The complete absurdity of that statement still echoes in my head; it's utterly ridiculous. But given what's been happening lately, I should probably get used to this kind of information. Maybe, anyway, I can ponder it another time, since right now we're facing a waterfall that flows upward.
"So, how are we going to do this?" I turn to Caroline, who was taking off her jacket and placing it on the ground beside her.
"I recommend you take yours off too. It's not great to be dressed like this on an outing like this," she said, smiling as she stretched a bit.
As soon as I took off my jacket, I asked again, "You still haven't answered me. How are we going to do this? I hope it's safe, please." That last part came out almost as a murmur, but still loud enough for her to hear.
"Isn't it obvious?" She walked toward the waterfall and turned to me. "Just follow me and have fun," she said, opening her arms at her sides and jumping with a shout of excitement. To my despair.
I watch in shock as her body is catapulted upward by the water, her laughter fading into the air.
After a few seconds, her voice becomes a distant echo, and I turn my gaze to the waterfall, feeling a mix of nervousness and curiosity. As I approach, droplets of water splash onto my body; they're a bit cold, but warmer than a waterfall should be—I guess it's just another bizarre thing to attribute to this place.
My fear quickly shifts to another location when I hear the distant, frightening, and familiar sound of a growl from one of the dogs. It's far away, but I don't know how fast those things are, and I don't want to take any chances. I take a deep breath one last time and throw myself in as a scream of fear escapes me.
My first sensation is a jolt to my stomach, followed by the pressure of the water pushing my body upward. I tried my best to keep my head above water while my body was tossed around uncontrollably by the craziest reverse slide I've ever experienced. I didn't pay attention to how long I spent screaming, but over time, the fear transformed into fun. It was an adrenaline rush I had never felt—addictive, actually. I hoped I wouldn't become obsessed with it, or my life could become even more monotonous than it already was.
Suddenly, I feel the familiar sensation of diving into a large amount of water. At some point during my ride, my sense of direction was completely scrambled along with my organs and everything in my stomach. My head was still spinning, and I could feel my body rising as I began to float.
I compose myself and start swimming to the surface of what I assume is a lake. As soon as my head breaks the water, I can hear the sounds of someone celebrating. Looking in that direction, I see Caroline laughing and waving at me. My expression turns into a smile, and I wave back to her with an exuberant shout of "Uhuuul!" It was one of the best experiences of my life.
I start swimming toward her; the water is a pleasantly warm temperature, crystal clear with a slight green tint. The bottom of the lake is a bit deep, and its shore is surrounded by lush vegetation.
"How was it?" Caroline asks me with a playful smile, to which I respond with my own.
"Scary, but I'd do it again."
"That's the spirit!" she laughs as she wrings out her hair and clothes, something I quickly follow suit.
I take this time to look around; unlike the great forest below, the island has a flatter landscape. The lake we came from connects to a river that flows toward the center. There are small grassy mounds and a tree here and there. In the lake, I can see crystals of various colors and sizes on the bottom, and luckily, no animals seem to be nearby.
"We just need to follow the river path; it'll take us to the center of this island and where the core is," Caroline finishes wringing out her clothes and picks up the device with the map. The spot we're at, according to it, is closer than ever.
As we move forward, the river widens, and its waters become more turbulent. From below, it didn't seem like the island was that big, but it was getting dark again. Occasionally, a cloud passed over the island; it's a strange sensation that I probably won't feel again. It's something that feels tangible but dissolves the moment it touches you, a bit cold and damp, and honestly, I liked it.
We're close, I realized as soon as I saw a point on the map beeping and flashing. The previously calm waters of the river are now churning as if in a storm, and the terrain is changing all around us. I hadn't noticed it at first, but now everything is more mountainous; we're between two mountains with the river in the middle, losing space with each moment. It's starting to get tight.
Caroline tenses up, her grip on the device tightening as she gives a few light taps on her hip, as if ensuring she still has something there. This makes me tense as well; if it's something that makes her cautious, it shouldn't be taken lightly. Unfortunately, I don't have anything to help me defend myself, so all I can do is stay alert and assist her in case she doesn't notice something wrong.
The sound of the raging water grows even louder. We're nearing the center; ahead, I can see the end of the river, where it plunges into a kind of waterfall. I hope it's not too steep, at least so we can descend with a minimum of safety.
As we reach the end of the path, the sight that greets me is once again surreal. I can see at least four more paths with rivers like the ones we took, all leading to a circular area. The surrounding mountains make it look like a kind of arena. The rivers don't end in a waterfall as I feared; instead, they plunge diagonally into a huge lake in the center, surrounded only by dirt, stones, and a few dried trees.
But that's not the most surreal thing about the landscape. The true surrealism lies in the center of the lake, where a massive spherical object is located, seemingly made of water, tree branches, and crystals, rising from the lake amid giant, furious waves. The interior of the sphere emits a bright blue glow, filled with pure energy or magic. The structure appears to be partially enveloped in a waterfall, with water flowing around it as if it's about to break apart. Surrounding the sphere are the remnants of a building, completely destroyed, with some of its debris being sucked into the sphere and violently returned to the lake, utterly destroying them. The light from the sphere is also the only thing illuminating the night that has finally fallen in this world.
"There it is," Caroline turns to me with serious eyes. "This is the core, it's inside that sphere. We just have to reach it, and we can get out of here." Inside that thing? And how does she expect us to reach this core?
Seeing the look of uncertainty she gave me, I voiced my thoughts aloud. She turns to the lake, studying it intently. "This isn't good."
"What happened now?"
"The situation has worsened. What could be worse than having to go through this to get out of here?"
She furrows her brow, looking irritated, and points to a part of the lake just before the large sphere. "Is that… a person?" Looking closer, there indeed seems to be someone standing on the water, seemingly unfazed by the extremely turbulent waves.
"We need to hurry," Caroline starts to slide down the slope toward the lake, something I reluctantly have to mimic; I don't want to be left alone in a place like this.
"Could this guy be a problem?" Probably, but I need confirmation to know if it's a bad situation.
"If it's what I think it is, then yes, a big problem." Yes, it's bad.
As we finish descending the slope and are almost at the edge of the lake, a cough from beside us catches our attention. Is it a child? She's small, with white hair falling in a soft fringe just above her bright red eyes. She wears formal attire in light blue with golden details. Her expression is serene, a small smile gracing her lips as she calmly stares at us.
"Good evening, sir, madam. While I appreciate some human company in matters like this, I ask that you do not disturb my partner," her voice is serious, yet childish and irritating, and as she speaks, she looks directly at Caroline as if daring her to make any move contrary to her request.
"I thought this little trip could be peaceful, but you Codex people had to come and ruin it, didn't you?" This was the most irritated I had ever seen Caroline, and what was Codex? Some kind of organization?
How naïve of you to think we're not here just because the energy readings are lower than usual," she scoffs as if it's an amusing thought. "Besides, a second portal appearing right after one as powerful as yesterday's, regardless of those readings being below average, is still worth investigating." Her smile turns ironic, and for a moment, she glances toward the sphere. "Plus, just this sight made the trip worthwhile."
The girl then turns her gaze to me, her serene smile back on her face. "Oh, where are my manners?" She clearly pretends to look horrified, even covering her mouth with her hands. "Codename Zero point zero three, Codex agent at your service." She gives a dramatic bow in my direction, though her head is raised enough for me to see her red eyes gleaming with amusement. "It's not every day we find someone so inexperienced and naïve about our reality, and someone so incompetent at explaining the situation as well," her smile once again becomes mocking, no matter how right she is—still a brat.
"Brat," unlike me, Caroline voiced our feelings loud and clear. "Unfortunately, as horrible as it is to hear you talk, we still have something to resolve, so could you step aside while I finish this?" Her voice was authoritative. She again placed her hand at her side, but this time, from a discreet pocket, she pulled out an object that extended into a gun.
0.03's smile fades slightly. "Unfortunately, I can't let you do that," her eyes narrow, taking on a dangerous glint. "You know how it is, right?" Her smile widens, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "It's all in the name of knowledge," she says as she pulls something from a pocket in the back of her pants—a bug?
She tosses a small centipede onto the ground in front of us, and her eyes shine differently. The tiny insect begins to bubble and grow. I can't help but take a few steps back at the sight, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Caroline step back as well; she didn't even flinch with the other creatures.
The sound of an exoskeleton cracking and reforming fills my ears, the noises that once sounded like high-pitched squeaks transforming into sharp cries of pain. After a few seconds, the creature finally stops growing, reaching at least 6 meters in height. It appears to be a grotesque fusion of two distinct forms; it has a long, segmented body that starts with a part resembling a giant worm or larva, with pale skin covered in protrusions that look like eyes or tumors scattered along its length. This section of the body has various irregularities, as if coated in a viscous organic layer, and at its end, twisted claws and tentacles emerge, seemingly ready to grasp and destroy.
At the front, connected to this mass, there is a section that resembles a monstrous bat. This front part has long, thin legs that stretch forward; its head is deformed, with five large bulging eyes—three on the left side and one on the right—and a mouth full of sharp teeth. The body of this section is dark brown with irregular white spots, and its three wings—one on the left and two on the right—look atrophied or torn, adding to its grotesque appearance.
It seemed like a fusion of a bat and some insect; besides being completely bizarre, some of its tumors burst like bubbles, releasing a greenish gas, and even from a distance, a horrible stench akin to various rotting things in a sewer reaches us. Its body shakes and convulses while its many eyes dart in all directions.
"Now then," 0.03 circles the creature, her hands on her hips, "my three toys can start to play." Her eyes gleam dangerously, and the creature's gaze locks onto us both.