Anamnesis: Book 1

Chapter 10

Leviathan made it as far as the crossroads, where the tunnel had diverged into three separate directions. Straight ahead of him had been the exit, which he was sure Aster wouldn't have taken without the glam. That left the two tunnels to his left, which he was sure to get lost in without proper guidance. He began to think of Ursa, and the probability of his aide if he should turn around and ask it of him. But this had been Levi's doing, of which he felt a sort of moral obligation in solving by his own means. He turned to look at one tunnel, glaring into the dark depths in a vain attempt to catch a glimpse of Aster's silhouette. When there was no sign of her, he did the same to the other, stretching his sight as far into the tunnel as possible before it simply faded into inky blackness. He thought of going in a random direction, with nothing but blind optimism. Yet, he knew he lacked the attitude of a man with fortune and favor on his side.

In the distance, he could still hear the rhythmic sound of the pickaxes, with Ursa's joining in and somehow seeming to amplify the sound. But amidst the humdrum echo of their hard work, there came a soft tapping from the tunnel that led straight through the middle of the mountain. It was out of tune with the rest of the noise, and Levi knew that it was Aster. It sounded as though she had taken a pickaxe of her own, and set to work on the cave walls with much fiercer swings. Levi followed the sound through the tunnel, which looked much like the last, though he had the advantage of being less inebriated. Rock and cobble had been left askew along the edges, with rusty ax blades and busted handles discarded along the walkway. More than once he had to remind himself to lift his feet higher when he walked, so as to avoid the debris and potential tetanus that it might bear him. Louder and louder the sound grew until it was almost deafening in his ears. The sound reverberated off the walls and very ground he walked and even sauntered up his legs. He continued forward, never steering down the endless branches that diverged from the main path and likely into a labyrinth of passages. He simply followed the sound, until just at the end's reach he could see her. In her small hands, she held a pickaxe, which seemed far too large for her to wield, and yet, she handled it as though it were but a toy. With each swing, Levi could see the tone of her muscles, her triceps straining and stretching with each motion of her arms. For a moment his eyes wandered, down to her chest where the tightness of her tank top was made more evident whenever the swing of her pickaxe made her breasts lightly jiggle. He mentally scorned himself for his wandering eyes, reminding himself that, while attractive, she was more of a beast than of a woman. But this thought did not last him long, for as his eyes traveled back towards her face, he was able to see the anger, frustration, and looming sadness plastered there. What was always hidden behind her stern features, was lost as she worked violently on mining the stone wall. Whether it was because she knew she was alone, or was so consumed by her action, he wasn't sure. But it remained there just the same.

Levi contemplated what he would say, reprimanding himself for not thinking of it sooner. Now that she was in front of him, he had grown nervous and uncomfortable. 'This,' he thought, 'is the reason I keep to myself.' However, the idea made no difference to his situation now. The longer he stood watching her, as she had failed to notice in her concentrated state, the more he felt the knot in his stomach grow. It was unfamiliar territory, the likes of which he never imagined getting involved in. Yet here he was, and there she was as angry and hurt as he had ever seen her. And it was all his fault.

"Aster..." he finally managed when the tension had gotten too high for him to bear. He tried to refrain from startling her but failed judging by the way she had turned towards him with the pickaxe raised and ready to draw blood. She stopped when she saw him, eyes hardening for a moment before she turned back to the cave wall and began beating against it again with more fervor. Leviathan, though guilty, was grateful she had taken the anger out on the wall rather than his skull. Still, the thought did cross his mind that if she had hit him hard enough, perhaps he could have avoided the awkward situation he was faced with now.