The next day had arrived.
The sun had unleashed its full glow on the world, bathing everything in golden radiance.
The curtains were bright as Zach stood in the middle of the room with a tired gaze.
Zach hadn't slept much before his digital stopwatch screeched, signaling the start of a new day.
Thankfully, he understood the mechanics this time and was able to turn on the shower properly, so he took a quick bath before heading out.
The hotel attendant handed over a black bodysuit with a few golden outlines.
Zach quickly put it on and walked out of the room, eye bags hanging under his eyes.
"Ahh… this is so exhausting…" he sighed.
He was so excited about the new skill that he had actually forgotten to rest.
He walked out of the hotel dressed fully in a tight black bodysuit, showcasing his slender physique. His dark wavy hair fluttered against the wind and his dark grey eyes scanned the area.
The roads were filled with passersby and the sound of roaring engines.
Across the road, a beautiful lady stood in front of a black SUV. It was Ivy, the officer.
Technically, she wasn't an officer, but since she behaved like one, the name suited her more.
"Good morning…" she greeted him with a welcoming smile.
Zach couldn't get used to Ivy's mood shifts. One moment she was greeting him and teasing with all smiles, the next moment she was cold and aloof.
Zach hopped in the car, and they drove off.
He had been told the site of the fissure opening, but he still couldn't believe this was one of the biggest fissures in humanity—yet also the most useless.
If the fissure was really as important as Alfred posed it to be, then he had to expect rival corporations to try to get their hands on it.
And that, for sure, would lead to serious conflicts between the major companies.
'This fissure could be the start of an all-out war the world doesn't see coming.'
The car stopped.
Zach had been lost in thought, so he lost track of time.
The surrounding area was dark.
Like, truly dark.
Almost like it was a part of the city stuck in eternal night.
A dark, writhing stench permeated the air, causing Zach to cover his nose in reflex.
His dark boots sloshed on the muddy soil as he stepped out.
"Welcome to District 941," Ivy said, covering her nose.
Zach looked around. The area really looked like a ruin.
Large chunks of buildings lay wrecked on the ground, the soil was an unpleasant shade of brown, squelching anytime Zach's boots pressed against it.
The most striking thing was the huge, dark spherical ball guarded by a metal railing in the center of the ruin, pulsating with a dark aura that rippled the air around it.
'A fissure…'
Zach stared in awe.
This was actually the closest he had ever been to an actual fissure.
People were gathered, dressed in the same black bodysuits with gold outlines.
"Go on…" Ivy spoke.
Zach looked at her like a confused horse in a circus.
"What…?"
"You heard me." She confirmed.
"This is as far as I go." She crossed her arms.
"If you find anything interesting or valuable, please come straight to me or Alfred."
Sigh.
"There's that bossy attitude again…" Zach internally rolled his eyes.
He walked up to the crowd.
He didn't speak much, just walked through. Most of the seekers were in groups, chatting away without a care in the world.
All this social presence was really draining Zach's mental battery, so he just sat in the corner on a huge rubble of an old building.
He hadn't seen so many seekers in one place before.
'Are they as strong as Ivy?' Zach wondered.
He also noticed that although most of the seekers were acting friendly with each other, many didn't actually trust their comrades.
A forced chuckle, distant stares, shifty eye contact, stiff body language… it was obvious.
Why were they still forcing communication?
Well, it was simple: because they wanted to get as much knowledge as they could about the details of this mission.
Zach had no business talking to anyone. Ivy had told him the basics, and that was enough.
Besides, he wasn't the chatty type either. He'd probably say some weird stuff that'd make them think he was a creep.
He watched for a while.
More seekers arrived at the site with their sponsors.
The chatter grew, and Zach listened.
"I heard the Sky Hall organization already deployed their seekers yesterday," a skinny seeker spoke with a worried expression.
Zach leaned in.
"And where did you get that information? Your closet?" a bald seeker spat, looking at the skinny one with a sarcastic grin.
"Yeah, it might be true…" a female seeker chimed in.
This conversation was going on a few meters from Zach, and he could hear every word thanks to his awakened senses.
"My aunt actually works in the central bank."
The two male seekers looked at her like they had seen a ghost.
The female seeker just shrugged. "Believe it if you want."
Zach listened closely. If his intuition was correct, Thyxars weren't his only opponents in the fissure.
At that moment, an insurmountable aura filled the plain area.
Zach's body shivered.
He felt it—a cold chill that traveled from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet.
The crowd felt it too.
Everywhere fell silent.
Above the crowd, a female figure floated in mid-air, standing straight like an arrow as her cape flowed with the wind.
The seekers all looked at her with baffled eyes and respectful gazes.
This figure exuded an aura of majesty.
"Who is that…?"
"I think I've seen her in the magazines somewhere."
The figure descended in front of the crowd, everyone now paying attention to the mysterious beauty in a black cape.
It was a middle-aged woman, long flowing silky white hair, and her purple eyes scanned the seekers lazily.
Her aura was so thick it made the back of Zach's throat sore.
'Is she…'
Zach had heard of the True Awakened—people that had reached the stage of Awakening.
'I heard they could split mountains…' Zach gazed at her.
"Is this all of them?" she muttered her voice pragmatic like a calm sea.
"Yes, ma'am." A middle-aged man appeared behind her.
It was Alfred.
Zach hadn't really thought about Alfred's strength.
The middle-aged man always radiated a kind and friendly vibe that would make anyone comfortable around him.
He must've reached the stage of Curiosity or even higher.
"I suppose you guys already know what to do from your sponsors, so I won't go into details."
She spoke. Her voice boomed with confidence, making some people in the crowd tremble.
Zach stood up.
"The seeker that manages to find extraordinary resources and insights for our corporation will be offered a ten-year contract, as an extra reward."
Everyone listened, not daring to utter a sound.
"Make sure you survive." She paused.
"Remember, teamwork is key to surviving in a place like this, so choose your allies wisely."
She walked away, dissipating into thin air.
Alfred snapped his fingers, and the metal railing protecting the spherical ball disappeared.
"You may now begin the operation."
Seekers immediately rushed into the fissure, eyes fixed on the prize. Many of them were just bumpkins, desperate to make a quick buck.
Zach slowly approached the fissure. As he got closer, the warmth of the black bubble in front of him flickered.
He placed his hand on it.
~ [OPENING FISSURE 08544300876]
~
Then the world faded, almost like he was stuck between dream and reality.
~ [Beware of the eyes that gaze at truth, for they will be forever blind.]
~
'Huh…?'
The world shattered like glass.