When Kiah heard the word "technology," her brows furrowed. Eden's explanation sounded like Novaris had once been primitive, like something from the Victorian era.
But now, it looked like a futuristic fairytale gone wrong.
Technology… That word was common on Earth.
Kiah stared at the wall, her guts twisting.
'Could the Overseer be someone like me? Another transmigrator?'
"Why did the Overseer abandon everyone else?" she asked cautiously, watching Eden's side profile as the girl stared out into the dark.
Eden shrugged, but there was a tension in her shoulders.
"Nobody truly knows, but there were speculations. People theorized that Veloria city couldn't contain everyone, and resources were running out, so the Overseer was forced to pick out the best genetically modified people and sealed themselves off." She said.
"Others said it was because of the riots and the constant threats against the nobles and elites in society,"
She paused and took a breath before turning to face Kiah.
"You see, before the Overseer, nobles and their houses ruled Novaris, and they abused their powers to make commoners' lives miserable. After the apocalypse and the fall of society, these commoners decided to take their revenge and hunt those nobles, blaming them for the apocalypse. It was a full-blown war. And that was when talk of the wall emerged."
Kiah felt goosebumps rise on her skin. She gazed at the wall ahead with a complicated expression.
Somewhere beyond it was safety. But here, this place reeked of danger and decay. And somehow, this had become her new reality.
"This is messed up." She blurted out, running a hand through her hair. It was too much to take.
Thinking she was referring to the Overseer, Eden shrugged.
"It was the price we had to pay. If not for the Overseer, we would have all died years ago. We can't exactly complain since he's the reason we are all alive."
"But this scrap city, Duskworn," she continued, her voice flat. "It's not roses and sunshine like Veloria. We have to fight and kill to survive. We sell ourselves to slave traders who do God knows what with us. Nobody is to be trusted."
Kiah let the weight of the information sink in.
"Were you born here?" she asked.
"I was," Eden said, eyes hard. "But my parents abandoned me for reasons best known to them. Not that I care. I grew up alone in the streets and learned to survive."
Kiah nodded, her eyes flickering with pity briefly, gazing at the beautiful girl. Apart from her deadly skill, she didn't look a bit like someone who lived a rough life. Her beauty was untainted.
But she was still curious about something, though. For someone who had a hard life in the street, it was understandable if Eden was hostile to strangers. But for that same reason, why had she helped her?
"Why did you help me?" Kiah asked softly. "For all you know, I could be a bad person, too."
Eden snickered lightly and shook her head. She grabbed her hands and opened her palms, tracing the lines softly.
"I touched your palms earlier. They have no callouses. No scars. It's the palms of someone who lived a sheltered life. My guess is that you had a nice life before someone sold you to the slave traders." She said. "People like you don't survive out here. You have zero survival skills. I couldn't let you go knowing you would've been dead in an hour."
Kiah blinked, swallowing. 'So that's why she spared me.'
She felt her palms and flexed her fingers. They were indeed soft. In a harsh world like this, she guessed it was rare to see someone with smooth fingers.
Kiah looked down, her voice quiet. "You saved my life. Thank you."
"Don't thank me. It's technically my job to save unfortunate souls," Eden gave a noncommittal nod, then added.
'Unfortunate soul?' she cocked her brow at the jab. Sighing, she shrugged. 'I guess I'm quite unfortunate. But she didn't have to point it out like that.'
Kiah peeked a glance at Eden. The girl looked tense and closed off. And she absolutely didn't know how to filter her words.
"Frequently, many teens are being picked off the streets, and we are determined to stop them. I was undercover in that slave truck. It's part of what I do with the Rebels."
"The Rebels?"
"It's the closest thing to order we have in Duskworn. We are a group that intercepts traffickers and is determined to exterminate all the threats around here one at a time."
Kiah nodded, clearly remembering one of the traffickers yelling the word "rebels".
'So that's what they did.'
Kiah turned back to the gigantic wall and asked,
"Is there any way into Veloria?"
If her suspicion was correct and the Overseer was also a transmigrator. He might have a way to help her get out of here and back to her original reality.
Eden let out a dry laugh. "Sure. If you're suicidal. The perimeter is full of death traps. Motion sensors. Heat scanners. Turrets. Nobody gets close to the wall without meeting certain death. Try to sneak close to it, you get vaporized. Simple."
Kiah let the information sink in. So Veleoria was a fortified fortress that no one could go in or out.
A beat of silence passed between them.
Kiah asked again, "How did people manage to survive this far with the limited resources? Is this place even supposed to be inhabitable?"
"Surviving depends on building, rigging, or fixing stuff. We learned to adapt quickly. By the way, things weren't that stuff since our body was built to withstand the harsh environment. After all, we all have a little bit of engineering in our blood."
Kiah wanted to ask more questions, but Eden swung from the ledge and into the room.
"Enough questions. Sleep. We leave early tomorrow morning."
"Where are we going?" Kiah followed suit and climbed back into the room.
"Somewhere you'll be safe. Now, sleep."
Eden closed the window, and Kiah buried herself underneath the covers, mind spinning. This world was filled with many mysteries. Many questions needed answers, but they were no one to give them.
But she was sure of one thing. She had to meet the Overseer by hook or by crook. She had to get out of here before her mother's two years ran out.
***
The next morning, they set out of the inn, and Kiah could finally see Duskworn in the daylight. Old, crumbling buildings stretched across the horizon, remnants of the Fall. But amidst the decay, strange marvels shimmered.
As they walked down the streets, Kiah kept her eyes peeled for all the new details.
A few buildings looked sturdy and were buzzing with people. Their system of trading was mostly automatic. Cars moved on two tires instead of four. Train tracks floated in the air, humming as they passed overhead.
For someone like her who always found machines interesting, this place was like paradise.
'It's like a broken future. Parts of it feel more advanced than Earth.' Kiah thought, awed.
Finally, they arrived at what looked like an old office building.
The place was empty and was on a quiet street. Eden approached a steel elevator and pressed the button. It slid open, and they got in.
"Is this where you work?" Kiah asked out of curiosity.
"Not quite," Eden replied.
Kiah expected them to press the button to go up, but instead, Eden turned to the back of the elevator and pushed back a part of the wall.
To her surprise, the wall was not actually a wall. It was a steel door that slid open and revealed another elevator behind it. This one looked more high-tech and new.
"Impressive."
They got into that elevator, and an automated female voice welcomed them.
[Identification Required.]
"Eden Vale."
[Voice recognized. Welcome back, Eden.]
The elevator rumbled to life and Eden whispered, "Brace yourself."
Kiah barely had time to question what she meant before the elevator plunged down fast, her stomach lurching.
It was like going on a rollercoaster.
When the elevator stopped, Kiah stumbled out, dizzy and suppressing the urge to throw up.
Eden looked unfazed.
They stepped into a white hall swarming with people wearing similar clothes like a uniform.
Kiah's eyes widened as she took in the sight of the fully furnished underground organisation. The place was pristine.
Two armed men by the entrance saluted Eden.
"Welcome back, Eden."
But when they saw Kiah behind her, they raised their guns in alarm. "And who is this?"
"This Kiah. I found her during the raid."
One of the boys narrowed his eyes. "And you brought her here to the base? You don't know if she's trusted."
"She is," Eden said curtly.
Kiah looked alarmed as several guns were pointed at her suddenly. She quickly raised her arm in surrender, but that seemed to trigger the guy, and he fired his gun. But instead of bullets, a bolt of electricity shot through the air, slamming into her chest.
Kiah gasped as pain flooded her limbs. She convulsed before she hit the floor.