Alone and in pain, Nova thought of those he loved—especially his mother, probably waiting for him, her heart clenched with worry. She had always been sensitive, and imagining her like that darkened Nova's expression.
He sighed, his thoughts drifting to Miyu, Elara, and Rober. They were his friends, his best friends. Without them, everything felt empty; his fractured heart hardened once more.
Over time, he had grown used to being around others, despite how different he was. That was why he felt so alone now, surrounded by monsters eager to kill him. Even his perspective had grown harsher, more morally ambiguous.
Exhausted, he closed his eye and let sleep take him. Since arriving in this world, it was the first time he had felt so tired. This time, he simply trusted the Sweet Flake's properties to mend his wounds.
Hours later, a sharp clang against metal jolted him awake. He snapped his one eye open, scanning his surroundings in confusion.
'What was that?'
His body still ached from the fall, but he forced himself up, swaying as he found his balance.
'There it is again...'
Clang. Clang.
The metal echoed in the distance beneath Nova's feet. Curious, he peered over the edge of the staircase, but saw only a rusted, damp floor far below. The sound was still coming from below.
'It's coming from below… the bottom of the stairs.'
This wasn't the time for curiosity, but leaving the tunnel would be dangerous. For all he knew, the red woman could still be out there, looking for someone else to kill in cold blood.
As his wounds slowly healed, Nova made a decision.
'No one ever tells me to get involved in things like this, and yet here I am, throwing myself headfirst into trouble,' he thought, bitterly aware of the irony. He descended the stairs with caution.
At the bottom, he found four long tunnels. Three were completely dark, while the central tunnel glowed with purple light at its far end.
To be safe, he covered his face again. He couldn't risk anyone seeing his face. He reached for the hilt of his sword—then froze. It wasn't there. Only then did he remember it was still lodged in the wall above.
'Damn. I should've brought it with me, but I couldn't stay outside any longer.'
Survival mattered more than the sword.
He pressed on until he reached the end of the tunnel. As he emerged from the tunnel, countless lights flooded his vision, overwhelming his lone eye.
Nova squinted in an attempt to adjust to the light. Once his vision adjusted, a twisted grimace spread across his face. If what he'd seen above had been shocking, what lay below was hell itself.
Calling the immensity of the underground comparable to the surface city would have been an understatement. Hundreds of buildings drenched in lights and extravagant displays filled the horizon. Bright red and purple signs hung from the ceiling, written in languages Nova couldn't understand.
The most unsettling part was the ceiling itself. Buildings hung upside down from the ceiling, complete with parking bays for personal flying vehicles. The entire place was crowded, Aberrations of every kind moving endlessly through the distance.
Without realizing it, Nova pulled his hood closer around his face. It was overwhelming—this vast, unknown world pressing down on him.
Though the architecture resembled that of the surface, everything here felt untamed. The underground carried an air of lawlessness that sent goosebumps down his spine.
'This shouldn't surprise me anymore.'
In front of him, the stairs were wide and long. It was more like a platform that anyone could walk down. Nearby, there was a kind of piston next to the wall of one of the buildings near the path after the stairs.
'So that's where the noise was coming from.'
Nova didn't wait for common sense to catch up; he threw himself forward without hesitation. If death was inevitable in this world, then taking the biggest risks early might reduce the chances of dying later. It was simple statistics—nothing he hadn't learned back in high school.
'I wish they had taught me how to survive in worlds that no one knows about.'
He shook his head in exasperation. He kept to the roads; there didn't seem to be sidewalks here. That was certainly dangerous, but it was better than nothing.
What he did keep in mind this time was not to get distracted. Running into another Aberration that could recognize humans wasn't a good idea. He'd be eaten alive in the streets of the Cyber Underground.
Aberrations of every imaginable kind roamed the streets. Some resembled androids; others were grotesque, insect-like creatures. There was no place more diverse than this world.
'This place can't be that kind of place… right?'
In Terra, there were the famous forbidden districts. These places were large expanses of streets where all kinds of illegal activities took place one after another: from shady deals between dangerous mafias to the sale of illegal substances. Although most of these places were located on the continent of New Europe, there were still a few pockets in the country of Nemoria, whose capital, Luminaris, is one of the cleanest cities in terms of organized crime.
Nova moved forward, maintaining a calm pace. He glanced around, searching for signs of danger.
Not knowing what else to do, he continued down the narrow street between the concrete and metal buildings. The neon lights stood out far more down here than on the surface. In addition, the Aberrations were much more aggressive and less organized.
'It's a little scary how much New Europe and this place resemble each other,' he thought, lowering his gaze. 'I've never traveled to the other side of the world, but everyone knows what that continent is like.'
The usual: corrupt politicians, a mediocre government, incompetent people in high positions. Although a little over a millennium had passed since the extinction of ancient humanity, these kinds of things continued to happen everywhere; not just on Terra, it seemed.
'It seems that we humans are no better than the Aberrations.'
He stopped dead in the middle of the street. For a second, he looked at his hand.
'We're no better, huh...'
He had a dark memory from the past that made him feel a void in his chest. He clenched his fist and closed his only eye. When he opened his eye again, the light of Serenity illuminated his iris.
He let out a slow breath. Then he continued on his way.
'If I'm going to feel like this all the time, it's better for Serenity to do its job. I'm no longer under the influence of the snake gas, but that doesn't mean I can be calm again like before.'
Ever since the encounter with the serpent, Nova had felt a certain emotional instability. At first, that may seem like a good thing because it gives him the chance to obtain new Spectrums, but from his point of view, it ruins his eternal calm.
Of course, staying calm when it comes to survival was essential. It is, in fact, vitally important for not dying, but it also bothered him that he couldn't control the situation as he usually does.
Without his perpetual calm, Nova felt exposed to danger. Feeling fear, anger, or paranoia was horrible. Being constantly scared, waiting for a monster to appear and kill him, was one of his worst experiences.
'If I'm not calm, I'll die, but if I am, I'll die too. If I don't get new Spectrums, I'll die. If I don't strengthen the Spectrums I already have, I'll die anyway,' thinking so much about the possibility of dying was making him angry. 'Besides, how am I going to get stronger? It took three years from when I became an Empath until I was able to get a new Spectrum. And I didn't even get it in my world!'
Perhaps years would have passed and Nova would never have obtained a new Spectrum. He would have remained the calm, easygoing person everyone knew. A Seventh Level Eternal Empath! But now he is here, he has a new Spectrum, and he is heading towards the exit of this world.
'Who knows how long it would have taken me to become stronger if I had stayed in Terra... Still, I want to go home. I don't want to run away, fight, or hide to survive anymore.'
Until now, he had realized how well he lived in his home world. The Aberrations were always controlled by the Empaths, the food was good, most people were nice, and the beautiful landscapes were relaxing.
He was really lucky to live in such a peaceful world.
'I just want to live peacefully without anyone bothering me.'
For the next few hours, he walked through the wide streets. After thinking like never before, he felt calmer and clearer-minded. He focused on what he had come for and would not take his eyes off his destination.
At some point, he came to an area of purple and pink lights. Here there were many strange Aberrations, acting as if they were deliberately drawing attention from passersby.
At first, Nova did not understand that this place was somewhat special. However, the further he went, the more he understood. Some of the Aberrations that looked feminine gave him hungry and provocative looks.
A chill ran down his spine.
'This place can't be that kind of place, right?'
With a wry smile, he hurried on, holding his hood up.
Imagining himself approaching an Aberration with "those" intentions was chilling. Now that he thought about it, many of the scantily clad Aberrations nearby were leading other creatures into buildings—or disappearing with them into alleys for reasons that were obvious enough.
Assessing the situation, he realized he was taking a serious risk by staying here. Unlike the surface, the alleys here were crowded with Aberrations, leaving Nova nowhere to hide.
'How big is this place? It just doesn't end.'
Pink and purple lights stretched into the distance, glowing dimly as neon reflections shimmered across puddles on the concrete-and-metal ground. Nova stepped into one of those puddles as he brushed past a strange woman with pale green skin.
At first, Nova assumed no one would approach him—his hood, his timid gait, his concealed identity all worked in his favor. That assumption was a mistake. He was standing in a twisted version of Terra's red-light district—privacy was not an option here.
The green-skinned woman approached in silent, swift steps and caught Nova by the arm.
Nova reacted instantly, trying to pull away, but her grip tightened with surprising strength. She pressed her chest against his arm, her intentions unmistakable. Nova swallowed hard—not because it worked, but because discovery would be fatal.
If only his Spectrum of Anticipation let him see the future like Miyu's—this wouldn't be happening.
'Damn it—just one second of distraction and…!'
Outwardly, he remained calm; inside, his thoughts were screaming.
Despite the situation, the woman was undeniably beautiful. Her hair was snow white, cut in a punk style that covered one eye; her eyes were the color of yellow amber, and she wore clothing befitting the Aberrations that looked like androids. Over her shoulders she wore a long brown cloth cape with straight lines resembling metal welds, and she also had a pair of silver shoulder pads over the cape that made her look better than the other Aberrations. Underneath that cape, she wore a black top made of a rubber-like material, tight-fitting pants made of the same material, and brown boots with thick heels.
While Nova debated with his own mind, the woman smiled mischievously at him. In a strange turn of events, she said in a sweet and playful tone:
"I've been watching you for a while. You seem very shy. Where are you going in such a hurry? To work? Are you visiting the planet?"
Nova froze. The moment she spoke, he remembered the red woman.
'Her voice... She...'
The girl sounded as though she were speaking twice at once, in two different tongues. One of them was Terra's own.