When Lior opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of a girl about 1.24 meter tall. Her figure was unexpectedly well shaped for her age, though the panda-print T-shirt and shorts she wore gave her a childish look. In her hands she clutched a metal flask.
It took him a second to recognize her, his downstairs neighbour. The funny thing was despite exchanging numbers with her yesterday, he still didn't even know her name.
"Ah-um, h-hello, neighbor!" she stammered, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "I… I just came to give you and your sister this flask of food. don't misunderstand! Its not my idea, its my mom's! N-no, I mean it my idea, but not exactly, what I mean was..ah,never mind! Bye!"
Before Lior could even respond, she shoved the flask into his hands and bolted down the hall, her footsteps fading as fast as her words.
Lior stared after her, a faint smilke tugging at his lips. 'what was that?' he didn't even get the chance to thank her. Still, there's something oddly amusing about how flustered she got. Shy, but not too shy.. after all, she had no problem asking for his number. With a sigh, he shut the door behind him.
No sooner had he set the flask on the table that his sister burst out of her room, eyes gleaming with curiosity, as if she had completely forgotten about their earlier argument.
"Hey, bro! Was that the new girl?" Ashley asked, practically bouncing. "so, did you finally got her name? Ooooh..did she bring that flask? You two are moving fast! didn't you just exchange contact the previous day?"
Lior ignored her teasing, setting the food down and grabbing his coat. "I'm going out for a while. don't wait up."
"It's already getting late. Where are you going?" Ash pressed.
"out"
The door slammed behind him before she could ask anything else. Ashley frowned at the door, muttering under her breath."Tch. I was just asking…."
Lior stepped into the corridor, the dim glow of mana crystals lining the walls casting long shadows. Unlike the surface, there was no true night only the cycle of crystals dimming and brightening to mimic the passing of time. The air was cool, faintly damp carrying the earthly scent of stone. He walked without hurry, his hands in his pocket, ignoring the groups of neighbour chatting near their doors. Some were preparing rations for the next expedition, others were just talking with their families.
Families
His jaw clenched. A year had already passed, when the news of their parent death was passed to them. It was said they died protecting a settlement during a monster horde, people called them heroes because they died protecting other people but he considered their action to be a foolish one. Why did they left him and sister alone, aren't they to people that should be protected, Lior muttered to himself clenching his fist tightly.
After a year the world as moved on forgetting about his parents deeds, forgetting about the orphans of the people they called heroes.
As he walked, the usual distant clang of a blacksmith at work reached his ears. Floor one was alive in it own muted way, and yet beneath the surface of the calm dangers lurks around every corners.
Lior gaze swept the streets. Settlement C was crowded, just like every other settlement on Floor one. Children darted between buildings, women shouted to one another across narrow alleys, and men carried goods from the crystal mines to the central markets. The sound and sight felt comforting in a weird way cooling down his restless mind.
Just as his nerves were cooling down, a flicker of movement caught his eye near the far end of the alley. Shadows stretched unnaturally, flicking against the walls in a way that made his instincts tingle. Lior hand instinctively brushed against the hilt of the small knife strapped to his belt.
Nothing. Just a stray cat or at least he told himself that, yet the feeling that he was being watched never left him, this feeling was making his hairs stand out.
He shooked his head and forced a chuckle. "Relax, Lior, it just your imagination playing trick on you.
Turning to another corner towards the marketplace, a familiar voice called out from behind him.
"Hey! Lior! Wait up!"
He turned to see Frank, one of his oldest friend. He and Frank had been friends since as long as he can remember, he encountered Frank when they were around five years old, at that time Frank was being beaten up by some older kids, so he tried to save him which resulted in him too also being beaten up. Which was how they became close.
Frank running towards him, face flushed from exertion. "Where are you going!"
"I'm..... just walking," he said, keeping his tone flat, though a faint smile tugged at thew corner of his lips.
"You mean wondering around alone in the evening?" he said scratching his head. "Do you want to get eaten by a monster? Or worse fall into some hole no ones as patched?"
Lior groaned, "its Floor One, Frank. Not exactly Floor Fifteen where people vanish."
Frank eyes narrowed. " you say that like something couldn't happen! Floor aren't just numbers you know, even here people can disappear sometimes you know?
"Disappear?" he asked his curiosity piqued.
Frank hesitated. "Well… rumors as it that some kids went exploring near Settlement E last week, and haven't been seen since. Maybe its nothing. But maybe…" he let his sentences hang, his expression half joking, half serious.
Lior sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Great Floor One has rumors too now."
Frank nudged him playfully. "You're so calm about this. Boring."
He smirked. "Someone has to keep a level head around here."
As they walked side by side with Frank still blabbering towards the central plaza, Lior gaze drifted upward. The ceiling of Floor One was so high, its jagged rock surface faintly glowing with veins of crystal. Even after seventeen years, he still found it beautiful in a strange eerie way.
But then the feeling of being watched returned. Somewhere in the shadows, a pair of eyes of watched them, waiting.