Animator vs Animation: The Dark Web

Chapter 9: The Virus

The Chosen One, The Second Coming, and Valhalla have been flying for what felt like an eternity, but it has almost been an entire day since their escape, flying for hours straight. The Chosen One was weighed by exhaustion, but he pushed forward. Even for their newly found freedom from the Codeborn, Valhalla persistently urged for them to go back. Valhalla's pleads were carried with desperation, and the more they flew, the more he begged. The Second Coming tried to comfort him, conveying the ache that Driftwood had held upon them. He shared Valhalla's feelings of betrayal, missing the Color Gang as much as Valhalla missed Driftwood. But going back to the Codeborn was out of the question.

The Chosen One, grudgingly, felt pity for him. They wouldn't be where they were right now if it weren't for Driftwood and Valhalla. Driftwood was the mastermind of the escape plan, and he would give every gratitude to her, but the choice was final. She decided to stay with the Codeborn, and that was her decision alone. There was nothing they could do about it.

Beneath them, The Chosen One caught sight of endless forests of tall rock formations and the hilly black landscape, reflecting almost crimson light. The sky gleamed like a broken computer screen that was beautiful yet eerie at the same time, and clouds pixelated as they floated by. The world itself almost seemed like it was caught between night and day, with the sky being so bright yet the land below them so shadowed. But nonetheless, The Chosen One allowed himself to marvel at the beauty of the world around them.

Then, something sharply caught his gaze–a town. Without any hesitation, he dove, pulling The Second Coming and Valhalla along. The closer they flew, the clearer the town appeared; small and deteriorating with corruption.

Descending swiftly, his grip released of The Second Coming and Valhalla, causing them to land with a thud, while The Chosen One landed lightly on his feet. As the two got up, weary from the flight but uninjured, they all looked around. There was silence–a deafening silence, broken only by the faint crackles of glitches.

The quiet creeped over them like a cold chill, and The Chosen One walked forefront, while the others trailed behind him. The town was a glitched ruin–broken streets, jagged buildings that cut between reality, fractured rubble all around, and no stick figures in sight. However, something caught The Chosen One's attention. He paused at the sidewalk, gaze locked onto a set of footprints pressed with dust. He crouched, stepping his foot over one of the footprints—it was larger than his own.

He looked forward down the path to find more tracks that seemed to roam and wander around the whole town aimlessly. The Chosen One tilted his head in curiosity. Who—or what—did these footprints belong to?

Suddenly, they all heard a sharp psst! The group froze, and they turned their gaze to an alleyway entrance partially blocked by a pile of rubble. They passed a cautious glance before they approached the alley, their steps deliberately slow.

Then, a dust-covered white stick figure emerged from the pile. Her gaze met theirs, and they all flinched in mutual surprise. Frantically, she beckoned them to follow her behind the pile, her movements anxious and swift. After a moment's hesitation, The Chosen One leapt over the rubble, soon carefully followed by the others.

Now hidden under the shadows of the alley, they all crouched low, the stick figure's anxious gaze darting around the street before she faced them. She briefly observed The Chosen One and The Second Coming's appearances, curious from the hollow shape of their heads, but she quickly dismissed the thought.

She hastily tapped herself on the chest, introducing herself. Her name is Lace White. Lace deduced that they weren't around here, tilting her head. The Second Coming nodded and pointed upward at the sky–an indication of the Outernet, while Valhalla gestured to the ground, indicating The Dark Web to be his origin.