The Birth of The Unity (sequel to Chronicle of Nautilus)

Chapter 1: A World Different From Ours

Adam stepped on a top of a hill and wiped the sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. He breathed deeply slowly recovering from the climb that seemingly took the last of his strength. Facing the sun in its full glory in front of him, he stood firm and held on to the remains of his sanity. He was victorious. He had defeated the heat against all odds and completed his mission.

His bruised feet were numb and he could not feel the fluffy dense grass beneath them. But it bothered him the least. Halfway into the journey, Adam got rid of the worn shoes and two-thirds in, he stopped looking at what he stepped on. As he stepped on sharp stones he cut his feet and bled, and as the feet healed he accidently received new cuts. This became an unavoidable cycle of pain. After two days of suffering, he just learned not to care. There were more important things to focus on than small physical inconveniences. The skin under the worn jeans shorts had a much lighter shade of brown than his legs, arms or face. The sun did not manage do damage them yet but if he was to stay in this heat for a few hours more he knew he would feel grave consequences.

The cracked white lips tasted liked sand for the last few days. Being a part of a hard working and relentless system they deserved to celebrate the victory as every part of Adam's body. He poured the remains of water from canteen onto them and into his mouth. The narrow green eyes through which the whites could be barely seen now became livelier. The water dripped down his chin, down the thin black beard. It dripped down onto his chest and under the muddy shirt and tickled him. He knew he was being wasteful, but the celebration was worth the sacrifice.

He had left the hometown with a shaven head, and now his hair were at the same length as his beard. It was not the usual haircut, but it was fit for the given situation. Adam had lost his hat while passing one of three violent rivers as a high wave slammed into his face and washed it away. The issue with the heat cooking his brain was fixed the same way as his damaged feet. At some point, he just ignored the inconvenience and made short breaks whenever he felt that he was not thinking straight or started tripping. He had lost ten kilograms on his journey and no longer looked as fit as before. Yet the muscle lines were visible, especially on the tired legs. He was not much into sports but had always led a healthy life and loved spending his time doing physical work. His father always taught him 'Physical activities increases your spirit.' He had lived by those words his entire life. Adam did not have any special physical features. His height was average and the facial features did not stand much out of the crowd. Looking straight into his face, one could notice that the nose was a little tilted to the right. But such imperfection would be quickly forgotten for he was quite a charming person, one of those whose words and eyes could daze another. His voice carried a magical persuasion and that is why he was so easily let go by his townsfolk and allowed to explore.

Adam did not admit it to others, but he found the world he lived in strange. There was something off about it. It lacked something he could not put into words. Perhaps it was logic, or common sense in the grand scheme of things. He was not only suspicious of the world, but everyone living inside it. They were too oblivious to the surroundings and they cared very little about things that were beyond their daily lives. Why was it only him who cared about reaching the end of the horizon and why was everyone so eager to talk him out of getting there? Perhaps it was because of the bizarre truth that now was revealed in front of his eyes?

Far in front of him, down the hill that went steeper as it became the abyss, there was nothing. There was no fog or illusion to hide the truth. The green sea of nothingness stretched as far as his eyes could see to the front, to the left and right. This nothingness was what lay at the end of his world. At some point downwards it began lacking depth and turned into an infinite horizontal plane. He did not dare to try stepping forward down the hill declining hill into steepness. For he was sure that there, below, awaited only death.