chapter 13 arrival(1)
After consuming his culinary masterpiece, a profound exhaustion finally claimed Fighter. It had been a long, brutal day, and the stress of the transmigration and the subsequent escape weighed heavily on him. His eyes felt heavy, and he slowly drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Six and a half hours later, Fighter was abruptly yanked awake by a jarring, metallic hand. His enclosed Common Class box had hissed open, and a robotic appendage was extending into his compartment.
[Your station is here. Please clear the box.] The monotonous, synthesized voice announced from the robotic arm.
Fighter was a walking health hazard, covered in the filth and stink of the Human Void. His shabby appearance alone would normally earn him an immediate arrest by civilian police, but he possessed a strange immunity: he was an unregistered Story Bearer.
While the civilian police were strong enough to subdue a Chapter One Noberry like him, killing any Story Bearer was a serious crime within the Human Unified Territory. The government reserved all rights and decisions concerning the fate of its Story Bearers.
By law, Fighter was a fugitive—a Chapter One Noberry who had failed to register.
Fighter: "The UCA must have already sent people to search for me."
Rechel: [You are a dishonest criminal. You stole money from Mr. Doll. Ok.]
Fighter: "But I am at the UCA, the one place they will never think to search! Hehe." Fighter completely ignored Rechel's moral judgment, delighting in his own audacity.
The UCA should have dispatched strong Story Bearers—at least Chapter Two or Three—to find him. Their search would logically start around the Human Void, where he was last sighted, hunting for a wretched, starving man. The reality was hilariously convenient for Fighter: while the UCA's hunters chased a ghost across the city slums, he would be relaxing within the Academy itself.
He chuckled, a low, rasping sound that turned the heads of the commuters streaming past. Fighter didn't care; he was happy to have reached his destination without incident.
The air quality at the UCA station was remarkably fresh, a stark contrast to the dust and pollution he had endured earlier. Though the Academy grounds were sparsely treed, the atmosphere was controlled and comfortable, far from feeling like a desert environment.
Fighter began walking toward a feature that dominated the horizon: a colossal wall.
It was a magnificent, menacing structure: a massive, octagonal fortification built from reinforced, unknown concrete that dynamically shifted its thermal properties. Rising 50 meters and angled outward to deflect any large Horror creature, its surface was studded with thermal vents and kinetic dampeners.
The UCA wall served a dual purpose: a shield against the horrors of the New World and a very effective prison for the Story Bearers within.
The sheer scale of the wall was deeply unsettling. Publicly, the UCA was perceived as a gilded cage for the powerful. Yet, Fighter knew better: the UCA was a sanctuary, a critical haven for people like him.
It existed to preserve the sanity and humanity of Story Bearers, especially the young 'Blood Children.' It was mandatory for all Chapter One Noberry Story Bearers between the ages of 16 and 20 to register and study at the UCA for three years. Even the powerful Blood factions dared not disobey this mandate.
Fighter finally stood before the Gate, gazing up at the sheer scale of the entrance. It was as immense as the wall, heavily fortified, and bore the distinct Insignia of the Academy: a stylized tree being carefully tended and watered.
________________________________________
sorry for the delay