Once again, the blazing sun was scorching the earth with unbearable heat. The sand covered the horizons, trees and plants seem to be non-existent and the only signs of life where being wiped even more clean by waves of broken down sedimentary rock. It would seem that this is the way of the land. How could anything survive in this place, he thought. Yet he was still alive. He was still wondering through this desolate place. How long has been? He couldn’t remember. Either that or he was now so out touch of reality that he no longer knew when weeks began. He still knew what day and night were. The bitter cold of the night made a difference from what was above him at the moment.

‘The cold. It’s almost like… No, I can’t.’

Suddenly, he realised, he was in a village. Was this another mirage? No, this time, no one paid attention to him, so he knew that this was the real thing. Maybe this dehydration wasn’t derailing his mind as much as he… Wait, he was in a village! How far did his leg carry him? It looks like that they were now completely out of his control, automatic one would say.

As he was contemplating this, he arm jolted. Apparently, the scabbard of his sword had hit a rock. Was he still carrying that? He thought he had lost it when his belt holding the scabbard broke part. Luckily, his paranoia had kept his hand locked on the handle and was now dragging across the sand. Strange, he thought he lost his arm as well. Being that he can’t feel half of body, it might as well be. Were all these gears that kept him moving this time finally giving up and why does he keep comparing himself to a machine? It made some form of sense; given how he hadn’t spoken to anyone in what he thought were months and how he simply kept on going, even though he had hardly anything to eat. He couldn’t even feel hunger anymore.

‘By God, how long is it until I’m actually dead?’

Yet, his body still defied him, still running on autopilot, until it had reached its destination, the East. His mind, however, was still fixed the theory that all this was hopeless. Thus, he came up with a conclusion. He was seriously ****** up.

Then, he noticed something different, something unordinary, an irregularity. A boy and girl, in different clothing. Not that it was important, but it was clear that they were not from this place. They were unique. A boy in purple and a girl in orange. Orange…

Wait, has he done it? Has he finally reached the end of the line? Gone past the edges of the map? Finally, the East! A sense of accomplishment rushed through what was left of his sprit. Then he realises that the girl was looking straight at him. He wanted to wave back. However, realising that it was over, his body finally gave in. The weight of all that hardship finally caved in on him, as if someone just hit him on the back with a very large hammer. Pity it had the same effect. As this new weight sent him straight down in the direction of gravity, he wasn’t afraid. After, what one could call, years of running for his life, he did not fear that he had lost control of his fate, for he knew, that after all that, he was finally safe.