Dust and smoke rose through the rough walls and the other end of the entrance of the cave collapsed, trapping them inside. Claudius could feel the weight of a thousand burdens on his head, making it almost difficult for his legs to carry his body. He coughed once and managed to get himself into a sitting position. There was a ringing in his ears too, and a lump at the back of his head. He must have bashed his head against the stones during the fall. But what had caused the vibrations? What was that light he had seen?
He wiped the sand from his face, glad that the contact lens in his eyes had not fallen off. All around, dust and smoke kept their veil, making it difficult to see anything. The elegant stones that had stood earlier were in the rumble and seemed to rise towards the ceiling. It was the only thing visible. The only thing bold enough to reveal its ugly head.
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ELIXA CHAPTER 29
Nina's feet echoed through the smooth walls as she followed behind the dark-haired man who had only stopped to point and instruct her on what to do. He was twice Nathan's size, and the dark hair that bounced on his head was as long as his shoulders. She could still remember the rich onyx moonlit eyes which portrayed the strength, adding more vibe to the bulging muscles that unmasked themselves on the tight edges of the gray Firstborn uniform. The instructions were the dos and don'ts and the punishment or reward that would follow. He had not advised her like a normal servant, worse, he was talking to her like a commoner. A mere stranger that does not deserve a place within the walls. Well, such happens when one steps away from their jurisdiction. These men were the authority here. Not even the emperor had the power to make and unmake things. Within the tower, the Firstborn rules. They were a free community, Freetown.
ELIXA CHAPTER 30
Nina had expected to see books and potions stalked on shelves until they could touch the ceilings. Since it was the library of magic and science, she had expected to see one of those fancy features she had seen in the movies. But to her disappointment, what should have been books, were replaced with numerous white lights, hanging on the shelves and stretching into every direction as far as the eyes could see. Since she had not been in an electronic library before, she didn’t know what to expect or how to access any of the resources. Blue lights poured out from the ceilings, showing heavy radiance on the shelves. There was no window, and the vent only allowed filtered air, too toxic for the lungs. It smelled like old woods, mixed with lemon. From her findings, this library was the largest on the continent, holding at least every piece of knowledge since the breaking of the world and after. She had even read somewhere that the librar
ELIXA CHAPTER 31
The ship finally came to rest at the base of a large crevice, separated by two enormous metal stones. Rectangular plates of milk-coloured walls rounded the front lines, holding massive antennas and signal transmission poles. A red light was blinking on it, bright enough to outshine a white light and almost competing with the weak glows of the sun. Each rectangular plate on the wall had a name and number written in red characters. On the far side, 87, was boldly etched on the wall, contrasting the black 'PROJECT' letters, hanging underneath. It was a home of metals, insulating tubes and plastics. "We are here." The lanky captain announced and disappeared into the cabin. Damian had hoped to see land, having traveled through sands for heaven knows how long. But notwithstanding, the feeling of arriving safely to their destination brought a little comfort through his stomach. This was their haven. This was Arthesia, the place which the hunters hold with so much awe and fright as well.
ELIXA CHAPTER 32
“Attention, attention. Please return to your various destinations. All units in the first hunt should please return to their various destinations” A feminine voice said over the hanging speakers. Damian and Catherine had hurried through the first gate. They had taken off the oxygen pipe on their nose and were making their way towards the hallway, where the men in white uniforms stood, with the analyzers, keeping track of everyone that came passing through. Each person still had their airbag, hanging freely on their backs, but none had the oxygen pipe. The air within the safe house was purified and would prevent the toxicity from the outside world. However, it had an identical smell to the air in the airbag and was a little bit moist and cold. “Good to see you, Mam.” The blond-haired girl—standing at the gate—smiled at Catherine and nodded to Damian. Catherine only returned the smile with a shrugged shoulders before raising her hands for the girl to run the analyzer over her body.
ELIXA CHAPTER 33
The sun was finally fading through the other side of the orange sky when they arrived at the city that grew out from the ground. Myriad of towers swelled from the dust, brown, elegant domes, sitting aloof on the single rectangular blocks, identical to several hundred that spread across the city. Oddly enough, there were gardens of green, sprawling through the base of the buildings and across the gates. Springs of blue waters also flowed from the far side of the city, towards the center gate and disappeared into the two hands of the world. For a desert land, palm trees and several trees whose names were not forthcoming danced with the north wind as if glad that the scorching heat was falling on the other side of the world.Kristen shifted the airpipe on her nose, patting the neck of the Bostrich and urging it forward. She followed behind the stiff-necked Vick who took the lead, smiling like a baby that had found its mother.Kristen's neck would have grown stiff as well, but instead, it
ELIXA CHAPTER 34
Vick grunted with irritation and followed the leading stairs, towards the front door, which had a wolf crest engraved on it. The familiarity brought back a feeling which made her want to close her eyes and inhale deeply. How long has it been? Two years? She rubbed the bridge of her nose, easing her shoulders as she promenaded. It didn’t matter. What matters is that she was home, she had brought back her last game, her last catch before winter. She was ready to be laid off, to resign from this life that she had lived since she could barely walk. If only Luke could see her now. If only he were alive to see what she had accomplished in a short amount of time. Of the Dwellers that had ever lived, she was the greatest and the most popular—even though the council disagrees. The council could rest in the pit of hell for all she cared, she was the greatest and without her effort, she doubted the wall would still be standing.“Did you hear any words I said?”The protest of the other girl made
ELIXA CHAPTER 35
“Stabilizing process. Checking, tissues and organelles. Scan in process”Claudius folded his hands on his chest, watching eagerly as the white light in the cylindrical scan hovered over his daughter, blinking and resuming when they got to their feet. She was asleep, and her breathing was stable. The paleness of her skin had returned to the olive color and was normal too. It had taken several heavy doses of the sedating agent to knock out her consciousness. The dose was large and could have killed two horses while sending at least ten men to their early graves. But her body system had absorbed everything as if it was mere water. Some of the technicians had been worried, afraid that they might lose the girl if the dose had been increased. But to Claudius, well, he knew what she was made of. She was not just his baby girl, she was an embodiment of his life’s work. The perfect progeny of what he had dreamed so long to have. A living miracle.“There is no anomaly so far.” Dr Ralph was sayi
ELIXA CHAPTER 36
She is an Airnos. Carlos kneaded the side of his nose before drinking directly from the bottle. The August rain had left Bel Haven with its cold, mailing its winds to remind them of the fated winter. Soon the man in white would cap the world with its blistering teeth. Just a few months remaining and all the greens and wetness would become white and mean. Winter remains the only season most people dread. It was the blight of the world, the reminder of what was and would be.Carlos gulped the wine again, and beat twice on the brown door. He had tried using the bell, but the girl would not respond. Not that he blamed her, of course. Her anger was understandable. He had messed up and had not heeded her advice. Everything had returned to shambles. He was back to square one. No crew, no friends and no goddamn enemy. No, he had enemies. Carlos Stones has enemies within and outside the Nine continent. Everyone wanted him dead. The Emperor, for attacking his manor, the firstborn, for being a t