It lunged, not just grabbing, but enveloping the boy in its crushing grip, the air squeezed from his lungs, his bones groaning in protest. He felt himself being pulled towards its mouth, not just swallowed like an egg, but pulverized, created, absorbed into its very essence, his consciousness dissolving into a painful, eternal scream as he became one with the terrifying creature. Then, the virtual projection scene fragmenting, and return to the calm, empty void.
"If this is what you say, life and death? Then, this is not funny!"
"Go back now.... And don't forget about what you saw.
"I don't want to go back yet, please...I was now scared with the lizards too... Their grip was like a monster who gripped me tightly...I was traumatized!"
The boy was soaked in sweat, his heart hammering against his ribs like a desperate drummer. He gasps. "It ate me! Like... like a perfectly poached egg!"
"Ok .... I'm sorry, well...That was a semi realistic virtual projection."
"Why did you do that...I am almost traumatized with the scene!" He scrambled up, still half-convinced, he was being swallowed. The monster's face still echoed in his mind. The wall was like a mirror before him, and then he carefully examined his reflection. He mumbled. "Wait a minute," tickling his stomach. "I don't feel like, I was eaten by a cosmic horror. I actually feel... a little hungry. You know, for a monster horror-sized breakfast."
"You're hungry? I can serve you food here?" The man said as he sympathized, he understood that the boy was indeed hungry. "Oh, it's my mistake...I should not let that scene replay, on his innocent and naive live, about the cruel reality in the future." He sighed.
"Really? Well, I'm hungry...Maybe I like some eggs, but definitely not poached. Scrambled. Yeah, scrambled would be good. Less chance of triggering my terrifying experience memories."
The wall instantly lightup with a square size box, then it moved outwardly towards the boy. "What is this?" He asked. It floated in the mid air. Upon the box reached the boy location, the box open, there, inside of the box there was a white porcelain plate, spoon and fork, and the food he asked. Then, on his feet there was two vertical rectangular shapes, arose, forming like a table and chair.
He paused as he sat, then whispering to his reflection, "Though, I have to admit, that monster had good taste. Hehehe, It feels like I'm a delicious kid."
"While you're eating...just watch the Lacerta clan." The man said.
"Mmmmm.... it's delicious...did you cook it?" The taste was unique, unique from earthly cuisine, it was a divine taste as the young boy tasted it.
"That's a crane egg ... The Crane's eggs you wishes to get."
"Are you serious!?" The boy mouth was muffled with great impression. "I can't believe you can get their eggs!" His eyes were sweating with joy. "I like your food, Mr Martheuw...this food was now my favorite!"
At that very instant, the wall shifted into like a cinema. There, the lizard group pause for a while. But the young boy saw himself still confronting with the group.
"Hey...why am I, still there?"
"I created a virtual copy of you...so that they cannot kill you. And here the real dagger." The wall open again, moved towards him.
"Yeak!" It trembled. The boy was happy as he saw the dagger again.
IN THE SCENE:
"Hey ... Are you ignoring us?" The Lacerta flock leader turned himself into human, but he is not an old man as the boy expected, he was young adult.
"Whoa ... He is a human?" The boy said while watching the scene.
"Give us the dagger. We hunt treasure...and all treasures in the stream is mine." But the boy in the scene become defensive, he pointed the dagger at them.
"Hah, I never expected this, he is kinda cute in the form of Lacerta form, but on his young adult form, his face like...an angry crane!" The boy said while eating as his eyes fixed of the wall.
"I'm sorry, I will not agree!" The boy in the scene said.
"Hah ....you really want to die? Attack him!!!"
The wall shutdown...blitzzzz!
"Hey... The scene was not done yet." The boy was done eating and his face was flustered with unsatisfying cut scene.
"That scene was already done....you don't have to worry ... You can now go back to the stream safely." The man, returned all the protruding rectangular shapes to its hives.
"Go home now." The surroundings was immediately shifted into the stream. And the boy stood holding his dagger. While the egg pouch was on the ground.
He saw the leader of the lizards. But, the ground was shaking...like there was an earthquake. The Lacerta clan feel something incoming from afar. "Let's go comrades!!!" The leader immediately transforming into a Swamp-lizard and swim swiftly like a fish. But the leader said before they leave. " Don't forget my face ... We will come back and take that dagger."
The boy smiled proudly as they ran disparately like sensing a powerful entity. "why are they running, are they afraid of earthquake?"
He watched the green grass, the birds chirping above like swift comets. He held his found treasure and scrutinized it's relic design, the gems was no value to Xerxez eyes, though the gems are made of valuable treasure like the amethyst, Topaz, emerald, and pearl at the center. "well, Yeak is indeed a treasure but ... It is a powerful dagger, I can also communicate with Mr Martheuw Cereun through this dagger. But...that scene ... In the future ...are they really real?"
He glanced at the pouch, full of eggs, " What would happen, if those catalyst will be now, knowing that the land of Thallerion had no Constellar protector?" His worries faded as he observed the vibrancy of the eggs, then he smiled as his memory glinted on his mind about the dinner in the palace, though, everytime he went home with a bag full of colorful egg collection—blue, maroon, and speckled—a unique gift for his parents. Despite his youth, he wasn't afraid to venture deeper into the forest, often escaping his personal guards just to collect eggs, and to take a chance to to get a golden yellowish eggs. To calm his parents' inevitable worries, these precious eggs were his peace offering.
"But here I am... I'm still ignoring their warnings...hehe." as he saw the sun rays, he realized it was nine o'clock in the morning. Then, as he relaxing in the trunk of a tree, he heard a sound, a familiar sound of a mysterious bird.
SQUAWK!!! SWAAAAWK!!!
"Woah, the mythical bird, I hear it again! Now that I know the taste of it....i will not stop hunting the Crane's nest." The boy imagining the taste of the Crane's eggs. " Mr Martheuw's recipe was so delicious!"
The boy jumped from the trunk, down on the thick grass, hiding, he heard a beautiful bird's squawk, up from the bushes on the stream, its feathers wonderfully pearly with a hint of blue tortoiseshell. It was indeed lustrous blue like a Borealis, its eyes lit a beautiful amethyst.
"Aha! The bird finally came. Whoa, look at that sound seems telling me there's a hidden treasure there. It must be a Crane's nest! I wish this time , no one will interrupt my hunting." The boy, installing his bow as he moved beneath the tall trees.
He traced the sound while carefully hiding in the thick bushes, big rocks, woods, and even on the big leagues. The squawk continued echoing in the forest, it sound beautifully pitching one another. The boy saw the graceful glide of their wings, from one branch to another.
"Almost there!" He giggled in excitement as he thought about the nest. "I heard to my grandpa, those birds are more aggressive bird than ostrich? It must be scary....I must be prepared! This arrow might not be enough, but all I wanted is just to get the Crane's eggs. Perhaps, two eggs, or four eggs will be enough."
The Crane stood in the thick branch, he thought that it lay eggs somewhere nearby. He step a little closer to make sure he could trace its nest.
Simultaneously, the Thallerion border, the gatekeeper blown a trumpet. So loud that the boy was shocked. HOOOOOONK!!!! HOOOOOOOOONK!
The trumpet sound was heard sharply echoing throughout the Thallerion Lands. The cranes flew in different directions, and the boy found it difficult to trace the nests of those birds. The trumpet was loud, as if a storm loudly approaching in the Thallerion.
"Such a bad timing... I'm almost there .. just a few step though, I could almost spot their nest." His feet thud angrily, and lowering the arrow on the ground.
"But argh! Interrupted again! Is it because of the earthquake?" He mumbled with disparity. The boy took his small pouch full of eggs, and run towards at the palace home. As the second honk blown again. "Two honks?"
"What were exactly happening in the palace?"