Chapter 26 Fate's Bitch in The Flesh

How does everything hurt? I slowly opened my eyes to a world of pain. My whole body was sore and hurting as if having been put through a grinder. I stared emptily into space for a while, clearly dazed. My thoughts were sloe and murky as I slowly tried to recall what happened. [You passed out from blood loss on your way out of the cave.] A feminine synthetic voice, like an overlap of vibrations resounded in my throbbing head. It was Meta. I passed out, huh...I thought, feeling listless. "... I remember." After a while I said hoarsely. My throat was dry and itchy. I felt thirsty and perched, and my lips were cracked. My memories cut off at the moment I was in the process of fleeing the cave. I held my gaping wound while leaving a long trail of blood. Then after that, everything just went blank. That means there was only one way I could have gotten out. 'You took control of my body, didn't you? ' I asked after a slight hesitation. Meta's response was immediate and unsympathetic. [Affirmative. That Bone Spike didn't come after you, but others would have if you were found laying around like that.] When Meta said it like that, I felt obliged to be greatful. But rather than that, my nature drew me to the one unpleasant detail. She could take control of my body even while I'm unconscious. But at the same time, I was too weak and exhausted to deeply pondered it. I couldn't even throw out my usual commentary and admonish Meta for taking my body without my permission again. For now I just pushed the matter to a deep corner of my heart and said hoarsely. "... Thank you." [...] Meta didn't deem it necessary to respond and remained quiet. I didn't mind the System's dismissive attitude and slowly tried to turn around. A blinding pain shot through my body the moment I attempted to lean to my side. A suppressed wince pressed at my lips as I held my stomach and knit my brows in anguish. [You should be careful. You are still injured.] Meta's reminder came late, I had to find out the hard way. That was true. The wound I sustained from the Bone spike was still there, unlike the one from the Silver Knight. "Oh right. I didn't die." I muttered in realization and instantly gave up on trying to get up. I fell back flat to the ground and looked up emptily. There was a gnawing void in my heart. [There was nothing I could do about your wound. So instead i brought you here.] Meta said in a cacaphony of synthetic vibrations. "What do you mean?" My thoughts and mind were slow so it took a while before I could realize I didn't recognize the rocky ceiling I was underneath. [A smaller cave deep inside the cavern with a higher concentration of Aether in the air,] Meta said, responding to my enquiry. [It has been a couple of hours since you passed out from blood lost. The bleeding has receded completely within that time, and the wound is already working to close itself.] If I died then so what all the same. The universe was just that vast — My existence was insignificant. Because it was, that was why I had to keep fighting. Reborn to survive an apocalypse... I'm fate's bitch in the flesh. I mocked silently. My cracked lips parted slightly and my throat itched as I croaked a small voice. I smacked my lips a few times and felt my eye lids slowly turn heavier. "I'm thirsty." I croaked in a raspy voice. Restraining an almost non existent sigh, I forced myself to get up, ignoring the sharp pain the wound in my stomach sent through my body. With unsteady steps and trembling limbs I made my way to a small flowing stream of sparkling transparent water and gulped. 'Meta—' [Affirmative, it is safe. This is a liquefied matter of Aether, and has properties to even further refine your body and heal your wounds. Drinking it could be one of the best decisions of your life.] I nodded and, without another word, quickly scooped a handful of the sparkling stream water into my mouth, gulping deeply. The water felt reinvigorating as it moistened my parched throat, a refreshing relief after what felt like an eternity of dryness. But I had underestimated my thirst, or perhaps the water's effect. One gulp wasn't enough, and a second barely sufficed. The cool liquid seemed to evaporate the moment it touched my tongue, leaving me craving more. Desperation set in as I realized how dire my need for hydration was. Abandoning the effort of using my hands, I knelt by the stream and plunged my entire face into the rushing water. The icy current enveloped my skin, sending shivers down my spine, but I didn't care. I drank deeply, the water rushing into my mouth, each swallow a burst of life. I stayed there, submerged, until I finally felt a sense of fullness, my thirst quenched at last. As I pulled back, droplets streaming down my face, I took a deep breath, feeling more alive and invigorated than I had in days. The stream, with its life-giving water, had revived me, and I sat back, grateful, as i stared into the empty space in silence. My finger twitched, and my heart beat rhythmically. I felt a cold chill seep into my mind as I involuntarily sorted my thoughts. "Time..." I needed time. But down here, I had enough of that The goal was still the same, the journey hadn't changed either. I had to defeat the Boss and leave. I had to get stronger. And before then- I recalled the aloof indifference of the bone spike, and the edge of my lips involuntarily pulled darkly. "-i'll get my revenge."