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[indent][indent][indent][color=gray][sub][right][color=#87c735][b]Location:[/b][/color] The Dungeon -- The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria[/right][/sub][/color]
[hr]Alex had been out of it, to say the least. The people around him underwent serious emotions, some of them switching from one extreme to another from what he could guess, but none of it truly registered in his mind. It was as if he was trapped inside his own head as an observer, gazing at the rest of the world from a foggy window. As he returned to his senses it felt like waking up for the first time, the mixture of euphoria and discomfort, the good kind that kept him alert. He was alive and in the body of his dreams and equipped with powers. Consequences could be ignored... 

...But there were his parents to think about. They loved him and he wanted to make them proud. But they didn't know about his identity, nor did he think they would approve of it. And so much of their lives had been invested in raising him and providing him with the best life they could. [color=#87c735][i]But I want to be happy too.[/i][/color] But his future as a professional needed to be considered. The world of freelancing was a tough one where industry standards changed every couple of months and work would disappear right in front of you unless you were constantly fighting for it. There were long-term projects that were depending on him, e-mails and phone calls that needed to be made. [color=#87c735][i]But I want to be happy too.[/i][/color] But his friends were back at home, probably missing him. They had made plans with him, wanted to see updates on some things he was making for them. Sure, none of them understood him beyond a surface level, but it was fine as long as they kept seeing each other. [color=#87c735][i]But that's not my happiness. That's theirs.[/i][/color]

[color=#87c735][i]I just want to be happy too.[/i][/color]

It was a cruel joke. The boy who kept himself under so much pain to let the world revolve with no complications, now having the opportunity of a lifetime dangled in front of him with no certainty to it whatsoever. His breaths remained sharp despite the exhaustion having waned considerably, and his sense of freedom was beginning to fade as well. None of his doubts or yearning or wishes mattered if they were all dead. 

[color=#87c735]"A chasm, huh."[/color] The words were aimed at himself more than anyone else. He could avoid that strange loop of guilt by keeping his thoughts confined to the outside. With fatigue now being a permanent addition to their trek, the idea of using wind abilities to get across was discarded immediately. In its place was... nothing at all, really. Being faced with an impenetrable wall of darkness gave one very little in the way of artistic inspiration, he realized. With a vague shrug that only hinted at his turbid interior, he dug out the potion of moonlight he was given and began to chug it like an energy drink.

[color=#87c735]"Bleh, this thing tastes so bad, what the hec- holy [i]fuck[/i] I have night vision."[/color] He messily wiped his mouth as his warm eyes shifted to a shade of silver. The opposite side of the chasm was now visible, although the results were disappointing. [color=#87c735]"Looks like it's nothing but rocks. There's four weird ones, though."[/color] It reminded him of cartoons where you could tell something wasn't part of the background because it was drawn slightly different. He wanted to say that, but even someone like him knew it wouldn't make for very good commentary.

[color=#87c735]"Wait, I got it."[/color] He drew his bow in a single movement and began firing at every one of the four stones. They were large and stationary targets, so all it took was extra time to secure the success every shot. 

After a brief pause the groan of shifting weight could be heard reverberating throughout the dungeon. The bridge was starting to lower. He knew it was in poor form to keep treating this as a game but... four out of four? [color=#87c735]"Awesome,"[/color] he said. He held up his free hand, expecting a round of high fives.




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