Chereads / LITRPG: Etherea System / Chapter 5 - WAKE UP

Chapter 5 - WAKE UP

Cold air swooshed across Myles' face, causing a chilling sensation across his body. "What happened?" Myles questioned, his voice laced with confusion, as he sat up on the bed where he had been lying. It had been two days since the ambush, and thanks to his remarkable healing ability, Myles had fully recovered. He found himself in a spacious apartment with gleaming white LED panels comprising the floor and ceiling, while the walls possessed a textured gray surface.

Glancing sideways, Myles noticed a thick, translucent glass door with a metallic frame, adorned with a tag bearing the name "A. NITRO." Examining his own attire, he realized he was now dressed in a sleek black top and matching trousers. Curiosity piqued, he reached for a mirror mounted on the wall beside the bed to assess his wounds. To his astonishment, all evidence of his injuries had vanished, his body fully healed.

Standing up from the bed, Myles felt an urge to explore his surroundings. He approached the door, grasped the round doorknob, and turned it, unlocking the door. The door swung open, revealing a vast hallway characterized by metallic walls and an intricately designed floor, lined with numerous other doors.

"Ahh you're awake", A voice echoed from behind.

It was Ken Nylar, the director of the CREED initiative, approaching Myles from the opposite end of the hallway. "Nylar! What happened to me?" Myles inquired, catching up with Nylar where he stood. The urgency in his voice was evident.

Nylar took a deep breath, visibly collecting his thoughts. "Well, my boy, you were unconscious, but now you're awake, thanks to the efforts of our team. We managed to save you from...," he began explaining.

Interrupting him, Myles pressed, "You know what I'm talking about, Ken. Who attacked me? Denumbit? The man who brought me down from the sky? And what about the destruction? Tell me everything."

Nylar sighed, his expression turning somber. "There's no easy way to explain it all. Walk with me, boy," Nylar said, extending his hand and gesturing for Myles to follow him down the hall.

"You see... you were indeed attacked, but not by Denumbit. The assailant was a mercenary whose identity we're still investigating," Nylar clarified, leading Myles forward.

"You realize I was this close... I mean this close to losing my life" Myles gestured with his hand, "Not just with Denumbit alone but also the masked assailant who came at me, and yet! We're still in the dark of who the attacker was or what his motives were?" Myles said.

"Whoever attacked you, had tech that is off the grid, so we weren't able to trace him or his flight path. He's definitely good at his job nevertheless.

Myles paused in his steps, looking directly at Nylar. "What information do you have about Denumbit?" he questioned.

Nylar halted a few feet ahead of Myles, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger. A mix of frustration and sadness played across his face. "Everything you were told about Denumbit was true, Myles. However, we never shared the complete truth with you," Nylar admitted, turning to face Myles directly.

We were able to track Denumbit down to the state border before his trail went cold "Nylar said.

"Denumbit was presumed dead and decommissioned but the circumstances surrounding all that is not all we can document.

, he was truly gifted and unique. He had a beautiful mind capable of soo many things" Nylar continued as he placed his right hand on Myles' left shoulder with his arm going around Myles' back, leading him down to the open area ahead.

"Denumbit was clinically dead and officially decommissioned, but... There's more to his story.

Overall denumbit was an exceptional individual of sound intellect, having a very high distinction compared to other agents, He had an extraordinary mind, capable of remarkable feats," Nylar explained, placing his hand on Myles' shoulder and guiding him down the hallway.

"Unlike you, Denumbit didn't possess such innate gifts. He couldn't heal rapidly or display superhuman strength and agility. His brilliance lay in his intellect," Nylar continued.

"This made him to constantly augment himself time after time, utilizing technology he developed to replace and enhance parts of his body, no matter how complex or painful the process. The things he achieved were revolutionary."

Myles listened intently, his curiosity growing. "And what went wrong?" he probed.

"Well... He got a bit too carried away in the process, The unstable alloy compound he used in developing one of his technology infected him and started killing him slowly." Nylar replied.

He became desperate to save himself and that took him down a dark path" Nylar said as tapped a green button placed on the side of a plasmic door which was in front of him at the end of the hallway to scan his fingerprint.

"So does this means, he has been alive this whole time?" Myles asked as the door up ahead opened up.

"Not at all. The situations leading to his demise were a tad suspicious.

"He had found out about one of our secret research projects, being on of the few high ranking and respected agents and allegedly arranged a way to come in contact with a bio-catalyst we were working on at the time."

Myles gasped "The Symbiote!"

"Yes, Agent Mane" Nylar said.

"Denumbit thought the symbiote could help him curb the effects of his alloy. So without a tinge of defiance, he infiltrated and wrecked one of our secret facilities and caused a disruption that made us to lose a lot of our research."

"He stole DNA samples of some lower level agents which he later used to develop a complex serum that granted him somewhat of the ability they had. The resulting effect made him become even more unstable".

"With all that power at his disposal he rebelled against the agency and everything we stood for. We had no choice but to go against him with all we had. We decommission his name from the agency and tracked him down. In the uproar that followed we had no choice but to terminate him. We lost a lot of good men that day" Nylar said as sadness grew on his face."

"It seems he had a trick card up his sleeve after all these years." Nylar said as he stretched a little smile across his little slightly wrinkled face.

"But.... But I don't get it, how is he alive if he has been dead" Myles asked. "Could it be that he was never....."

"....He was! myles, I was there the day it happened" Nylar cut him off.

"We got reports a couple of months ago on several sightings that fit an entity such as him. Speculations suggest that he might have come up with a way to his restore his cells in the time he lived." Nylar added.

"When we began investigation, his body had allegedly gone missing from his grave site".

"We've been chasing empty leads ever since up until now, this is the most information we've gotten. I don't know what is going on, but whoever or whatever you saw in his body that day cannot be good news", Nylar replied while tapping myles' shoulder before proceeding to walk down to a large area up ahead".

"I know we're not supposed to ask much questions for our own good, but, didn't you think it would've been better, if active agents knew?" Myles questioned.

"We've been on the edge for a while now Myles, since the events of Denumbit, we suspect that there might be others who work with him. trust is of value here, and if anyone knew what we knew about him, that would leave us without an advantage." Nylar replied.

"We've been getting several reports about uproars around the world in relation to the anomalies, sightings of creatures and anomalies likewise causing issues." Nylar pointed out.

"What do you want me to do, Nylar?" Myles questioned.

"Well, For starters, somebody's gonna have to find out what the guy who attacked you wants right? And also keep tabs on what's to be expected from Denumbit right? " He asked from the distance.

"You bet" Myles replied.

Come! We have work to do", Nylar said.

The wide room up ahead had an array of screens around the inside, with a large console placed at one end and a parting in the middle separation the area up ahead from the rest of the room.

On the other side, lay a large cylindrical object, enclosed with a metallic frame with a slim parting at the middle emitting a dim blue glow, It was the reactor core, the power source to the devices in the room and also the housing to the CREED processing unit.

Myles walked up to the console up ahead, staring at the largest screen mounted in the middle of the couple.

"It's time to call in an old ally," Nylar said. "Someone who knows a bit more about what we're going up against", He affirmed as he turned his head slowly to the side, his smile growing wider.

Myles looked at Nylar, anticipation building up inside him. "Who is it?" he asked again, eager to know who this mysterious ally was.

Nylar pressed a button on the console, and the screens in the room flickered to life, displaying various pieces of information and surveillance footage. After a few moments, a holographic image materialized in the center of the room, revealing the figure of a tall, muscular man with short, dark hair and piercing blue eyes.

"It's time to bring in Agent Mane," Nylar announced, his voice filled with determination.