Chapter 74 - 75. “You Are Safe. I Am Here,”
Falak seemed to be aware of my presence. He crept up and was about to approach me. With his stomach muscles, he moved slowly, "Don't miss me. I won't be here for long," I told him when he was already in front of me.
It seemed Falak knew what I was talking to him. He immediately went down and checked back every cage.
"Tha?!," Antonie called me from his cage.
I waved at him, Hi!" I said as I jumped carefully from one cage to another. I knew the risk. If I fell down in my attempt to reach Antonie's cage, my body would go straight to the underworld without death visiting me first.
"Are you crazy?! Stupid brat! What are you doing?!" I ignored his swear words, "Stupid! Hurry back! You are risking your life to death?!"
I thickened my ears and focused on jumping carefully from one cage to another.
"Come back, idiot! Falak is still here. Are you tired of living already?! He kept yelling at me, begging me to come back.
I, who was starting to get irritated by his scream!", got annoyed, "Can't you just shut up? Why are you so noisy?!" I shouted sarcastically, "I am trying to concentrate, so shut up, idiot!" I almost slipped off as Antonie continued to scream, but after I said so, he went quiet.
I regained my concentration and caught my breath. There was only one jump left to reach Antonie's cage, so I could not fail after I went this far.
When I was about to jump, I felt the back of my shoe get caught in the iron bars of the cage where I was standing. It happened so quickly as my body slipped, and I could see the light at the top of the doom very clearly.
My body plunged free into the underworld. Antonie's scream sounded very low as my ears could only hear my own heart beating like crazy. What was in my brain was all gone all of sudden, replaced by the emptiness that seemed to be forever. I wanted to close my eyes, but the view over the doom was too beautiful to let go of. 'Is it the end of my life?'
When I felt my body fall further down and Antonie's cage seemed to get smaller, I closed my eyes, "I give up" I whispered.
'Zie, if we can't be together in this world, can we be together in another?I am sorry I have no time to visit you again. See you later' Tears fell down as all the memories swirled in my head.
The temperature around me started to drop. The cold that embraced me was like a greeting from the darkness happily greeted me. The second I let go of my life, I gasped. I felt a rope wrapped around my body, holding me from falling further into the underworld.
My consciousness came on when I saw a man clinging to one of the cages at the bottom. He tried to climb up while still holding me, pulling me up with difficulty.
'Why?" I felt like everything was over but why did he suddenly come? I had given up everything, let go of what I could not reach. But it seemed that God was too kind to bring him as my guardian angel.
"Calm down," My tears just flowed freely after hearing his soothing voice, "You are safe. I am here," a warm caress from him felt like something impossible for me to have some minutes ago, "Shhh, that is enough, calm down," I just nodded in between my tears I was trying to suppress.
Naar managed to pull me, saving my life. We stood on the most basic of the hundreds –perhaps more--the hanging cages of the prisoners. The distance from where we stood to the mouth of the hole in this room was very far. Even the dome above looked very small, "Enough, don't say anymore, okay? We can go up, calm down," The more he calmed me down, the harder it was for me to stop crying.
It took a while for me to get calmer, then Naar asked me to climb onto his back. He tied me up using ropes that connected to his body, making sure that I would not fall when he tried to climb from one cage to another.
As we moved up, the prisoners who were in the cage looked at us in amazement. "Why did you save me? Don't you think it is very dangerous? You should just let it go. After all, when I fell later--," I did not continue my words when I saw his expression who was struggling to get up, my body added weight to his back.
"I am sorry," Naar just cleared his throat in response, "Come on, cheer up!" I said cheerfully before helping him decide which prison cage we had to go to in order to reach Antoni's cage faster.
Naar sat limp after about two hours he jumped from one cage to another. We rested on one of the prison cages not far from Antonie's, "In a moment, okay? I will definitely take you there," He was breathless.
I stayed silent next to him, looking at him who was regaining his energy.
"Naar," the owner turned to me spontaneously, "Thank you so much," after that a huge warm handpicked my nose, the hand of the man who was currently looking at me with relief and annoyed expression.
I hit his arm and said to him angrily, "Such annoying man! What if you broke my nose?' although it was a soft pinch, I was having trouble breathing, anyway.
After letting go of my nose, we went silent to each other while looking at the vastness of the prison opening, "It is my first time coming to this place," He took a deep breath.
"I can't remember how many times I have come here. Perhaps due to its intensity, I forgot it.," I said, remembering the first-day Azalea brought me here. The first time I saw Falak and other horrible things that seemed foreign to me.
"This place is not as bad as I thought. The first time I came here, everything felt strange, but for the second time and so on, I felt quite calm to be here. Despite the rancid and fishy smell that sometimes makes me feel a little uncomfortable," I looked at Naar who was also looking at me, "Can you take me to Antonie's cage now?' he nodded.
…
Naar stood on guard over Antonie's cage. He monitored the situation and conditions around so that when anyone was coming closer, he could take me away in an instant.
,
"You stupid brat! Why did you do such a crazy thing? Are you tired of living so that you want to lead your life straight to death?" Welcome words from Antonie once I managed to reach his cage, "If you fall from here, you will directly slide down into the underworld without dying, and no one will be able to see your body!" He looked shocked and angry.
I smiled for a moment in response to his words, "Mr. Antonie, be honest with me that you've actually got your memory back. Although I don't know when you started remembering, I have confirmed that you remember everything," I tried to calm down when I saw his expression that seemed to be getting more and more shocked.
"When I gave you the second photo, you seemed to lead me to the conclusion that you have been remembering your past little by little. Now tell me, do you remember that spell too? I want to get straight to the point without any small talk," I said firmly.
"You have fooled me in the past few days. I don't know what exactly you pursue, but I know that you have already regained your memory. You remember everything," I glared at him, "So, I wonder if we can cooperate now. I am tired with all of this."
Antonie sighed for a moment, "Tsabitha Youenha, I know very well who you are. You are Rumpa's second child," He said without thinking at any moment that Naar might hear him too, "I'm sorry for tricking you for the past few days," he showed off his regretful expression. I was not sure if it was just an actor he really meant it.
"You dictated to me your memory as if I was just a five year old child who just learned to read!" I was really annoyed. I did not care if Naar could hear our conversation.
"I will tell you a few things first. I am the only person who has the immortality spell. Perhaps you know Zarina has it too, but I would say that it works differently," I listened carefully to Antonie's explanation.
"Zarina made a pact with what or who, I don't know for sure.. She will live one life in the expense of another life with some conditions to fulfill by the one who requests it, one of which is to hand in the fire lily flower," I felt I was really cheated now, and I promised I would kill him if he dared to do again to me, twice.