Paranoia At It's Peak

After the quick lunch at the café, Dorian and Rose continued walking deeper into the city.

Moving from one shop to the next, with a firm grip on his wrist like she thought he might run off to attack the first person who cast him a weird look.

Dorian didn't complain either. Each time he tried to walk off, she would pull him back, glare at him, then continue like nothing happened.

He actually even liked it, at least he got to know how it felt for someone to care about his wellbeing, and he couldn't deny her palms were warm and soft.

They stopped at a clothing store, where she held up a pair of black jeans and a long-sleeved shirt to his chest, but he just stared at them blankly.

"I like it, but I want it with that," he said, pointing to a mannequin dressed in the exact same black jumpsuit he was wearing, except that one didn't have his name printed on the collar.

Rose squinted. "You do know we are not going back to the lab, right?" He nodded. "So why do you want it?"

Dorian stared at the mannequin still, then pulled at the sleeve of his.

"I've been wearing the same style for about ten years now. Not even the lab's uniforms," he smiled wryly. "It's super comfy."

She didn't say anything.

He ended up picking ten more black, grey, and white jumpsuits with varying collar cuts.

Rose had to add trousers, shorts, and shirts for him to wear underneath them, before going to pick out clothes for herself.

People passing by the dressing area gave him strange looks, especially when he tried on just the bottom half with the sleeves tied around his waist like makeshift trousers on trousers.

"I think that's illegal," someone muttered as they passed.

But Dorian chose to ignore it. Rose packed a few other outfits, tank tops, hoodies, that she was certain he would like, even after he rejected them.

They picked out some food items next, sealed packs of rice, fresh vegetables and fruits, bread, honey, and the longest list of milkshake flavours and crates Dorian could find, alongside a cookbook and a bag of flour balanced on his head.

He staggered over to where Rose was at the counter holding those items.

The crate of milkshake even blocked his view, so much so that he almost crashed into her.

She wasn't surprised, and managed to pay for them, even when the cashier asked how they would carry it.

As she made the payment, Dorian tried to pocket a bottle of hot sauce until she swatted his hand.

"Dorian, please…"

"It's a red flavour."

"That's hot sauce."

Dorian frowned, narrowing his eyes at the bottle. "There's no label. And hot sauces are not that smooth."

"Ugh!"

They left the market afterward, pushing a cart and full bags as they made their way towards a large tunnel.

Surrounding it was a massive, nearly translucent wall stretching up into the sky, with rope ladders dangling off the edge. The tunnel seemed like a rat hole carved into it.

Dorian stared at the wall. "It's see-through."

Rose didn't reply. She just walked straight through it and into the tunnel.

He blinked. "Wait—"

She poked her head back out with a smirk. "Well? Are you going to stand there or walk through before the security guards ask for our IDs?"

Dorian stepped toward the wall, cautiously placing his hand against it and gasped.

The surface tingled like electricity, but deeper, then a sensation like cold ice crawled up his fingers.

"It burns," he whispered. "It feels nice."

"It's mana," she said. "A barrier. It only lets humans through, I think…"

Dorian pressed harder, curious. A tiny spark of mana sizzled under his palm, and his instincts reacted, automatically drawing the energy into his body.

Rose was instantly back through the wall, grabbing his wrist.

"Don't absorb it!" she scolded. "Who knows what that thing would do to you, or what it's even keeping out."

Dorian didn't say anything. He just pushed the cart until they were finally on the other side of the wall and they were met with a massive, larger city.

Skyscrapers loomed overhead like silver blades. Airships hovered far above, at least the height of the wall.

Dorian stared with wide eyes. "They managed to rebuild… how long did it take?"

Rose shrugged. "It's been like this since I left. And I know there are plenty others, so probably around the time the beasts and rift stopped moving for about seven years."

Dorian looked back at the invisible wall, then at the city. "This feels like cheating. In between that time, they managed to go this far, while the one behind us looks ancient."

"It's the outer part. Mainly for travelers and people who have missions near the rifts."

He nodded in understanding and they continued further into the city.

They walked up a sloping road, onto a bridge that seemed to go around the city and probably out.

Different forms of transportation moved along the bridge, leaving Dorian with wide eyes as he took it all in.

He even tried to touch one of the parked motorcycles, if she hadn't pulled him away.

They finally made it to the building the strange man from earlier was talking about, a tall apartment complex, with a parking lot underneath.

Behind it was a field, and the elevators were working with a flight of stairs beside them.

Rose sighed in relief. "I miss this place."

"I thought the world hadn't gotten to this level," Dorian muttered, his eyes darting around.

Rose only laughed, "Maybe that's because you were born near the rift, with beast-crawling lands."

"Oh, I understand, but still... it's so... advanced. Like the lab."

He continued talking as she led him to the elevator, which had just enough room for the cart, and were whisked to the top floor.

Then they made their way to the last apartment on the floor with the rusty number plate. Rose put in the passcode and walked in, with Dorian following closely behind.

It took about thirty minutes for them to unpack everything from the carts into the corner of the spacious living room.

Rose left Dorian to take the carts apart to keep, in case the store needed them back.

Dorian, on the other hand, dropped his bag in the center of the room. He pulled off the scarf around his neck and began pacing.

Ten steps to the window, five steps back to the door, he circled the coffee table twice, then the couch.

He stood staring at the television hung against the wall for a while before moving over to the kitchen area.

"Everything is dirty," he mumbled, wiping his finger along the stove and counter. "We have to clean and sterilize everything," he paused, shifting his gaze to the windows, "Bullet proof windows too, and a new door, and speakers and—"

Thwack.

Rose slapped Dorian hard at the back of his head.

He slowly turned, blinking. "What did I do—"

She shoved a brush and dustpan into his hands. "Sweep the place. I'll put the stuff we bought in the storeroom. Then we clean and organize. Understood?"

"But what about the—"

She raised her hand, pinched her fingers together, and dragged them across her lips.

"Zip it!"

Dorian squinted. "Did you just drag an invisible zipper across your lips?" He tried again. "I was going to say—"

"Zip!" she said, pinching her fingers together again.

Dorian blinked slowly. "You're enjoying this." He took a deep breath. "Okay, but what if—"

"Zip!"

She made the sound aggressively this time, with a glare.

"I swear, if you—"

"Zip!"

He groaned and pointed at her. "This is abuse. Verbal and emotional abuse."

She smirked and walked away like she'd won a war, humming under her breath.

Dorian grumbled as he started sweeping. "Psychological warfare. This is psychological warfare. If we don't take precautions, we'll die."

Rose shook her head and walked off to dust the shelves in the other rooms.

Then suddenly, a shrill, mechanical ring echoed through the apartment. It sounded eerily similar to the alarms at the lab only softer.

She dropped the rags in her hands and hurriedly left the room to check, but Dorian reacted the second the sound came on.

He dragged his fingers across the wound on his wrist, reopening it, and a thorn, although thinner, sprouted out.

With a flick of his fingers, the red thorn shot out from his palm like a bullet and into the phone. The device exploded on contact, scattering plastic like confetti.

Rose froze in her spot by the couches, eyes wide.

Dorian smiled satisfactorily.

"...What the hell did you just do?"

"I neutralized the threat."