Chapter 15: The Base

Shoun and Kaze walked under the moonlight through the city streets. The pedestrians passing by glanced at the masked figure for a moment before continuing on their way.

—(I thought they'd stare longer... but I guess considering Codex bearers have all kinds of strange appearances, Kaze is just the strange within the strange).

After a while, the two arrived at a secluded spot in the park—the same spot where they had appeared yesterday after returning from the mirror world.

—Okay, we're here. Can you tell me why we had to come to this specific spot?—Shoun asked curiously, looking at his companion.

—I remember telling you at some point that the mirror world is strange. You've only seen a part of it—the part I consider the least problematic to explore and hunt in. I usually choose this spot to enter because I'm sure the equivalent location in the mirror world is safe—or as safe as it gets in the mirror world, you know? The thing is, I'm not sure what we'd find if we entered from, say, your house. We might end up in a nest of vestiges or the lair of an Executor. So, better safe than sorry—Kaze explained in his usual monotone voice.

—That sounds reasonable. But before we go, let's make sure no one's around. I don't want to end up in the same situation as a few days ago, but this time as the guilty party—Shoun said, scanning the area. Kaze did the same, checking the opposite side. After a couple of minutes, they confirmed no one was within activation range—Good. I'll activate my ability now.

Shoun channeled his electricity, and instantly, a screen appeared in front of Kaze's eyes.

[Interworld Travel activated. Accept?]

Naturally, Kaze confirmed. The space around them distorted and contracted, colors faded, and the mirror world opened before their eyes.

—And we're back here... Did you get a notification to accept the travel?

—Yes.

—Hmm. When you dragged me here the first time, I only realized we'd traveled between worlds when I looked around. It seems having this ability makes us aware of these changes—Shoun concluded, glancing at his surroundings.

—We also confirmed that you can drag people into this place, though I'm not sure if you can activate a trial. We'll have to wait until we bring Sein to test that—Kaze said, also scanning the area for vestiges.

—...I'm still not sure about bringing Sein here—As he spoke, Shoun began walking through the gray bushes, searching for something. After a moment, he finally found what he was looking for—Surprisingly, this thing is still here.

—Why wouldn't it be? There's no one else around who could've taken the corpse.

—Vestiges kill each other when there are no people around. If the losing vestige is an Alpha, they eat it too. Didn't you notice that before? I mean, you literally lived in a place full of vestiges for months—Shoun explained, incredulous.

—Now that you mention it, I never saw a group of vestiges made up of more than two species.

—That's because of the territorial wars that probably happen here. It's confirmed that vestiges, like us, grow stronger by killing each other, though the effect seems greater if they kill people. That's why they group up with their own kind or with others that synergize well to grow stronger... unless they have an Overlord nearby—Shoun continued explaining as he hid the Hydra's corpse.

—What do you mean by that last part?

—Well... I don't know much personally, but obviously, Rank 5 Overlords are among the strongest vestiges, if not the strongest. No one can compare unless it's another Overlord. That's why they naturally take over and try to claim the territory of others. Within that territory, weaker vestiges can exist. Since they can't grow stronger from them, they just let them exist to defend their territory from other weaker vestiges.

—Fascinating. I thought those things were just mindless beasts that wanted to kill people.

—They are. After all, if an Overlord sees a Seeker, they'll kill them because they can still grow stronger from it... which honestly terrifies me because, based on everything I just told you, it's almost certain we're in an Overlord's territory—Shoun said, looking directly at Kaze's mask. A hint of nervousness was visible in his eyes, but he had already accepted the risks of coming to the mirror world for expeditions knowing this information—Knowing all this, we need to be sure of where we're going from now on. If an Overlord notices us, it's over.

—Don't worry. Vestige groups are heavily divided. In this area, we'll only find Whelps and Wretches. Brutes are rare around here, and their zone is farther away. I don't know where most Executors are, and obviously not the Overlords either. But as long as we don't venture beyond the Brutes' zone, we should be fine—Despite not knowing the information Shoun had just shared, Kaze had logically decided not to venture too far into the mirror world. After all, until a little over a month ago, he was just a lowly Seeker—the bottom of the food chain.

—Alright, I trust your judgment. Either way, it's better to get out of here—Shoun began channeling his electricity to activate his ability but was stopped by Kaze.

—Wait a second... I notice something different about my ability that lets me travel here.

—And you're mentioning it now? What is it?

—I didn't mention it earlier because we were talking about something else... and honestly, I'm not sure what it is. But it seems like a new aspect of the original ability. Let me test it—Kaze fell silent and began analyzing his ability and his own being. There was something new, something calling to him. After a few seconds, a small burst of light exploded near them. Both shielded their eyes to avoid being blinded. When they opened their eyes, they found a door without a handle in front of them, seemingly leading nowhere. Beside it was a panel.

—What the hell? Is this a result of your ability?

—It seems so...—Shoun, incredulous, approached the door and looked behind it, finding no handle and, logically, no exit. He then carefully approached the panel and touched the screen. Instantly, it turned red, and white letters formed the words "Access Denied." After reading the message, Shoun withdrew his hand and looked at Kaze.

—This... I think you should try—Shoun stepped aside and let Kaze approach. The masked man touched the screen, and it immediately turned green. The phrase "Administrator registered. Welcome to the 'Base'" appeared. A hissing sound of steam followed, and the door opened on its own, revealing an interior resembling a house. Shoun peeked behind the door again and saw nothing on the other side. The two young men exchanged glances. Kaze took the lead, stepping through the doorframe with his hand on his katana's hilt, ready for any contingency. Shoun followed closely behind.

Kaze entered without issue. Inside, he saw a foyer like that of a normal house. The walls appeared to be made of concrete painted in an immaculate white, and the floor was made of firm wooden planks. When Shoun tried to step through the doorframe, an invisible barrier stopped him, and a Codex screen appeared in front of Kaze's eyes.

[Someone is attempting to enter the base. Allow access?]

—Uh... I can't get through—Shoun said after bumping into the invisible wall.

—What now?—Kaze asked after confirming. Shoun placed a foot inside, and this time, no invisible wall stopped him.

—What the hell was that?—Shoun asked, frustrated, with his arms crossed.

—It seems I'm the administrator of this place... You can't enter unless I allow it—Kaze replied simply.

—Oh, well, that makes sense. What else can you do?

—I'm not sure. Let's explore this place first before seeing what else I can do—Shoun agreed and fully entered. As he stepped inside, the door closed behind him, this time with a handle.

Both understood they could leave whenever they wanted. Kaze began walking down the hallway, followed by Shoun. The hallway had a coat rack and a small wooden table, but otherwise felt empty and somewhat unnatural.

Without delay, the two approached the door at the end of the hallway. Carefully, Kaze opened it little by little. What they found on the other side surprised them both.

On the other side was a room with white walls. The floor, unlike the foyer, was made of white ceramic tiles, and the warm lighting gave the room a cozy feel.

Near the entrance were various items, such as a white sofa, a rug, and a large TV. Beyond that space was a kitchen with its appliances, and there were other rooms closed off by wooden doors.

—Uh... I wasn't expecting to find something like this here... It looks so... cozy—Shoun commented, looking around the room.

—It's a bit like your house.

—Not really... I'd say it's more like a common living room and kitchen. There aren't any personal touches like photos or decorations beyond the essentials.

Before Kaze could respond, a sudden activation sound echoed through the room. Both young men fell silent, anticipating what was about to happen. Soon, a slightly masculine robotic voice began resonating from every corner of the room.

—Greetings, Administrator and Guest. Welcome to the Base.