Not long after they began their journey, each person was given an identification trinket. It was very small, not much larger than a pebble. All persons over the age of 13 were required to have this trinket inserted under their hand. Those 12 and under were given temporary identification bracelets. It was for "safety reasons", answered the captain when the villagers asked him why they needed it. The transport shuttle flew for five days before finally slowing down and landing in a small clearing.
"Alright, every get ready to disembark the shuttle! We have arrived at our destination," announced Captain Yin.
Everyone quickly packed their belongings and gathered in the large elevator they entered from. The elevator quickly bought them back to ground level, and many people immediately jumped out of the elevator and hugged the ground. Although no one got motion sickness while in the shuttle, everything was just too new. Whether it be the transport shuttles themselves or what they experienced in the past week, the rush of information was too much for the villagers to take in. The rest calmly walked off the elevator with their possessions towards the direction Captain Yin told them to go to.
"Old man, tell me, why is my bag so heavy?"
Reed shook his head. 'Not now' he gestured.
"Alright, but you better tell me once we enter the city. Now what do we do with...wait? Where is the kid?" Larson exclaimed in surprise. "Wasn't he supposed to enter the city with us? OUCH!"
Reed hit him on the head. "No more about that boy until we enter the city, understood?"
"Alright."
Suddenly, their surroundings changed and a large wall some 200 meters tall stood before them. Almost all gasped in amazement.
The city guards had been expecting them, and quickly sent a team down to escort the new arrivals. After a quick security check, the guards decided none of those backward villagers were of any threat and guided everyone towards their new homes.
All, except one person: Warren. It was as if he completely disappeared without a trace remaining.
---
Warren slowly opened his eyes. 'Should be near the city by now', he thought. But he saw nothing but darkness. A vast empty plane spread out before him. It was as if his vision was sucked away by some unknown force whenever he tries to pry further into the void. The only thing he could see clearly is his own body, floating in the darkness.
'Where am I?'
After a few minutes, Warren realized he was able to move around the empty plane by willing his body to move. Not that it was much use. Before long, he felt as if the void was draining his life force bit by bit. He felt himself grow weaker and weaker, his mind edging closer to the brink of collapse. Of course, he couldn't understand what was happening, but he could feel it.
Suddenly, a bright light appeared over the "horizon". It streaked its way towards Warren, snaking past invisible forces and barriers until it finally reached him. It slammed right into Warren, who felt as if the universe was crushing him for moment. Then, as quickly as it hit him, it dispersed, leaving a faint ring-shaped layer of particles around him. He felt as if a part of him had died when the light hit him, something dark and mysterious that got thrown away by the blast. Slowly, he began to recover his strength. Somehow, he no longer felt alone in this vast empty world. No longer anxious of the empty plane around him. The ring around him seemed to be nurturing him back to life. Before long he felt energetic and free. He wanted to explore this seemingly dark void, but a strong force held him back and started to drag his consciousness away.
'What now?' he thought.
---
Larson and Reed were given a small but cozy house near the outskirts of the city. After helping the others get settle into their new homes, they slowly made their way to their new house, Larson still carrying the small cloth sack. Larson put the bag in a corner and carried the rest of their luggage in. Just as he was about to call the old man to enter the house, the bag he was carrying suddenly moved! Or rather it was twitching uncontrollably.
"AHHHH!"
"What now Larson?" asked Reed with a clearly smug smile.
"The…ttth---ee… the bag I was carrying suddenly moved. Almost scared the living daylights out of me. Is this another one of your pranks or-"
"Ah, he must have woken up."
"Who?"
"The person you were looking for the entire time," replied Reed with a hearty laugh. "Look inside"
Larson cautiously moved to open the bag, not convinced whatever is in the bag is harmless.
"Achoo!"
---
Warren felt himself falling. A rather endless fall, his mind breaking into smaller and smaller pieces. Then his perception shattered, and he blacked out. However, he was still able to hear and feel the changes around him. He heard familiar voices, shouting something with a sense of urgency. He felt himself lifted off the floor and put onto a small bed.
"It'll be alright kid. You'll feel better soon."
And with that, he embraced the darkness, as it pushed him into a deep but comfortable dream. He dreamt of a strange place where he observed from above. A land where metal birds flew to the stars, blundering into the vast empty Space, lost in the darkness but pushing on. Until all slowly faded and merged with the cosmos. He did not understand what was happening nor did he feel like he needed to. 'Just a weird dream, right?'
When Warren finally woke up from this dream, a week had passed.