One Way Trip - Part 4

In the old days of Nocturne, people were brought into this world and after surviving long enough here, awakened supernatural gifts and talents. They could easily sustain themselves with their gifts and didn't require the advanced technology of modern times to survive in the wild.

Titan once existed as a small trading company and maintained a few trade routes between some human settlements. One day, they decided to start gathering skilled craftsmen and engineers and began improving the quality of life through the production of modern inventions.

Soon others would follow their lead and began reproducing inventions from the modern world. This sparked the beginning of the golden age of rapid development of technology and civilization.

Under the leadership of the first CEO of Titan, they cooperated and flourished, each company created and provided things related to different areas. Quite a few decided to merge with Titan, making it become the most influential organization until today.

All was good until the rifts opened, and hundreds of thousands of demons invaded the world. They were different from the animals in Nocturne because the only thing that changed for wildlife in Nocturne compared to Earth was the glow they emitted.

Demons did not resemble animals, outfitted with larger claws and fangs they had a more gruesome and violent look, with unusually high aggression and high pain tolerance; they were walking bioweapons designed to kill.

The inhabitants of this world worked desperately together to fend off the invasion; it's not an exaggeration to say that it was because of Titan's supply of weapons and communication technology that the humans succeeded.

After the dust settled and the disfigured corpses of both demons and humans became mountains, the war was won. Some celebrated and some mourned; Titan corp was part of the mourners; their beloved CEO gave his life to hold a strategic point in this war.

Gideon Steel, next in line in the list of succession, took the spot of CEO. A charismatic man known for taking care of his people, it is said anyone who works under him is set for life. As well as his bravery and leadership in the war, he led multiple core operations on the front with minimal casualties.

"He sounds like a great guy," Rei voiced his opinion on her story.

"He was... but he changed after the war."

Lives and limbs are not the only things that were lost in wars; some people lose a part of themselves. Gideon became colder, his methods held less sympathy.

Recent company mergers with Titan brought some dark rumors; they say a lot of the high executives disappeared and were replaced.

"So why are they after you?" The more answers he got only led to more questions.

"Just think of me as one of the freedom fighters." She proudly claimed with a big smile.

"Oh, it seems like we have arrived."

In the distance stood an architectural wonder, a tall wall surrounding the city with gigantic brightly lit monoliths towering over them.

They approached the large walls, and a gate opened; the train passed through a tunnel with light poking through the slits along the walls. Rei stared attentively at the slivers of light; he found it quite therapeutic as it calmed his nerves.

He shifted his eyes away for a moment to rest his eyes from following the scenery, the lights were now switched off so he could only see pitch black inside the cabin.

When the train finally got through the end of the tunnel, structures reflecting the dark blue sky with hints of white lights entered Rei's view. The train traveled on an elevated track so they had a clear view of the city from high up; since they were still around the outskirts of the city, they also were given a wide view of the city.

The train passed through 2 large skyscrapers; the dark glass windows mirrored their train as it passed. Some of these panes were lit brightly, Rei managed to see people working in offices inside these lit rooms.

'That might have been my future job...' Rei shuddered at the thought of him working night and day like a drone in a boring cubicle doing paperwork and reporting financial statements.

He instantly forgot about it as they got closer to the heart of the city, structures of various shapes and designs came into view, these buildings were masterfully lit to emphasize their beauty and majesty.

Next, blocks littered with neon lights and large display screens, every nook and cranny of these buildings had an advertisement or signboard, this fierce competition to grab a passerby's attention became a visual masterpiece.

"Wow," Rei was astonished by the view; it was beautiful and magical.

A highway stretched below; vehicles sped along the large 4-lane roads; it provided generous space for its level of traffic.

Rei's eyes wandered; there were too many details to take in at once, he thought nothing else in this city could impress him but then, some short buildings began to block the view of the highway, and on the roofs of these buildings, he was surprised to see people jumping across gaps between these blocks.

'Are they playing tag?!' His eyes widened like saucers.

"It's too early to be surprised; welcome to Nocturne City, The dream that never sleeps," the woman welcomed Rei with a grin.

"It's amazing..." He was amazed so far with the vibrant nightlife, although that's to be expected since it's always night here supposedly.

They got off the train and stepped on the platform, a handful of people were lining up to get in; Rei was glad to see that people were not scarce in this city like the train just now.

'What will happen when they see the corpses?' he wondered and sped up his pace. He would feign ignorance because he didn't want to get involved.

They reached the exit of the platform, and a security checkpoint stood in their way; it was a metal door frame with a scanner installed at the top. Rei only noticed it at the last second because he was still observing the area behind him, by the time he looked in front he was next in line.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," The woman assured him before a yellow sheet of light panned from her feet to her face.

It was a scanner developed to catch criminals wanted for committing bad deeds. But how would Rei know that, he was sure the scanner would notice him having an invalid identity and the guards sitting behind the machine would definitely detain him.

The yellow light scanned him, and Rei balled his fists anxiously. 2 beeps came out of the machine; Rei swallowed his saliva and took a step back instinctively; he looked at the words displayed above the scanner.

It read: WELCOME TO NOCTURNE!

"Please put your hand in this hole," The guard gestured at the side of the frame.

He followed his instructions, and he felt something wrap around his wrist, a black watch with a display screen was now fitted on his left wrist.

"That's your PCD, use it to find your way to the nearest help center with the navigation function," The guard pointed him in the direction of the exit after his brief explanation.

"That's your PCD or comms device, it's like a smartphone in the original world."

PCD (Personal Communication Device), also known as a C-watch, its functions include long-distance communication, navigation and web access.

"How do I contact people and where's the navigation button?"

"Here's my contact, call me sometime." She teases Rei. Seeing him blush, brought a playful smile to her face.

"Selina?"

"Nice to meet you, Rei," She offered her hand once again, and they shook.

"Stay strong out there, Rei."

They reached the entrance, and this was where they would part ways as the path in front led to the newcomer help center.

"Thanks for everything, Selina. But how do I get back?" He planned to go back to the original world after looking around for a while.

Selina's face stiffened in response to that question.

"Haha... A lot of people want to know that too, me included."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you don't. No one has found a way back yet."

It dawned on him—he was stuck in this new world, without anyone to rely on. The only person he knew, Selena, couldn't take care of him as she had places to be. In fact, his life would be in constant danger if he were to be close to her.

"What can I do now then?" He calmed himself and accepted his current reality.

"Just follow this road, at the end you will find a building dedicated to helping newcomers like you."

Rei thanked her once more before heading down the road.

"Stay strong, Rei!" Selina's voice echoed behind him.

"Okay! You too..." Rei replied, his words trailing off as he glanced back, but she had vanished.

'I can do this!' He reassured himself, preparing for what lay ahead.