No matter if it’s been eight millennia, no matter if the roads are full of cracks, no matter if the wild grasses have once again erged from these fissures... there’s still too little food here compared to the wilderness, right?
With such regret, Malin walked down the street. After the massive buildings collapsed, the blockade made from tanks, armored vehicles, and various steel structures from the ti before the Great Ruin no longer contained anything. Only when Malin opened the top hatch of a tank could he still make out remnants of corpses.
While Mana went to collect dog tags, Malin sat on the barrel of the Chariot. The silent city, the azure sky, in the distance occasionally a Wraith floated by, instinctively fearing the sunlight. Wraiths with remnant consciousness, like that mother from earlier, were extrely rare.
Malin wasn’t keen on sending them off—this city is so vast, he feared he wouldn’t solve the issues of even one district in a decade.
Just then, Salis called out, and Malin, feeling sothing, looked across the street and saw a herd of deer crossing at the distant intersection.
So... in this forest of concrete and steel, life still exists, just with different owners.
Thinking of this, Malin pulled out a World Tree fruit and waved it toward the deer.
The lead buck hadn’t been paying any attention to Malin, but upon seeing the fruit in his hand, dared to lead the deer herd over.
Salis made a sound, indicating its displeasure, and Malin, smiling, fed it a fruit. Thus, the buck switched from walking to a little trot and finally arrived in front of Malin.
Malin threw a fruit to it, which it happily gobbled up.
Malin jumped down from the barrel. The other deer stayed afar and did not co closer. Just as Malin was about to leave, a fawn suddenly ran over, seemingly tempted by the fruit, and licked Malin’s hand.
So Malin gave this little creature a fruit.
The buck eventually led the herd away. Malin took the dog tags collected by Mana, placed them in his bag, and continued north past the embanknt.
Walking past a forr park, standing outside what was once a superstore, he looked at the shattered glass walls, the empty racks inside. Ti had already scattered whatever trace might have remained on the ground. As Malin lanted, he gazed at the Wraiths in the shadows who t his eyes, and eventually turned and left.
And the Wraiths pursued Malin from the shadows, seemingly treating him as prey. On a street obscured by the buildings’ shadows, they finally transford into hunters and lunged at Malin.
But as the forerunners ca close to touching Malin, the warmth of light ignited, and the Wraiths were set ablaze in that instant of sacredness. The winds blowing through the street in a split second erased any proof of their existence.
Malin kept moving forward, and at the intersection, he reached out and patted the head of a small Wraith.
Afraid of Malin, it was ignited by holy fire in an instant.
"It hurts..."
It cried softly, saying nothing else, just lanting until it turned to ash under Malin’s gaze.
Unlike the earlier child, this one’s soul was already lost. It didn’t know whether to attack the living like its kin or to run away, forgetting past mories and even itself. All Malin could offer was release.
It had forgotten who it was, wandering eternally in this blasted stone forest, and even Malin himself didn’t know what Purification might an to this child.
But... it must an sothing, it surely must.
At least, this child would never fully beco lost and a nace to others.
Malin continued on, sniffing as he went—unsure why, his nose tinged with sorrow. Despite having lived for around sixty years, supposedly long past becoming indifferent to everything, today Malin felt uncharacteristically sentintal.
It’s like an old song said, a stone forest, a lonely water tower, where neon blooms no flowers, and the subway roars without words.
Eight millennia have passed, and this world has beco completely unrecognizable to Malin. The problem with solo travel is having no one to talk to; in other words, it’s loneliness.
Before today, Malin scoffed at this, thinking companions only slowed his sword-drawing speed. But now it seems the so-called journey alone wandering aimlessly is an empty phrase. Humans are ultimately social animals, especially within such an uninhabited steel jungle.
The Great Ruin nearly tore away the dream of this great civilization that spanned five millennia, but so survived, so lived on this land, raising the torch of civilization... but everything changed. The future of human liberation from the shackles of gravity disappeared, the mundane and secure life vanished.
And the world where every child, every mother, every father enjoyed family harmony... collapsed.
Chaos at an unknown ti and place contacted this world, beginning their act of substitution. Deceived, people finalized the anchoring of their invasion. The strongest faith at that mont beca lethal piety.
Thus, civilization beca what stands before Malin.
Salis once more took to the sky, as Malin at this intersection saw a wobbling street sign.
Chang’an Street.
At that mont, a bit of weight finally lifted from Malin’s face.
The sun was slowly but steadily advancing westward. Salis flew back high and then returned to Malin’s shoulder with an answer.
"Eastward, is it? Then let’s go." Malin patted Salis on the little head, feeding him a fruit.
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