After taking that step, the one that would forever alter the course of his life, Null felt an eerie calm settle over him. Selene came closer, her gaze unwavering, and without warning, she lifted him effortlessly as if he weighed nothing at all. Null's breath hitched in his throat as she leaped from the cliff, the world around him becoming a blur of rushing wind and distant horizons.
His mind raced with a thousand questions, but all of them seemed to vanish when he glanced at Selene. For the first time in his life, he was this close to someone, let alone a woman. As they soared through the air, he couldn't help but notice how striking she was—her face , almost ethereal, and her hair flowed like strands in the wind. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, her beauty beyond anything he'd ever seen. It mesmerized him.
He stared at her, captivated by her presence, forgetting for a moment the strange situation they were in. Selene, seemingly aware of his gaze, broke the silence. "What are you staring at?" Her voice was steady but carried a hint of amusement, as though this wasn't the first time she'd caught someone in awe of her.
Null blinked, caught off guard by the question. He opened his mouth but no words came out. What could he say? He was hanging in the air, in the arms of a woman who had just saved his life and defeated a monster with ease. It was too much to process. Instead of responding, he turned his gaze downward, avoiding her eyes, as they continued their descent.
They floated gracefully through the sky, descending slowly until their feet touched the ground. The moment they landed, Selene released Null and began walking without a word. Her movements were deliberate, each step confident yet carrying an air of quiet resolve. Null, unsure of what else to do, simply followed. The silence between them stretched on, heavy with unspoken thoughts.
After a while, the stillness became unbearable for Null, and he finally broke it. "Are there... more people like you? Like, powerful?"
Selene didn't stop walking, but her expression shifted subtly. "Of course," she replied, her voice soft yet firm. There was a brief pause before she added, almost as an afterthought, "And some... far more powerful than me." As she said this, her face grew distant, her gaze clouded by something that Null couldn't quite place—regret, sadness, or maybe something deeper.
Null was taken aback. More powerful? It was hard to believe, considering how effortlessly Selene had dealt with the wolf-like creature that had nearly killed him. But what struck him more was the sorrow in her eyes as she said those words. It felt like there was a story behind that sadness, a weight she carried with her.
He wanted to ask—wanted to understand what could make someone like her, someone so capable, feel such a way. But the words got caught in his throat, and he couldn't bring himself to pry. Instead, he stayed silent, matching her pace, as the weight of her unspoken pain settled over them both.
The night air was cool, and the moon hung high above them, casting a silver glow over the forest as Null and Selene continued their silent trek. The soft crunch of leaves underfoot and the occasional rustle of the trees were the only sounds accompanying them. Null's mind raced with questions, unable to let go of what had just happened. His curiosity got the better of him.
"What was that creature?" he asked, breaking the silence. "And... are there more like it?"
He continued with more questions, his thoughts tumbling out as he tried to make sense of the strange new world he found himself in. But each time, Selene only gave him the same answer, her voice steady yet firm. "You're not ready to know yet."
Frustrated but unwilling to push further, Null fell silent again. The stillness between them returned, heavier this time, as though Selene was keeping secrets that she wasn't willing to share. They walked deeper into the forest until they reached a clearing where a vast lake lay ahead, its surface reflecting the moonlight like a sheet of glass.
Without warning, Selene turned to him once more and lifted him effortlessly. Before he could react, she dove into the lake, pulling him along. Instinctively, Null closed his eyes, expecting the cold embrace of water to surround him. But to his surprise, he felt no water at all. His breath didn't catch, and the sensation of being submerged never came.
When he opened his eyes, he saw a shimmering, translucent barrier around them, protecting them from the lake's depths. It was as if they were walking inside a bubble, the water swirling around them but never touching. Selene led them down, deeper and deeper, until the surface of the lake was far above, and they reached the bottom. The world below the water was quiet and eerie, and Null couldn't help but feel a strange awe at the sight.
"What… is this?" Null whispered, his voice barely audible, though he wasn't sure if he was speaking to Selene or to himself.
Selene said nothing, her face unreadable as she guided him toward something hidden within the lake's depths.
As they reached the bottom of the lake, the dim light from above barely penetrated the water, but a faint glow from the barrier around them illuminated the surroundings. Selene remained silent, her expression calm and focused. Null, still mesmerized by the strange environment, stared at her, waiting for some explanation.
After a long moment, Selene finally spoke. "This is one of the devices created by our research team," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "It was designed to protect us in situations like this, where we need to go beyond normal human limits."
Null looked around, taking in the shimmering barrier surrounding them. He frowned, confusion clear in his eyes. "But... you didn't do anything. It just happened by itself."
Selene gave him a small, almost amused smile. "I don't have to do anything physically," she explained. "I just need to think about it, and the device activates. It's linked to my thoughts."
Null was taken aback by her response. He'd heard of advanced technology, but nothing like this. The idea that someone could control such a powerful tool with just their mind was beyond anything he'd ever imagined.
"Is that… how everything works for you?" he asked, still trying to grasp the enormity of what she was saying.
"Not everything," Selene replied, her gaze shifting slightly, as though she was considering how much to reveal. "But many of the things we use are designed to be controlled mentally. It allows us to focus on the task at hand without needing to rely on physical actions."
Null nodded, still trying to process everything. The world Selene came from seemed so far beyond anything he'd known, yet here he was, being pulled deeper into it with every step. There was so much he didn't understand, but one thing was clear—this woman, and the world she was part of, were far more advanced than anything on the surface. He could only wonder what else awaited him in this strange new life.
As they reached the bottom of the lake, the stillness around them felt thick, almost suffocating. Selene grabbed Null once again, holding him close as they stood there for a few moments. She didn't say a word, but something about her focus told Null that she was communicating—just not in a way he could understand. Her lips didn't move, but her gaze was sharp, as if she was engaged in a silent conversation with someone far away.
Seconds later, the ground beneath them began to ripple. The very bottom of the lake shimmered, the water distorting in strange patterns, and then the entire floor became a swirling portal. Before Null could even process what was happening, everything around him dissolved into light. For a brief moment, he couldn't see anything—his vision completely swallowed by the glowing vortex.
When the light finally faded, Null blinked, his senses slowly returning. He found himself standing in an entirely different place. The air felt dense, charged with a strange energy, and the space around him was vast, unfamiliar. He quickly realized they were no longer at the bottom of the lake.
As his vision cleared, he noticed they were surrounded by several people, all wearing identical uniforms. Their stances were aggressive, weapons drawn, ready for a fight. The tension in the air was palpable, and Null instinctively took a step back, unsure of what was about to happen.
But before anything escalated, Selene simply turned her head and gave them a piercing stare. Without a single word, the group immediately relaxed, lowering their weapons and stepping back, giving them space. It was as if her presence alone was enough to command their respect, or perhaps even fear.
Null, still processing what had just happened, glanced at Selene. She stood tall, her expression calm but authoritative, as if this was all routine for her. He, on the other hand, was completely disoriented, his heart racing from the sudden shift in reality.
"Where are we?" Null asked, his voice barely a whisper, but Selene didn't answer right away. Instead, she began walking forward, motioning for him to follow. As they moved deeper into this new place, the group of uniformed fighters watched them closely, but none dared to approach.
Null could feel the weight of their eyes on him, but all he could focus on was the overwhelming realization that he had just stepped into a world he knew nothing about—a world where Selene seemed to hold a power he was only beginning to glimpse.
As they walked deeper into this strange new place, Null couldn't help but feel a gnawing sense of disorientation. He still hadn't fully processed how they had just traveled from the bottom of a lake to a place that felt completely alien to him. The tension from the uniformed fighters still lingered in the back of his mind, but there was something more pressing he needed to understand.
He quickened his pace to walk beside Selene. "Just... tell me," he said, his voice laced with frustration. "How deep are we from Earth's surface?"
Selene didn't stop walking but glanced at him from the corner of her eye. After a moment, she sighed, as though preparing to finally give him some answers.
Selene looked at Null and replied calmly, "We're 15 miles below the Earth's surface."
Null's eyes widened. "Fifteen miles? That deep? And there's an entire civilization down here?"
Selene nodded. "Yes, everything you'd expect above—tall buildings, streets, even markets. It's all here, hidden beneath the surface."
Null shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around it. "How... how does it stay hidden from the world above?"
Selene's gaze softened, but her tone remained steady. "Because we've kept it that way. Our existence and this place—it's part of the protection. The surface world isn't ready to know what's down here, or what we defend them from."
Null fell silent, the weight of her words sinking in. This wasn't just a hidden base—it was an entire world that had existed in secrecy for generations. The enormity of it all made him realize that whatever he thought he knew about reality was only a fraction of the truth.