Novels2Search

Chapter 21

Suddenly, the scenery warped again and I was standing in a white room with people running about in white and green uniforms. They looked like doctors. Though they didn't have the signature lab coat, their uniforms were completely white with green stripes on them and they were running around a room filled with instruments that looked scientific and magical.

"Dr. Revati, the sample has arrived. What would you like me to do?"

"Get it inside the quarantine chamber as fast as you can."

"Let's go. Let's go, people."

A woman in black hair who looked like she was in her mid thirties was commanding the people running about. She was holding a book and a small window like my status window was opened in front of her where there were complex things written and various diagrams drawn. I could only make out the word Krigu. There were statistics and numbers of things I had no idea what they were about.

Soon, she started walking and I followed her. We went inside another white room after passing through an empty hallway. A large container like box sat in the middle of the room with round contraptions stuck on the sides of the container that whirred and glowed. It was made of a metal that could not be seen through from the outside. Countless doctors were working on small windows opened in front of them and there were many security guards and golems guarding the container. The guards near the container saluted her and she went inside after nodding at them. I followed her. A glass was installed in the middle of the container which partitioned it. This side of the container was bright and filled with various instruments while the other side of the glass contained a dark space. She went near the glass, knocked on it and waited. I stood, holding my breath but nothing happened for a while. Suddenly, something slithered in the darkness and it flung itself violently at the glass. I almost fell backwards in shock. I looked at the doctor but she seemed composed. What I saw was the black creature that was being shown in the news in the square. I straightened myself and moved towards the glass to take a better look at it.

It had black fur growing over a black skin and looked like a lion but it was walking on two legs. It had an inverted triangular symbol on his forehead that glowed in intervals like it was breathing. When it growled at the doctor revealing his teeth, I saw that it's fangs were prominent and sharp and it had a sucker at the back of his mouth where the tongue should have been. His claws looked strong enough to shred a human to pieces and the tail looked reptilian. It struck the floor loudly in anger and looked at the doctor and growled.

"Hello, visitor from outer space," The doctor spoke to the creature.

It growled in response and didn't provide any words back. But it seemed to be smiling. It was looking at the doctor like stalking a prey.

The scenery changed again. This time I was standing in the city and it was night time. The moons shone brightly above, but the city wasn't in the state I saw it before. The city had crumbled. The tall buildings were all destroyed and screams could be heard from everywhere. Small broken holograms stammering broken words could be seen. I looked around and I could see corpses lying around, lifeless. As I walked towards the center of the city, I could see the creatures moving in formation like they were being controlled. They were searching for survivors. By this time, I had come to the conclusion that this was indeed a memory and I could not affect them in any way, neither could they affect me. So I walked towards the only building still standing in the city. I passed through countless people dying and begging for help but the invaders were oblivious to their plight and continued slaughtering them. I clenched by fist. The mayhem was spreading everywhere.

Suddenly, a shadow passed over the sky and as I looked up, my body froze. A innate fear filled me. A black orb was dangling in the sky and some of the creatures were being sucked in. It soon disappeared again and I fell down breathing roughly.

What the hell was that. I had never felt such fear in my life. It was as if my whole consciousness with every fiber of my body was screaming to get away as fast as possible. I sat on the ground for a while collecting my thoughts, then composed myself and started walking again. Another loud sound reached me and when I looked up, I could see large ships in the distance, floating in the air and moving upwards. Large burning trails followed them as they shot towards the sky. I guessed that they must be the spaceships mentioned in the murals.

As I approached the only building that stood in this crumbling city, I could see many people in military uniforms standing guard and ushering the survivors inside. The building strangely resembled the ruins. There were even golems mixed in with them and everyone was carrying guns and swords. As I looked closer, I saw that the rods I saw them previously carrying were changing shapes to their desired weapons and many stood in front of the building fighting the creatures and blockading the way inside with their bodies. As the surviving people poured inside, I mixed in with them and went inside the building. It was the same interiors but without the murals and statues. People were huddled together and many were crying and searching for their families and loved ones. It was chaos.

I saw the doctor again. She and a few other people wearing lab uniforms were directing the surviving people inside with few golems in the shape of humans, standing guard. As I looked on, the situation began to grow dire as the soldiers defending the place began to fall and the creatures gained more ground.

"Help us, God."

I heard many of them cry out. I felt a pang of sadness in my heart looking at their state.

A soldier that looked like he was in an higher position came inside and spoke to the doctor.

"Dr. Revati, please initiate the closure of the gate. We won't be able to hold on much longer."

"But...," she tried to say something but was cut short by the soldier.

"There's no need. We will die happily knowing that we were able to save as many lives as we could. I have selected a few soldiers and they will stay inside with you."

"Why don't you stay inside as well?" She tried to protest.

"My duty is to die with my comrades. I'll repent for my shortcomings in the afterlife. I want to meet my family and apologize to them." He said smiling.

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When it looked like he would not change his mind, the doctor nodded with a sad face and gave commands to the golems.

The golems began to move in unison and went to a mechanism installed on the wall next to the door. They began to type in something and a circle appeared in midair. All of them turned the floating circle and the heavy door began to close little by little.

The soldier went back outside with a smile. As the door closed, I could hear the loud screams of the remaining soldiers. They were being slaughtered mercilessly. I looked around and I could see the remaining people shivering in fear.

The scenery warped again. I was now standing in the room where the broken orb in the pedestal had been. A passageway was open near the pedestal that led down and people were going in and out. I walked around the room and it was in pristine condition though I couldn't say the same about the people. They looked malnourished and most of them had become skinnier. There was despair in their eyes as they went about their business. I walked to the main hall where the murals had been and I saw that some murals had already been drawn and some statues put up. People were carving the walls and large stones with tools that gave of a laser like light. Their hands glowed and energy was being supplied to the tool through them and the input changed the colors of the light.

I walked towards the passage I had seen. As I went down, I could see living quarters on either side of me, carved into the walls with white floors and white walls. Some golems were working on them. I headed deeper into the passage, passing a greenhouse as well as countless facilities dedicated to helping them live underground. I soon saw the familiar doctor working with a few golems. She had become older and white hairs could be seen on her head. She was directing the golems to dig the earth. The end of the passage was filled with many tunnels where digging had taken place and most of the places had been abandoned. Now, the doctor's gaze seemed to be fixed on the current tunnel they were digging.

"Dr. Revati, we have hit a large vein of rock again," A golem came to her and announced in a mechanical voice.

She sighed with her hand on her forehead.

"I don't know what to do anymore. We need to get out of this place as soon as possible or we'll all wither away."

"I understand but the surface may still be filled with the Krigus." The golem answered back.

"Believe me, I know. We'll need to send a scout first to access the surroundings but for that we need to find a way outside. I fear the people will not be able to hold on for much longer. It has already been ten years."

I could feel the despair clouding her eyes.

I looked around and I could see a large white door on the wall not too far from where I was standing. As I tried to make my way into the room that was probably her laboratory, the scenery warped again. I was standing in the same place but the place had become empty. There were neither people nor golems. It was eerily quiet. I made my way up the passage and there was no one there. I went to the big hall and I saw that the murals and the statues had been completed and the place had been left as if in a hurry. The orb in the middle of the round hall glowed and a key card with strange runes was inserted into the space that I had put the dagger in.

I made my way down again to the laboratory that I couldn't see previously. It was locked. As I tried to budge the door by force, I passed through the door as if it didn't exist in the first place. The inside was much larger than expected, filled with instruments that looked out of service. A large smooth metallic chamber lay in one corner of the room connected to another chamber. It looked like a cyro chamber. As I looked inside it, it was filled with a subtle mist and I saw that the doctor was lying inside one of the cyro chambers. The old age had caught up to her and her face was filled with wrinkles with white hair contouring her tired face. She seemed almost peaceful, though a small amount of sadness could still be seen on her face. It was connected with glowing circular round objects that glowed and hummed in intervals. Next to it was another similar chamber where the same glowing objects were stuck to the bottom part of the chamber. As I looked inside, I could only see darkness. It was covered by a black film and I couldn't see inside. I tried to pass though but there was only darkness. A small glowing orb laid on a table next to the chamber where the doctor's body was. It pulsated slowly as if breathing.

I came out of the laboratory and looked around. A tunnel could be seen from where a small amount of light was pouring in. I slowly walked that way. A flight of stairs led to the top but it was closed off with a heavy stone slab. As I walked out of the passage passing through the stone slab, I found myself in a clearing. I could see the sun shining brightly above but there were no signs of people around.

The scenery warped again and I was standing in a small village. It looked mediaeval. The houses were made of stone but were poorly cut, giving them a jagged appearance. A small number of people could be seen going about their business. Large adults were farming the vast fields surrounding the village whereas small childrens were playing and laughing. I walked around the village. There was poverty but the people seemed happy. As I made my way to the center of the village, a house came into view larger than most. I saw a teenage girl suddenly open the door and run out of the house crying. I went inside and I could see an old man sitting at a table whose face was worn out and an old woman cooking something in the small kitchen that divided the living room.

"Please don't take it to heart, dear. She means well," The woman said, stirring a pot dangling above the fire.

"I know. That's why it's so hard to deny her."

He sighed and spoke. His gaze strayed to the corner of the room shrouded in darkness and I could see a golem standing there. It looked weathered and worn out and didn't seem to be functioning.

"After we lost the doctor, most of the technologies were lost along with her. We don't even know how to start that thing. If only she were alive, we might have been able to establish another country. Curse the Krigus!" He said, the anger evident in his words.

"I know, dear. The main thing is to preserve and have the next generation survive." The woman consoled her husband.

"There has been no news from Otien as well. He also seems to have disappeared along with the doctor." He sighed again and a look of defeat and sadness could be seen on his face.

The surroundings warped again and this time I was standing in a moderately sized city. Guards were patrolling the streets wearing metal armours and I could see elves and dwarves along with humans. Come to think of it, I didn't even see any other races except humans in those previous memories.

"Here they come again," I heard someone speak next to me.

"Every year the refugees keep on increasing." Another chimed in.

"Shh, you know what we all went through. Don't say such things."

"I know. I'm just saying. I don't mean anything by it."

"They have nowhere to go after their world was destroyed by those damned Krigus."

"I'm just worried they might target this world again. We just barely survived."

As I looked around, I could see countless bright warp gates opened in the city from where skinny and malnourished elves and dwarves were coming out. Most of them were wounded and some had even lost their limbs. The people near the gates welcomed them and gave them clothes and food.

I could see wariness in their eyes though they softened as they came into contact with people treating them kindly. They were being led to living quarters and some well dressed people were running about recording their details in large books.

Suddenly, the area warped again. As I was thinking what I would see this time, I was transported to a white space with nothing inside. As I looked around, I could see a small glowing blue orb floating in the middle of the windowless room. It spoke.

"Welcome, traveller. I'm Otien."

"Master, master, are you alright?"

I looked behind me upon hearing Airi's voice and I could see a golden orb floating next to me.