One plus one is two. 

Two plus two is four. 

Four plus four is eight...

Wait, what was I doing just now?

…Oh! Addition! I was reviewing the basic arithmetic functions. 

Hahaha. 

He felt happy for the first time in a while and laughed. He had long forgotten how much time had passed in this space. After he stopped counting the time at 100 days, he started to have a meltdown. 

Had it been five months? Six? No... Had it been years?

There was no way to measure time. He could only guess with such ridiculous methods. 

Perhaps he was already dead and was floating around in some sort of afterlife. 

‘I thought I’ll go to heaven when I’m dead...I’ve done a lot of good things, after all.’ 

He laughed on the inside. He was sure he was laughing, but there were tears in his eyes. Of course, he couldn’t actually cry, but he imagined himself sobbing. 

How did things get so bad?

He simply entered the Cave because he wanted to get stronger. Had he been too selfish?

He began doubting himself—’Was I not strong enough to handle this?’

Had he truly been mistaken? If he was able to go back, should he run away?

He thought for a long ti...