
Lost.
And scared.
Danny chuckled bitterly.
"Great."
He kicked a small rock and watched IT disappear into the grass.
"So I get an Echo, survive a mountain-sized monster, and now I’m going to starve to death in the woods?"
He rubbed his face.
"Damn IT."
He stood there for a while, listening to the noises from around him.
He straightened his back.
He couldn’t waste time moaning.
The grey-haired man was gone. The cave had collapsed. He had no idea what lay ahead.
None of that would change because he was scared.
If he wanted to avenge himself, he had to stay ALIVE.
If he wanted to understand the Demon of Death, he had to stay ALIVE long enough to find answers.
Danny adjusted the supplies in his arms and gripped his sword tighter.
He picked a direction and started walking.
He didn’t know if he was heading in the right direction. He didn’t know if he would come across another monster before the sun set. Or if he would even survive today.
But he had no choice.
No matter what power he had received, no matter what his future held, he had to stay ALIVE.