The Underground City

12:21

And minutes later, they found themselves on the streets of the city wandering around the empty area. It isn't much to do since the city is asleep and there are only a few people around, but it is the boy's wish to see both of the cities after all, and the ruler tries to fulfil it for the sake of getting a reward as well. Now He finally has His crevaator clothes too, alongside His equipment, making Him able to walk around as He pleases.

[General]-Where do we go now? What do you guys have as places to visit?

[CHE5TER]-We don't have much though. Most of the areas of visiting are bars and a few parks. The city doesn't have that many special places, we focus only on survival. Do you guys have any?

[General]-Let me think... Oh, I think I know a few! We have the central building of the village which is the biggest building in our area, and in which we also have the machine that creates us.

[CHE5TER]-The Underground City doesn't have it, but the City of Above has it for sure. It is a tall building right in the center of that city in which we've rested yesterday. But it has the same architecture as all the other buildings in that city, so I don't know how yours looks like.

[General]-I guess it is something similar to a simple house, but a bit taller. Not as tall as your buildings of the above though. Compared to them, our building is tiny. But it is the tallest for us.

[CHE5TER]-I see... Anything else?

[General]-Hmm... Oh, we have a small lake of Histvorh that we've built years ago. Some of our people went into the wilderness and found a lot of supplies of solid Histvorh, so they've moved them during the night and put them in a nearby crater, exploiting it after as a source of Energy Killers during the day when the ore is getting to its liquid form.

[CHE5TER]-Really? We have very small areas of Histvorh being let to flow on the ground though. Our people keep the supplies in some special compartments to keep the ores in their liquid form all the time. Most of those areas are the parks to give an effect of a natural light, but below the liquid, there are a few lights to keep it in that liquid form. So it isn't as natural as people think... The ore lights up, don't get me wrong, but there is always something that keeps its form over there. What about the people there? How are they?

[General]-They are nice, how should they be? After all, why would I call them my siblings if it wasn't this way?

[CHE5TER]-So no conflicts?

[General]-I won't say that... Conflicts exist everywhere. We cannot do anything about that. But I guess my kind gets along pretty well with its people.

[CHE5TER]-...

Yet the ruler makes a small pause while He thinks of something. By how this child explains its village, it is a huge difference between these places that they call "home".

[CHE5TER]-...Do you... feel free there?

[General]-Hm? What do you mean?

[CHE5TER]-Just a thought...

But the question seems confusing for the boy. Maybe because it doesn't understand what the ruler wants to say.

[General]-...Well, what is the concept of "freedom" for you?

[CHE5TER]-To be able to do what you love, without the need of hiding in the shadows...

[General]-And aren't you doing what you love already? You do not seem to battle anything in particular to me. Whatever you consider this battle to be, it seems more like an illusion, simply hurting yourself by thinking about something that isn't there. You seem pretty free to me. You are free to wander these streets of this city, you are free to go above the ground and see the sky, even if you or your Original get concerned about each other. You do not consider it to be freedom too?

[CHE5TER]-...But I am hiding for this "freedom" of mine. I am not able to do it as myself, only as someone else. Why should I call it "freedom"?

[General]-It is too complicated to simply say what freedom really means, Seven. It is one of the concepts that is seen different by each being alive, so it doesn't have a proper description. I can say that I was free up to a point in my life too, and then complained that my freedom was lost or stolen later. But as long as you are alive and you can live with those that you love, wouldn't it be considered "freedom" too?

CHE5TER stops talking though, as He lost Himself in His own world again. Even if this child looks pretty young, younger than the ruler for sure, it has such a mind that you wouldn't even thought it had. Maybe because their culture is different?

[General]-Let's stop thinking about that. We have so many subjects to discuss after all. Like, what do your people consider to be fun here?

[CHE5TER]-...Fun? Well... there are a few games that the children are playing... But personally, I enjoy doing something else.

[General]-"Something else"?

[CHE5TER]-Say... you are not afraid of height, are you?

[General]-Hm?

But the boy looked a bit confused at the ruler, not until He began to lead it somewhere, to do this thing that He considers "fun". It is one of the buildings nearby, climbing it with the child and waiting for it to be ready.

[General]-So... what exactly are we going to do?

[CHE5TER]-Never jumped from a building to another, I assume?

[General]-Eh? Why would you do such thing though?

[CHE5TER]-For fun.

[General]-Fun? Isn't it disrespectful for those that live in these houses in the first place?

[CHE5TER]-If you put it this way, it was disrespectful the moment we got on the roof of this building, buddy. And you did it too without me leading you up there, when you took me away from my people.

[General]-*sigh* Fair enough... Alright, you won, Seven. So what's the destination then?

[CHE5TER]-We don't have one. It's just for the sake of losing some more time until the city wakes up. Just follow me and nothing will happen. Now go!

And so, the Great Leader starts moving quickly, getting from His initial position to a different one, while the boy simply stood a bit perplexed looking at this strange man moving.

[General]-...What's the point of doing this if you don't even have a destination?

But it begins to follow Him in the end, jumping to the next building and trying to catch up. A chase is now began to go on, with the ruler being on top for the moment and even beginning to get bored that the boy doesn't seem so good at it. He looks back at it and begins to encourage it.

[CHE5TER]-Come on, you slow rock! You are remaining behind! Stay there and you get lost!

[General]-Oh, I will show you who is slow, bastard!

So the ruler continues running, amusing Himself from this child that thinks it's the best. But He laughed too fast, 'cause in a blink of an eye, a force so quick travels next to Him, getting far away before He even noticed. When He looked in front of Him, He got surprised to see the child with its C colour lit up looking back at Him while showing its tongue as a way of taunting the ruler, while the strange mist evaporates from the way the child came. And then, it disappears again, going faster and faster from a building to another, like a lightning traveling around the city, which makes CHE5TER stop on a random building to analyse this strange being. He sure is confused since no such power was ever seen in history, but continues to try and catch up too, even if it's impossible to do so.

When the boy gets done with running around, it stops to wait a few minutes for the ruler, who was waaaay behind it and struggling to get to its position. When He arrives, He breaths so heavily since He ran as fast as He could to catch up with the boy, staying down for a bit of rest.

[General]-So who is slow now, hmm?

[CHE5TER]-...How can you... move so fast...? I couldn't even... see you jump...

[General]-Mhm, cry now that you lost to your own game.

[CHE5TER]-I'm serious... General! Nobody has such... speed...

[General]-I guess that's what makes me special. But, to be honest, it was rather entertaining. You didn't lie about fun! What's next now? Do you have other games that you play too??

[CHE5TER]-I need to... take a breath first... We will... wait until the city... wakes up then...

[General]-*sigh* But I wished to do more...

[CHE5TER]-...Oh, shut up!