SCC Chapter 35 Culmination(5)
Through the breach, Reed descended, with his body floating within the long white corridor, which appeared to be relatively intact even with exposure to space. Yet, before he could get a close look at his surroundings, the familiar tug of gravity greeted him, almost bringing him to a less than ideal greeting with the floor, but he managed to land on his feet, with his eyes whipping upwards towards the breach, where, a transparent energy shield had sealed the hole from the horrors of space.
Through synchronization with his suit, he felt the air occupying the previously empty void now that the breach had been sealed.
(They must be observing us. We better prepare ourselves for anything!) warned Nikolai as he took point.
The white light that allowed them to see, originated from the walls of the corridor themselves, which were smooth to the point that even when they met the ceiling, it was simply a smooth curve. Steps echoed within the corridor as the group moved forward, making sure to constantly be on the lookout for something different from the monotonous corridor.
And just like that, they discovered something in the distance, a break within the wall that suggested a door frame, judging by the rectangular shape of the seams. The sound of steps was eliminated as their bodies floated upwards, just a few inches off the ground.
Reed stationed himself at the left side of the door, while Livia took the right side. Nikolai stood directly infront of the door, but closer to the far wall of the corridor, conjuring a blue lightning bolt within his hands. Reed conjured a shoot from his wooden energy, which was poised to grow and strike the moment something threatening was detected. The trio exchanged nods before a continuous stream of lightning went from Nikolai's hands to the door, scorching a hole through the construct, with the sides melting into a red hot slag.
Nikolai burst into the room barely a second after melting enough of the door to enter, with Reed and Livia following not too far behind. Yet, what greeted them was a white room with a single bed, and a small table plus chair. There was nothing that suggested that a person had once lived here.
(There is a light sensor above us, below us, basically everywhere!)
Goosebumps manifested on Reed's skin beneath the suit. That alone made him take the action of withdrawing from the room, with the others following suit.
(If I am not mistaken, these were quarters for those that lived here. Though, it seems that the master of this place has trust issues.) commented Livia, her face a mask of thoughts.
(Now that we have determined some things, it will be better if we pick up the pace.) suggested Reed.
As they traveled along, many more rooms, empty and devoid of anything that suggested a prior occupation, were discovered. Though, Reed could feel himself becoming more frustrated by the minute.
(We should try to breach one of sides of the corridor, or the walls of a room. This is getting us nowhere!) he complained.
A sigh escaped Nikolai's lips before he agreed with the plan.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
With that, Livia took point. Lightning itself was a destructive element, but the splash damage was unbearable. They had no idea what was on the other side of those walls. The splashing effect might trigger something unknown, causing their deaths, so they had to be vigilant.
A beam of pure white light was released with just a point of her finger, and with its movement, a rectangular shape was gradually cut away from the corridor, exposing another white wall in the distance.
After a moment of waiting to see whether anything had been triggered, they floated through, appearing within an identical corridor to the one they had just left.
(It looks like we are going to have to continue with the destruction.) Even as Livia transmitted, she continued to release another beam of light. They had already determined the thickness of the ring construct from outer space. What they wanted to do, was to breach their way through, all the way to important facilities, or to the other end, which was closer to the dark ominous sphere floating within the ring.
After manys breaches later, the monotony, that had started to weigh on their minds was broken when the final one finally led them to something different. A room that caused Reed's heart to skip a beat and his complexion to pale by a few degrees. The horrors within the massive room weren't things that should have been subjected to people!
(These people... What the hell were they doing? How could they treat fellow humans like this?!) transmitted a shaken Nikolai.
Reed agreed with him wholeheartedly. What had Zeus, or Pantheon for that matter, been doing?!
The room was entirely white, from the floors to the ceiling, except for the many transparent cylindrical tanks within the room.
Down on the ground, many fleshy roots connected the tank to the floor, while up above, a riot of colors, enclosed within transparent tubes, connected to the ceiling. Though each cylinder had many transparent pipes connected to the ceiling, the colors of the transported spiritual energy were unique to each cylinder.
But, all that was ignored by Reed as he teleprted right next to one cylinder, where the transparent pipes, through a man's shoulders, had sunk into his body like leeches, all the way to his naval, where his red core, a physical entity, was located, exposed to the outside world. And what horrified him was the fact that the pipes were directly connected to his core, sucking in the released spiritual energy, like mouths of a straw.
The man's appearance looked bleak. His red hair had been left with only a few singular strands, while his entire body was withered, with even the silhouette of the ribs visible. But, it appeared that he was being forcibly kept alive in order to extract from his core.
Eyelids fluttered for a few minutes before ultimately opening by a crack, exposing eyes that oozed with an apathetic despair that hit Reed like a stench, one he desperately wanted to run away from, yet he forced himself into keeping his eyes trained upon the man's.
(K-Ki-ll me. I-am begging-you!)
Reed and the other two froze at the transmission. It carried a craving for death they had never come across before. This was a man who had lost all will for life. All he wanted was to die.
(We might be able to save you.) transmitted Reed.
(I-used to cr-ave for that. But n-ow, all I want i-s death.)
(How long have you been a captive here?) asked Nikolai, his voice filled with gravitas.
(231 years.)
This words came out with a certainty that shook Reed. Even when he had lost his desire for life, the man had been calculating every single day he had been locked within this cylinder.
(Pl-ease...)
(Don't you have anyone you would like to see? To meet?) asked Reed, trying to see whether he could ignite a spark of life.
The man's eyes didn't even show a glint, instead his expression conveyed all. Either he had, and didn't care, or he didn't have any.
(Reed. This is the best for him.) Livia's words dug into him, yet he couldn't bring himself to go through with it. His gaze traveled to every other cylinder in the room, with his heart getting heavy by the second. All these had been people with lives. Someone who managed to reach the Core Formation stage had great ambitions, yet all of them had been captured here in order for their cores to fuel this construct. Reed was terrified of the fact that everyone within this room would wish for death. That was something he really didn't want to see.
Then his face hardened into a mask of resolve as he beheld the man, whose face shifted into one of relief when his eyes noticed him. Emerald ligh, lit up his surroundings before small vines, many in number erupted from him, instantly shattering the cylinder with their sharp points before invading the body of the man, taking the energy of his core for themselves to turn a vibrant dark red, ultimately exiting through his shoulder pipes and into the ceiling, enlarging enough to shatter the transparent tubes, replacing them. Then, they produced buds which unfurled into flame red flowers all around the man, whose body was covered in vines, leaving only the head exposed, which now had a relieved smile forever curved upon it.
(What a beautiful coffin!) Livia attempted to lighten the atmosphere with that, but he didn't buckle.
Reed's stomach had already sunk into the pits of his body. If this was what these people were being used for, then what about Lily? Was she in the same section?
His divine sense unfurled around him like a tsunami, scanning every single cylinder's spiritual energy attribute, comparing it with the imprint within his mind. But even when his senses reached the end of the massive room, there was no match. Something that brought him both relief and worry in equal parts.