Infinite: Power

Chapter 6: Treasure

"Remember when we found that big, stone chair?" Old Tommy asks while we walk together. I'm a bit tired but I don't want to disappoint him, so I follow him.

"Yes. I remember everybody wanted to take it home but no one could move it from its place. It should be buried under the dust at this time of the season, though."

Old Tommy paused, staring around. The dry lands are dustier than the deserts, and the dust is floating in the air. It's hard to keep our feet entirely in the ground. There were zones like these everywhere, in which you simply couldn't attach yourself to the ground completely.

"The heat is extreme, so they're just lifted up, suspended, as though there were no gravity. Since everything is attracted to the sun... well..." The man's voice fades. I close my eyes and wave my hands to get the dust away. "I suppose it wouldn't be wise to have a sandwich right here."

"Not if you don't want to contaminate yourself. It's fascinating, though, the whole eating thing. I don't understand why some humans still need that."

Old Tommy holds my hand to lead me through the dust cloud.

"Those who still depend on food are many," He says, waving his free arm to get dust off his sight. "And they don't live long."

"I know. I had a friend like that. We were about the same age, I think. She didn't make it."

He swings his head at me with a significant look.

"Am I correct if I say I think that's why you..."

You are always so kind, Blair-ssi! There is no need for you to do this for us.

I shut my eyes tighter. Not because of the dust.

"Probably. I don't know. I don't care anymore."

We both suddenly stop. I open my eyes only to find we are in the ruinous building we usually concur to when we have free time. I can only infer it was a building, since there is nothing left but a few walls scattered all over the place. The walls appear to have had a thousand drawings in white and black colors, worn out for the countless days after its ruin. In the middle of all of them, there's the stone-made-of chair we found once. I feel surprised to see it isn't buried, but it makes sense when you think about the non-gravity thing around us.

It was quite a joy when we found the thing, I remember. We had never dared to go further than the desert we knew, and I still cannot recall why we dared to do it. But we found this ruinous place and it would become a very valuable treasure for all the Cartoners I knew for the simple reason it was something old. Something from the old world, a world which used to be full of life and colors and hope.

"The dust isn't gone yet." I complain. Old Tommy lets go of my hand as we walk by the Seesaw and nods.

"It was only a few days ago that the dust began to float this way. You may not see it now that you're in it but you can even see this dust cloud from a long distance. Even from the Golden City. It won't be long till they send some of their own to investigate, so let's hurry."

"Hurry for what?"

"I found something that was buried under the dust. Very interesting. You should see it for yourself and help me to decide what to do. But let's not talk about it yet. Now, have you noticed that the Chair is in higher ground? Everything around it has sunk."

"I'm quite far of noticing anything, Tommy-ssi. Not with the dust around us."

"Don't worry. We're quite close."