What Ally observed was unexpected as she came face to face with that creature that had been involved in the conflict still haunting her for seven months. The creature, disguised as an ordinary person, was in a state of transition; half of its body was so disfigured that it was unrecognizable, its skin resembling a mass of ground meat with reddish and dark tones. It stood before her.
Zach panicked at the sight of such a gory scene: a being with half of its body twisted and ground, exposing flesh. It was the first time he had seen something so repulsive, causing him disgust and a cold sweat. The vision of blood or a mutilated body terrified him, making him feel the urge to vomit. But upon seeing his companion, he noticed that she was more affected, trembling and paralyzed by fear.
The creature began to deform even further, until the rest of its false body changed to a dark hue, still not releasing the girl it held by the neck. Despite the situation, the girl couldn't utter a single word to ask for help; her only focus was to free herself from the grip of her oppressor. Realizing that now there were two people who had seen its existence, the creature chose not to let either of them leave as witnesses to its presence. Thus, it put the girl to sleep with an enchantment that left her lying on the ground and approached to take them both away.
Zach reacted and managed to drag Ally in an attempt to escape. Ally, slowly regaining her senses, began to follow her friend's lead until she surpassed him and distanced herself, leaving him behind.
But no matter how far they ran, they felt that the creature was getting closer and closer. In an act of panic, Ally chose to separate from her friend, catching the creature's attention by throwing some stones, becoming the distraction that would leave Zach behind.
Ally ran to find a hiding spot, but in a moment of carelessness, she tumbled down a hill until hitting the ground. The fall wasn't too high or low. Upon regaining consciousness, she managed to crawl and hide behind the nearest tree, beginning to conceal herself and then taking a breath to recover from the exhaustion of the chase. She sat in a fetal position, clinging to the tree, and avoiding making the slightest noise possible.
And just as she expected, the creature passed by the area, halting its steps where Ally was hiding. Now she would have to hold her breath to avoid detection.
Ally had some knowledge of how that creature functioned. It had the power to sense everything in its surroundings, which had become a part of it; Ally also felt what it felt.
The creature could detect her presence through the elements: the air that blew (breathing), the earth that was stepped on (the body), the fire that emitted heat (body temperature), and the water that wet and flowed (blood and sweat). Any wrong move would be detected. It felt all of this as a tingling sensation that allowed it to detect its victim, achieved through a manipulation that expanded the distance of its atmosphere, enhancing its senses within a radius that extended according to its whim.
The atmosphere grew increasingly eerie. The creature, taking cautious steps, observed almost everything around it and began to approach the tree where Ally was hiding. While Ally maintained her position of neutrality, she doubted if she could hold her breath long enough. She began to search for various ways of how and where to take the right route to escape.
The creature took another path towards where it had left the anonymous girl asleep under the enchantment. Ally had to wait a few more seconds until she couldn't feel the atmosphere emanating from the creature anymore.
Twenty-four seconds passed when she stopped feeling the sensation of that atmosphere and the dizziness. She started breathing so heavily it seemed like she was going to die; her heart pounded against her chest, the dizziness left her with headaches and the urge to vomit.
Ally advanced cautiously, her senses alert to any sign of danger. The atmosphere felt dense, filled with a presence she couldn't ignore. Her steps led her along winding paths, following tracks that could belong to Zach. Her heart pounded, and her voice echoed in the silence as she called out her friend's name.
It was then that she saw Zach's cap on the ground, abandoned like an ominous symbol. Panic seized her; had he been captured by the creature? Had the worst already begun?
But before fear could completely overwhelm her, a familiar figure appeared before her. Jin, her younger brother, looked at her with a confused expression. How could he be so calm amidst this threat?
But before fear could completely overwhelm her, a familiar figure appeared before her. Jin, her younger brother, looked at her with a confused expression. How could he be so calm amidst this threat?
-"Sister, what's going on? Why are you here?"- Jin asked.
-"That's what I should be asking you. Why are you alone here?"- Ally replied, her voice barely a whisper.
-"Turns out I was bored. The new neighbors were arriving, and the furniture needed rearranging. The noise was bothering me"-, Jin explained calmly.
Despite the looming danger, Ally couldn't help but feel relieved to see her brother. But she also wondered: how could he be so unconcerned? Didn't he see the threatening creature lurking?
Ally, confused and dazed, clung to her brother, who displayed calmness and unease. Holding her brother's hand, which felt warm and familiar, gave her a sense of trust. But Jim's image slowly faded as it took on the form of the creature she had seen earlier, only it was another, having been following that creature that had copied her brother's form. How naive she had been to follow a being that mimicked her brother, ignoring the simple logic that Jim would still be at home under the care of their parents, without permission to leave.
The creature began to drag her into the darkness, enchanting her with a sleep spell. The air thickened, and Ally struggled to keep her eyes open, but sleep consumed her until she felt nothing.
When she regained consciousness, she found herself in a strange place. The wooden walls creaked and groaned as if they were alive. The low, vaulted ceiling seemed to threaten to crush her. Ally felt trapped, as if she were in a prison.
She didn't know what had happened, but it was clear she had been abducted. Panicking, she pounded the walls, pushed at the ceiling, screamed for someone to hear her, but it was futile. It felt like she had been trapped for days, and everything she had done in her life seemed like a waste. Worse still, she was confined in a huge box. Sitting in the corner of the room, her face buried in her arms as she hugged her knees, she counted sixty seconds for each minute just to stay calm. Until she heard footsteps coming from outside, and then the ceiling disintegrated, creating a square hole. That would be her way out, but she couldn't trust it immediately. She peered through the hole and noticed someone waiting for her with a firm stance.
The unknown silhouette materializes in front of her. Its figure is ethereal, a blend of shadows and dim light. The entity has no face, but its eyes seem to penetrate Ally's soul. It speaks with a voice that resonates in her mind.
-"Welcome to your prison, Ally. You have crossed the threshold by one of our order's members. This place is not what it seems. Here, the rules are different, and truths fade away,"- it said in an authoritative tone until its form changed to that of an ordinary person whom she had never seen before.
Ally hesitates, trying to comprehend. Where was she? Who is this entity? And what does all this mean?
Ally found herself in a world where reality and technology intertwined, surrounded by a small group of uniformed guards, from head to toe, covering their entire faces, showing they were the guardians of this place. They encircled her like shadows in the twilight. A soldier, with pale skin and inhuman eyes, escorted her through corridors of smooth stone, while Gothic columns seemed to whisper ancient mysteries. The windows, covered with metal bars, barely revealed what lay beyond. The dense, ethereal fog enveloped everything like a veil of uncertainty. The chains binding her hands radiated an unbreakable power, reinforced by one of the surrounding soldiers. Finally, they arrived at the spacious office of the supreme entity guiding them.
In the entity's office, ancient artifacts adorned the walls, and a large giant parchment unfolded carefully behind protective glass. Its symbols, unknown and enigmatic, seemed to dance in an unfamiliar language. The entity introduced itself as Caneth, the overseer of the prison. His presence was imposing, and his gaze penetrating. He was the architect of this cosmic prison, the controller of realities and destinies, responsible for confining or eliminating those who opposed the order of the Destinarians, who had great control over the entire system. Ally demanded answers, her heart pounding with the urgency of knowing the truth. Why her? What had she done wrong? The entity, impassive, revealed the cause.
"Are you not aware?" Caneth said with a tone of annoyance, without showing any facial expression"-. You and your companion witnessed the affairs of one of my subordinates. Our rules do not allow leaving witnesses who know of our existence. The original purpose of my subordinate was to eliminate both you and your companion, but it turned out he had plans for you for obvious reasons."
-"What do you mean?"- Ally exclaimed, stepping back. -"Tell me everything you're talking about. And what happened to Zach? What did you do to him?"
Caneth advanced towards her with short, firm steps, circling her.
-"This place, apart from being a concentration prison, is also a recruitment area for those beings destined to serve as pawns for a game in this world. And you were chosen to be part of this metaphorical game."
Ally didn't want to be part of such a twisted system. It was too much for her to handle, especially since she had no knowledge of what it entailed. But one thing was clear: it didn't sound good from her point of view. Being a pawn in a metaphorical game? Could it be some sort of life-and-death confrontation against something? She didn't want to die for something that wasn't of utmost importance to her. Now, she only had one thing in mind: she had to get out of here by any means necessary. But how? They weren't human; they would surpass her in speed, strength, and cunning, capturing her within seconds.
-"I don't think it matters and helps; I have no knowledge whatsoever of what's going on. Besides, I'm not like you be... be... because... I'm human,"- she explained with desperation, hoping they would take into account that she was someone inferior.
-"Don't think it's easy to get out of this. You have great potential within you, which you haven't awakened yet. Just so you know, you weren't the only one; there were also some humans who stood out as special, surpassing what they were in their past lives"-. Caneth stood in front of Ally with a serene expression but with cold eyes that locked onto hers. -"For now, your life belongs to us."
Caneth approached even closer and roughly grabbed Ally's hand, magically marking her in a way that burned her skin down to the bone of her wrist, causing her to writhed in pain, nearly crying, along with a terrible headache that weakened her, leaving her unable to move.
Seeing her wrist, she noticed a symbol that was now a part of her, a sign that she was now a part of the system against her will.
-"Why? No, I refuse to be a part of this! Let me out! Why does it have to come to this?"- Her words echoed with desperation and fear. Although she had been through something similar herself, the difference now lay not in being a witness to it but in how things unfolded as a result of being part of something that involved Sung Kwan death.
She was taken to a chamber where they separated all the women who had been chosen from other worlds to be part of the system. They all had the same artifacts embedded in their arms, which functioned to block the dominion and power they possessed. They were all of different ages, some were of different species that stood out as semi-humans, while others looked like humans but from her point of view, she believed they weren't truly human at their core. Among the silent group, she noticed someone standing out because of their small stature and very light brown hair. As she approached, she could see clearly—it was the same girl who had been cornered by one of Caneth's substitutes. She appeared to be in good condition. Ally approached cautiously to speak with the blue-eyed girl. Upon getting closer, she noticed that the girl had also been marked with the same symbol that Ally already had on her wrist, except she had been marked on her left shoulder, burning a small part of her clothing and leaving a burn hole that exposed it. Ally approached cautiously, her voice barely audible.
-"Are you okay?"- Ally asked, taking a seat near Dina. -"I see they marked you too. I have the same mark. What's your name?"
Dina responded without looking her in the eyes, her tone serious and calm. "Dina. My name is Dina. You shouldn't have gotten involved in this. Now you've been chosen too. All of us here are condemned to something we don't understand."
The dialogue between them seemed routine for Dina, as if she were accustomed to this strange situation. She showed no sadness or fear; her demeanor remained firm and neutral.
-"What happened in the forest before we saw you in that situation with the creature?"- Ally asked, curious.
-"My mentor and I were attacked by Eidolons sent by the Order of the Destinarians. In my case, I was chosen because of my power to be part of the system. But unlike you, I realize you don't have even the slightest control over atmospheric dominion, which makes you inferior,"- explained the blue-eyed girl with a serenity that contrasted with the gravity of her words.
-"What was the cause, and who is your mentor?"
-"His name is Devin; he's like family. It all started when we had to meet in the Bermuda forest with some people who were members of a clan, but it turned out to be a trap. They betrayed us by calling the Eidolons, but they paid for it. They separated me from Devin until I was cornered by the Eidolon"-, the girl responded.
As she recounted that part of her story, Ally began to have some doubts: Members of a clan? Entities from other worlds with a distorted system? What else is Woodlan Haven, or the entire world, hiding?
-"Just in case, do you know what this symbol means?"- Ally extended her arm, showing the tattoo on her wrist for Dina to see. The symbol that the other inmates bore.
-"You're condemned just like me. With this symbol, you're undoubtedly the main target for the system. Like all of us, you'll have a purpose; it's just a matter of finding out what that purpose will be. What did you do to get involved in this?"- Dina caught Ally's attention.
-"No, I didn't do anything. I haven't done anything to be involved in this situation. I was just out for a walk with my friend until I fell into the Eidolon's trap,"- Ally took a short breath, pondering what the right question would be to resolve her doubts. -"Dina, you seem to have knowledge of this. Please, tell me, where are we? What is going to happen?"
The atmosphere in the chamber grew tense as Ally awaited Dina's answers, hoping to find some clarity amidst the uncertainty surrounding them. Suddenly, one of the inmates who was also one of the chosen ones, interjected into their conversation. She was a woman with fair skin, marks forming on her skin, dark hair, and spectral eyes.
-"You are in an artificial atmosphere that hides from the light of the worlds, only revealing itself during the eclipse. That means no one will know you're here until twilight falls. And what is going to happen may lead us into an incursion where we all will be sacrificed to the great universal seed. It's an artifact possessed only by the Destinarians, that's all I know."
-"She's right. By the way, what's your name?"
-"I'm Segmed, pleased to meet you, young one",- she begins, casting a curious gaze towards Ally. -"And by the way, you're a human, right?"
-"Yes, I am. How did you know?"
-"I'm an Eolino; I have vast knowledge from traveling through various worlds and encountering diverse beings. And you emit a low-level aura,"- Segmed explained.
Ally began to feel uncomfortable seeing Segmed interjecting into her private conversation with Dina. However, she realized that Segmed must have had a reason for joining the conversation, and it was clear she wanted to plan an escape. Ally understood that Segmed was trying to form an escape group and take the risk.
Time passed quickly, and the sunlight gradually faded, replaced by the darkness of the night. Murmurs echoed in the cell, where Dina approached Ally, whose vacant gaze wandered through a window with metal bars, allowing her to glimpse the outside world. With caution, Ally avoided taking out her cell phone to avoid drawing attention from the other inmates sharing the cell.
-"I see you're plotting something. Care to share?"- Dina asked curiously.
Ally started to pay attention to Dina, who seemed calm, which was strange given the gravity of the situation, knowing that they would soon be sacrificed along with the other inmates.
-"Why so calm, little one? Aren't you afraid of death?"- Dina changed the subject. -"We are all destined to be part of a sacrifice for an artifact whose name bewilders me. You may never see your parents again, who are surely looking for you"-,Ally responded, serious but calm.
-"I'm not worried. If you hadn't gotten involved in my problems, you wouldn't be in this situation. But don't worry, he will come for me."
-"How are you sure Devin will find you? Did you hear what Segmed said? This place is outside the atmosphere, and no one would be able to find us."
Despite harboring doubts regarding the hopes expressed by the girl, Ally understood the need to cling to any glimmer of hope to escape from that oppressive prison. However, the brief respite of their conversation was interrupted by the chaos unfolding outside. The discordant sounds of riots resonated in the air, piercing the stillness of the cell with a sense of imminent danger.
Suddenly, the earth began to tremble violently, shaking the prison walls with a powerful and ominous impact. Amidst the chaos and confusion, a question loomed in Ally's mind: What was happening?
Segmed stood in front of the main door, her hands raised with determination as she invoked her icy power. A thin layer of frost began to spread from her fingers, enveloping the lock of the reinforced door in a cold embrace. With each concentrated breath, the ice solidified, freezing the mechanism in place with a promise of relentless strength.
With a swift and precise movement, Segmed delivered a devastating kick against the reinforced door. The impact resonated in the room, vibrating through the air with almost tangible force. The metal groaned and yielded to Segmed's concentrated power, shattering into a cascade of fragments that fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Before launching the attack, Segmed had discreetly disposed of the artifact that limited his powers. Now, with the door open before him, he was ready to unleash his full potential unhindered. His determination burned with a cold and calculated intensity as he advanced towards the unknown beyond the door, prepared to face whatever challenges fate presented.
All of them exited the chamber that had sheltered them, some managing to break the artifacts that blocked their powers, except for Ally, who didn't know how to remove hers despite not possessing dominion powers like the others. She grabbed Dina to leave this place, but not before going for Zach, who was already worrying about his friend. She had to see him; she didn't want to leave him behind until things got difficult.
Suddenly, Segmed joined Ally and Dina in the search, offering to watch their backs as they headed to a more dangerous area. They crossed isolated corridors of the prison that seemed like a confusing maze, while the catastrophe that was happening in other hallways could be heard. However, the unexpected happened: the environment began to tremble, and for some strange reason, the surroundings changed to another corridor, leaving Ally alone, separated from Dina and Segmed. What had just happened? Had she been teleported to another place?
It was evident that it was the work of Caneth, who didn't want anyone to escape from that prison built under his dominion. Now, Ally had to take precautions not to fall for that trick or be seen and captured by a guard. Things were getting difficult.