《Iridescent Curse》


 Map

Map of Catsroes


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The map will also appear in the chapters, so it will be easier to keep track of everyone''s whereabouts.

 Chapter 1

    At the exact moment the field horn sounded, the door burst open.


    ¡°Arada!¡±


    Arada looked up from her sketchbook, momentarily distracted from the various faces she was trying to draw. In the doorway stood Irgos, breathless and gripping one of the doorposts. He showed fear, and sweat trickled down his face.


    ¡°Your father wants to see us. Now.¡±


    Irgos¡¯s voice was tense, fearful, and serious, coming out in short, panting phrases. Something was clearly wrong.


    ¡°He says the village is under attack. We don¡¯t have time to waste. Cura has something important to tell you.¡±


    Arada was initially confused. Whenever an alarm was raised, the people of Overmore were supposed to follow procedure: stay indoors with windows and doors shut, waiting for the horn to sound again when the danger had passed. Going out to visit someone was a dangerous move in such situations. Why would Cura want to see them so urgently?


    Arada stood up and opened her mouth to say something, but Irgos had already turned, left the room, and ran into the street. Arada quickly followed, leaving her sketchbook behind, saving her questions for later. Outside, Irgos pointed wordlessly to the left. Arada followed his finger and saw clouds of dust rising above the distant sandy path. In those clouds, she made out figures moving on horseback, though it wasn¡¯t clear how many there were. She trailed after her brother toward her father¡¯s house.


    The sand, warmed by the evening sun, kicked up as they ran through the dusty paths of Overmore. A soft breeze provided slight relief, hinting at a thunderstorm set to break within hours. The swirling sand drew the attention of those peering out their windows, curious to know what was happening. A few, disregarding protocol, opened their windows and shouted warnings about the danger of staying outside after the horn had sounded.


    After some running, Arada and Irgos arrived at Cura¡¯s cabin. The front door was open, and a middle-aged, balding man waited for them on the covered wooden porch. He was missing the lower half of his left shin, replaced by a steel plate and leg. To compensate, he leaned heavily on a wooden cane whenever he stood or walked. He wore wide, gray-blue denim pants and a frayed black t-shirt.


    His flat face was grave but calm, his brown eyes behind small round glasses sharply alert. He spoke in a low, grounded voice.


    ¡°Arada. Irgos. Come in quickly. We don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    He let them in and closed the door behind them.


    Immediately, a loud bang sounded outside, followed by a high pitched scream.


    Arada jumped. ¡°What was that?¡±


    Cura cursed as he moved further into the hallway: ¡°The attackers have already arrived. They¡¯re wielding hammers and tearing down houses. It won¡¯t be long before he¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°He?¡±


    Without elaborating, her father entered a doorway to the left of the hall. Arada and Irgos followed, and Irgos shut the door behind them.


    The room was about three by four meters, similar in size to the rooms Arada and Irgos had. On the left stood a wooden table with a few chairs, and on the right, a bed that took up nearly half the space. Behind the table was a large wardrobe where her father kept his clothes. The only light in the room came from a window across from the door.


    More loud bangs and screams echoed.


    Without inviting them to sit, Cura began speaking right away.


    ¡°They¡¯re going to raze the village. You both need to get out of here as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡± asked Irgos.


    Outside, they could hear hurried footsteps on the sandy paths. The number of houses being demolished and people being killed was rising rapidly.


    ¡°Aquinox.¡±


    Without pausing, Cura walked to the opposite wall. ¡°You need to get to Aquinox.¡± He pried a slightly loose stone from the wall with his fingernails. Behind it, Irgos saw two hidden items. Cura took them out and turned to face Arada and Irgos again.


    ¡°There are still people in Aquinox.¡± Now Irgos could see what his father had retrieved. In his right hand, he held a glass vial containing a reddish-pink liquid. In his left, he held something that looked like half of a small silver coin. He handed it to Irgos.


    ¡°Find the person with the other half of this amulet. They can help you; we don¡¯t have time to discuss more.¡± Then Cura handed the vial to Arada. ¡°This is the only thing that can stop him, and it must not fall into the wrong hands.¡±


    Irgos pocketed the ¡®amulet,¡¯ just as Arada did with the vial. She was struggling to process all the information.


    ¡°Him? Dad, who are you talking about?¡±


    The door to the house burst open. ¡°Shit, he¡¯s here. You two, quickly, through the window.¡± He opened the window, and Irgos climbed out immediately. Arada was about to do the same, but it was already too late. The door to the room slowly opened.


    ¡°My deepest apologies for interrupting your little gathering...¡±


    A tall, thin man appeared in the open doorway. He wore a long, black robe and walked in socks and slippers. Long,black curls cascaded to his shoulders, a stark contrast to his vampire-pale skin. His face was wrinkle-free and consisted of an oversized nose, absurdly high cheekbones, and a grimace somewhere between a sneer and a straight line. But the most striking thing about this man was his eyes. They were the first thing that caught Arada¡¯s attention. Even a child a few weeks old would recognize that glint.


    Pure evil.


    In the hallway behind him stood two other people. The left one was a bald, burly man, whose face was a mess of wrinkles. He was dressed in an eroded black suit, with a strange, pink piece of cloth with a pointed tip hanging from his collarbone. The right person was bald as well, but clearly resembled the slim figure of a woman. Her clothes seemed as if she¡¯d worn them her whole life, and some sort of metal bracelet was tied around her left wrist. Remarkable was that they both kept their eyes closed.


    The man continued speaking, his voice embodying all the coldness and sadistic pleasure the world had to offer.


    ¡°...but we have some unfinished business, Cura.¡±


    Hearing his name, Cura froze as the man¡¯s mouth twisted into a grin that stretched from ear to ear. He dropped his cane, which clattered to the floor, causing him to lose his balance and fall backward onto the bed. He wanted to say something but couldn¡¯t, either from lack of words or fear.


    Arada couldn¡¯t hold back. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± she shouted.


    Without answering, the man broadened his grin. He approached the bed where Cura lay, pushing him back onto the mattress. He fished around in one of the robe¡¯s pockets and pulled out a long, sharp knife.


    ¡°Get away from him!¡± Arada yelled. She tried to come to Cura¡¯s aid, but the two people with closed eyes in the doorway sprang into action. They rushed forward, grabbed her, and tried to pin her against the wall.


    Due to her position, only her lower back pressed against the wall, with her upper body partially through the window. Despite the awkward angle, they held her firmly. They did all of this without opening their eyes.


    ¡°Let me go, you bastards.¡± She struggled to break free by twisting and kicking, but to no avail. Their grip was iron-strong.


    Cura tried to resist, but the man with the knife held him down. He pressed the blade against his throat, relishing his control.


    ¡°The past always catches up with you, my sweet Cura,¡± he said. ¡°Honestly, I must admit, I didn¡¯t expect it would take this long for us to cross paths again.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°How did you cross the Ebros?¡± Cura asked. ¡°It was destroyed nineteen years ago.¡± A small droplet of blood appeared on his throat.


    ¡°Eighteen,¡± the man corrected him. ¡°We rebuilt it. Using wooden poles. I wanted a permanent bridge to the eastern part of this land.¡±


    ¡°And that took you eighteen years?¡±


    ¡°Does that seem long to you? I¡¯m in no rush. Isn¡¯t it nice to enjoy yourself before everything goes down?¡±


    The man¡¯s grin broadened even more. ¡°I¡¯ve waited a long time for this day, Cura. Overmore was the last place where people remained. And finally,we¡¯re here.¡± He threw his hands up in a celebratory gesture. ¡°While my men deal with the village, I can savor one last glimpse of my¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Arada shouted, struggling against the force of four strong hands. ¡°Do you even know what¡¯s coming out of your mouth, you idiot? You should¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, girl,¡± the man interrupted her. ¡°I know exactly what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    And then, everything happened at once.


    The man pulled the knife away from her father¡¯s throat and plunged it deep into one of his arms. He shouted with such a powerful voice that it must have echoed through the entire village. Arada watched helplessly as it happened, but she didn¡¯t have long to process it. She noticed the grip of her two captors had suddenly weakened. She was yanked by her upper body and pulled backward out the window.


    <hr>


    * * *


    <hr>


    Irgos sat below the window, listening to everything being said. He saw his sister pressed up against the window above him.


    I have to help her, but how?


    He looked at his palm, where the half-coin still lay. He pocketed it and felt something else inside. Pulling out the sharpener blade, he remembered he¡¯d forgotten to return it to Arada yesterday. She¡¯d need it to sharpen her pencils. Irgos thought over his options. Looking up, he could make out three, no, four hands gripping the open window frame. He gathered his courage as he started to devise a plan¡ª


    Cura¡¯s scream was deafening.


    Without hesitation, Irgos stood up. He saw his sister being held by two¡ªstrangely dressed¡ªbald individuals with their eyes closed. He snapped the sharpener blade in half, driving each piece deep into one of the hands gripping her. It worked and their grip lessened. Irgos wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her out of the window.Her legs swung through the air, and they tumbled to the ground, landing atop one another.


    <hr>


    * * *


    <hr>


    As Arada fell out of the window and saw the sharpener blades sticking in the hands of her captors, she realized what her brother had done. She rolled off him, stood up immediately, and helped him to his feet.


    ¡°We have to get out of here. Now.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t believe what she had just witnessed. Right before being pulled out of the window, she¡¯d had to watch as that horrible man had stabbed his father while his screams were getting louder. There was nothing they could do. These people were crazy, and they couldn¡¯t stay another minute.


    ¡°And your father?¡± Irgos asked. ¡°We can¡¯t just leave him¡ª¡±


    ¡°Master,¡± called the voice of the bald female attacker from inside. ¡°She¡¯s escaping.¡±


    The man inside had heard it and ended Cura¡¯s torture.He withdrew the knife from his arm and slit his throat. A gurgling sound came as blood spilled from his mouth, and seconds later his body lay lifeless on the bed.


    For a second Arada¡¯s world stopped completely.


    ¡°Go after them,¡± ordered the ¡®Master.¡¯ ¡°Once the rest are done dismantling the village, we¡¯ll send reinforcements.¡±


    The other assailant¡ªthe one in the big black suit¡ªlooked up in surprise. ¡°Them?¡±


    ¡°I could sense another presence,¡± said the Master. ¡°There are two of them.¡±


    Arada looked at her brother with a panicked expression, then glanced back at the window. The bald man and woman began climbing out.


    ¡°Run!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them escape!¡± came the Master¡¯s shout from behind.


    Like lightning, they bolted down the street. Their bald pursuers were close on their heels. Arada glanced back.


    Please, let them not be as fast as we are.


    <hr>


    * * *


    <hr>


    Arada and Irgos weaved through the chaos. Arada looked around. Overmore was in ruins. The Master¡¯s minions were everywhere. Houses were being leveled with gigantic hammers nearly two meters long. Screams filled the evening air. Skulls were crushed, leaving blood splatters on walls and paths. It was a nightmare.


    Most of the attackers were more focused on destroying homes than pursuing two fugitives. Their footsteps were drowned out by the many screams and hammer blows. No one paid them any mind.


    But Arada noticed something: all the followers she saw were bald and had their eyes closed. How could they carry out such acts if they couldn¡¯t see?


    They turned down a left street, heading back toward Arada¡¯s cabin. For a moment, their pursuers were out of sight.


    Arada was struggling to think clearly. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she recalled what the Master had done to her father.


    Hold it together. Emotions can come later.


    They ran down the path and reached another T-junction in the village. They turned right. Immediately on the left was Arada¡¯s cabin, or at least what was left of it.


    They stopped to catch their breath, staring at the wreckage.


    Her cabin had been completely leveled. Stones and pieces of wood were strewn everywhere. Among the debris stood a small, stocky figure holding a hammer, who was as bald and blind as all the others. They looked disappointed that there wasn¡¯t a victim inside. Then the figure looked up and saw them standing there.


    With wide eyes, the stocky person raised the hammer and charged at them with a scream. From the sound of it, she was a woman.


    Arada and Irgos bolted away, and Arada flinched as something whizzed just past the back of her head. The stout woman had thrown the hammer, crushing the stones of a house to their right. If she¡¯d been even a second slower, the same would¡¯ve happened to her skull.


    They sped down the short road, out of the village. Fortunately, the stout woman didn¡¯t have the stamina of the two siblings; she gave up the chase halfway. But to their horror, Arada glanced back to see their two original pursuers¡ªthe ones who were with the Master just minutes ago¡ªrounding the corner. The stout woman looked surprised as the bald man and woman raced past her.


    For Arada and Irgos, there was only one option: run. Once they were out of the village, they continued over the fields that surrounded Overmore. They were in good shape,better than the Master¡¯s followers. But that was no reason to stop.


    After a while, the rural landscape gave way to a forested area, which offered some relief from the blood-warm evening sun. The residents of Overmore rarely ventured here, only in summer to pick fruits, cool off, or gather wood for campfires. Occasionally, they¡¯d find a fallen, dead tree, which they reused as building material for more homes. But no one went further north than this forest¡ªit was simply too dangerous.


    Irgos realized this too and came to a halt.


    ¡°Stop!¡± he called.


    ¡°What?¡± His sister stopped and turned around.


    ¡°We can¡¯t go further. The forest marks the boundary of the danger zone.¡±


    ¡°We have to. The danger behind us is greater.¡± She pointed back toward their village.


    They looked at each other. There wasn¡¯t much choice.


    And so, Arada and Irgos were forced to cross through the forest.


    <hr>


    * * *


    <hr>


    After another half-hour of running, they reached the edge and emerged into a more open area. They stopped, panting, and hid behind a tree at the forest¡¯s edge, listening for footsteps. After five minutes without hearing anyone following, they started to calm down a little and took in the surroundings beyond the forest.


    In front of them lay a long, wide gray strip, which clearly resembled a road. The road, divided in two by a white line in the middle, came from the west and veered northward. Weeds had overgrown many sections¡ªsome lightly, others so densely that the surface was barely visible. The setting sun cast a glimmering layer over the road, and the faint, hot wind grew stronger, as if giving a sinister tint to what had just happened in Overmore. In the distance, dark clouds gathered above the landscape.


    During their frantic escape, they hadn¡¯t said a word to each other, saving their breath for running. It created a terrible, pressing silence, an uncomfortable feeling they¡¯d never experienced before.


    Arada was the first to break the silence.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to keep moving. On foot.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Irgos responded. ¡°Cura told us not to go into the Old World. It¡¯s too dangerous there. Besides, there are the jelly monsters, which¡ª¡±


    ¡°That was before that deranged gang attacked our village,¡± Arada interrupted him. ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    Arada walked over to her brother and put her hands on his shoulders.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want this either. But look, if I had to choose between a murderous madman chasing us with his gang, or a few jelly monsters wandering through the remnants of the Old World, I¡¯d still prefer the latter.¡± She lowered her head. ¡°We¡¯ll have to take the risk and follow this road on foot to get as far away from here as possible. Along the way, we¡¯ll see if we can find food and supplies. With any luck, we might find horses.¡±


    Irgos was still in shock from everything that had just happened. It was clear he couldn¡¯t understand how his sister could think so practically and quickly. ¡°H-how can you think like this after everything that¡¯s happened?¡± he stammered.


    There was a pause. After a moment, she said, ¡°If I don¡¯t...¡± She raised her head again, a tear rolling down her cheek.


    ¡°...we won¡¯t survive this.¡±

 Chapter 2

    The evening wind, which had been moderate in strength an hour ago, had now grown considerably stronger. The warmth of the rays that had served Overmore all day could no longer reach the earth¡¯s surface. Clouds had gathered and darkened from all directions, itching with precipitation. They formed a chilly barrier between the sun and the ground, just as the road cut a barrier through the landscape of Catsroes.


    On that road, two young people walked, exhausted by recent events. An uneasy silence hung between them. Neither could believe what they had just witnessed. Irgos still didn¡¯t understand how it had happened so quickly. Usually, the warning horn only sounded when the jelly monsters approached from the north. Then, there was never any real danger, but people were required to stay indoors just in case. Maybe these people are worse monsters than the ones we¡¯ve always known.


    Irgos glanced to his left at his sister, who was two years older than him. Her red hair was whipped about in every direction by the howling wind, making it almost unnoticeable that her bright blue eyes were still ringed red from tears.


    Arada hadn¡¯t said anything since she¡¯d suggested they continue down this road. She must still be in shock, as she seemed withdrawn and clearly didn¡¯t feel like talking. Yet Irgos decided to break the uncomfortable silence.


    ¡°You okay?¡±


    Immediately after asking this, he felt a biting guilt.


    As if I don¡¯t already know the answer.


    He wasn¡¯t exactly good at starting easy conversations. All his question did was make the moment even more awkward.


    Arada didn¡¯t look up and kept walking, her head slightly bowed. When there was no response, Irgos tried again.


    ¡°Is it...¡±


    She sighed heavily, choking on a sob. More tears washed over her freckled cheeks, and with great effort, she finally decided to say something.


    ¡°You saw it, didn¡¯t you? He slit his throat.¡±


    Irgos¡¯s stomach turned to stone. He had known that Cura would never survive the invasion, but he¡¯d been so overwhelmed by all the chaos that he hadn¡¯t noticed how the Master had ended his life. Arada had never been so upset.


    ¡°He did it so, so fast. I wanted to help, but...¡± Her voice caught. After a few sobs, she tried again. ¡°I don¡¯t understand... What did Dad ever do wrong? He didn¡¯t deserve this!¡±


    Irgos tried to nod sympathetically. He felt his sister¡¯s despair, even though he wasn¡¯t great at expressing emotions.


    ¡°Your father didn¡¯t do anything wrong,¡± he assured her. ¡°And no, he definitely didn¡¯t deserve this.¡±


    Arada¡¯s voice broke even more. ¡°What are we supposed to do now? A mad gang of b-baldies destroys your home. Led by a m-maniac in a clown suit, targeting Dad.¡± Her breathing quickened in short bursts. ¡°And I don¡¯t see them leaving us a-alone now.¡±


    Arada couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. She burst into tears, her face flooding with emotion. It was a chilling sight in the brewing storm.


    Irgos couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say. He didn¡¯t know what had shocked him more: that their hometown had been leveled to the ground or that they were forced to enter the territories of the Old World.


    After Arada had calmed down a bit and it had been silent for a while, she spoke again.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t get over what we¡¯ve escaped from. It¡¯s a real miracle that we both got out. But they¡¯ll probably come after us, so we need to keep moving.¡± She paused. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can find a shelter before it all breaks loose and try to spend the night there.¡±


    They exchanged a look. Her tear-streaked face was sad, but her eyes showed determination. Something Irgos was a bit envious of.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that shelter appears soon,¡± he said. ¡°Do you know how terrified I am of being overtaken by them in this weather, in the dark?¡±


    Arada looked away again.


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡±


    <hr>


    * * *


    <hr>


    A little later, a building appeared alongside the road in the distance. Irgos noticed it first.


    ¡°There,¡± he pointed.


    They hadn¡¯t spoken for an hour. Apparently, the silence was a way to process the day. The clouds had darkened so much it seemed like night, even though the sun hadn¡¯t yet set. The building slowly but surely came closer, until they reached a point where the road split. On the right side, a small branch led to the building.


    They took this split and soon had a better view. It was nothing more than a gray square block with shattered glass in the windows and a doorway without a door. In front of it stood something resembling a gigantic table with reinforced white legs, the legs paired together with a sort of box connecting them.


    Ribbed black hoses with handles hung from the wall on this structure. Scattered around the building stood strange...


    Well, what on earth are these things?


    The objects, made of an unfamiliar material, stood on four separate wheels. They looked like iron but were much shinier. They had many dark windows and peculiar markings on the front and back. Inside each of these were something like seats and benches in two rows, with a panel full of complicated buttons at the front row.


    Irgos guessed these ¡®four-wheelers¡¯ from the Old World were about one and a half meters high and three meters long. There was also a much larger, more massive type of four-wheeler. They were taller and longer and had rectangular containers with many more wheels attached behind them.


    More like a twelve-wheeler.


    Some were covered in overgrowth and signs of decay. It was obvious that no one had been here in a long time. The first raindrops began to fall.


    ¡°Inside,¡± Arada called, pointing to the square building.


    They broke into a jog, running under the table and into the building. Just in time. In moments, the few drops turned into a deluge. To make matters worse, distant thunder rumbled.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°What kind of place have we ended up in?¡± Arada wondered aloud.


    ¡°Maybe this was how people traveled back in the Old World,¡± Irgos suggested. ¡°Along this smooth stone road with those strange four-wheeled carts.¡± He gestured to the open area outside and the road leading to the building.


    ¡°Well, give me horses any day,¡± she said curtly, taking a deep breath. ¡°It smells awful here, by the way.¡±


    The building was filled with empty, white shelves stretched from left to right. In the back corner, there was a slightly lower, wider cabinet. Flat discs, surrounded by a white casing, hung from the ceiling. The walls were covered in massive posters full of strange symbols and colorful images.


    She stared at one of the posters. Irgos stood beside her. It showed a large picture, a combination of blue and red-yellow patches. There was also text alongside it.


    ¡°Tortilla chips, extra salted,¡± Arada read aloud. ¡°Any idea what that is?¡±


    ¡°Salted probably means food,¡± Irgos guessed. ¡°But I¡¯ve never heard of it before.¡±


    ¡°And that next to it,¡± she said. ¡°One point sixty?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a whole number,¡± he explained. ¡°It¡¯s somewhere between one and two. A bit closer to two than one, though.¡±


    Despite the absurdity of the situation, he chuckled inside. He hadn¡¯t expected that his interesting conversations about decimal numbers with Alexander back in Overmore would ever come in handy.


    Irgos¡¯s stomach twisted when he thought back to his friend.


    Alex... I¡¯m so, so sorry. We were so focused on our own survival that we didn¡¯t think about you.


    He swallowed hard, fighting the urge to cry.


    It was just too much. We couldn¡¯t even have turned around to save you.


    Arada looked at the sign as if it held a great mystery. ¡°But it still doesn¡¯t make sense to me.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the number shows how good they taste?¡± Irgos suggested. ¡°The higher, the better?¡±


    They left the ¡®chips¡¯ alone and walked further through the mysterious little building. The other posters were different but similar, all depicting something, described in words and a number.


    ¡°So, these are all examples of the food people ate?¡± Irgos wondered aloud.


    ¡°Did this food just sit here?¡± Arada pointed to the empty shelves that lined the building. ¡°There¡¯s no way people could¡¯ve eaten all that.¡±


    Arada walked to the slightly lower cabinet at the very back. It was light beige, unlike the rest, with a corner fixed to the wall. Its surface had been overtaken by some kind of long-dried, lumpy mold. On it lay a few unknown items from the Old World, alongside some metal discs.


    Seeing these, Arada was reminded of something.


    ¡°Irgos?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°What did Dad give you again?¡±


    Irgos rummaged in his pocket and pulled out the half-amulet that had been given to him by Cura.¡°Why?¡±


    Arada pointed to the discs. ¡°Put it next to these.¡±


    He did as she asked.


    ¡°They have something in common,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°What do you mean? These are round, mine¡¯s only half.¡±


    ¡°And yet. Feel it.¡± She picked up one of the discs for comparison. It was silver-colored, with a ribbed edge, and bore a faint imprint of an unfamiliar face. She then turned her attention to Cura¡¯s amulet. It was a bit larger, also silver, with a ribbed edge, though slightly less shiny than the others. It too had an imprint. It didn¡¯t seem to depict anything specific; just a few random lines, surrounded by a semicircle and wave-like shapes.


    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s something written here,¡± Arada noticed. She brought the amulet close to her eyes and studied it.


    ¡°...protected.¡±


    Irgos stood beside her and looked with her. The word she¡¯d just read was engraved at the top of the amulet. The text followed the curve of the edge, and it seemed like there might be more words before it.


    There was moreat the bottom.


    ¡°...forever,¡± they both read together.


    That was all. Arada turned the amulet over, but on the back was another half-face, just like on the other discs.


    ¡°Do you remember what Dad told us?¡± she asked, hiding the painful look that appeared on her face at the thought of her father.


    Irgos hadn¡¯t forgotten. ¡°That there¡¯s someone in ¡®Aquinox¡¯ who has the other half, who can help us further. That other half probably also has the rest of the text.¡±


    ¡°He called it an ¡®amulet¡¯. Whatever that means.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s like an omelet?¡± Irgos joked.


    ¡°If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t eat it.¡±


    She let out a slow sigh, placing one of the discs back on the table.


    ¡°Something tells me they¡¯re connected.¡±


    Irgos suddenly thought of something else. ¡°Sis, where did you leave the vial?¡±


    Arada rummaged in the right pocket of her dark purple jacket and pulled out the glass tube with the red-pink liquid, sealed with a wooden cork. Just as they had last seen it.


    ¡°It must not fall into the wrong hands, he¡¯d said.¡±


    Irgos noticed something thick and white around the top of the tube, just below the cork. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Arada touched it and felt it wasn¡¯t firmly attached. She picked it off with her fingernail.


    ¡°Paper?¡±


    The thin paper was wrapped around the tube. After a few folds, the paper had grown considerably in size. Arada looked at it with a frown once it was unfolded. Irgos came to her side.


    It was a colorful sheet with various patches, some areas marked with text.


    ¡°Look here!¡± Arada pointed excitedly to the bottom right. ¡°¡®Overmore¡¯ is written here. That¡¯s our village. Well, it was.¡±


    ¡°And this is what Cura mentioned.¡± Irgos pointed to a large blob on the left side of the paper labeled ¡®Aquinox¡¯.


    ¡°I get it,¡± Arada said. ¡°It¡¯s a kind of representation of the world around us. And the blue must be water, I guess.¡±


    Irgos nodded and read some of the other names on the paper. ¡°Horwitz, Ebrotown, Sunfield. This all must come from the Old World.¡±


    Arada brought the paper closer to her face. ¡°I understand. This is the road we¡¯ve been walking on.¡± She pointed to a gray line moving away from Overmore. ¡°So, we must be somewhere around... here.¡±


    Irgos took the paper so he could look as well. ¡°If that was an hour¡¯s walk, and if the distances align as shown, the Old World is truly vast. How will we ever get to Aquinox?¡±


    By now, it had grown significantly darker and wetter outside. Large raindrops splattered the road around the building. Lightning flashed in the distance. They were stuck here for now.


    ¡°I¡¯m too tired to think about that now,¡± she said with a loud yawn, handing the paper to her brother. ¡°If you keep this and the amulet, I¡¯ll hold onto the bottle. We¡¯d best rest now. I doubt those creeps will track us in this weather. Besides, I can¡¯t take another step.¡± She meant it literally, dropping down with her knees behind the beige cabinet. She took off her jacket, rolled it up, and placed the purple bundle under her head as a pillow. ¡°No one will be able to see us from outside this way,¡± she said, turning onto her side.


    Irgos agreed. Behind her ¡®shelter,¡¯ there was enough space for two people to lie down, so he lay next to her on the floor. He didn¡¯t have a jacket to take off. His dark blue t-shirt was all he¡¯d worn on this warm day, and he wasn¡¯t keen on being seen shirtless. So, he rested his head directly on the floor.


    I¡¯ll survive for one night, he thought.


    But falling asleep was impossible. While Arada drifted off within five minutes, Irgos continued to mull over the day.


    What comes next?


    Why is that horrible ¡®Master¡¯ after us?


    What kind of place was the Old World?


    That last question kept him occupied the most. Other than the jelly monsters that haunted the village, Cura had refused to tell them what lay beyond Overmore¡¯s forests.


    And from today, we¡¯ll finally find out.


    It was odd, though, that no one else was around. It didn¡¯t exactly make the evening any more comforting. As a loud clap of thunder sounded, Irgos turned over yet again.


    Are there even any people left in the Old World?

 Chapter 3

    Outside, the weather raged.


    The circular fluorescent lights on the ceiling flickered every now and then due to the storm. The typically calm, sultry evening had suddenly taken on a completely different character. The large, wide room felt small compared to the crashing sounds outside. Perhaps this storm was a warning, a signal that the ordinary life everyone knew¡ªone that followed the same monotonous routine every day¡ªcould just as easily change without warning.


    Morbus shook the thoughts from his head and brought himself back to the present, the large, stale room where he waited. The corners of the room were filled with tall potted plants. The benches, once lined up against the wall, had mostly been taken away for materials, though some remained for those who needed a place to sit during busier times.


    Morbus smirked.


    Seems like late nights aren¡¯t exactly a popular time to come for food.


    What used to be the reception of an office building had been converted into one of many supply stations, intended to provide the citizens of Aquinox with food. The president wanted to ensure there was enough for everyone, after all. Every week, ration cards were handed out to the people, serving as a form of currency to exchange for boxes of provisions.


    Morbus and his father rarely used up all their cards in a week. That¡¯s why Morbus had decided to pick up a few extras this Sunday evening.


    He pressed the small, round metal bell on the reception counter again.


    Maybe they didn¡¯t hear me the first time.


    Soon, he heard footsteps approaching. A young, slim woman with black hair tucked under a baseball cap walked over.


    ¡°Good evening. How can I help you?¡±


    ¡°Hi, I came to pick up some extra food.¡± He handed her the few cards he had. ¡°This should be enough for a medium box.¡±


    The woman inspected the cards and nodded. ¡°Just a moment,¡± she replied.


    She stepped back through the doorway and returned shortly after with a cardboard box, placing it on the reception counter. The Aquinox logo, a gray circle with a red flame in the center surrounded by blue, wave-like lines, was printed on the front in bold ink. Next to it was the city¡¯s well-known slogan:


    Live protected, live forever.


    ¡°Here you go. Have a nice evening,¡± she said kindly.


    Morbus thanked her, took the box, and headed for the exit. He opened the glass door to the street and stepped into the rainy evening air of Aquinox, making his way home.


    <hr>


    * * *


    <hr>


    Fortunately, Morbus was dressed well enough for the rain.


    The streets were deserted. With the storm raging, most people stayed inside for safety. Morbus found the risk quite minimal.


    Lightning always strikes the highest point, he remembered from school. As long as I stay between the buildings, nothing will happen to me.


    As raindrops beat down on his raincoat¡¯s hood, he crossed the street and turned onto another road. This was one of Aquinox¡¯s longer streets, bustling with footsteps and chatter every day, yet calm and quiet by night¡ªespecially in weather like this.


    I wonder what this place looked like before the flood, he mused.


    Morbus couldn¡¯t imagine vehicles polluting the streets back then, people glued to their phones without a thought for the future.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    I can¡¯t imagine people were that... mindless.


    But now, life was different. Since the flood, all cars had been banned by the president. He''d reserved all gasoline for emergencies and other purposes, repurposing the cars for materials like pipes, electronics, and modern technology. The only means of transportation were horses, bicycles, the underground metro, or simply walking.


    Then Morbus remembered something.


    Tomorrow¡¯s already July 12th. That means we have history class again.


    He groaned. History wasn¡¯t exactly his favorite subject. But it was a mandatory lesson on the 12th of every month, a decision the president had made to remind everyone how fragile society was and how fortunate they were to live in a functioning one.


    At least it¡¯s just for one day.


    The rest of his studies were a combination of math, chemistry, and physics, subjects he was far more interested in. Then again, there wasn¡¯t much choice. Of the four Categories, only two involved school: Management or Science. His decision had been easy; working on the Wall or in the fields under the hot sun wasn¡¯t something he could picture himself doing.


    Morbus brushed aside his thoughts and felt the heavy rain again on his jacket. Only a little bit further, and he would be home.


    <hr>


    * * *


    <hr>


    He climbed the last few steps and opened the door to their apartment.


    I wonder if Father¡¯s still awake.


    He shut the door, set the box under the coat rack, and hung his rain gear to dry. The hallway seemed to have absorbed some of the bleakness from outside. The old light bulbs overhead seemed dimmer than ever, or maybe it was just the black carpet swallowing up what little light there was. Two of the three doors at the end of the hall¡ªleft and straight ahead¡ªwere closed, but the one to the right was open, with a light on inside.


    Morbus smelled a strong scent of wine.


    Might be best if I don¡¯t show my face right now. Not sure if he¡¯s in the mood to see me.


    ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± he called toward the open door. ¡°Got the food.¡±


    From the other side, he heard a muffled response that could pass for an ¡°okay.¡±


    Morbus opened the food box to see what was inside. Enough for three or four days¡ªplenty of beans, lentils, fruit, and a few other greens. There were even some eggs and dairy.


    Better put those in the fridge.


    He picked up the box and opened the door straight ahead, avoiding looking too much at his father¡¯s room.


    The living room was small but cozy. On the right was a tiny kitchen with a door leading to a shower and toilet. On the left, a round table with two chairs, and against the back wall, a very comfortable gray sectional.


    I¡¯d love to have a cat here. Too bad Father isn¡¯t interested.


    He set the box on the counter, opened the almost-empty fridge beneath, and stored the eggs and dairy.


    Good thing I went tonight. We didn¡¯t have much left.


    Morbus checked the clock.


    Ten past eleven. Time to get some sleep.


    He left the living room and went into the room on the right.


    His room.


    Morbus was glad to have a space of his own. Against the back wall was his bed with pitch black covers¡ªhis favorite color¡ªwhich were still tangled from last night. To the left was a large wardrobe with sliding doors, and opposite the door, a desk with drawers underneath for schoolbooks and personal items.


    I¡¯m exhausted.


    He took off his clothes and crawled into bed without pajamas. He grabbed his memorybook from under his pillow and opened it on today¡¯s page.


    Brought food, nothing special, he wrote down with the pen attached to the notebook.


    He put the memorybook back and let his head fall on the pillow. He set an alarm on his phone for the next morning. Half-past eight.


    That gives me a good nine hours of sleep.


    Unlike most students, Morbus could never get enough sleep. He¡¯d love nothing more than to stay in bed for fifteen hours, but that was a luxury reserved only for the weekends. The other days were just schooldays.


    Did kids back then think about life the same way? he wondered. Or did the flood take everything from them? Could there even be anything left of the world beyond the Walls of Aquinox?


    He found these kinds of questions fascinating, mostly because the president and the other leaders never seemed interested in answering them. They were too busy keeping Aquinox running.


    A dull, dull life that will never change.


    With that thought, he drifted off to sleep.


    Little did he know, that dull life would change completely in just three days.

 Chapter 4

    Arada awoke feeling uneasy. She opened her eyes and looked beside her.


    Irgos was gone.


    Immediately, she bolted upright.


    ¡°Irgos?¡± she called out.


    No answer.


    She threw on her jacket and stood up. Between the empty shelves of the building, it was dead silent. Outside, daylight had broken. Last night¡¯s storm had passed, and a bright blue sky stretched overhead.


    ¡°Irgos!¡± she tried again, this time louder. ¡°If you¡¯re trying to be funny, this isn¡¯t the time.¡±


    Silence.


    Sweat suddenly burst from her pores. She felt short of breath, and a sense of fear settled over her. She sprinted out of the building, cupped her hands around her mouth, and yelled as loud as she could.


    ¡°IRGOS!¡±


    Footsteps sounded from behind one of the massive vehicles¡ªshoes on pavement.


    ¡°Shh! Not so loud. The whole world doesn¡¯t need to know.¡±


    A boy with shaggy dark brown hair emerged. His dark blue cotton t-shirt matched the many rain puddles scattered around. He held his finger to his lips; his brown eyes were alert but not particularly alarmed.


    Relief washed over Arada. ¡°Honestly, don¡¯t ever scare me like that again. What were you doing back there?¡± She nodded toward one of those things with too many wheels and carrying a huge box with various colored patterns.


    ¡°I was already up,¡± he said innocently. ¡°I had to empty my bladder somewhere, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Let me know next time.¡±


    ¡°You were still sleeping. I didn¡¯t want to wake you.¡±


    Arada sighed. ¡°Fine.¡± She understood his choice; they needed the rest.


    Irgos pulled the piece of paper with colored splotches out of his cotton pants pocket. ¡°I was thinking about this,¡± he began. He held it out so Arada could see and traced a path on the paper with his finger.


    ¡°If we follow this route, we¡¯ll eventually reach that place called Ebrotown, where we can cross the river here.¡± He pointed to a small line crossing the blue streak labeled Ebros. ¡°Then we can head toward Aquinox.¡±


    Arada nodded slowly. ¡°Good plan. We¡¯d better start walking. I doubt those bald idiots will sit around for long in Overmore. Are your legs still holding up?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll have to.¡±


    <hr>


    * * *


    <hr>


    They had been walking for a while when Irgos broke the silence.


    ¡°I had a really weird dream last night.¡±


    Arada looked up.


    ¡°It happened on my birthday. I was in your father¡¯s room, but it was much bigger than normal,¡± he continued. ¡°I felt terrified and trapped. Then a giant mosquito flew in through the window. It came straight at me and landed on me. I didn¡¯t know what to do¡ªit was like I was completely paralyzed. But just as it was about to sting me and sink its needle in, I felt a huge warmth ignite inside me. In no time, I felt like I was in an oven. The heat was so intense the mosquito burst into flames and burned to a crisp. Then I woke up.¡±


    They both fell silent for a moment.


    ¡°Weird,¡± Arada said. ¡°Why on your birthday?¡±


    Irgos sighed audibly. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I won¡¯t even be sixteen until autumn, so I guess it was just... digesting yesterday.¡±


    Neither wanted to discuss it further. They were focused on reaching Aquinox as soon as possible.


    ¡°But honestly, I barely got any sleep,¡± said Irgos. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Only a little,¡± she replied. ¡°It¡¯s mostly that I¡ª¡±


    Mid-sentence, she stopped. She pointed into the distance. ¡°Look! The road curves off to the right,¡± she said excitedly. ¡°Hand me that paper.¡±


    Irgos did as she asked.


    ¡°It matches here,¡± she said, pointing to a spot on the paper that matched the curve. ¡°It really is some kind of guide.¡±


    After a while, they passed a blue sign by the road. Once they were close enough, they could read what it said¡ªa white arrow pointing upward, with more text alongside it.


    ¡°Tusin, Ebrotown,¡± read Arada. She looked back at the paper. ¡°That¡¯s the name of this spot. And here. Ebrotown is a bit further north. We¡¯re on the right path.¡±


    She studied the route on the paper carefully. ¡°What I don¡¯t understand is why the road twists all the way around Tusin. Why didn¡¯t they just make it straight when they built it?¡±


    ¡°Maybe the road came after they built the village?¡± Irgos speculated. ¡°Anyway, if we cut through Tusin instead of following the road, we can save a good amount of time.¡±


    ¡°All the more reason to head there, then.¡± She pointed at the sign they had almost passed. ¡°Too bad Aquinox isn¡¯t on it.¡±


    ¡°No, just these two villages,¡± Irgos repeated. ¡°No Aquinox.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s on the next one, then.¡±


    At the point where the road veered east, Arada and Irgos climbed over the iron fence beside the road and continued toward Tusin. The place they¡¯d stayed last night was now out of sight. The sun had been up for a few hours, the wind had calmed, and the cobalt sky was a stark contrast to the night before. No buildings were visible in any direction.


    They crossed the field beside the road and entered a sparse but covered forest. After a while, they found a paved path within the forest, which led to a wider road, similarly overgrown with weeds and occasionally scattered with those mysterious four-wheelers.


    ¡°Here again,¡± Arada noted, her eyes drifting over each steel contraption in turn. ¡°They¡¯re getting more frequent.¡± The further they went, the more vehicles appeared on the road, as though staring at them with their ¡®faces.¡¯


    They walked between the metallic vehicles until Irgos suddenly stopped.


    She looked over and saw his face was pale as a ghost. Following his gaze, she saw it too.


    In one of the seats inside a four-wheeler sat the remains of what had once been a human. A skull with black, hollow eye sockets that stared endlessly ahead. A dropped jaw. Ribs. Thin bones clutched something round in the cabin.


    As if people had tried to flee once.


    They both froze, staring. Captivated by the gruesome remnants of the Old World. Then they noticed that more vehicles held extra contents. Some had become homes for weeds, but others also contained skeletons. Not all were intact, sometimes only a spine remained. Occasionally, a skeleton slumped forward in the seat, with the skull rolled off and staring blankly from just behind the glass.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°This is giving me chills,¡± Irgos shuddered. ¡°Like a graveyard come to life. Can we keep moving?¡±


    She didn¡¯t need to be asked twice.


    <hr>


    * * *


    <hr>


    ¡°I see something,¡± Arada said after a while.


    She pointed ahead. The dense forest gradually gave way to what had once been a developed area. In the last hour, they hadn¡¯t seen many more vehicles or corpses. The sun was nearly at its peak, and the heat was rising. Luckily, the cool forest air kept it bearable.


    As they got closer, they spotted a sign hidden behind a tree.


    Irgos read it out loud. ¡°Welcome to Tusin.¡±


    Arada and Irgos gazed in wonder as they saw a village from the Old World for the first time. Four-wheelers lined the road, just like before. Rows of houses stood farther from the road, built from a smooth, stone-like material. Even the roofs were covered in reddish-brown tiles instead of reeds or branches. Paved pathways connected the houses. Strange metal frames with bars and two wheels were placed along the road or against the houses.


    What happened here? Where is everyone?


    The wilderness had fully reclaimed what was now an empty village. Moss crept between the stone tiles. In some places, the tiles had been replaced by square patches of sandy ground. Enormous trees grew here, their roots weaving between the stones. Ivy climbed up the walls and roofs, turning some houses into green blobs of vegetation. A stray cat emerged from the ivy and darted away as soon as it spotted the two newcomers. Birds fluttered off the rooftops. Down a side street, they even caught sight of a deer, which quickly fled in the opposite direction.


    After a while of walking down the street, a large open space appeared on the right side of the road, surrounded by various buildings. It was a sort of square, scattered with white stripes on the ground, all evenly spaced. A few four-wheeled vehicles still stood in places around the square.


    But that wasn¡¯t the worst of it.


    The air on the square was rancid. The smell was the first sign that something was very wrong with this place. Then they saw it.


    It was a field of bones.


    Everywhere, the ground was covered with skeletal remains of people from the Old World. Many lay alone, but there were also piles of multiple skeletons grouped together. The ground was further littered with debris, trash, and stains.


    Arada¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°What the...¡± she started.


    Irgos couldn¡¯t believe his eyes either. ¡°Almost looks like there was a fight,¡± he said. ¡°A massive one.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s inspect the buildings. Maybe there are still things left.¡±


    They began on the left side of the square. The first building was large, with a logo of a blue pentagon and two white letters above the entrance. There were various iron racks on wheels near the window and similar kinds of posters as in the building where they had slept.


    Inside were long rows of empty shelves once more. Huge bins and crates lay empty, and strange, elongated tables were covered with items from the Old World.


    They searched the entire building. It seemed to have once been a storage place for various objects, but there was absolutely nothing left. Certainly no food.


    Arada found it hard to imagine what this place must have looked like once.


    ¡°So, this place used to be full of food?¡± she mused. ¡°How did people even manage to make so much?¡±


    Irgos had no answer to that.


    In the end, the building had nothing useful to offer. They stepped back outside and tried the building next to it. This one was even larger. Unlike the previous building, however, the shelves were actually filled¡ªbut not with food.


    Long, tall shelves with seven tiers lined the walls. In the center were smaller shelves, about half as tall.


    Every one of them was packed to the brim with books.


    Arada noticed Irgos¡¯s wide-eyed expression. In Overmore, he hadn¡¯t known much more than Alexander¡¯s small bookcase, where he had spent many afternoons enjoying fairy tales, fantasy stories, and other children¡¯s books.


    Shit... Alexander, she thought suddenly. There¡¯s no way he survived...


    There were also certain ¡®educational¡¯ books where children of the Old World learned to read, write, and do math. Irgos had become enthralled with these, especially the ones about mathematics and geometry. When he¡¯d shown them to Arada and tried to explain the contents, she¡¯d understood little. In the end, she never got beyond counting, which she didn¡¯t mind at all. She much preferred hard work on the fields and spending time in nature.


    But this was different. It was all knowledge from the Old World.


    As they walked between the shelves, Arada waved her hand up and down in front of her brother¡¯s face.


    ¡°You still with me?¡±


    Irgos snapped out of his trance. ¡°There are SO many,¡± he said in awe, as if he¡¯d completely forgotten about last night.


    Arada scoffed. ¡°Who thought that people had the imagination to come up with this many stories?¡± she muttered.


    ¡°They¡¯re not all made-up stories, sis.¡± Irgos went to a shelf and spotted a title that caught his eye. ¡°Some of these are books from way back. Look!¡± He pulled out a thick, heavy book and showed it to her.


    ¡°A Brief History of Catsroes,¡± she read.


    He opened it. On one of the first pages, the year 1992 was printed.


    ¡°The book is exactly fifty years old,¡± he said in disbelief.


    ¡°What¡¯s inside?¡±


    As she looked over his shoulder, he flipped through the pages. Many of the chapters began with a year, describing major events that had happened in that year, going all the way back to 1452.


    Irgos turned to a random year and began reading: ¡°1670: During the agrarian revolution, farming in rural areas became increasingly easier. Thanks to the plow and new seeding methods, crops and yields could increase rapidly. Many farmers became more autonomous and no longer needed manual labor. But slowly, a feudal system began to take shape: people started working for landlords¡ªrulers or large landowners with much power. In exchange, they received enough shelter and food. With the rise of this...¡±


    Arada cut him off. ¡°I don¡¯t even understand half the words...¡±


    Irgos ignored her. ¡°This is just too fascinating. Cura never told us about all the things that happened. I want to know what¡ª¡±


    ¡°This book is too old for that. The information isn¡¯t relevant anymore, and we have far more urgent puzzles to solve. Besides, we don¡¯t have time for this sort of thing. Do I need to remind you why we¡¯re on the run?¡±


    Irgos nodded, disappointed but understanding. ¡°Alright then.¡±


    Without another word, he put the book back. They left the books where they were and exited the building.


    They tried the next two buildings with no success. They had a similar layout with rows of shelves, but they were completely empty. But the fifth building wasn¡¯t empty.


    When they entered, they saw something lying on the ground. Or rather, someone. A skeleton lay in a dark red stain, something green strapped to its back. Something that was familiar from Overmore.


    Arada let out a cry of excitement. ¡°A backpack!¡±


    She crouched next to the skeleton and peeled the bag off its back. Its arms came out of the sockets and collapsed onto the ground.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she muttered softly.


    Irgos noticed something in the remains of the right hand. He pulled it out. Arada saw it too. It was a knife with the same dark red stains on it.


    ¡°He died here,¡± Irgos concluded, pointing to the stain on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s as if he ended his own life.¡±


    Arada shivered but turned her attention to the backpack. ¡°This one¡¯s huge. Now we can actually carry stuff.¡±


    Irgos pointed to something like a cushion attached under the backpack. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± he asked.


    Arada felt the bottom of the backpack, where a rolled-up mat was fastened with straps. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve seen this before,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s called a sleeping bag. Some people in Overmore slept in these.¡± She detached the sleeping bag and unrolled it. ¡°The idea is you sleep between these two layers to stay warm at night.¡± For demonstration, she unzipped it.


    ¡°And when you¡¯re done, you roll it up again to carry it with you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome,¡± Irgos admitted. ¡°People from the Old World were no fools.¡±


    While Arada rolled up the mat, Irgos opened the bag to see what else was inside. He took out an empty water bottle, a strange, transparent bag made of soft, very flexible material, and a small box containing wooden sticks. In a front pocket was a round, black disk with a red arrow and little lines on it.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± asked Arada.


    Irgos noticed it moving. ¡°Look, no matter how I turn it, the arrow always points in the same direction. It seems like it¡¯s for orientation.¡±


    She followed the red arrow with her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s pointing toward Ebrotown. North.¡±


    Irgos placed the items back in the backpack. ¡°Who knows, it might come in handy.¡±


    ¡°Was that everything in there?¡±


    Irgos nodded. ¡°No food, unfortunately. I could really go for something to eat.¡±


    She pulled the paper from her pocket and unfolded it. ¡°I suggest we keep moving. We¡¯ve seen enough here: this village is as empty as my stomach, and even if we find food from the Old World, it¡¯s most likely gone bad.¡± She pointed to a small dot below Ebrotown. ¡°If we keep a good pace this afternoon, we can still reach the south end of this village. Hopefully, there¡¯s some food left there.¡±


    Irgos nodded again. ¡°And here, we can fill the bottle with water.¡± He pointed to a small lake on the paper. ¡°But what if there¡¯s no food?¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll turn Ebrotown upside down.¡±


    ¡°And what if there¡¯s nothing there either?¡±


    She sighed and shoved the paper in his face. ¡°Look for yourself. Ebrotown is a big place. There has to be something left.¡± Then she tucked the paper and the creepy knife into the backpack. She placed the glass vial with the liquid into a separate front pocket. Irgos added his half-amulet to it.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Arada said. ¡°This place creeps me out.¡±


    As they walked out, Irgos cast one last glance at the skeleton-strewn square.


    ¡°Absolutely.¡±

 Chapter 5

    The buzzer sounded, and high heels clicked into the classroom.


    ¡°Good morning, everyone.¡±


    Ms. Evans¡¯s honey-sweet voice echoed through the room. She wore a dark jacket and black leggings. Her long black hair was tied back in a ponytail. Her large forehead was sweaty, and her eyes appeared small yet friendly. She held a stack of papers in her arms, placing them on the desk.


    ¡°It¡¯s the twelfth of the month again,¡± she sang, overly cheerful. ¡°You all know what that means.¡±


    From the very back of the classroom, Morbus had a good view of the other students. Someone with wild, reddish hair slowly raised his arms in the air and responded with a deep, newly broken voice.


    ¡°Hooray. It¡¯s Memorial Day again,¡± he said with sarcastic enthusiasm


    Ms. Evans responded as if he genuinely meant it. ¡°Exactly. Today is an important moment to reflect on the history of Catsroes, and particularly, that of Aquinox.¡±


    She turned on her laptop and started the projector. As soon as it powered on, the Aquinox logo appeared.


    As always, we begin with the introductory video. Afterward, you will read independently and complete the exercises.


    Morbus heard Tomou, who was sitting next to him, groan. ¡°Man, we¡¯ve seen that video, like, a billion times or something. Shit¡¯s coming out of my nose. Can¡¯t we like, skip it just once?¡±


    ¡°Rules are rules,¡± Ms. Evans said sharply. ¡°The video is meant to make you aware of the terrible times we¡¯ve been through. Only then is it possible to live in pure peace and pleasure. That¡¯s why we watch it every time. But the choice is yours. You could also go to the bathroom to clean your nose, if you prefer.¡±


    A few people in the class chuckled softly.


    Tomou didn¡¯t find it funny. ¡°Hilarious, ma¡¯am,¡± he said dryly. ¡°T¡¯was just a joke. I¡¯ll survive, don¡¯t you worry.¡±


    She responded cheerfully. ¡°Good! Then it¡¯s time to cry, feel, and empathize.¡±


    She pressed play, and the film came to life. A neutral, formal voice came through the speakers.


    ¡°Catsroes is a country with a rich history. We know the agricultural revolution, the industrial revolution, the golden age, the romantic era, and the conveniences of modern times...¡± Scenes from the nation¡¯s past appeared.


    ¡°...But we also know another side. We Catsroans have always suffered from the water. Various floods have dragged our country down multiple times...¡± Now there were black-and-white images of the 1985 flood disaster.


    Ms. Evans stood at the back of the classroom. As always, she was clearly moved by these images, holding her trusty handkerchief to dry her tears.


    ¡°...After 1985, such a thing could never be allowed to happen again. So, it was decided to build a structure that would forever keep the water out of our country: the Delta Works...¡± Footage showed the construction of the massive storm surge barriers in the early nineties. ¡°...It took some time, but by 2005, the Delta Works were complete. Over twenty years, nineteen storm surge barriers were built. From now on, the country was safe from future water disasters. At least, that¡¯s what we thought...¡±


    The screen showed a man around forty years old. He wore a neat suit, had a high forehead, and a small, compact face. A narrow, round pair of glasses sat on his nose.


    ¡°...Out of nowhere, a new politician came into view. John Previs had been active as a minister for some time, until one day he had an epiphany about the future of Catsroes. He called it a ¡®predictive vision,¡¯ which foretold a new flood disaster in 2023 that would plunge the whole country into anarchy. No one believed him at the time, as everyone had faith in the strength of the Delta Works.


    Minister Previs, however, considered his vision as the truth. He decided, entirely on his own, to take action. In his powerful position, he began building massive, steel walls around his hometown Aquinox from 2009 to 2016...¡± The walls appeared on the screen. ¡°...Thirty meters thick, nearly two hundred high. These would protect the city during the 2023 disaster.


    Since Previs drained the state treasury to build these walls, he was suspended as minister, and new leaders took power. But Previs remained active in Aquinox. He devised an emergency plan. Once the disaster would strike, he would take control of Aquinox and reorganize society. This is where the Category Plan was born...¡±


    The film showed a few elderly men in suits sitting in a conference room, making arrangements.


    ¡°...And then the moment arrived. On July 12, 2023, storm surge barrier 17 broke, just as the prediction had foretold...¡± Morbus saw drone footage of a flooded Catsroes. Ms. Evans sobbed loudly as she watched these scenes.


    As always. She¡¯s so predictable.


    ¡°...Catsroes was wiped away, and only Aquinox stood tall, thanks to the Walls that held back the water. From that moment, Previs appointed himself president of Aquinox, and since there was no longer a government, also president of Catsroes. Life could continue here, thanks to President Previs¡¯s foresight and the emergency plan he had kept in reserve.


    He immediately took control of Aquinox¡¯s citizens and introduced the Categories. This meant that Aquinox¡¯s residents had to choose one of four Categories to focus on for the rest of their lives. In exchange, they would receive ration cards to trade at food points for food packages...¡±


    A map of Aquinox appeared on the screen. From the three gates in the south, west, and northeast, the main roads led to a large square in the center, Previs Square. This way, the city was divided into thirds.


    So funny they still haven¡¯t removed the west gate on the map, Morbus thought. It is completely useless now as the new water levels have crept above the entrance height.


    The right section lit up, and the voice continued. ¡°...The first Category, Agriculture, focuses on providing Aquinox with food and wood. Here, people work long days in the fields, both caring for crops and maintaining forestry. Then comes Science...¡± Now the lower-left area lit up. ¡°...Here, people research new technologies, manage electricity, and maintain water supplies. They are seen as the hope for humanity¡¯s future...¡±


    Groan. That¡¯s us.


    ¡°...Then there¡¯s Management...¡± The focus shifted to the upper part of the map. ¡°...This is where future leaders reside. Together with President Previs, they plan to keep Aquinox livable. They ensure that all other Categories can function smoothly...¡± Finally, the boundary of the city lit up. ¡°...And the last Category is Enforcement. They form a group of thousands, many of whom are stationed on the walls 24/7. They keep the city safe, ensuring no one gets inside the Walls...¡±


    If only they told us who or what¡¯s left outside the Walls... mabye then this video would finally start to get interesting.


    A quadrant appeared on the screen, each section showing the logos of the Categories.


    ¡°...Everyone 21 or older must choose one of these Categories. But since you aren¡¯t that age yet, you¡¯ll attend school in one of Agriculture, Science, Management, or Enforcement...¡±


    Again Morbus groaned internally. It was always so awkward when the voice addressed them directly at the end.


    ¡°...But no worries. It¡¯s always possible to switch Categories. Try to decide before you¡¯re 21, though. At that age, it¡¯s harder for your brain to absorb new things.¡±


    The sections disappeared, and Previs appeared on the screen again. This was a selection from a press conference shortly after the 2023 disaster. He was now the 64-year-old man they knew. His high forehead was exactly as it had been, except that his neat ministerial hairstyle hadn¡¯t survived. The gray tufts remained as his only head covering.


    ¡°Thanks to the Walls, we are safe here,¡± boomed the president. ¡°Thanks to the Walls, society can continue in Aquinox. Thanks to the Walls, humanity has a future!¡±


    ¡°Long live President Previs!¡± the people shouted. ¡°Long live Aquinox! Long live Catsroes!¡±


    Then the president concluded the speech with Aquinox¡¯s familiar slogan. ¡°Live protected. Live forever.¡±


    As the screen faded to black, the logo appeared, surrounded by the recently spoken words. Ms. Evans walked back to the front. Her cheeks were a forest of tears.


    ¡°That last part always gives me a lump in my throat,¡± she sniffed. ¡°Really special.¡± She cleaned her face with her handkerchief. ¡°I wish you would watch this every week.¡±


    The class remained surprisingly silent at her comment.


    She opened her agenda. ¡°Today, you can continue from page 106 to 115. Focus especially on the exercises at the end of the section.¡±


    A girl raised her hand. ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mora?¡±


    ¡°What parts of history are on next month¡¯s test?¡±


    ¡°Everything we¡¯ve covered. I¡¯ll post the exact material on the student portal. But don¡¯t just study for good grades. The point is to truly understand the horrific things that happened. With an emphasis on horrific.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Mora nodded and bent over her textbook.


    Ms. Evans turned back to the class, her eyes still red from crying. ¡°Alright, now get to work, everyone.¡± After a few seconds, she added, ¡°That includes you, Morbus.¡±


    Morbus only just realized that he¡¯d been staring at Mora¡¯s back since her question.


    ¡°Or is something wrong?¡±


    Morbus felt his cheeks flush red. ¡°No, sorry.¡±


    He started reading but quickly noticed he couldn¡¯t concentrate at all.


    Urgh. Mondays are the worst.


    <hr>


    * * *


    <hr>


    When the bell rang, it was time for lunch break. Morbus and Tomou walked through the school hallway toward the cafeteria.


    ¡°So, how was your weekend, buddy?¡± his friend asked.


    ¡°Oh, nothing special,¡± said Morbus. ¡°Did homework, chilled, that kind of thing. Yours?¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine. Dude, yesterday night, I was GONE, man. I think I¡¯m like, still half in bed.¡±


    Morbus believed it immediately. From the sound of his stoned voice, he really had been tripping. His face betrayed him too: dark circles under his eyes, his short black curly hair in a mess, and his brown eyes staring dreamily ahead like he was still in a haze.


    They turned into another hallway and entered the cafeteria.


    ¡°I need coffee, man.¡± Tomou said it like his world was ending. ¡°Want some?¡±


    ¡°No thanks, I still have water.¡±


    ¡°Go find us a spot, then.¡±


    He walked over to the coffee machine on the counter, and Morbus scanned the cafeteria. Here and there, some students had already taken seats around the characteristic picnic tables in the center. It was still relatively quiet, but that would change in about five minutes.


    He headed to a quiet corner at the back and sat on a bench against the wall. A moment later, Tomou joined him, holding a steaming plastic cup of black sludge.


    ¡°So, how long has this been going on?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb, man. I saw the way you were looking at her.¡±


    Morbus tried to keep from blushing. ¡°That was accidental, okay? There¡¯s nothing deep going on.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not this time.¡± Tomou smirked mysteriously. ¡°But I know you better than that, man.¡± He clapped Morbus firmly on the back. ¡°You like her, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Morbus stayed silent, unable to stop his ears from turning bright red. After a bit of quiet, Tomou added, ¡°Come on, man. You don¡¯t have to hide it. What are friends for?¡±


    Morbus nodded in understanding.Tomou really was the only friend he had here. The kind of friendship that just happens naturally when you sit next to someone in class long enough.


    He glanced around to make sure no one would overhear. Luckily, Mora was nowhere in sight, and everyone else was far enough away.


    He sighed. ¡°Alright then. To answer your question: a few months. It¡¯s just...¡± He searched for the right words. ¡°Her slender figure, her long brown hair. That almond-colored skin. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s alright, man. That¡¯s totally normal for guys your age.¡±


    Morbus shot him a fake-angry look. ¡°Was it the same for you?¡±


    Tomou took a big gulp of his coffee. ¡°Yeah, I once dated a girl. But it ended quickly. Right now, I¡¯m a loner.¡± He stretched out the last word like it was elastic.


    ¡°Man, that sucks,¡± Morbus replied in his friend¡¯s style. Tomou shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m totally fine on my own, man. Just gotta do the things you love.¡±


    Like drugs and alcohol?


    Tomou continued eagerly. ¡°But you¡¯ve totally got a shot, man. Girls like that want nothing more than a good guy like you.¡± He ruffled Morbus¡¯s oily black hair and then gently stroked his bicep.


    ¡°Stop that! I don¡¯t want people to think we¡¯re¡ª¡±


    Tomou burst out in his infamous, booming 500-decibels laugh. Everyone in the room looked up in their direction.


    Awkward.


    When everyone looked away and the cafeteria noise resumed, he continued. ¡°It¡¯s just a joke, man. I¡¯m only teasing you.¡±


    ¡°Make it a decent joke next time.¡±


    ¡°Aye, aye.¡± He took another sip, finishing his coffee.


    After a long, pleasant silence, Tomou brought up another topic. ¡°So, my friend, do you know what you want to do after school?¡±


    Morbus shrugged. ¡°Science, I guess. But I¡¯m not sure yet.¡±


    That last part was a lie. The other three Categories were absolutely not for him.


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Dude, I¡¯ve always wanted to work on those Walls,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°Nice view, bit of chill. Totally my thing. But I don¡¯t know yet. I have to decide in two years, though.¡±


    Morbus grimaced. For him, it was still a bit further off; he was three years younger than Tomou.


    He thought about the times Tomou had talked about his brother and got curious. ¡°What did Uzya choose?¡±


    ¡°Hard sciences, man. My bro was a total pro. He made it all the way to Kosrov Island.¡±


    Morbus¡¯s jaw half-dropped. ¡°Kosrov Island?¡±


    He had heard of it. It was a small island under Asroes¡¯s jurisdiction, and secret experiments were conducted underground there. Nobody knew exactly what. Only the best scientists from Catsroes received permission to research there.


    ¡°Then he must have been really good,¡± Morbus concluded.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I just said.¡± Tomou crushed his empty cup and threw it perfectly into the trash can from the bench. ¡°So dope.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what kind of work he does there?¡±


    Tomou made a pouty face. ¡°Sadly, that¡¯s secret business my friend. I only know that everything they do is meant to make our country habitable again. Nothing more.¡±


    Morbus wasn¡¯t sure how much of that to believe. It would still take a long time before society was restored, after all.


    The bell ended their break. Time for afternoon class.


    Thankfully, no history, just math with Mr. Ro. Much better.


    <hr>


    * * *


    <hr>


    When everyone was back in class, Mr. Ro closed the door.


    He walked in slowly, almost like a monk. He may have been old and gray, but his eyes and smile were as radiant as a child¡¯s.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get started,¡± he said in a friendly, relaxed voice. ¡°We¡¯ve actually covered all the material already, so I have a fun assignment for you this afternoon.¡± He smiled mysteriously, taking a piece of paper and scissors from his desk drawer.


    ¡°Watch this.¡± He showed the paper to the class. ¡°I¡¯m going to transform this piece of paper with just a few cuts...¡± He made four snips, one in each corner, parallel to the paper¡¯s edge. Then he folded the edges inward. ¡°...Into a box.¡±


    He sounded fascinated, as if he had just discovered a new law of nature. ¡°As you all know, the formula for volume is given by length times width times height, correct?¡± He wrote it on the board. ¡°My question for you: what¡¯s the largest possible volume? In other words, how large should the cutouts be so that when you fold the edges inward, the volume of the box you get is bigger than any other?¡±


    The girl sitting next to Mora raised her hand. ¡°Are we assuming that all four edges are the same height?¡±


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Mr. Ro replied. ¡°Otherwise, folding it would be rather¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s really simple,¡± she replied. ¡°You just have to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Quiet, please, Irania.¡± He held up his hand. ¡°The idea is for everyone to think it through themselves.¡± He gestured to the class. ¡°Feel free to work together, by the way. In fact, I encourage it.¡± He placed a stack of similar sheets on his desk. ¡°You can take one of these too, if it helps.¡±


    A murmur filled the room. Soon, everyone seemed to have formed teams. Morbus and Tomou were the only ones left.


    ¡°Well, just the two of us again,¡± he said, walking over to Mr. Ro¡¯s desk to grab a sheet.


    They often ended up paired together when working on assignments. But that usually worked out just fine; between the two of them, they had all the knowledge they needed. Math and physics were Morbus¡¯s specialties, while Tomou felt right at home in chemistry. He especially loved to ¡®mess around¡¯ during experiments, as he liked to put it.


    His friend returned with a small stack of sheets.


    ¡°Why so many?¡±


    ¡°We need to experiment, man. You really think I can make the perfect box in one go?¡±


    Oh my god.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point,¡± sighed Morbus deeply. ¡°You only need to measure the length and width.¡±


    Tomou raised an eyebrow. ¡°Mr. Genius has already come up with a plan, hasn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Well, see,¡± Morbus began. ¡°If you assign a variable to the cutout... And then set up a function based on that... Then you just have to... find the value where it¡¯s maximized. Right?¡±


    ¡°What have you been sniffing, dude? Sounds like mumbo jumbo to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just applying what we¡¯ve learned. Just differentiate and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Uh, can we work with you?¡±


    Morbus looked up. Two girls were standing beside their table. One of them was Irania, the girl who had raised her hand earlier. She had short, blonde hair and a forehead dotted with pimples, and she always seemed to have a scowl on her face. Next to her stood a girl with light brown skin and even more brown hair, but Morbus had recognized her the moment he heard her voice.


    Mora.


    Morbus¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    ¡°She means, of course, if she wants to work with you,¡± said Irania in a sneering, nasal tone. ¡°I already solved the ¡®problem¡¯ ages ago.¡± She made air quotes with her fingers.


    Morbus was still searching for words but found nothing.


    Crap, what do I say?


    Tomou came to his rescue.


    ¡°Absolutely, join us, ladiez. We could use all the help we can get. The more, the merrier.¡±


    Morbus¡¯s heart raced.


    Mora tried to explain herself. ¡°I mean, I have a hard time with math, and... it seems like you two are really good at it.¡± She lowered her head.


    ¡°Then you¡¯re in the right place,¡± Tomou replied, nodding at Morbus with his thumb. ¡°The real mastermind is right next to me.¡±


    Morbus¡¯s ears turned bright red.


    Mora looked up again. ¡°Thanks, guys.¡± They walked away, came back with two chairs, and sat down across from them.


    Mora sat directly across from Morbus. They exchanged a glance.


    Help.


    It felt like the individual beats of his heart had fused into one constant buzz in his chest.


    ¡°Good luck with that,¡± Irania said mockingly, who sat next to Mora. ¡°You¡¯ll probably need boxes of time to think it over.¡± She cackled at her own joke.


    Mora looked Morbus directly in the eyes. ¡°So, you already had an idea of how to do this?¡±


    Double help.


    The heat from his ears spread to the rest of his face. ¡°Y-yeah, I w-was already... I... I was¡ª¡±


    Tomou was his saving grace again.


    ¡°Dude, you literally just cracked the code. Don¡¯t tell me you forgot it already.¡± He slid a piece of paper under his nose. ¡°Write down what you¡¯re thinking, man. Maybe even I¡¯ll understand it then.¡±


    Morbus picked up a pen, trying to keep his trembling hand steady enough to write legibly. Stammering, he explained his plan to Tomou and Mora.


    Sigh. This is going to be a long afternoon.

 Chapter 6

    Irgos took a large sip from the water bottle.


    Finally, water. Now just some food.


    ¡°Should I refill it for tonight?¡± asked his sister, who lay sprawled on her sleeping bag. She was playing with the cord of the ¡®super goggles¡¯ she¡¯d found in one of the drawers of the bedroom desk: two long, heavy tubes with thick glass that could magnify distant objects when you looked through them.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± he replied. ¡°Then we¡¯ll definitely have enough to drink. I¡¯ll come with you, though. I really don¡¯t want to stay here alone.¡±


    They walked out of the cabin, heading toward the lake.


    Irgos thought back to their hike that afternoon. Ever since they¡¯d left Tusin, they¡¯d walked non-stop, mostly along tree-covered roads. But by late afternoon, they¡¯d come across the same wide road as the night before. It was about a three-hour walk from there to where they were now¡ªa small farmhouse on the outskirts of Ebrotown.


    You could already see the village over the fields. They¡¯d decided to spend the night here and explore Ebrotown for food tomorrow.


    Sigh. Food.


    It wasn¡¯t easy to walk on an empty stomach, especially when you were used to eating well every day back in Overmore. But today, they were focused on getting as far away from their home place as possible. They didn¡¯t want to waste time on food, only on resting and sleeping.


    Beyond a few barren fields lay a small lagoon surrounded by some vegetation. As Arada crouched down to refill the water bottle, Irgos gazed off into the distance.


    The setting sun cast long shadows of scattered trees across the grasslands. The sky was filled with the familiar glow of evening. The weather seemed to be the exact opposite of yesterday.


    Irgos still couldn¡¯t believe they had spent twenty-four hours in the Old World already.


    When the bottle was full and they were heading back toward their shelter, she checked in on him.


    ¡°You okay?¡±


    Irgos nodded, though it was short and tense.


    ¡°Make sure to rest well tonight,¡± she encouraged him. ¡°We need the energy.¡±


    Irgos knew she was right, but he¡¯d found it hard to sleep last night.


    A new question surfaced in his mind. ¡°One thing I don¡¯t get. H-how can you stay so... uhm...¡± He searched for the words. ¡°...calm, cool-headed... sharp? After everything we¡¯ve been through. What¡¯s your secret?¡±


    A cautious smile appeared on her thin lips. ¡°Two secrets, maybe,¡± she began. ¡°First, I want revenge on the man who killed my father.¡± Her smile disappeared, replaced by narrowed eyes and a frown. ¡°Second, it¡¯s our duty to reach Aquinox. We have to find the one with the other amulet. And I want answers.¡±


    They returned to the cabin. It wasn¡¯t much bigger than the average living blocks in Overmore, with many similarities. Irgos recognized the two rooms as a living room and a bedroom. In the living room, he saw a lot of familiar furniture from Overmore: to the left of the front door stood a worn-out armchair and leather sofa¡ªboth pitch black¡ªrotting with age. But there were also things he¡¯d never seen before. In the seating area, a shiny, black, thin screen hung on the wall, clearly some kind of Old World artifact. In the back of the room was a high table with various cabinets and strange machines with buttons, which could be pressed but did nothing. The only familiar object was something resembling the stove from Overmore¡¯s kitchens. Was this how people made food in the Old World?


    On the right side was a door leading to the bedroom. In the corner was a brown, made-up bed that had become Irgos¡¯s sleeping spot since Arada preferred to try out the sleeping bag. Back in Overmore, she also slept better with her mattress as close to the ground as possible.


    Across from the bed was a wide, slightly lighter brown desk with a mysterious object: it had the shape of an upside-down L with some kind of glass pear. Next to the bed stood a large, black wardrobe full of clothes.


    Good thing it¡¯s summer, thought Irgos. Otherwise, we¡¯d really need those.


    He flopped onto the bed. Arada slipped into her sleeping bag next to him. The last rays of the sun crept in through the window.


    A strange rumbling from Arada¡¯s stomach broke the silence.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said innocently. ¡°My body isn¡¯t made of iron.¡±


    Irgos¡¯s stomach seemed ready to chime in, too. ¡°I really can¡¯t sleep like this.¡±


    ¡°Just try. If you can¡¯t fall asleep, at least rest well. Then we can keep going tomorrow.¡±


    He nodded. It was a strange feeling, being tired yet unable to sleep.


    Is it from not eating? The impressions of the new Old World? The stress of a murderous gang on our heels?


    Or maybe all of it?


    Just like yesterday, Arada was out like a light. He tried his best to relax and follow her example.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    But it just wasn¡¯t working.


    The longer he lay there, the busier his mind became. The past twenty-four hours buzzed around like mosquitoes around his head. He could still hear the Master¡¯s voice echoing in his mind.


    Isn¡¯t it nice to enjoy yourself before everything goes down?


    I could sense another presence. There are two of them.


    Wait a second.


    Irgos¡¯s heart pounded in his chest when he thought back to the particular sentence he¡¯d said.


    The Master can ¡®sense¡¯ people?


    He was overwhelmed by an invisible hand squeezing his throat. His mind raced.


    If he¡¯s so eager to catch us and can sense where people are, why hasn¡¯t he caught up to us?


    Something didn¡¯t add up.


    Irgos turned on his side, looking straight at the sleeping Arada. In the dim light through the window, her fair, freckled face looked a bit gray. But her red hair, spread over her purple ¡®jacket pillow,¡¯ always kept its color, no matter the light. Her breathing was steady. So steady, it even calmed him.


    Maybe I¡¯m just overthinking.


    He closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep with the thought of lying beside her.


    <hr>


    * * *


    <hr>


    In vain.


    It was already getting light outside, but Irgos hadn¡¯t closed his eyes once. Next to him, Arada was still lying in the same position as last night. At least she could do it.


    Let¡¯s try one more time.


    He focused on the sounds he heard. His breathing and that of his sister. The faint rustle of a soft breeze. The creaks of the wooden cabin. The chirping of birds. Footsteps through the grass.


    Footsteps?


    At that exact moment, a shadow flew past the window and then disappeared. He shot up instantly, his heartbeat doubling.


    We¡¯re in trouble.


    He crouched next to his sister and began gently shaking her.


    ¡°Sis. Psst, Sis.¡±


    One by one, she opened her eyes. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I hear something. Someone¡¯s sneaking around the house.¡±


    She was instantly awake. She took the knife from her backpack and gripped it tightly.


    ¡°How many of them?¡± she whispered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Irgos held his hand to his mouth to keep as quiet as possible. ¡°I only heard one.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure you didn¡¯t imagine it?¡±


    ¡°Positive.¡±


    She hesitated for a moment. ¡°Stay here,¡± she gestured to the room. ¡°I want to know where they''re at.¡±


    Carefully, without making a sound, she opened the door just enough to slip through.


    She moved into the other room. Irgos pressed himself against the wall to stay out of sight of the window.


    He waited and waited. The rush of adrenaline stretched time. But the silence worried him most.


    After waiting for about ten minutes¡ªhis rough estimate¡ªhe couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. He followed in her footsteps and cautiously peeked into the other room.


    No one. Only the outer door was ajar.


    He walked into the living room, moving as quietly as possible toward the door.


    Suddenly, the sound returned. It was unmistakably the sound of someone running through the grass. The periodic rustling, followed by short pauses. Getting faster and louder.


    Sweat covered his forehead. Arada doesn¡¯t run like that, he thought.


    Then he realized the unusual way of running. This wasn¡¯t a human, but¡ª


    At that moment, the outer door burst open, and the creature lunged at him. It was so fast that Irgos didn¡¯t even have time to look at the intruder. Long claws pushed him to the ground, and he felt prickly long tendrils brush against his face. A second later, there was the sound of footsteps on the floor, followed by a soft thud from the side, and his attacker rolled off him.


    A panting Arada stood next to him. In her right hand, she held the knife, dripping with a sticky, reddish-brown liquid. Only now did he understand what she had done.


    To his left lay the lifeless jelly monster in a pool of that same red liquid, slowly spreading from a large wound in its neck. It had a human-like body, but with much thinner limbs. Its skin had an unnatural color: a mix of brown, fluorescent green, and a hint of turquoise. The hands and feet had only two or three long, clawed fingers. But the head was a different story entirely.


    There were no eyes, ears, nose, or mouth. In place of a face was a gaping void, where millions of long, thin black tendrils writhed and twisted. The back of the head was bald, replaced by scaly lumps, bumps, and protrusions.


    Irgos shuddered. It had been a long time since he had last seen one of these monsters.


    ¡°Back inside,¡± Arada urged. ¡°I don¡¯t know how many more there are.¡±


    They returned to the bedroom and barricaded the door with the desk. Then they stayed silent for at least five minutes, listening for any more signs of intruders.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have arrived a second later,¡± Arada said with relief, once she felt sure they were safe. But her expression changed when she looked at him.


    She winced. ¡°It got you,¡± she said, somewhere between shock and sadness.


    Only then did Irgos realize he tasted blood. He turned to look at his reflection in the window. Between his nose and upper lip ran a long, horizontal red streak. Blood was still trickling down, dripping over his lips.


    ¡°Those tendrils,¡± Arada said, concerned. ¡°It must have happened when it fell on you.¡± She opened the wardrobe and found a handkerchief.


    ¡°Let me take a look,¡± she said, turning him around by his shoulder. Irgos sat on the bed, and his sister crouched beside him. She dabbed the handkerchief under his nose, holding it long enough to stop the bleeding. When she finished, Irgos looked at his reflection in the window again. The bleeding had stopped, but the jelly monster had left a strange red streak across his face.


    ¡°Good thing I was on time. Who knows what could¡¯ve happened to you,¡± she said more to herself than to him.


    Irgos searched for words but couldn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°I...I thought something had happened to you,¡± he finally said. ¡°Why did you take so long?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t find the intruder,¡± she replied. ¡°I walked around the cabin several times, but I didn¡¯t come across anyone. At first, I didn¡¯t realize it was a jelly monster. Not until I heard its sprint. That¡¯s when I knew it must¡¯ve smelled you, so I went after it.¡± She paused. ¡°I really thought I was too late when I saw it lying on you. I didn¡¯t hesitate for a second before striking.¡±


    Irgos forced a pained smile.


    ¡°We should get going. I have no idea how many jelly monsters live around here.¡±

 Chapter 7

    The curry tasted awful.


    Morbus could barely get another bite down. Yet, he pushed the fork into his mouth and tried to suppress the disgusting sensation on his tongue.


    Taste is nothing more than the interpretation of electrical signals in your brain. Don¡¯t be fooled.


    Across from him at the kitchen table sat his father. He didn¡¯t seem to have any trouble with the lentil curry. Still, he didn¡¯t look good. His short black hair, sticking out in all directions, resembled a swarm of needles piercing his scalp. His glasses were crooked on his nose, and his forehead was marked with deep wrinkles. Behind the edge of his glasses, Morbus could just make out his father¡¯s dull, gray eyes.


    Morbus tried to lift the mood a bit. He scooped up another forkful and raised it to his mouth.


    ¡°Delicious,¡± he lied.


    His father raised one eyebrow.


    ¡°...Mr. Horatio,¡± Morbus added quickly.


    Without saying a word, Horatio continued eating.


    Morbus forced himself to finish his meal. He was genuinely hungry, and that video from the morning had made him appreciate that there was food on the table.


    When his father was done eating, he finally spoke, his voice heavy as though bearing the weight of the world.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do the dishes.¡±


    He stood up, the silver half-amulet around his neck swinging as he moved.


    Morbus nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get back to my homework,¡± he said. He stood up, walked to his room, and closed the door.


    Homework time.


    He sat down at his desk and opened his physics book. Just a few more exercises to go. He grabbed his formula sheet and got to work.


    Concentrating was difficult: his mind kept drifting to Mora, with whom he had spent practically the whole afternoon talking. Explosions of excitement bloomed deep in his belly.


    I never thought someone could be this amazing.


    It took him nearly two hours to finish his homework. On a normal day, it would only take less than half so long. But then, on a normal day, you don¡¯t experience crazy moments like this.


    He changed into his pajamas and got into bed. It was already half past nine.


    But not before I write down this evening so I won¡¯t forget what I¡¯ve learned tomorrow.


    He pulled the notebook from under his pillow and wrote down the entire evening. Although it wasn¡¯t much except for dinner and homework.


    At least I¡¯ll remember everything about her, he thought with a thin smile while recalling Mora¡¯s face again in his minds eye. He pulled the covers over himself and fell asleep immediately, a sense of happiness warming him as he drifted off.


    <hr>


    * * *


    <hr>


    But the sleep didn¡¯t last long.


    Ten minutes after he had dozed off, someone entered the room.


    Shit.


    A memory awoke in his mind. Pieces of forgotten memories surfaced, and along with them, the feelings they stirred up grew more vivid.


    His father stood there, silhouetted against the hallway light. He took a few steps forward.


    ¡°Morbus.¡± His voice was dark and menacing.


    His memories continued flooding back, replaying past events he¡¯d completely forgotten.


    I¡¯ve been through this before. D¨¦j¨¤ vu?


    Morbus sat up in bed. He saw his father pull something from his pocket.


    Double shit.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Morbus recognized the object all too well.


    His father¡¯s pocket knife held more than just foldable tools. One of them was in fact¡ª


    There it is!


    His father pressed a button, and a long, steel pin with a rounded, red-glowing tip extended from the handle.


    ¡°How was school?¡± Father Horatio stepped closer. A twisted smile appeared on his face.


    Morbus knew exactly what was coming.


    Stay calm. Don¡¯t provoke him.


    ¡°Good,¡± Morbus replied. ¡°We had¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, how,¡± his father interrupted, moving closer until he was standing at the foot of the bed. ¡°Did it make you happy?¡±


    Morbus swallowed, a cold sweat breaking out across his skin.


    What now?


    But it was too late. As Horatio shouted ¡°ANSWER ME!¡± into his face, he shoved the pocket knife forward, and the searing hot pin pressed against Morbus¡¯s chest, letting out a hiss.


    ¡°AAH!¡±


    The pain was unbearable. It wasn¡¯t just at the point of contact; his entire body seemed to relive this torment. Memories of previous burns exploded in his mind, like a fuse setting off a stick of dynamite. His chest clenched, and he collapsed backward onto the bed. His father sat on the edge.


    ¡°Good,¡± he said with satisfaction. ¡°Feel it.¡± He licked his lips. ¡°Admit it, school was miserable.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Morbus protested. His father brought the pin down again.


    ¡°AAH!¡±


    ¡°What was it then, Morbus?¡±


    Tears streamed down his face. His voice shattered as he begged for his life. ¡°Please, s-stop, father¡ª¡±


    ¡°AAAAH!¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T CALL ME THAT!¡± His voice thundered like a jet engine. ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Horatio,¡± he said through clenched teeth. ¡°How many times have I told you I don¡¯t want to hear ¡®dad,¡¯ ¡®father,¡¯ or even my first name? Is that clear?¡±


    Morbus¡¯s voice was barely audible. ¡°Y-y-yes, M-mr. Horatio,¡± he managed to exclaim.


    His father laughed coldly, a heartless, chilling sound.


    ¡°Good, Morbus. You know the drill. Turn around.¡±


    No, not again.


    But he had little choice.


    ¡°DO WHAT I SAY!¡± Horatio roared while bringing the burning tip to his chest again.


    ¡°AEWH!¡± Morbus''s cries had transformed into incoherent sounds. Quickly, he rolled over so that he lay on his stomach, his back exposed.


    I wonder how many burns I have by now.


    Horatio grinned, clearly savoring his power. ¡°Listen,¡± he began.


    Here we go.


    Horatio¡¯s voice took on the tone of a cult leader performing a ritual, pressing the burning steel pin in his back with every sentence. ¡°Our world is a hell, with Aquinox as the only one remaining stronghold above the water. Here, everyone is happy. But happiness is fundamentally wrong. Being happy blinds you to others¡¯ pain. Therefore happiness creates inequality.¡±


    He leaned close, whispering into Morbus¡¯s ear. ¡°You were happy today, weren¡¯t you, Morbus? I could tell. It was all in your actions, the way you looked, how you moved, the pitch of your voice. So you enjoy inequality. The safety inside the Walls while others suffer outside. You take pleasure in this hell, like everyone else here.¡± He straightened back up. ¡°The people before the disaster would be amazed at how good we have it. They would...¡±


    Morbus let his father¡¯s words drift in one ear and out the other. Every stab sent new jolts through his body, so intense he could no longer scream; his nerves were overloaded.


    It was as if he were falling into a bottomless pit, an endless descent into pain. Falling, falling, without end. As he fell, it grew hotter and hotter. The heat became unbearable, and though his body should have given out, it kept going. His skin scorched black, his lungs roasted, his organs charred and withered, his heart exploded. Yet his nerves continued to relay trauma signals to his brain.


    Forever.


    Time lost meaning. Space vanished entirely. The further he fell, the more unbearable it felt to be alive in a body that had already died. A prisoner of his own mind.


    <hr>


    * * *


    <hr>


    Somewhere at the bottom of the pit, rhythmic hissing sounds echoed.


    ¡°...disappointed in you.¡±


    He opened his eyes.


    ¡°You are not allowed to be happy.¡±


    That smell...


    ¡°You are fundamentally flawed and useless.¡±


    How long was I gone?


    ¡°I WISH YOU WERE DEAD!¡±


    The bed creaked, footsteps left the room, and the door slammed shut.


    It was dead silent.


    Morbus tried to feel his body, but immediately he was overwhelmed by the burn wounds. He tried to scream, but his throat only permitted a high, croaky rasp. His body was broken.


    Father is right.


    He didn¡¯t know what was worse. The physical pain or the emotional trauma.


    I can¡¯t be happy.


    He tried to sit straight up on the bed, in vain. He couldn¡¯t even move his muscles.


    I need to suffer.


    Instead he rolled out of bed to his desk, screaming in agony. His arm had just the amount of strength to get up. In the drawer he felt for his pencil case, and grabbed his compass.


    Got it.


    He removed the cap and put the point on his hand. He went deeper and deeper, until blood spilled out. The feeling was strange. Horrible, but also unburdening.


    Oh, the pain. Finally justice.


    He made a second hole. And a third. His brain screemed for more and more. Until late in the night he continued.

 Chapter 8

    ¡°This is unbelievable.¡±


    Arada looked from the paper to the giant village ahead of them, then back again.


    Before them lay Ebrotown. A massive collection of houses, towers, and buildings. A huge statue stood on the quay, its hands raised as if welcoming all visitors.


    Or maybe it¡¯s asking the Gods for help, Irgos thought.


    Below them flowed one of the branches of the Ebros River. Thanks to the massive bridge they were now walking on, the town was connected to the rest of the mainland¡ªor what was left of it, at least.


    ¡°How many people must have lived here?¡± Arada wondered aloud.


    Irgos shrugged. ¡°More than the largest number I¡¯ve ever counted. The Old World remains a strange place.¡± He touched the scar from the jelly monster on his upper lip. Speaking felt strangely different now.


    ¡°And to think Aquinox is even bigger.¡± She pointed to the left side of the paper.


    ¡°Stop it. My head¡¯s already exploding just thinking about it.¡±


    Arada gestured ahead of them, where the road narrowed significantly at the far end of the bridge. ¡°Once we''re there, we¡¯ll need to find a route heading west. The paper says there¡¯s a bridge crossing the Ebros there. From then on, it¡¯s not much farther to Aquinox.¡± She pointed westward, where the massive river could be seen in the distance.


    ¡°We¡¯d better find something to eat along the way. I don¡¯t know how much longer I can keep going.¡±


    Arada froze.


    ¡°What? Did I say something wrong?¡± Irgos asked, confused.


    She placed a finger to her lips. ¡°Shh. I hear something.¡±


    It sounded like a low rumbling¡ªa lot of low rumbles. Only then did he feel the ground beneath his feet vibrating with the sound.


    ¡°Hoofbeats!¡± they said at the same time.


    They both turned around, looking back down the road they¡¯d just come from. In the distance, a group of riders was visible, heading toward Ebrotown. They couldn¡¯t immediately tell who was in the saddle. Arada looked through her super goggles, which were still hanging around her neck.


    ¡°What do you see?¡±, Irgos asked nervously.


    Her voice took on a frigid tone.


    ¡°Bald heads. Eyes shut.¡± She looked at him, her panic palpable.


    ¡°It''s them. Run. Now!¡±


    They sprinted to the end of the bridge and entered Ebrotown. Only then did they see riders ahead of them on the road as well.


    They were like rats in a trap.


    ¡°This way. Quick,¡± Arada panted. She veered left down a narrow alley that led into a block of buildings. Or rather, blocks with few buildings intact. The alley consisted of a long row of yellowed buildings with many doors and broken windows. The street was made of gray square tiles that stuck up slightly here and there. Many were covered with moss and weeds, just like in Tusin.


    Fortunately, there were more narrow alleys threading through the buildings. They ducked into another one, no more than three meters wide, with eroded beige walls from the surrounding buildings on either side. The alley turned left, branching again into more hiding places.


    They fled by instinct, moving as far as possible from the approaching horses. After a while, they ended up in a dead-end street with only a huge, green metal box on wheels. They hid behind it.


    They waited until they could no longer hear the sound of hooves. Voices reached them from afar¡ªdissatisfied voices. Irgos tried to make out what they were saying.


    ¡°...escaped...¡±


    ¡°He will...soon...many...¡±


    ¡°...waiting...to...¡±


    Nothing made sense.


    Then, they heard the sound of another horse approaching. This time, the sound was heading toward them.


    Irgos huddled even closer to his sister, hoping they weren¡¯t visible behind their green shelter. Now, all they could do was wait.


    Gradually, the hoofbeats faded into the distance again. They stayed still, and after what felt like an eternity, Arada dared to peek under the metal box.


    ¡°Nothing in sight,¡± she whispered. ¡°I think they¡¯re gone. I haven¡¯t heard anything else.¡±


    Irgos wiped the sweat from his forehead. ¡°M-me neither,¡± he said, his voice trembling.


    They emerged from behind the box and headed back down the alley.


    Arada motioned with her hand in a zigzag through the block of buildings in front of them. ¡°Forget food. We¡¯ll have to stay hidden and stick to the narrow streets in that direction.¡± She nodded forward. ¡°Eventually, we should reach the bridge.¡±


    Irgos looked pensively ahead. ¡°But what if they¡¯re on the bridge t¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have to go now,¡± Arada interrupted him. ¡°The sooner we¡¯re there, the less likely they are to beat us to it.¡± Without waiting for his response, she checked around the corner of a street to their right to see if it was clear, then moved quickly but cautiously. Irgos followed her.


    This street was a bit wider. It sloped downward, and just like the first street, was lined with tightly packed buildings.


    ¡°Wait,¡± he called after her. ¡°We can¡¯t just... we don¡¯t know if...¡± He searched for words, trying to organize his thoughts. ¡°Did you see h-him too? Through the super glasses?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Her pace slowed slightly.


    ¡°The Master. Their leader. The one in black.¡±


    ¡°No. They were all bald. Why?¡±


    Irgos went pale as his mind raced.


    Something¡¯s not right. They likely came from Overmore. Without their leader. And at the same time, they were also coming from Ebrotown. It was almost as if¡ª


    Suddenly, he got it.


    ¡°It¡¯s a trap!¡± he shouted.


    Arada stopped in her tracks. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re doing exactly what he¡ª¡±


    But it was too late. He cut himself off as four bald figures burst from a nearby building and threw themselves upon them. Irgos felt his arms pinned to the ground. He saw Arada beside him, struggling in their grasp.


    ¡°Let me go, you¡ª¡±


    One of them placed a hand over her mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t waste your energy on words. You¡¯ll need it later,¡± said the bald man with a grin.


    An inaudible murmur escaped her. Irgos decided to take the man¡¯s advice.


    He watched helplessly as his sister was also pinned to the ground. They removed her super goggles hanging from her neck, and her wrists were bound behind her back. The same happened to him.


    Then, they were forced to stand and were taken along. Irgos felt two of the bald figures grab his arms, dragging him forward, while two others followed behind with Arada. They were led through a few unfamiliar streets, eventually arriving at the long road where they had first fled when they entered Ebrotown.


    At the end of this street was a large square. The buildings here were more... ornate than the others. Unlike Tusin, there wasn¡¯t a single four-wheeled vehicle on the square. At the edge stood a towering structure with a sharp-pointed roof. High upon the tower hung a round disk with two stripes on it. Many of the surrounding buildings looked destroyed. Broken windows and walls, covered in weeds. Just like everywhere else.


    In the square, a group of people stood in a half-circle. They were dressed in tattered clothes, all bald, with their eyes closed. Irgos recognised the burly man and slim woman who were with the Master when he killed Cura. Also the stout woman who¡¯d destroyed Arada¡¯s cabin stood amongst them.


    The group surrounded two figures in the center of the square. One of them sat bound and crouched on the cobblestones, shouting in a hoarse voice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll never tell you where he is. NEVER!¡± It sounded like a young woman. She had long, brown hair that glinted in the sun, her face turned away from Arada and Irgos.


    Beside the woman stood a tall, slender man with a disturbingly familiar vampire-like face. Irgos recognised him immediately.


    The Master.


    A few meters before the center of the square, their captors halted.


    ¡°Master, we caught them,¡± said the man at Irgos¡¯s left side.


    The Master and the bound woman turned in their direction. The woman looked stunned when she saw them.


    ¡°Welcome, welcome, if it isn¡¯t our two fugitives,¡± his voice echoed over the square. ¡°How convenient that I¡¯ve hidden my men everywhere. It makes capturing you so much easier.¡±


    Irgos swallowed. So the horse trick really was a trap.


    The Master nodded to one of his followers in the circle. This person took a large hammer from his back and began striking the street. The noise was deafening.


    Slowly, bald figures from all directions began shuffling toward the square. The group expanded until Arada and Irgos were enclosed by a line of old buildings behind them and a semi-circle of bald heads around them. Escape was no longer an option.


    The Master made a sweeping gesture. ¡°The signal for our welcoming committee,¡± he laughed cheerfully. ¡°I¡¯m not taking any chances after the last time you escaped. I¡¯ll make sure we can proceed here undisturbed.¡± His words dripped with malice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him,¡± shouted the bound woman beside him. ¡°He¡¯s manipulating you. Run, while you still can.¡±


    Irgos felt the grip of his bald captors tighten at her words.


    I would if you knew how, he thought, directing it to the woman.


    Beside him, he heard Arada bite down on the hand still covering her mouth. Her captor pulled back, groaning in discomfort.


    ¡°Scumbag,¡± she yelled at the Master while struggling in vain against her captors. ¡°How did you get here so quickly?¡±


    The Master turned to her. ¡°Some animals make for very efficient transport.¡± He gestured to a few of his men standing with horses. ¡°At 40 miles per hour, we were here in no time. We traveled straight through the night after Overmore¡¯s destruction.¡± He licked his lips. ¡°That way, we could surprise you nicely here in Ebrotown.¡±


    Arada, seething, ignored him. ¡°Why did you destroy our home?¡±


    The Master squinted. ¡°Me? Without the help of my friends here, I never could have done it.¡± He gestured to the bald followers around him. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry, my dear.¡± He traced a tear down his cheek with his finger. ¡°Overmore was simply a matter I needed to settle. Just like the rest of this land, and all those damned remaining...¡± He sought for the right word. ¡°...Heretics. It¡¯s my duty to clean up the last remnants.¡±


    He nodded to the captive beside him. ¡°One moment,¡± he said to Arada. ¡°Then we can catch up nicely.¡± He snickered inwardly, crouching beside the woman on the ground.


    ¡°For the last time: where is your friend hiding?¡± he pressed.


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you,¡± she said harshly.


    ¡°If you cooperate, his end will be less painful.¡±


    The woman glared at him angrily.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got fire,¡± he whispered in her ear. ¡°How about joining us?¡±


    A moment of silence passed. Then she spat in his face.


    She¡¯s got guts, Irgos thought, still unable to move a muscle.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you have no choice,¡± said the Master as he wiped the spit from his face with his sleeve. He took out a long, familiar knife from his pocket.


    No. Not again. Irgos felt like throwing up.


    But instead of striking her, the Master ran the blade over the tip of his middle finger, drawing a thin line of blood. Then he pressed his finger to the bound woman¡¯s forehead, hard enough that Irgos¡¯s stomach turned as he saw the entire finger push through her skull.


    ¡°What?¡± he uttered softly.


    For a few seconds, she convulsed non-stop. Her eyes rolled back, then her eyelids closed. Her long hair fell out, strand by strand, until her head was as smooth as a billiard ball. Then she went still on the ground.


    ¡°That went rather smoothly,¡± said the Master with satisfaction as he withdrew his finger from her head. ¡°How about joining us now?¡±


    The woman stood up with her eyes still closed. ¡°I¡¯d like nothing more, Master.¡± Her voice sounded much lower¡ªstoic, hypnotized, and devoid of will.


    The Master smirked. ¡°Why don¡¯t you free yourself from those ropes?¡± he encouraged her.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    With a single movement, she raised her arms with such force that the ropes around her waist snapped. Irgos¡¯s mouth dropped.


    Impossible.


    He glanced to his side. Arada was also struggling to comprehend what she had just seen.


    The Master now strode toward Arada and Irgos, like a grinning spider approaching his prey caught in the web. Meanwhile the woman walked away from the center and went to stand beside her new bald friends in the semi-circle.


    Half a meter away, he stopped before them. Irgos could smell him from there¡ªa scent that was strange and horrifying.


    ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting,¡± he said, baring his pearly white teeth in a grin. ¡°Let¡¯s get to know each other a little better, shall we? May I ask for your names?¡±


    ¡°None of your business!¡± Arada shouted.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, None Of Your Business.¡± He chuckled and turned to Irgos. ¡°And you are?¡±


    Irgos couldn¡¯t find words in the wake of the scene on the square. ¡°Oh dear,¡± mocked the Master, softly ruffling Irgos¡¯s scruffy brown hair. ¡°The boy can¡¯t speak. Shall we teach him some manners?¡± he asked the henchmen holding Irgos.


    Arada exploded. ¡°Keep your filthy hands off him, bastard!¡±


    The Master ignored her, holding his face close to Irgos. His eyes pierced straight through his skull, and his breath reeked of rot.


    ¡°Give me the elixir, Irgos.¡± His tone was forceful and direct.


    Irgos froze.


    What? How does he know¡ª?


    Irgos opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out.


    ¡°I-I,¡± he stammered. ¡°W-w-what¡ª¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any elixir,¡± Arada interrupted. ¡°Never heard of it.¡±


    Elixir? Does he mean... the vial Cura gave us?


    The man turned to his sister. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid, Arada. I know how Cura was. He would never let his daughter go without the remedy he guarded for so long. Give it up.¡± He held out a hand, waiting for her response.


    A chill ran down Irgos¡¯s spine as he felt himself grow cold inside.


    Remedy? Daughter? How does he know so much about us?


    ¡°Like I said, we don¡¯t have anything,¡± Arada confirmed.


    The Master snorted. ¡°Lies,¡± he spat, and turned his head to some of his followers. ¡°Search them.¡±


    Immediately, two people approached them¡ªone of whom was the woman who¡¯d been bound on the ground just minutes earlier. She stood in front of Irgos, feeling along his clothes, while the other searched Arada. When they found nothing, they took Arada¡¯s backpack.


    We¡¯re done for, thought Irgos. All our things for nothing.


    The person turned the backpack inside out. All their belongings spilled onto the street¡ªthe paper that''d led them to Ebrotown, their water bottle, the transparent bag, the little box with wooden sticks, the black disk with the red arrow, and Cura''s half-amulet.


    But no sign of the vial.


    Huh?


    Sweat broke out on his forehead.


    Did we lose it? That¡¯s impossible. It¡¯s been in there the whole time.


    ¡°No elixir,¡± reported the underling. ¡°They were telling the truth, Master.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t buy it,¡± the man said, contemplating. ¡°Fine, if you won¡¯t speak the truth, we¡¯ll do this another way.¡± He reached into his pocket, pulled out his knife, and pressed the tip into his middle finger, making a drop of blood appear.


    Despair washed over Irgos. No, not someone else. Not Arada.


    ¡°Any last words?¡± the Master asked, a cruel smile spreading across his face. He stepped in front of her, ready to strike. ¡°Something personal for your so-called little brother, perhaps?¡± He burst out laughing.


    So-called?


    ¡°DIE!¡± she screamed in his face.


    The Master smiled. ¡°So be it, Arada. Goodbye.¡± He pressed a finger to her forehead, and Arada immediately lifted her head and bit down hard on his finger. Her mouth clenched so tightly that Irgos heard bones crack as she twisted her head to the side.


    The Master yanked his finger from her teeth. He looked stoically at the crooked stump dangling from his left hand, blood pouring from the teeth marks.


    He seemed unfazed by her sudden act of defiance.Where a normal person would have screamed, he remained calm and composed.


    Then he saw her confused look at his reaction, and that sinister smile returned.


    ¡°Pain is nothing more than an experience of the human mind,¡± he began. ¡°It loses meaning once you know pain is merely nerve signals. Understand this, and you¡¯ll be free.¡± He waved his hand up and down, the stump moving at unnatural angles.


    Arada¡¯s face turned ashen. Her rage vanished instantly, and Irgos felt his fear intensify as he watched what this man was capable of.


    What kind of monster is this? Either he¡¯s pretending, or he¡¯s actually immune to pain.


    Out of nowhere the man thrust the knife into Arada¡¯s abdomen, pulling it out immediately.


    ¡°AAAAAAAHHH!¡±


    Irgos had never heard Arada scream so loud. He was sure it would echo all the way to Overmore.


    ¡°But most people fear pain,¡± the Master continued between her cries. ¡°They run from it, deny it, refuse it. They¡¯re nothing more than dumb swine who strive happiness.¡± He sneered, laughing as Arada¡¯s blood soaked her clothes. ¡°It¡¯s a DISEASE.¡± He spat the word. ¡°The moment they experience discomfort, they lose all control. They think that tight feeling should vanish instantly. People are so attached to our world. They can¡¯t handle setbacks. They can¡¯t sit still and realize that pain is an illusion.¡±


    Arada kept screaming. If she hadn¡¯t been injured, she would have truly attacked him by now. He stroked her red hair¡ªwhich appeared even fierier from her inner rage¡ªand whispered in her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Arada. I¡¯ll free you from this hell.¡± He raised a finger again, bringing it toward her head.


    Just before he struck, they heard a dull thud beside them. There was coughing and choking.


    Irgos turned his head. The woman who had searched him¡ªthe Master¡¯s last victim¡ªdropped to her knees. An arrow was lodged in her chest, and blood dripped from her mouth. Moments later, she collapsed to the ground, dead on the spot.


    ¡°What the¡ª¡± the Master began.


    Before he could finish, chaos erupted. Irgos heard something clatter to the ground, and suddenly, steam and smoke spread rapidly in all directions, making it impossible to see. A second later, a loud thud sounded beside him. He felt the grip on his left arm disappear, followed by his right captor collapsing and his ties loosening by some sharp object cutting through them.


    I¡¯m free?


    He then heard two more thuds, followed by heavy impacts. He could just make out Arada¡¯s shape through the mist. Her two attackers lay motionless beside her, and her hands were also freed from the ropes. He ran to her, noticing someone standing behind her in the smoke, but he couldn¡¯t see who it was.


    ¡°You two, follow me,¡± a rough, unnatural voice commanded. Irgos saw the figure motion for them. ¡°NOW!¡±


    The mysterious figure disappeared into the mist. Irgos and the injured Arada ran after them.


    ¡°THAT¡¯S HIM!¡± he heard the Master shout through the smoke. ¡°Everyone, after them!¡±


    They reached the front of a building with an open doorway and cracked windows. Here, the smoke was less dense. Inside, visibility was just good enough to catch a glimpse of their face¡ªor whatever could be called a face.


    Their eyes seemed to be opaque glass, and they had no nose or mouth, only a large black snout with a strange rounded tip. It looked a bit like a mask.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± they said again, their voice muffled through the mask. They ran through the building. There were wooden tables of various shapes everywhere, with mismatched chairs, many broken or tossed aside. But there was no time to take in their surroundings. Arada and Irgos followed them to the back of the building, where a closed door waited in the wall.


    Behind them, footsteps pounded through the building. ¡°Faster. FASTER!¡± The Master and his gang were right behind them.


    The masked person opened the door. ¡°Close it,¡± they said once everyone was through. Arada obeyed.


    Irgos then watched as the masked figure effortlessly slid a large cabinet against the door. A second later, they heard pounding from the other side.


    Just in time.


    On the other side of the door was a series of stairs. The masked figure led the way, with Arada and Irgos following. Arada struggled to keep up, holding both hands against her abdomen to stem the bleeding.


    By the sixth staircase, she grew nervous. ¡°How much farther?¡±


    She received an immediate answer. When they reached the top, there was no more staircase, only another door hanging off its hinges.


    Moments later, they were on the building¡¯s rooftop. The scorching sun was directly overhead, and a hot wind blew around them. The masked person turned to them.


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep going across the rooftops,¡± came their muffled voice.¡°It¡¯s the only way to escape.¡±


    ¡°W-what¡ª¡± stammered Arada.


    ¡°Questions later, okay?¡±


    She nodded obediently.


    They followed Mask over the interconnected rooftops. Good thing these buildings are lined up like this, Irgos thought.


    As if fate had heard him, their path ended at a rooftop edge. Ten meters below was a narrow alley. The buildings continued on the other side, but the gap was over two meters wide, though the roofs on the other side were lower.


    ¡°Jump,¡± said Mask. ¡°We can make it.¡±


    Irgos wanted to protest, but Mask had already made the leap and landed gracefully on the other side. Arada did the same, keeping her hands on her wound. Despite her wound, her legs still worked¡ªmiraculously enough.


    ¡°We h-have n-no choice, I-Irgos,¡± she encouraged him, stuttering when she saw his worried, height-fearing look. ¡°We have to trust them.¡±


    Irgos took a few steps back and then took a running start. With adrenaline pumping, he jumped across the gap, and Mask caught him on the other side.


    They ran further across a new series of rooftops, occasionally needing to jump or take another route if the gap was too wide.


    Mask stopped at a metal ladder on the edge of a building. ¡°We¡¯ve gone far enough,¡± came the voice from behind his mask. ¡°We go down here.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Irgos said. ¡°She¡¯s injured.¡±


    Mask thought for a moment. ¡°Let me handle it,¡± they said, gesturing for Arada to stand by the ladder. ¡°Do you trust me?¡± they asked her. The strange voice behind the mask gave the question an eerie effect.


    Arada nodded. They grabbed hold of her with their left hand and descended the ladder with their other hand, allowing her to press her hands against her wound. Rung by rung, they descended together, Arada moaning every other second.


    Irgos followed after them. ¡°Still no sign of them up there,¡± he said after one last look over the rooftops.


    Mask grunted approvingly. ¡°They won¡¯t get that door open quickly.¡±


    Once all three were on the ground, they let go of Arada and looked around as if orienting themselves.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± they panted from behind their mask. They followed Mask through a few narrow streets until they stopped at a large brown street tile. They pulled a small metal object from their pocket and crouched down. One by one, they unscrewed three of the four small pins from the corners, then rotated the tile aside. In the ground beneath it was another ladder. They motioned for Irgos to climb down first.


    As he descended, his nose seemed to explode from the stench in the narrow tunnel. Irgos had never smelled anything like it. Once he was a few steps lower, Mask positioned themselves above him, gesturing for Arada to descend in the same position as before. Both of them were just slim enough to fit down the tunnel together. Finally, Mask looked around and shifted the tile back into place. Suddenly, it was pitch dark. Irgos heard a click, and a bright white light appeared above him.


    ¡°All the way to the bottom,¡± Mask said, while holding Arada one-handed. ¡°I¡¯ll follow after.¡± They illuminated the shaft below Irgos, giving him enough visibility to descend.


    Once again, he lost all sense of time. After about five minutes, he reached the bottom, though it could just as easily have been five years.


    He heard Mask and the injured Arada descending with much groaning. A moment later, they stood beside him. Irgos now saw that there was a small lamp on Mask¡¯s mask, right above their eyes. But it wasn¡¯t a candle or oil lamp like in Overmore. It seemed to need no fuel at all.


    Thanks to the light, Irgos could take in their surroundings. They stood on a tiled ledge next to what seemed like an underground river of sorts. Filthy, since the water was muddy brown. The river was about ten meters wide, and the ceiling arched in a dome shape. But the stench was even worse than in the entry tunnel.


    Irgos tried to compare the smell to something. As if a mixture of a thousand rotten eggs, sulfur, sheep dung, jellyfish slime, and multiply that by a hundred. And then you¡¯re still not close.


    A real Old World tunnel, he thought.


    ¡°We¡¯re safe now,¡± came Mask¡¯s rasping voice. ¡°My hideout is nearby.¡±


    They saw Arada wrinkle her nose in disgust. ¡°I know, the stench is unbearable, but hang on.¡± They led them along the edge of the river.


    ¡°W-what kind of place is th-this?¡± Arada asked after a while, still pressing against her wound with all strength she had left.


    ¡°This was once a sewer,¡± said Mask. ¡°Now I only use the tunnels to escape unnoticed.¡±


    ¡°Sewer?¡±


    Mask looked back and realized they didn¡¯t know Old World terms. ¡°It was the drainage system for all the waste water from the houses above,¡± they explained. ¡°Underground, there¡¯s a network of these pipes, all connected. They led to a distant point. There, the water was once purified and could be reused.¡±


    Arada was speechless¡ªpartly from the pain and partly from the vast underground structure.


    ¡°I c-can¡¯t go any further,¡± Arada panted after a while, clearly at the end of her strength as she tried to cover her wound manually.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give up. We¡¯re here,¡± came the voice from behind their mask. To their left, they stopped at a slightly curved door and entered. Arada and Irgos followed them inside.


    Mask pressed something on the wall, and that same strange white light as on his mask filled the room. They stood in a large gray chamber. Thick pillars in the middle supported the ceiling. At the back lay a wide mattress on the floor. To the right, there were various items: Old World machines that Irgos didn¡¯t recognize, along with tables, cabinets, and other familiar household items.


    Mask closed the door and secured it with a heavy bar. For a moment, the room was completely silent. Irgos finally had time to take a closer look at the mysterious figure.


    Mask was dressed in an unusual outfit: patches of brown in the shape of leaves. The mask gave them an even eerier effect¡ªalmost like an alien being. It covered only their forehead, while the rest of their head was a tangled mess of brown curly hair. They also wore a backpack in the same color as their suit. A long stick was strapped diagonally across it, along with an unfamiliar wooden contraption and a quiver of slender rods.


    Arada collapsed against the wall onto the floor like a ragdoll. ¡°I d-don¡¯t know... what just... happened... or who you are... or why you brought us... here,¡± she managed to say. ¡°But I don¡¯t know... how we can... thank you for sav¡ª¡±


    ¡°You there,¡± Mask interrupted, nodding toward Irgos. With lightning speed, they pulled the wooden device from their backpack and took out a rod from the quiver. Only now did Irgos see what it was.


    An arrow. Just like the one that had killed the woman in the square.


    They laid the arrow on their device and pointed it at Irgos. ¡°Back against the wall with your hands behind you,¡± they commanded. ¡°One move, and you¡¯re done.¡±

 Chapter 9

    Morbus was sick.


    He had a condition that neither Aquinox nor the entirety of Catsroes had ever heard of.


    Every morning, he would have completely forgotten the last few hours of the previous evening. Usually, his memory faded starting around seven o¡¯clock. During the evening itself, everything felt normal. But the next morning, his memory was a blank. Because of this, the doctor had given him a notebook to write down everything from the evening so he could read it back the next morning. They had said that it was part of moodswings, which were normal for boys their age, and that it would pass eventually.


    Today that had changed completely.


    He had remembered everything that had ever slipped from his memory. Everything he had only ever reread in his memorybook flooded back like a waterfall. Especially the ¡®sessions¡¯ with his father, which he apparently had never written down in his notebook.


    He hadn¡¯t slept that night. He remembered how his father had burned his back with his laser-pin. But he also remembered that he had experienced this many, many times before. And that he¡¯d forgotten every single beating by the next morning.


    The peak of horror: to be regularly abused yet never know it, until the day you remember everything and feel it all at once.


    With a heavy head, his thoughts faded to the background, and the classroom came back into focus. The long chemical formulas dancing on the board held no interest for him. He really wasn¡¯t up for this right now.


    I¡¯ll copy from Tomou later, he thought, glancing at his friend, who was furiously scribbling.


    He felt the weight settle back on his shoulders. Even thinking of Mora no longer helped. Nothing could make him happy anymore.


    As soon as the break bell rang, Morbus grabbed his bag and got up to leave the classroom.


    I¡¯m done, he almost said out loud.


    Normally, Tuesday was as long a day as yesterday. But it helped that history was already over.


    ¡°Dude, wait up,¡± called Tomou from the classroom.


    Morbus didn¡¯t even hesitate to keep walking. He was on the verge of breaking down.


    I want to be gone. Away from here, away from home, away from everything.


    ¡°Bro, wait up.¡± Tomou¡¯s footsteps sounded behind him. He caught up and turned him around with a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°Man, what¡¯s gotten into you?¡± He sounded more annoyed than surprised. ¡°You look pale as hell. Like a vampire. You didn¡¯t write down anything today. And you¡¯re usually the one who keeps track of the material.¡±


    Morbus held back his tears, which only made his blood boil.


    ¡°Leave me alone!¡± he tried to say as calmly as possible, but it came out harsher than intended.


    ¡°No way, we¡¯re bros, you know.¡± He widened his eyes, trying to catch Morbus¡¯s gaze. ¡°What are friends for. Tell me what¡¯s troubl-¡±


    ¡°FUCK OFF!¡±


    Spit flew into Tomou¡¯s face. Morbus took off running and fled from the school.


    The rest can go to hell. I¡¯m done with everything.


    <hr>


    * * *


    <hr>


    Why do most people hate mosquitoes so much? What¡¯s wrong with them? Okay, they fly around your room and keep you awake for hours before pricking you. But don¡¯t humans do something similar to each other?


    He watched from the bench as the creatures danced in swarms above the pond. He found it fascinating.


    How long have I been sitting here? he thought to himself. Three hours? Five hours?This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Just chilling in the city park felt immensely calming. From this spot, he had a perfect view of the pond. Tall poplars swayed gently in the afternoon breeze on either side. Here, he could lose track of time entirely.


    What was he supposed to do now that he couldn¡¯t face his father anymore? He didn¡¯t want to go home and risk another beating. And he was defenseless against that pocketknife too.


    I wish I could sink twenty meters into the ground and never come out.


    He took out his phone.


    7:25 pm


    Three missed calls. Two from Tomou. One from an unknown number.


    He opened WhatsApp and saw the avalanche of messages his friend had sent him.


    1:26: Bro, where are you? Class starts in 5 min


    3:15: Yo Morbus?


    5:05: Dude, just let me know something, I¡¯m worried


    Watching the mosquitoes had cooled his anger somewhat, but not entirely. He wasn¡¯t sure whether he should apologize or block him.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a stranger taking a seat on the other end of the bench. Morbus didn¡¯t look up and pretended he wasn¡¯t there, staring at his screen and thinking about what he could text back.


    Sorry, didn¡¯t mean it like that. I¡¯ll explain later, he typed.


    He hesitated for a moment. Should I really send this?


    ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± a man¡¯s voice said next to him.


    Morbus¡¯s anger flared up again. Go to hell.


    He deleted what he¡¯d typed.


    ¡°What?¡± he muttered without looking up to the stranger.


    The man responded immediately. ¡°So much nature in the middle of the city. I come here almost every week. The birds, the water. It¡¯s like Aquinox disappears for a moment.¡±


    Morbus nodded. ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Just leave me alone!


    The man seemed to sense his mood. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Morbus let out a deep, painful sigh and lifted his head to look at the man. He was old, about seventy. He had short white hair and thin glasses. His eyes were kind and gentle.


    ¡°Yeah. Everything¡¯s fine,¡± he lied.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± he pressed, pointing to the compass wounds on Morbus¡¯s hand. ¡°That doesn¡¯t look healthy.¡±


    Morbus shrugged. ¡°Just mosquito bites,¡± he replied irritably.


    The man didn¡¯t buy it.


    ¡°Mosquitoes never bite so much in one spot,¡± he said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me the truth. But if something¡¯s weighing on you, talking can be abig relief.¡± He placed a hand on his own heart. ¡°You can trust me.¡±


    Morbus was silent for a moment, feeling tears well up again.


    ¡°I once had a son your age,¡± he began. ¡°One day, he came back from school completely different. He was quiet and withdrawn. The back of his hand and arm were covered in the same marks you have here.¡± He took Morbus¡¯s hand and gently brushed over his wounds. ¡°When I asked him what it was, he answered with ''mosquito bites.'' Just like you.¡±


    Morbus pulled his hand away.


    ¡°Right away, I had a feeling something was wrong. But I decided to give him his space.¡± The man swallowed. ¡°The next day...¡± A tear rolled down his cheek. ¡°...we found his body outside on the grass, ten stories below our apartment.¡±


    The mosquitoes over the pond had disappeared. An eerie silence settled over the park.


    Emotion took over his voice. ¡°I r-regret every s-single day that I didn¡¯t ask more questions. But it turned out he was b-being bullied. And not by one or two or three students. No, by practically the w-whole class.¡± Snot dripped from his nose. ¡°Since then, I pray every day, asking God¡¯s forgiveness for not helping him.¡± He took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face. ¡°Life goes on, but it¡¯s never really enjoyable anymore.¡±


    A barking dog in the distance broke the silence. Morbus became aware of his surroundings again.


    He didn¡¯t know what to feel anymore.


    Holy shit. This is just¡ª


    ¡°Please tell me why you¡¯re doing this to yourself,¡± the man pleaded. ¡°I want to prevent anyone else from taking their own life.¡±


    Something exploded behind Morbus¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°My father abuses me,¡± he said bluntly. ¡°He says things that make me miserable.¡± His voice cracked. ¡°And I believe him and feel like I deserve to suffer because of my good life in Aquinox.¡± The first tears appeared, but it didn¡¯t feel like a release. What he felt was still a suppression of his deeper emotions.


    Damn. How long has it been since I cried?


    The man placed a hand on his back to comfort him, but Morbus couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    ¡°LEAVE ME ALONE!¡± he shouted in his face.


    Screaming and hitting himself, Morbus ran out of the park.

 Chapter 10

    Arada watched helplessly as her little brother was threatened by the mysterious person with the mask. The device they held, which most likely could fire those arrows, was aimed at him. At the same time, she became aware of the intense throbbing pain near her liver. The Master had struck deep, and she had lost a lot of blood. She turned her head a bit further and saw that Irgos was doing as Mask had asked.


    With all the energy she had left, she tried to think. It made no sense. Why would they save us from those bald creatures only to threaten us afterward?


    ¡°Pl-please,¡± she stammered, ¡°h-he hasn¡¯t... done anything... wrong... Leave him alone.¡±


    Ow. I never thought talking could be this exhausting.


    Mask ignored her and stepped closer to Irgos. ¡°Your upper lip,¡± they said in their smooth, inhuman voice. ¡°A demon has touched you. I''m gonna have to kill you. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Demon? Does he mean the jelly monster?


    Arada saw the red mark that the creature had left on him earlier this morning. It was still clearly outlined on his face.


    Mask aimed their device at her brother, ready to fire.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Irgos said, his eyes brimming with panic. ¡°Please look at her first.¡± He pointed to Arada. ¡°She¡¯s badly hurt and has lost a lot of blood. She won¡¯t make it if she doesn¡¯t get help.¡±


    Mask remained silent for a moment. Arada thought they were really going to shoot.


    ¡°Please,¡± Irgos begged. ¡°Save her. After that, you can do whatever you want with me.¡±


    His words seemed to work. Mask lowered their weapon and attached it to their backpack. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± they sighed¡ªa sound that seemed oddly absurd coming from the voice-altering mask. ¡°I¡¯ll help her. But what I said earlier still stands.¡± They pointed firmly at Irgos. ¡°You stay here and don¡¯t move a muscle. One wrong move, and it¡¯s over for you.¡±


    Irgos nodded, and Arada could see the tension melt off him.


    ¡°Thank you, really,¡± he said, as tears seemed to form in his eye corners.


    Mask went to one of the cabinets in the room and pulled something out. They returned with a small white box with a red cross on it. They knelt beside Arada and opened it, but she didn¡¯t have the energy left to follow their actions. As her eyes closed, she just barely saw Mask pulling up her blood-soaked t-shirt with gloved hands, revealing the wound. They took out various items, but their shapes became blurred. Sounds faded into the background. Even the pain seemed to lessen. She felt her consciousness slipping away.


    <hr>


    * * *


    <hr>


    ¡°Arada.¡±


    Arada opened her eyes. Immediately, the wound in her stomach flared to life.


    She was sitting upright against the wall on the floor in the underground room where Mask had brought them. Irgos sat beside her.


    ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± he asked.


    She nodded. A bandage of some sort was wrapped around her stomach. It had stopped the bleeding, and the pain was already less. Apparently, Mask had done something to the wound so it wasn¡¯t as painful anymore.


    ¡°H-how l-l-long¡ª,¡± she started.


    Irgos spoke for her. ¡°You passed out,¡± he said. ¡°Maybe twenty minutes or so. We have¡ª¡±


    ¡°Good to see you¡¯re back so soon,¡± she heard Mask¡¯s voice say. They were sitting across from them on the ground. ¡°You¡¯re lucky. I don¡¯t know how much more blood you could have lost.¡±


    ¡°W-who¡ª¡± she stammered. ¡°W-who are you? Why did you help us?¡±


    ¡°Ah, time to get acquainted,¡± they said. The figure reached behind their head and undid the strap holding their mask.


    Mask¡ªnow Ex-Mask¡ªwas a man with a broad face. His wild, brown curly hair flowed into a thick beard, and his large, dark eagle-like eyes gave him an intimidating look. Arada guessed he was slightly older than her, somewhere in his mid-twenties.


    Definitely someone you wouldn¡¯t want against you, she thought immediately.


    ¡°Sorry, the mask can be a bit awkward sometimes,¡± he said, wiping the sweat off his forehead. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡±


    ¡°Then why wear it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°This is called a gas mask,¡± he said. ¡°I use it to see and breathe during a smoke grenade blast.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you created that smoke on the square?¡± Irgos asked.


    The man nodded. ¡°They¡¯re like tiny stones you throw on the ground that produce smoke on their own. It¡¯s an old gadget. We used them regularly to escape in an emergency from...¡± He nodded toward the ceiling. ¡°...from him, up there. But that was our last one. Now we¡¯re on our own.¡±


    He tucked the mask into his backpack. ¡°I¡¯m Aplin, by the way,¡± the man said. ¡°What are your names?¡±


    Irgos pointed to his sister. ¡°This is Arada; I¡¯m Irgos.¡±


    ¡°And how on earth did you end up in Ebrotown?¡±


    ¡°We fled,¡± her brother explained. ¡°From those bald lunatics and their leader. They destroyed our village, Overmore.¡±


    ¡°Overmore?¡± His eyes grew wide. ¡°Did I hear that right? Overmore?¡±


    Irgos nodded. ¡°Why? Do you know the place?¡±


    Aplin stood up. ¡°Sounds like we have a lot to discuss. I¡¯ll grab you something to eat first. I¡¯m sure you need it.¡±


    Only now did she realize how hungry she was. They hadn¡¯t eaten since Overmore.


    Aplin walked over to one of the strange devices in the room. He took something out of a white box that emitted a low buzzing noise. Then he stood in front of a round plate, pressed a few buttons, and placed a dish on it.


    Very different from the cooking plates in Overmore.


    Now Arada also remembered how Aplin had just threatened Irgos.


    ¡°Does he suddenly not see you as dangerous anymore?¡± she whispered so Aplin wouldn¡¯t hear it on the other side of the room.


    ¡°He recognized the mark here.¡± Irgos pointed to his upper lip. ¡°He says it came from a demon.¡±


    ¡°A jelly monster, I assume.¡±


    ¡°I think so. He said it was contagious and that I needed to die as soon as possible.¡± Irgos said it as if it were nothing. ¡°But then he realized that if that¡¯s true, all three of us must already be infected, since it spreads so quickly.¡±


    Infected?


    Arada was silent. In Overmore, they had learned about the jelly monsters all too well. They are silent, fast runners, and thanks to them, many people had mysteriously disappeared. But she never thought they could also be contagious.


    When she didn¡¯t respond, Irgos continued. ¡°¡®If all three of us are infected, then it¡¯s already too late,¡¯ he¡¯d said. So, he figured it would be better to spare me and help us.¡±


    Too late?


    Arada swallowed. ¡°So, are all three of us, like... sick now?¡±


    Irgos shrugged. ¡°He didn¡¯t say anything else. I still need to hear the details.¡±


    She looked over at Aplin, who was busy on the other side of the room. A moment later, he returned with two bowls. He also brought a bottle for them to drink from, similar to the one in their backpack. But that was now in the hands of that dreadful Master.


    Aplin handed each of them a bowl with a squishy brown blob in it. Arada examined the food carefully.


    ¡°What¡ª¡± she started.


    ¡°Rabbit,¡± Aplin answered. ¡°Just yesterday¡ª¡±


    Her red eyebrows quickly knitted into an angry frown. ¡°You monster!¡± she shouted. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m going to eat this?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re weak. And this is a highly efficient food source. It can help you regain strength.¡±


    ¡°H-how dare you j-just¡ª¡± she stopped mid-sentence. An awkward silence fell.


    She had only ever known vegetables, fruits, and other natural products her whole life. Eating dead animals was taboo for her. How could you just take another creature¡¯s life purely for your own enjoyment? But now, faced with meat on her plate while she was starving, it was a different story.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice,¡± Irgos told her. ¡°We need it.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s just... wrong,¡± Arada protested.


    ¡°It¡¯s wrong, I know. But now is not the time to fight.¡±


    Arada fell silent.


    ¡°Do you want to starve, Sis?¡±


    She sighed. Reluctantly, she took the piece of rabbit and took a small bite.


    Irgos ate too, though he wasn¡¯t too enthusiastic about it either.


    ¡°We¡¯re from Overmore,¡± he started after swallowing his bite. ¡°It was a random evening when the village was attacked by those bald people with hammers. They smashed everything.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Aplin nodded. Irgos took a sip from the bottle and began a new bite.


    ¡°My father, Cura, had gathered us just before they arrived,¡± Arada continued for him. ¡°He told us we had to go to a place called Aquinox and gave us two peculiar items.¡±


    Together, they told him the whole story. The appearance of the Master. The long gray road. Tusin. The jelly monster, and their pursuit in Ebrotown. Aplin listened intently, letting them tell their story uninterrupted.


    ¡°But we don¡¯t understand anything,¡± Arada finally said. ¡°Who is this insane ¡®Master?¡¯ Why is he after us? Why does he want our ¡®elixir?¡¯ What happened to the Old World?¡±


    Aplin shifted his position. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s best if I start with that last question. I come from what you call the ¡®Old World¡¯ myself.¡±


    Arada and Irgos looked at each other, then back at Aplin.


    What are you waiting for? Tell us.


    Aplin began. Arada and Irgos hung on his every word.


    <hr>


    * * *


    <hr>


    ¡°It was July 12, 2023, nineteen years ago now, when it started. I was seven years old then, but I remember it well. I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of an air raid siren. Everyone in our house¡ªmy father, mother, and older brother¡ªgathered together. On the TV, we saw that one of the storm surge barriers protecting our country had given way. With an earsplitting roar, a massive wave of seawater surged into the land. The sand and soil it swept up gave it a muddy color. The pressure became so great that the water spread rapidly. It showed no mercy. Houses, cars, skyscrapers¡ªeverything was swept away.¡±


    Arada interrupted him. ¡°TV? Storm surge barrier? Cars? What are you talking about?¡±


    Aplin sighed. ¡°Concepts from the Old World,¡± he said. ¡°Didn¡¯t they teach you anything about that in Overmore?¡±


    Arada and Irgos both shook their heads.


    ¡°Alright, then. Storm surge barriers are enormous walls in the water. TVs are elec... devices that could show pictures from far away. And cars are four-wheelers people used to travel in. You must¡¯ve seen plenty along the way.¡±


    Arada nodded. So those four-wheelers were indeed vehicles.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to speak in words you understand,¡± he said.


    ¡°No, no,¡± Irgos protested. ¡°I¡¯d like to hear about all the unknown things from back then. We¡¯ll ask if anything¡¯s unclear.¡±


    Aplin continued. ¡°That¡¯s when the TV stopped working. The organization responsible for, um... well, the energy for the TV was gone. Right after, we heard people screaming in the streets. A massive wave was coming our way. Half of the houses around us were swept away by the current.


    We were just about to climb to the roof, but as my brother and I were on the stairs, the window burst, and in seconds, the entire living room was underwater. Our parents were swept away by the current and never returned. We barely had time to process their loss.¡±


    Arada swallowed. Just like with us.


    ¡°When my brother and I finally reached the roof, we saw the devastation around us. Our neighborhood had become a vast ocean with rooftops as tiny islands, where people looked around fearfully. Further away, the unstoppable flood was drowning our land. We saw how the Atra River, which ran between North and South Catsroes, turned into the Atra Sea.¡±


    So the Atra Sea was once a river?


    ¡°One person in our neighborhood kept a boat at home. He was driving across the water to pick up as many people from the roofs as possible. He went by our home and took my brother and me on his boat. After that, he steered northward, to the new shore of the Atra Sea.


    When we reached the shore, we saw the full extent of the disaster. The entire southern part of the country had become sea. It was irreversible damage. Together with other people we moved further inland and found a small village, Overmore. Back then, it was just a few farms. The kind residents gave all of us shelter, as they already knew about the disaster.


    The next day, everyone in Overmore gathered for a rescue mission. We brought small boats to the new coastline and saved as many people as we could from the rooftops. People who were fit and strong could swim. But after a few days, we decided to stop. We couldn¡¯t house everyone in Overmore.


    But that wasn¡¯t the worst of it.


    Those who had survived the flood, either by climbing to rooftops, clinging to something, or being stranded on a newly formed island, got no help. You would think that their fellow Catsroans would help evacuate them to the north.


    But the north had its own problems. The rest of the land¡ªeverything not flooded¡ªwas left without water and electricity.¡± He looked up when he saw Arada noticing they didn¡¯t understand the word. ¡°A kind of substance that powered all devices in the Old World,¡± he explained. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a basic necessity, but it was something people couldn¡¯t live without. They needed it for cooking, storing food, driving cars, and more. The buildings that made electricity were themselves underwater. This had far-reaching consequences. People used to get their food from ¡®supermarkets¡¯ ¡ªmassive buildings with shelves full of food¡ªwhich you could buy with ¡®money,¡¯ a special means to exchange things.¡±


    Arada remembered their first night. ¡°I think we stayed in a place like that,¡± she said. ¡°It was along the big road to here. But it was completely empty.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where I was going with this,¡± Aplin said. ¡°What do you think people will do when they realize no more new food is coming from there?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll just bring it in from another country, right?¡± Irgos suggested.


    ¡°Catsroes only has one neighboring country, and that¡¯s Asroes. But the president of that country doesn¡¯t care much for us. He suspected something like this might happen for a long time. So, he built a long, thick wall along the border, letting no one into his country.¡±


    Arada covered her mouth. ¡°So, that means...¡±


    ¡°Exactly. The people of Catsroes were trapped. Surrounded by the sea, and blocked by their only neighbor. Whatever food was available was all there was. People ransacked entire supermarkets. Within three days, there was nothing left.


    But then it got even worse. More and more violent groups formed, breaking into each other¡¯s homes to steal food. They killed each other if they didn¡¯t have any. At first, for the thrill. But later, more for survival.¡±


    Arada shuddered. ¡°Food? You don¡¯t mean¡ª¡±


    ¡°They became cannibals. They ate each other, purely because there was nothing left to eat. But those people usually didn¡¯t survive long after that. Eating other humans is extremely unhealthy.¡±


    A chill fell over the underground room, as if the energy of the disaster returned for a moment.


    ¡°But there were also good people,¡± Aplin continued. ¡°Like those in Overmore, who tried to rebuild society by focusing on growing their own food and other self-sufficient practices. But not just there. A year after the disaster, I left Overmore with a group of others. They wanted to see more of the devastated world, but also to see if there were other people still out there.


    We found a small community in Ebrotown, where we also lived off farming and hunting.¡± Arada gave him a disapproving look at the last word. ¡°We got along well; everyone had their own task, and no one was particularly unhappy.¡±


    ¡°Then why is no one here now?¡± Arada asked. But she could already feel the answer looming.


    ¡°The disasters hit us one by one,¡± he said. ¡°The flood was one, but it had all kinds of massive ripple effects. Like more and more of these, um...¡± He searched for the right words. ¡°Monsters. Demons. Devils. Creatures. The ones with the tentacles.¡±


    Arada and Irgos nodded. They knew what he meant.


    ¡°Most of the time, we just called them demons, for lack of a better word. Ebrotown was occasionally attacked. They run so fast that they managed to capture many of our survivors who were outside.¡±


    Arada and Irgos glanced anxiously at each other. ¡°In Overmore, we called them jelly monsters,¡± her brother said. ¡°Because their faces look like the tentacles of a jellyfish. Every time they got too close to our village, the horn would sound, and we had to stay indoors. From the windows, we could see them roaming the streets, and they were gone by the same day. Often, people would go missing, and we think it was because of those jelly monsters. But we never actually saw them kill anyone.¡±


    Aplin stroked his beard. ¡°Jelly monsters, huh. Funny name.¡± Then he turned back to the boy. ¡°Consider yourself lucky, Irgos. You don¡¯t want to know what they do to people.¡±


    A shiver ran down Arada¡¯s spine. When they didn¡¯t ask any more questions, Aplin continued.


    ¡°They don¡¯t have eyes or ears but use their tentacles to smell. And as soon as they catch the scent of prey, they run toward it and pierce your body with their tentacles. They suck out anything useful¡ªblood, fat, skin¡ªand use it as food. They can survive for years on it.¡±


    Irgos cleared his throat, pale from the horror. ¡°We... we came across a village on the way here where the ground was littered with skeletons. I-is that...¡±


    Aplin nodded. ¡°They only leave the bones behind.¡±


    Arada felt like she was going to be sick. ¡°So, those were...¡±


    ¡°It might have been a fight over food a long time ago,¡± Aplin said. ¡°But it¡¯s more likely it were the demons¡ªor jelly monsters.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why no one¡¯s here now?¡± Irgos asked.


    ¡°Well, that was just the beginning. As the attacks started getting serious, we decided to live underground. We used spaces in the sewer system to hide, and solar panels on rooftops¡ªdevices that convert sunlight into electricity¡ªprovided us with various useful technology from before the flood.¡± He pointed to the white humming cabinet, the stove, and other devices at the back of the room. ¡°At first, it worked quite well. We could avoid the jelly monsters by staying here during the day and hunting at night.¡±


    ¡°Why at night?¡± Arada asked.


    ¡°The jelly monsters also have a sort of... biological solar panel. The lumps on the back of their heads draw energy from sunlight. It¡¯s like human photosyn... I mean, like the leafs of a flower, you could say. That¡¯s why they¡¯re only active during the day or at dawn or dusk. At night, they sleep.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you want to kill me?¡± Irgos asked. ¡°When you saw that I¡¯d been hit by one of them.¡±


    Aplin took a long, deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s how we lost most of our people,¡± he said. ¡°Those we managed to save from a jelly monster were left with their wounds. The wounds would become infected, no matter what we did. Gradually, the injured would change. At first, all sorts of green-brown patches would appear on their skin. But after a few days, they¡¯d become aggressive, shouting and violently attacking the rest of us. We had no choice but to kill them.¡± He clasped his hands together in an expression of guilt. ¡°Often, those who cared for the wounds also got sick. It was extremely contagious.¡±


    Arada felt heat rising in her face as she looked at her brother.


    Does that mean that...


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being so aggressive with you, Irgos,¡± Aplin said to him. ¡°But maybe now you understand why.¡±


    ¡°N-NO,¡± she cried. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want h-him to...¡± She looked deep into Irgos¡¯s eyes, then at the red streak on his upper lip. ¡°I-I-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s nothing that can be done, Arada,¡± Aplin said. ¡°The wound wasn¡¯t serious, but that doesn¡¯t mean anything. The odds he isn¡¯t infected are nearly zero. And because it¡¯s so contagious, I fear that the same must be true for you and me.¡±


    A poisonous snake coiled around Arada¡¯s heart, choking her of all air.


    I want to start crying and never stop.


    She tried to fold her knees up and rest her head on them, but then remembered her own wound.


    ¡°The good news is: it takes a few days for symptoms to appear, so there¡¯s still time to get to Aquinox. You said someone there has the other half of the amulet and knows what¡¯s in the vial, and they can tell you more about what it¡¯s for. Though I have my suspicions, because your father Cura already told you that the vial is the only thing that can stop him.¡±


    ¡°Him? You mean...¡± Arada couldn¡¯t bring herself to say her father¡¯s murderer¡¯s name.


    But Aplin knew exactly who she meant and nodded.


    ¡°Culex.¡±