“We will be arriving shortly!” shouted Charles, trying to make himself audible over the noise generated by the junk-like car. Despite the clattering of the vehicle, which was particularly bothersome due to my enhanced hearing, I was still able to distinguish his words through the cacophonous noise. Apparently, my ears had also developed a higher frequency resolution, allowing me to better differentiate separate sounds.
After having received some spare clothes, me and my newfound friends had embarked on the way back to the perimeter. My two companions had already collected all the data they needed, mostly the number of victims and their characteristics, from what I had understood, so there was nothing else to do there, except going back.
In the meantime, I had studied my new body: I had put to the test my resilience by sliding one of Charles' knives across my skin and my strength by trying to bend it. The results were that my skin seemed to have become at least as thick as leather, with only scratches left by the blade, and the knife had unfortunately deformed past its elastic limit, which broke Charles' heart. I was quite apologetic, but I could only pat him on the shoulder while apologising.
At first Johanna had paled, probably thinking the mana storm had caused irreversible neurological damage, but when she saw the shallow cuts disappear in front of her eyes, she calmed down and put on an understanding expression, as if it was only natural. As a matter of fact, archumans healed at a faster rate compared to regular humans, but I thought my regeneration speed was still unusual. Although I was quite proud of my current physical traits, I knew I was certainly not the strongest out there, conversely I should have been one of the weaker ones. My recovery speed was too fast, so something peculiar had to be going on, but I couldn't grasp what it was.
While I had been lost deep into my thoughts, we had gotten closer to mountains who had been in the background when I first woke up here. Now that the distance had been reduced, I could finally distinguish the landscape features.
My mouth dropped open at the sight of an oasis full of cultivated fields and trees surrounding the base of the mountain range, from which streams of crystal clear water descended, forming a system of narrow rivers which spread like a web. Maybe I had been too hasty in describing my world as a hellhole. After all, I had never spent much time thinking about the Perimeters, as I had focused more on the outside world, so this was quite a pleasant surprise. From another point of view, this could be an indication that the knowledge I had about my own world could be partial or even incorrect in some parts. I decided it would be wise to always keep this in mind.
What really left me in awe was the sight of some gargantuan towers embedded deeply into the ground and rising towards the sky as if in defiance of the elements. Great in numbers and black as obsidian, they enclosed part of the mountain range and of the surrounding region. These were the pillars, the constructions of old which constituted the perimeter and kept mana at bay.
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Although still barely able to distinguish it, I had begun to be able to sense the ambient mana. I still couldn't perceive it well, as for now it only felt like something surrounding me, pressing on my skin and making air a little bit more viscous. But by looking at the pillars, I could almost see the enormous mass of "something" swirling around them, confined in their surroundings and unable to escape. It caused an effect like that of a lens, distorting light in the nearby area and generating strange optical effects. But what made me almost doubt my sanity, were the confused and almost inaudible whispers reaching my ears.
Seeing my expression, Johanna addressed me with a smile.
“Do not worry, sir. What you are going through is not so unusual. From the looks of it, you are among the most perceptive. From what I heard some members of your kind can "hear" the mana talking. Or at least this is what they say. Nobody truly knows what is really going on”.
“Oh, ok, thank you. Good to know” I answered, more disturbed than reassured. This was one of those things I did not remember well, and hoped it was not particularly relevant. Thankfully, somehow, by concentrating on rejecting them, I was able to suppress the voices and make them disappear completely. I was pleasantly surprised by how naturally I employed my aura, considering the fact I had been in this world for less than a day. This pointed at me being a little bit talented, which pleased me.
Continuing on the bumpy road at a good pace, we finally crossed the line of demarcation dividing the barren from the fertile lands. We were now officially inside of the perimeter, but still had to reach a watch station where I could be registered. For an instant I felt someone's gaze pricking my skin. At the side of the road, a person sitting in a deckchair could be seen with a book in hand, donning quite elaborate and colourful clothes. Those eyes were staring at me, with the clear intent of sending a warning. I could feel the weight of their gaze, and understood they were far beyond me in terms of strength.
We finally reached our destination: a small guardstation with stone walls and a tiled roof. While Charles went to the back to take fuel tanks for the vehicle, Johanna guided me inside, opening the front door for me. The interior was quite bare, with the entrance opening on a little office, furnished with a desk covered by paperwork, a single shelf supporting some books and registers and a little cabinet in an angle. A window allowed sunlight to enter and a closed door precluded access to the remaining parts of the station. A simple device identical to a computer resided on the desk. Although I knew modern technology could work inside the Perimeters, seeing one with my own eyes made me a little nostalgic.
“Hey, Chris! Come out you stupid drunkard, there is work to do!” shouted Johanna, making me jump for the surprise.
Looking at me, Johanna smiled apologetically, then resumed screaming and swearing at this not yet identified Chris.
“I heard you, you noisy b***h! Leave me alone and let me sleep!” shouted back someone from somewhere a little further behind the closed door.
Face red, Johanna opened the door with such violence it seemed she was trying to unhinge it and like a fury she hurled herself inside, probably toward where Chris was.
“Hey, who do you think you are? You're annoying, go away! Why are you coming here? I told you to go away! No, wait a moment, why is that thing in your hand? No, wait, no, come on, calm down, I was just joking, no, wait, please, no, please…!”.
Waiting for Johanna to finish what she was doing, I sat down on the chair and pretended not to hear the muffled cries coming from a little further away.