There was a stillness in the tent.
I couldn't move. Lucky nor Mister Rupert moved.
No one was moving. It made what I was seeing all the more unbelievable.
"L-Lucky! What are you doing?!"
Finally, I managed to reach out and pull Lucky away. The scissors in his hand slowly inched back from Mister Rupert's throat, but he kept it pointed at the old man.
"Y-You! Drop it! Stop! No!"
Lucky refused to lower his hand. His eyes were scrunched up like he was confused. Why is he suddenly acting like this?
"I must say... that startled me."
"Mister Rupert, are you alright?!"
Looking at the elderly man, I saw his breathing had become ragged. I rushed to his side and helped him lean on his desk for support.
Oddly enough, Mister Rupert held a needle between his fingers on the same hand Lucky swatted away. It was sharp and barely noticeable.
"I'm fine, Hannah." Mister Rupert couldn't hide the trembling in his voice. "I'm fine, just surprised. It's not Lucky's fault... I wanted to confirm for myself. Sorry."
What are you talking about? Before I could ask, wanderers surged into the tent.
"Principal Rupert!"
"What did you do?!"
Surrounding us with all sorts of melee weapons raised, they shielded Mister Rupert. More people came inside, blocking our only exit out of the tent.
This was not looking good.
"Fellas! Calm down! I'm quite alright," said Mister Rupert.
"We heard yelling! And that kid's pointing that—"
"For a good reason," interrupted Mister Rupert. "I spooked him. Such a reaction isn't ill-founded. Rather, I'd say he has a long life ahead of him. I'd like everyone to leave us alone now, lest we provoke the young lad further."
It was the wanderers' turn to be confused. Each person's gaze wandered in search of an answer from their fellow wanderers.
"Come on, give an old man some space. Shoo!" Mister Rupert was adamant.
"Err..."
"SHOO!"
"...Let's go, guys. But we'll be standing just outside! Don't make any funny moves." The wanderers eyed us with suspicion as they exited the tent. True to their words, they lingered in the area like guard dogs.
It was only the three of us again.
Mister Rupert broke the silence. "I must apologize, Lucky."
"..."
Lucky didn't react.
"Hmm. Hannah mentioned that you don't speak the same language as we do. Nevertheless, I apologize. This won't happen again," he said as he bowed, trying to convey his sincerity. After a few seconds, he fixed his posture and said, "In that case, go to the tent on the other end of the base and find Nick. Ask him for language lessons. I'm talking to you, Hannah, so pay attention."
"Uhh, right!"
"Go along now. Let's catch up another time."
After shooing us off, he went back to handling paperwork.
I don't think he noticed me look back, but I saw his hands.
They were shaking.
********
11 people, including the old man who tried to stab me. All it'll take is one itty bitty attempt to attack us with their weapons, and I'll poke everyone with my scissors.
Just one tiny prick to the hand for each person. I didn't want to... kill anyone.
I'm not overreacting, am I?
I wasn't aware of what he was about to stab me with. It turns out that it was just a tiny needle. Maybe I did overreact. Fucking hell, I need some sleep.
In any case, they're leaving. That's good.
The old man said some things. Whatever it was, the group of wanderers retreated, but the tense situation remained.
We're leaving as well? Where to?
The woman gestured for me to follow her. Once I came outside the tent, I was greeted with the scrutinizing stares of everyone in the base. The commotion must have been heard by the entire camp. I pocketed the scissors that I was still holding, but the intensity of their stares didn't lessen.
Guys, the old man started it! If only I could scream that.
I followed the woman whose name I have yet to learn. When talking to her, people have said something like 'Hannah', which might be her name, but that could also be the 'you' or 'her' or 'woman' in their language.
In any case, I trailed behind her as she entered another tent. Inside, people were listening to the person giving a lecture in front.
I feel like I'm back in school.
Hannah made herself known. The lecturer came over and started talking with her.
"####### ####."
"################## # ##### ######."
"########## ##### ## ###### ### # #."
The woman and the lecturer talked. In a similar manner as earlier, she pushed me forward to introduce me. I instinctively kept one hand in my pocket in case this new guy tried anything funny.
He smiled at me and waved. I waved back. Then, he pointed at himself and said one word repeatedly.
"####... ####... N#c#... Nick."
"Nick?"
"Yes!" he exclaimed.
Is his name Nick?
After that, Nick pointed at the woman I'd been following for a while. "Hannah."
"Hannah," I repeated.
""Yes!!!"" Both of them pumped their fist.
So that was her name all along? Why didn't she try to tell me?
To be fair, I didn't try to introduce myself either. I never thought I would've stayed with her for as long as I did. Better late than never.
I pointed at myself, copying their gestures. The action immediately drew their attention.
"Thomas."
Nick and Hannah repeated my name to carve it into their memory.
"Thomas! Thomas!" Hannah kept repeating my name. I nodded every time she said it.
"Yes, my name is Thomas. Calm down."
"Thomas~! ###### ###### ######### ############ THO-MAS! THO-MAS!" Nick began writing down symbols on a piece of paper and shoved them in my face. I swatted his hand away.
He doesn't seem like a bad person.
The other people in the tent were staring quite intensely. When I looked in their direction, they waved at me with warm features, and I waved back.
First impressions aside, maybe this place is alright...?
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A/N: Ah shit, here we go again.
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Thomas Wolford speaking. It's been two weeks since Hannah and I reached this wanderer base.
At first, it was weird how everywhere I looked these past two weeks, a person or people were doing their own thing. This world was fond of people exploring the unknown alone, but that didn't apply to this Level. Here, you can stay without worrying about your life while in the company of others.
"Hello, Thomas."
"Hi."
"Thomas, ###### ####!"
"Hi."
People greeted me as I walked through camp. They warmed up to me fairly quickly. Those who looked at me suspiciously the first time I came here had changed their tune.
I kept repeating "hi" until I reached Nick's tent. He was already there, and he greeted me like the people outside.
Soon, the lesson started.
Ever since coming here, I can be described as quite lazy. I haven't been doing much scavenging or labor around camp. Studying or scribbling took up most of my time than going outside to touch grass.
I've observed that ten people gather in front of one of the doors every 24 hours. This door is unique because it doesn't have a keyhole like all the others and is, therefore, never locked.
The door led to the Level with flickering lights and magically appearing crates. As expected, when the group returns, they bring supplies for everyone. Because of them, I haven't gone out looking for food.
But since I had all this free time, I've visited Nick's tent daily, trying to learn this world's language.
"You. Are. Sitting."
"You... Are... Shitting."
"Close," he snickered.
Damn it! Why can't I have that knowledge shot for this kind of thing?!
It was a massive pain in the ass. I was never good at learning new languages. I'm just glad that Nick was a much better teacher than Hannah.
Speaking of Hannah, she started all of this. After dropping me off here, she said, "Study! Study!" before fucking off to somewhere more fun like on one of those supply missions.
Honestly, I want to leave and explore. Yet I'm still here. I have my reasons for staying.
First and foremost, I wanted answers.
I looked around the tent. The interior design resembled a classroom, complete with shelves full of books. This tent was a treasure trove of knowledge and wasn't the only one in the base. You'd think that people would prioritize survival and disregard the pen and paper, yet here they were.
These books are incredibly important.
My other sight allows me to see through the inner workings of a Level, but it wasn't the only thing I could see. I can peek into other Levels, albeit only the neighboring ones.
...the thing is, the Level I'm currently on is connected to a lot of other levels.
When Hannah and I first made our way to the base, we passed through thousands of doors. I peeked into each and every one. Levels upon Levels upon Levels were laid out before me. Paths collided and diverged like never-ending tree roots or branches that kept reaching out without end. This tunnel Level was like the trunk of a ginormous tree. There were more Levels that I had yet to see and Levels that couldn't be reached through this place.
To fully traverse all those Levels would take me hundreds, maybe thousands of years.
I didn't have any particular goal after coming to this world, but I didn't want to spend a lifetime just exploring—at least not this world, which is already a collection of a thousand worlds.
My World Travel Magic was a success, so I'll leave this place one day. But I do want to find some interesting stuff first. Asking Nick or any wanderer is a start, but only until I can speak their language.
I consider myself lucky to stumble into this place. Studying the language has been a good distraction.
"#### Done for today," said Nick as he tidied up the study materials.
"Okay. Where. Is. Hannah?" I asked.
"Ask ### Principal."
"Tsk. No." I clicked my tongue. The thought of meeting Mister Old Man Stabby was unpleasant.
Each day's lessons were three hours long, including breaks. Attending them was my only obligation. I also committed two hours to self-study, but I had plenty of free time even then.
24 - 5 = 19 hours. I had 19 hours to spare after every day.
I've been severely addicted to drawing lately since Hannah "gave" me the ability. I had two notebooks: one full of study notes and the other brimming with drawings.
In a mere two weeks, half of the latter notebook was packed with illustrations of whatever I could think of. I flexed my newfound art skills by drawing all the wanderers in the camp and giving away my art pieces for free. That might have played a part as to why everyone was friendlier to me.
The drawings also helped with my studies. When I wanted to know the word for something, I could draw it and show it to Nick. He would write down the symbols for it at the bottom while pronouncing it for me.
Being good at something, however, can get boring. Doing the same thing over and over... I'm a bit pooped out.
Since last week, I've felt like exploring other Levels. It's only now that I feel like going through with it.
Hannah isn't here... Guess I'll go solo.
Since Hannah wasn't around, I decided to explore a Level alone.
The only problem? I don't know which Level to pick.
Umm.
Hmm.
Hmmmmm.
I have so many options that I can't choose one.
"Hey there, Thomas, kiddo!"
While I was wrestling with myself, a voice called out to me. A chubby man waved at me in the distance.
I instantly began to drool. "Mikey!"
"I told you ## name is not Mikey. ##'# Michael! MICHAEL!"
"Hannah. Say. You. Mikey." I retorted.
"Hannah #### #### # #####!"
Michael/Mikey was a bulky-looking guy with gold-rimmed glasses. Hannah introduced him to me one day. I remember meeting him for the first time on the way to camp when he led a group of wanderers for a lesson.
Judging by his attire, Mikey must be on his way to take a group on another excursion again. Since he called out to me, he probably has time to spare.
"Michael. Give. Food." I said.
"Alright, alright."
From inside his bag, Michael/Mikey pulled out a rectangular bar.
But not just any bar.
"####'# ####### ### chocolate for you!"
T'was a milk chocolate bar!
It should be known that chocolate, among other sweets, didn't exist in my previous world! Everyone was too busy playing with magic to invent life's luxuries!
(A/N: I legit cannot find a single usage of the word chocolate from Volumes 1 to 3 of Wise Man's Grandson. So, I decided to make it canon.)
This wasn't the first time Mikey had given me free, delicious food. I don't know where he's getting enough to share, but they can't be easy to get.
Mikey, you're a homie! A real one!
I took tiny bites, carefully savoring the nostalgic taste. It was so sweet and so delicious. It tastes even better considering that the food of this world isn't particularly impressive. It's all canned stuff, sweet jelly, or almond water. You get tired of them quickly.
Alright! I swear I'll find where chocolate spawns and get enough that even Willy Wonka will look at me with awe!
"Mikey. Where. Get. Food?" I said while nibbling on the tasty treat.
"Oh! ######## ##### ######## station!"
As he spoke, he pulled out a book. He flipped through its contents and stopped on a page with a photograph attached. Teachers are so fucking underrated. I appreciate them more these days.
So this is the place.
"I. Follow. You. Get. Food."
Unfortunately, Mikey shook his head at my request. "Thomas, I #### busy ##### ######## teaching lessons. Let's #### ##### next time ########."
Hmm. Mikey is busy. Shame we can't go together.
He does have an upcoming lesson to supervise. Well, we can always go later.
Mikey said goodbye before heading to the outskirts of the camp.
I'll just have to explore alone today.
Mikey showed me a photograph of a train station. All I had to do was match the image with one of the Level Doors around, so I did just that.
With my eyes that can peek into neighboring Levels, I found a matching Level Door near the base.
Ah, but see, if I were to start exploring, I wouldn't know how to get back normally. If I just popped up out of nowhere in an unusual manner, the other wanderers would be suspicious and start asking questions...
...is what someone who isn't bored out of their mind would think.
Who cares? It's not like someone can interrogate me.
I twisted the doorknob. Luckily for me, the door wasn't locked. Unlike 99% of the doors in the tunnel, it didn't need a key.
I stepped through the door.
A drop in temperature accompanied a chilling wind. The clothes Hannah gave me were thick enough to shrug off the goosebumps. I didn't need to use magic to warm myself for now.
I stood at the end of an old train platform. It was a cloudy night, but it wasn't dark. Neon lighting replaced standard LEDs, and the platform was illuminated by multicolored lights.
I could see just fine. It made me think that I took hallucinogenic drugs, though.
The neon lights around me were sparse. Long strips of them were attached to the platform floor and the train tracks in a messy manner, weakly illuminating the area. Other platforms around me were illuminated in the same way, and they all ran parallel to one another.
This Level wasn't infinite, unlike most of the Levels out there. It was a speck of sand in an ever-expanding universe.
In the distance, I saw a brightly glowing building. All the platforms were connected to that place—this Level's central structure.
That's the central station in Mikey's photograph.
My destination for this trip was thus set.
"Hey, ##### ########"
Since I was on a train platform, there would obviously be passengers waiting for a train. In this case, they were other wanderers. One of them struck up a conversation.
I ignored them, making my way to the brightly lit train station.
"..."
"..."
"..."
I underestimated the distance I needed to walk.
If I'm not wrong, this platform was a mile long for some fucking reason...? The photograph Mikey showed me was pretty misleading, perspective-wise.
My walk turned into a sprint until I finally reached a set of descending stairs. Going down, I entered a tunnel illuminated by the same neon strips.
If this Level were based on a regular train station, the tunnels would connect to the station or other train platforms.
Signs hanging from the ceiling gave oblivious wanderers directions. It should have been the same for me, but...
I can't read it.
It wasn't entirely my fault.
The characters continuously moved around to form random patterns that changed every second. I doubt anyone knows what "JsGh;#meow("6Hfysv-$hdyH" means.
I didn't know whether to keep going straight, left, or right.
How is anyone supposed to read this?
As soon as I said that, a wanderer going in the same direction as me looked at the signs. After briefly scanning through them, the wanderer confidently took a left turn.
Am I the only one that can't read it? What kind of otherworldly discrimination is this?
Hax Mode: ON!
It doesn't matter.
The path to the train station became clear to me in the form of x-ray hacks. My sight pierced through the walls, showing me the correct path to the station.
The station tunnels were long as well. Whoever designed this place must like walking around a lot.
"Woah..."
Finally, after jogging through the station tunnels for a few minutes, I reached the end.
Lo and behold: Neon Land. Or, more like, The Neon Express.
Instead of standard lights, hundreds of different-colored neon lines lit up the walls, ceiling, and even floor. The colors never stayed the same, constantly shifting into something new.
My God, it's like a gamer designed this place. This is what a glowing rainbow keyboard would look like if it got turned into a building.
There were stores in the station, similarly lit up by neon lights. Apart from the wanderers going shopping, the ones actually running the stores were faceless entities. They even wore uniforms. Hell, even the train ticket booths were manned by stylish, faceless men and women. I also saw some of them on the platforms, patrolling the area while holding batons.
I entered one of the stores. It was a newsagency with only one faceless employee.
"Hello there."
"..."
"How much for this chocolate bar?"
I pointed at a chocolate bar on the counter. As a side note, I had no money to my name.
"..."
"Does your establishment take gold bars?"
"..."
"You really can't talk. I should've known, considering you don't have a mouth."
I've made little progress in communicating with the people and entities of this world. After all, I'm still not fluent in their language.
During my continued attempts at communication, a female wanderer grabbed a handful of candy before heading out the door. She didn't even pay for it or try to hide her apparent THIEVERY!
Do I not need to pay for it? What would I even pay with? It's not like I've seen anyone with money or wallets on them. Could it be that everyone is just as broke as me?
Slowly, I backed away with the chocolate bar in hand. The faceless employee at the news agency did nothing, even when I exited the store and started eating it.
I guess they don't care because their products are free, or they didn't see me walk out because they don't have eyes. Anyway, free stuff is always good!
I walked back in, grabbed thirty more chocolate bars, and walked back out. I also made sure to get Mikey's share for telling me about this place. Once I grabbed the chocolate, I noticed the faceless employee restock them. So they do know.
In any case, I followed the same routine in every store. Some sold groceries, others clothing, and even phones on display.
Most of the stores were empty though. The newsagency was apparently an exception. I was hoping to get seasonings and foodstuff, but I guess not.
As for the stores with things to sell...
Yoink!
I grabbed the most expensive looking phone. Unfortunately, it was out of battery and no chargers were available.
Not like it mattered to me. The power of imagination + magic solved that issue.
*Zap*
The phone vibrated as the screen began flashing a tech company's logo. "It works!"
It's been over decades since I last held something this technologically advanced. This is even better than finding chocolate.
Coming to this world was worth it. Now I just have to find WiFi somewhere and download a shit ton of games from the app store. Once I do that, I'd happily leave this world and move on to the next one!
Phones weren't the only items on display. I grabbed two earphones, a sick gaming laptop, a wireless mouse, and a Bluetooth speaker. I was about to grab more when a faceless employee approached me as if to say, "That's enough, buddy." I didn't want to get banned, so I just left. I was already happy with what I got anyway.
Granny Melinda would have loved fiddling with these...
After stocking up on donuts from a donut shop, I noticed a neon sign shaped like a scissor. To my surprise, there was even a hair salon in the train station, with a line of wanderers queuing. This time, the employees were actually wanderers, not faceless entities.
Several stalls were run by wanderers, trading all sorts of things. Bullets, for example, were in demand. That didn't matter much to me, though. I set my sights back on the hair salon.
I ran a hand through my hair.
My hair has gotten messy...
I went to the back of the line. To pass the time, I fiddled with my brand-new phone.
Oh. Well, I should have expected this.
The text in the phone apps was written in a language I couldn't understand. At least the familiar icons helped. Since this was another world, I shouldn't expect to find Dovahzul or ◇□※☆◎○ in the language settings; not like I can even navigate to it.
While waiting, I decided to memorize the numbers on the Calculator app. The symbols for them were similar to those I saw during class. The app followed the same 123, 456, 789, and 0 concepts I'm familiar with, and all the other mathematical symbols were the exact same as my original world's.
"####### ######!"
One of the barbers just finished up. He pointed at me.
"My turn, I guess."
My barber looked like Tony Stark. Given his clean hairstyle, I can rest easy. I'm sure they'll handle my hair with the utmost care.
"######### ### #### ######?"
I couldn't understand him, so I just pointed at a sample picture on the wall.
*Thumbs up*
He got the message.
Alright, pal. You can't mess this up...
My haircut was simple, so it took Tony Stark less than thirty minutes to finish. He didn't ask for payment, just like the other stores. Very cool.
When the barber finished cutting my bangs, I opened my eyes, initially feeling refreshed that the weight on my head seems to have lessened.
"..."
What I didn't expect was for my brother's face to stare back at me in the mirror. I felt a tinge of... something.
Fuck, we really are related.
The barber was making the finishing touches. I raised a hand to stop him.
"?"
I pointed at another sample picture on the wall: A man with a buzz cut. Thankfully, he just gave me another thumbs-up before getting to work.
As a side note, I got another knowledge injection regarding all things haircut-related. Neat.
I spent another hour going wherever my feet took me. The train station was truly massive. With all its facilities, it could have passed for an airport. During that time, I saw two trains stop at the station. Existing passengers exited the train while those waiting on the platforms filtered in.
So that's another way to enter this Level and leave.
Soon, it was time to go home. I was feeling quite tired by now.
Inside one of the many restrooms of the train station, I waited for its occupants to leave. The least conspicuous place to use my powers was in the toilet. Barely anyone was here.
Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Wash your hands, you filthy animal.
I casted antibacterial magic on a random guy's hands. He just finished taking a dump and left straight away. The soap and sink are right there!
Shaking my head, I locked the entrance with a temporary magic enchantment. Distortions warped the neon lighting around me until the restroom became completely dark.
Connecting one Level with another through a gate wasn't possible. A normal person has to follow the paths already in place to travel between them.
A gate involved folding a piece of paper called space to make points A and B overlap. However, Levels were separate pieces of paper, meaning I couldn't fold them. At the very least, my magic wasn't strong enough to make them overlap.
Once again...
Hax Mode: ON!
The distortions swallowed my body whole, and for a split second, my surroundings went dark.
The journey was finished almost instantly.
When I retracted my power, an empty tunnel with yellow lighting appeared.
Home sweet home.
Thankfully, there was a familiar arrow on the wall. I sprinted in that direction with physical enhancement magic to return to base camp as fast as possible.
The trip that took an entire day with Hannah only took me a minute of running.
"Thomas...? Thomas!"
While stopping to walk towards the camp, Nick spotted me. His expression told me he was angry but mostly relieved, but that didn't stop him from going on an incomprehensible rant.
During the middle of his rant, my knees gave way.
"Thomas?! #####?! ####### ####!"
Physical enhancement magic isn't enough anymore. I'm shutting down...
My strength had finally run out.
"######### Thomas!!!"
How long have I been awake? I haven't slept since the day I came to this world.
It's been more than two weeks, hasn't it? Studying, drawing... there's also the fact that I haven't slept properly since a year ago. Me and my damn demons. Anyhow, sleeping has never fully rested me ever since.
I felt Nick panic and shake my shoulders, but it was useless. If I could talk to him, I would say everything was fine and I was just feeling drowsy.
For now, as much as I didn't want to... I was falling sleep.
******
Within the ancient structure known as The Tower, a tall man with pale skin and long, unkempt hair stared warily at his unannounced visitor.
His crimson eyes twitched with nervousness.
"Nutrisha... to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Help me."
She spoke as she emerged from the shadows.
Hidden under the man's black leather trench coat was a large ring with multiple keys dangling from it. After hearing her words, the man instinctively clutched the keys.
She took notice of his actions. "Keys. Don't want. Help find someone."
The man's guarded stance relaxed. "Is that all? Very well. You said you needed my help to look for someone? Couldn't you find them yourself?"
"No. Special human."
"A human? Are you looking for one of those defects? Those impersonators?"
The man was at a loss. Nutrisha wants to find a defective human? Since when was she interested in them? But she mentioned that she was looking for a special human... could it be?
A certain possibility emerged in the man's mind, and it excited him. Nutrisha had only used the term "special human" once, so if he was right...
The man grinned from ear to ear as a bloody light reached his eyes. Well, not quite. After all, the white of his eyes was already crimson-red. "Alright. I'll help you out of the goodness of my heart."
"Yes. Repay you later."
"Oh, Nutrisha, you don't have to!"
"Okay—"
"—but since you insist, I'll take you up on that offer! I'll call upon you in the future, Nutrisha..."
The man was quite pleased.
He continued. "Anyhow, finding special humans is my specialty. I've been looking for them for so long, after all! Someone like me wouldn't struggle even if I were blind. Still, it would help if you could describe them for me. What does the special human look like?"
Nutrisha extended her pitch-black limbs towards the man's forehead. The man didn't even flinch when Nutrisha's finger penetrated his skin.
Her thoughts became images that showed the man who she was looking for.
"Th-This... are you certain?"
In place of a filthy, ragged wanderer, an entity clad in dark, demonic armor stared at him. Red light emanated from the armor's every nook and cranny, giving it a bloody, murderous aura.
The armored human held a sword made of crimson light. It was undoubtedly a dangerous weapon, but its user's appearance made it seem like a toy in comparison.
'A special human... this thing?' the man silently thought. "You gave me the wrong memory, Nutrisha."
"Keymaster. You are not wrong to doubt. But I told you. Special human."
"Err..." The man known as the Keymaster didn't believe her. Is that even human? That armor is throwing me off.
"Have you seen their appearance without the armor?" said the Keymaster.
"No. Too late. Too quick. Gone suddenly."
Nutrisha visited the same hotel hallway where she found the human. It hadn't been long since she left, but he had vanished by then.
"Then the special human must still be in the Negative Levels where you encountered him. Most of the doors in your hotel hallway lead to other Negative Levels after all."
Nutrisha shook her formless head. "No use door. Human use teleport."
"Teleport?" The Keymaster scratched his ears, thinking he misheard. "You mean no-clipping, right?"
"No. Teleport."
"Are you sure you're looking for a special human?!"
"Yes. Special human," Nutrisha confirmed. "Like you."
"Even I can't teleport! Special humans are still only human!"
The Keymaster ran his fingers through his hair. Nutrisha's request had just become infinitely more complex.
Don't know what they look like. Don't know where they are. Don't know much, except that they're male, judging from the armor, and that they're special, or so Nutrisha says...
Sighing, the Keymaster spoke.
"I suggest you look for them in the Negative Levels since that's your territory. I'll do what I can on this side."
"Thanks for helping—"
Nutrisha paused. An invisible tremor passed through the two entities. She looked in a specific direction.
"Feel that?"
"Feel wha...?" The Keymaster was about to continue speaking when he finally felt it. His skin tingled as if sensing danger. "...who is that?"
The air in the Hub seemed to distort faintly. A powerful entity appeared out of thin air, barging inside the Keymaster's sanctuary.
They didn't enter through one of my doors. Who could it be? The Keymaster pondered. ...wait a second.
The entity gave off a familiar presence. A feeling of incongruity, as if distorted and warped beyond normalcy.
This feeling. Isn't that just... Nutrisha? But she's beside me right now. No, its presence feels a little different, but it is still like Nutrisha nonetheless...
The Keymaster glared at the entity before him. "Nutrisha, what tricks are you playing now?"
"Not me."
She didn't explain further. She was also quite curious about the visitor who had just appeared. Thus, Nutrisha decided to take a closer look.
Seeing Nutrisha get swallowed up by her distortions, the Keymaster didn't dally. He followed her, no-clipping through the floor and re-emerging in the tunnel where the powerful entity appeared to see for himself.
The entity appeared right where the Keymaster now stood, but despite it being only a mere few seconds later...
"They gone."
As Nutrisha said, the entity was nowhere in sight.
Nutrisha was already searching for clues, prodding the surrounding space with her pitch-black limbs.
The Keymaster clicked his tongue. "Stop messing with me. That was clearly you using your power. It felt like you. It was you."
"Wasn't."
"Oh, come on now. You don't seriously expect me to buy into the idea of two Nutrishas, do you? This little prank of yours is quite amusing but hardly convincing."
The Keymaster harrumphed. He didn't like being treated like a joke.
Usually, he would snap the neck of whoever messed with him. However, he couldn't do that with her even if he tried his best.
"Ehem. As for your request, it will all come down to luck. Also, I hope you won't barge into my Tower unannounced. Knock on the front door next time."
With those words, the Keymaster no-clipped away.
"...Whatever."
Despite being left alone, Nutrisha didn't mind. They were nothing but acquaintances, after all. It's not like she asked him to help her investigate this phenomenon anyway.
Nutrisha spent the next few hours in silent concentration, scanning the area for a hint or a trace of the entity's whereabouts. However, during her investigation, not a single clue as to where the unknown entity was found.
"Wasn't me. It can only be..."
She murmured as the distortions consumed her. "Special human... Find you soon..."
With those lasting words, the tunnel became empty once more.