Chapter 387: The Inner World Emerges

"The cold, ash-like dead world indeed resembles the memories I have, though it does not obstruct the diffusion of the three-dimensional image, there seems to be no discovery."

York continued deeper into the main street with Sharon, surrounded by buildings reminiscent of a bustling city.

Decrepit old houses stood on either side of the road, and shop windows still displayed brand-new goods, differing from the reality of Silent Hill they first entered. However, everything was coated in a monochrome layer of grayish-white.

At a glance, everything was gray and white, devoid of any other color.

Eerily, there was no one around; it was as if everyone had vanished in an instant, not even the monsters York imagined could be seen.

Only silence prevailed, broken only by their faint footsteps.

Due to this, Sharon spoke up.

"Uncle York, why isn't there anyone around?"

York pondered for a moment. "Sharon, do you feel anything?"

Sharon looked up at York, puzzled. "What kind of feeling?"

"Like, the feeling of coming home," York suggested.

"Perhaps, do you feel something drawing you here?"

As he spoke, York observed Sharon, who seemed thoughtful, and gently said, "Sharon, treasure hunting often relies on intuition."

In this outer world, York still needed Sharon's guidance. After all, Sharon and Alyssa, the creator of this outer world, were once one soul in two bodies.

In essence, Sharon and Alyssa were like sisters, although it was unclear who was older. The two were inevitably drawn to each other like magnets.

Meanwhile, York's consciousness swept through a several-hundred-meter radius with the three-dimensional image.

Entering this outer world, which seemed isolated from or perhaps attached to the real world, gave him some insight.

The outer world created by Alyssa was a lifeless, breathless place, filled only with inanimate buildings covered in gray.

He recalled myths he had heard in previous lives, like Pangu creating the world.

In a primordial void without time or spatial dimensions, a giant named Pangu awakens and separates heaven and earth, eventually falling and transforming his body into the natural world.

This creation myth differed only in that it involved conditions for the birth of life.

"Creating a world with life must proceed step by step."

York thought to himself that even a being with the terrifying power to create worlds like Alyssa could only craft a world as lifeless as this.

Even in the Silent Hill movies, the complete Alyssa failed to achieve this, ending up only confining Rose to keep her company in the world she created.

"To create a world, one must first create conditions conducive to life."

As Sharon frowned in thought, York scanned the gray-white surroundings of Alyssa's creation. The place lacked vegetation, color, or any signs of life. While humans could survive here, the absence of sun, moon, rivers, or wind meant it lacked the conditions necessary for life to thrive.

With this thought, York's contemplation was interrupted by Sharon tugging at his hand and pointing in a certain direction.

"Uncle York, I've thought about it carefully, and I feel something pulling me there," she said crisply, her voice uncertain as she pointed down a narrow alley between two buildings.

"No, maybe it's here."

Hearing Sharon's unsure and hesitant tone, York soothed her by patting her head.

"It's okay; we'll walk there and see if there's any treasure."

"Okay!" Sharon nodded vigorously.

York smiled and continued walking with her through the silent, ash-snow-covered world.

Preferring an easier method over exerting more effort to break through, he chose to follow Sharon's intuition to find a weak point. This was beneficial for his study of this outer world in preparation for future challenges, and also allowed him to conserve energy for a potential major battle.

Following Sharon's intuitive guidance, York led her down the alley between the buildings, across another vast street, and finally to an underground passageway.

Looking at this subway-like entrance and the long, dark staircase, York hesitated.

He recalled a scene from the movie where Rose first entered the outer world of Silent Hill, also starting in an underground passage, where she found a man hung on a wire fence, his flesh peeled open to reveal his organs—and he was still alive.

Although York had not seen this man in his three-dimensional image, he discovered a vast underground world beneath.

"Uncle York, I'm scared," Sharon's voice came through.

York looked over; Sharon was clutching his hand tightly, her body pressed against his. She looked down the dark, abyss-like staircase with a trace of fear in her eyes—like a child afraid of the dark.

"Don't be afraid, Uncle is here."

York carefully sensed the structural integrity of the surrounding space, finding it still solid. He then looked at the long staircase stretching into the depths and, thinking, used his mind to create a glowing orb infused with divine power.

This glowing orb, held in his hand, radiated a soothing light that dispelled the surrounding gray tones, casting vibrant colors around, a sight so unlike the monochromatic world they had walked through. For the first time, this lifeless world was filled with color.

Sharon gaped in amazement, her eyes reflecting the bright orb in York's hand, the fear previously visible in her gaze now replaced by wonder.

"Uncle York, are we really on an adventure?" she asked, her voice tinged with excitement and curiosity.

York's lips curled into a smile, his previous apprehensions dissipating as he looked at the environment around them, which indeed seemed more adventurous now.

"Yes, we are exploring," York confirmed, reassured by the sufficient divine power he had channeled into the orb, capable of illuminating their path for an extended duration.

With the light from the orb revealing the way, they could see the surroundings clearly. The rusted railings and wire fences, which had appeared new and untouched just moments ago, now bore signs of decay under the orb's truthful glow.

And as they walked, the path became clearer, and the gray-white atmosphere faded, revealing the true colors of the surroundings. This discovery, however, gave York a deeper understanding of the nature of Alyssa's created world.

"It seems it is still fundamentally a spiritual realm," York mused, somewhat disappointed. It wasn't the tangible, lifelike world he had hoped could parallel the real one. Spirit was, after all, ephemeral, and everything here was illusionary compared to reality.

Despite the disappointment, York continued to lead Sharon forward, the horrific scenes from the movie absent from their path. There was no need for visual aids; the air itself was free from the rotten dampness and the distinct stench of rust typical of such a scene in the movies.

Everything was pristine, not even the rusty or decayed childlike creatures from the movie appeared.

"This doesn't seem right," York sensed something amiss.

As they delved deeper, York suddenly furrowed his brow, stopping as he noticed the light from the orb dimming unexpectedly.

Given the amount of divine power he had put into the orb, it shouldn't be depleting this quickly—it was meant to last much longer.

"Uncle York?" Sharon, sensing something was off, spoke up, her voice tinged with a sudden chill.

York's expression softened, and he quickly cast a protective barrier around Sharon, isolating her from all external elements.

"Sharon, listen to Uncle, close your eyes," he instructed.

Though Sharon didn't understand what was happening, she detected the seriousness in York's voice and obediently closed her eyes, gripping his hand tightly as if it were her source of courage.

"I've closed my eyes, Uncle York."

What she didn't realize was that even if she had kept them open, she would only see what York allowed her to see.

"Good girl," York smiled and patted Sharon's head to reassure her of his presence and to comfort her.

Then, he turned his attention to the surroundings.

The environment had turned strangely dynamic, as if two forces were entangled in a battle. The normal hues illuminated by the divine light were now being rapidly consumed by some force, and as the light faded, the area returned to darkness—or more accurately, reverted to a grayish hue tinged with a new color.

Previously, the change was caused by his divine power, but now, who was influencing this transformation?

York observed the ever-spreading rust-red rot appearing on every piece of metal, gaining insight into the current situation.

"Could it be that there were no encounters before because Alyssa was protecting us?"

York looked up, his wide-range scan penetrating the layers above to the ground surface, which still bore the grayish tones dominant in this world, without a trace of rust-red.

"I see, I understand now."

York shook his head internally, his suspicions likely correct.

The grayish hue outside was Alyssa's main influence, enforcing containment, essentially sealing this underground passage.

"So, this is actually the inner world, Dark Alyssa's territory. That explains why this town has such an extensive underground layer, almost as vast as above."

Watching the ongoing struggle between the gray and rust-red hues, York sighed.

He could almost see the girl lying on the bed, her features similar to Sharon's but emitting a different aura, like a sleeping beauty with tightly furrowed brows.

"I've been underestimated," York mused with a wry smile, arranging additional protections around Sharon, who clung tightly to his hand. "Before I die, no one can touch Sharon."

But would he die? He saw no factor that could lead to his demise.

Even if he did face death, ensuring Sharon's safe departure from this spiritually-created world wouldn't be difficult; such a realm couldn't trap him.

With a confident smile, York looked around as the outcome of the

 space became apparent.

The grayish-white hue had now been overtaken by rust-red over most of the area.

While maintaining the outer world above, Alyssa seemed to be losing control here.

Through his three-dimensional scan, he observed a sudden tremor in the upper layers of the outer world. The previously inanimate buildings' top layers started to peel off like flaking ash.

York watched the remaining grayish hue struggle against the encroaching rust-red, saying calmly:

"Enough, Alyssa, I still need you to maintain the seal."

At his words, perhaps sensing the implicit confidence and meaning, the Alyssa sleeping on the bed seemed to hear him. In York's vision, she suddenly opened her eyes.

As if separated by endless space, they locked eyes for a moment.

In the next second, the remaining grayish hues were swallowed by the rust-red, finally merging into a coherent whole.

The inner world created by Dark Alyssa had fully emerged—a world as dark and foreboding as the deepest recesses of hell. New railings and wire fences now bore layers of rust, and the ground was covered with rust-red.

A drizzling rain began to fall from nowhere, caught by York's previously prepared barriers.

The air began to fill with a nauseating stench of decay emanating from the depths, the putrid smell pervading the atmosphere.

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