"You're being kind of rude to your guest," a woman's voice resounded.
Luke raised his gaze and noticed that although the knife hit the intruder, it didn't harm her. The blade just passed through her ethereal body as if her presence was merely an illusion.
He quickly dropped the knife and leaped off his bed. Pressing himself against the wall, he pulled out the item he had hidden in his clothes.
It was an old pistol. And without hesitation, he pointed it at the woman.
This was the item he had taken from his parents' room earlier. He had come across it while rummaging through their belongings before and decided to bring it with him now because he suspected danger might come his way, especially because of the painting.
And he was indeed right.
"Oh, quite impulsive, aren't you? You're clearly someone who acts first and thinks later. It's exactly like the kind of person you'd expect to paint the Marionette City just a few days after awakening."
The lady, who had been ethereal before, now materialized into a corporeal form. She stood on the other side of the bed, near the window.
"Be careful, your glass window might shatter if you pull the trigger."
"That is, if you even know how to handle a gun," she added with a cheerful tone, her form shifting back to ethereal.
Luke kept his aim steady as the woman floated around the room. Although she was right as he had never held or used a gun before, his expression remained stern and serious. If only his heart wasn't beating fast, no one would know how terrified he truly was.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Luke asked in a deep, steady voice, his eyes closely following her movements.
He had never seen her before and suspected she might be some kind of monster. Yet, something about her felt different.
Though she possessed powers similar to the traveler ghosts, she seemed more human. He wondered if she could be a hybrid, a mix of monster and human, or perhaps a conscious being like himself, but one with extraordinary powers.
She had shoulder-length straight hair and black eyes, features common among most people. Her height of 165 cm was average, and her build was balanced, not too slim, not too heavy. She looked feminine and relaxed with her dressed in a loose fit white shirt and a black, knee-length skirt.
Despite her calm demeanor and smile, Luke noticed her tapping fingers against her leg. Though he couldn't discern the true meaning of the gesture, he subconsciously assumed it signaled impatience... perhaps impatient to harm him.
"Whatever you're thinking is far from the truth." she remarked. "In fact, I'm here to invite you to a gathering of all conscious humans."
Her gaze stopped at Luke's necklace. She paused briefly before continuing.
"Every awakener needs to be registered in the database. It's how we spread awareness and stop them from doing reckless things. More importantly, it's also a way to protect those who are still unconscious."
She turned toward the door. "If you want to learn more, follow me. We don't have much time."
With that, she passed through the door and vanished. Luke, on the other hand, remained still, her words echoing in his mind.
"Awakener..." Luke murmured the new term he had learned from the lady. He finally grasped the idea that she might not be a monster but someone he had been hoping would notice his painting.
Based from the lady's words, he was right in his earlier speculations. There were indeed others like him, people who had formed a hidden gathering somewhere. And the lady before him might be part of that group!
Although he found her suspicious and dangerous, Luke couldn't suppress his curiosity.
Ultimately, he followed his heart and set aside his overthinking. All he knew was that he had to find out more and inform his friend Rogan about this as well.
When he opened the door, the lady was waiting behind it, smiling. Her smirk suggested she had anticipated his decision to follow her.
Before she could speak, Luke informed, "I have a friend. He's also what you call awakener."
"Oh, him," the lady replied, her form turning transparent as she turned away. "Don't worry. His awakening was expected. After all, he was seen sneaking into the art room and staring at your painting."
Luke's gaze flickered in realization. The ones who had hidden his painting were like him. No. They were more like the lady, someone who possessed supernatural powers.
He also began to suspect that it might be possible to awaken others simply by showing them his painting. Perhaps even triggering someone's awareness of the true state of the world could work as well.
'This is what was exactly what had happened to Rogan,' Luke thought. 'What about me?'
Luke was also curious about how he had become an awakener. He never had someone who could inform him about strings. All he could remember was he suddenly came to this after he had a fever.
Suddenly, he recalled the man he had seen outside his house. The one who he caught staring at the streetlight.
'Is it possible that it was him. But how and why?' Luke wondered.
As the two reached the ground floor, Luke asked, "Why can't we tell others about the strings?"
He reasoned that since they had hidden his painting, they must not want the truth about the strings to be shared with others.
The lady didn't answer immediately. She simply walked, leading him through one alley after another.
Then, without warning, the lady sank into the ground and disappeared. Luke froze but before he could process what had happened, she rose back up in front of him.
She smiled calmly and finally replied, "Because it's dangerous."
Just as she finished speaking, the ground trembled. Suddenly, it cracked open, revealing a long staircase leading underground.
"Come. Don't make any noise, and stop asking questions."
As Luke watched the lady descend the stairs, he frowned and scanned the ground. It was miraculous, perhaps even a bit too advanced.
But with everything that had been happening around him, and all the strange things he had been bombarded with, he couldn't bring himself to feel awe.
All he could do was continue to follow her and remained cautious.
The stairs were long. As they descended, Luke could faintly hear the sound of water flowing and smell the unpleasant odor of sewage.
Yet, when they went further down, the sound and smell disappeared, replaced by the hum of machinery.
It wasn't until they reached the bottom of the stairs that Luke could clearly see his surroundings.
It was bright, completely different from the ground above. There were numerous buildings with long streets and roads stretching out in every direction.
Above, glowing crystals hung from the ceiling. Some were as large as boulders, while most were small, like stars in the night sky.
Below, cars moved along the streets, and people strolled on the sidewalk. He noticed that some of them had golden strings attached to their skin, yet their eyes were bright and full of emotion.
However, the majority of the people around had no strings at all. Their movements were mechanical, almost like humanoid machines.
'They are like Professor Thirty-Four...' Luke thought as he scanned their all-white eyes.
Despite the fear within him, Luke couldn't help but find the place fascinating. It was like an underground city, beautiful, organized, and clean.
He also noticed there were plenty of fruit trees and plants around. In the distance, he could even see plantations of corn and wheat. This was completely different from the heavily urbanized city above.
Seeing all of these, he had a strong urge to stroll around, but he knew he still had to follow the lady to understand her intentions.
After a long walk, the lady stopped at one of the large buildings and entered. Luke followed her inside, where he found a small gathering of people. The majority of them seemed to be in a daze, as if everything around them was completely new.
There, Luke saw his friend Rogan, who was talking to someone.
He also saw some familiar university students and neighbors around, but the majority were still unknown to Luke.
The lady then approached a man sitting on the corner. She took out a rectangular device and said, "I've completed my mission. Scan it."
The man didn't leave the lady waiting and immediately scanned the device. Once it emitted a hum, the lady turned to Luke and said,
"Go over there. They are also like you who have just recently awakened."
As Luke watched the lady leave, he heard Rogan shouting his name.
"Luke! Come sit here!"
Luke glanced at Rogan. Unlike his panicked voice on the phone earlier, Rogan didn't seem affected at all now. He even had time to make new friends.
"Hey, this is Luke, the one who painted the Marionette City!" Rogan introduced enthusiastically.
"Luke, this is Courtney. She's from the science department. She didn't see your painting, but she knows about it. Hehehe. Your painting's kind of famous, you know!?"
Courtney smiled shyly. "My friend from the art department was talking about it earlier. I've also been seeing the strings for the past few days, but I'm too scared and just acted like everything was normal. Thanks to your painting, I knew where to go and ended up meeting the people who took your painting."
Luke simply nodded, then sat next to Rogan.
Just as he sat down, the man who had been sitting in the corner earlier stood up. He moved to the front and said,
"Good evening. I'm Michael Miller, and I'll be facilitating the orientation for the newly awakeners."