Jade Groove City

"An unfamiliar ceiling."

Noah muttered with a hoarse voice.

After two days and three nights of deep sleep, he finally woke up.

And, what appeared in front of his eye was an unknown room and an unfamiliar ceiling.

Noah rubbed his eyes, trying to shake off the lingering grogginess. He remembers collapsing during his fight with a level 2 Fallen.

Creak!!!

The door to the room creaks open, and a man in ordinary clothing stepped inside.

"You woke up already?" He said, stupefied. "The medical team said you will wake up after 1 week, it only been almost 3 days."

Noah's mind raced with questions, but he managed to voice the most pressing one. "Where am I? Who are you?"

"I'm Adel, a member of the logistic staff of the Tower of Babel," the man replied, closing the door behind him. "I gather information regarding the sightings of Fallen, Enlightenment Stones, or even potential Masters."

"And you're currently in the outskirts of Jade Groove City. One squad of the Tower's Ego Masters brought you here."

Noah tried to process this information, but his mind was still clouded with confusion. "Jade Groove City... Tower of Babel... Master? Wait, you mean an Ego Master from the tower came here?" he muttered, more to himself than to Adel.

Adel nodded, understanding Noah's confusion. "Yes, the Tower of Babel is an organization that deals with threats, like the Fallen you encountered. And the Squad of Ego Master who brought you here is one of our top operatives."

Noah shifted slightly in bed, wincing at the residual pain from his injuries. "I remember the fight... I tried to fight the level 2 Fallen until someone arrived. Was that the Ego Masters?"

"Yes," Adel confirmed. "The Ego Masters arrived just in time to defeat the Fallen and bring you to safety. It was remarkable that you managed to hold out as long as you did."

Noah felt a surge of determination. Despite the pain, despite the confusion, he knew he couldn't back down now. "So, what happens next?" he asked, his voice steady.

"First, you need to fully recover," Adel said. "The fact that you woke up so quickly is already remarkable, but you still need rest. Once you're back to full strength, you can continue your journey. The Masters who brought you here have already left for a new mission, so you don't need to meet them."

"And you're unregistered Ego Master right? so you're probably here for the Tower to become an official Ego Master. But, where's your guide?"

"Yeah, I'm here to become an Official Master but what do you mean by guide?" Noah asked, confused. He's planning to enter the Tower under his Master's instructions. However, he didn't hear anything from his Master regarding the guide.

"You don't know? You can't enter the Tower without a Guide. It's not like the Tower is not open for outsiders but, you can't find it."

"What do you mean I can't find it?"

"You can't find it because the City of Babylon where the Tower of Babel resides, is in the sky."

"......"

Noah was shocked, speechless. He already expected that there was something wrong when no matter how closely he followed the map, he couldn't seem to find the City. He just didn't expect that it was in the Sky.

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"Yeah, but I can help you go there."

Adel reassured him, showing a small, intricate whistle. "This will call a ride that can take us to the City."

"Then, I'll take you up on the offer."

"Don't mention it, it's my job to help the Masters, after all. Anyway, I still have something to do, so I'll leave now." Adel smiled and bid his farewell.

As Adel leaves the room, Noah lays back against the pillow, his mind is racing with thought of what would be in the future.

A week later.

Outside the Jade Groove City, there lies a meadow.

The meadow stretched out before Noah and Adel like a vast, verdant sea, its grasses and wildflowers undulating gently in the late afternoon breeze.

Above, the sky was a brilliant canvas of blue, with just a few wisps clouds lazily drifting by, their shadows dancing across the meadow.

After another week of resting, Noah finally fully recovered and it's finally time for them to go to the City of Babylon.

Standing at the vast expanses of meadow, Noah waited as Adel blew the small whistle in his hand.

Noah expected a loud noise coming from the whistle since knowing that it's used for calling a ride.

However, the loud noise he expected didn't come. Neither a soft sounds even after Adel finished blowing the whistle.

Noah scratches his head, confused. "Why can't I hear the sound from the whistle?"

"Because the whistle produced a sound in different frequencies that only the 'ride' can hear."

"What do you mean by the ride can hear?"

—Screech!!!

Just as he asked that, a sharp piercing cry suddenly appeared above the sky.

Looking above him, Noah a large shadow flying through the sky before them.

The shadow flew before them revealing the appearance of a large, magnificent eagle. Its wings stretching nearly eight feet from tip to tip, the bird's plumage was a rich, dark brown, with feathers that seemed to shimmer with a bronze tint. The eagle's beak is curved sharply beaming a bright yellow color.

With its intense, piercing eyes and steel-like legs protruding in its legs, it stood imposingly before them.

"Wh-what is this!? Adel, a large eagle just came down from the sky," Noah exclaimed, his voice trembling with awe and disbelief.

"That's the ride I was talking about," Adel responded calmly. "The eagle in front of us will be the one to bring us to our destination."

"Wait, how? Why is the eagle big?"

"Stop asking questions, let's go now. You will know the answer soon." Adel smiled, and grabbed the helm attached in the back to climb effortlessly. Then, the eagle then used its powerful beak to gently grab the nape of Noah's shirt, lifting him and placing him securely on its back.

Before Noah could react, the eagle spread it's massive wings and flew through the sky.

***

After 30 minutes of flying, Noah and Adel finally arrived.

Haaa.

"I finally.....made it. I'm finally here." Noah said with a muffled voice.

He stood in awe, gazing at the endless wall that seems to have not an end.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he reminisced of the past hardship he endured just to reach this place.

"Not yet, you need to pass the inspection first." Adel said, interrupting Noah's moments.

"Then what are you waiting for? Let's go now!!!"

Noah excitedly said, as he wiped his tears.

Adel nodded, as he led Noah to the Monolith near the Gate of the City.

"Put your right hand in the surface of the Monolith." He said, as he instructed Noah what he should do first.

Noah hesitated for a moment, staring at the smooth, obsidian-like surface of the Monolith. It shimmered with an otherworldly glow, casting a faint golden light in the surrounding.

Huu.

Taking a deep breath, he placed his right arm on the Monolith, feeling a slight warmth coming from it.

Immediately, intricate patterns of light began to trace the outline of his hands, spreading across the Monolith like veins of luminescent energy.

A low hum resonated from the structure, vibrating through Noah's body. He could feel a gentle but firm pull, as if the Monolith was drawing something from him, assessing his very nook and cranny of his body.

Adel stood by, watching intently.

The light intensifies, and Noah feels a rush of energy leaving his body. As if the Monolith was not just inspecting the surface, but also inspecting deeper inside him.

Suddenly, the golden light receded, replaced by something ominous. The Monolith emitted a dark purplish light and loud chime that seems to signal danger.

Noah couldn't help but step back, noticing that something was wrong.

In one of the control rooms of the Tower of Babel.

Red light kept flashing as warning signs kept appearing in the holographic screens of the Control room.

"Chief, we received an alert of the appearance of a Cain." One of the operators reported, using the communication device in his ear.

Chief Inspector Collin, a stern-faced man with sharp eyes, strode into the control room of the Tower of Babel.

The room was a flurry of activity, with operators frantically tapping away at holographic consoles, trying to pinpoint the source of the alert. The red lights cast an eerie glow over their faces, highlighting the tension in the room.

"Where!?" He barked, his voice cutting through the chaos.

"Sector 2M, near the East Gate of the City," one of the operators replied, eyes glued to his screen. "The Monolith detected the presence of a Cain."

Collin's expression hardened. "What about Ego Masters? Is there anyone in the tower who can be deployed."

"There is, Ciel is already on the way. However, she might not be enough."