The only sound was his own footsteps on the dry ground. Sweat fell from his face, leaving dark spots on the dirt. He was walking through a empty land with nothing to see. Still, Noren would not give up. He pushed his body and mind to keep moving.
Then, he saw something change ahead.
The flat land turned into an area full of rocks and stones. Further away, he saw a cave. It was a dark hole in the side of a huge rock. Behind that rock was a giant mountain so big it seemed to block the sky. He stood there, catching his breath.
Breath... Breath..
He looked at the cave, feeling a small hope.
"I do not think it will be comfortable in there," he said to himself. "But it looks like it could be a safe place." He then thought of a problem. "But I do not know what kind of animal might have lived there before."
He used his arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead. A comfortable bed did not matter anymore. He just needed a place to be safe. This cave, with the big mountain behind it, seemed like a good spot to hide from the open world. It was a chance he had to take. He shifted his heavy bag on his back and started walking toward the dark opening. He had a new goal now.
Noren walked toward the cave. The entrance looked simple from a distance, just a dark opening in the rock. But when he reached it and stood in the doorway, he saw that the inside was deep and dark. It did not seem like anything had ever lived there. Yet, he felt something was wrong about the place. It was not a feeling of a living threat, but something else, something he could not name.
His body felt heavy with a deep tiredness. He slowly sat down on the cave floor and then lay back against his bag. He did not feel hungry, but his muscles ached with a helpless soreness. He pulled a can of food and a drink from his bag and ate without really tasting it.
He looked out from the cave mouth at the view. The wide, empty land before him should have felt lonely, but to his mind, it looked peaceful and healing. The silence was a strange comfort.
"What a boring view," he whispered to the air. "Even the wasteland looks so healing. Yet the boredom is so massive. It is the boredom of being completely alone." The feeling was hard to express. It was terrible to imagine, but he was bored. The empty world offered nothing new to see or do.
To fight the feeling, he stood up. He decided to give the cave a deep look. He moved further inside, away from the light. He had thought it was a small space, but now he saw a narrow path leading down into the darkness. He was thankful he had his bag with food and drink.
A strange mix of feelings washed over him. He was relieved to have a goal, but sad that this was his life now. He pulled out the box cutter he had packed. "I brought this to protect myself," he said, a dry laugh escaping his lips. "But from what? From who?"
He started to take things out of his bag, laying them on the ground. He was surprised by what he found. "A torch, chains, a small watch, a lighter, and a rope!?" In his rush to leave the store, he had grabbed many things without thinking. He only remembered picking food and drinks. "Forget it," he told himself. "Each thing has its own uses."
Trying to calm his nerves, he picked up the torch and turned it on. The light cut through the dark. He moved deeper into the cave. The path went on until it opened into a larger space. There, standing in the middle of the floor, was a large, round stone. It was as tall as a man. Its surface was covered in patterns and marks that did not make any sense to his eyes.
Noren looked at the giant stone structure. One part looked strong and simple, like an alpha sign. Another part looked more complex, like a beta sign.
"What kind of thing is this?" he asked the empty air.
He tried to think of things he had seen before that were like it. But comparing it to old ruins or art just made it seem more strange and confusing.
"No one makes a statue from a single piece of rock this big," he thought. "They would have to cut separate pieces. So this was not built. It was formed. Or it grew. That means... it is a gate for something?"
Noren felt a deep confusion. The world he lived in before was full of mysteries no one had solved. But even the most famous ones had ideas about them. People had guesses and places to start looking. Everyone knew about those mysteries. They even had fans who made up stories about them.
"But what is this?" he whispered, his voice tense. "What is it?"
His mind, always curious, began to work on the problem. Yet, he did not move closer. He kept a safe distance. He would not touch it. He was tired of big changes and strange events. He wanted no part in causing another one.
A deep calm settled over Noren. The last flicker of hope that his old world might return had finally gone out. "Since my hope of the old Earth coming back is gone," he whispered into the vast silence, "there is nothing left to fear." In a world where he was completely alone, this thought became his only strength. It filled him with a new, solid will that pushed him forward.
He moved toward the giant stone. Each step was slow and careful on the dry ground. Inside his chest, his heart was beating hard and fast, like the tense music from a scary movie. The feeling grew stronger with every inch he got closer. He lifted his hand, his fingers trembling slightly as they moved through the empty air. The space between his skin and the stone felt charged and heavy. Finally, his fingertips made contact with the cold, unyielding surface.
"E-eh?" he let out a shaky breath, his whole body frozen. "Nothing happened?"
He stood there, waiting for a sound, a light, a tremor anything. But nothing came. The thrilling music that had been pounding in his chest came to a sudden, silent stop. It all felt pointless now. The mystery was still just a mystery, no closer to being solved. It was a puzzle he simply did not have the pieces for.
"Maybe it is just a stone gate," he said, pulling his hand back and staring at the giant object. "Maybe it is just... something." It was a simple, almost disappointing thought. But for now, in the quiet of the wasteland, it was the only answer he would get.