No Longer Feeling Vol.1 [The Bellken Escapades]

Neither Curse nor Blessing

Himura Satō

A phantom pain pangs on my body, the feeling of getting your skull crushed, your limbs slowly sliced off, and your organs being filled with your own blood.

It was as if it never happened, yet my brain can recreate it so vividly. But right now that isn't a concern. With a faded green skin and tattered cloth covering their body, I sit around five lifeless bodies of small mysterious creatures. Their noses are pointed and the way they talked gave me the impression of goblins characterized by the media.

And so I decided to refer to them as such. Only weird thing is that they are all so different, one has teeth similar to sharks, one has a stinger, and another has a second left arm. I look up hoping that the goblin with wings hasn't found me yet.

Some time ago, it passed by me but I hid under the leaves of the trees. These trees sprouted long and thick vines in their branches, when I ran into them, it was like crashing into a hard rope but thankfully, my switchblade could cut them fine.

I wiped the purple stained switchblade with one of the goblins tattered clothing then I took his rusty hatchet. Inspecting it shows me that it definitely was not made for him, as the hatchet was practically half his size.

I chop the vines as I head into a random direction. Stone buildings overgrown by vines in the middle of circular clearing. The ground was filled with long grass but strangely, not overgrown. I stayed cautious in case there was someone inside those things so I made sure to never go out into the clearing.

Some time later, I encountered another one. Different buildings yet the same circular clearing. No sounds of life or activity, as if there is nothing alive or at least intelligent in this forest. Attracted by the sound of flowing water, I went left and found a river. I sat in a nearby tree after washing my face.

I threw a rock at the river, fresh wind ruffled my messy hair. Without proper grooming or at least a hair tie, I look disheveled. I touch the back of my head. "It's starting to get long too..." I said to myself.

I looked at the blade of my switchblade, after a second, I stood up and cleaned it extra well. With practiced precision, each stroke of my switchblade shortened the side and back of the hair. Prolong use of hair products made my hair sit a certain way, so with much effort, it returned to a middle part that flowed back.

I sat back at the tree, throwing more rocks into the river. Usually nature in real life never felt relaxing but this untouched nature gave an entrancing aura. "Yet in the end..." I opened my switchblade and held it in a reverse grip before stabbing a goblin behind me. A quick look shows me that he had wings.

"Everything is not as untouched as it may seem." I said, standing up, following the downstream of the river.

Continuing my path, I found a peculiar sight to the right of the river, the vines which sprouted from the tree's branches seemed to be cut in an uniform manner suggesting that somebody did this. I have no clue who or what did this but it does tell me that it is a path and so with a couple steps back, I jump over the river.

Still following the river's stream, this time I walk in a path free of annoying vines. The sun would soon go down and was not about to fight goblins or some other creature in the dark so I tried to run. Five minutes later, I was out of breath already so I was forced to walk.

"..." Thirty minutes have passed and nothing has happened. I found myself wishing that something could come and attack me. As my body relaxed and my mind less alert. My thoughts began to wonder. "Haah...haaah." I breathe in then I breathe out. I closed my eyes and when I regained my vision, I found myself slumped to a tree, nearby, I could smell the nasty scent of vomit.