Saying goodbye to my world was an odd feeling of mixed emotions. So much excitement, joy, relief, all combined with a hint of sorrow and guilt. Can I be happy about this, or was I too selfish? This is my life to live, but do I deserve this life in the first place? Did I do anything to earn my place here, or was it all just given to me out of pity?
I may never find out the answer to those questions.
Gleam sent Xylvia and I on our way. She planted a spherical orb that looked like a mini galaxy into my right hand. Never thought I'd see my skin coil and open up a small hole into my flesh for an orb to be stuck into. Didn't hurt, but wasn't pleasant.
"This is your Character Orb," Gleam said to me. "This grants you your identity, magical abilities, as well as your currency balance. Think of it like a mini bank right inside your hand. Currency worth will be depended on the color of the element you're given after completing certain tasks for businesses all over the world. Elements are also found in an abundance of places, however almost everyone prefers not to go looking for them. That's usually left to the Currency Knights, however you're a special case."
I couldn't believe that adventurers were almost nonexistent in this world. You'd think at least a small group of people in this world were mad enough to find some danger every now and then. However, Gleam gave me a very good reason why.
"Most people are scared because of the Unknown," Gleam said. "The Unknown are a monstrous species of creatures that no one from the earliest generation alive has ever seen. Even I've never seen creatures like these in all my time here. The Council eventually labeled these creatures as 'Rogue's,' a species that were born into or brought to a world that wasn't their's."
"Inhabitant monsters from other world… That sounds…bad." I said.
"It is indeed very bad. What's worse is that none of the other gods have been able to confirm who's god bears these creatures in their world. The worst part is that these creatures aren't friendly at all. If they even catch a tiny scent of a civilian, they come prowling out of their camouflage and shredding them apart."
Creatures of an unknown origin. I'll definitely have to stay cautious the entire time.
"So, what do they look like?" I asked.
"Their veins pulsate with an ugly purple. Their mouths filled with a neon black stained froth. And blood that oozes a thick, toxic substance. Bad on the skin, but extremely lethal when consumed on accident. Some look like wolves, some like bears, but the worst part is that this corruption spreads like an infection. Their blood will not only slowly kill you, but will also turn you into one of them. We call those who've turned 'Corrupted.'"
So they're dangerous to run into and dangerous to kill. Ok, basically just avoid them completely. Got it.
After those few pieces of advice, Xylvia and I left the palace and were strolling around the City of Color. There definitely was so much to do in this place, but I had no clue on where to start.
"Lemme take you to a pub," Xylvia offered. "I know a place with the best drink and brown funnels that you'll ever taste."
…brown funnels?
I couldn't read what the sign was saying, but it looked to have a cloud with two wavy lines going upwards and a halo wrapped around it.
"The sign says 'heavenly smell'," Xylvia told me. The two wavy lines indicate the smell, while the cloud and halo indicate heaven."
The next one was what looked like the wing of a chicken and a slice of bread.
"Trying to figure out what signs say isn't too hard," Xylvia said. "In fact, I'd say it the easiest way to help learning to read language. Basically, the way one sentence forms is the description, the action, and the subject. That's our basic structure. There's a lot more to be taught, but this is enough for learning how to read the signs for pubs and stuff. That white beak's wing means they have 'flyers,' and that shape is a slice. This means that those are what smell heavenly."
This was really weird. They used their form of characters for their alphabet and stuff, but they're speaking basic english (I took classes on those for eight years of my life). If they use pictures as characters, then what exactly is their alphabet like?
"So you use pictures to translate words," I summarized. "But what about your alphabet?"
"Our alphabet is comprised of things we call 'extras,'" Xylvia said. "What it means is that for kids who go through lessons, they learn and memorize every extra that exists. We use that to speak and write. Think of it like this: We use words that tell us what someone or something is doing a 'moment.' So we'd draw a hand into a fist and whatever 'moment' they're doing. If they're cooking, draw a smoker. If they're cleaning, draw a head-stick."
I'm going to assume that a smoker is a pan and a head-stick is a broom.
So basically, they use verbs as their "extra" words and they have you memorize them along with mnemonics throughout school. I can also assume they teach career and business paths to them as well.
"I'll help you learn our language a little bit more after we've eaten," Xylvia said, already walking into the pub. "Come on, I'm starving."
That wasn't really an alphabet, but I guess that can wait until later. I was feeling a little hungry myself.
———
There were tables scattered around the edges of the place, with four placed spread out in the middle. It was a straight shot from the front door to what looked like a bar with many high-stool seats. This place was pretty packed. People from different kinds of races were drinking, laughing, swearing, or playing some sort of gambling game. Quite a lively place.
"Hey Zig," Xylvia called out to the man behind the bar table. "Two of the usuals please!"
"Sure thing Whiskers," the man called back. "Be ready for you in five."
Whiskers?
This man was extremely bulky and tall. His physic was rather scary, but his nature seemed chill and relaxing. His hair was a long luscious brown and was tied into a ponytail, and his beard was basically a mane. Sharp teeth made me wonder how painful it would be for him to bite his tongue on accident, and the ears on the top of his head were circular and looked pretty fluffy. His eyes were that of a predator's, a sharp gold with a tint of black.
A Demi-human. Part human…and part lion I believe.
"Hey, who's the rookie over there?" He asked in an unintentionally booming voice.
"This is my traveling partner Hiro," Xylvia said. "He was summoned here by Gleam and he wants to go out adventuring, so I'm tagging along with him."
"Wait, an adventurer?!"
The man named Zig suddenly went into prowler mode and leaped right over the table he was bartending, extending his reach towards me after bolting on all four towards me.
He pounced right onto me, tail wagging and ears twitching, with a smile of pure, innocent excitement. I was a little frightened by his rash behavior, but also very curious as to why he was acting like this.
I could see Xylvia facepalm off to the side.
"You could've at least tried to be a little subtle." Xylvia sighed.
"How can I be," Zig exclaimed. "We haven't had an adventurer in centuries! Nobody dares to step foot out into the real world with all those Corrupt wandering around! And I know it's been your dream to go on one, but you were always afraid of going alone… But now, you finally have a partner! Thank you Hugo! You finally gave Whiskers her opportunity! I'm so happy I might cry…! WWWAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
I don't know how to define a manly cry, but this felt incredibly weird nonetheless.
"Um…you're welcome," I said? "Also, it's Hiro."
"Oh, my mistake Harry…*sniff!* I'm just…so happy right now!"
"Again, it's Hiro. Also, shouldn't you be the one acting like this Xylvia? If this is so important, then why is he the one bawling into my chest like a man-child?"
"Im not really the crying type," Xylvia said, raising her hands up a little. "He's just always been upset because he was never able to help me become an adventurer. But now that you've helped me out, he's going through an emotional crisis right now."
Weren't lions supposed to be the symbol of pride?
As Zig the half lion continued bawling with joy into my chest while keeping me pinned down to the floor, I debated on whether or not I should just book it with Xylvia the second I was free.
"Ah, the Flyers," Zig gasped, suddenly shooting straight back up to his feat and prowling back to the bar table. "They should be ready be now. Whiskers, Holo. Come sit at the high stools."
"Hell yeah! I'm starved!" Xylvia said as she marched to the high stools with a knife and fork in hands that came out of nowhere."
"My name…is Hiro." I said, once again, completely defeated.
"Wait, you guys don't speak English?" I asked them.
Xylvia and I had just sat down to enjoy the food we were served followed by some drinks. Of course, as I predicted, the so-called "Flyers" were basically chicken wings. The drink, however, was new for me. It tasted like watermelon with a hint of cinnamon and a very strong flavor that made me shoot straight up from my seat.
We got into a conversation about the whole summoning BS and then started to shift towards my inability to read and write. And now…
"'English' isn't something I've ever heard before," Zig said. "There are about five known languages in this world that I've heard of. Dragonar, Felinian, Universion, Elven, and Mythinian. The Dragonar language is the language of the dragons, ancient being who have been endangered since the Corrupted have shown up. Felinian is the language that Whiskers and I can speak. Basically, if you have fur, fangs, and a tail, you're a Felinian. Universion is the language pretty much everyone in the world except for the dragons can speak. It's also the language we're currently speaking right now. Since you were summoned here, though you can't read it, Gleam implemented this language into your head. However, you'll have to learn the rest on your own."
Everyone around us had been muttering about "summoned one" and "adventurer" for the past ten minutes after Zig's whole incident. I had my head down with my hands over it, my own piss poor attempt at shielding away the humiliation.
"The Elven language belongs to the Elf race," Zig continued, ignoring the stares. "Their race is also a dying breed, so we rarely see them these days. Their travelers who walk around country to country trading their goods with foreigners. Probably the closest thing to adventurers nowadays. And lastly, theirs the Mythinian language, the language of the gods. Only Gleam and the Council know this language. There's even a rule for people below the Spectrum to never learn or speak this language. If you learn this language, your skull will forcefully collapse into itself, crushing your brain entirely. If you see the words of this language, your eyes will split themselves apart until your sockets are nothing but a voided mixture of black and red. And if you ever speak this language, your tongue to forcefully rip itself out of your mouth as slowly as it possibly will. Your teeth will shatter from their gums. Your jaw will split and break apart into a million pieces. And the cords in your throat will be ripped apart with your throat slitting itself open until your head is fully decapitated."
…huh.
"Wait, how come I wasn't just given the ability to read the Universion language right off the bat," I asked. "Could Gleam just not do that?"
"No, she could do that easily," Xylvia said. "She's a goddess after all. However, where's the fun in having everything at the start?"
Fair point.
"Anyways, just stay away from the Mythinian language. We have a saying when it comes to it."
"Lemme guess: See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil?" I said.
"…"
"…"
The whole pub went silent. The laughing, the bantering, and the gossiping went completely silent. Like unplugging your headphones from your phone during a music video. The stares I got from everyone including Zig and Xylvia sent me sinking down onto my chair. The atmosphere felt heavy…overwhelming…haunting. I wanted to run. I wanted to hide. I wanted to scream.
I shouldn't be here. I'm scared. What did I do? Do they know? Did they see? Did they hear? Did they speak? Ihavetorunihavetoleaveihavetohideihavetoscreamihavetorunihavetoleaveihavetohideihavetoscreamihavetorunihavetoleaveihavetohideihavetoscream…
"Hiro!"
"Huh?!"
The pulsating aura surrounding me suddenly disappeared, snapping me back to the real world. Xylvia and Zig were staring at me with concerning looks; the rest of the pub were still giving me brief glances, but continued with their chattering.
"Wha-What the hell was that?" I asked, struggling to steady my breathing.
"How do you know that saying?" Xylvia asked me, her eyes sharp and serious.
"It's just some old tale that originated from my home country. It's called 'Three Wise Monkeys.' Why?"
"Hiro, listen to me. Listen to me very carefully. That saying runs deeper than you think in this world. When secrets here are made, they are kept. We share nothing."
Xylvia was starting to freak me out a little.
"There's one more thing that you should know about this world Hiro," Xylvia continued. "The corruption in this world is more severe than just the Corrupted. In fact, every single human in this world is corrupt right now."
"Everyone? I-I don't understand. You can't tell me that everyone had ingested a Corrupted's blood."
"They didn't. However, they have other ways. The dangers of fighting one isn't the only reason why we avoid them at all times. We don't want to kill them. Because if we kill them, this world becomes more deadly. Their fumes from their corpses rise into the atmosphere, spreading their Corruption throughout the world. It won't kill you, however it'll turn you into a more vicious and cold person. You'll become harder, colder, paranoid. Someone who hates being judged and will kill anyone who tries to make you look like a fool."
This whole world, filled with nothing but corruption? The night sky looks so beautiful. How could something so stunning be so dangerous?
"In this world, secrets are kept. We may try to be nice and friendly in an attempt to remain normal, but we never speak about our sanity. We mind our business. We remain ignorant. We always keep to ourselves. But not me. I'm not that kind of person. Which is why I want you to take me on your adventure. I have to find a way to cure this corruption no matter what. This world has suffered long enough, so I will do everything to heal it."
Secrets remain secrets…
"You had a moment too right," Zig asked me. "You spaced out and your whole body started spasming a little bit. I guess the corruption got to you a little bit. It's never gotten to someone this fast though, so you should be a little worried."
"It felt as if some other being was taking over me," I shuddered. "I felt cold, scared, alone. It wasn't very fun."
"That's what everyone here goes through," Xylvia said. "And that is also what I'm going to get rid of, even if it kills me."
I couldn't help but worry a little bit about Xylvia after she said that. While her courage was inspiring, I feel as if she doesn't value her own life. Maybe its just because of the corruption, but that felt too genuine to me.
I laid on my bed in a small hotel room that Xylvia had rented us for a night. Tomorrow was our first adventure, so I was starting to grow restless with excitement. However, I couldn't sleep. Not because of tomorrow's event, but because of what I had felt during that moment of shock.
I've never felt so many emotions. I had never seen so many memories flood back into my head. Including that one memory. I've done everything I could to forget it ever happened, but now I fear that it may never leave my head.