01:05 : Archiving entering final stage. Data reading interrupted.
01:07 : Archiving completed. Resuming data reading...
...
One thing people often think about when they calm down from moments of panic and look back on them, is how different they acted. As for me, I realized how much I acted on autopilot yesterday. I almost never stopped to think about what happened after I got my plan. Even after that breakdown in the bathroom of the bunker, I just followed that script like a robot. Never pausing to rest or think about how absurd this all was almost makes me look like frankly indifferent sometimes. The soldiers and civilians deaths or their "transformation.", to the creatures that appeared.
But if I had stopped, I probably wouldn't have made it to the bunker. The disaster would have crushed me without even wounding me physically. The subconscious fear of this happening was what kept me running, I think.
One pleasant surprise was to find my phone still in my pocket : with how hectic everything was yesterday, the second I thought about it, I feared it fell off my pocket in the rush. Fortunately, it was there and perfectly functioning. Survivors had discussed on the town's emergency network system chat : for some other reason, almost all other electronic systems broke down soon after the incident began.
I didn't know that talking to people could feel this good. Even if it was only text on a screen, seeing some human activity gave me a very important boost of morale and optimism. I really needed to know, feel that I wasn't the sole survivor. Putting what I felt in words also helped me think.
"You don't know how glad I am to know other people are alive !" was my first message sent to the emergency network's chat.
"Same for me, man." answered a new text.
" You made it to the bunker n°2 !?"
"Yeah, it was wild. I figured down here would be safer, and got lucky."
I didn't eat anything until now. My appetite was cut due to the recent events (nothing would have stayed inside my stomach), but I went to grab myself some canned food from the bunker's food storage. My mental health was no longer an issue, the hot food and recent news certainly helping. That, and the information the mayor was about to disclose. In a nearby school yesterday, there was a science fair. I felt bad for the staff of the event that came from far to get caught up in this situation.
'What a bad surprise for them, really. From what I've heard yesterday, it was going pretty well, too.' However, it gave us a chance : while some of the staff died, most survived and managed to get us some precious information. Finally, I could know more.
My phone notified me that messages could no longer be sent. A video then soon appeared on the network's chat. A woman in her forties, the mayor, began her speech.
"Citizens of Shinjuku, please hear me out. Our city is facing a disaster of unprecedented gravity. Already no more than 102 humans remain in this city. Many of you must be grieving, crying for what or who you have lost. However, I dare to make this request of you : please keep doing your best. As a mayor, it is my duty and heartfelt desire to save as much people as possible." The mayor bowed.
I didn't know about the mayor that well, but it was clear she didn't sleep much. The bags under her eyes were obvious. Just like many others, she must have been doing her best to save what still could be saved.
"I am sure you all know that due to the abrupt nature of the disaster, a team of scientists were organizing a science fair yesterday. While some of them perished, the majority survived and worked hard in order to give precious intel. I will give the floor to Mr. Chike, the head of the scientist team." The camera then rotated to the left. The screen now showed a man in a white blouse behind another screen.
"Hello everyone, my name is Lencho Chike. I will now present our findings." That sure was short. Words appeared on the screen as he waved his hand towards it.
"First, the root of the disaster is an energy that appeared massively in the town, with no real epicenter. We still do not know why or how it is here, however. This energy is lethal to most humans." Images shifted to human bodies coursed by purple lines, and zombies. "The purple lines seen on a human body are signs that the energy is in your body, infecting you. Once they cover a large part of your body, you either die or undergo a transformation into a moving corpse, or a white creature.
Another motion of his hand brough up the photos of the creatures I saw the army fighting against. I shivered and leaned in.
"Third, depending on the energy concentration in one place, these creatures can spawn spontaneously, without being the product of a human's death. They are silicon-based lifeforms, contrary to the carbon-based life of this planet. Furthermore, outdated weaponry barely scratches them. While today's weapons can easily take care of such creatures, Shinjuku very regrettably didn't possess them. But even if we did, the situation wouldn't have changed much. In the end, what caused the most deaths was the energy infection.
And this brings us to the fourth point : adaptability. The reason why some people are still alive is because those people are able to handle this special energy better than normal. Their bodies can hold it without as much damage as the majority. However, all the survivors aren't out of danger yet. Since we are still in a town filled with this energy, people with the least level of adaptability will die in the not so far future. I heard someone made it to a bunker. Unfortunately, the bunkers aren't designed to protect from this mysterious energy : there is no hiding from it underground."
I winced. I did expect it, but it was still unpleasant to hear. There was still some good reason to seek shelter from the hell up there, but that energy was still a danger. Sh*t.
"As for those with the highest adaptability, you have either no lines or very small ones. That means you are probably safe from the infection danger." Oh, some neat piece of info here. So, I was probably safe from the infection. Still, I had to take the results with a grain of salt. It wasn't confirmed yet, after all.
...
The bunker I was in had a meeting room. Its purpose was to organize reunions, to maintain orders in crisis. I watched the conference there. The chat began buzzing as I set down my phone on the table.
'Basically, staying in the bunker for now is the safest solution. Due to most systems being unusable, knowing the situation outside is almost impossible unless you go there yourself : trying to get out of town would be highly dangerous, or just outright suicide. Since there are no weapons capable of measuring to these beasts in our possession anymore, waiting for the government to come is the wise thing to do.'
But...
"We don't have that much food with us ! When will the army come !?"
"Why did Shinjuku not have the latest weaponry ? This mess wouldn't be so bad if you weren't such a bad mayor !"
"My father has a lot of purple lines on his body already ! It's possible to do something about it, right !?"
The messages from people who needed help were numerous. Not everyone was in a stable situation, help was needed immediately in some places.
"...I can't help you." I averted my eyes as if this sight was burning me. Despite the fact that no one could hear me, I still voiced those words. I knew I was right, yet not being able to do anything still felt painful.
Other people were suffering while I was here, safe in the bunker, and it just-!
'Enough. I don't have the leeway to care about anyone other than myself. I have to survive, there's no way I'm dying here !' Greeting my teeth, I locked my phone and left the room.
'Why is this happening ? Why did it come to this ? I need and will have the answers to these questions.'
"I am not dying here."
...
...
...
*Gasp*
I opened my eyes and saw the roof of my room. Beads of sweat cascaded from my face as my breathing began to calm down. The morning sun shone in the bedroom through the window.
'Again, it happened.' I touched my chest, feeling the familiar beat of my heart and the small vibrations from my other 'heart'. Despite knowing this to be clearly unnatural for a human, this gesture already a little less than a decade old never failed to calm me down.
"Another dream..." I lied to myself, trying to ignore the growing certainty that these were more than just products of my imagination as I got out of bed. Shaking my head to shoo these thoughts away, I began my day.
...
If anyone was watching him right now, they would probably get a sense of dissonance at seeing the boy go around the house. Not because he was doing a poor job at taking care of himself or the small house : everything was orderly, did not have a weird smell, and the boy himself was energetic and looked in good health, which was a fortune in these lands.
Yes, boy. He looked barely anything more than 13 years old after all. Seeing him act and most probably think like a grown-up in certain matters was bound to make one feel weird and somewhat saddened. People shouldn't have to mature so quickly, even only partially.
'That's about it, I guess.' Nodding to himself, he finished the morning cleaning and then went to prepare himself breakfast. Breakfast at home was one of the few moments he could relax and act like a hungry kid in front of some good food : devouring the eggs and pancakes with a happy face.
'This is one of the last but it tastes so good ! I need to find more as soon as possible.' Indeed, having pancakes and eggs for breakfast was somewhat of a luxury in the torn Siberia of today. Despite that, this dish was too good for the boy to stop searching for new sources of it, pricey they might be.
Lux had what it took to gain money after all.
...
House cleaning, check.
Breakfast, check.
Clothing, check.
Equipment and backpack, check.
"Alright, time to head out." concluded Lux. However, he didn't move to unlock the front door as one would think. He only closed his eyes and...
...vanished. One second, he was there and the next, no one was in the house. He reappeared inside of a space filled with a sand like floor, and some randomly thrown builds : it was like someone half-made a theater, and apartment building and other things from some odd purple material and threw them inside of here. Some were even floating. None of this made any sense, it was like the boy just stepped into a realm far from reality.
His steps were firm, however. He had a destination in mind, and it was obviously not his first time here. After having walked a bit, he closed his eyes and vanished from this place. The odd space retrieved its former clam, as if Lux's short time here had not even existed.
Inside of a small back alley, the air seemed to twist and bend as if someone playing with the fabric of the world. Less than a second after, the phenomena stopped as Lux materialized in the alley. Unnoticed by anyone, the boy reaffirmed the position of his backpack and walked out of the alley, inside of the town.
...
...
...
Some days later
"Hey, old man." Lux spoke out to a man beside the wooden board as he motioned to a poster on it. "Is this real ?"
"You little brat, I'm just over forty. And yes, this is real." Said man huffed and reluctantly answered.
They were inside of a restaurant. The man and Lux were separated by a counter as they talked. The reason ? An offer for a contract that looked way too good to be true. Except, the source of this contract seemed to actually come from one of the most trustworthy sources in Siberia, which was saying a lot nowadays. Lux gave the offer another look. Something about a missing little girl and her father, both with silver haired and blue eyes. The reward for something as small as accurate information on their whereabouts was absurd.
'But with this much, maybe I could realize my dream...' The dream wasn't something big : leave this snow hellhole and try a true life somewhere else. That was the dream of many, but few actually achieved it. However, with how much Lux saved up and the reward for this contract, he would be confident he could make it. Ten years of preparation were spent on this, after all.
He had to be prudent though. Sweet deals like this were dangerous : the girl or her father had to be linked to something bigger than themselves. Or they were something bigger themselves. 'But if I just need to report their position, this job might be for me. As long as it comes to running away, I'm sure I can pull my weight.'
His decision made, the boy threw a few rubbles on the counter. "I want all the info about that contract. Here's the pay."
The man didn't waste any time as he received the money. Grinning, he said "Deal. A pleasure to do business with you, Golden Ghost."
Lux internally groaned. 'I really need to get rid of that nickname. It sucks.'
'Golden Ghost'. A nickname he gained over the years due to his various feats, the rumors around him, and the elusive way he came and went. The 'Golden' part came from his weapons : almost all of them were more or less gold-colored and people seeing him using them began to call him that. The 'Ghost' part however, had a more profound reason for existing : up until this day, no one had ever managed to deduce what he used as a means of transport.
Just your legs weren't enough with the frigid temperature of Russia. Each time he left a place or supposedly went back home, it was as if he disappeared and reappeared somewhere unseen. Experts at tracking people and hunters had given up : there was just no way to catch him. That got him the name 'Ghost'. Well, there was actually a small group of prime hunters that claimed having found his hideout 3 years ago. They then immediately departed after that, proudly declaring they were going to end the Ghost.
No one ever saw them again. And so, people learned to mind their business a bit more.
...
Lux reappeared inside his home as the sun began to set, coloring the sky with beautiful rays. After checking everything was in order within the house, he ate his dinner, ruminating about the info he got. Namely, not much : the father was an experienced fighter, and the girl a complete novice. She would have participated in some simple Honkai Beasts hunts with her dad, maybe he taught her some fighting skills, but no real experience against people, probably.
*Sigh* That really wasn't much to go on. The fact that this info was only probably accurate, even though it was a request from some bigshot, didn't smell good. And Lux knew better than to underestimate people, even if they were only children.
He shuddered as the memory of the silver-haired sniper shot through his mind and put his hand on the scar at the top of his shoulder. Never underestimate anyone, the phantom pain seemed to say.
...
...
...
A woman walked inside the corridor. Despite it being usually filled with different employees talking, or doing their jobs the corridor filled with entrances was eerily silent. Considering who these walls were having the "honor" of hosting, it was not surprising.
Ragna Lothbrok, A-rank Valkyrie of Shicksal and Captain of the Assault Squad reached the door she was searching for. Bracing herself, she opened it.
"We were just waiting for you." A smiling blond man stood in front of a hologram detailing the mission, facing the other members of her squad in the room. She quickly took a seat, greeting with a few stares her squad mates. "Now...
"...I will explain your operation this time : The Assault Squad is to sortie in Siberia, where you will capture the stolen test subject K-423." Declared the Overseer as he wore his famous smirk.
Author's note:
And done ! That is all for the second chapter. At first, I wanted to separate this into two chapters, but I decided to make bigger ones from now on. And yes, this is the past of our dear Lux-kun.
One thing that I never understood with other fanfiction authors is how little their works touched on the backstory of Kiana and other characters. Stories where they actually consider what could happen/change before St Freya seriously and make something good out of the blank that is Kiana's backstory(seriously, years of almost nothing special happening), or in the childhood of other pretty important characters are not that many. Never understood why, so here I am. Oh and this is not a flashback, the story is beginning from here. The Prologue was set later, but it was just an introduction :).
As usual, if you've liked drop a fav/comment, see you later and thanks for reading !