A World To Live In

Marble and metallic walls reflected the sounds of the howling wind outside, the snow battering the building with relentless force. The windows had been shattered long ago, leaving only gaping, glass-toothed mouths that yawned open forever to the elements.

Valeria and Cael wandered throughout the old research facility, their footsteps echoing throughout the empty halls. There was an eerie stillness to the place that Val didn't like, as if the spirits of those who had worked here still lingered, watching them silently. The lights had obviously long gone out, leaving only the dimmest sunlight filtering in where it was allowed. Shadows clung to the edges of everything, creating an oppressive atmosphere that weighed down on her shoulders.

However, she didn't let the gloom get to her.

She had a mission to complete and a partner to protect.

The two of them had been searching the building for a while now, looking specifically for where Erika's artifact might be, but there weren't many signs to guide the way. They had to go off of instinct, which wasn't ideal considering the state of things.

"Val, wait. I think I found it." Cael's voice cut through the silence. "This looks like the place." He pointed to an area labeled as 'Arcano Developments' in large, faded letters on the wall.

"Ooh, I think you might be right, Cael! Quickly, let's try to get in."

They mustered up to the door that sectioned the room off, clearly infused with charms with the way the metal hummed with mana. Val could feel its energy resonating strongly, and she could tell that Cael felt the same.

She frowned, thinking of a way to get past it once it refused to budge from her pushing. She was certain that neither she nor Cael would be able to muster up enough strength alone to overpower its protections.

"Perhaps we can try to cast spells at it? It's unlikely, but if we both channel our mana, maybe we can break through."

"Are you sure?" Cael asked, staring at the door. He was clearly skeptical.

Val nodded solemnly, her cloak flustered by a stray draft. "Well, we don't have any other option if we want to continue. Let's just hope that the charm doesn't explode in our faces and kill us—"

Cael cautiously tugged at the door's handles.

It swung open with a gentle creak, revealing the room within.

"…"

"…"

"G-good job, Cael! To think that you had the sheer strength and cunning to overcome an ancient door's protection charm. Truly, I would expect nothing else from an adventurer of your caliber!"

"…" Cael gave her a look she couldn't quite place. His eyes looked almost pained, and his mouth was curved into a wobbling line. Yet he also seemed relieved.

Was there a word for that?

"L-let's go," he finally said, stepping inside without another word.

Val followed him, taking a moment to adjust to the dim interior.

The room was filled with old desks and dusty bookshelves. A few tables were stacked high with papers, and the air smelled musty and dry. It'd definitely fared better than the rest of the building with how intact it was, and it seemed as if there were still faint traces of mana in the air. As if the room was waiting to be used again.

But the thing that caught their attention the most was a passage that descended down further, seemingly into the depths below the city. The stairs looked to be carved out of solid rock and were illuminated by glowing crystals embedded in their sides.

"What is that? I've never seen anything like this before," she remarked. Her eyes squinted to see the sign above that read 'Leyline Access' in the low light.

"…It looks similar to a 'subway' station," Cael offhandedly commented, his eyes narrowed. "But it's probably something different."

"'Subway'? What's that?"

"Oh, uh, it's just a type of underground transportation system from my world. We can talk about it later." He offered her his hand before gesturing toward the tunnel.

She took it with a smile. "Very well. Let's go."

The two stepped forward, descending into the depths together, leaving the research facility behind. The temperature dropped significantly as they went down, and the air grew heavy and damp.

However, about halfway through, the crystals ahead had stopped glowing. The only remaining illumination came from the ones behind them, casting long shadows that stretched out in front.

"O-Oh, that's not good." Val gulped as she stared into the abyss. "I-I don't think we should continue."

Cael fumbled around in his pack, taking out a light crystal. "Don't worry, Val. This should help."

He held the glowing gem out in front of them, and the light pierced through the darkness, revealing a long, winding passage ahead of them. However, the moment they stepped over the dark threshold, it suddenly winked out of existence, turning back into an ordinary crystal.

"Ah… Um, that's not supposed to happen." Cael mumbled, trying to reactivate it to no avail.

"…This is like that shelter before, isn't it? We must be in a no-mana zone."

She attempted to cast a spell into the dark to confirm, and unfortunately, her suspicions were correct. Nothing happened, and the darkness remained unbroken.

"Crap," Cael cursed, fumbling around in the pack again. "Guess we're going to have to resort to the old-fashioned way."

He took out a chair leg that they'd salvaged from the house before, wrapped cloth around one end, and lit it on fire with a quick chant after taking several steps back out of the zone. The orange light illuminated the passageway and the cold stone surrounding them as he once again held out his hand for her.

Val's eyes sparkled as the light illuminated his sharp features. "S-so cool!"

He blushed a little before coughing. "Um, anyway, are you ready? I don't really know what to expect down there."

She took a deep breath to steady herself.

As long as Cael was here, she was.

"Yes, let's."

***

It took almost fifteen minutes of walking into the depths until the bottom floor came to view, the roughhewn rock transitioning into a wider space. Val's heart raced with excitement as the orange glow of Cael's makeshift illumination broke into a large, open cavern, its ceiling stretching far overhead until it mingled with something absolutely breathtaking.

Both of them could only stare as their breaths left them.

A vein of pure mana flowed above their heads like a river, snaking along the cavern wall as its bright, ethereal light filled the entire area. It was so radiant that Cael could extinguish his torch and still easily see everything.

Val was mesmerized. She had felt glimpses of ley energy through the hum that had saturated the crystal cavern before, but this was unlike anything she'd ever witnessed.

This was a raw, primal force of nature. The blood of the world.

"Wow, this is incredible," she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight. The mana flowed freely, unhindered by the no-mana zone that surrounded them—a feat that made no sense, even though it was right in front of her eyes.

Was this what the journal had meant?

"I think I found the artifact," Cael's voice snapped her out of her stupor, pointing to a massive, metal construct in the middle of the cavern.

"W-what is that?!" They got a closer look at it as they approached across the expanse. It was an intricately made device that seemed to be made of various metal parts fused together with magic. Its shape was cylindrical, and it was covered in glowing runes and symbols that pulsed with mana as the flow overhead fed into it.

"Yeah, definitely can see where my world's influence was." Cael said, staring at the strange contraption. "No idea how to operate it though."

"Is it… safe to touch?" Val wondered, looking at the machine with curiosity.

He frowned at it, scratching the back of his neck. "I… really have no idea. Maybe we can just turn it on and then run away to make sure—"

Val cautiously reached out to touch the surface of the device, her fingers brushing against the cool metal surface and the runes adorning it. Her eyes lit up as a spark of energy coursed through her body, causing her to yelp in surprise and pull back.

"…Sorry, I couldn't help myself. But look! I'm fine, see?"

Cael sighed and shook his head, trying to suppress a relieved smile. He reached out and placed his hand on the machine too, feeling a slight tingle as he scanned over it.

"I think I've spotted how to turn it on, but… are you sure we should do this?" Cael asked, a worried expression on his face as he turned to her. "I know what the journal implied, but this is a huge risk we're taking—especially since we don't even know if it will actually do anything. And if it does work, what could the consequences be?"

She paused to think, considering his words carefully. He did have a point. Together, they had pieced together what in theory this artifact was supposed to do based on the vague explanations in the journal—fix the leylines and the magic of this world.

But that was only the theoretical side of it. In practice, the world's mana was already unstable as things stood. What would happen if they made it worse, or even if it did work, how could they be certain something bad wouldn't happen to them still?

For all they knew, the world's leylines could collapse on them and vaporize them both into the aether. They were going off fractions of fractions of understanding.

However, Val couldn't help but wonder what would happen if it did work.

She thought of the silence that filled the cabin after her father’s final breath. Of the way her mother’s shoes never returned to the doorstep. Of the echoing, empty world that never once answered her calls. Could this change that?

Could things potentially become better? Could people suddenly begin popping up again?

Could they be freed from the endless loneliness they had been suffering from all this time?

"…" Her hands trembled.

It was a tantalizing thought, especially since even if they did nothing, there was no guarantee things wouldn't eventually get worse on their own.

She took deep breaths to calm her rapid heart. In and out. Just like Cael had shown her.

"…I say yes if you think so too. If we don't, then maybe nothing will change. But…" Her voice trailed off as she looked into his stormy eyes.

They were full of worry, concern, fear, and uncertainty—but also determination, hope, and trust.

Cael nodded slowly, not needing her to say the last of her words to convey her meaning. "Alright. Let's give it a try."

He paused for a beat.

"…Together?"

Val's face broke into a grin. "Together."

She reached over and took his hand in hers. Their fingers intertwined as a blush overcame her cheeks.

Slowly, Cael guided their hands over to a single lever that was located near the base of the device. They both took a steadying breath before resting on it—ready to take that first step into the unknown.

Together. As a couple.

"Okay, on the count of three," Cael said, taking a deep breath.

Val nodded, ready for anything that might come next.

"Three—"

Val pushed down as hard as she could, activating the machine with a resounding click that echoed throughout the cavern.

"Ack! V-Val?! W-weren't we supposed to—I thought I said on the count of three!"

Panic began to resurge through Val. "B-but you said three! W-we were already at the count!"

"Crap! S-sorry, that's my mistake! I should've counted up instead of down—"

There was a sudden rumbling that reverberated through their feet, and the machine abruptly whirred to life, the gears and mechanisms within it beginning to move and turn as the runes and symbols on its surface glowed brightly.

A loud humming sound filled the room, drowning out the sound of their voices. The leyline overhead pulsed and throbbed violently, nearly knocking them down, and sending shockwaves of energy rippling throughout the cavern, causing small pebbles and dust to fall from the ceiling.

The device started to shake and vibrate, making it hard to stand. Val's ears were ringing, her hair whipping around as the underground air suddenly picked up into a storm.

Everything was suddenly so bright, as if the sun had descended upon them. Val had no idea what was going on, but the air tasted like electricity, and the trembles in the ground felt like a beast had awoken underneath the world's crust.

Her eyes widened as she struggled to keep her balance, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. The entire cavern shuddered and shook again, the walls cracking and splitting open.

Well…

"Crap." The two of them said in unison.

The world was shaking, the cavern crumbling apart. Rock and debris fell everywhere.

Val shakily looked to Cael just as he did the same to her, his face mirroring the fear in her eyes. Although, for some reason, she didn't feel as terrified as she thought she'd be.

Perhaps she didn't really mind the end of her world again, so long as they were together.

"C-could I get one last kiss before we potentially die—?"

He didn't even let her finish that sentence though before he scooped her in his arms and began frantically dashing back towards the stairs.

"Damn it, Val! Save it until after we live!"