Ning cautiously trudged on through the darkness, a single hand carefully gliding over a nearby wall as he pressed forward toward the dim light in the distance. It flickered at an irregular pace, sometimes remaining extinguished for minutes at a time before suddenly springing back to life, each time with a little less strength as if poised to disappear at any moment.
Ning Shan accelerated his pace, unwilling to let it die before he could uncover its origin. Sera could barely keep up with him. She almost had to run, and her steps echoed off the smooth metal walls surrounding them, breaking the uneasy silence.
With the darkness around them, Sera could barely estimate the distance as every step was uneven. More than once, she threatened to fall as her feet collided with piles of rubble lying straight in the middle of the corridor. Yet, what truly unnerved her was that the man before her never broke his pace. He swerved around all obstacles, avoiding them all even though the darkness was all-encompassing. Only her mask could barely help her see through it.
"How long has it been?" she asked; the nervousness in her tone was overwhelming. Even Ning Shan felt disturbed by the eeriness of their situation.
"Too long..." he mumbled, also feeling that something was wrong. He felt they had long walked past the city's limits, yet the corridor still seemed unending, the light still out of reach.
Suddenly, a crash came from behind him, the sort of dull sound a body makes as it hits the ground. He turned only to find Sera sprawled on the ground, both hands clinging to her mask as if her life depended on it. His first instinct was to leave her behind, yet soon ruled against it. He took a deep breath and calmed himself, wondering where all this hastiness came from.
I have all the time in the world... Why would I seek to reach this light at all costs? Even if it were to fizzle out, what's it to me? Why should I care?
Ning Shan's eyes narrowed slightly, feeling something was wrong. To rush ahead in complete darkness was unlike him. The risk of such an endeavour certainly wasn't worth it. If not for Sera crashing down, pulling him away from his trance, he might have found himself in a situation he couldn't control. Still, at this point, he couldn't not go. This light flickered in the distance as if taunting him with his glow. His curiosity couldn't resist its allure.
With a sigh, Ning Shan turned around, pulling Sera back up by pulling on her hand. He raised her up as if she was a child, which couldn't help but stun her. She hadn't expected this man to care even the slightest bit. She tried to thank him, even if she didn't know why she should, only to be ignored entirely. Ning Shan had already resumed his journey toward the light, but the pace was much more manageable. There seemed to be no more urgency.
“Shouldn't we look for a way out of this place?" Sera asked, the uneasiness growing stronger the further they went, as if they were delving into an unending abyss they could never escape. Every fibre of her being screamed for her to leave as fast as possible as if she couldn't withstand what lay beyond.
"Find me an exit, and I'll be happy to oblige," Ning Shan replied, making her shut up. While she felt that his responses were always so abrupt, she was grateful that he even bothered to do so, as most would have simply chosen to ignore her. Unable to bear the silence, she decided to go for small talk.
"Where are you from?" she asked. "I've never heard someone speak the way you do. It's as if this is your first time hearing the language, and you're simply mimicking what you've heard..."
“I didn’t think it was that bad,” he replied, turning his head slightly so that he could see her from the corner of his eye. “Even if I were to tell you, I don’t think you’d know about it.”
“Does that mean you’re from another city?” she asked. Her tone was filled with wonder of what his answer might be.
Ning Shan frowned, thinking of the implications of this statement.
From her tone, I can see these people don't interact much with other settlements. It seems as if humanity has become fractured. Considering the ruins above, I wouldn't put it past them to be on the verge of extinction. There's also the lack of sunlight... What the hell happened to this realm?
“Somewhere much further,” he replied, not giving out much details. After all, he had no idea if this woman could be trusted with this information. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to return there.”
Surprisingly, Ning Shan felt no attachment to his former realm. While he desired to return, it was only so he could stick it to the world's will of that place, proving that he had what it took to overcome it. His goal had always been to break free of its control, and he had already achieved it in a way, even if he was now bound to this foreign world.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“You’ve mentioned you were here to hunt, but do you have any idea how this city came to ruins?” he asked, slowing his pace even further, allowing Sera to keep up with him. She remained silent for a while, mulling over her thoughts, only to shrug soon after.
"Not much is known, mostly because people don't care to find out," she replied. "Surviving is already hard enough; who has time to ponder history? If you're that interested, the government may know something, though I doubt they'll be very forthcoming. Knowledge is power... or something like that, but I beg to differ. Money is where true power lies. Without money, people aren't worth much..."
She began to ramble on about her grievances with the government, the abuse it met out and the people's dissatisfaction, yet Ning Shan ignored her. How could an individual at the bottom rung of society possibly know what it meant to rule? Ning Shan wasn't interested in the ethics of governance, especially in a world on the brink of extinction. Survival was already good enough. It wasn't his place to judge... not unless they proved to hinder his path.
As expected, asking her about the world's overall state is a waste of time. I guess I'll have to make the trip to find out more.
Ning Shan's eyes widened slightly as the dim light grew in size while retaining the same dull glow. His destination was slowly coming into view. His pace accelerated, leaving Sera slightly behind. He crossed the last few metres briskly, only to stop abruptly when the corridor soon transitioned to a large room.
The walls remained as slick and smooth as they were in the corridor, yet they reached for the sky; the ceiling was almost out of sight. As he couldn’t see any stars from his vantage point, Ning Shan assumed they were still underground.
He scanned the room but failed to identify how large it was. It reminded him of the first room he found himself in as he appeared in this world. It seemed made of the same material, yet he couldn't identify it. It appeared to be an alloy of countless other metals, some even foreign to him, granting both extreme durability and an uncanny malleability. A dichotomy he found almost impossible. Not even his former world's spiritual metals could replicate those traits.
Strewn around the room were countless apparatus Ning Shan could barely recognize. In the middle was a pedestal Ning Shan could barely make out in the darkness if not for its unusual dull glow. What seemed to be upright glass coffins were neatly arranged on each side, forming a pathway from the end of the corridor up to the pedestal.
On closer look, they seemed to contain some sort of liquid within, but most were already broken. The transparent outer shells were shattered; their content spilled onto the ground but evaporated into the air, leaving just a dull trace of their former existence on the floor and a slightly sweet smell. Few were those still intact. However, all were empty except for the liquid within.
Ning Shan frowned as he looked at the receptacles bathed in darkness. They reminded him of some of the most atrocious acts he had to bear witness to a long time ago.
"Were these people trying to practice the Dark Arts?" he whispered. However quiet his voice was, it nevertheless broke the silence, allowing Sera to hear him clearly.
“The Dark Arts?” she replied, butchering the words as she tried to repeat them. “What is that?”
Ning Shan sighed. Countless images of his past flashed into his mind before he threw them away. He hesitated for a moment before relenting. The memories were still vivid in his mind, as was the stench that clung to his clothes—the stench of death and decay, fear and oppression—a stench no man should have to endure.
“Fools trying to reach beyond their means, ignoring all matters of decency... Their failures weren't unexpected," he replied, slightly scoffing before progressing toward the pedestal. Sera followed suit, slightly puzzled by his response, yet held her tongue. His tone prevented her from prodding further.
As soon as he stepped on the altar, countless dim lights appeared on the pedestal as if taunting him to touch them. He paused, waiting for something more, yet nothing happened. He extended his arm, lightly pressing his hand onto the flat surface filled with dim light, only for a dim screen of light to appear over the void, resembling the ever-present one in his peripheral vision. He turned, only to see Sera stare at it in complete silence. It seemed he wasn't the only one able to see it this time.
He then felt a warmth spread over his palm. If only by reflex, he sought to let go of the metallic surface, yet was unable to. His palm was stuck to the pedestal, unable to be removed. He tugged harder, yet nothing budged. Anything more, and he felt his bone couldn't bear the strain. He had to relent and let the process continue, whatever it sought to accomplish.
A slight light bar appeared on the pedestal, moving up and down under his palm. He remained calm and waited, yet couldn't help but feel some apprehension. Even Sera took a few steps away from him, unwilling to involve herself in whatever that was. Ning Shan didn't care as he had never counted on her support.
After a while, the light receded, letting go of his limb. He quickly yanked it back, only to find that nothing happened to it. It was the same as it always was. Still, he couldn’t help but contemplate the reasons why...
Genetic Makeup 95% Identical to Sample on File...
Unlocking Security Protocol...
Terminating Facility Dormancy...
Granting Access to Progenitor...
The voice faded, leaving both of them stunned as countless lights flashed overhead. However, they were much too dim to illuminate the whole of this room, almost on the verge of fading. They never reached more than a few meters around the pedestal, making the edge still feel undefined, yet it was enough to give Ning Shan a good view of his surroundings.
He had been unable to do so beforehand as the concentration of dust had been much too high. All he had seen was a thick cloud of red dust, completely obscuring his vision. But now, he could see the grim reality.
As he had seen before, most of the glass capsules were either damaged or empty. Yet, now he had found one still intact. He carefully approached it, his expression growing grimmer with each step he took. Sera followed suit but stopped just as she clearly saw what lay within. She folded in two as if she was about to hurl, yet stopped herself in time by turning her back to it, trying to erase the image from her mind.
“The hell is that?” she blurted out, the sight still vivid.
Ning Shan stepped closer, lightly brushing his fingertips against the glass, his worst fears coming to life. He closed his eyes, calming himself as he put his thoughts in order, then replied calmly, almost devoid of emotions.
"A human corpse—or at least the remains of one... deformed as it is, what else could it be?"
He then swivelled his gaze around, looking at all the countless empty and broken capsules next to him, imagining what this place might have looked like in its prime...