After arriving in a new town with his mother and sister, 18-year-old Daniel finds a mysterious corridor under his new house, and beyond it, a mysterious old man who traps him on the other side. There, Daniel finds another dimension filled with nothi...
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Daniel couldn't even close his eyes. He was buried in thoughts, about his home, about Maise and Mom... About The Prophet...
It was already nighttime. Probably around midnight. Looking at the baron wasteland behind his window, he saw nothing but a dark void surrounding every object around - white trees of the hollow forest or rocky walls surrounding the town. On top of that, it was quiet, and Daniel loved that. In the distance, there was a completely different sight. Far away he could see light pointing high into the sky from a tall tower standing in the middle of Raven's base. The tall and massive structure seemed to overlook the whole wasteland, and thinking about it for a second Daniel actually felt uneasy about it, like his every move here was being watched.
Suddenly Daniel got a glimpse of something moving under his window. Two green orbs hanging mid-air moving from side to side just above the ground. He was sure there were eyes, and there was only one person Daniel's mind pointed at.
-He's still monitoring me? - Daniel thought, but was he right? Was it real? The pair of eyes in its mischievous shadow were moving around. It didn't seem like they were floating. The eyes had a moving person attached to them. Invisible? Or visible from beyond? Just like when Daniel was still in the basement when he saw the prophet while his body was still on the other side. Walking around the prophet placed something on the ground, a beacon of some sort. Just like the eyes, just like what it seemed, his silhouette, the beacon was transparent and barely visible. After a brief moment, it seemed to have strengthened the visibility of the world it was placed in - Daniel's world. He rushed outside moving through the townsfolk occupied by themselves singing and dancing by the fireplace, drinking at the bar. They weren't bothered, but Daniel was. He walked out from the town's border to the place where he saw the eyes. The beacon was still there, but the eyes and the silhouette were gone. It was a device made from scrap metal, but regardless of the material it was crafted with much detail and attention. It stood on a tripod leg, a thick metal tube filled with unrecognizable technology that ended in a thin antenna at the top. There was a word written on the side of the tube vertically. It spelled "RIPPLE".
- Curious name. - Daniel thought. He moved closer and tried to touch the beacon. His hand slipped right through it like it wasn't even here, Daniel noticed that around the beacon he could see the outside world, a lonely field of grass, and a town just where Roth's town was. The buildings match up pretty well. It wasn't a portal. Daniel obviously couldn't go through. It was a mere shadow, he could see it up close. As he moved back to town, the beacon lost its tangibility and was half visible again. When he got back to town, Daniel reported it to Roth, but when they both came back to the beacon he wasn't able to make out much of it either. Roth was pleased and excited to see a glimpse of the outside world, but it wasn't hard for both of them not to get anxious about the mysterious device. What was it for? Why did the old man set it up here? What is he up to? What is his endgame?
At dawn, as everyone woke up, they saw the sun slowly being covered by dark clouds. There was a sandstorm coming. They could attack the base alongside it.
-Everything is perfect. - this one collective thought occupied the minds of Roth's people. It was still early, they had more than a few hours to prepare. Daniel looked outside the window again. The ripple was barely visible, but still there, showing nothing he hadn't seen at night. Daniel was sure that this technology was the key to going back. He just needs to find The Prophet's lab in their base. Everyone was preparing for the attack. Daniel stepped into the makeshift armory. Samuel was standing by the main table upon which lay countless assault rifles.
-Hey! Daniel? Right? - he noticed him without even turning his head around.
-It's me. - he mumbled. - I want you all to know that I don't wanna kill any people.
-You won't have... - he turned around revealing his grim face. He didn't trust Daniel.
-There's only one job for you... to play a hostage until we get inside. Then, for your own sake, you better stay away from the crossfire. No one will mourn over your stupid death, believe me, kid. - there was a primal hatred in Samuel. Daniel had a bad feeling about him.
-Here. - Samuel handed him a pocket knife. - If you need it. - He turned around going back to cleaning his rifle. Daniel left him to it, hiding the knife in his back pocket. Exiting the armory he looked up at the sky, and watched as the sky was almost fully covered in sand. Tracking the dark clouds further west he saw the sandstorm coming in the distance. A huge cloud covering the whole horizon closed in, lighting up in certain parts as a thunderstorm roared inside.
END OF CHAPTER
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