The old man looked at me intently, as if he were looking at a useless fool. It was a look that combined surprise and sarcasm. "You attacked the soldier and the commander without planning a way to escape and avoid the rest of the soldiers?"
"Hahaha!" I laughed dryly, more out of nervousness than humor. "I didn't think about that. The most important thing came first! I had to get out of that cell first, didn't I?"
The old man smiled mysteriously, his eyes shining with sharp intelligence. "Don't worry, the mind always overcomes strength, and I've spent my entire life developing my mind. I know a secret passage beneath this place, an old passage that almost everyone has forgotten. Soldiers used it many years ago to avoid enemies or escape in times of trouble."
I was surprised. I never expected there to be a secret passage in this abandoned place in the middle of the forest. "How do you know about this passage, old man? Were you a soldier here once?"
"I've spent many years here... longer than you can imagine," said the old man, his eyes telling countless stories. "Every corner of this place, every stone, has a story to tell to those who have the patience to listen. Now, we don't have time for curious questions. Just follow me." The old man left the cell room, walking slowly but confidently down the passageway, and then entered the commander's room, which we had left open.
He took a candle from the commander's desk, lit it, and then advanced toward a neglected corner of the room that looked as if it had not been touched for decades. He lifted an old, worn rug covering the floor to reveal a small wooden door, almost blending into the floor, invisible to those who did not know where it was.
"Here," said the old man in a low voice. "It was used a lot in the past before it was forgotten."
The old man went down first, sliding through the narrow opening, and I followed him.
The passageway was dark and narrow, barely wide enough for one person. It was filled with thick dust, and every breath I took filled my lungs with the smell of dirt and decay. The air was heavy, and the pungent smell of dampness filled the space as if we were venturing deep into the earth.
We walked slowly, using the dim light of the candle to light our way. The light reflected off the dirt walls, revealing old cobwebs and the remains of dead insects. Every few steps, I felt drops of water seeping through the damp ceiling and falling on my head.
After a few minutes of walking, the ground began to slope noticeably downward. The passageway led deeper underground as if we were diving into the bowels of the earth.
"Where does this passage lead?" I asked, my voice echoing in the confined space as I walked cautiously, ducking to avoid hitting my head on the low ceiling.
"It leads us to the outskirts of the capital city of the Kingdom of Krothia," replied the old man, panting slightly from walking. "I only used it once in my youth, but I remember the way well as if it were yesterday."
We continued walking for another hour, each step seeming to last an eternity.
The silence of the passage was broken only by the sound of our footsteps and our heavy breathing.
Then, at the end of the dark tunnel, I saw a faint light ahead, like a distant glimmer of hope. This was the exit.
When I reached the end, I found myself in a wide space, much wider than the tunnel we had been walking in. It looked like a huge natural cave, with a high ceiling rising up into the darkness. The passageway we had come out of was connected to this cave.
"We're here," said the old man, sighing with relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
I stepped out of the cave to see a dense forest with towering trees reaching up toward the sky. The air was fresh and cool, filling my lungs with refreshment after the heavy air of the passageway. The stars twinkled in the sky with a majestic light, like diamonds scattered on a black carpet.
"Where are we going now?" I asked, straightening my dust-covered clothes and stretching my back, which had stiffened from crouching in the narrow passageway.
"To the kingdom of Krothia," said the old man, his eyes fixed intently on the dark horizon. "I have a mission to complete there, and you... perhaps you should join the kingdom's army. That way, it will be easier for you to achieve what you seek."
"And what is it that I seek, in your opinion, old man?" I asked with a faint smile, the first real smile to appear on my face in days.
The old man smiled broadly, his eyes shining with a mysterious intelligence. "Something bad, perhaps?"
I smiled back at him, those words describing me perfectly. "So, how do I join the kingdom's army? I'm past the age of conscription, and soldiers only accept strong young men!"
"You're past the age of conscription? You? I'll take care of that, don't worry.
After all, you helped me escape from those idiots." The old man said as he returned to the cave we had come out of. "Now, let's find something to protect us from the cold night air. There should be some boxes or cloth in the cave. The army used to store equipment here in case they had to spend the night in this remote place."
I nodded in agreement, then followed him back into the cave to avoid the bitter night air and think about my next steps. I had begun a new journey, but this time, it wasn't just an escape, but a quest for what I believed to be my salvation.