Amidst two large walls, covered by dense vegetation, a group of five people followed a trail.
The place seemed to be some kind of ravine or a formation resulting from a seismic event, due to the height of the walls and the space formed between them. That is, if it weren't for a few spots where there were no plants covering them, revealing the ruins of abandoned buildings.
Strengthened by the humid environment, the vegetation grew intertwined as if it were a single entity, almost completely hiding the structures.
The group, wearing clothes that covered their entire bodies, leaving only their eyes visible, blended into the surroundings.
In a single file, they moved forward, carrying backpacks of various sizes, proportional to each person's height.
They walked in absolute silence until one of them, with a feminine and childish voice, broke it.
"Big brother, can we play a little when we get there?"
With her hand, she tugged at the hem of the clothing of the person walking just in front of her.
"Well…"
Due to their attire, it was impossible to notice any difference between them, but he, being the tallest, carried a bow and a quiver at his waist.
At the front of the line, he led the way.
I don't think it would be a problem to stay a bit longer there after we finish…
While he thought, before reaching a verdict, a feminine voice called him.
"Seven…"
Coming from the back of the line, it didn't have a childish tone but that of someone who had already reached puberty.
"Wouldn't it be dangerous? Staying there too long? Since we're so close to the city center?"
Even though it was subtle, a certain fear could be detected in her voice.
That's true…
Within the city, the closer to the center, the more dangerous it tended to be.
Near where they lived, it was common to encounter small animals like rodents and birds, and that remained the case in much of the city. There were some exceptions, such as places very close to the center or certain specific areas, like near the city's edges, where larger animals like wolves and deer could be found.
But the center was different.
Covered by an extensive forest, it was inhabited by a wide variety of animals and other beings, among them, one of the most dangerous and common were the beasts.
Strange creatures artificially created, a mixture of various animals that sometimes didn't even make sense, but were oddly the best adapted to survive in that inhospitable place.
They didn't live only there; Seven had already seen some rat-sized beasts in other parts of the city. But the ones in the center were the ones that posed the greatest threat.
He still remembered what his father had told him about the time he encountered one.
While chasing a deer, he ended up getting too close to that place.
Right after turning a street corner, there it was, imposing, with the deer crushed beneath one of its paws. Of an abnormal size, it had the build and proportions similar to a bison, but with the legs and head of a large feline.
After a quick exchange of glances, Father, without thinking twice, took advantage of the fact that the animal was more interested in the deer than in him and got out of there.
His sister's concerns about the city center weren't exaggerated, but…
"Isis, this place is close when we consider the places we've been to so far, but it's not to the point of being dangerous."
If it were, they wouldn't even be there, as they wouldn't have been sent to do this, and if it were absolutely necessary, Father would have come alone.
That didn't mean they should act the same way as in other areas; they needed to be more cautious than usual, as there was a chance of encountering a medium-sized beast if they stayed there too late, but nothing that would put their lives at risk.
Looking at the sky, the sun had already passed its highest point.
"We won't have any problems, as long as we don't stay too long…" — he murmured to himself —
Even if it was late, compared to the time they left home, which was right at dawn, and how much they had walked, they were on a good schedule.
"We can stay there for another half hour, at most."
As long as they were in a safe place before sunset, he was sure they wouldn't have any problems.
Happy with his response, his younger sister became noticeably excited, as did the other two following her.
Isis, however, remained apprehensive.
"…"
Continuing along the path, besides the buildings, there were also large chunks of them that had fallen, covered in green moss, lichen, and some small bushes.
They didn't obstruct the path, piled up near the base of the buildings, leaving ample space for them to pass.
However, the path wasn't perfect.
It seems to have gotten worse since the last time I came here.
A large trench interrupted the passage.
Looking to the side, Seven could see the streets on the other side of the barrier of buildings.
"Let's cross to the street next to it."
In the street they were on, on the other side of the trench, there was a fallen building blocking the way.
Jumping, he entered the trench.
To reduce the fall, he slid while bracing himself against the embankment until he reached the bottom.
"You can come down."
One by one, with Seven's help, they descended into the trench and continued walking.
The trench, much larger than that street, stretching dozens of meters in length, extended across more than ten rows of parallel buildings in both directions.
There, after taking just a few steps, he noticed something strange.
The ground is very soggy…
With each step they took, they sank into the mud.
Maybe a spring has formed here? That would be problematic…
If the presence of water increased too much, a small swamp could end up forming there or, in the worst case, a lake.
Seven knew this; events like this weren't uncommon, where something ended up blocking a passage they used.
If this path ends up blocked because of this, we'll have to find another…
The routes they followed were always the same, chosen for being the most efficient; to keep it that way, any sign that a path might become blocked was something that deserved attention.
Observing the surface, he looked for more evidence.
Besides the mud, there were also some puddles of water scattered in certain spots.
I don't see any water flow.
If a spring were forming there, it would be natural to see some water flow over the mud, running toward lower points.
Looking for clues, his eyes soon turned dozens of meters ahead, to the end of the trench, which was the lowest point.
There, a large metallic structure stood out against the surrounding vegetation and concrete.
Seven imagined that it was what had caused all that destruction.
On a flat base, several metallic structures extended from its sides and met to form an arch. Several meters long, its tip pointed upward while being held by one of the buildings, resembling the skeleton of a large serpent.
I wonder how this got here?
Though vaguely, that skeleton reminded him of an airplane fuselage, as some metal plates still clung to a few of the structure's ribs. Like the ones he had seen in books at home, but looking at it, he couldn't find other key elements of one, like the wings or the tail.
Whatever it was, it had crashed into the ground at high speed, dragging across the soil and knocking down everything in its path.
Near the base of that pile of metal, he didn't see much accumulated water.
It doesn't make sense for a spring that makes the ground so wet not to have enough volume to at least create a path over the mud or some spot with more water…
That part of the trench was the lowest, and even so, there wasn't the amount of water one would expect, with only a few small puddles.
If it's not that, maybe it's accumulated rainwater—
Interrupting his thoughts, Seven felt his clothes being tugged.
"?"
"Big brother, my leg is getting stuck…"
His youngest sister, Mia, being the smallest in the group, was having difficulty dealing with the soggy ground.
Seven, seeing that they still had a long way to go to get out of there, realized she would struggle to keep up the pace.
Moving his backpack to the front—
"Come here."
—He crouched down, offering her a ride on his back.
Excited, she approached to climb up but suddenly stopped, looking discouraged.
"Big brother… I'll get your clothes dirty if I climb up…"
"What? Don't worry about that, I'll just need to wash them when we get home. Of course, if you don't want to, that's fine."
Starting to stand up, he was interrupted.
"I want to!"
This time, without hesitation, she climbed onto his back.
"Thank you!"
Smiling with her eyes, she held onto him tightly.
Standing up, Seven looked at his siblings coming up behind him.
"Can you keep going? Victor?"
"Yes."
Though he was a similar size to Mia, he was handling the terrain very well, which surprised Seven.
Resuming the journey, the group continued walking.
Seven, now with heavier steps, though sinking deeper into the mud, wasn't bothered by it.
As expected…
Turning his attention to the puddles scattered throughout the trench, he indeed found no signs of a spring forming there.
Although the rainy season had passed some time ago, that trench might have stored water since then, as there was nowhere for it to drain, and it had gradually reduced through evaporation and soil absorption.
We're in autumn, so it's not impossible that this is the case.
Traversing the trench, though on difficult terrain, they quickly reached the street on the other side.
"One moment."
Setting his sister down on the ground, he climbed the embankment to the top and looked around.
It's safe.
Finishing the climb, he turned to his siblings.
Extending his arm, he said:
"You can come up."
After a few minutes, with everyone already out of the trench, Seven turned to the path.
"We're almost there."
Further ahead, the end of that valley was already visible.
…
Arriving at the end of the corridor, a vast landscape enveloped them.
"Wow!"
As if waiting for them, a gentle cold breeze passed through the group.
Amazed, Isis admired the place.
A large lake was surrounded by wide areas covered in low grass.
"It's so beautiful…"
"When I came here with Father the first time, I was impressed too."
With Seven's comment, Isis snapped back to reality.
"Yes…"
"I've never seen a lake like this."
Used to seeing small ponds and streams, something of that size was surprising for Seven too, but that wasn't the only thing that impressed him.
That place was a void of buildings right in the middle of a forgotten metropolis. Surrounded by buildings on all sides, like a wall, though it was impossible to tell if it was trying to protect that place from the city or the abandoned metropolis from nature.
While they were still admiring the place, the three youngest, wasting no time, had already broken from the line and were running toward the lake.
One of them, turning back, noticed their siblings lagging behind.
Removing the cloak covering his head so the sound wouldn't be muffled, he revealed his youthful appearance with a small scar on his face. Around thirteen years old, he had light brown hair and a big smile.
"Come on, why are you standing there!"
"We're coming!"
Starting to walk, Seven noticed that Isis was still standing still.
Turning to her, he saw her staring fixedly at the plains surrounding the lake.
Though most of her face was covered, he noticed something in her gaze.
"What's wrong? Did you see something?"
As if waking up, she shook her head.
"It's nothing… I just got a little out of breath, that's all."
Passing by him, she followed their younger siblings.
Watching her walk away, Seven reached out toward her.
"Is—"
"Come on, brother! Let's finish this quickly!"
"… Yes! I'm coming!"
***
By the side of the lake, the group was in formation, lined up; there were four of them.
No longer wearing any clothing covering their faces, it was clear that everyone there was very young.
The tallest among them, a teenage girl with long dark brown hair, almost black, had a more serious expression on her face. Even though young, it was already possible to tell that when she became an adult, she would be a beautiful woman, given the delicate features developing on her face.
Beside her were three children.
Two of them had blonde hair that, under the sun, reflected a color close to golden. With similar childish appearances, they differed in hair length and by being a boy and a girl.
The fourth was the second tallest in that line, with light brown hair and a small scar on his cheek. Though nearly as tall as the oldest among them, he had a younger appearance, closer to the two children.
In front of them was the last one, looking older, seemingly close in age to the eldest girl, with dark brown hair.
"Take a look at these two plants."
Seven held one in each hand.
With long, smooth leaves, it was possible to see some water droplets still running down them.
"They may look similar, but if you look closely, you'll notice that the color of one is lighter than the other—that's the one we came to get."
Raising one of his hands, he indicated which one it was.
"They grow near the edges of the lake, so be careful not to fall in; the water must already be pretty cold for this time of year."
Raising his hand, the boy with a scar asked:
"And the other one?"
"It's useless, Leon, just a random plant."
Tossing it aside, he crouched down to pick up his backpack.
"After you pick them, you should store them in your backpack, but be careful not to put them where you keep your knives or flints, so they don't get wet."
That plant was a strong medicinal herb, but it could only be harvested once a year. When they got home, it would be ground into powder to use as a painkiller.
"Search in pairs, an older with a younger; one picks, the other carries and stores. The groups are: Seven with Victor and Isis with Mia. Go ahead."
Wasting no time, the four of them split up, leaving Seven alone.
Approaching the lake, Isis stepped into the tall vegetation surrounding it.
Mia, following close behind her, held onto her clothes so as not to get lost.
Since the vegetation had grown quite a bit, it covered a large area around the lake. After a while of walking, they reached the lake's edge.
Crouching down, Isis began searching among the plants for the medicinal herb.
Since they grew in the water, only the tips of their leaves were visible, swaying on the surface.
"Wow! So many!"
There were a lot of them—or at least, many that looked similar.
"Most of them aren't the right ones; look at the color of the leaves."
Even if subtle, it was possible to notice some with darker tones than the others; those were the minority.
Reaching out, Isis grabbed the tip of one of them, which came loose without offering any resistance.
Turning around to hand it to Mia, she stopped upon noticing something.
"Where's your backpack?"
"It's—"
Reaching behind her back with her hand, Mia didn't feel it.
"Hm?"
After looking behind her in her search and not finding it, she turned to her sister with a lost expression.
A few seconds later, her expression changed again, as if a light had gone on.
"I forgot I took it off when we got here!"
Without wasting time, she turned around and ran back.
Isis, watching this expressionlessly, let out a sigh as a smile escaped her lips.
"Honestly…"
Setting aside the plant she had in her hands, she returned to gathering.
Besides being fewer in number, the herb they came for was also farther from the edges.
I wonder if this happens because they always pick the ones closer to the shore…
Since it was her first time there, she wasn't sure what it could be, as it was possible that it developed better in deeper spots, which were, consequently, the farthest ones.
Reaching out with difficulty, she tried to grab another plant.
"Almost there…"
When she started hearing the sound of something approaching.
"Mia, you're back already?"
With the tips of her fingers, she managed to grab the plant and began pulling.
"I haven't picked any others yet, just that one by my side."
Finally pulling it out, annoyed by her sister's silence, she turned around.
"Why aren't you—"
Seven, farther from the lake, was observing the meeting point of the city and the plain, with the low grass being stirred by the strong gust of wind blowing toward the buildings.
With his bow in hand, he had an arrow already notched.
"It wouldn't be hard to notice something approaching…"
Being in the middle of an open area, that task was quite easy, as anything trying to approach would be seen from afar.
Turning to the lake, his siblings had already started gathering the herbs. He couldn't see any of them; amidst that vegetation, they were completely enveloped by it, though he could notice their movements through the plants when there was no wind.
The vegetation, though tall, wasn't the tallest in that plain. Also near the lake, there was a single tree; though it had a small canopy, its thick trunk and large roots occupied a wide area around it.
With many of its roots exposed, they formed a tangle above the ground.
Among that tangle, it was possible to notice some "tunnels."
They weren't large, but they were big enough to allow slightly larger animals to hide there.
Maybe I should check if there's something hiding among those roots…
"Aaaah!"
Breaking the silence of the place, Seven heard a scream coming from the lake.
Without wasting time, he started running toward it.
That voice… it's Isis!!
Pushing through the vegetation, he got closer and closer to where the scream had come from.
Upon parting the space amidst a bush, he came face-to-face with something.
"What?"
A being wearing a metallic helmet with an attached gas filter, heavily worn, with rust marks and covered in lichen in several spots, like on the lenses covering its eyes.
With the bow in his hands, he began to prepare it when—
"Leon!"
Isis!
Coming from the lake, Seven turned toward it, where he saw her emerge from the water.
Upon seeing her, he almost burst out laughing, but noticing her glare, he held back.
Covered in aquatic plants and with wet hair, she looked like some kind of monster that had just woken up. Besides the plants, there was something on her head that looked like a frog, but its skin wasn't normal, covered in scales similar to a lizard's.
"He's back!"
Leon, approaching his sister, ignoring the glare that pierced him—perhaps because he couldn't see anything with that helmet—went to grab the frog. Which, as if it already knew, leaped into his arms.
Translation done by Grok 3.