As Merlin Begin's to fall, entering the cave he finds his consciousness back again, he looks around.
As sweat begins to pool around his face tricking down and falling down his chin
He was frightened, afraid of what he saw
Corpses, bodies rotting, the flesh was decomposing maggots swirled around the ears and coming out of the rotting eyeballs as they slither out of all the holes in the body.
As Merlin felt his stomach churn at the sight, he turned his head away to the left, closing his eyes as images of the bodies flashed in his mind.
He felt sick, he wanted to vomit but he resisted the urge to as Merlin thought
"Why am I so sensitive to bodies?, I wasn't scared of the bodies I was scared I was gonna end up as one of them, I have never seen so many bodies".
Merlin as he is trying to calm himself down by taking deep breaths, slowly inhaling and exhaling the air from his lungs as he felt somewhat calmer, obviously not fully calm as the fear of whatever is here is keeping him on his toes.
Merlin gets up, as he is dusting off the dust from his robe, it's too dark to see anything, pitch black as one would say.
" Where am I?, those words I had said in my house, Did they bring me here, these words are ringing in my mind horrible as I would say, these words must have a meaning ".
Merlin contemplated, thinking whether or not those words brought him here or not he couldn't understand what those words meant.
" Could it be some sort of demonic language, I don't remember reading a book about a demon like that Ignis was it".
The name felt like burnt charcoal on his tongue as he felt both propulsive and attracted to the name, strange name for a demon.
"Strange name, in Modern Misfi and in Ancient Misfi the word " Ignis" means "The One Who Is The Sun" or "The Son of Salvation" it is usually used to describe Angelic beings".
Merlin thought again, the gears turning in his head as he tried to find an answer.
"it was one of the titles of "The Angel of Retribution, Camelot" within the Religious Texts of the most prominent religion of the Northern Continent known as The Truthhood and being described in The Book of Truthhood that Camelot was once a human who had been pure, and one day he died trying to save a child in a burning building, after that when he was taken to heaven, God remade him as "The Angel of Retribution, Camelot" also known as "The Burning One" or "Ignis" that was his title".
Merlin paused, as he sighed as a memory flashed his mind of his late mother who had passed away, Elizabeth Impearl that was the name of his mother.
"I can still sometimes hear mother's voice echoing in my dreams, these memories are painful".
"she used to nag me all the time about praying to The Sun, she was a devotee of The Truthhood, she always wanted me to study the religious texts and become a renowned Prophet at The Alexabdris Grand Central Church of Sol".
Merlin saw a ray of light shining through a corner of the cave as he began to walk towards it, hoping it would lead him outside the cave.
" Mother was the daughter of a rich Duke or at least she used to be, after she fell in love with father who was a commoner, my Grandfather, old bastard his name was Eliot, he had disowned her without a second thought ".
"Fucking old piece of shit, he was dying already and still abandoned my mother like that".
Merlin cursed at the deceased old man of his family feeling a profound sense of satisfaction.
" even after that Mother was quite forgiving towards that Old turd".
"Before Mother had passed away she told me at her last moments to follow The Sun"
Merlin looked down at his hands that were covered in dust, as he sighed looking at the ground.
Deep in thought, Merlin felt an aching in his heart, his voice soft and slightly raspy as he said.
"I was ashamed of myself back then I was too scared to tell my mother that I am an atheist".
"I thought I would have destroyed my mother's hopes and dreams if I had said that to her".
The cave was silent, only the sound of his footsteps ringed through the empty caves, echoing in the front and back.
Merlin thought again, his mind clouded with different thoughts left and right, once again he saw the ray of light at the corner of the cave flicker once then come back.
Merlin was getting close to the corner, his footsteps getting louder and louder as the ringing kept going on.
" I had most of the times lied to my mother, saying stuff like "I had prayed in the morning" or "I was going to pray" stuff like that when I would sneak off refusing to take my religious studies classes at our local church of The Truthhood "
As Merlin reached the corner of the wall he realized the Rays of light weren't from a crack in the cave, instead it was from a writing on the wall written in Ancient Misfi.
The words were rough to read, seemed like someone had been desperately writing something they held deep in their heart to ask of the reader.
"It is writing in Ancient Misfi, let's try to read this, the words are very roughly scratched on here"
As Merlin begins to read the first sentence, remembering all of his books about the teachings of Ancient Misfi.
Circling in his mind were thoughts of it as he said the first sentence out loud.
"So it says " The One Who Will Bring Us Home, Whether Or Not It is You, Doesn't Matter, You Must Answer Four Different Questions To Know Who You Are, Oh Father Moon, May Father Moon Be With You"
As Merlin finished reading the final word another wall far away in the front lit up, shining a ray of light through the far away.
Curiosity spiked in Merlin's mind, as he approached the wall.
There was glowing writing again on the wall, but this time it said something different.
Merlin leaned forward, his robe swaying a bit as he says.
"Okay this one says " The First Question, It Is Of Great Value, The First Question is Who Are You?".
As Merlin immediately said, in a calm and soft voice and tone.
"I am Merlin Bornherd, Son of Elizabeth Impearl and Stanfus Impearl, and The adopted son of Valin Bornherd"
As Merlin said that, he waited for something to happen but to no aveil, the cave was as silent as ever, the writing on the wall was still there glowing brightly.
Then another wall lit up, this one was closer then the last.
Merlin began to walk towards it, his footsteps now quieter then before.
Reaching this wall, Merlin stared at this wall's writing for a bit, it was much harder to read.
As Merlin muttered out frustrated, as he said.
"Fucking hell, this one is way harder to read, um okay this one says " The Second Question, Although Small Holds a Deep Meaning, The Question is What Are You?".
Merlin once again said out loud in a clear voice.
"I am a Human"
Nothing happened just like earlier.
Then as the same another wall lit up, the 3rd question came.
As Merlin said the words extremely softly, almost Whispering the words that were inside his mouth.
It felt like a slow river flowing through.
"This one is saying, "The Third Question Awaits Your Answer As It Is Simple, The Question is, Is God a Good Person or Bad Person"
Merlin's eyebrows perked upwards at the question, as he thought about it.
As Merlin said calmly contemplating his answer.
"Is God, a Good Person or a Bad Person, I don't know".
Merlin moved to the Fourth Question written which he read calmly.
" it says "Oh The Fourth One, It Is The Final Question Although It Is A Lesser Question, And The Question Is If You Were God, Would You Be: The Destroyer, Or The Preserver, Or The Creator".
Once again Merlin had no answer to the question, it was a simple one but so much more interesting for Merlin.
"Quite an interesting question for me, um I don't know, I don't feel like I have the qualities of a Destroyer, nor a Preserver nor a Creator, albeit the idea of being God is quite a tempting idea".
Tempting indeed man has a greed unlike anything in creation, Wars over Glory, Wars over Resources, Wars over Territory, Wars over Pride. It is in the nature of man to crave the idea of absolute power.
The Idea of Being God is as such a form of Absolute power and Authority.
Greed is quite the Jester, always laughing at the foolish humans who fall in love with Greed.
The cave opens up to a massive writing on the ceiling glowing the brightest.
As it said something strange and weird, a poetry of sorts as it says the following.
" It says "Oh You Who Doesn't Matter, Oh You Who Doesn't Know, Thou Shall Beg For Forgiveness, As Thou have Been Given A Name" Merlin said softly reading it.
"Oh One Who is Lost".
As soon as those words left Merlin's mouth in a rush.
In the blink of an eye, the cave was gone, Merlin was now in front of a street shop of a bustling city.
Merlin in a frantic panic looked around as he saw a big wooden sign at the front gate of the city.
As it says the simple words that sent a chill down Merlin's spine.
Merlin's voice comes out in a raspy, panicked voice.
"Welcome To The City of Himel, The Central City of The Kingdom of Alician of The Northern Continent"
Merlin's knees felt weak and unstable as he fell to his knees and then on his head laying on the ground.
As Merlin says, his eyes widened in shock as he looks at the clear blue sky.
"I am Halfway Across the World"