Chapter 04: Lost in Eulark
More than an hour had passed since Kandril learned the truth about the shop owner's real identity. And... he was walking. Lost. No destination. No plan. Just walking through this strange and unfamiliar place, as if moving long enough might magically lead him somewhere familiar.
This place was nothing like the First District. The buildings here looked like they could fall apart at any moment, their walls cracked and sagging as if they were barely holding themselves together. The roads were uneven and pitted with cavitations filled with murky water. Garbage piled up in the corners, rotting in the humid air.
And the people—they all muttered in strange, foreign tongues, making any attempt at communication somewhat pointless. Kandril tried talking to a few of them. He asked for directions, for anything. But he really couldn't understand a word they say—or sometimes, others just stared blankly or simply walked on without a second glance.
Strangest of all, not a single Sentinel in sight. No patrol. No uniform.
Just... Nothing.
Was this even Eulark?
But as his gaze drifted to the colony's wall, Eulark's emblem stared back at him: a shield with a rose burning bright red at the center, flanked by two crossed swords.
So he was still in Eulark.
But—
Where exactly?
The question lingered in his mind as he kept walking a little farther down the street, trying to make sense of his surroundings.
Then he stopped. Not by choice but exhaustion has finally caught up with him.
He spotted a small and quiet park nearby, stuck between two aging apartment buildings.
He shuffled toward it and dropped onto a wooden bench. He lay sprawled across it and pulled out his phone.
CLICK.
No service. No connection. Nothing but empty bars.
Kandril switched his phone off and—
SIGH!
You know, ever since he realized the shop owner was an Astralis like him, he really couldn't get over it. Because of it he still couldn't think straight. His thoughts were so tangled he didn't even realize what he was doing next.
Absentmindedly, an old habit kicked in.
FWUUUUUUU-
Like a child, he started to blow at the hair falling over his forehead.
FWUU-FWUUU!!
Classic copium. It didn't help. But he did it again. And again. And again.
Until—
SMACK!
"MAN!!!" he groaned, burying his face in his hand. "This is officially the worst!"
He pushed himself off the bench and scanned his surroundings with a deadpan stare. All he could see was a cracked pavement, a trashcan overflowing with different waste, and some dumb pigeon aggressively pecking at what looked like an empty chip wrapper.
"Of all the places," he muttered. "Unc literally had to teleport me here."
Then the memory hit him. The stinky alley flashed before his eyes.
"Ke!~" He gagged. "That's even worse."
With a tired sigh, Kandril slung his backpack over one shoulder. He didn't have the luxury of standing around forever. So, he lifted his spirits, channeling every bit of positive energy he could muster.
"Alright! No time to waste here!" he declared, determination filling his voice. "I just need to find a way back to the First District—"
Then he froze.
And then—
GASP—
He remembered his brothers message.
GULP—
"...Not good."
For a brief, horrifying moment, Kandril swore he could feel someone standing behind him, sending a shiver crawling up his spine.
But welp—it was just his imagination. In his head, his brother Ayson was already standing right behind him, arms crossed, veins popping on his forehead, ready to deliver immediate punishment far worse than anything any devil he could imagine.
He knew his brother's temper was far more frightening than any monster he had known. And yes, he really needed to get moving before his brother decided to personally hunt him down and torture him alive.
With a nervous sigh, Kandril straightened up and adjusted the strap of his backpack. Then, he started toward the park's exit, his brain still busy imagining every possible way his brother might punish him.
But, just as he stepped out of the park and onto the pavement—
He accidentally slammed into someone.
BUMP!
He stumbled back slightly, but the person in front of him took the brunt of the crash and went sprawling onto the ground.
"Oh—!" Kandril froze.
He looked down to see who it was and quickly prepared an apology. But when his eyes met the person he had bumped into, he paused in surprise. It was a girl—a teenager like him, smaller, around five flat tall.
She was blonde and petite, with bangs peeking from beneath an olive-green cropped hooded coat. Her upper body was covered in bandages up to her right hand. A sun tattoo with seven rays was etched on her navel. She wore dark cargo pants and boots, completing her look.
Kandril extended his hand to her. "Uhh... sorry. You alright?"
The words left his mouth before his brain caught up.
'Ke~'
His face stiffened.
'Ah... right. Why did I even ask? They can't even understand me.'
But before Kandril could say anything else, the girl pushed herself up and brushed the dust from her clothes.
"I'm fine," she said quietly.
Kandril froze.
'Wait what?'
His brows lifted in surprise.
"Y—You... understand me?"
The girl looked up at him, slightly confused by his reaction.
BLINK.
"Of course I do," she replied. "Why wouldn't I?"
For a moment, Kandril just stared. Then he let out a small breath of disbelief.
"Wait... hold on," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Everyone here's been talking in some weird language, and now you're telling me you actually understand me?"
The girl studied him for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then, almost dryly, she said, "Because this is a refugee district. Most people here are outlanders or Wastelanders, like me."
"A refugee district?" Kandril blinked, taken aback. He hadn't even known such a place existed within Eulark.
The girl's gaze didn't waver. "Why are you surprised? Aren't you from here? You should've known that."
"Uh... Well... no. But my brother works here." Kandril replied, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
Seizing the moment, he leaned a little forward, a slightly forced, nervous smile creeping onto his lips. "Anyway... sorry again for bumping into you. But thank goodness you understood me"
His body shifted slightly, almost warping as if trying to emphasize sincerity.
"And since you can understand me..." he added, forcing the smile a little wider. "I really... really need help. I have to get back to the First District. D-Do you know the way?"
The smile intensified—growing wider, creepier with every passing second.
The girl didn't answer immediately. She studied Kandril for a long moment, as if trying to decide whether he was stupid or just ten times stupid.
"How did you even get here if you don't know how to get back?" she asked, cutting straight to the point.
Kandril flinched slightly, caught off guard by her bluntness. "Well... you know... It's... kind of hard to explain. You probably wouldn't believe me anyway."
She didn't respond. Silence stretched for a beat before she finally continued, her tone calm, practical.
"There's a train station ten kilometers north of here. Walk straight down this street and you'll see it. The train only goes to the Eighth District, but from there you can catch another line to the First."
Relief washed over Kandril's face. "OH!! Really?!"
He clapped his hands together, practically bouncing with excitement. Without thinking, he reached into his wallet and held out some money toward her. But the girl glanced at it, unimpressed, and simply walked past him, continuing on her way without a word.
Kandril blinked, still holding the money. "Well... okay then. Not exactly what I expected."
He slowly lowered the money, watching as the girl walked away.
She didn't look back. Her small figure moved steadily down the street until she reached a corner and turned. And just like that, she vanished from sight.
For a moment, Kandril stood there, still holding his wallet, staring at the empty corner.
Then he slipped the money back into his wallet and let out a small breath.
"Well... straight to the point," he muttered to himself. "No nonsense."
He glanced once more at the street where she had disappeared. "Well... thanks for the directions, mysterious bandage girl."
With that, Kandril adjusted his backpack and started walking toward the direction she had pointed out.
North. Toward the train station.
When Suddenly—
TREMBLE!
The ground shuddered. Buildings shake violently, their walls cracking. Streetlights rattled, while the pavement beneath his feet wobbled. Cracks spread across the street, branching like spiderwebs through the pavement, stretching toward the park behind him, splitting the ground apart as jagged fissures tore through the soil.
Not long—
CRASH!
The entire park collapsed inward. Kandril was mere inches from it, almost dragged down with it. Trees, benches, grass—everything vanished as the earth gave way, swallowed by a massive sinkhole as dust and debris rose into the air.
Kandril scrutinized the dark hollow where the park used to be. He stared at it with calm, collected eyes, observing every detail.
For a moment, nothing happened except the faint creak of shifting earth beneath the sinkhole.
Then he saw something in the darkness.
Something shifted.
Something... was moving.
Then—
BWOOOSKK!!
The ground exploded.
A tentacle burst out of the sinkhole—thicker than a street pole and covered in jagged spikes. Another followed. Then more. They twisted violently through the air, jerking and snapping like something was trying to rip its way out of the earth.
The next moment didn't even last more than a second.
When suddenly—
KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A Thunderous roar erupted.
Kandril stood there for a second, unmoving as the chaos unfolded before him in real time.
His mouth slowly opened.
"Oh, Shit..."
"...You've gotta be kidding me."
TBC...