Lost in his Fables (Hyunlix fanfiction) // 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒅

Chapter 17

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Elara tries to calm down as she steps in the left enterance without looking into Felix's and Hyunjin's direction. She finds a torch on the wall and lights it up with the match near it, the flicker of the flame is whispering ancient words to her in a deadly voice. She suppresses the feeling of taking a step back. She must go through this. Help Felix get the Star Stone and pay back the woman who saved her life. She is doing this all for Adhara, praying every day and every night that she survives a few more days. They must save her. Looking on the walls she observes moss and water trailing down on the shiny, golden yellow rocks. Old, already erased paintings greet her sight, billions of small eyes watching her every gesture closely. She closes her eyes, ignoring the ugly creatures from under the numerous green plants swarming the walls. Breathe. She rushes her steps, inevitably thinking about the other two. Did they make it? Did they already fight their fears? She doesn't even want to know if something happened to them. She doesn't think she will be able to take it. A crack of light at the end of the cramped hollow steals Elara's attention. She steps through the rocks with her eyes closed thightly and opens her eyes again when the warm sunlight caresses her cheek. This city... her city... Blifmont. The biggest city on the Southern continent. The city where she was born. She observes the little details. The green grass, the houses sprinkled on the rounded cliff, the swirling Waterfall, creating a deafening noise, filling her ears and giving her a terrible headache. People are walking down the paved pathway leading to a concrete set of stairs. They are heading to the center of the city. The Market. She inhales the sweet air, her chest increasing and decreasing in size as the oxygen enter her lungs. She observes a small detail, a thing that she doesn't remember existing in Blifmont. The giant skull, placed above everyone. She can swear that it whispered something to her.

A wave of cold air hits her from behind and only now she realises that she has a heavy basket full of green apples placed on her right shoulder. She puts it down on the concrete tiles and massages her hurting shoulder. A few children run past her, bumping into her and making her fall. She hits the ground whimpering and hears the basket turning over, the green apples rolling in all directions. She sighs and frowns her eyebrows at the rude children who didn't even look back, not even considering helping her. She starts picking up the numerous fruits scattered all over the pathway. She remembers this type of people she always wanted to forget. People she left behind. People she forced herself to forgive even when they hurt her endlessly. Luckily, right now she was in her 17-year-old body, not the weak child she used to be. She places the basket back on its bottom, placing the apples in it one by one. People pass by, not even paying attention to her, some moving the apples from their way, some stepping on them. She rushes to pick up as many as she can, in her rush stepping in front of someone, the man almost stepping on her hand. He pushes her, yelling "Step aside! Dirty whore!" At the same time Elara hits the ground, the man steps on the apple, crushing it under his overweight body. She bites her lower lip, holding herself back from swearing to him. She feels his presence before feeling his hands underneath her armpits. A manly strength lifts her up and places her back on her feet. As she turns around to face him she notices his soft, light coloured skin and his long, dark brown hair with a single braid on the side, tightened with a red thread. He seems young. About 19 years old. And he is beautiful, his grey eyes being highlighted by the silver ear ring he was wearing. He is dressed simply, a pair of black pants, a white linen shirt and a red cape placed over his shoulders.