Chapter 31
Gate To The Stars
Part 1
Day Six
Date: 06/01/01
Location: Zone 6
Destination: To the City Gate
Mission Duration: Day 6
Remaining Time: 18 Hours
Objective: Reach the City Gate
Subject Names: Thomas, Samira Ali, Amanda Jefferson
Native: Khorcha (Guide)
Previous Success Rate: 90%
Expected Success Rate: 85%
Failed Subjects: 250
Successful Subjects: 10
Success Percentage: 4%
Experiment Results: 96% Failure
Experiment Outcome: Termination
Next Stage: Initiated
Objective: Monitoring
Stage Duration: 30 Days
Days Count-Down: 29
The cold air of the city ruins brushed against my face as we walked, the kind of air that carried a faint metallic taste like the world itself was rusting away. The sun, or whatever passed for it in this world, was still behind the haze, casting everything in that same pale green tint that made the streets look sick.
We left the hideout behind us twenty minutes ago, and the silence among us wasn't uncomfortable, it wasn't like we didn't have anything to talk about, but it was the kind where everyone was conserving energy, watching their surroundings, and preparing mentally for what might come next.
Khorcha led the way at the front, his steps silent and precise, almost like he memorized every crack in the ground. Amanda was close behind him, her grip firm on the crystal club she refused to let go of. Samira walked beside me, eyes flicking left and right, her scanner occasionally beeping with faint readings that disappeared as quickly as they appeared.
The city felt different today. Not exactly emptier, but definitely quieter. Like the quiet before a storm — not that I was familiar with what that meant, but it was just a feeling I had.
As if the city itself knew we were making our way toward its heart.
We reached a place where the ground sloped downward into a long, narrow street flanked by tall, shattered buildings leaning inward like broken ribs. A marvelous architecture, the kind that once only appeared in sci-fi movies — a testament to the talent this race must have had before the apocalypse reached their doorstep. A faint wind carried a sound across the ruins—a distant echo, rhythmic, like tapping.
Samira stopped abruptly and with her usual cautious tone said, "Do you hear that?"
We all paused. Stopping in our tracks and trying to listen while doing our best not to make any sound.
Tap.
…Tap.
...Tap.
Slow. Steady. Almost like footsteps—but too evenly spaced and heavier to be human or Langkatans.
Amanda whispered, "Is that… someone or something following us?"
"No," Khorcha said quietly, staring down the narrow road. "Not someone. Something."
My muscles tightened instinctively.
"Is it possible we go around it?" I asked.
"We cannot," he replied. "We will lose more time if we do that. The path behind us has already closed. This road is the only way forward."
That wasn't encouraging. That meant the only option we had was to go forward and face whatever we encountered.
We moved cautiously, each step making the tapping sound clearer. It wasn't coming from behind us like it was supposed to, but was echoing from the buildings themselves all around us. Like the walls were mimicking our movement with a delayed rhythm.
Samira raised her scanner and said with a worried voice, "It's reacting to sound or movement. Or both."
Amanda, who had no idea what was going on, asked, "Do you know what it is? Is it dangerous?"
"In this world," I replied, "everything is dangerous."
We continued forward, the tapping increasing whenever any of us stepped too hard. At one point, Amanda accidentally kicked a loose piece of debris. Like the surrounding walls reacted, the tapping increased.
Tap. Tap. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP.
The rhythm accelerated, bouncing between the structures, creating a sound like thousands of footsteps rushing toward us.
"What the—!" Amanda flinched backward.
Khorcha quickly raised his hand.
"Do not run," he said sharply. "Running will make it pursue."
"What will?" Samira asked, neither she nor I could see anything, tension rising inside us.
He pointed ahead.
A ripple spread across the street—like heat waves or like a mirage, but it was neither. It was something invisible, or more accurately, transparent, without a shape that could be described, moving low along the ground, reacting to sound vibrations.
"A Blesterer," Khorcha said. "A creature without form. It reacts and follows any loud noise… and devours what makes it."
A creature with no form? That was new. And disturbing, I couldn't say it out loud but that was expected from an alien world, so instead I asked, "What do we do?"
"Walk," he said. "Slowly. Lightly. And do not breathe too loudly."
Before I got the chance to retort back at him Amanda muttered, "How do you not breathe loudly?!"
The invisible ripple moved closer, I could only notice it from the change in the atmosphere. Although it's not totally invisible, if it stays still then it becomes completely unseen.
Since we had no other choice, we continued walking, conscious of each step we took and each breath we inhaled. Each step deliberate. Quiet. Rehearsed like a slow-motion dance.
Even my heartbeat felt too loud.
Halfway through the street, the tapping suddenly stopped.
The silence was terrifying.
Samira whispered, "Did we lose it?"
The ripple shot violently across the street in front of us, almost brushing against my leg.
"No," I whispered. "It found us."
But it didn't attack. It hovered there, pulsing faintly, as if sensing or evaluating us, as if deciding whether we were suitable prey for it. Then it drifted away.
Just like that. The tapping ceased. And the echoes that were following it suddenly faded.
And the creature disappeared into the cracks of the ruined city buildings.
We all exhaled at the same time, some of us shaking slightly.
"That…" Amanda said, "…was the worst thing I've ever experienced. The constant fear was unbelievable."
"Welcome to Langkata. It's day six for me," I replied.
But beneath my nonchalant reply, I couldn't deny the fear I felt. So far, this was the only thing I thought I couldn't face, and even if I did, I couldn't predict the outcome.
We were getting closer. As if the city was preparing us for something... something unknown.
After escaping the Blesterer, we stopped near a fallen pillar, not to rest our legs, but to calm our nerves. My heart still felt like it was trying to punch its way out of my chest, although I tried not to show my feelings.
Samira crouched beside the ruins, her hand pressed over her scanner as she adjusted its settings. I sat next to her.
"You okay?" I asked.
She nodded, though her eyes were still distant. "Yeah… just thinking."
"About what?"
She hesitated, then breathed out softly. "Back home… before all of this… I used to study coding, and I was fascinated by it, and I would never have imagined this reality and the possibilities it carries."
I blinked in surprise. "Coding? Seriously?"
She smiled faintly. "Yeah. My mom was sick. And I couldn't enroll in Medicine because of my grades. That's why I pushed myself. I wanted to help her… even though I knew time wasn't on our side — at least if I couldn't treat her, I would be able to support her financially."
I didn't know what to say at first, since I felt a hint of sadness in her tone, but I finally whispered, already guessing what her answer would be. "What happened?"
"She passed," Samira said quietly. "A few months before I woke up in that world with you."
I lowered my gaze. "I'm sorry."
She shook her head. "It's alright. It's just… being here makes me wonder if any of it mattered. Or if there's still a reason for me to survive all this, she was the reason I marched forward."
"Precisely. That is the best reason to keep going — to hold onto her memory, to achieve something that none other than you ever did, or at least that is my opinion.
"Besides that," I added without thinking. "We need you. I need you. And whatever comes after the Gate… you should be there to see it."
Samira looked at me for a long second. Her eyes softened.
"…Thank you, Thomas."
I guess the awkward silence was interrupted by a message she received, and my guess was right because she said, "Let me check something."
At the same moment, I received a System message saying:
{You have the option to view your party's profile by using your Analyze skill while they are reading their profiles, or you can get partial information when they are not.}
{The higher the level of the skill, the more information you will be able to access.}
I totally forgot to use that skill, I was about to use the passive Skill "Team Interface" but for sure I needed to level "Analyze" up, a decision I had reached just last night. After reading the message I immediately activated the skill, but not wanting to feel guilty like I was invading her privacy, I asked her, "Can I look at your profile if you don't mind?"
She looked at me for a second, then nodded and opened her profile.
Name: Samira Ali
Age: 20
Level: 3
Gender: Female
Species: Human (Earth-Origin)
Status: Active
Health: 100/100
Stamina: 180/200
Agility: 300/300
Affiliation: Survivor / Companion of Thomas
ATTRIBUTES
1. Strength
• Level: 1
• Points: 10
2. Intelligence
• Level: 5
• Points: 10
3. Dexterity
• Level: 1
• Points: 10
4. Vitality
• Level: 1
• Points: 10
Experience Points: 380
Attributes Unspent Points: 30
UNLOCKED SKILLS:
1. Repair (Level 1)
{Ability to repair and repurpose alien or human technology with basic efficiency.}
2. Analysis (Level 2)
{Allows you to scan, interpret, and decode partial system data from alien tech and biological entities.}
3. Energy Pulse (Prototype)
{A weaponized adaptation of her scanner's output. Can emit short-range directed bursts.}
4. Team Interface (Passive)
Skill Description
{This passive System feature creates a data link between two or more compatible subjects. The System evaluates emotional synchronization, shared goals, cooperation level, and survival relevance. When criteria are met, the Interface activates.}
Benefits:
• Shared Status Updates
{Each member can view simplified versions of the others' HP, stamina, and mission conditions.}
• Coordinated Threat Alerts
{If one member detects a threat (via scanner, skill, or instinct), others receive a reduced delay warning.}
• Skill Resonance (Low-Level Effect)
{When skills are used in tandem (like Analyze + Strike or Support scanning + melee), effectiveness increases by 5–10% temporarily.}
• Communication Assistance
{Short-range silent message pings can be exchanged mentally when System connection is strong (future upgrade).
REMARKS:
🔹 It rewards teamwork
🔹 Encourages emotional connection
🔹 Enables sick combo fights later
🔹 Strengthens tension when someone disconnects
TITLES & SYSTEM TAGS
First Human Core Activator
Linked Survivor – Subject Thomas
Tactical Systems Analyst
INVENTORY
Medical Kits × 3
High-density Nutrient Bars × 4
Crystal Shard ×1
Damaged Gloves
Equipment: None
Market: Locked
Mission Completed:
• Survive
• Exit the Building
• Assist the Hideout
• Multiple Combat Encounters
• Archive Information Access (Passive).
That was really interesting. This skill was something else. I didn't pay much attention when the system mentioned it the first time, and I didn't see it in my profile the last time I checked. Maybe the reason is that it's a passive skill, and I have been using it without realizing it. If that is correct, does that mean Samira didn't activate it? This system is hard to understand, and it's even harder to keep up with it.
While I was deep in thought, I noticed Amanda standing in front of us, staring at us. When she realized I had noticed her, she asked, "What are you guys doing?" Suddenly, I realized that she was not linked with us on the Team Interface, so she couldn't be aware of our profiles. I had no idea about her skills or attributes since I never asked, and she never volunteered that information. I also wasn't sure if she had shared it with Samira last night during their chat.
Before I had the chance to answer her, we heard a huge rumble from a distance not far from us, like something huge falling down. The tremor from the impact reached us after the sound, and we felt the earth shaking.