Tap... Noah was awoken by a familiar tap, turning his neck around. He peered his gaze around the massive room; only a few children were left. Mina had already been taken to her room. Gazing at him was a figure dressed in white garments and a white face mask. He spoke in his familiar rough voice. "Get up, we're leaving."
Noah sluggishly complied, his body still crying out in agony. His garments clung tightly to his skin, soaked with cold, smelly sweat, his feet swollen from the intense stress. He stared at the figure through bloodshot eyes before trudging forward.
Creak...
The iron black door creaked open. They walked slowly through the lightless hallway. Noah winced in pain with every step he took; he had never been in so much pain in his life. He coughed occasionally, his lungs still recovering.
"Fool." A hoarse voice in front of him resounded.
Noah glanced in disbelief, "He is reprimanding me," Noah muttered inwardly.
The figure continued speaking in his usual cold tone, "Why did you help that girl? This environment doesn't favour the weak. You barely escaped death today. Attempting to save a weakling is the ideal of a fool. With that kind of mentality, you will fall to your doom along with those you wish to save."
Noah was silent; he wanted to retort. However, even he could discern the truth in what the figure said. If he hadn't helped Mina, he wouldn't have been inches away from death. Silence swept through the hallway once more as they both arrived at Noah's room.
Creak
He stepped into the darkness of his room. Click his door shut behind him.Clunk! The artificial white light snapped on, illuminating the cold room. Noah stood motionless, his eyes staring blankly. Screams mixed with the stench of blood replayed rapidly in his head. His stomach stirred uncontrollably, unable to shake off the overwhelming disgust.
Retch!
The silence was broken by the unsettling splat of liquid, the violent sound echoing off the walls of the sterile room as Noah hunched over, panting heavily. He coughed loudly, slumping to the floor.
"This is wrong, they were humans too," Noah muttered.
"I need to be stronger, strong enough to do more," he murmured.
He staggered towards his bathroom and began washing up. He felt the coldness of the water biting against his flesh; it seeped into the wound underneath his feet, causing him to wince in pain.
After his shower, he slumped onto his bed and drifted into sleep. Several hours later, he awoke to the coldness of his room. White light blanketed the space, reinforcing the coldness and silence that filled the room.
Noah gazed at the iron black door; the vomit that he had unceremoniously left behind had been cleaned up. A plate of food was placed on the reading table.
"It seems that someone entered while I was asleep. Is it possible to exploit this as a means to escape?" Noah caressed his chin as he pondered.
He rose from his bed, only to grimace; the pain was still there. His face contorted with each step he took. The pain was strong, but he hadn't had anything to eat since he arrived in this world, and he had purged what little food he had left, making him very hungry.
He staggered towards his reading table and sank into it, letting out a sigh of relief. Noah glanced at the food that lay in front of him. "Food, huh? I wouldn't call this food," Noah sighed in disappointment.
The "food" in question were four greyish-white bars of something. Noah had no idea what it was. Beside the "food" stood a clear glass of water. "It's a shame it isn't poisoned," Noah muttered playfully as he took a sip.
He nibbled on the dry and bland ration bars, occasionally taking a sip of water. I am a picky eater, but this isn't the time to be worrying about my favourite food, Noah mused.
Noah finished his food, then stood up gently. He began stretching his sore muscles, slowly trying to ease his pain a little. He puffed out air from his lungs, his eyes as clear as the sea. He sat on the floor, assuming a meditative posture.
He snapped his eyes shut and cleared his mind of distractions, leveraging his senses and his sensitivity to ki. The ki pathways he had unlocked outlined themselves.
The familiar warmth that coursed through his veins and pulsed in his chest rang out.
White and pure tendrils extended from his palm to his chest, where a miniature white star pulsated. "I should attempt to connect the upper ki centers first, then move downward. That should facilitate the process," Noah murmured.
He closed his eyes tighter, and then he felt the presence of a spherical blob of light between the cerebral hemispheres of his brain. Below this radiance was another ball of light in his neck region; it expanded and contracted rapidly.
He felt the spherical ball in his head beat, and he began tracing the flow from his head to the jugular vessels. The process was painfully slow, the tendrils often retracted due to the pressure exerted by the center in his neck.
"No luck," Noah mused.
At this rate, it will take years to complete this. There has to be an easier way. He pondered before giving up.
Clunk! The lights suddenly turned off, shrouding the room once again in darkness.
Noah's spine tingled slightly, still burdened by the fear of darkness. He staggered up and moved towards his bed quickly. He sank into his bed, trembling under the shade.
The room exuded a cold and eerie aura that made Noah shudder. He wrapped his arms around himself, seeking some warmth.
"Mom, I hope you're doing alright," he quietly muttered. His eyes slowly snapped shut, and he drifted into slumber. Faint yet warm memories flashed through his mind, scenes of him and his mother.
Tap... Tap
An aggressive tap wrenched him from his peaceful slumber. A familiar hoarse voice echoed throughout the nearly vacant room. "Get up."
A shadowy figure clad in white garments and a white face mask stood in front of him.
Noah smiled softly as he got up to his feet. "A guy can't even get a good night's sleep here," he soliloquised.
The figure moved slowly towards the iron black door and turned the knob.
Creak!
The door slid open, revealing the lightless hallway. Noah followed the figure closely as they both exited his prison, both warden and prisoner wandering through the suffocating darkness of the hallway.
"Doesn't this seem monotonous?" Noah casually questioned the figure.
The figure stopped moving, then turned his head to look at Noah.
He scoffed, then spoke in his usual manner. "I am surprised you can still make jokes in your condition; you are resilient."
"A compliment? This is a first," Noah replied, maintaining his casual demeanour.
The figure kept silent for a brief moment before adding, "Let's see how long you will be able to keep it up."
So that's their plan. They intend to beat us into obedience before indoctrinating us. At the same time, weeding out those with weaker wills and physical endurance.
The information he gleaned from this conversation aligned with his speculations. However, his indulging me in this means that he is confident that knowing this won't change the outcome.
They arrived at a staircase and began climbing upwards. Argh! Noah winced internally; the pain was getting worse with each step; the wound on his feet hadn't healed. If they were to do the same exam again, he wouldn't survive it.
They finally arrived at the top floor. A black door that blended seamlessly with the darkness stood in front of him.
He gulped down his saliva and puffed out air, placing his palm on the door.Creak! He pushed the door open, revealing a room filled with a sea of artificial light. The white room was massive no special markings or anything, just a ordinary white room.
Argh! Noah squinted his eyes, then walked into the room.
Covering his eyes with his palms, "Déjà vu much," he remarked with a frustrated tone. He eyes scanned the room, catching glimpses of a gloomy faces, the atmosphere was even duller than the last time.
"Great they brought us together to finish the job." Noah murmured silently.
"Why are you talking to yourself." A voice rang out from behind him.
Noah turned his head rapidly, his heart racing faster than ever. The sound of a soft giggle suddenly became audible.
In front of him stood, a girl with emerald eyes and gold hair cascading down her neck. She beamed smile at him, it was warm and soothing.
How does she keep on sneaking up on me!. Noah furrowed his brows in irritation
"Ah, if it isn't our resident trouble maker, Miss Mina." He greeted playfully.
She giggled lightly then retorted. "Glad to see you too, Noah."