Chapter 13

My mind raced when my vision fled, trying its best to recall anything from the Network's database that could help me piece together what happened. One moment I was talking with David, and the next, I found myself drifting along in this inky blackness. I couldn't see, I couldn't move... I couldn't even feel my own body.

Though my mind started as a flurry of activity, an unnatural calm seeped into me, soothing my thoughts and inducing my current state of being. The moment my mind calmed, and my thoughts were in order, I blinked... and my eyes fluttered open to glimpse a beautiful world the likes of which I had never seen.

The darkness in which I'd been trapped was gone, and above me were vast blue skies, a vibrant canopy of leaves rustling in the wind, and the thick trunk of an ancient tree upon which my back was resting. I breathed the uncorrupted air as I took in the vibrant colors of the world around me.

What was this place? My eyes moved without my command, looking away from the sky and darting along the ground below. Swathes of green lay before me, a vast plain stretching out with many kinds of vegetation I had never seen. Strange bushes and vines sprouted from the grassy floor as various animals I couldn't name flitted to and fro between them.

In the distance, a creature resembling the giant boars from the Fifth Floor traped across the flatland, ignoring the other animals and using the arm on its face to pick from the strange fruits amongst the trees. Its fur was brown, and its peaceful nature was in stark contrast to the Plagued Beasts I had come to know.

"David?"

A man's voice hissed from below, and I somehow knew it was directed at me. My mind took this oddity in stride, neither allowing me to feel agitated at the situation nor ignore the happenings around me. Somehow, I knew the dark space had been meant to prepare me for this. I was nothing more than a passenger, only here to witness.

"David! Get down here!" The voice hissed again, this time slightly louder. My head turned, and I could see a shirtless young man sporting strange green and brown breeches with many holes ripped in them. His hair was black, much like many of the Tower's residents, and he had emerald green eyes.

I couldn't help but think how handsome the young man would be if it weren't for his gaunt figure. He looked malnourished, with his cheeks sunken and clothes hanging off him. There was a soft expression as he gazed up at me.

"David, come down from there. We're about to leave," this time, it wasn't more than a whisper, but I could clearly hear what he was saying.

"Coming, Brother Abel," I called, my mouth moving on its own. The feeling was disconcerting, and I could hear a familiarity within the voice. It was David's... and with that realization, I fully came to understand what was happening. This was the lad's story.

My arms and legs moved of their own accord as the lad scampered from the tree. I watched as I ran up to the young man, my eyes barely reaching the young man's chest. Inwardly, I couldn't help but smile as the enthusiasm of young David washed over me.

Abel lowered his hand and ruffled my hair, much to the dismay of David, as I felt my nose scrunching up, "Stop it!"

"I told you not to wander off while we prepared to leave, David. Why don't you ever listen to me?" Abel asked, ignoring the complaint and continuing to tussle my hair. I had to admit, it was getting uncomfortable, and I could see why children disliked the action.

I waved my hands, pushing away Abel's hands and fixing my hair while grumbling, "But watching is sooo boooring!"

Abel shook his head, "Anyway, do you have everything ready to go?"

My head bobbed up and down, and I ran over to the tree, snatching up a small green sack. I could feel David's giddiness as he ran back to Abel and proudly showed him the bag, opening it to reveal its contents, "Mom packed for me this morning!"

Abel rummaged through the bag as David watched. Inside were an old set of clothes, a small brown ball, a clay container for water, and an apple. When Abel saw the apple, he quickly shut the bag and shoved it back into my hands.

"That apple... did your mom give it to you?" Abel whispered.

"Yes!"

"Shhh," he glanced behind him worriedly, though I could feel that David didn't understand the severity of Abel's gaze. "Your mother truly cares about you. Make sure to keep your bag shut and don't let the others see it."

I felt David nodding vigorously, though I could also feel his confusion. Abel smiled and tousled my hair again before becoming serious, "David, you know how important this expedition is, right? If it weren't for your luck in finding food, I wouldn't be bringing you along. You have to promise that you'll listen while we're gone. No more running off."

David nodded through Abel's entire rant, and I couldn't help but feel a bit unsettled by the admonishment. From the looks of the young man, he'd barely left his teenage years, but he was acting more like a kind father than an older brother. It also felt bizarre to be reprimanded by someone who wasn't even a fifth of my age, even though I knew it was directed at David.

"Good," Abel smiled again and waved for me to follow. "Come on, Cain is waiting with the others. He'll be angry if we're late."

"Okay!" I felt my feet moving quickly as David rushed to keep up with Abel. His eyes wandered around the trees, and the two remained silent, giving me time to think about the situation.

This Abel fellow looked like he was about half-starved, and I could feel that David's stomach was in pain, though I couldn't sense any discomfort. It was almost like they were used to it. But animals were running about all over the plains, so I couldn't understand why they would go hungry.

Their attire was also quite simple, not made from leather or fur but from plants. The green and brown pants the young man wore seemed to be woven from different grasses, as was the bag David carried. It was all so... primal, yet their speech was no less articulate than my own, even if they didn't seem to use any sort of formality when speaking.

We soon walked out of the trees and entered a small village, where others were going about hurriedly, presumably preparing for this expedition that Abel had mentioned. They wore similar plant-weaved clothing and toted around baskets and clay pots. Very few individuals carried any weapon, but those who did appeared to be better fed than those who didn't. The weapons carried by the warriors were primitive, nothing more than spears with stone tips, clubs, or bows.

The village was similarly primitive, sporting wooden huts or clay buildings with uneven dirt paths joining them. It was cool out, likely early morning, yet strangely, no smoke rose from the spouts in the center of the buildings. David's eyes darted back and forth to the hard-working men and women, leaving me little time to analyze further.

I could feel the lad's admiration when his gaze landed on the warriors, his eyes lingering on the crude spears and weapons which they carried. Their bodies were scarred, and though they weren't as starved as the common folk, I could tell they were emaciated. It seemed that this expedition was as vital as Abel made it out to be.

Without warning, the bustling and preparations ceased, and as one, the people of the village looked to the sky. David was no exception, and when he did, I couldn't help but gasp internally. Floating many hundreds of feet overhead, the glowing numbers of a familiar clock were ticking down.

[9899:364:23:59:59]

The clock had just ticked down, marking the passing of a century. But this was... I couldn't believe it. All common knowledge stated that the clock had formed at exactly ten thousand years. If those teachings were true, I was witnessing the end of the Tower's first century... Amazing.

With this knowledge, my understanding of the situation grew, though not by much. David and his people were on the Origin Floor, and it was obvious that civilization had only recently begun to take root. That only made my curiosity grow... I found it even more bizarre that people spoke the same complex language this far into the past.

I could feel an admiration bordering on reverence within David as the boy stared up at the clock. Then, all of the other villagers resumed their tasks, and David ran to catch back up to Abel. Soon the pair arrived at an old, simple carriage with two horses fastened at the front.

"Took you guys long enough," a voice sounded nearby. David quickly shifted his eyes from the horses to the man leaning on the back of the carriage. I could feel both admiration and fear through whatever connection we shared, and an odd sense of familiarity passed over me as I sized up the man.

The man looked a lot like Abel, with the same black hair and emerald-green eyes. He was a few years older, thick stubble growing from his less emaciated jaw. Though he still looked starved, it was apparent that he was better fed than most of the others here. His broad chest and shoulders held a thick layer of muscle, and his arms were as wide as Abel's thighs.

It seemed that the warriors in this village were given priority. Still, I had trouble understanding why the people were so starved. There were animals aplenty just behind in the plains, so why were these people suffering?

"Cain," Abel nodded, and David waved in greeting.

"We've been waiting for some time," Cain replied, pointing to the carriage, where a small group of people sat holding weapons and supplies. "What were you doing?"

Abel chuckled and ruffled David's hair. I could feel the lad's cheeks burning, "I just had to pick up some extra baggage. David here promised to be a good helper."

"Yeah!" David pumped his fist before trying to pry Abel's hand from his head.

Cain looked between Abel and David for a moment. Each time his eyes met with David's, a current of... something washed over me. I wasn't sure what was happening, but the man gave me a strange vibe, and I still couldn't brush off the idea that I'd seen him before. Before I could place it, he shook his head and leapt into the carriage, waving for us to follow.

"Well, hurry and hop on," he said, sitting near the front. "We can't keep wasting time. You know how important this is for the tribe."

Abel picked David up under the arms and sat the boy on the carriage before hopping in. A few travelers laughed in amusement as I stumbled back, barely gaining my footing before plopping on one of the benches. Most of them, however, wore severe expressions and even looked at me in annoyance, as if I didn't belong.

"Cain, how much longer do we have?" Abel asked once the carriage began to move, the bumps of the unpaved roads breaking up his speech.

"We won't make it through the winter unless we're lucky," Cain frowned. "We split our holdings evenly, each group taking a month's supply as long as we ration properly. Everything within two weeks' travel has been picked clean, so each caravan... It's best not to worry. It may not be safe, but we'll find something to the north."

Abel mumbled something under his breath while staring up at the sky. Each of the other occupants similarly looked off in some random direction, likely not wanting to see the apprehension in the others' eyes. David took all of this in with his boyish curiosity before he, too, turned to watch the clouds.

...

As the carriage rolled down a well-trod path, I could feel the difference between its structure and one from modern times. The ride was less than pleasurable, and the constant squealing from the wheels had been eating at my nerves over the last two weeks. If it weren't for my mind being affected by David's intrigue in the world around him, the noise would have driven me insane. Not to mention the filth...

David and the other passengers were grungy. The smells from their unwashed skin assaulted the boy's senses, and unfortunately, I had to live through them. This struck me as odd and gave me another hint about their lives. These people still hadn't discovered the magic of the Cards.

If that were the case, it made some sense that they were starving. Even on the Origin Floor in the present, it was hard for Non-Wielders to work the land. The fruits clinging to the tops of the trees took a decent amount of strength to remove and even more to open. I'd also come to understand that they wouldn't eat meat due to their belief in the Goddess Tara, who loved all creatures, which helped fill in some gaps.

I'd heard the brief conversations the adults were having throughout the trip and had begun to get a general idea of the situation. Over the last few decades, the village's population had grown, and so too had their consumption. The foragers expanded outward, gathering the low-hanging fruit and mushrooms that they could harvest with their strength. Their conversations also revealed that the warriors' job was to protect the tribe from other humans.

"Looks like we're here," a voice pulled me from my thoughts, and David's head jerked around to take in his surroundings. They'd made it to the trail's end a few days prior and continued until the carriage couldn't proceed any further.

Abel was the first person to hop out, turning to assist David, who was attempting to scramble after him. The others weren't as excited, clutching tightly to their weapons as they looked around them. It was clear that they were stepping into unexplored territory.

"Come on, David," Abel said, "Help with the baggage."

"Okay," David quickly sat his own pack to the side and began toting the rest to a nearby tree, separating them based on who they belonged to. As he worked, he peeked into the densely packed trees, and I could feel his excitement almost boiling over.

I didn't recognize the vast forest that spread out before us. Apparently, the geographical changes over the last nine thousand years were nothing to scoff at. In the current century, there were hardly any forests on the Origin Floor, most having been long logged and replaced with buildings or railways.

Once the luggage was dealt with, the men and women began leaving the cart. Cain was the last to jump out, stretching and issuing orders the moment his feet touched the earth.

"Let's not squander a single second," he said, pointing at the clock above us. "I want the horses watered and a small camp ready within the hour. No fires. Abel, David, Mathias, and Luna will come with me to search the forest. Be on the lookout for any berries or recognizable mushrooms. Stay within earshot in case one of us runs into trouble."

A young woman with a bow slung across her back, and a tall, bulky man with a long spear stepped out of the already working crowd. David quickly grabbed his bag from the pile of luggage and pulled out a small stone knife before strapping the bundle to his back. Abel laughed when he saw this and brought two spears from the cart, handing one to Cain.

"How far do you intend to search this evening?" Abel asked, glancing up at the clock.

Cain rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Let's start with the perimeter. Tomorrow we will form a larger party and start taking things seriously."

"Alright then, let's get going, shall we?" Luna stepped forward. Her eagerness was no less apparent than David's.

Abel clapped his hands, grabbing everyone's attention, "Alright, David and I will take the left. Luna, Mathias, the right. Cain, you stay in the middle where you can hear any calls for help. Try not to spread too far. Meet back here in two hours."

Cain nodded in agreement and turned to leave, calling over his shoulder, "You heard the man. Get moving!"

Luna and Mathias didn't waste any time, darting into the forest before Cain had left David's view. The lad turned to say something to Abel but found that he was alone. I could feel the fear of being left out creeping in when Abel poked his head out from behind a tree, "You coming?"

"Brother Abel!" David cried, "Wait for me!"

I could feel the little legs I was attached to, working hard to catch up, brightening my mood. It was still strange feeling the world through another's perspective, especially someone so young, but I'd grown accustomed to it over the past two weeks.

"We..." David huffed when he caught up to Abel, struggling to catch his breath, "We should go that way."

David pointed toward the northwest, and Abel looked over curiously. The trees looked nearly the same in every direction, other than the marks Abel left on the trunks of the ones he'd passed.

"Why this way?" Abel asked curiously, turning in that direction and scoring another tree with his knife.

"The creatures I watch always walk this way," David said. "Our trail brought us north, but the mammoths always walk northwest after they pluck the goa fruit. I think they bring them here for some reason."

Abel looked down at David, surprised. I would have been as well, but I'd been sharing the lad's thoughts for many days. Though David acted like a typical youth, he was very good at noticing patterns through his observations. This included the movements of many of the animals he watched from his perch in the tree to the way certain plants grew in specific areas. He would have made a great tracker when he was older, though based on the age of his spectral form, it was reasonable to assume that he never grew up.

"You know we can't pluck the goa fruits, right?" Abel asked, only to see David nodding in response and hurrying ahead.

David turned to walk backward and looked up at Abel, "I know, but there are always berries growing beneath the goa trees. We've just picked all of them near home. Maybe they are planting new trees."

Abel grinned, "I'm glad I talked Cain into letting you join our group."

The two continued talking while I reviewed what I'd learned from David's thoughts and memories. The mammoths he spoke of were the giant boars with arms growing from their faces, or rather... trunks, as David called them.

I'd never heard of such creatures on the Origin Floor. The Academy taught that there were a few basic creatures, and we based our knowledge of the Plagued Beasts on what existed in modern times. There were Rodents, Swine, Canines, Felines, Equus, and Ursidae. Those were the only species that lived on the Origin Floor or First Floor in modern times, and there was no record of anything prior. Any Floors above that, and the animals became twisted by the Plague.

The Summon Cards that existed did help with determining the origin of some of the Plagued Beasts, but they were few and far between. The going theory was that when a Taming Card was successfully used, the Summon received would be the Non-Plagued version of whatever beast you were fighting. So far, all signs pointed to this being true, which made me wonder about my Pixie. Humanoid creatures only started to appear beyond the Twenty-Fifth Floor, and they weren't common until the Fiftieth.

I pictured the mammoth David had spotted and compared it to the beasts I knew from the Fifth Floor. If Plagued Beasts were simply the infected versions of real creatures... I forced myself to stop thinking about it and focus on the memory. Thinking about the Plagued humanoids of the upper Floors would only dampen my mood if I started wandering down that rabbit hole.

A flash of color caught my eye, and apparently David's as well. He tugged on Abel's pant leg and pointed forward, "This way, Brother Abel! Come on!"

The boy ran forward, stopping in a large clearing with a single, massive tree rupturing the ground in the center. The tree was much larger than those around the clearing, though only in thickness, not in height. If it took ten men grasping hands to circle a standard tree, this one would take fifty. David's face broke into a grin, and he pointed to the low-hanging branches and the roots stirring the ground below it.

Laying amongst the roots were tens of odd-looking giant fruits that looked like they'd been laid down as an offering. I identified them as the goa fruits David had watched the mammoth pick. The branches above also held a variety of fruit, each of which was a different color. Also... I felt like I'd seen this tree somewhere before...

David stood at the edge of the clearing, jumping around to point at the multitude of low-hanging fruits and the multi-colored goa fruits that lay on the ground. Abel stood stock-still, staring in awe at the bounty displayed before him.

"Look! I told you there would be something over here!" David tried to run forward but was caught by the shoulder before he could take a step. He looked up at Abel, who was warily looking around the clearing.

"What's wrong, Brother Abel? Shouldn't we go get the fruit?" David asked curiously. I could feel the confusion as he looked between the tree and Abel.

Abel shook his head, "We should tell Cain and the others. Something isn't right... What if this is a trap, and one of the mammoths sees us stealing its fruit?"

David stopped trying to rush forward but looked longingly toward the clearing. He sat down next to a nearby tree, pouting and covering his ears while he waited. As for Abel, the young man placed two fingers to his lips, and a shrill whistle rang throughout the forest. David uncovered his ears, and soon another whistle was heard. A few seconds later, I could scarcely make out a third in the distance to the east.

Abel stood beside David and rustled his hair, "Don't worry, I'm sure it will be fine."

It didn't take long for Cain to reach them, "What's wrong, did y-"

His words stopped short when he noticed the treasure in the clearing, and Abel had to stop him the same way he had David, "Cain, wait. David found this place by following the mammoths. We need to be cautious."

Cain glanced over at his brother before looking around the clearing. Tracks of all shapes and sizes led up to the enormous tree, and at the end of each trail sat a goa fruit, resting comfortably among its massive roots. He gestured for David and Abel to stay quiet as he slowly crept forward.

David held his breath, watching as Cain stalked toward one of the goa fruits, dislodged it from the roots, and then rolled it back to where they were sitting. Nothing happened. No animals leapt out to stop him, and Cain safely made it back with one of the giant fruits.

"It seems safe enough," Cain whispered. "Let's see if we can get two more to take to camp. David, try climbing the tree and picking a few fruits."

"Okay!" David whispered back excitedly, darting out from the woodline before the others had a chance to react. I watched as the tree grew closer, trying to place where I'd seen it before.

David ran around the tree, his eyes pointing up as he looked for a good spot to start climbing. Without warning, I felt a surge of pain as David cried out, and we went toppling to the ground. Cain and Abel called out, asking if he was okay, but David ignored them, clutching a stubbed toe and looking for the culprit that harmed them. That was... until he looked up.

Along with David, I quickly forgot the throbbing pain I felt coming from his foot. His eyes were focused, staring in amazement at a cavernous opening carved into this side of the tree. Within that opening, I saw something very familiar... Something that I could never forget.

David had stumbled upon the metal stairs that led to the First Floor.