New World

Hours passed as Zayn explored the strange, sea-floor-like area.

What he saw stunned him. Besides the many rocks overgrowing with oceanic plants and corals, he found actual ruins of what seemed like a once-human town.

At first, he actually suspected that he wasn't alone in the town. After all the fading walking tracks were actively illuminated by several purple-burning candle lanterns!

But after further inspection, he noticed that all houses were completely collapsed or actively decaying. Dark mold was eating its way through the slate stone, slowly decomposing it.

Maybe the lamps just sustain themselves with a miracle fuel somehow…

Zayn considered it, but deduced that it wasn't worth his time to get too invested in the subject for now. The bigger problems remained.

He still lacked a basic shelter. The few collapsed structures he did find, like roofless house foundations and weathered slate pillars, did not look capable of properly storing heat at all.

Still, the way the small town was structured — multiple houses around a water well — definitely hinted at once-intelligent natives.

"Did humans really live here at one point?"

Zayn pondered out loud

It definitely seemed so. At least the house size would fit humans. But he couldn't know for sure. The buildings held an unmistakable alien quality — subtle, but impossible to ignore.

Later in his exploration, he also discovered a small river which seemed to originate from one of the slate mountains. This was a huge relief and a great risk at the same time.

Drinking from an unknown water source would usually be a no-go for him, but it was still better than the ancient water well in the village.

Who knew what had evolved down there over the years!

All of this helped Zayn keep his mind focused as he tried desperately not to think about anything else than the immediate future. Inwardly, he knew he would fall into a small existential crisis later.

Half his worldviews had been shattered in the span of a few hours after all. Still, for now, the black haired boy couldn't allow that to happen.

The shivering cold against his tanned skin brought him back to reality and his current problems. The temperature seemed to be his biggest enemy here, causing him to make that his priority for now.

Getting sick here would be the worst.

Though he felt the opposite of being sick. The mysterious, swirling energy in his center permeated his entire being, filling it with vitality and power.

He felt good enough to smash that creepy service worker's face in with just one punch. 

Seriously… who just randomly shoots a person like that?

The black-haired boy glanced at the majestic spire in the distance, quietly looming over the island.

He didn't actually think I would still go see him after that, right?

Zayn had already accepted in his mind that miracles were his new norm. If there was one core trait that defined his entire personality, it was his adaptability.

...Suddenly, the silence of the ever-present darkness around him was broken by an otherworldly scream coming from above. His head swung around to identify the sound's origin.

And then he saw them. 

Zayn almost wished he didn't. 

A swarm of human-sized, owl-like creatures flew in his general direction. They almost perfectly blended into the shadows. Their long hooked beaks and eerily blue-tinged feathers paired with an owl-shaped head sent a chill down his spine.

Their cries seemed to have awoken something else, since another definitely not human growl erupted from somewhere nearby. 

Zayn's mind raced.

I have to get out of here... now!

But where?! Should I just hide in one of the houses?!

He did not have the time to keep analyzing the problem, though. The owl-like creatures drew closer and would definitely spot him from above if he stayed.

I need something with a roof.

At that moment, he made a decision, let his previously gathered items fall to the ground, and started running deeper into the ruins of the town he had just discovered. 

When the birds were right above him, Zayn finally grasped at some hope. 

At the end of the village, in a secluded corner, he spotted a church crowned with an ominous eye symbol instead of the usual wooden cross. Zayn seemed to recognize it somehow.

Half of the church's roof had collapsed on the seats below. Not ideal, but it had to suffice for now. At least it shielded him from all prying eyes in the sky.

An ear-piercing screech sounded from behind him, and he turned his head while sprinting towards the church's entrance. The owls had taken notice of his presence and were diving straight towards him.

Zayn sprinted like his life depended on it. And it did. The strange swirling energy pumped through his body, seemingly augmenting his muscles. Allowing him to move even faster. Unable to slow down, he ran face-first into the door of the church, which was luckily not locked, and ended up sprawled on the ground. 

The owl-like monsters behind him were too big for this door and continued screaming in annoyance. They quickly changed their plan and seemed to collectively decide to invade through the half-open roof instead.

Shit. I gotta get up…

Zayn groaned because of the pain, struggling to stand up. He had to find something to hide behind or under, quickly.

His gaze fell on a trap door next to the desk where the priest of the church would likely have stood.

Zayn ran towards it, dodging collapsed parts of the roof and broken furniture. The trap door was heavy, but the mysterious energy helped again. It seemed to have a desire to live on its own, always activating when danger was imminent.

Groaning under the weight, Zayn managed to flip the trap door open. A blue-tinged wood-like ladder led down into the darkness, and he had no way to know where it would lead.

He did not have a choice, though. The oversized owls had made their way through the roof into the church and accelerated towards him.

„Haah, why is it always like this?"

Zayn sighed out loud while descending down the ladder — the trap door heavily falling on its entrance hole, trapping him in utter darkness.

The owl's cries became muffled as the black haired boy descended further into the bottomless void. A primordial fear overcame him. It was dark, too dark. Only a single ray of light passed through a hole in the closed trap door.

Zayn panicked inwardly, trying desperately not to create any loud noises.

What if another monster lived down her?

And I'm climbing right into its lair…

He gulped as the fragile ladder squeaked under his weight. After pausing, listening into the darkness and receiving no response, Zayn allowed his mind to wallow in a hopeful fantasy for a second.

Maybe there is nothing down here after all…

The black-haired boy was sure that he couldn't go out again; the owls could still be waiting.

After a few more seconds of climbing down the ladder, his feet finally hit a solid floor. Zayn warily glanced around the room. His eyes had adapted to the dark to a certain degree by now, and he could see the rough outlines of this place.

The chamber was about the size of a living room back on Earth, and multiple shelves of books decorated its rounded walls. The roof bent inwards, leading all visitors to a majestic altar at the end of the corridor.

Zayn breathed in relief.

No monsters so far…

At that moment, his neglected stomach started growling. Just how long had it been since his arrival on this merciless island? Hours? Days? His sense of time was completely thrown out of concept. There seemed to be no difference between night and day here.

Enough of that. It was time for Zayn to have this long-awaited existential crisis. In the middle of a dark basement with multiple monster owls waiting outside, quietly hoping the puny human would come out and offer himself as their dinner. Or breakfast. Whatever.

Im fucked.

That summed it up pretty well, Zayn thought.

He had died a useless death.

Was brought to a monster-infested island.

Completely naked but strangely healthy.

He suppressed the urge to let out a whimper. Just what was he going to do?

It was a useless question. It brought no progress.

Zayn would do the same as always. Use what's available and improvise when anything unexpected happens.

"Oh yeah..."

His mind snapped back to the problems he wanted to avoid.

What's the deal with that weird energy inside of me?

It feels so... familiar...

Zayn tried willing it to augment his muscles like it did when he ran away from the monsters. But nothing happened.

Maybe it only activates in dangerous situations... like an instinct.

The black-haired boy stopped his experiments for now. There was something more important to think about. He needed to survive. That's what his life had always been about. Enduring.

Zayn breathed in and talked out loud to himself.

"Okay. What do I need?"

"Food. Water. Clothes"

He paused.

"And information."

He looked around the room, his gaze stopping at the middle row of one of the bookshelves.

Maybe I can read one of those... It's worth a try.

Even though Zayn seriously doubted if the ancient civilization of past times would have spoken the same language as him. They did seem to have a lot in common with the humans of Earth, though.

But sure enough, the first book he picked out — a big purple one with a golden cover depicting an eye with a triangle in its iris — was written in a language Zayn had never seen.

It looked similar to English in the sense that it appeared to have many different letters, but that's where the similarities ended. It was made of many distinct symbols, and sentences seemed to be shorter in general.

He frowned. That eye symbol kept popping up.

Suddenly, the front of his head started throbbing painfully, and Zayn instinctively pressed his right hand against the hurting spot.

Damn… I remember now. I've seen this before. That service worker who killed me had the exact same eyes.

The only difference was that the cleaner's eyes had been red, while the book's cover was a deep shade of purple. Inconsequential? Maybe.

Zayn quietly continued his thought process.

Does that mean these people used to worship him?

Is he a god? Or a servant of one?

His head continued throbbing under the barrage of questions with no answers in sight.

He was sure about one thing, though. If he ever got his fingers on that guy, god or not, it wouldn't end with a simple beating.

Zayn never forgot grudges. He had been notorious in the underground business for paying back revenge tenfold.

His mouth extended into a dangerous smirk.

„Alright, I'll play along your games. You said you're at the spire, eh? Let's see who will be laughing in the end..."