"Oooh-oh!"

  A will emerged. The golden ring of White Flame eyes peering at the planar world rotated anticlockwise for the first time ever.

  "..."

  It stopped—a veil was lifted. Now, he did not just see the earth, its features and its tiny inhabitants; he saw what is like chains that emerged from every features and inhabitants of the planar world—one for each—and the chains extend deeper into its earth, connecting them and securing them to it—manifesting a law as old as time.

  "Earth Chain."

  About to take a better look at the chains, trying to realize it, an ancient voice as old as time resounded, but simultaneously White Flame was yanked by a golden chain that emerged from where his heart should be like it has always been there and then he was dragged by it from the top of the transparent sphere he was on and into the clear water of the ancient land it extends from without giving him time to react.

  ***

  "Earth." Masa Ed mumbled softly. His blinking eyes finally opened.

  Unlike the times he remembers—the times in the strange place where he will always return to the large bed he first woke up from after he concedes his consciousness to what should be death but was never it—he was certain this time, him returning his consciousness to the bed he previously woke up from with the mysterious woman by his side, has no strange ties attached to it. Since he could see the view of that mountain basking under the light of dawn through the window to his side, he became reassured time must have flowed as natural as he always know. Then, with peace in his mind, he completed his waking by stretching his legs and his arms bounded and wrapped in a piece of white cloth.

  However in the next moment, the knowledge that he could freely and comfortably move his arms and legs and the fact that the mysterious woman is not in the room sets thought spinning in his mind.

  'Its now or never if I will leave here. But will that woman be stupid and just let me be?What if she is waiting behind the door trying to see if I will try to escape and that way she will catch on that I am aware of her masks? And what about the doors? Especially the one leading out of this place, what if she has locked them?... Well... there is only one to know.'

  Masa Ed made his conclusion with determination etched on his face, then slowly like he had troubles, he sat up on the bed, feigning a grimace that persists for a while. Then later, he slowly get his legs off the bed, looking like he did a great task, and then he plants them lightly on the mat covering the floor of the room, looking exhausted after.

  *Meow.

  "?!?!?!"

  Before he proceeded, he heard a meowing sound that stunned him and almost frightened him, so looking to his left at where it came from, he saw a cat curled on the mat at one corner of the room, looking at him intently.

  'That scared me. Its just a cat.' He breathe in and out, stabilizing his almost quickened breath. Then resuming, he slowly stood from the bed—looking like a weak person in a bit of pain. Then looking like he won't mind the little inconvenience after a look of interest and excitement appeared on his face, he slowly made his way to the opened round window at the other side of the bed, rounding the bed at its foot side specifically. And as he reached the window, the look of interest and excitement on his face brightened genuinely, owing to the beautiful and enchanting view of the local town backdropped by that mountain that is blanketed by the legendary sky of dawn.

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  "I should look around." He muttered.

  With genuine interest on his face, Masa Ed turned around and walked slowly and carefully like a weak person towards the door, rounding the bed like he came.

  As he neared the door to the room, he prayed to his ancestors its not locked; so with assurance that originates from his ever reliable ancestors which has been further strengthened by his victory over the strange place, he lightly pushed the door outward and it responded—it opened outward.

  'Lucky! Masa Ed smile. He was very happy that the door to the room—the first obstacle—opened without much drama.

  Then while the cat curled at the corner of the room watched him intently; he stepped out of the room and into a somewhat dimly lit narrow corridor with gentle steps so as not to attract the attention of the woman if she is anywhere in the building. And after he seems not to feel her presence close by, he closed the door shut behind him gently with no noise; then he turned to his right after a short deliberation before he started walking towards the door at the end of the corridor that should lead out of the building. And like usual, he prayed it wasn't locked, which it luckily wasn't, and so in what felt like a long time ago, Masa Ed with the backdoor of the building he just shut closed behind him, took in fresh breath directly from the open sky of the world he has almost forgotten with his eyes closed and therefore yet to savor the monotonous and perpetual view of the unveiled cosmos he grew tired of looking at one time before he woke up at the strange place.

  "Its good to be alive." He muttered. Then he opened his closed eyes after he's had his fill of the breath of the cosmos he has always known... A place that has also always been a strange place to him since his very first thought as a living.

  'This woman is really meticulous.'

  Curious, Masa Ed first looked around him at the building's backyard that seems to be a flower garden of beautiful curated flowers and a well mowed grassy ground that stretched beyond it. Then, once again, he deeply inhaled the rich floral scent permeating the air but is strangely a bit inferior to the woman's scent in quality not flavor.

  'Its strange, that woman.' Masa Ed frowned a bit, thinking about what really felt off that he can seems to lay a finger on about the strange woman he suspects to be an evil witch that have a bad intention against him.

  However, moving forward a bit—standing at the center of the rather otherworldly backyard garden dominated by blooming adey abeba flowers that extends beyond it with a footpath leading into the distance passing through it—for the first time in a long while, Masa Ed took in a proper view of the world he nearly forever forgot:

  He perked his ears; he heard the whispering of the insects and the singing of the small birds. He observed the horizon; he saw the clouds basking in the light of dawn from the morning sun. The forest ahead that stretch miles beyond was beguiling; the cool breeze emanating from it—flooding his naked body save for a pair of pants and the band aids wrapped tightly on his hands—intoxicating. Also, the strangely magnified knowledge of people in the town houses around, felt as novel as it is soothing and heartwarming.

  "Living in peace is kind of underrated." He verbally concluded and smiled. He felt the pleasure and joy of living that was taken from him the time he woke up in the strange place.

  But he didn't want to think about it now! so like he has planned already, he slowly starts putting distance between himself and the evil witch's building, walking slowly along the footpath through the field of vibrant adey abeba flowers while looking here and there like he is admiring the view revealed to him. And in his heart as he reached where the footpath takes a gentle turn, he prays to his ancestors that the evil witch should not appear behind him, scare him and put an end to his well-crafted escape plans that has been succeeding so far.

  Then, as he reached about a hundred and fifty meters away from the evil witch building behind him, Masa Ed with his two hands banded with white cloth broke into a sprint; his objective: get far away from the evil witch and her building. And moments later, he kind of did; he came to a halt, trying to catch his breath and renew his exhausted flesh.

  After much puffing and huffing that lasted a while, Masa Ed unhold his knees supporting his upper body and straightened his back. Now, he is at the center of a vast field of blooming adey abeba flowers, and the footpath although still continuing adjoins the mouth of a fairly wide wooden bridge up ahead—looking like its waiting for him to cross it.