[The Next Day]
Ssshhh~
My hand twisted the shower knob, stopping the flow of water that had been drenching my body. I grabbed the towel hanging on the iron hook and quickly dried myself. After finishing, I tied the towel around my waist to cover my lower body.
I was now officially living in this organization's headquarters. My room was one floor below the central control room—called floor 2. This headquarters had three underground floors, hidden in the belly of Silver City. Though this room was simple, it felt far more decent than the shabby apartment I used to live in.
I stepped out of the bathroom, looking around the room. Not spacious, but decent enough for a four-square space. Steel walls surrounded the room, while the neon light on the ceiling emitted a cold, white glow. A small spring bed sat in the right corner, with a desk and chair beside it. A wardrobe stood near the door, and a mirror was neatly attached to the wardrobe door.
Fortunately, this room had a private bathroom—a small luxury that felt impossible to have if I lived out there. Maybe joining this organization wasn't as bad as I thought.
"Ahem! Testing, testing."
"Nova, you are requested in the central control room."
Lissa's voice came from a small speaker in the corner of the room's ceiling.
"Perhaps they will give you your first mission."
The Cube spoke, like an echo in my head.
"Then, we should hurry."
I opened the wardrobe, my eyes sweeping over the rows of clothes prepared by the organization. I settled on a white t-shirt, a dark blue jacket, and black trousers. A simple style. I wasn't good at choosing clothes—and honestly, I didn't care about appearance as long as it was functional.
After getting dressed, I left the room. As I was about to close the door, my eyes fixed on the number displayed:
No. 198.
This room used to belong to a former member who fell in a mission. When I first heard that, I could only hope his spirit wouldn't bother me at night.
But now I wondered...
No. 198... How many members did this organization actually have?
I walked through the quiet hallway filled with other room doors. Maybe they were all upstairs. It seemed everyone here had their own business, and perhaps, sooner or later, I would be like them too.
After a few turns—and getting lost—I finally arrived in front of the lift. It felt like a small victory. This floor 2 was indeed like a maze, and I wasn't familiar enough with its layout yet.
•
•
•
[A Few Minutes Earlier]
My steps halted. I looked around in frustration. Confusion and despair hit me at once.
"Which way should I go..."
Every time I chose a junction, I just ended up back where I started. This corridor was more like a maze than a secret headquarters.
If only I had memorized the sequence of room numbers here, maybe that could help me navigate.
I stepped again, choosing the right path at the next junction. But...
"No. 198?!"
I snorted in annoyance.
"You've got to be kidding me! I'm back to the starting point?! Damn it!"
I dropped my body, sitting weakly on the steel floor.
"Giving up?" the Cube's voice chimed in.
I just stayed silent.
"I expected it would be like this."
A spatial rift opened, and the Cube emerged from its 'secret pocket', floating beside me.
I glanced at it. "Huh?"
"What do you think I am?"
I stared at it for a long time. "A Cube?"
"Well... not wrong. But what I mean is, what am I to you?"
I pondered for a moment. "Ah! A guide!"
The Cube made a sound like a satisfied snort. "Finally realized. If you're having trouble, you can ask for my help."
"Then... can you show me the way to the lift?"
"No."
"E-Eh?"
"I am a 'guide'—or an informant. Not a compass or a radar," it said.
"Then why did it sound like you could help me?!"
Damn. I had placed hope on this annoying piece of metal.
"Because I am a guide, and a guide must guide whenever people are in difficulty. Just like you."
I took a breath, then let it out. Trying to calm myself. "So tell me, you must know something useful?"
The Cube rotated once more. "Of course." It paused for a moment. "Just use your power."
"My power?"
"You think your power is just for display? Use it, make yourself sense your surroundings with 'Extra Sight'. It is one of the basic abilities of a Cosmic Servant."
"W-Wait! If there's a basic ability like that, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"Because you didn't ask before."
"..." I fell silent. Alright, this was quite annoying. But it wasn't wrong. Since yesterday, I had rarely asked this piece of metal anything.
"And don't call me metal."
... It sounded irritated with its robotic voice, and it seemed to be reading my mind from the expression on my face.
"Alright, so how do I use this 'Extra Sight' you mentioned?" I asked.
The Cube floated slowly in front of me, then stopped. A faint blue light glowed from it, as if indicating that important information was about to come from its annoying voice.
"Extra Sight," it said in a tone like a strict teacher who enjoyed his job too much, "is one of the energy-instinct abilities bestowed upon all Cosmic Servants. But this ability won't activate if you are not in sync with your own body."
"Sync?" My eyebrow raised.
"Yes," it answered, "synchronization between your physical body and your inner energy. You activated your power on the first day, but you weren't fully aware of how to blend the two. Extra Sight requires full attention, silence, and... a bit of patience."
I let out a long breath, then leaned my back against the steel wall behind me. This corridor was indeed quiet and calm. The sound of the ventilation machine hummed softly in the distance, almost like the whispered breath of the underground world.
"What's the first step?" I asked.
The Cube answered in a flat voice, "Close your eyes."
I closed my eyes.
"Breathe in slowly. Let your body relax, and focus on the flow inside you. Feel the small vibrations you've been ignoring—the pulse of energy hidden beneath your skin."
I tried to do it. At first, I only felt my heartbeat and the usual blood flow. But after a while, there was something else. A wave... warm, moving slowly from my chest to the tips of my fingers. Like a gentle ripple on the water's surface.
"Maintain that," whispered the Cube. "Now imagine your surroundings, not with your eyes, but with your feeling. Imagine the three-dimensional space surrounding your body. Let your inner energy reflect the shapes of the objects around you."
I wasn't sure exactly how to do it, but I tried to follow my instinct. Slowly, I began to sense something. Like faint silhouettes... there was a corner of the room, walls to my left and right... and a branching corridor ahead.
But for some reason, I felt my energy slowly being drained. My breath became ragged, my heart beat irregularly, and sweat poured from my forehead.
I opened my eyes, then clutched my chest tightly, trying to breathe normally. "W-What's happening to me?" I stared at my other palm.
The Cube turned towards me, as if scanning my body. "Hmm... I see. It seems I know."
.....