The cetery was shrouded in thick darkness, as if even light itself refused to enter. The graves, devoid of flowers, seed abandoned for ages. No trace of visitors, no sign of mourning. Only the disturbed earth, the sword marks on the ground, and the fallen trees twisted at unnatural angles bore witness to a recent presence. A violent one.
And there lay what remained of one of the architects of this devastation.
If soone had told one day that I’d end up rummaging through a dead man’s head, I’d have taken it as a bad joke. Yet here I was. If I was wrong, I’d just look like a psychopath. So I really hoped I was right.
I crouched down, eyes wide open, trying to make sense of this ss. There, tiny, almost imperceptible unless you knew where to look, was one of the answers to my questions. I took out my scalpel, using it to bring the thing closer to my eyes. I was hesitant—definitely not crazy enough to touch it with my bare fingers.
Oh, but what was I seeing?
A parasite. No bigger than a fingernail, but its size was irrelevant. What mattered was that I had finally gotten my hands on a piece of the mystery. A small piece, but a crucial one.
It was ti to leave. If more Executors showed up, I’d have a hard ti getting out in one piece. But before leaving, I approached my grave. Or rather, the hole where I had woken up.
"Death, you’ve been a good advisor. I promise you, soon enough, I’ll be sending more clients your way."
Now that was settled, which way should I go? The municipal cetery was at the border of Astoria. If I walked south, I’d reach the city walls. Beyond that, a horde of Calamities awaited —maybe even the mastermind behind all this chaos. The idea of charging in, solving everything with my fists, was tempting. But what was the point in being impatient? They would surely co after since I was aware of the truth, and when that happened, our paths would cross.
---
It didn’t take long to reach the inhabited districts. Well, what was left of them.
The streets were silent. Too silent. Not a soul in sight—not a single human. Abandoned shops, house doors wide open, cars neatly lined up but without passengers... It looked like a ghost town.
What had happened here?
My heart tightened. Nothing good could co of this. I rushed to my ho, but everything was exactly as I had left it. Only the thick, gray dust hinted at the ti that had passed. How long had I been in that "awakening"? A month, maybe, judging by the dust’s thickness.
Knock, knock.
Where did that sound co from? Oh, it was just a rat. An abnormally large one.
"Hey, kid."
Huh? I could have sworn I just heard that old miser’s voice...
"About ti you ca back to life."
"Where are you talking from?"
"Are you blind? I’m right in front of you."
I focused, but I couldn’t sense any presence.
"Look down."
"There’s nothing here except this abnormally large rat."
"I’m not fat!"
"Oh, a talking rat... And yet, I’m not even surprised. I must have gone insane."
"Who are you calling a rat?"
"And a sensitive one at that."
"Show so respect for your elders, kid."
"Well, I’m surprised you survived the awakening at your age, Victor."
"You don’t say. Now, can you tell what happened to the city? Where are the ones who overca the awakening?"
"It’s a long story, but to keep it short... Iris decided it would be this way."
Oh no, not again.
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