Chapter 132: Pandora's Box

  "Li...n... m..ei...hu..a...."

  "L...in.... me...i..hu...a..."

  The metallic structure continued to hum, the sound no longer just a vibration but a low, distorted voice grinding against the air. It sounded like metal scraping on metal, trying to form human speech.

  "What's up with that?" Mila asked, her hand instinctively going to her sword hilt. The voice set her teeth on edge.

  "We don't know," Tanvir answered, staring at the silver monolith. "That thing started that hum a few hours ago. We don't know what triggered it, or what it wants."

  "The structure is still sealed shut for us," Malik added, adjusting his glasses which were speckled with sand. "We haven't found a seam or a hinge anywhere."

  "Never mind the structure for a moment," Queen Aleena said, turning her sharp gaze to the new arrivals. "How did all of you get here? And why is Samira with you all?"

  "That… We also don't know, Your Majesty," Zhu answered, still looking disoriented. She dusted sand off her qipao.

  "We are equally surprised. We were just strolling the desert, looking for Raito," Bob said, scratching his head. "One minute we were running from a sandstorm that ate the sky, and the next... We are here."

  "Hi Mom!" Samira waved cheerfully from the back of the carriage.

  "Young lady," Queen Aleena glared, her motherly authority overriding her royal demeanor. "You are supposed to be with your father, helping him with Kah-Kamun governmental work. Why are you here?"

  "I'm... I'm bored," Samira admitted, jumping down from the carriage. "And I missed Malik. Hehe."

  She moved to hug Malik’s arm, burying her face in his shoulder. Malik blushed furiously, stammering incoherent greetings.

  The Queen sighed, rubbing her temples. "You are definitely grounded once we are home."

  "Okay!" Samira accepted her fate cheerfully, snuggling closer to her husband.

  "What sandstorm?" Tanvir asked again, his brow furrowed.

  "The sandstorm that got us," Mila said, pointing back the way they presumably came. "It was big, sandy, dusty. Loud."

  "But the sky is clear," Malik said, pointing upward. "There is no sandstorm within miles of us. The weather has been stable all day."

  "There is no way... we are sure..." Mila started to argue, looking around at the serene blue sky.

  "What Malik said is true," Tanvir supported. "From our perspective, you guys just... poof. Suddenly materialized here. No storm. No dust cloud. Just a carriage appearing out of thin air."

  “There is no way… Illusions? Dreams?” Zhu confused.

  "Hmmm?" Samira took notice of the empty space beside her. "Where is Yukari?"

  The group looked around, scanning the immediate area.

  "There," Zhu pointed.

  They found her. Yukari was standing directly in front of the metallic structure, staring at it with an intensity that blocked out everything else.

  "Lin, what are you doing?" Zhu asked, stepping forward.

  Yukari didn't turn around. She kept her eyes fixed on the silver surface.

  "Hey everyone, come here," she said, her voice calm but commanding. She gestured with her head for everyone to come closer.

  The group moved closer, crowding around her but keeping a wary distance from the vibrating metal.

  "What is it, kid?" Tanvir asked, tilting his head.

  "Listen carefully," Yukari whispered.

  "Li...n... m..ei...hu..a...."

  "L...in.... me...i..hu...a..."

  The structure continued to hum, the rhythm repetitive and grating.

  "Yeah, it hums," Tanvir said, unimpressed. "What of it? It sounds like a dying animal."

  "No, no. Not the hum itself," Yukari pointed out, leaning in. "The way it hums. The modulation. It sounds like..."

  "A name..." Queen Aleena’s brow furrowed as she caught the cadence.

  "Not just a name, Your Majesty," Yukari said, her voice tight.

  "Your name," Zhu realized, her eyes widening.

  Yukari nodded slowly.

  "But your name is Yukari, right?" Samira asked innocently, looking between them.

  "It is now," Yukari said, staring at her reflection in the matte metal. "But that is not my real name. My real name... is Lin Meihua."

  "Li...n... m..ei...hu..a...."

  "L...in.... me...i..hu...a..."

  The structure hummed louder, clearer this time, as if confirming its intent. The vibration shook the sand around their boots.

  "Ah... you're right!" Samira shouted, clutching Malik’s arm.

  "That is certainly a name," Bob agreed, scratching his beard nervously. "And a specific one."

  Yukari’s brow furrowed deep. "But why my name? My real name?"

  Her mind raced. How could a buried structure in the middle of a desert she had never visited know the name given to her by her parents in a mansion thousands of miles away? A name she hadn't used in years?

  "C...om...e.... in...side...."

  The hum changed pitch. It became deeper, more inviting.

  "The hum changed," Mila pointed out, her hand tightening on her sword.

  "Come inside," Zhu repeated the syllables, translating the mechanical groan.

  Yukari stared at it for a second longer. Then she shook her head violently.

  "No," she stated firmly. "This does not matter to me. Raito first."

  She turned away from the monolith, dismissing the mystery entirely. She started to walk back to the carriage, ignoring the invitation of an ancient power.

  "Let's go, Bob," Yukari commanded.

  "But... but..." Bob looked frantically between the girl and the humming box, completely out of his depth.

  KSSSHH... PSSST.

  A sound like escaping steam hissed through the air.

  A seam appeared on the smooth silver surface. It split apart with a smooth, frictionless motion, metal sliding over metal. A dark, rectangular doorway revealed itself, leading into the abyss of the structure. Welcoming the gasp of everyone outside. The box has opened itself.

  "Lin Meihua... come... inside."

  The voice was crystal clear now, echoing from the darkness within.

  Everyone looked around in confusion and rising panic. They looked at the structure, which had been sealed shut against shovel and pickaxe for weeks, suddenly opening for a girl who had just arrived. And they looked at the girl, who was trying to ignore it with all her might.

  "What should we do?" Malik panicked, whimpering slightly as he hid behind Samira.

  "The answer lies within her," Queen Aleena said, pointing to Yukari’s retreating back. "The structure wants her, not us."

  Raito first, no matter what. Yukari stopped by the carriage. She tapped her foot on the sand impatiently.

  "Bob... let's go," she said, refusing to look back.

  "Wait!" Zhu called out, grabbing Yukari's arm gently. "Are you sure?"

  "Yes," Yukari said, shaking her head. "This is none of my business. Raito is my business. That is why I'm here in the first place." She remained unyielding, her jaw set.

  "We have what you are looking for."

  The structure spoke again, its voice deeper, resonating in their chests as if sensing Yukari's disinterest.

  "Oh really?!" Yukari shouted back over her shoulder, her patience snapping. "That sounds like a big fat lie!"

  "We have what you are looking for," the structure repeated, monotonous and insistent.

  "This is nonsense," Yukari grumbled, getting frustrated.

  "Lin..." Zhu said softly, releasing her arm. "I'll respect your decision. But check your ring. Just to be sure."

  "Fine," Yukari grumbled.

  She turned back toward the structure. She flopped her limp arms at Zhu, who caught her left wrist deftly.

  "Please," Yukari commanded.

  Zhu held Yukari’s hand steady, panning it across the horizon.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "Not there... not there..." Yukari muttered as the light pulsed slowly.

  Zhu turned her toward the open doorway.

  "There..." Yukari whispered.

  Her eyes widened. The Sakura ring was blinking frantically, faster than it ever had before.

  Pulse-Pulse-Pulse-Pulse.

  The ring... it pointed directly into the abyss of the structure.

  "No, no, no," Yukari thought, a cold knot forming in her stomach.

  She ran toward the entrance, stopping just at the threshold. "You have him? Is he there? Why is my ring pointing there?" she asked the darkness.

  "Come... inside... answer... inside..." the structure droned.

  "I want confirmation! Answer!" Yukari shouted, her voice echoing into the metallic hall. "Is he inside?"

  "We have what you are looking for," the voice called out again, cryptic as ever.

  "Tch. Fine, I’ll play your game." Yukari hissed. "I assume he is safe, right? If so, take me to him."

  "We have what you are looking for... come... inside," the structure continued.

  Yukari closed her eyes and exhaled a long, shaky breath. She opened them again, determination steeling her gaze. She looked back at the group. Everyone is waiting for her decision; she is the one the structure wanted.

  "Looks like we are entering after all," she said. I hope Raito is there, If I’m wrong….

  The group nodded, grim faced. However, everyone collectively know, this is her decision to make.

  Zhu grabbed Yukari’s shoulder, “I’m here, we will get him.”

  Yukari nods, her stance reassured. “We’re going in.”

  "Everyone! Prepare your tools! We are entering!" Tanvir shouted to the adventurers and scholars who were hanging back.

  Yukari walked forward, stepping over the threshold into the massive doorway.

  BEEP.

  A sensor sounded.

  Zhu entered closely behind her, alert for any traps. Then Bob followed, his bulk filling the doorway. Mila brought up the rear, her hand on her sword.

  KSSH-CLUNK.

  The heavy metal door slammed shut behind them with the finality of a coffin lid.

  "What?" Mila startled, spinning around. She ran to the door, trying to jam her sword into the seam, but she wasn't fast enough. The metal fused seamlessly. "It's sealed shut!"

  "Hey! Tanvir! Aleena! Samira!" Bob shouted, banging his massive fist against the door. "Open up!"

  But there was no answer. The sound didn't even echo; the metal seemed to absorb it.

  "Move," Zhu ordered, pushing Bob aside.

  She exhaled sharply, centering her stance. "HAA!"

  She slammed her fist into the door with all her might, expecting a burst of explosive fire to blast it open.

  Thud.

  Nothing happened. Not even a spark. Not even a scratch on the matte surface.

  "I can't use my elemental powers," Zhu said, staring at her fist in shock. "I sense... nothing. It's completely gone."

  "Error. Non-Lin Meihua life detected," the structure announced, its voice colder than before.

  Bob looked around the dimly lit, metallic corridor they were trapped in.

  No sound.

  No echo.

  No seams.

  Nor any sign that points to the exit.

  "And it seems," he pointed out nervously, "like we simply walked too fast. The others... they didn't make it in."

  Outside, chaos erupted.

  Tanvir was pounding frantically on the smooth silver wall where the door had been just seconds ago.

  "Bob! Hey Bob!" he shouted, his voice cracking. He pressed his ear against the metal. "Can you hear me?!"

  Nothing. Just silence. The metal was cold and dead to the touch.

  "Sealed shut," Tanvir grumbled, stepping back and running a hand through his hair. "They are trapped."

  "Oh no..." Samira gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

  "No..." Queen Aleena’s eyes flashed. She turned to the gathered crowd of adventurers and scholars.

  "Everyone!" she barked, her voice commanding absolute obedience. "Grab your tools! Pickaxes! Shovels! Explosives if you have them! Try everything to force it open! Now!"

  Inside the belly of the beast, the situation was grim.

  "Hrrgggh!"

  Bob grunted, his massive muscles straining as he tried to jam his fingers into the microscopic seam of the door to pry it open. Veins bulged on his neck, but the metal didn't budge a millimeter.

  "Yep. Sealed," he exhaled, rubbing his sore fingertips. "Solid as a rock."

  Zhu closed her eyes, concentrating. She tried to reach out with her mind, contacting the other lords.

  "My mental link is also disrupted," she said, opening her eyes. “No communication with the outside world."

  Yukari turned, furious. She glared at the ceiling, at the walls, at the very air of the place.

  "Hey! I'm here!" Yukari shouted, her voice echoing down the corridor. "Why did you close that door?!"

  "Only the chosen one may face the answer," the structure answered, its voice reverberating from everywhere and nowhere.

  "What does that mean?!" Yukari screamed, her hands balling into fists. "I don't care about answers! I want Raito back! Is he even here?”

  "Proceed," the structure commanded, ignoring her demand. "The answer... lies in the central chamber."

  Click-Hum-Buzz.

  Overhead, a sequence of lights flickered to life. Strip lighting running along the floor and ceiling illuminated the dark corridor, bathing it in a sterile, white glow. The path stretched forward, deep into the unknown.

  Mila looked down the hallway, then back at the sealed door. She sheathed her sword.

  "It seems," she said, adjusting her grip on her gear, "like we have no other options."

  “And something tells me, Raito is not here. We might have been tricked.” Yukari squints.

  Somewhere else...

  "Old man! Old man! Hey, old man!"

  Raito shouted, his voice raw as he ran with all his might toward the stranger's camp. The ground beneath his feet shook violently, sending tremors up his legs that threatened to knock him over with every stride.

  In the camp, the old man finally woke up. He jolted upright, his eyes wide as he sensed the unnatural vibration of the earth.

  "Earth... quake...?" he muttered, confused. But survival instincts honed by years in the wild took over. With practiced expertise, he calmly gathered his few belongings, stuffing them into his rucksack.

  "This way, old man! Hey!"

  Raito waved frantically from the top of a rock formation slightly up and to the side, safely elevated away from the valley floor where the stampede was headed.

  The shaking grew more violent. Pebbles danced on the ground.

  The old man nodded, spotting the boy. He quickly whipped his coil of rope, using it like a grappling hook to snag a jagged outcrop near Raito. He used it to pull himself up, scrambling faster than his frail frame should have allowed.

  Behind him, coming toward the camp like a tidal wave of earth, were waves of bulging sand.

  Sandworms. Dozens of them. They were agitated, scared, running for their lives in a mindless panic.

  "Hmm... no..." the old man commented, glancing back as he climbed.

  He tried to pull himself up the last few feet toward Raito.

  SNAP.

  The old, sun-rotted rope gave way.

  The old man fell backward, plummeting toward the stampede of churning sand and teeth below him.

  "Got you!"

  Raito lunged. He extended his arm over the edge, catching the old man's bony hand in the last possible second. His muscles strained, but he hauled the stranger up, pulling him to safety on the rock shelf.

  "Too close," Raito exhaled, collapsing back against the stone.

  The old man safely sat himself up at the edge, dusting off his rags. He pointed a trembling finger below.

  "What... that?" he asked.

  "What do you mean?" Raito panted, looking down at the river of monsters flowing past them. "It's clearly animals. Or a sandworm stampede. You know, like cows, deer, or something like that."

  "No..."

  The old man shook his head slowly, his face serious.

  "Sandworms... apex..." he said with a straight face. "Sandworms... no stampede."

  "You're kidding me," Raito said, the implication sinking in. Apex predators didn't run in herds unless they were running from something.

  An hour later, the stampede subsided. The last of the sandworm waves passed, leaving the ground torn but quiet.

  Raito stood up, dusting off his torn pants. "You owe me one, old man."

  But the old man did not move from his spot. He was staring intensely at one of the holes the sandworms had erupted from—a dark, jagged maw in the earth.

  He pointed to the hole. "We... check.... must."

  "Checking there? No. Absolutely not," Raito crossed his arms firmly. "I might want to die, but getting eaten in a dark hole is not on my list."

  "You," the old man pointed a bony finger at Raito. "You... want... dead... there." He pointed to the hole again. "Dead... is... there."

  Then, without hesitation, he jumped.

  "Hey wait! Old man!"

  Raito lunged, trying to grab him by his ragged cloak, but he was too late. The old man had already vanished into the darkness.

  "That old man..." Raito groaned, pulling at his hair. "For being a skeleton, he is too reckless."

  He stood there, looking at the black abyss.

  "Not my problem. Definitely not my problem."

  Raito inhaled deeply. Exhaled slowly. Inhaled. Exhaled.

  "Still hate myself," Raito muttered.

  And he jumped, chasing after the old man into the dark.

  THUD. SLIDE.

  "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Raito yelped as he hit the bottom of the tunnel, sliding on loose gravel.

  "You... good... kid... nice..."

  The old man extended a hand, a warm, small smile visible even in the gloom.

  "Urghhh, and I hate you," Raito grumbled, taking the hand.

  The old man pulled him up with surprising strength.

  "So... where are we?" Raito asked, brushing dirt off his already ruined clothes.

  "Sandworm... tunnel... use this... to move..." the old man explained, gesturing down the long, winding passage.

  "Okay..." Raito looked around. The walls were smooth, packed earth, solidified by the mucus of the worms. "Why is it so quiet?"

  "Too quiet... no worms.... need check... there sounds..." the old man said, his ears twitching like a desert fox.

  He began to walk deeper into the tunnel.

  "Hey, old man!" Raito hissed.

  As much as Raito didn't want to go, he couldn't leave an innocent—albeit strange—old man alone in a monster tunnel. So, reluctantly, he followed.

  Minutes passed. The path was dark, winding, with no end in sight. It was the perfect definition of a worm tunnel—claustrophobic and endless.

  But to Raito's surprise, the old man moved quickly. His steps were steady and sure, navigating the rough terrain as if it were a paved road, while Raito slipped and tripped with every other step.

  "Seriously, who are you, old man?" Raito whispered, stumbling over a rock.

  "Shuush," the old man hissed, putting a finger to his lips.

  Then he pointed ahead.

  In the direction the old man pointed, there was light. And movement.

  "Activities? In the sandworm tunnel?" Raito was confused. He squinted against the sudden brightness.

  He saw lights—harsh, artificial work lamps. And machinery. He had no idea what the machines were, but they were digging into the side of a massive silver metallic structure whose top was covered by the ground above.

  It looked familiar. Too familiar.

  "Not... natural," the old man whispered.

  "Yeah. Who is digging?" Raito muttered. "Hmm?"

  He noticed something about the workers. Their movements were jerky. precise. Mechanical.

  Raito's eyes widened. The 'people' digging were not really people. He knew what they were. He was certainly familiar with them.

  They were mechanical dolls. The same kind that had tried to kill him in Spica.

  Raito turned, pulling the old man behind a large rock.

  "Why are they here?" he mumbled, fear prickling his skin.

  The old man looked at Raito, his sunken eyes sharp. "You... know...?"

  "Yeah. Not a good sign," Raito whispered. "We need to leave now."

  The old man shook his head violently. "No... eco...system... die... if not... stopped."

  "Dude," Raito hissed. "We have no weapons. No powers. You will die. I want to die, you should not die."

  "Need... try...." the old man insisted.

  Then, his expression softened. His speech seemed to clear, just for a moment.

  "You... nice kid... go. Live. Your life. Go back. Loved ones."

  "Huh?" Raito responded, taken aback by the sudden clarity.

  Before Raito could stop him, the old man leaped from behind the rock. He grabbed a loose stone from the ground and hurled it with surprising accuracy.

  CLANK.

  It hit one of the dolls in the head.

  "Hey... here!" the old man shouted, waving his arms frantically.

  Most of the dolls continued their work, ignoring the disturbance. But one of them stopped. It turned its head slowly.

  Its glass eyes glowed red.

  The doll hiss, its hand starts to spin faster and faster until it blurs.

  While the others stayed to work, the single unit began to march toward the old man.

  "Why..." Raito muttered, his back pressed against the cold stone of the tunnel wall. "Why does this kind of stuff keep happening around me?"

  He watched the mechanical doll stomp closer to the frail stranger. The old man was still throwing pebbles, his movements jerky and desperate, but ultimately useless against metal plating.

  "That old man will die. That old man will die," Raito whispered, a mantra of panic. "He will die if I just watch."

  He looked down at his empty hands. "I have no Koenka. No Core. No weapon."

  He frantically looked around for a rock, a stick, anything. But there was nothing but dirt.

  Then, he looked at his hands again.

  Spark.

  A small burst of black flame ignited on his fingertips. It wasn't hot. It was cold, like a void sucking away the warmth of his blood.

  "No, no," he waved his hand frantically, trying to extinguish it, rejecting the power that had ruined him. "Not this. Anything but this."

  He looked back. The doll was raising its metal arm, a piston-driven fist ready to crush the old man's skull.

  "No... what should I do? What should I do?!" Raito muttered once more, his breathing accelerating into hyperventilation.

  Panic flooded his mind like a breaking dam. The logic was simple, brutal. If he fought, he would lose control. He would become the monster again. He would hurt people.

  But...

  He... he doesn't want anyone to die.

  SNAP.

  His last shred of restrain were unshackled.

  WHOOSH.

  He thrust his hand forward. A ball of concentrated black flame flew from his palm, silent and deadly.

  It hit the doll marching at the old man.

  There was no explosion. No shrapnel. The black flame simply expanded, wrapping around the mechanical construct and consuming it whole. In a second, the doll was gone, erased from existence as if it had never been there.

  "ROAAAAAR!"

  Raito roared. It was primal. Animalistic. Devoid of any human emotion. Shaking everything in this dark tunnel.

  He stepped out from behind the rock, his body once again wreathed in the terrifying armor of living darkness.

  He looked at the old man, his eyes darkening into the familiar, endless void.

  "R-Run..." he simply said. “Before…”

  His voice was distorted, layered with a metallic echo that grated against the stone walls.

  The black flame starts bursting from all over his body, layering itself around him.

  The other dolls, sensing the destruction of their unit, stopped their digging. One by one, their heads turned. Dozens of red eyes lit up in the gloom. They dropped their tools and locked onto Raito.

  "Threat level: Extreme. Eliminate," they chorused.