THE LOST GOD OF CHAOS

Chapter 5 – The Surface

AS THEY ascended, the fireflies continued to trail after Nyssa, lighting the way for everyone. Some of the elderly people in the group could not climb any further.

“How long will it take to reach the surface?” one middle-aged woman asked as she struggled to collect herself.

Jie turned to her and answered, “It will take another two hours, all of you are lucky to be here. If you give up now, death will surely greet you.” He looked at everyone and made an announcement. “Those who complain will be left behind!”

While several people in the crowd grumbled, no one spoke against him.

The universe must have taken pity on them for what they had been through because everyone arrived on the surface without encountering a human-eating monster along the way.

There were sighs of relief when they were finally a few meters away from the cave exit. Although two elderly had already passed out, Kali immediately tended to them.

“I’ll help. My name is Tarian, I came from the family of apothecaries in Ardhi,” a woman in her early twenties volunteered. She immediately put down her backpack and removed her black cloak. She revealed her alabaster skin, which matched her short, raven black hair.

“Thank you, Tarian.” Kali lightly arched her head down.

As Kali and Tarian were busy looking after the two elderlies, three young girls attempted to run outside, but Jie had to intervene.

“Stop right there! If you want to be burned alive, then get out.” Jie warned.

“B-but… we want to see the stars!” One of them reasoned it out.

Nyssa dove in. “Ethros is right. We encountered the infamous fire-breather outside, and it is nesting atop this rock formation. We were attacked on our way back.”

Everyone fell silent.

“You can take a rest now. Those men who are capable will join me in guarding the entrance.” Jie gazed at several men still catching their breaths. Although he had no intention to play hero here, he couldn’t let these people die.

Ten men volunteered, and Jie divided them into five groups. He explained the situation, and afterward, he carefully reiterated what to expect. Thankfully, most of them had brought their own food, and Jie calculated that it would last for about a week if consumed slowly.

“Now, once our ration is gone, we have no choice but to hunt for food,” Jie said confidently, even though he wasn’t sure of what would happen. He had no idea how to hunt in this monster-filled world.

Since he had experience scaling the vast desert outside this cave, he knew that it would be hard for them to find food. However, he didn’t want these people to lose hope, especially since they looked at him as the one in charge despite being a teenage boy.

THEY managed to survive for a week without anyone attempting to go out of the cave. There were nights that the dragon kept hovering near the entrance, and sometimes even during the day. The people finally understood the dangers of coming out.

“The food runs out…” Kali talked with Ethros on the seventh morning. “Everyone of us is not used to the surface, luckily, some have already acclimated.”

The surviving villagers had trouble staying on the surface for the past few days; the humid temperature made them dizzy and nauseated. Some even passed out because of the drastic change in altitude.

“How are we going to tell them about the harsh conditions outside?” Jie had set aside his personal issues because he felt responsible for these people. During the time he was still alive, he had undergone several days of survival training because his company required it. He pondered if it was useful in this world as well.

Kali sighed. “We are just a bunch of teenagers, Ethros, but my father entrusted them to us before he died, since they knew nothing about the surface. It’s forbidden for the Ardhians to know the ancient civilization on the surface before the great catastrophe happened.”

“I wish I could talk with you about it, but my memories aren’t back yet.” He averted his gaze. Jie had no plan to tell them that he was inhabiting this boy’s body and that he came from a different world.

These past few days, Jie somehow got basic information about the destruction of the underground village. Their chieftain left everyone to die, and if not for Klatus, these Ardhians would surely be the monster’s meal.

Kali cleared her throat, as if hesitant to speak, but ended up raising a question. “This has been boggling my mind, Ethros. I know you lost your memories, but Nyssa mentioned the strange orbs that you found that night you ran away.”

“I told you, Kali. I don’t remember. Nyssa is obsessed with these orbs. What are they anyway?” The line on his forehead deepened.

“It was you who were obsessed with these orbs, Ethros. All the information I know came from you.”

Jie’s eyes narrowed. He thought that the owner of this body might have something to do with why he suddenly woke up in this cursed realm.

“Please tell me. It might help me regain my memory.”

Kali breathed out. “There are different types of orbs in this world, but they originated from four major orbs that possess the four elements of nature—the air, water, earth, and fire.”

“Oh,” Jie said, hiding his astonishment. “Does it have something to do with magic?”

Kali tilted her head. “Yes, that’s right. You said that according to the book you have read, the air orb holder can manipulate the sky and thunderstorms. The earth orb will grant its holder the ability to manipulate all elements of the earth, while the water orb can possibly grant immortality since it can purify everything. Then there’s the fire orb; it is said to be the most destructive orb since the holder can destroy and consume any living being.”

“Sounds like a fairy tale to me,” Jie mumbled.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I mean, now I get it. Each magic manifests from the four elements of nature.”

“Yes, it is also said that only the royal blood can inherit these mother orbs. I hope I can share more information. But my knowledge about it is also limited.”

They were interrupted when Aelec came. He appeared better compared to the last few days when he was fighting for his life because of the infection. He wore clean, dark blue clothing with a notable Ardhian’s insignia—a pentagram inside a circle with one eye at the center.

“I’d like to volunteer to join you for the hunt.” Aelec smiled shyly as he tied his shoulder-length hair in a man bun. He looked quite intimidating now that he was tidy.

“Are you sure? It’s not good to force yourself.” Kali scrutinized the man whose arms were still full of bandages, his face had notable claw scars on his right cheek.

“I’m good with swords. I’ll serve as a vanguard for Ethros and the other volunteers.” Aelec looked proud as he gazed at the young man. “I’m willing to put my life on the line rather than wait and die of starvation.”

Jie wondered if it was only because Aelec owed him his life. “I’ll appreciate it.”

“Ethros, please make me your disciple,” Aelec said with a straight face, then arched his head down.

Jie’s jaw dropped. “Disciple? What the heck is wrong with you?”