The forgotten World

42. Realization

After lunch we make our way back to where we left off. “Where is the maze part of this maze?” Cov asked as we walked. “Good point, all I have seen is an overlap of Sky Hope City” Vadima said. “Has anyone been to the edges of the city here?” I asked. “Not a clue” Vadima answered. “What about under or above the city?” Cov suggested. “All possibilities” I sighed. “So where do we start?” I asked. “I know the upper layer of upper city very well; ask Ral, Alex or Midori they know I love to hang out around the top of the tallest thing I can find. So I’ll start there” Vadima said. “Sounds good, as I cannot walk to far from Ian, we will search below the city. “Cov said. “Can you please call me John, calling me Ian kind of sounds odd even to my own ears, and good idea” I said. “Sorry…” Cov said. “Does Ral know your real name?” Vadima asked. “I’m not sure, but he did let me use his last name” I answered. “Oh” Vadima replied. “We should get going” Cov added. “I’ll cya later I guess” I directed at Vadima and started walking towards a Lower City elevator. “Cya” Vadima replied as she started going her way. Cov said something I didn’t catch and soon enough she was standing next to me.

Searching the darker areas of the lower city underground didn’t really bother me as I had fire magic. But the more I found the less I discovered. If the maze was down here, it was not behind any door I had opened. I hoped Vadima was having better luck. I had no-idea what time it was when I started feeling hungry again so I made a mark of my progress in my search and found a way back out of the underground. When I got back outside I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me until I looked around. I was standing in the upper city and looking up at a dark sky. I soon realized it was night and there were too many clouds to see any stars. I followed the nearest sign to the nearest food point feeling my magic dampen as I passed through the barrier and flopped on a chair sighing. <How much do you think we searched?> I asked. <well looking at the fact we came out in upper city when we entered in lower city I think not much because of a wrong turn we might have taken> Cov answered. I shut my eyes thinking back on all the corners I had taken. <Thinking on the past is not going to help> Cov noted. <I’m trying to figure out how I started going up instead of down or across> I pointed out.

It felt like forever and not very long at the same time when someone tapped me on the shoulder and I snapped back to life “huh” I muttered. “The menu sir” the male voice said. I blinked and realized he was holding a menu in front of me “oh” I said as I took and opened the menu. I gazed over the menu and closed it “a works burger please” I said. I heard the waiter say something but didn’t pay it any attestation as I closed my eyes again. Again after a long time I felt a tap on my shoulders and I opened my eyes and saw the burger sitting on the table “oh” I said as I straitened myself up to eat it. I ate the burger without the urge to eat and normally I would love a works burger but I just wasn’t feeling the love for it, if you know what I mean.

Then it struck me on the last mouth full of my burger, why hadn’t there been any monsters in the lower city or its underground? Had someone already cleared it and found the door down there, or had someone cleared it and not found the door down there? The possibilities exploded in my head, could the start of the maze be in some random building? Or could it be in the most impossible spot? By the time my mind calmed down I decided finding the door would be pure luck and as I knew my luck, it was not very good. I paid for my meal and left to resume my search for the door.

After a while of searching I found myself at the door of a motel and checked in for the rest of the night. Soon after getting into the room I was in the shower and soon after that I was asleep in bed.