Chapter 3: The Mysterious Burrow
Aiden's feet pounded against the unfamiliar ground, his heart hammering in his chest.
Every fiber of his being was focused on the sensation, the wind whipping at his face, the unevenness of the path beneath his bare feet. He'd never known anything else, never known the world beyond the sterile confines of his pod.
He searched his vicinity and found no living beings. Still, he needs to find a place where he can gather his chaotic thoughts.
He pushed forward, his legs pumping like pistons, fueled by a combination of exhilaration and fear.
Never in his life, which spanned a mere fourteen years, had he experienced anything like this. His knowledge of the world, meticulously built through a lifetime of touch, sound, and his sister's vivid descriptions.
He had never seen a tree, only felt its rough bark and its swaying branches.
Now, here he was, finally outside, the world a symphony of sensations he couldn't quite grasp.
Aiden reached out, his hand brushing against something rough and textured. It was the tree, his sister's words finally taking form. Yet, it wasn't what he expected. He saw no vibrant hues, no verdant leaves dancing in the sun. Instead, the world around him was a stark contrast of black and white, the tree a silhouette carved against an empty canvas.
The sharp contrast between the black and white created a world of stark lines and elegant simplicity, a world where form and texture reigned supreme.
He didn't need color to appreciate the majesty of the tree, its rough bark a testament to its resilience, its branches reaching out like gnarled fingers towards the unseen sky. It was a world of black lines mixed with the texture , a world he was eager to explore.
Aiden scanned the unfamiliar landscape, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs.
He had never felt so utterly adrift, so desperately in need of shelter.
Even without proper sight, Aiden notices a unique advantage of this unfamiliar grayscale sight, this newfound ability granted him a strange power – he could sense the emotions of living beings around him, not in their entirety, but in flashes of overwhelming intensity.
He can sense that far to the north, a raw, primal hunger pulsed, like a predator stalking its prey. Fear, sharp and metallic, emanated from various points in that direction, a chorus sung by the hunted prey. He realized he could only distinguish the strongest emotions, the ones that consumed an individual completely. This predator, fueled by insatiable hunger, and the creatures fearing for their lives, were the only ones who registered on his emotional radar.
Aiden's senses were raw judging the extreme emotions around him.
He was overwhelmed by this new way of perceiving the world.
'This world is a symphony of feelings and misery, a terrifying and exhilarating canvas painted in shades of fear, rage, and hunger.' Aiden thought.
He knew he needed to avoid these hotspots, these volatile pockets of raw emotion where danger lurked unseen. Navigating by this uncharted emotional map, Aiden cautiously steered clear of any predator path and the echoes of fear it inspired.
But then, amidst the cacophony of emotions, he felt a curious void. In the east, near where he stood, there was a blank space on his emotional map. Curiosity piqued, he turned towards it.
As he approached, the details sharpened. It was a tree, unlike any he had ever imagined. Its massive form, etched in stark black and white, dwarfed him, its branches reaching out like skeletal arms towards the sky. But the most peculiar thing was the absence of any emotions around it. It was as if the tree itself exuded a calming aura, a sanctuary untouched by the turmoil of the world.
Aiden, ever cautious, scanned the area with both his senses and his sight. The massive trunk housed a cavernous opening, a burrow large enough to swallow him whole.
He didn't know if on earth, the trees also have such openings.
Aiden approached with guarded optimism. His enhanced senses swept the vicinity, searching for any sign of life within the tree's colossal frame.
Relief washed over him as he confirmed the burrow was empty.
However, a nagging worry persisted.
'Why would this seemingly perfect haven be so devoid of life?'
His senses, honed by years of relying solely on them, had never steered him wrong.
Uncertain, Aiden picked up a stone, its rough texture a familiar comfort in his hand. He hefted it, judging its weight, before hurling it into the burrow's darkness. The stone bounced with a hollow thunk, the sound echoing through the cavernous space before fading into silence. He waited, holding his breath, straining to hear any sound that might indicate life within. After a tense beat of silence, he expelled a shaky breath, relief washing over him like a warm wave. The burrow was indeed empty, devoid of any presence.
Yet, the question still lingered, a niggling worm in his mind. Why was this haven, so perfect in its emptiness, completely uninhabited?
He cautiously entered the massive hollow, its entrance dwarfing his frame. Even at his height of 170 centimeters, he had to stretch on his tiptoes to touch the rough ceiling.
But even in this cramped space, a sense of wonder filled him. He could still 'see' through his inner vision, the black and white world stretching out before him, untouched by the darkness that shrouded the burrow's interior.
A cautious smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "If any creature enters my sphere of perception," he reminded himself, "'I'll escape as fast as I can.' His sight, while limited in range, granted him a sense of awareness within a few meters around him. He wondered if this was a power unique to him, his innate ability or the Devil's Truth of Misery ability.
With a cautious crouch, he emerged from the burrow and began gathering dry branches and leaves. He gathered handfuls of leaves and twigs, carefully weaving them into a makeshift curtain to conceal the entrance. He wasn't concerned about the lack of light within the burrow – his other senses compensated perfectly. Finally, he grabbed a sturdy, sharpened branch, a crude weapon for defense should the need arise.
Darkness engulfed him as he drew the curtain closed, but he felt no fear. He settled onto the rough floor of the burrow, gathering his thoughts. The information he had gleaned from the notifications swirled in his mind, coalescing into a semblance of understanding.
An entity called the "Universal Cube" was seemingly merging the Earth with the rest of the universe. To facilitate this process, it required data from individuals with "Innate Abilities" – a term that remained shrouded in mystery to him. There was a screen of sorts, a constant presence in his vision, offering cryptic explanations and updates on his internal state.
He learned that among the three sub-programs of this "Trial Program," the "King" program was the first to launch. This meant only nine "Chosen" individuals, including himself, were currently in this Realm. In one month, another ninety individuals would be teleported into this realm, dubbed the Royalty Program. Having failed to locate any of the remaining eight king chosen. Aiden deduced that they must be scattered throughout the vast Trial Zone
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