Chapter 5

Step by step, gently, slowly. Lwanda walked towards the eagle’s neck.

He didn’t fully understand what was going on and he didn’t fully know what the golden light was, but he felt himself being drown in by it.

An unknown sensation to get closer, slowly but firmly took over Lwanda.

In every way you looked at it the golden light spelt trouble, but oddly Lwanda felt he still needed to get closer. What was this feeling? What exactly was happening to him? Everything had been off with him ever since he woke up in this place, everything was terrifying but oddly what scared him the most was not the monsters that attacked nor the very many near death situations he’s had in the few minutes he’d been conscious here.

What scared him the most was the hidden, slight sense of familiarity to this place.

What exactly was this feeling? Well the idea was crazy. Lwanda pushed it down and ignore it all together.

Lwanda moved closer, with each step the golden light got a little brighter.

“What an obvious warning.”

He mumbled. Everything so far indicated that getting closer to the light would only spell doom for him, but yet he continued, he got closer. He had a strange urge to do so, almost as if he’d regret it if he didn’t.

“Well whatever will be will be.”

Lwanda said as he took his last step towards the eagle. He carefully examined the eagle’s neck.

The light was the brightest it'd ever been, what that meant he still wasn’t sure.

“Hmmm”

He keenly examined the light.

“It's coming from within?”

The light from the eagle wasn’t coming from the neck but rather there was something within producing it.

“Don't tell me?!”

Lwanda quickly jumped back, he needed to put a little distance between him and the eagle.

“Just what are you thinking!!”

He yelled at himself. He’d come to the realization that the light might be another creature hiding inside the eagle.

With everything he’d been through it really wouldn’t come as a surprise.

He stood for a while, watching, waiting, expecting for something to happen.

But nothing did, all there was, was the golden light still shining.

“Maybe it's not hostile?”

He thought to himself. Lwanda let out a silent sigh of relief, it was a welcomed break, one he couldn’t take for granted. With his life constantly being threatened it felt great to have a second of peace even if it was just a second.

“Well then...”

Lwanda made his second advance towards the light.

“Please don’t attack, please don’t attack”

He kept mumbling, projecting his wish to the universe, maybe it’d listen? Well it was worth a shot.

He finally made it back to the eagle. Slowly and carefully he reached out for the neck.

“Hmm...”

“What’s this?”

There was something rigid within the eagle’s neck, he didn’t know what it was but, the light was definitely coming from it.

Curious, Lwanda looked around for something sharp. He planned to cut it out of there.

He was well aware that a million things could go wrong but that was a gamble he was willing to take.

“Damn it, if only I had a plasma cutter”

Lwanda lamented. He thought back to the different scientific advancements humanity had managed to invent.

Plasma cutters; highly condensed laser technology that replaced knives and swords, neutron guns; guns that fired neutron particles as bullets, just one shot was enough to completely disintegrate a behemoth and his personal favorite dark matter grenade, their usage was banned after their destructive potential was realized, but a single grenade held the destructive power of a hundred nuclear missiles.

Lwanda cracked a wicked smile as he thought about those inventions, if only he had them, he would have made quick work of the monsters that gave him so much trouble, he would have actually enjoyed it.

Nasty, sadistic thoughts swamped Lwanda’s mind, he’d completely lost himself in his train of thought.

“Mwaha”

“Mwahahaha”

“Wow?!”

A chill ran down Lwanda’s spine, he’d actually scared himself a little. Well it couldn't be helped, he’d been through a lot.

“Now then, guess I'll go old school”

Lwanda rummaged around in the rubble left behind after the eagle’s crash. He was looking for a shard, one that could act as an impromptu knife of sorts.

“Aha !!”

Lwanda’s face lightened up, he’d finally found one. A sharp, long, curved fragment perfect for his needs.

Lwanda lifted the shard as high as he could and with one swift move, channeling all the might he had, he plunged it deep into the eagle’s neck. The impact made him feel a little weird, this was the first time he’d ever stabbed a living thing, but it was too late to stop now.

He slowly cut around the glowing light taking extra care not to get too close to it, maybe it was instinct or rather caution but something deep inside him told him that wouldn’t be a good idea.

“There!”

Lwanda exclaimed, almost out of breath, cutting through the thick flesh took more out of him than he’d expected. He gently shoved his hand into the crevasse he’d made and felt around for the rigid object within.

Lwanda felt a sudden light shock as he held onto the object, it wasn’t anything harmful but it was indeed surprising. He slowly and carefully pulled it out.

“Hmm...”

He looked carefully at the glowing object in his palm.

He was dumbfounded, things in this place kept getting weirder and weirder.

He gazed at it, although it was covered in blood, he could tell that it was a crystal. It was oddly shaped like a diamond and was emitting a golden light, he’d never seen anything like this before.

“Why would something like this be in an eagle’s neck?”

The thought bothered Lwanda. he continued to gaze at the crystal racking his brain trying to come up with a logical explanation.

**Sque..ak**

“Huh?”

The frothing rats caught his attention.

“Fucking rats”

A deep feeling of hate slowly overtook Lwanda, he thought back to how he was almost killed by them, almost eaten to death.

His rage piled up, he wanted them to have a painful death, more horrific than they were getting. He wanted them to suffer. Lwanda glared at them, channeling all his hate towards them.

**Bzzzt*Bzzzzt *Crackle!!!* Bzzzzt**

**Aaaaargh!!!**

Lwanda let out a chilling scream, a sharp pain raided his whole body. It was way worse than anything the eagle had thrown at him. His vision was getting blurry.

“Damn it!”

Was he under attack? He thought, he needed to get clear, he tried to move but his limbs couldn’t. He was completely stunned by the pain.

What exactly was going on? he couldn’t understand it, just how did a monster creep up on him? Suffering through the agonizing pain, trying his best not to pass out Lwanda noticed the rats before him. They were burnt to a crisp, thick pale fluids trickled from their mouths and nose, eyes burnt off. The foul scent of burning flesh filled the entire place.

As he stood there dumbfounded, Lwanda noticed the crystal lying on the ground covered in an electric aura. In that moment of pure confusion, he could only master one expression...

“Huh ?!!”