"You must leave this place before you become a part of it..."
Those words were surprising enough, but the old man didn’t stop there.
"...you who came from the other world."
I stood before the old man calmly, raising an eyebrow while feigning ignorance.
"The other world? What do you mean?"
He lifted his head slightly, smoke drifting from his mouth indifferently.
"Stop pretending to be ignorant, boy. There are no living humans in this world."
No living humans in this world? Then what about them?
"What does that mean?"
The old man simply shrugged.
"As I said, everyone died long ago... those who survived are the ones who escaped to the other world."
He raised his free hand and ran it across his face, letting out a long sigh.
"How foolish we were back then."
His voice was filled with bitterness and pain.
He looked at me and continued,
"Maybe if we had escaped back then, the people of this city could have lived normal lives and had grandchildren like you."
It seemed he had already fixed the idea that I was from the other world in his mind, so I decided to go along with it.
"I don’t understand. Aren’t you humans too? Then why are there no people elsewhere?"
The old man, Elias, stared at me calmly, his deep, aged voice echoing through the space around us.
"You won’t understand, because you didn’t live in that time... you didn’t see how the earth was dyed in blood... you didn’t see how the valleys and wells were tainted red, and you didn’t see what happened after the others fled and left us behind."
I asked unconsciously,
"What happened?"
I thought I would get an answer this time, unlike with Arthania, but in the end, I was disappointed again.
"I don’t remember."
The old man raised his hand to his chest.
"But I remember the feeling... that deep feeling of fear... no, it went beyond fear and became something else."
I frowned unconsciously.
"But you’re still alive."
He laughed.
The old man’s deep laughter filled the place, echoing through the stone walls.
"Hahaha... hahahaha... alive."
"Do you really think we’re alive?"
I frowned even more, a sense of unease beginning to rise within me, but the old man continued without pause.
"Do you think it’s possible for tens of thousands of ordinary humans to simply stop growing like this, and live peacefully inside this maze... even the monsters don’t approach this place, as if they fear something."
He looked upward.
"Perhaps the thing that kept us alive when the catastrophe descended upon us... but all that remains alive are these bodies."
He raised his hand and tapped the side of his head with his finger.
"As for the real humans, they disappeared long ago."
His voice... I don’t know... perhaps sad.
He lowered his hand again and took a deep drag from the pipe in his hand.
"I assume you’ve met many of the residents before me, and you don’t seem stupid enough not to notice what’s wrong with them."
I looked at him calmly... well, I was trying to stay calm and rational as much as possible, suppressing that sense of danger.
"They all seem like the same person... except for you and Arthania."
He nodded.
"Yes, you’re not wrong... and don’t listen to what that girl says. Her mind is still living in the illusion of the past and refuses to accept this reality."
I still didn’t fully understand what this old man was getting at.
"So, if you don’t want you and your companions to become part of this place, leave as soon as possible... who knows, you might find a way back to the other side."
I tilted my head.
"You seem certain that we’re from the other world."
The old man released a cloud of smoke from his mouth.
"You could say that... so, boy, tell me."
His gray eyes met mine, shining with a bit of life.
"Tell me... what is the other world like?"
His tone was filled with curiosity and longing.
After thinking for a moment, I realized there was no point in pretending ignorance anymore.
So I opened my mouth, and the words began to come out one after another.
"The humans have become strong..."
...
After I stopped denying it, since there was no benefit in doing so, I gave the old man a brief summary of the current state of humanity in the world of Aetheron.
With every sentence I spoke, his expressions kept changing, revealing many emotions.
It didn’t take long for me to finish. After that, he dismissed me and fell silent, and I found myself returning along the same path we had taken, back to Arthania’s house.
Making sure to avoid encountering anyone from the city using my perception.
Along the way, the old man’s words kept repeating in my head without stop.
"Leave before you become a part of this place."
I wasn’t stupid. I had known from the beginning that something was wrong with this city... but even so, coming here had proven to be the right decision.
Even if that information about the ruins was just something the old man had heard, it was still a thread for me and the others to hold onto.
Time passed until I arrived in front of Arthania’s house, which was empty, indicating that the others hadn’t returned yet.
I turned my head and looked at the city... searching for them there would be difficult.
So I decided to go inside and wait. Fortunately, the door was open.
Not that I couldn’t enter even if it was closed.
Anyway, I walked into the empty house, then went up to the same room we had slept in before.
There, I sat on the bed, and since I had nothing else to do, I took out a essence stone from my ring and began absorbing it.
With every drop of essence flowing into my body, I felt that invisible wall cracking further.
I was close... very close.
So close that I could see the next rank right in front of me.
...
In the center of the city, a building of white stone stood tall. But unlike the other buildings, this one was much larger and surrounded by small gardens and plants.
This was the main hall of the city, where all major occasions were held... whether good or bad.
And today was a happy occasion... welcoming the first humans to set foot in this place in hundreds of years.
Inside the vast hall, long tables filled the space, loaded with various foods... even if they weren’t as diverse as the feasts nobles were used to, it was still decent in the end.
At the same time, the place was filled with many residents of Asfaria... but unlike the people they had met outside, these were Awakened.
And strong ones at that.
There, at one end of the hall and behind a table filled with dishes, six people sat.
Arthania, speaking proudly with one of them... perhaps about this surprise they had prepared, and the others whose strange expressions couldn’t be read.
In front of the table stood the woman they had met in the field, along with the man beside her, both wearing proud smiles.
"We hope this simple reception has pleased our honored guests."
The beautiful woman spoke, while Ellen put on her best smile... the one she used at political events and banquets.
"We are grateful for your generosity, but you didn’t have to go this far."
The man insisted,
"No, this is the least we could do..."
"After all, you will become a part of us."