Chapter 20: Sacred Ground (3)
Arthur found himself back in the temple, his mind racing as he contemplated his next move. The cold stone beneath him served as a harsh reminder of his predicament as he leaned against a crumbling pillar, trying to organize his thoughts.
'So I believe I'm in the center temple of five on some sort of sacred grounds in a field of dead roses that are... evil?' he thought bitterly. 'This place seriously sucks.'
The reality of his situation was grim. He was extremely far from the core of this world with no food or water. During his time at the Academy, Arthur had often wondered why they wouldn't outfit candidates with basic supplies like food, water, or weapons when sending them to the Second Realm. Now, the cruel truth dawned on him with crystal clarity.
It was simple, really. When you got sent to the Second Realm, you'd either be teleported close enough to the core that you wouldn't need extra provisions, or... you'd be sent so far away that giving you supplies would be a waste of crucial resources since you'd most likely die anyway.
Arthur sighed heavily.
"And this sword is cool and all," he muttered to the empty chamber, his voice echoing faintly, "but aren't I supposed to get some sort of magical abilities?"
He closed his eyes, concentrating intently as he reached inward, searching his realm core for something—anything that might give him an edge in this hostile world. But to no avail. He couldn't find any sort of magic dwelling inside him.
"Did I get some sort of defective realm core or what?" Arthur grunted in frustration, kicking a small pile of rocks across the room. They clattered against the mutilated corpse of the monster he'd barely managed to defeat earlier, drawing his attention back to the beast.
He walked up to the body and knelt beside it, studying the dark ichor that oozed from its wounds. The creature's leathery skin was already beginning to decay at an unnatural rate, filling the air with a putrid stench.