Chapter 13 - Eclecia [3]
Noah Heavenfall.
The main character of the story. The hero.
Like many stories, Noah will face numerous trials, encounter adversaries, yet move forward toward a better tomorrow.
In a world where the enemies are vastly superior in every way compared to humans, sacrifices had to be made.
A story that isn't lighthearted in the slightest.
Because of that, Noah, who lost everything from the beginning, was never an expressive person to begin with.
He was stoic, awkward, and one who wished to end all suffering—even if it meant he would perish in the end to save everyone.
…But what if things were different? What if fate took an alternate turn influenced by an outsider?
No matter how insignificant it may seem, a chain of events will occur, triggering the infamous butterfly effect.
From their first meeting to being stranded together in another dimension, many things have changed in a short amount of time.
Noah, who always felt alone and shouldered a heavy burden, met someone he could depend on.
A single nudge was all it took to completely change Noah's personality, who always seemed so refined—
—Had his stomach grumble due to hunger.
—Groowl…
'…Hungry.'
Noah opened his eyes and woke up from a dream.
'When was the last time I ate a proper meal?'
Ever since Noah and Kuro were transported to Aleph, he had lost track of time due to the abnormality of the situation.
From talking to each other in a cafe as civilized people (Noah was being creepy) to falling into another dimension, chased by grotesque monsters…
Only now he felt hungry because of the smell that came from somewhere in their temporary shelter.
'Is this smell coming from the kitchen?'
Noah sat down and stretched. He noticed that Kuro wasn't on his bed.
Speaking of Kuro, the smell grew stronger, and Noah saw him holding two plates in each hand. It was for both of them.
"Oh. Morning, you look like shit by the way." The man in question called him out.
"Hmm? You mean my hair?" Noah hovered his hand on his hair, unfazed by the crude language.
"It's above your right ear."
"Oh, thanks."
—Groowl…
Begging for attention, his stomach grumbled louder, asserting its presence.
Kuro Cyth, or the now esteemed Kuro Historia, must've cooked something incredible for the kitchen to smell so good that he woke up.
"You're that hungry, huh? Good timing. Let's eat."
—Thud!
Kuro placed two plates on the table near the kitchen; one for Noah and one for himself.
"G-Gulp…!"
Noah expected to eat nothing, or, luckily, something at least edible in another dimension.
Though he didn't expect to be served such high-quality meat down here.
To him, Kuro's identity was still a vast mystery.
The more he knew, the more questions he had.
Yes, he was a person from another world, and his lineage traced back to the Historia family. Still, his vast knowledge about everything was the most suspicious of all.
'Kgh…! That can wait after I eat. The food smells so good I'm gonna start drooling…'
—All of these questions were forgotten due to the sweet scent of the food.
As a favour for his first friend, who didn't try to murder him, he'll set these thoughts aside and prioritize filling his stomach.
Intruding on someone's secret wasn't a good idea anyway.
=======
"Today's menu is steak."
I placed our food on the table. It wasn't the type of food you'd see in a place that isn't from our original world.
"Wait- Meat?!"
Noah gasped in shock, confused about how I obtained two slabs of meat.
"Yep, Meat. This place has frozen foods, including beef, for some reason." I opened the refrigerator-looking thing behind the stove.
"Are they safe to eat?"
"Surprisingly… yes."
I nodded my head to guarantee that the food in their fridge was, in fact, safe to eat.
Well… it wasn't a refrigerator, but a magical storage where time stood still.
"They also had spices, salt and pepper, so I used them." I showed him where the seasonings were located, putting my hands inside the dimensional… fridge, storage, whatever.
'How do these things even work?' I looked at the odd-looking refrigerator that stored all of these ingredients.
What surprised me the most was that this fridge.
After thousands of years in a perpetual state, it was still working.
The food was still good and fresh, as if time had truly stopped.
Time Magic was a Magic Art that does not exist. It might require several decades to grasp how it works; this isn't even including the amount of mana it needs.
—Snap!
'…I should take a picture of this just in case." I took a photo in case I wanted to learn Time Magic.
It's worth a try, you know? Not like I want one for myself or anything!
"Oh my god, mhgphm… so good…!"
While I was busy admiring the artifact (a fridge), Noah was in bliss, eating his portion of meat.
"Once I get out of here, I'll start a new religion based on you."
"No."
At the dining table in the house we borrowed, we ate breakfast in a beautiful, yet lonely house.
It's safe to say that Noah and I focused on the present rather than dwelling on yesterday's events, especially with the delicious food.
"Ugh, this is divine…" Noah actually cried from happiness.
"Is it that good?" I tilted my head.
Seeing him eat so heartily made me hungry, too.
"Munch munch… are you saying that to show off?"
"Oh… no, I wasn't. Hmm… that's good then."
Compared to my siblings, who would throw away my food like garbage, this guy was the opposite.
As much as my sisters want to hide it, they can't deny that the food I make is great. They just hated it because I made it.
"…Hmph," I grunted, a little happy that someone complimented my food.
I'll never get to meet them again, but if I do, I hope they eat horrible food for the next few days.
"You know, you should open up a restaurant, you'll be successful."
"Sounds fun, but I have other plans in the future."
"Aw… can't be helped, I guess."
Noah sulked and played with his spoon, then finished his meal.
"Give me that."
—Fwip!
I took his spoon and washed it with magic because he kept playing with it, turning it spotless.
"…Interesting, I didn't know you could use magic like that."
"Is that a compliment from you?"
"No, it's called wasting your talent."
"Hah, would you believe me that I developed my control over mana to do small chores like these?"
"…" He turned silent.
Noah most likely used the Eyes of Verity just now.
"…You, you're insane."
"Then go cry about it." I puffed out my chest and found that to be a compliment.
=======
'Alright, ready?"
"I'm ready."
After I drove him insane, it's time to move to our destination and obtain the artifact in the center of Eclecia's capital, Celia.
Our long-needed rest came to a close: next stop, the tower from afar.
This will be a dangerous journey, but there is no turning back. Not anymore.
—Ving!
I opened the automatic door and, like before, reality struck us once again.
A city filled with architecture incomparable to the current technology on Earth.
Its gloomy, vast and spacious environment felt eerie, a remnant of an ancient civilization.
—This place truly screams, a Fallen Kingdom.
"I forgot we are stuck in a place like this."
For safety reasons, we weren't using any light sources, as Eldias might be attracted to them.
"Let's go." I marched on ahead.
Noah and I were planning to go to the tower that connected the inverted spaces.
"Still, how on earth were they wiped out so easily despite having the technology to do all of this…?"
Noah looked at the world above, astonished by the supernatural structures.
"Just like the family we saw yesterday, everyone in Eclecia was infected by a virus with no cure." I marked the most notable fact about the disease: there is no cure.
His eyes turned grim as he remembered the family who tried to protect their child.
"That was the work of a single virus?"
"Yes. It's called Vanum, named after the one who discovered it."
I recalled how the victims of the Vanum Virus looked, their shadows there forever, marking their demise.
They weren't the only victims.
Every house, every structure, every building, everything that had a roof,
Millions of shadows lingered, remnants of what they once were.
Noah and I… were walking over corpses, disturbing their ungodly graves. A purgatory that is not fit to be their resting place.
"It's a deadly disease that devours you whole, soul and body. Leaving only your shadow behind."
"…What a horrible disease." Noah shivered at the thought.
If Eclecia couldn't find a cure for this, then no one can.
"Ahem… in any case, we can't stay in this city for too long. There's a chance we won't come back alive."
"Alright… wait, you mean, the v-virus is still airborne?"
"Hmm, not so sure, but it's better to be safe and sound."
I increased my walking speed and ignored Noah's stuttering.
"…Alright." Noah silently nodded.
It's apparent that he was scared by the disease that took over Eclecia.
Well, he's still 17, so that explains a lot. But I'm also 17… plus 27.
Currently, I'm a 44-year-old uncle telling horror stories to a kid.
…Dammit, I completely forgot about the vast age difference between the two of us.
"Ahem! No need to worry about it! As scary as it sounds, it's easy to discern if it's the virus or not." I gave him some good news, so he doesn't think about it too much.
"From what I know, the Vanum virus is just a bunch of flying microorganisms— or insects, that multiply at a terrifying pace. They come in such large numbers that they appear to be a black mist that can cover the whole city."
I spat out definitely credible info as if I were reading from a script.
"But they don't multiply if they aren't in contact with a human being, so as long as you don't let even one inside you, it'll be fine!" I gave a thumbs up and patted his shoulder.
"So don't be too tense. Besides, isn't the situation we are in much more dangerous than some weird, ancient virus?"
"… Don't say that."
"Hmm, what do you mean?"
"…"
"...Do you wanna know more about Ecleci-"
"Shut up."
"Okay."
…
…
When did this guy become a scaredy cat?
