When I woke I almost panicked when I couldn't open my eyes. But quickly remembered what happened before. Whilst I hadn't regained all my memories it was enough to shock me awake. I didn't even have to examine my arm or skin to confirm whether this was a dream or not. And I didn't want to. I was happy that I survived but now I had nothing stopping my questions. I couldn't resist asking them. But I knew enough to stop bothering with answering any of them. I had no way to answer them. I was confused, but more than anything lost.

I didn't understand why I had to go through all that pain. I don't understand why I was there in the first place. I had no way to even try to understand that. I had no memories to base it off. Who I was, is not important. What's happening now is. And right now I'm blind, crippled, and stuck. While I don't know for sure where I am. The stone floor and wall I leaned on was almost the same type as the ones from the cave I was stuck in before. So I think I can safely assume I'm in a cave. I can also assume that there would be an exit in here. At least something I could have entered through before I lost my memories. The water that was coming in the cave from last time confirmed that there was at least a way in. While I don't know where that exit leads to, I know that it leads to somewhere. Although It could be just another cave I just hoped it wasn't

There was still a layer of water on the floor from the flooding. I don't how long it was that I slept but considering how hungry I figured that it was a rather long time. I knew I couldn't stay here. And I don't want to stay here, I want to leave. Then it struck me. "I lived?" I croaked out. I did not actually think about it before. But I really survived. I laughed. Not because I was happy. But because of the absurdness of the fact I lived. I didn't know what happened before I lost my memories but considering I lost my arm I didn't think that it would be any less absurd.

I was elated to know that my pain wasn't for nothing. I didn't struggle to survive just to end up dying anyway. It would make everything I did worthless. Succeeding in the struggle didn't make me happy. It just delayed the inevitable. Even without most of my memories some of it has been coming back slowly. While I was literally dying I had more important things to think about than a few shards of memories coming back to me. Even now that I had the time to think about what I now remembered. I still couldn't figure out much. Not because they were too strange, or because they were too little. They were almost all the same, they all had me running from something. The only thing I learned from them was that the majority of them took place in the forest. I couldn't tell if it was the same forest, or if the forest was where I always was. I didn't know if I was somewhere else before. Yet I knew that there was somewhere else.

Some things I just knew, others I didn't. I know people have a name, but I don't know my own. It was strange but not something that bothered me a lot. At least I try not to think about it a lot. Most of the things that I just know, either raise questions or help me in one way or another. Even if most of these things just raised questions, one of the recently acquired memories. Answered a very vital question instead. It wasn't a full answer, of course, it wasn't. But it was an answer nonetheless. I am in a cave, I knew that already. But I think I now know what cave. I don't remember what I ran from I just remember what I ran to. The reason I knew for sure that this memory correlated to my current situation is because I also vaguely remember what happened after.

Pain. I shudder just from the vague experience. Yet I could clearly make out differences between just pain. Even though everything was blurred together including the pain. But even in that jumbled mess of experiences I remembered, I could differentiate between one constant and one sudden. I'm pretty sure that the pain from losing a limb was the one that I easily set apart. My heart already started beating quicker, but right when I thought about the feeling of losing my arm I started to hyperventilate. Losing a limb is the worst thing that I've ever felt. Not because of the raw pain but because of what other feelings it brings with it. The wrongness alone sends ripples across my skin, yet it's the emptiness that hurt in ways that I wasn't prepared to think about.

So I stopped that train of thought and went to the probably only positive thing in my new memories. I remember where I entered through. Just knowing that there was an exit from this cave was enough for me to stop panicking. So I stood up and ignored the protests of my muscles. Some minor pain did not deter me from leaving as quickly as I could. I wasn't afraid of falling through the hole I had escaped from. The small layer of water told me that the water-cooled down and that there was still water filling the hole. So even if I fell I could swim up.

I used my trace wall strategy till I found the crevice. I didn't run as there was no reason to hurt me more than I already have. But that didn't stop me from walking a little faster. it didn't take long to find what I was searching for. I didn't even think about waiting and immediately stepped in. It was very narrow, and the ground seemed to have strange bits and pieces mixed with a strange.. soil. Even though I wanted out as fast as possible, my curiosity forced me to at least investigate what I stepped in. After a few attempts of trying to grab something while I was blind, I managed to grab it.

It felt like... meat. I don't know why there would be meat here, it also seemed quite fresh. Probably here a little before I was here. But somehow I doubt that because even in all the pain I would remember walking on literal flesh. I didn't know what animal got shredded here and I didn't care. I assumed that whatever I was running from did this. Meaning that it could even come back to eat what's left of the animal. giving me all the more reason to leave. I slightly squeezed the piece of meat a few times, without any reason. But somehow that seemingly simple action clicked something. My eyes widened in horror, I quickly dropped the piece of meat and I ran outside. I ignored the squishing and splashing sounds that my running caused. I remembered my body getting pulled alongside the wall. I remembered the pain. That was my flesh.

I didn't stop running when I almost slipped on my very own flesh. Pieces of my skin stuck to the soles of my feet and found their way in between my toes. I didn't stop running even when I felt the grass. I didn't even make it 5 meters tripped over something. I fell face-first into a shallow pool of mud. I paused not because I tripped but because the feeling of when my foot hit whatever I fell over was something I recognized. It wasn't a stone nor was it a stick. It the same flesh where I almost slipped on at first. But this one was different. Instead of soft sloppy slices of meat, this one seemed more firm. I was scared, but I didn't want to run. I had to know. I almost trembling I reached with my sole hand to the perpetrator of my fall.

When I eventually touched the object, I scrambled back and screamed in shock. I had feared for the worst. But apparently, there was something worse, even if just slightly. I felt what appeared to be a hand attached to an arm, I had some suspicion whose hand I just touched. I didn't have a definite answer. I didn't want an answer, I was so repulsed by what I just felt that it felt like I was physically pushed away. "Arm?" I unintelligently squeaked out. Even if it was my arm. Even if by investigating the area I could figure what happened to me before I lost memories. I didn't want to. I just wanted to get as far away from this place as I can. That felt so... wrong.

So I stood up and run, quickly memories of practicing running along a path filled my mind. Probably triggered by once again running from something. Memories of days just filled with blindly running across the same path again, and again. Falling so many times that my knees almost recolored from the skin being scratched off so many times. The calluses on my hands and feet so thick that it could they could be considered as gloves and shoes. Doing my best to maintain every single part of dozens of different routes for years at a time. Carrying thousands of pebbles every day just to make the paths a little more accessible. I remembered exactly where everything was, like some mental map. I didn't need to look where I was to know where I was. I practiced around this place so many times that I didn't need to. Some things you just don't forget. This was something I ingrained in my very bones. I did not know why I would put all the effort into just practicing running different routes blindly. I assumed that it was to escape from whatever I was running from.

Before I knew it I was already running on the pebble road. I didn't care if this was the same path I used when I ran the last time. I just wanted to get away from... that. Running was easy even though I lost my sight and a little balance. I still knew exactly where to turn and exactly where I was. No matter what different speed I ran. Just as I thought I ran enough I tripped. I don't know exactly what I tripped over but it was very clear that I was not the only one surprised. A hiss sounded next to my ears and I could feel something long and scaly twitching under my stomach.

I quickly tried getting up but something clamped down on my left shoulder somewhat close to the front of my chest. I felt the slight prickling sensation of some small needles entering my skin. "Something bit me?" I thought. I didn't know what bit me I just knew something bit me. There were a few animals I remembered being scaly, long, and hiss. I panicked, and in my already exhausted state, I didn't even think about removing the snake properly. Not like I could in this strange position. Like scratching a shoulder with the same arm that's attached to it I grabbed towards the prickling sensation. So instead of pulling it out to my front I practically tore the entire thing to my left. Its teeth were unable to withstand pull and snapped off.

But things went even further from planned from that point. Not even a full second after it bit me the muscles in my hand started contracting and I lost control of my arm. I was unable to let the creature loose. My head started to get blurry and tired. "Poisoned," I thought. Somehow ably to form the conclusion between the melting mess my mental state was becoming. I knew what that would mean, but didn't have the power to fully think about it. Thoughts started to gain actual physical weight. I didn't have much time, seconds at most. I already felt my heart slowing. I was dying. I will die. I wasn't scared, not this time. I was enraged. I didn't understand why but something about this situation primed me. I wanted to tear the creature to shreds. But I didn't have the time.

So I chose the next best thing. Mutual destruction. if I die anyway I will take my killer with me. With just pure will I forced the snake to my mouth and bit down... hard. Just the amount of mental effort that took hurt my head. Almost exhausting the entirety of my will. Having reached my goal I once again lost control of my arm. I didn't have the power to still control my muscles. Even if I did I didn't think it is physically possible anymore to ven assume con troll. My arm seemed to have grown thoughts on its own, and shot away from the snake and let loose, luckily without tearing it out my mouth. Freeing the snake.

My mind quickly started slipping to eternal rest and the only thing keeping me awake was the slight twitches of the dying snake. The only thought that filled my mind was that I would not die before it did. Yet my even with all the will in my rotting mind I could muster it just couldn't keep up. The poison already spread to my brain. And because of the position of the bite, my heart took the full concentration of it. Unwillingly spreading the poison to the rest of my body, shutting down organs left and right. My body now conspired with the poison betraying my thoughts. Having already lost its fight it let the poison run its course. But just before my heart finally stopped some instinct took over. And without any significant will behind it, nothing was left to stop it. Maybe because I was hungry or maybe because the instinct of when you have something in your mouth is to swallow. I swallowed.... the entire snake. Then I blacked out.