Log VI: The Forgotten City

Morning came and the sun rose over the horizon, only to be obstructed by the dark clouds in the sky.

"Let's go... I should really give you a name, huh?"

Abel murmured as he packed up his things. From today, they'll be entering a highly radioactive area. Even exposing his skin, let alone eating there, would be fatal to him.

He didn't know how the dog had survived so far without protective gears, but he didn't have the leisure to think about that now. Instead, he took out his spare armour and clothes. With experienced hands, he fitted the pieces together with straps on the dog's body. And then finally he covered the dog with another layer of protective clothing.

He had to cut and tear some of his emergency supplies... And logically speaking, this was the wrong move.

He should have saved those for emergencies... But...

"If Elma was here... She would have done the same, wouldn't she?"

A sentence that was quite different from Abel's usual self came out of his mouth. But the next moment, he shook his head.

"There's no point in thinking about that... Yeah. You."

The man turned toward the dog and announced its new name.

"Your name will be Nightshade from now on."

"Woof woof!"

The dog seemed to like it... Or so Abel thought. Smiling awkwardly, the man pushed his bike out in the open. He then picked up the dog and put it on the backseat of the bike before starting to push it again.

...

The forgotten city soon came into view, this time clearly. The once-glorious metropolis looked hollow and haunted now with charred buildings rising to the sky. Skeletons covered the road and in the shops, hovercars were littered around here and there.

The large flyover which seemed to be a magnetic train route had collapsed here and there. The transparent barrier surrounding the city had long been destroyed, with just the pillars standing there as proof.

"This... Why does this feel so similar?"

Abel couldn't help but ask. In the corner of his mind, he felt like he had seen this place before. But he didn't remember when, or how he could recognize the city.

Then again, he didn't remember anything at all, so it wasn't surprising that even if he had memories of this place, they wouldn't surface anytime soon.

"Woof! Woof!"

Nightshade seemed to be afraid of the skeletons in front of them as it barked.

"Be quiet."

Abel hissed at the dog who whimpered and lowered its head. Thankfully, the gas mask muffled most of the sound, so they didn't attract any unwanted attention.

The odd pair soon reached the entrance to the city.

[Warning. You are nearing the territory of a Void Walker]

[All Stats have been increased by 50%]

[All skill damage has been increased by 50%]

[Resistance to negative effects has been increased]

"This city is the core of the territory? Figures."

Abel didn't stop walking. A Void Walker wouldn't bother to hunt down an insignificant human like him. Though if it tried to, Abel would have no way of fighting back.

A mere level 20 Walker had no chance of defeating a creature of the legends.

"I could go around the city, but that would make the travelling much harsher. And I didn't have enough food for that to begin with."

Just as he thought that, another warning echoed in his mind.

[Warning. Gaze Of Void has been detected.]

[You have been stunned.]

[A Void Walker is closely monitoring your movement.]

"It's actually interested in me?"

Abel couldn't help but frown. His entire body froze on spot. He

If the Void Walker decided to attack him at that moment, then...

[Gaze Of Void has disappeared.]

[Stun duration is over.]

But his fears were unfounded, as the Void Walker lost its interest in him almost immediately.

With a relieved sigh, the man passed through the gates of the Forgotten City.

Following the road leading to the heart of the city, he appeared at what seemed to be a plaza.

There was a dried-up fountain in the middle with several human corpses lying nearby. The corpses had of course turned into skeletons. A cold wind blew through the gaps between the buildings, making him shudder.

The ragtag suit he was wearing gave him enough protection from the radiation but it didn't have a thermal system built inside.

Rubbing his arms, he looked around the plaza with interest. Several suitcases were laying around, belonging to the corpses near the fountain. A hovercar was lodged into a nearby building. It had probably crashed when leaving in a rush.

There were also shops and malls nearby, some of their solar-powered holographic advertisement boards still working. If he looted all of these malls, he could probably find some valuable loot.

"... No. I don't have time for that. The church would pay me anyway. Let's just get this over with..."

Abel sighed and walked past the suitcases and the hovercar.

He then reached a place which seemed to be the main highway going through the city. The highway connected to a mostly intact flyover which passed over most of the city.

This was a godsend... He wouldn't have to deal with any of the ghouls and other monstrosities inside the city.

An hour passed by just like that and Abel was now midway to the end of the highway.

"Woof!"

Nightshade, who had been quiet up until now, suddenly barked again.

"Calm down."

Abel growled, but the dog didn't care. It kept barking and looking in the distance.

"Woof! Woof!"

"What's wrong this time?"

He frowned and looked at where the dog was pointing its nose.

"Huh? What is that?"

A kilometre or so away from where he was stood a small hill covered with grass. The clouds in the sky over it was parted, letting sunlight come through them.

The hill was surrounded by a lot of flowers. The entire scene felt surreal.

"This... There's something on top of the hill."

His AR Vision had already zoomed in on the area. Even so, it was too far to make out all the details. He could see two black objects on the hill, surrounded by another patch of flowers.

"Tombstones?"

The whole thing was extremely bizarre... And approaching it seemed to be a bad idea. Yet, Abel decided to get down from the flyover using one of the connected lanes leading to the ground.

The dog barked harder, but Abel didn't care.

In his heart, he felt restless.

He felt like he needed to visit that place... His mind was in shambles.

He walked as fast as he could without making any sounds. Nightshade had gone quiet ever since coming down from the flyover. It was now trembling in fear.

Abel finally reached the hill he was aiming for. His eyes fell on the black rocks on the hill.

"They were really tombstones..."

He said, panting. His heartbeat had risen drastically, so much that his AR Vision was warning him of it.

Leaving the bike at the feet of the hill, he slowly walked up to the tombstones.

"I..."

He felt restless... As if he had to do something. Taking a deep breath, he clasped his hands together and prayed.

He didn't believe in the Axis God, nor did he worship the devil. Yet, at this moment, he felt peace praying for whoever was underneath those stones.

Silence reigned in the air. After a few more moments of praying, Abel's heart finally calmed down.

"Just what is happening to me..."

He had been a walker for more than five years now. Never once he had been this impulsive. It was as if someone was controlling his body to these things.

"Are you done?"

Abel's thoughts stopped as someone called him from behind.

"[Noxus Blade]!"

Abel quickly cast his skill and turned to confront the stranger. However...

"You again?"

The Walker frowned as he stared at the white-haired young man.

"We meet again, Walker. Have you been doing well?"

The young man asked with a smile before walking toward him. Abel stepped aside while glaring at the man. The latter passed by him and crouched in front of the tombstones.

From his robes, he gently put out two beautiful flowers and put them in front of the tombs. He then clasped his hands just like Abel and started playing.

"Why are you here? How is this place... Full of greenery? Whose tombs are these? And... How are you walking without any gas masks?"

Abel asked the young man as soon as he was done praying.

"Haha, aren't you thinking a bit too hard about this? Isn't there an answer for all of this?"

The young man laughed and looked over his shoulder. His golden eyes were filled with amusement.

"What do you mean... ?"

"Every question you have right now will be answered if I was a Void Walker, right?"