"Haaa..."
On a vast plaza stood a young man who had lifted his head to once again examine the columns supporting the stone ledge above. It was Lloyd. A drawn-out sigh escaped his lips.
"I'm so tired..."
He had been held up at work today and was finally free.
Turning sideways, he cast a long glance at the wide entrance to the gateway headquarters. To his left and right stood two guards—Resonators—armed with magical weapons, just in case.
Lloyd genuinely couldn't understand who in their right mind would dare to infiltrate the headquarters on their own.
Or go to the surface...
"Well, life is full of surprises."
Returning his gaze to his feet, Lloyd started walking down.
'When did my leg muscles stop hurting from these descents and ascents?'
The gateway headquarters was located at the maximum possible height to facilitate exit to the surface. The city itself lay slightly lower.
Therefore, Lloyd had to traverse an unimaginable number of steps on his own two feet every day.
'At least the view of the city is excellent from here.'
Pleraz was one of the few underground "anthill" cities.
Winding roads with speeding cars. Stone skyscrapers. A haze enveloping the heights. Impossibly tall trees—all of it made the view magical.
From above, almost every part of it was visible. From the dim outskirts to its brightest point, the center—the Shirox Tower.
"I'll go to bed early today" - Lloyd said in a half-voice.
Lloyd finally reached the bottom and was now walking along a more crowded sidewalk, deftly slipping between people, trying not to bump into them. Or was it them bumping into him?
This was the peak hour. Everyone was rushing somewhere. Having fun. Socializing.
Lloyd felt somewhat uncomfortable in this crowd. And he knew that there were far more people in the city center.
Goosebumps ran down his spine, and he quickened his pace.
Reaching the required station of the Underground Trunk Line, Lloyd's eyes darted around, hoping to find a free seat, perfectly aware that it would be futile. All the seats had been taken long ago.
Lloyd leaned against a stone pillar standing about three meters from the edge of the trunk line, crossed his arms, and began absently observing his surroundings.
People sat on metal benches, already lightly coated with rust, waiting for their transport module.
A man dressed in a formal suit, having slightly slid off the bench, was looking into a paper newspaper with cheerful eyes. Staring at the same spot. A red lipstick mark adorned his cheek.
'Ah, so that's it..' - Instantly catching the connection, Lloyd slightly raised his eyebrows.
"Kh..Khh.Kh"
Catching a painful cough with his ears, he shifted his gaze to its source.
'And you're here as always.'
There, on the last row of benches, a group of homeless people lay carefree.
A noticeable amount of free space surrounded them. People bypassed them as if an invisible barrier stood there.
Lloyd shook his head and closed his eyes. Almost instantly, a thin veil of sleep began to cover his consciousness.
He stood in the same spot, still leaning his back against the cold stone pillar. There was no one around. The station was completely empty, its silence cut by a quiet, soothing melody.
'It's coming from... m-my head?!' — "Haaa??"
Lloyd recoiled from the cold pillar, forcing all the air out of his lungs.
Indeed, the melody came not from an external source, but from within his own mind.
The panic quickly subsided. As if the melody was preventing it from growing.
Realizing this, Lloyd furrowed his brows and tried to listen closely to the mysterious melody.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't. It was as if something was preventing his consciousness from taking a step towards the beautiful rhythm.
"What is this? I... can't?" - The guy spoke into the silence of the station, from which no answer could possibly come. But...
"No need to dwell on it, boy." - from his right, words swept past, just as soothing as the melody.
Lloyd instantly turned his head towards the source of the voice.
There, about fifteen meters away from him, stood a woman. She was dressed in a dark purple mantle. Her face was difficult to see—it was hidden by the darkness falling from the deep hood, from under which, like two waterfalls, hung hair as black as a raven's feathers. The only thing visible—lips, of a slightly bluish tint, curved in a gentle smile.
"Your dream... It's pleasant..." - the mysterious woman said, not embarrassed in the least.
Lloyd took an involuntary step away from her.
"Who are you?! Where is everyone, damn it?!" - the young man shouted towards the hooded woman.
Nervous, he began to blink more frequently. He closed his eyes for just a fraction of a second, but upon opening them again, the woman was already a meter away from him.
"All in good time, boy."
The bluish lips moved, pronouncing the words. They were pleasant to listen to.
Lloyd's eyes widened in surprise, and he tried to take another step back, but couldn't.
His body no longer obeyed him.
The mysterious woman, with graceful movements, brought her right hand from behind her back and extended it towards the young man.
A small paper scroll lay in her palm.
Lloyd looked at it, then shifted his gaze to the woman's eyes. Or rather, to their approximate location.
"What is this?"
The question hung in the silence. No answer came.
Biting his lip, the young man raised his hand and snatched the scroll.
And then...
"Transport Module TM-11 arriving at node 'Depth-7'."
The lips of the mysterious figure moved, pronouncing these words.
The now-familiar sensation of the veil of sleep once again enveloped Lloyd's consciousness.
"Khaaa!!" - The young man jerked away from the pillar as if it were incredibly hot.
His baseball cap fell onto the concrete floor, freeing his white hair, which swayed in the wind generated by the movement of the newly arrived Transport Module.
Lloyd took several deep breaths, glanced at the trunk line, then at the baseball cap lying on the floor.
He bent down, reaching out with his right hand to grab the cap, but discovered a tattered paper scroll clutched in his fingers.
"Transport Module TM-11 departing..."
Pressing his lips together, Lloyd reached out with his left hand, grabbed the headwear, and ran inside the transport module.