Into the Abyss of Chrome

ーVeill, wait!ーSylene raised her voice. ーEvery time someone enters or exits this dimension, a small pulse in reality is released and easily traceable to those who know what it is. An exit may be irrelevant to the observer, but if someone re-enters the way they came, then it becomes suspicious. Yes... Now they think we're dead, but I don't know how far we can go with that advantage, especially now that someone will surely come to investigate our position,ーWith great care Sylene expressed.

ーThen what should we do?ーQuestioned, Veill, back.

ーNothing. The only thing we can do is to move fast and get away from here without being discovered,ーSylene replied. ーWe are right in the center of Chrome Heights.ー

As the two of them moved with great agility and dexterity, taking advantage of the darkness that dominated much of Chrome Heights, Veill couldn't help but think about his parents, who had no idea that their son had kissed Death twice since they last saw him; however, he was more disturbed by the fact that the two of them were in unimaginable danger without even knowing why. They were victims of a war in which they were connected only by chance. The most powerful man on the entire planet was after their family, who with hard work were able to obtain what little or much they had.

Veill's eyes reflected much anguish and despair, but at the same time ultimate resolve. It seemed a contradiction that someone with so much fear would be willing to risk so much.

Sylene, meanwhile, watched Veill, grateful that she finally had someone by her side to accompany her, noting the boy's inner conflict beside her, for all that she finally had time to process. After a deep breath, Sylene finally broke the silence.

ーListen, Veill. I know you're scared right now and don't really know why you agreed to come. But I can also see determination in your eyes. I think that's important. And... uh... Well, I've never had the chance to give speeches to anyone, but I can help you to find your parents as soon as possible. I've been thinking about the way you were tracked down during the Chrome Nights events. At this point, it is no longer possible to track you in the same way they did at that time, but you still have a signature within space-time. I believe that, using that same frequency in one of your trackers, we will be able to match it with the signature of anyone related to you. I'm not sure what range we can achieve, but it's necessary to try all options,ーCommented Sylene, in an attempt to reassure Veill.

ーSo let's do it, what are we waiting for?ーEagerly, Veill replied.

ーI can use the same tracker I found you with, but we need to go to the place with the longest range in the entire city. We need to go to the Stellar Dynamics tower and get to the top without being discovered. And if we are discovered, we need to end the standoff as soon as possible. Veill... Are you ready,ーSylene questioned.

ーIt's the only way to protect my parents...ーStill with a bit of hesitation, Veill was trying to convince herself to finally act.

With a great speed, Veill and Sylene were walking through the streets of Chrome Heights. While Sylene maintained her shadow form, Veill had to be more careful when moving back and forth. But one thing was certain, and that was that he had actually increased his physical capabilities over time. Veill had become stronger and faster, but he was inexperienced when it came to performing complex maneuvers, so he was limited to jumping up and down the fire escapes of the buildings they had, and running at full speed on the ground if there wasn't a platform nearby. After all, he had to avoid being seen as much as possible.

Sylene, with no problems, could have quickly reached the tower in less than half the time they had been running, but keeping an eye on Veill was her priority.

However, Sylene had also noticed certain irregularities in the city. Usually, she might have seen at least a couple of watchers in the city that they should avoid, but in this case, there were none. It's as if all their pursuers and watchers in the city had suddenly disappeared. It's a bit suspicious, but it's definitely not a drawback to getting to the tower, mainly because, with Veill's movements, it would be a very big possibility that they would meet them halfway and ruin their plans.

"What could Kaoz be up to?"ーShe thought, to herself.

ーHey, Veill. It's all clear, so I think we can take advantage of our little trip so I can teach you a few things, especially to... move.ーSylene said, as she materialized in front of Veill, with a friendly smile.

ーSure. As long as it doesn't slow us down, learning anything is fine with me,ーVeill replied, enthusiastically.

ーPer-fect. Then I'll wait for you at the top of this building. If you can climb twenty floors, it will be easy for you to do what I will teach you.ーConcluded Sylene.

After ten minutes of waiting, Veill was finally able to catch up with Sylene at the top of the building where they were.

ーVeill, I know that the stage of discovering your powers and getting used to them is difficult. At the moment, we only know that you have more strength than normal, but that's not a special power because every god is stronger. So... What we should do is to test your body and its instinctive responses to find out what you can do.ーSylene explained, while staring at Veill's eyes.

ーI don't think I'm not understanding.ーVeill questioned, with some uncertainty in her words.

ーWhat I'm saying to you.... Is that...ーSylene said, without concluding.

In one swift movement, she positioned herself behind Veill, holding him tightly. And before he could react, she forcefully threw him into a free fall out of the building.

ーWhat, what are you doing, Sylene, you're going to kill me!ーCrying out Veill, as he plummeted at full speed straight towards the hard asphalt of the street.

When Veill was inches away from impact, Sylene cushioned his fall, getting right underneath him.

ーWe know you don't fly,ーSylene expressed, amidst light laughter.

ーDON'T DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN!ーResponded Veill, with a lump in his throat and notorious anger in his voice.

ーRelax, Veill. I would never let you fall. Forgive me, please,ー Sylene replied, with a more embarrassed tone than before. ーWhen a baby is born and up to about six months of age, it possesses a reflex called the "dipping reflex". This reflex is activated when the baby comes into contact with water, so that, automatically, its own body stops breathing and slows down its heart rate, as well as instinctively moving through the water. This is due to the need for survival that every living being possesses unconsciously, even if he has no knowledge of a certain action. Then, as the baby grows, it loses this instinctive capacity and begins to control its breathing more consciously. The same principle applies with the deities; in the beginning, you are unconscious of your special abilities, and as we do not have much time, in these circumstances, it is necessary to force your body into a state of emergency so that the latent information in your body can finally manifest. That's why I threw you... I wanted to know if you can fly.ー Finally, Sylene concluded.

To this, Veill only responded by nodding his head, with a serious look. Meanwhile, the two of them picked up the pace they were at before, speeding through the city. The rest of the way was a deep silence between the two, as Sylene lamented in her mind for not being more subtle about wanting to test Veill's capabilities.

Meanwhile, Veill had his mind occupied on something else.

"Fuck... I don't know to what extent I can be a hindrance to Sylene. Somehow or another, I have to manage to manage to bring out some powerful or useful ability, otherwise, I'll surely die soon. "ーVeill thought fearfully.

Sooner than expected, both of them would have finally arrived at the Stellar Dynamics tower. Once the gigantic building was in sight, Sylene manifested in her physical form in front of Veill.

ーPay attention, Veill. It's extremely suspicious that we haven't encountered some kind of pursuer along Chrome Heights. It's very likely that we have some kind of trap, as if they somehow know our target and want to eradicate us with all their attack power. We need to get to the top, but we won't be able to infiltrate because there's no way you can go undetected. So the only solution we have is to climb up the outside of the building... But this one has no reliefs or exterior stairs to take advantage of. And at a little more than a kilometer high... To be honest, Veill, I don't think we thought this point through very well. However, I have an idea,ーSylene commented, trying to make as little noise as possible, but enough for Veill to understand.

ーGo ahead. Tell me what you come up with.ーReplied Veill.

ーHave you ever heard of "rock climbing"? It's a sport where you climb across a surface, mainly using the irregularities in it.ーSylene explained.

ーSure, but you just said that this surface doesn't have those kinds of irregularities to take advantage of,ーCommented Veill.

ーThat's right.ーHowever, if you look a little closer, you can see that the outside is not just made up of a giant plate of glass, but multiple layers.

That means there is a gap where one glass plate meets the other. Even if that slit is only a few millimeters wide.... Right now you have enough strength to move a car without much trouble, so supporting your own weight using those slits should be possible,ーSylene replied.

ーSo your plan is for me to.... Somehow have contact with those indentations and climb a building for a kilometer...ーIncredulous, Veill replied.

ーPrecisely. I think your fingernails are the right size to do so. Anyway, your whole body is much stronger than before. Even your hair has gotten stronger. Your nails shouldn't suffer much. But if you fall off, we'll have to do this from the beginning, all the way to the top. So we'll have to start... I'd like to think that in a couple of hours, you'll be able to reach the top of the tower.ーSylene said.

In response, Veill could only let out a light laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. But with no other choice, he began to do so. To his surprise, holding on like that was quite easier than it seemed in the idea. So without much thought, Veill began to propel himself quickly through the, barely perceptible, cracks in the glass of the building. Meanwhile, Sylene could climb any surface without any problem thanks to the fact that she can turn into a shadow.

When Veill had been fifty meters high, Sylene manifested in front of him.

ーVeill, I think you are being rather hasty. I understand your concern, but you're not considering the energy expenditure that's going to be involved in climbing at that pace. You have more than nine hundred meters of climbing left, just think about that,ーSylene explained.

Without any response, other than simply having nodded his head, Veill continued climbing at full speed.

After twenty minutes and two hundred and fifty-seven meters traveled, Veill finally began to understand the very dangerous situation he himself had gotten himself into. But talking would only make his breathing more labored. Sylene, on the other hand, had realized Veill's condition, but could do nothing for him, other than wait for him to fall to catch him in mid-air. Even so, Veill was still climbing slowly, meter by meter.

After another thirty minutes and a hundred meters later, Veill was finally holding on with the last of his remaining energy.

"This is not possible. I'm... I'm about to fall. And if I fall, I don't know if I'll have the strength to climb back up. I'm really screwed. damn it!" thought Veill.

ーSYLENE! I'M GOING TO FALL! HELP ME, PLEASE!ーWith last reserves of energy, Veill desperately shouted, with no response, hoping that his friend would manifest and somehow or other save him.

Without realizing it, Veill had miscalculated how far away the next crevice was, causing him to lose his balance. With no other option, Veill decided to punch the window of the building with all his remaining strength. However, this barely managed to scratch the reinforced glass of the Stellar Dynamics tower.

"That was... The last of my remaining strength..." Veill reacted, with barely enough strength to hold himself up with one arm, he was ready for any moment his body to fail him.

As Veill closed his eyes, the glass he had hit exploded into a thousand pieces. It was Sylene, who understood everything that was happening, and decided to put herself in danger, hitting the glass to break it so she could pull Veill into the building.

Contrary to its exterior facade, the interior was completely white, with structures so polished that they looked like mirrors reflecting everything. It was completely neat the entire space they were in.

ーSylene... Thank you...ーWith barely any energy in her words, Veill spoke.

ーDon't worry. While you were trying to go up, I was checking every floor of the building. Believe it or not, it's completely empty. So there won't be a problem climbing up inside the building,ーSylene replied energetically.

ーYes... Just give me.... Give me a few minutes... I want to rest...ーReplied Veill, trying to catch his breath.

ーThere's no one, but I don't know how long that's going to last after breaking one of their windows. I'm going to carry you carrying. By the stairs I'll be able to carry you faster than an elevator could,ー Sylene replied.

After that, she effortlessly picked up Veill and carried him away with a fireman's lift. In a few short minutes, they were already at the top of the building. Finally, they reached the top floor.

ーReady, Veill! Now you just have to stay close to me so that this tracker will do its job stably,ーSylene expressed with great excitement.

Meanwhile, Veill was only observing the city from the heights.

"From this point, I can realize how oppressive Chrome Heights looks. I can perceive and almost touch the feelings of the people who live in the city. I can see the big difference between the best area of the city and the area where I used to live. It's like seeing water with oil, without the possibility of mixing.... So this is Chrome Heights..." Veill mused silently.

ーSylene... Do you think we can do something for all these people? For all the people who wake up every day not knowing what they will eat. For all the people who can barely breathe because of all the pollution in the city. Do you think, now that I'm a deity, I'll be able to do something for all of them?ーVeill questioned aloud.

ーI hope so. But we'll never be able to know if Kaoz keeps killing every deity that appears. If someone were to draw attention to himself, he will surely be killed. The city being like this favors Kaoz and his plan, because it makes it easier to find any deity that manifests itself,ーSylene clarified, with a sympathetic voice.

ーAnd how are you doing with the tracker?ーVeill replied.

ーWhile answering you, I've managed to locate your parents. They are at...ーRepently, Sylene's expression changed.ーOh.... Not there. No, please. No, no, no. This is not possible...ーNow, Sylene was horrified.

In the far reaches of Chrome Heights, specifically where the richest part of the population is concentrated, could be seen, standing out from every other building, a completely black structure, whose only texture was the outer crystals that created no reflection on them. It is as if a black hole had swallowed that part of the city, like a void in space. This building is even difficult to observe for prolonged periods of time. In this building, precisely, was Nexia Blackout, on the -77th floor. It was one of the Stellar Dynamics facilities that exist in every sector of planet Arcadia.

ーIf those little gods were, supposedly, killed, I would like to know what this entry-exit sign of our dimension means.ー With noticeable anger, Nexia questioned her subordinates.

Endless rows of human figures listened to her scolding, in total silence and seriousness.

ーThey're a hopeless case.... They just had to bring me the newly turned little god and assassinate that stone in their shoe! But it seems like a hopeless case,ーNexia exclaimed to all his henchmen. ーAt this point, Kaoz will find out, and I don't intend for something like that to happen...ーNow, Nexia was talking to herself.

Urgently, one of these men was approaching Nexia.

ーMiss Blackout, could you allow me a suggestion,ー.

ーIf it is not an effective solution, I will remove all of your atoms from existence this instant.ーWith indifference, Nexia Blackout replied.

ーLet's call agent Emberlock,ーHe respected his subordinate.

ーScorch Emberlock.... Now that's a solution, even if it's excessive force, it will serve to keep Kaoz from finding out about this. Then, call Agent Emberlock!ーNexia concluded.

Without warning, the man who had approached towards her, along with the rest of the humans in that Nexia meeting, began to tremble, as his eyes and skin dissolved along with the rest of his body. In an instant, there was no trace of them left.

ーNow there will no longer be any trace of my failure. And the rest doesn't matter, I won't commit those failures in the next generation.ーWith a smile, Nexia Blackout left the place.