He was afraid. Although it was hard for him to admit due to his pride, he really was filled with dread, as he stood before the blonde woman in this unknown place, surrounded by what seemed to be enemies.
For most of his life, he had been under the safe haven that was known as the Enchanter's Hall of the Kingdom of Galina, where he'd been born. It was under the shelter of an entire kingdom that he rose in status to become a legend in the field of enchantments. With regards to combat, it was only recently that he'd started to forge his path.
He didn't have too much experience of the dangers of the outside world, and neither had he come across many life-threatening experiences in his life. This was why his current situation was especially frightening to him, especially since it was a scenario which would even bring dread to seasoned warriors. Who were the people pointing the 'rifles', at him? Were they monsters disguised as humans? Were they enemies he had to be careful of?
It was due to all this worries, that he was surprised when the blonde lady ahead of him spoke to him.
"...Who are you?"
She speaks...the same language!
Although he was definitely not in a much better position when just looking at things from an outside view, he couldn't help but loosen up the slightest bit due to the fact that he would be able to communicate with the other party.
As for her question, he answered her, "My name is Ju...no. I apologize. Let me introduce myself properly."
His mind was filled with very little information of this body's memory, but he did know his name was supposedly 'Julius'. However, he couldn't come to accept this new name all of a sudden, when he'd lived his entire life as Kazen.
"My name...is Kazen."
At his response, the lady nodded, then continued her questioning, "Why did you hesitate? What did you initially want to say your name was?"
Kazen was taken aback for a moment, then smiled bitterly. He had thought the conversation would at least continue on, but he was interrogated on his very first answer. Then again, he shouldn't have changed his word as if he was trying to hide something, and he understood this.
"I wanted to introduce myself as 'Julius' initially. I have very little memories of...this place, wherever it is. I'd lived my entire life under the name of Kazen, and introducing myself under a different name is uncomfortable for me at the moment. The only things I remember are the facts that my name was 'Julius', and that I was born in the Empire of Kiross."
Hearing his words, the lady tilted her head, "Empire of Kiross, you say? I'm sorry to inform you...but we're currently the Kingdom of Kiross. We're simply one of the three kingdoms belonging to the Antessian Empire now."
As she said this, she waved her right hand downwards behind her, as the soldiers behind her immediately lowered their weapons, stopping their aim towards Kazen.
Kazen grew tense for a moment at the sudden movement, and drew in a bit of the ground beneath his feet, making his body more dense. This in turn almost made the soldiers raise their weapons again as they saw the ground beneath him crack, but realizing nothing else happened, they didn't make any further movements.
The lady continued to speak as if she didn't notice what had happened, "...I've asked my soldiers to lower their weapons. I hope you see this as a sign of good faith. I'll let you know that a case like you escaping hadn't happened for at least close to two-thousand years now...ever since we'd discovered this facility."
Two...thousand years? Where the hell am I, and what is going on here?
Kazen's heart shook. Two thousand years...and she had mentioned they'd discovered this facility only then. In that case, how old was he exactly? It was also then that his worst-case situation in his mind was imagined. This was a completely different type of calendar as compared to the one used in Alethea.
"You said you'd...discovered this place. Then...do you know how many years it's been since this facility was created somehow?"
Hearing his trembling voice, Aileen's sympathy grew. She replied him, "This is something we don't really know. We're currently in the year of 1012, under the Lunar Calendar. However, the last records in this facility were recorded in the year 3062, whenever that was..."
Although Kazen was puzzled over this and wanted to digest this information mentally, Aileen continued, "And you'd mentioned you lived your entire life under the name of Kazen. Where exactly...did you live?"
Hearing this, Kazen thought about lying for a moment, before he decided against it. He didn't know where he was, and what kind of means the opposing party had. Under such a circumstance, he decided trying to gain their trust would be the first step towards finding a way to return to the Kingdom of Galina in Alethea, back to his rightful place in the Enchanter's Hall.
As for whether it would end up bringing Alethea harm...he knew it would be extremely difficult. Through enchanting weapons for the upper echelons of the Alethean Continent, he was truly aware of what kind of powerhouses existed, and couldn't imagine the powers they'd built over countless years toppling so easily. Even if it ended up exposing the continent to danger, it would at least be a way of becoming aware of a hidden threat earlier, making it easier to prepare against the enemy.
Or at least, that's how he tried to convince himself as he replied her...
"I'm from...the Kingdom of Galina. Can I please ask, which part of the Alethean Continent are we on here?"
In fact, he already didn't have much hope of a positive answer, but the spark of hope that existed in his heart still caused him to ask such a question.
"Indeed...you're really from the Alethean Continent."
Hearing this caused Kazen's eyes to widen, as her words implied she knew of Alethea, which also meant there might be a way to return!
"Then...in that case, do you know how I can get back to Alethea? How hard is it going to be? I'm willing to do anything you require to have a chance to return back."
"To return? Well, for you that might be the right word to use I suppose. Although we're not in Alethea, there's certainly a way to return there. However, you'll have to fully cooperate with us to stand a chance to return."
Hearing this, Kazen immediately nodded to express his full approval.
The lady in front of him smiled, "You can call me Aileen. It surely is impractical to stand here to talk all day, so we'll have to bring you back with us for further questioning. I trust you have no objections with this?"
Kazen nodded, and Aileen spoke out while still looking at him, seemingly to the soldiers behind her, "Kabul, Johnson, cuff him."
"I'm sorry I have to bind your arms, but surely you understand that you're someone unknown to us. We have to take the necessary precautions."
Kazen understood, and would only see them as incapable instead if they simply let him roam free without any precautions.
He didn't attempt to retaliate in any manner, and stopped channeling his mana even as it leaked out as one soldier from the front row of each side got up, and approached him. His heart skipped a beat in anxiety, but he forcefully tried to calm himself as he told himself to comply with them in his heart.
The two soldiers, who'd been called Johnson and Kabul, took out metal cuffs, as they requested his arms and bound them together.
"Now...let's take our leave. We won't forcefully pull you along, but make sure you stay right beside me. You can't blame me for retaliating if you take any sudden unexpected actions like trying to run off. Looking around is fine though. Hazef, we'll be heading to the Containment Chamber."
With that said, she turned her body to the side, as she gestured to Kazen with her arms with a gentle smile. Seeing this, he slowly walked forward, and inched close to Aileen as he followed along beside her.
He couldn't help but relax a little, knowing that he wasn't surrounded by monsters at the moment. Although he still maintained some level of caution in his heart, he didn't feel as high strung as he did moments ago. He released the 'Density' from his body, causing small bits of earth to be left behind by his footsteps.
The two platoons of soldiers gathered in formation on both sides of Aileen and Kazen, as Hazef sighed and took position in front of Aileen. In this way, Kazen was practically enclosed, which would make it difficult for him to escape.
* * *
As they walked through the walkway under the lead of Hazef, Kazen observed his surroundings, and what he saw brought him a sense of amazement.
Doors with ring-like lights in the center were seen as he glanced through some alleys as they walked past them, and along the entirety of the ceiling were the 'lightning bulbs', which was designed by the Lightning Mages of the Mechanics Guild in the Kingdom of Zassia. These bulbs were known for being useless in Alethea, but they were seen practically everywhere in this place.
Continuing on their path, which was devoid of other people now, Kazen focused on his absorption of mana. He realized that he had been wrong. While it was hard to absorb mana inside the...'cemetery' he'd been in, it was even harder here and half his mana had already dissipated. He felt resigned, but realized it was a good move that he hadn't tried to escape.
If he did try, how far could he really have gone? It would only have been a matter of time before he was tracked down, and he wouldn't even have a way to retaliate due to his lack of mana.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
They had already neared the exit of this facility, and Kazen could tell since he felt a breeze flowing in, giving him a sense of comfort as he inhaled in the fresh air.
And when they walked through the open exit, Kazen felt surprised.
Why is it...so dark?
Although everything was clearly visible around him, the sky as he gazed above him was black, with small white dots filling the entirety of the sky. Were those dots the reason why he could see even in this darkness?
While walking, Kazen suddenly wanted to turn around, to get a good look at the building he'd just been in...where he'd supposedly been for at least thousands of years.
"Aileen...was it? Could you wait a moment please."
Aileen stopped, and looked at him questioningly. Kazen then turned around...and the sight left him entranced.
A gigantic white sphere, filled with ethereal light, seemed to fill up half the horizon. It floated there peacefully, shining its light on all that stood beneath it.
"It's...beautiful. What is that?"
Hearing this, Aileen answered him, "That is the Moon of Serena. It is one of the four Major Moons that blesses the Forsaken Continent with Her light."
And blocking the bottom part of this sight was a gigantic building of black tiles, spanning hundreds of meters in length, and reaching at least two hundred meters in height. At the top there was what seemed to be a gigantic chimney.
At the top of the chimney, there seemed to be five people working, seemingly circling the vent of the chimney at the top with cables attached to the edges of the roof dangling from them, leading to the tiles below. Under the presence of the light of the 'Moon', as Aileen called it, the figures of the five men were completely black in color, as if they were shadows.
However, this didn't reduce the impact of the view he saw, but only served to accentuate it...leading rise to an indescribable feeling in his heart.
Perhaps...this world might not be as bad as I thought.
* * *
After exiting the facility, they walked down a gravel pathway. While making their way to the Containment Chamber, Kazen realized he'd only been in this world for less than an hour, and the world might still very well be as bad as he'd imagined.
As they walked, the gravel pathway seemed to curve towards the north-west. Along the sides of the pathway were several buildings of varying sizes and shapes. All of them seemed to be smaller compared to the However, the one thing they had in common was that they were all made of gray tiles, and looked newer as compared to the building he'd woken up in.
What was curious was that Kazen barely saw any people around as they made their way. And those that he did see, seemed to have common features like bright-colored skin and blue eyes.
After a bit of time, they reached a building which somewhat resembled a two-layered cake, with the top floor being smaller than the bottom.
"We'll be heading in. Platoons 3 and 4, wait here for further orders. Hazef, you'll be coming with me."
The two platoons formed up on the sides of the entrance, as Kazen entered the building, with Aileen in front of him and Hazef behind.
Aileen stopped at the counter for a moment, exchanging some words with a brown-haired man behind the glass counter, who nodded, before passing Aileen a brass key. Then, the made their way deeper into the building, which also seemed to have the lightning bulbs running across the ceiling. They then reached a wooden door on the left of the passageway, and Aileen unlocked it using the key.
Then, as they entered the room, Aileen flipped a switch. Kazen saw light filling the room, as the interior of the room painted with light blue and white appeared in his view. Bulbs in the ceiling illuminated the place, and in the center of the room was a circular wooden table, with 5 chairs surrounding it.
Aileen gestured Kazen to take a seat, then also took a seat together with Kazef on the opposite side of the table.
There was a short silence, before Aileen spoke, "Now, where did we stop our conversation? You mentioned you'd like to return to Alethea, didn't you?"
Hearing this, Kazen bowed his head, as the sounds of his cuffs clinking together could be heard.
"I really do want to return, and I'm willing to do anything you ask. Please...can I at least know how I'll be able to return?"
Aileen glanced at Hazef, "As for that, maybe it'd be better to hear about it from our very own Pioneer trainee."
Hazef shrugged, "It's not as if I'm the only one. But first, I suppose I should be explaining to you what a 'Pioneer' is. In this world, there are many of us who are able to train our moonlight cores, ah, that'd be similar to the mana cores you have in Alethea. However, we Pioneers are able to enter Alethea and when we train there, our bodies here get stronger even faster compared to ordinary Awakened."
Kazen was confused as he heard Hazef explaining.
Train there...but bodies here? Does he mean something similar to how I was in Alethea, but woke up in a new body here? And they use the term Awakened here too...
"However, the responsibility of Pioneers is even greater, as they are in charge of leading expeditions to explore the many areas outside Forsaken Continent that are still unknown to us. If you want to enter Alethea...becoming a Pioneer here is the only way you will be able to do so."
Hearing this, although he felt some joy at knowing that returning was a real possibility, he also felt somewhat disappointed. This meant he'd be tied to this world from now, and he'd have to become a 'Pioneer' to help lead expeditions in this world. He knew there was no way they would simply allow him to enter Alethea again without trying to get something in return.
"Becoming a Pioneer...what do I have to do for you in exchange to become one?"
Hearing this caused Hazef to blink in surprise, before he laughed as his white beard shook, "Good! You look like a wimp on the outside, but you aren't as naive as I'd expected you to be. Certainly, to allow someone like you who we don't know about to become a Pioneer, there's definitely going to be some restrictions. I'm glad you're aware of it."
Right as Kazen was inwardly dissatisfied about being called a wimp, a knock suddenly sounded from the door. It was a single long knock, followed by 2 short knocks.
Aileen spoke, "Come in. You're just in time."
The door opened, and a blue-haired lady wearing a silver robe with green outlines entered the room, exuding an aura of grace. She greeted Aileen and Hazef with a small bow, then glanced at Kazen as she smiled and bowed her head to him as well.
Her movements are so elegant...could she be a combatant similar to a Dancer?
Although Kazen was still feeling down, he could still feel a tiny bit of appreciation for this elegant lady who just entered, who seemed to be emitting a mysterious aura. Or at least, he was, till the lady's head rose and he noticed her sapphire eyes shining as she looked at him.
"You must be the Harvester! Do you remember anything about yourself? And what is your name? And where...wait, no. Aileen and Hazef must have already asked you these questions, right? I'd still like to know regardless, so can you please let me know too?! It's amazing...we had never even imagined that Harvesters were really alive all this while..."
Hearing the lady suddenly let out a string of questions one after another as her expressions suddenly became animated, Kazen was stunned, and Hazef shook his head as he chuckled. Aileen got up from her seat and lightly chopped at the lady's head with her hand.
"AHH!! What's that for?! I was just asking him some ques..."
Her voice trailed off as she saw Aileen glaring at her with a deadpan face, then immediately settled down on the seat next to Hazef, as if she was trying to sit apart from Aileen while pouting.
"Haha! This lovely lady here would be Lyla. While she certainly is...quite enthusiastic, I hope you do recount what you'd told us earlier to her."
And so, after a short moment of hesitation, Kazen recounted what he'd said so far. About his mostly missing memories, of his name in this place, about how he had thought this was still an empire and such.
Lyla paid attention as Kazen spoke with great enthusiasm, though her face looked slightly more focused compared to when she threw him a barrage of questions.
After he'd recounted his words, Aileen and Hazef looked at Lyla, and she nodded.
Then, Lyla asked him, "Well...I understand the situation so far. But we've yet to ask you this. For as long as this place has existed, never has there been a Harvester who has escaped. So what we want to ask you is...how exactly did you end up...leaving Alethea?"
She seemed to try and choose her words carefully when she had said 'leaving', and this gave Kazen a better impression of her. Perhaps in her own way, she was trying to make him feel more comfortable.
"When I went through my third Awakening in Alethea, I gained my second piece of Authority in 'Perception', and started to feel a flow of mana in a certain direction. It was very subtle, and maybe it was my curiosity, but I decided to trace the flow of mana..."
Kazen explained what he'd gone through, and how he had discovered the Singularity at the top of Mount Oris, and talked about flying up towards the Singularity and passing out.
Kazen noticed that Hazef and Lyla had glanced at Lyla at least twice from the corners of their eyes through the course of his explanation, but he didn't pay it any mind. It was only Lyla that was fully focused on him, as she seemed to be in awe by his explanation.
"Wait...so in the countless years that Alethea has existed, nobody else had even sensed this 'Singularity', but you did? Doesn't that mean you're an amazing genius!?" Lyla exclaimed. Aileen and Hazef looked amazed as well, and looked at one another.
A genius...
Kazen couldn't help but make a soft smile, "A genius...I guess you could consider me to be one. After all, I was already deemed to just be a Reincarnator during my first Awakening, and yet I'd reached such heights..."
Kazen's voice faded, as he noticed the trio's faces stiffen. "What's wrong?"
Right after he asked that, he realized it.
He was a Reincarnator, and he'd awakened when he flew into the Singularity. When he woke up, he saw countless other coffins. Wouldn't that mean that...it was possible that all those people inside the coffins were the Reincarnators of Alethea? In the chaos over the past hour, it was understandable that he never gave this fact a thought.
"This...so it really is true! The Scholars of Antessa aren't actually useless after all!"
Hearing Aileen's exclamation which also made one pity the Scholars of Antessa's efforts all these years, Kazen realized that they weren't that surprised about it.
"This...Major! I'll go and report this to Colonel Darian immediately!"
Aileen nodded and sent him off, then turned to Kazen, "...We got off to an intense start earlier, and I apologize for that. It really seems like you haven't lied to us so far. For today, we want you to rest. I mentioned to you that we could get you back to Alethea, and I intend to honor that. But before that...we want to get you Awakened first, since I don't sense a shred of moonlight in you. And we also..."
Aileen pondered for a moment, then shook her head and just said what was on her mind, even if she thought it would sound domineering, "We want to test what exactly you're capable of, so we know where to send you to in Alethea. If you want to return, you'll have to work with us to help our goals, and this is something unavoidable."
Kazen felt despondent at her words. It seemed his freedom was going to be restricted from now on...
"It's not so bad you know? Even if you have to work with them, you get plenty of employee benefits too. You get 14 free days per year, ah, of course under the circumstance that we aren't in an emergency, and you get free food...and-"
"Lyla."
"S-sorry..."
Kazen noticed that Lyla seemed obedient towards Aileen, and thought to himself that he should find Aileen in case Lyla ever overwhelmed him with questions one day.
"So before we end the day off, do you have any questions to ask us?"
Hearing this, Kazen nodded, "Over the course of the past few hours, I've heard the term 'Harvester', being mentioned constantly. I know you're referring to me...but can I know what exactly being a Harvester means?"
Hearing this caused both their faces to turn solemn, as Aileen replied him.
"Ever since the discovery of the Harvesting Facility, which was the building you woke up in, we've conducted research on the capsules. Capsules are proper term for what you called 'coffins' earlier. And according to the earliest records we'd found in the facility, Harvesters, as the name implies..."
"Were tools meant to extract mana from Alethea, to supply this world of the Forsaken Continent with its energy."