Sol Vestitor: New Age of God

Chapter 5: Endless Despair

Sol walks through the mountain with his rifle sling on his side and a broken branch as a makeshift walking stick. His body is sore and his head dizzy, he had been looking for Anya for the last hour to no avail.

He doesn't know that Anya had barely got back to the other in time and left the mountain with them.

He has met a few animals thus far, or at least what used to be animals. Some are giant monkeys like the one he met before, while others look like some kind of humanoid animal.

Every time he hides himself behind a tree or bush, he can feel death looming closer and closer. While he hid, he would pray to God that he won't be found.

Actually, Sol isn't very religious but the recent revelation forced him to believe that Gods actually exist and his dire circumstance gives him no other choice. He doesn't even know what God he needs to pray to.

Because the voice on the sky uses the name of roman's Pangan Gods so he tries every roman's God he can remember. Jupiter, Juno, Minerva, whoever come to his mind

One time he gets a close call with those weretigers, he was praying to Goddess of earth Gaea when his intuition told him that he was being ignored. The Weretiger came his way and almost spotted him. Luckily he throws a hand full of snow to the side and it gets attracted by the noise.

Ever since he decided to stick with one God rather than gamble with random God names. Well, he doesn't actually put that much faith in God's mercy.

Sol doesn't want to fight another one of these monsters, he understands very well that his latest kill was a fluke.

Had made another mistake he would have died. If it did not hurt itself by mistake, or he missed his second shot, or his knife missed its windpipe, the one would lie dead on the snow is him instead of that monster.

For the last hour, other than monsters, trees, and snow, he found a lot of dead bodies more than he ever sees in his life. He knows every single one of them, they were his students.

He lost count of how many times he vomited that day, he can still feel the bitter and sour taste of his gastric juice.

Thought that Anya may have gone back to their camp building, but what he found there was a deserted building.

Looking around the building, Sol found no one. He feels cold, tired, his body sore all over. Feeling thirsty and hungry, Sol went to the kitchen for a drink but everything was frozen.

Tiredly, Sol gathers some snow and melt it on the stove. While at it he takes the vegetable they planned to cook that day then eats it by the stove for some warmth.

While he bites the frozen cabbage and let it melt in his mouth, all his bottled up feelings finally burst. His mouth feels bitter and throat choked that he can't make a sound, tears flow freely.

He feels so helpless and guilty from all those dead students that died on the mountain, worry for the missing Anya, and worse is the feeling of betrayal for all those who leave him behind. They leave him and everyone on the mountain to die a lonely death.

Sol regrets not stopping his student from going up the mountain, he regrets going after them, and he regrets going to work that morning.

"I should have stayed home with Miya." He doesn't even know what Miya is doing right now and he doesn't want to imagine it. Thinking about all this makes his body colder.

The sound of boiling water pulls him back from his daze, "No, I can't fall into despair" Sol resolves himself.

After he warms himself and fills his stomach, seeing that the sky is getting dark Sol decides to rest and leave the mountain first light the next day. "I need to get back"

While looking outside, he notices two things, one the moon still exists and still shines without the sun, and two he can see light from the city while some part of the city is burning.

"is it safe to go back?" Sol wonder. "Well, there is no use thinking about it. I will know when I get there"

Sol take curtains from windows and use it as a blanket and sleep in the corner.

The camp building doesn't have a bedroom so that is nowhere for him to sleep comfortably, it was designed with a hall and kitchen only to accommodate their stay for the day and not for them to stay the night.

Sol falls asleep right away, he is so tired that he doesn't mind the lack of comfort.

At midnight Sol feels a chill that pierces his entire being that it shook him awake. Outside the window, he sees a giant yellow glowing eye with a vertical slit pupil.

He feels so fearful that he wants to run more than anything but he can't move his body at all as if his body turned into stone.