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-W..woah...- My jaw slowly fell open as I looked over the far edge of the wall to see an unfathomably massive structure. -Humans really did.. advance quite a bit, huh...-
It was a er thaallest of skyscrapers from my era, and it made for a view I simply couldn't have imagined before that moment. Such a mo of teology was on a scale you simply couldn't fathom without seeing it in person. -I thought I prepared myself for a sight like this, but actually seeing it is a little.. different...-
Slowly walking over to the inner edge of the wall, a powerful jet of air bsting up the wall tried to sweep me off my feet, but while it didn't make me budge, the sight swept me away.
Ihe t walls of the city id a dense ndscape of crete aal that grew in magnitude as it approached the massive railgun, seemingly at its ter, until the structures were nothing short of t gss mos.
But while a part of me said most of the pce felt like a lifeless crete pound, from atop the wall, it had a unique beauty I had never experienced before, a sight fn to me after seeing nothing but nature-den abandoned ruins and kingdoms for hundreds of years.
But there was one unusual thing that I didn't even find odd until after the awe from the view settled. -Where are the people?-
The streets, shops, and buildings below looked empty, as if the whole pce had been abandoned, but on the trary, there were tless arms bring, innumerable lights brightly lighting alleyways and the insides of buildings, and hardly any natural buildup on anything. -Did everyone just suddenly vanish? What's going on?-
Not giving it much more thought, I finally hopped off the wall, easily pierg through the dense wash of air before smming into the crete road that supported the metal rails *fwooOOOSH-CRACK*
Before I k, a cloud of crete blew up in my face, but by the time I could wave it away, the strong winds blowing dowreet took the dust up the wall. -Geez.. the winds are just as strong down here... Are the arms from the weather?- The wind was s someone could open an umbrel and fly away like Mary Poppins.
*crumble* But after deg not to give it much thought, I stepped out of the shattered crete surrounding my feet and slowly started making my way dowreet, looking into the closed shops and through the windows of well-lit buildings in hopes of finding someone.
But there was no o all.
The city felt simply abandoned.
Shops were full of food and products, and some buildings had freshly cooked food visible on tables through the gss, but not only could I not see anyone, I couldn't sense a single presence for as far as my senses could extend. -Just where did everyone go?-
tinuing up the wind-tunnel-like street with nothing but curiosity, I got ready to pick up the pace before notig a building that stood out.
Surrounded by several small but well-maintained gardens and a couple small trees, the building was mostly made of white marble and covered iailed engravings, with beautiful css filling each window and impeccably carved statues on dispy wherever they could fit.
But while I wondered what the pce was for, as I looked upward, I saw a symbol that I could somehow still reize.
It was some rendition of a cross. -Ah, is this pce a church? Looks like religion is still prevalent, huh...- I had holy fotten that things like religioed. -How long has it been since I've seen a pce of prayer?-
L my gaze toward the building's rge operance, I was beed by the sight of warm light emanating from behind the doorway, and without giving it much thought, started down the tral crete path through the church's courtyard. *FWOOOooosh-tap*
*Ding* "You are entering a protected area."
*tap* *tap* The moment I ehe noise of the wind and bring sirens almost entirely faded away, and I was greeted by the voice of the system before the incredible st of flowers, fruit, and fresh vegetables flooded my nostrils. -Woah...- It was like I had stepped into another world, and before I k, the sensation of nostalgia found its way into my mind.
But there were no memories to apany it. Unfortunately, those had long since faded into nothingness.
*tap* *tap* *tap* *tap* tinuing ihout breaking stride, I looked around curiously without a care. -So Earth's system has protected areas too... I wonder what they're growing...- Looking over the small gardens, I closely ied the pnts to try and reize them, but it was like pying trivia with blurry memories. -It all looks edible though...-
Pausing for a moment, I squatted dowo one of the more disardens before, out of the blue, a high-pitched voice made me jump out of my skin.
"That's my garden! Do you like it?"
-WHAT THE?!- Bloodlust instantly exploded from me. Nothing had been able to sneak up on me iuries, yet that being had no prese all.
But when I looked over, I was only to be met with the gaze of a cheerful young girl, who was seven ht years old at most, with bright blond hair and vibrant, forest-green eyes.
And while I had my doubts, when she finally noticed my gaze on her, she froze iracks and her cheeriness vanished.
-Huh?- She was really nothing more than a child with a presence so weak I couldn't feel it, but while my ook their time to ease, there was something about her that caught my attention... -She has pointy ears?- She wasn't a human. -She's an elf...-
But while her ears were long and pointy, her skin was warm and pink like a human's. -Just what are you...-
The moment I asked that to myself though, a discolored blue panel appeared over her head.
Merary Name: N/AStatus: Non-Hostile
Race: Half-ElfAge:
Level0 (Unawakened)Css- Non-batant -This being is protected by local authoritiesAlert: Abnormal Status will notify authorities
This being is in a protected area.Alert: Killing this entity will result in a penaltyBut I didn't have time to read it before the system's horrendously annoying voice filled my head.
*Beep* "Inferior System Hierarchy Detected. Do you wish to overwrite it? The Local System will not be alerted."
-Inferior System Hierarchy?- Quickly skimming the panel, I tilted my head before speaking softly. "Sure?"
*Ding!* The panel updated in an instant.
System Name: N/AName: Anais EquelStatus: Anxious
Race: Human/Elf (35/65)Age: 8 years
[Titles]<;
[Iances]<;
Level0 (Unawakened)CssApprentiunGold0Sponsors<;This being is protected by local authoritiesAlert: Death of entity will notify authoritiesThis being is in an area protected by a Local System AdminKilling this entity will alert the Overseeing AdministratorIory and Stats Privatized by Local System
Although the memory was a bit foggy, back when I still fought in worlds with se native inhabitants, there was something only referred to as a 'local system panel'. These panels were generally known to be simple info boxes that everyone ected to a server had, but could only be viewed by people whose System in was the server they were ected with. In other words, it was reserved for the natives of the world to view, allowing them to see the basiformation of anyone and anything ected to that specified server, whether it nt, monster, or fner with an assigned mission in their world.
However, it was teically possible for outsiders to acquire them by migrating from their inal system to the new worlds with the help of a god, known as an administrator. -If I remember right.. I think there was a way to wipe your system and do the migration yourself at the cost of everything you had as well, but I 't remember...-
Regardless, seeing one myself made for quite an odd experience. -Good lord, this would have been so helpful ba the day...- A vibrant memory instantly surfaced in my mind as I thought about it.
Back when I was a rookie, I got lost in a forest without any food, and without ah me, I had no idea what was and wasn't safe to eat.
Needless to say, I ate some very.. very bad things on that mission, but above them all were some dy-smelling mushrooms. -Blegh...- They were so bad I felt like I could still taste them 500 years ter. -But anyway.. I thought these panels were supposed to only dispy the most basic of information...-
Looking over the panel again, I could essentially see everything, down to the pertages of each ra a mixed blood. -If I remember right, what it dispyed was typically pretty vague too... Does each server have different dispy information on them?-
But before I could give that question much thought, I was dragged out of my thoughts by the young girl taking a cautious step back. *tap*
-Hmm...- "Little Miss, where is everyone?"
She almost immediately stopped iracks before averting her eyes. "Th-They were summoo the upper district!"
-The upper district?- I promptly tilted my head slightly. "Is that the name of a world?" -It doesn't ring a bell...-
"Huh?" Her anxious expression instantly washed with fusion. "What do you..."
-Is it the name of a p this city, then?- "How would I get to the upper district?"
She paused before speaking with some reluce. "Y-You would take that rail behind you..."
Looking back at the rail in the middle of the road, I goward the railgun. -So the upper district must be where I saw all those tall buildings...- "Alright." -So they were evacuated... Was it because of The Warden?-
Deg to iigate it, I quickly stood up and turoward the road.
But as I got ready to leave, I felt anaze nd on me and gnced back to see a shy beastfolk child with droopy rabbit ears curiously peeking at me through the doorway. -Looks like Earth is still naive when it es to protected areas, huh...- Hearing the whispers and shuffling of several other kids inside as the young rabbit boy shied away, I wao snicker. -Or maybe it's just that they trust their walls that much...-
Idly gng up the side of the t wall looming over us, the image of tless creatures big enough to make the ey look like a sand castle surfaced in my mind before I simply turned away. -But I guess y be a good thing too...-
*woosh* With a gentle wave over my shoulder, I finally started making my way out of the courtyard before speaking just loud enough for the kids io hear. "I'm not sure what kind of world this is now," -Especially sidering I saw an elf afolk before a human...- "But you should be more careful approag things you don't reize. Just because something looks friendly doesn't mean it is..." -That was a lesson your race taught me the hard way...-
*FWOOOM* Eventually stepping back out into the road, the winds relentlessly bsted over me, leavio look up the road toward the massive railgun peeking over the horizon, blotting out the bright m sun. -I still 't tell if I'm over or uimating humanity... Maybe they're used to things like The Warden.-
But while I wao believe that, as the image of them fruitlessly redug a forest to ash surfaced in my mind.. so did my doubts. "Haah..." Massaging the bay neck, I tried to let out some stress with a sigh, but it didn't help.
*Vwoom* Opening up the system, I looked at Earth's stats with a troubled expression.
World: "Earth"P Rank: Rank 6
Mission Type: N/A
Local Server: Uo ect - ected to tral Server
Popution: ~1,895,474,500Total Gold: 195,321Iory and GearUpgrades and Stats-Rank 6...- It was a rank I remembered almost nothing about, but it was a level siderably below where I would have rahe Warden. -I'd probably put The Warden around Rank 1 or 2... But if it was that high rank.. why was it here?-
Typically, monsters in a world were restricted by the p's rank, however, the more mohere were, the higher that rank would get, expoially increasing the number and strength of monsters over time. It was what led the tless worlds I saw throughout my missions to their ruiates. -But nothing should allow for a monster over four whole ranks above the po appear...-
As I thought back to when it appeared, the warnings my system gave me came to mind: the warnings that said the Local System was trying te me. But the more I thought about it, the less se made. "Haah..." -Whatever... Trying to think about it now won't do me any good anyway...-
But while I quickly turned up the road and got moving in an attempt to clear my head, the questions never left my mind.
At long st, I was ba Earth. It was the moment I had dreamed of for eons, but while I never wanted anything more than to rest, enjoying the gentle breeze, the melody of nature, and the warmth of the sun from the top of a mountain, the longer I let the questions weigh on my mind, the more my fusioed sparks, until eventually, a tiny, barely noticeable fme was lit in my chest.
Isoted in my mind, it was as if I was standing in a raging river, fighting to stay in pce, but as that tiny fme was lit, my attention was dragged toward it, the oh-so-faint glow at the end of the river.
And while I still ot expin why, at that moment, I questioned myself, 'Why was I fighting the current?'.
Upstream, in the dire I was fighting to stay near, was my past, my memories, logged onto the river banks over tless years like a catalog of my past, id in remembrance of the series of successes and failures that led me to where I was.
But at some point, they stopped, and the memories that were easily visible along the river had bee distant, so distant I could barely see them.
But while I wao ask myself why.. I already khe answer.
At some point, I stopped floating down the river. At some point, I stopped and fought the current. Without a desire.. or a light to keep me fag forward, I unknowingly turned around to face the desires of my past.
Without realizing it, I had started craving the times I had dreams, questions, and motivations, but I saw them nowhere ahead of me, so I turned around.
However, at that moment, the faint flicker of dlelight was finally visible downstream, and while it didn't immediately make me stop fighting the current, for the first time iuries, I began to drift, guided toward the flickering fme that had once died out.
The very same fme that would only tio grow as I unknowingly tossed it fuel.
The fme of curiosity.
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