How is this place even powered? The very first question I had; The very first answer I will seek. I start with knocking on the walls, trying to find any sort of hidden rooms, possibly housing a power generator. I find a few pockets of air, a slight fear residing in what lies behind the walls.

Using a stray rock that I found on the ground, I chip a few holes into the wall and look through it. The fear dissipates when I see nothing but the cogs and gears that I constantly hear. Of course, it’s just the machinery. Why didn’t I think to guess that? I can clearly hear them.

“Reynold?” My thoughts get once again interrupted by my patient, previously deemed my target. I turn my attention to her, seeing her straining herself to sit up. I limp over to her and help her to my best of my abilities, which is essentially pushing her up from behind. Once she finally sits up, she adjusts herself and leans against the wall. I should be relieved that she’s recovered at least enough to move around on her own, but all I can think about is that now the wait is over. Time for some answers.

“Coralia, you okay?” I grab the chair from the desk and sit across her. She tests her body for a moment before replying with a nod. That’s all the sympathy I can muster.

“Glad to hear to that, but now, I need answers. What are you after?” I point at the bag, not needing to pull out her equipment for a flash of panic to cross her eyes.

“Wh-what are you talking about?” Sweat forms on Coralia’s forehead. Clearly, she understands exactly what I’m talking about.

“I’ve already looked through the bag. The more you deny it, the more obvious it becomes.” A small feeling of panic bubbles within me, though it feels foreign, as though it doesn't belong to me. Her eyes dart back and forth between me and the bag, before she resigns and sighs.

“I refuse to tell you. How should I know to trust you when you shoved me through the forcefield and waited for me to die?” The small panic turns into suspicion, which, again, feels separate to my own feelings. The tables have turned, and all the attention is pointed at me. My own panic and fear starts rising up my throat.

How do I even begin to explain something like this? I just happened to black out and I didn’t see the morally right path? I I was trying to pull a prank on you but it backfired? I love you and I was afraid of that very fact and resorted to getting rid of you out of my life?

None of them are true.

“I didn’t wait for you to die. You saw my eyes, didn’t you?’ This earned me a slight gasp as she remembers the sight. I myself have no idea what my eyes look like when they transform, though judging from the stares of terror I get from people, it’s clearly not a pretty sight. I thought of looking into the mirror, but it’s not like I have enough grip of myself to do so.

“Yea…what was with your eyes, anyways?” Coralia’s face is now tilted, face coated in curiosity. This time, my train of thoughts halts before it even starts. A blood-curdling scream is heard from above, before the lights starts glowing twice as bright. I shield my eyes and Coralia does the same. The lights settle down after a moment, allowing both of us to regain our vision. The first thing I notice is a dark, purple glow being emitted from a spot on the ceiling.

My eyes fixated on it, I move towards it, pulling the chair along. I climb on the chair and tap the glow.

“Reynold? What are you doing?” I turn to see Coralia on the ‘bed’, looking back and forth between the glow and me. She tests her body again for any residual pain, managing to slowly stand up, the liquid in the vials clearly doing its job of healing her up. She walks over to me and looks at where I was looking. She tilts her head left and right, clearly confused.

“There’s nothing there, Reynold.” I, being confused at the statement, return my attention to the spot, which is clearly glowing, now even brighter than before. So only I can see this, huh? I climb down from the chair and limp around and grab the rock from before, before climbing back up and trying to drill a small hole in it.

“Reynold, I really feel we need to get that wound on your leg treated. It looks infected. Maybe it’s affecting your brain with hallucinations.”

“I’m not hallucinating.” Slightly distracted, I didn’t realize the board I was drilling through was loose. The board then dropped on my head and clattered onto the floor. I swore under my breath at the misfortune bestowed upon me during my whole time in the forest. I look over at Coralia, who is staring at the hole in the ceiling with eyes wide, though I struggle to find a specific emotion in it.

Not knowing whether it’s shock, wonder or curiosity in her eyes is enough to send a chill of fear down my spine. Remembering that this may lead to the Forest above sends yet another wave of fear. With my knees shaking, I look up only to find a small device, almost like a metallic heart, with a few small funnels on the top, and various wires connecting to the machinery running the place.

“How did you know that was there?” Coralia is thoroughly dumbfounded for something I thought was simply obvious.

Of course, it isn’t, because no one else has my power.

I look at the mesmerizing glow of the heart, the glow that no one else sees. What else is this shelter hiding?

With Coralia now healthy, I look around the shelter with Coralia after I reluctantly got my limb wrapped with an old but clean roll of bandage. We narrowed down a few prime spots for answers: the pegboard with the papers attached to it, the metallic heart and a journal we found in a drawer from the desk.

~ ~ ~

“So, whoever this shelter belongs to, is trying to trace down the source of the Forest’s power” I look up from all the evidence we gathered to find Coralia literally skipping around the entire room, excited by the fact that there really is more to the world than just the city.

“I can actually be free! Free from responsibilities, free from my father and most of all, free from all the pressure!”

I ignore Coralia’s celebratory cries of joy and return my focus to the scattered pieces of paper on the table. Written almost haphazardly on the paper is few notes on what lies outside the city, some being quite obvious, like creatures of the dark, but others serving to be more important, namely, civilizations built amongst the rubble of ancient cities, other well developed and protected cities like our own, and a meteor, said to be ingrained with unknown artifacts and minerals.

The journal is mostly useless, talking about the various creatures that exists. Though, a few lines do contrast from this trend but is not necessarily significant information.

“Meteor large enough to destroy planet…

…

…

The tech at Aviles is amazing…

…

…

Alcohol made by Chartreuse is superior…

…

…”

I try to make sense of these phrases, but the only thing that’s relevant is the fact that the world could’ve died to this mysterious meteor, if it even exists. From all the notes I have gathered, we can get a rough direction to where the meteor is. Maybe, the meteor can help explain what am I?

“So, what now? Are we going to go out again? I can’t find any food around here.” Coralia abruptly stops skipping around and rushes towards the table, resting her chin in her arms. Fully healthy or near death, she constantly remains annoying. At least now, I’ve seen she isn’t invincible. Cross that one off the list of fears.

“We’ll have to move out. There’s a meteor up north that might give us the answers to everything. As for food, some plants and creatures can be eaten for food, and there are sources of clean water in the Forest-“

“How about that metal thing?” The heart. I completely forgot about it. There was no mention of such technology in either the journal or the pegboard notes. Disregarding how advanced it looks, I’m forced to say it is ‘ancient’ technology. This whole place is probably built a long time back, where the ground above us was still safe. The old healing methods, the wooden furniture, walls, floors and ceilings, and most of all, the cogs and gears.

There’s no reason for such clumsy equipment when wires can do the trick just fine.

“I… didn’t think too much of it. It’s probably unrelated to everything” Lies!

“Oh…okay then.” There was a slight tinge of disappointment in her tone, a rather stark tone to what I’ve been dealing with. At least it’s nice to know that she’s trying to help. Maybe I shouldn’t be too harsh and give her a chance. No!

She grabs her backpack and looks around for a door, which of course doesn’t exist since we fell in through a hole in the roof. She looks at me, perplexed, before I point at the entry point, which is now covered in a tangle of vines and other growths. Essentially, with the little tools we have, we’re trapped here.

Unless…

I look at the metallic heart and pull it out of the system, causing all the lights and machinery to die down. Coralia is left in pitch black darkness, but I have the bright glow of the heart, almost like a lantern, which covers the room in a dark, purplish hue. This piece of metal is clearly a generator of some sort, judging by the funnels, absorbing energy from somewhere. Maybe the residual energy from the city, or maybe just the Forest itself?

“Reynold? W-where are you?” For the first time in a long time, the fear in me is milder than others. I can clearly see Coralia waving her arms around, trying to find me. It’s good to be wanted, but only when it’s for the right reasons. I deftly grab her arm, which is rewarded by a shock gasp and soft blush on her cheeks.

Oddly enough, the unusual feeling I referred to as ‘lust’ is nowhere to be found. Anytime she does something like this, my heart would be contorted in uncomfortable ways. Maybe the Forest has something to do with it?

“Hold on” I look at the heart, which fortunately is made with sharp and block edges. I grab the chair and, after letting go of Coralia’s hand and keeping the heart in my pocket, jump up and manages to grip on to some stray roots. I use the roots to pull myself up until I get the Forest floor. I take a quick peek through the gaps and see that the coast is clear.

“Reynold? Are you still there?” Coralia is staying completely still, unsure of what to do, doubtful of where I am. I can see the fear slowly rising in her eyes. I could easily escape and leave her behind. That would render her dead, and the original objective would be fulfilled. But I need her.

I need her answers

I use the sharp edge of the heart to cut out the vines, propping myself up with my feet, before carefully climbing back down. I take Coralia’s hand, leading her up the chair and giving her a boost to give her a chance to find the root. She climbs up and exits, with me following closely behind her.

We’re back in the Forest, Coralia and I donning clothing soaked in her blood. She still struggles to see, so I put her hand in mine to assure her of my presence. Now, with a lantern in hand and Coralia in the other, I venture forth.