Chapter 0 : Girl in a Glass Tube

[Nodril – Lake City Northeast District, Orix Research Complex]

…

……

……

Beep-

Gurgle…

……

Beep-

……

……

Beep-

Gurgle… Pop-

…Water, temperature, suitable.

Beep-

…Thud-

…Vibration, detected.

Beep-

Thud, Thud-

…Eyes, blinking.

Beep-

Thud, Crash-

“……” “……!”

…Glass wall, white coats.

Beep-

Thud, Bang-

Mouths move. No sound heard.

Beep-

Boom-

…Question. Sound detection, impossible here.

Beep-

Vibration, impossible, question.

BOOM-!

Beep-

……

……

Beep-

……

…Vibration, stop- CRASH–!!!

Beep- Zzzt-

“……!” “…, ……!”

…Not white coats. Unfamiliar figure.

Zzt, Zzzt-

“……?”

…Steel armor, head tilted.

“……” “Mok… mok’ya? Z’rak-tæ velshur hæk-tôn?! Græmvi!” “Nek’r… ORRYX-ræn vesk’tar intraz’harn! Vær’dak- velkrin’khet!”

I slowly opened my eyes to the noisy sounds, feeling as if I’d just woken from a dream.

“Where… is this?” “Zharnak ȯr-hā draltek veshka! Krēmra logas særn’kēt!” “Nek’r… tën ozhmak vorr’i?”

All I could see was a strange, blue-white space. People in white coats shouted loudly. They all looked intelligent, keeping their distance from me, hiding behind odd devices while raising their voices.

“I can’t understand a word they’re saying. Never heard this language before.” “Kænn… græmvi’zh venūr æm’drat-æ?” “Bruk-tær nôrjen! Dek’sul-zek’r!”

A large man among them aimed a long object at me and fired a projectile.

Ting- “A rock… no, a piece of metal?” “Tso… tzārra shælt’ek?!”

I reflexively swung my sword to deflect it, but I frowned slightly under my helmet at the speed, far surpassing any arrow I’d ever seen.

“I need to get out of here.” Bang-! “Mak’… mak’a!”

I summoned my aura to enhance my physical abilities and sword, then swung it like a club, breaking through the wall and charging forward.

Bang, Crash-! “Krwarrak-!” Slash- “What are these…?”

Monsters, as if humans had been grotesquely transformed, blocked my path, but my speed didn’t falter.

Thud, Crash-! “How long will these silver walls keep appearing?” [Intraz’-ORRYX zrækken! Vær’dak tol’vessar. Varr’drun… tol’vessar!]

In this vast building, unlike the human voices earlier, a distorted, metallic voice echoed, as if iron itself were speaking. Every time I broke through a wall, I saw dissected remains of something. I ignored the ringing metallic sound and the unease gripping my body, continuing to charge forward.

[Nek’r… ORRYX-zæl trūn’khet! Xær’val æn’dez!] Thud, Bang-! “Kirrk-!” Slash.

Though clearly monsters, I hesitated each time I cut them down.

[Zræk’nāk tol’vessar! Varr’drun, tol’vessar!] Bang-!

Perhaps I’d taken a wrong turn, as the walls grew thicker and the monsters multiplied, but my speed didn’t waver.

BOOM-!! “Sturdy, aren’t they?”

But when a wall withstood even my sword, breaking through with my body seemed inefficient, so I had to stop.

“Kirr-” “Krrraar…” Whirr-

As I paused, a variety of monsters gathered behind me, and several ceiling panels opened, lowering objects with long barrels on either side. Were they about to fire projectiles like before?

[Zhæk-k’rôn ēd’maq, hûrsh-krā tām’nærr-djek!]

The metallic voice sounded oddly triumphant. I ignored it, raising my sword.

[Næh… s’har uzraek velkā-tē?…]

Though it was the same metallic voice, a different tone mixed in, but I ignored it, focusing my strength.

[T’szor vælmir… zhek-dar vorr’in ōk’zhul. Æn-krēt… hrash’ne vel-tak’nār… ka-nar õk’dhaz ven-ēnn ak’tæl-] CRASH–!!! [Mok’ya?!]

As I shattered the wall that had briefly blocked my path, I saw a cross-section so thick it seemed like the earth itself had been raised.

“No wonder it didn’t break in one go.” [Mak’a! Mak’a!! Vær’dak tol’vessar—NAH!]

What are they yammering about?

Ignoring the metallic voice, I looked beyond the wall. The same blue-white walls, unknown devices, and a massive cylindrical glass tube in the center. And then—

“…A girl?”

A girl with gray eyes and yellow pupils, meeting my gaze.