Lahnthean Aria

4

Panic surged through her veins. "Mr. Kidnapper!" she called out. "Mr. Kidnapper, you scammer! Come out and take responsibility!"

She gingerly scanned her surroundings and winced as a cold breeze blew her way. Kiran decided to walk toward the direction that the young man likely took.

"Mr. Kidnapper!" she called out as she approached the edge of the meadow that seemed to overlook a sea of stars.

Judging by the icy temperature seeping into her clothes and drying her lips and nose, the meadow was situated at a high altitude; possibly a mountain or atop a really tall hill.

It was a good thing that she decided to wear a cardigan that day.

"Mr. Kidnapper, I'm sorry I foiled your plan of k********g Alessa!" Kiran called out again. "Please just send me back to my world. I promise I won't tell anyone about what happened. No one would believe me anyway! I mean, who gets isekai-ed in the twenty-first century, right? Mr. Kidnapper?"

She wasn't really begging for his help at that point. She knew that he had abandoned her, and the possibility of reuniting with him again was close to nil.

He might not even be real. What if he had been a figment of her imagination all along?

She called out to him anyway to assure herself that she wasn't alone. She pretended that she was looking for someone so that she could keep all the fears and loneliness creeping into her senses at bay.

This was no time for her to crumble and cry after all. She had to think straight to figure out a way to survive, at least until she learned how return to her world.

She picked up the empty flask on the ground just in case she could use it, and slipped it inside a pocket in her pants.

Kiran then focused her attention at what she might find at the edge of the meadow. If the place was indeed at a high-altitude, it meant she would have to hike down to a place with some form of civilization where she could ask for help.

It also meant she would have to shut down her fear of heights somehow.

"Please let there be a trail," she muttered, hoping to see a forest path that could lead her down the mountain or hilltop that she was on. "Or stairs. Stairs would be good too. Please let there be stairs."

A strong icy breeze blew past Kiran making her stumble slightly back a few steps from the edge of the meadow. Her jaw dropped as the starry night sky confirmed her suspicions.

The edge of the meadow overlooked a sea of clouds.

Kiran's knees trembled and her teeth chattered as she looked over the side of the cliff that served as the edge of the meadow. Instead of a forest path, she found a set of stone steps protruding from the cliff wall.

It would have been good if each step wasn't roughly three feet in length, with room for only one person. It also didn't have a railing that could protect anyone who took it from being blown away to their death by the howling wind.

Kiran felt her heart sink. "Stairs were a bad idea after all."

***

Kiran had two choices.

First, she could stay in the meadow, count to 100 like a good girl, and wait for Mr. Kidnapper to return.

That would require her to trust that Mr. Kidnapper hadn't abandoned her: that he simply stepped away for a much needed time alone to think things over, and that he would return once she reached 100.

Did she trust Mr. Kidnapper? Despite how admittedly handsome he was in the dark, she could not trust him - not completely, at least. After all, he held a blade to her throat and had the audacity to leave her alone in a place she was in no way familiar with, instead of quietly meditating in a corner where she could still see him.

Second, she could shove her fear of heights somewhere in the deepest corners of her mind so that she could hike down the mountain alone.

She would also need to devise a safe way to walk down the steps. Clearly, she couldn't just prance down each step like she would with a normal set of stairs. The wind was strong at the edge of the cliff and the only things she could hold on to were protruding stones on the cliff wall; if there was any at all that she could grasp.

Each stone step was also shiny and smooth like marble. Factoring in the possibility that it could be moist due to the high altitude, slipping down to her death was highly probable.

Come to think of it, there was also a third option available: jump off the edge of the cliff and hope everything was a dream.

Kiran shook her head.

No. Survival was her priority.

There was no food anywhere in the meadow so she couldn't stay there and wait for someone to rescue her. That meant the only choice left for her was brave the stone steps and hope that she would reach the bottom of the mountain alive.

Kiran nodded to herself.

She had to suck it up and follow the footsteps of the main characters she admired in the stories that kept her up at night. Kiran got on her knees and gingerly crawled to the edge of the cliff to examine the stone steps and the cliff wall that were visible in the darkness.

She couldn't imagine herself standing on the stone steps with her legs already trembling like jelly.

Kiran took a deep breath, the cold air already freezing her lungs. She flinched when she realized that it was getting harder for her to breathe. It seemed that the meadow was at an altitude with low oxygen levels. She would have to leave before she lost her wits to altitude sickness.

Kiran narrowed her eyes at the cliff wall.

It seemed to have crevices she could hold on to. Hopefully, the shadows she spotted on its surface were indeed deep and sturdy crevices that she could grab, and not just wistful delusions on her part. Kiran took one last deep breath before sitting up on the edge of the cliff, her legs gingerly dangling over the first stone step. She winced and squeezed her eyes shut as panic surged through her senses.

Kiran hated hiking down from high places because the helpful tip "don't look down" to manage her fear of heights couldn't apply to it.

Looking down was necessary to get to the ground from a high place. It was the only way she could be sure that she was heading toward the right destination. It was also the only way her fear could petrify her, and make her fall prey to the ruthless gusts of wind blowing along the side of the stairs.

Kiran felt cold sweat slide down the back of her neck.

Her ears were ringing. Her heart painfully pounded against her chest. Her limbs trembled with every second she remained perched on the edge of the cliff.

She had to move. She had to push herself forward, or she would slip and fall to the ground.

Kiran snapped her eyes open and inched herself over the first step, making sure she remained seated.

She shakily felt the cliff wall for crevices she could hold on to, and fortunately found two that she clung to for dear life. Kiran bit her lip as a whimper escaped her throat. She was finally perched on the first stone step!

Next, she would have to dangle her feet over the edge of the step; right on top of the second step downwards.

Kiran cringed as a strong, icy wind blew her way; pressing her further against the wall. She realized that she shouldn't cling to the crevices too long. Her trembling fingers would freeze and her grip could weaken.

Kiran set her eyes on the next stone step. Yes, looking down from one step to another instead of looking down to her destination should help her manage her fears. Why hadn't she thought about it earlier?

Kiran gingerly positioned her legs to the edge of the first step, her fingers turning white as she clung desperately to the protruding rocks on the cliff wall. Once her legs dangled over the second step, she pushed her weight forward and slid from the first step to the next.

She quickly flailed her arms to the side of the cliff that was close to the second step, in the hopes of finding another crevice. Her heart almost leaped out of her chest when she couldn't feel anything near her outstretched hand.

Another gust of icy wind slammed against her.

This time, it seemed to be blowing right across her face - pushing her back to the first step. She almost stumbled to the edge and fell over the clouds, if it weren't for her other hand still grabbing hold of a rock on the cliff wall. She let out a whimper as she struggled to regain her balance; tears welling up in her eyes.

What did she do to deserve such ill fate?