Chapter 18: A Planet Within Planet A
2054 Words
“This is the old world, Kadema.”
Orpheus glanced around, confused. “What is this place? Is this really... I mean...”
“He said it’s underground,” Mawt looked down, “Should we dig our way down?”
Jibreel folded his arms thoughtfully. “I’m not sure.”
“Halt!” Orpheus raised his eyebrows, hearing a loud buzzing and thundering noise. Looking up, the night sky was filled up with a thousand lights, brighter than the moon itself. Glancing to the sides, strange cars and motorcycles were around them, laser lights aimed at them. Orpheus frowned in confusion. Was that really... the old Earth? Why were they so technologically advanced? He couldn’t recognize most of that technology. Why were they so... on edge, as if they were in a state of war?
“Surrender now! Drop your weapons!”
“Which faction do you belong to? Show your border pass, now!”
“Illegal escapees will be apprehended!”
“What will we do?” Orpheus asked the angels, who were surveying their surroundings in silence.
Mawt’s eyes shined with a bright light as numbers ran through his irises. “As expected, it’s not their time to die yet. We can’t kill them, Jibreel. Let’s focus on escaping. We’re at the border, apparently, so this should be neutral territory. As long as we find a safer location, we will be fine.”
“Leave it to me. Grab the other kid.”
“Right.” Mawt threw Orpheus over his shoulder. “We will run a bit, young man. Try not to fall off.”
“Huh?! We won’t fight?”
“Not if you wish to get captured and have Ivy die in a cell, no. His body won’t hold on for much longer. He lost too much blood already. This is an emergency.”
A red light covered Jibreel’s hand, and the sand and ash around them rose up from the ground to form a smokescreen around them. Both angels dashed forward and faded in a flash of light. Orpheus glanced at the forest where they ended up with round eyes. “What... What? How can you move so quickly?”
“It doesn’t matter. This place seems to be safe, and I can sense something here...” The angels glanced around after putting Orpheus down. A fight happened here. The trees are talking about it.”
“The trees are talking?” Orpheus frowned.
Jibreel touched a tree trunk and nodded slowly. “It seems like a m******e happened a little over two or three months ago. That’s funny timing.” He glanced to the side and saw the remains of a wooden house and destroyed furniture. He narrowed his eyes. “Regardless, this is the only safe haven we can use on this planet. This forest’s ecosystem makes people lose their way, so it’s usually avoided by most humans, even locals. Though it seems like others knew their way around here, they’re no longer here now.”
“Wait... I... I can’t hear Ivy’s voice anymore. How is he doing?” Orpheus asked, turning his attention to Ivy, whose clothes were soaked in his own blood by then. Mawt laid him down on a bed of leaves and petals and healed him in silence, but his wounds weren’t healing. Instead, more wounds appeared on his body. His blood slowly flowed along the soil to be absorbed instantly, and the flowers around him grew taller, bright red. Mawt watched them then shot a glance at Jibreel, who also seemed to be entranced by the phenomenon.
“We must find a way underground, and quickly!”
“Do you even know what’s underground, young man?” Mawt glanced back at the blonde-haired. “We weren’t here back when the universe was destroyed, so we can only speculate based on past experiences. There are four options. One, only the shell is left from this planet. I’m sure you noticed the abnormal weather and ecological conditions on this planet. It’s unlike any other, highly unstable. This is a planet that survived massive destruction after all. It will never go back to the way it used to be. There’s likely nothing beyond this surface we’re standing on, only a void of darkness and disappointment. If that’s the case, then we won’t find anything once we pierce through the shell. We might even cause the collapse of this planet altogether.”
“The second option is that there are the usual components of a liveable planet,” Jibreel carried on, “Different strata stacked up on top of one another until we reach a core that’s either too cold or too hot to the touch. It would be impossible for a human to survive in that case, let alone a... foetus without the protection of a womb.”
“The third option is that there is another world within this planet, a planet within a planet if you will. To put it more simply, this world is planet A, and there's another planet inside of it. This world has every component of life within it, and all we have to do is dig a hole and step inside. After all, if there is a world like this, it is good enough to sustain human life. It’s only safe to assume that it’s a very comfortable place. I’m not sure about how safe it is though, and how hostile it is towards strangers. I don’t know the dwellers of that world in that case as well. We are the aliens, and we would be treading into unknown territory. It has its own risks, but it’s the best scenario so far.”
“The last option is that this world is actually locked behind a barrier of sorts, and only those who know the password may enter it. This is only a protective measure, perhaps placed by the planet itself or its ruler, whoever they are. It’s a logical procedure because the scenario of a planet within a planet is risky enough for those who live within the planet. Once those on the surface find them, they will suck their resources dry. However, it’s inconvenient for us because we simply don’t know the password,” Jibreel sighed, pressing a hand against his face. “And we can’t convince them with our race either, since we lost our blessing... They wouldn’t trust us.”
“It’s only fair.”
“So what should we do?” Orpheus asked, wiping the blood on Ivy’s chin as the black-haired breathed his last breaths. “We’re losing him, please... Please, help him.”
“I understand the situation.”
They all glanced behind them in alarm, hearing an unfamiliar voice. A man with black hair and blue eyes waved at them with a smile before folding his arms over his chest. “My name is Cain. I have lived in this forest for the past fifteen years. You can consider me an ally. I’m actually more biased towards the South, but I still try not to meddle with their affairs. I’m waiting for a friend of mine to return to me, and he happens to live nearby. He’s sleeping now, but he will wake up sooner or later.”
“Cain,” Jibreel frowned, remembering what the tree told him. “I see...”
The black-haired knelt down beside Ivy and took his bleeding hand. He smiled sadly. “The poor soul, he’s suffering so much. We need to save him now.” He glanced at them. “Only a few people know the way to the forest. That includes old sacrifices, kings and those who are granted the blessing of those kings. In total, less than a hundred people can freely come in and out of that area. I know it seems like a big number, but there are billions of humans around the universe. A hundred is quite insignificant in comparison. Even though a select few can enter, navigating into the forest itself is no easy task. Only one king can do that, along with those blessed by the tree itself. As you are now, you will not be allowed inside of the underground realm. I will be your guide. I was sent here by my friend to help you. We have over five minutes left before Ivy dies. We must hurry.”
They all nodded, and green vines climbed long their bodies to drag them into the grass. After a short blackout, they found themselves standing in another world, tall trees surrounding them from all sides, maze-like.
“The tree should be nearby. Let’s hurry.” Cain ran ahead, followed by the others.
Orpheus watched Ivy the entire time, his blood dripping from his legs and head. They reached a gigantic tree protected by heavy emerald doors.
Jibreel tried to move them but couldn’t. He glanced at Cain. “Maybe he can... He’s gone.” He turned to Ivy. “Let’s try with him.”
Mawt approached the door, and Jibreel held his hand and placed it on the door. The diamond absorbed the blood, and the gates opened.
Mawt carried on healing. He ran behind Jibreel with Orpheus past the thick woods and entered a dome-like structure. Fallen leaves decorated the mosaic glassy floor. They found two masked men attacking a green diamond stuck to one of the corners of the room. Mawt laid Ivy carefully on the ground, and Orpheus joined his side. Mawt walked towards the men, a book appearing in his hands.
“Mister Claude and Mister Alexis.”
They both glanced at him. “How did you get here?! Only our master can enter this place!”
“Heeh?” Mawt grinned. “I’m very interested. Tell me about your master in detail. I’m dying to know.”
“Wait until you die for real!” The men ran towards him.
“Hm...” Mawt raised his hand then lowered it before the men were crushed against the ground. “You didn’t answer my question.” He read from his book in silence. “I see... You were supposed to die forty years ago. This is negligence on my part. I deeply apologize.” He raised his hand as they both floated mid-air. “I will correct my mistake right away.”
Two hooded men appeared behind him. He folded his arms. “Come out now, soul, it’s time to go home...”
The men then screamed as a white matter grew spiky all over their bodies. Mawt watched them with a smile. “This will take a while, won’t it?”
The men behind him nodded in silence. Mawt opened his book. “As expected of Old Earth. I’m not in a hurry really. Take your time, soul.”
Jibreel walked past the screaming men and stood in front of the diamond. He touched it and shut his eyelids. He felt a heartbeat and glanced at Orpheus. “Is this your child? With him?”
Orpheus nodded, hugging Ivy protectively. “He did nothing wrong. I... It’s my fault. Please don’t hurt him.”
Jibreel turned away from the diamond, “Your child is behind this diamond. It’s safe. You can see it. Only the outer shell was damaged. The shell is fixing itself right now.”
He moved his gaze to the tree at the centre of the dome. He touched the trunk and closed his eyes. His lips quivered, not hearing anything. He sat on his knees, holding a blue book he summoned. He read the first page that was written sloppily.
- Writer
