After marching under the sun for over an hour, we reached the mining facility. From the outside, we could only see the towering walls; however, even that was barely visible, as the place was shrouded in swirling blue mists.
Cough! Cough!
I covered my nose with my arm and narrowed my eyes. Breathing—and even seeing—was difficult here. My eyes watered badly, and each breath I took came with choking hazards that left me coughing.
"Dad and Mum had to walk here every day?"
That was the only thought in my mind. If Lia knew Dad and Mum worked in these conditions, she would cry every time they left home.
Miners didn't have protective gear like soldiers. My skin felt like it was being set ablaze, and we were still outside the mines. This made me wonder how bad it was for Dad, who worked within the mine.
Regardless, the facility was massive enough to make my heart skip a beat. It wasn't just the tall walls that caught my attention—there seemed to be no end to them, and that made me wonder how much land this facility occupied.
"Big…" I mumbled as we were made to stop in front of the gates while a red light shone from atop the walls, scanning the surroundings and everyone present, including the soldiers.
Seconds later, a loud hiss accompanied by more blue fumes poured out of the gates as they slid apart.
"Get in!" someone screamed, and we began moving again.
Entering the facility, we walked on a paved road—something I hadn't seen since I was born. I tilted my head to the left to look past those ahead of me and was disappointed to see more armed soldiers waiting for us.
"Divide and conquer!" one of them screamed, and the rest laughed.
I was confused at first, but not long after, soldiers approached and began unlocking our shackles. Minutes later, we were divided into ten groups—a mix of men, kids, and women. Each team had about 50 people.
"Get in!" A soldier flicked open the door to the rear compartment of a van, and people began moving, so I followed.
The rear compartment was just big enough for fifty people—if we stood so close our dry skins rubbed against one another.
It was stuffy here, but much better than outside, where I had to breathe in those blue fumes.
The doors slammed shut, leaving us in darkness. Strangely, no one talked. Only now did I notice no one had spoken since we left our homes.
The van soon roared to life and began moving. We were packed so tightly that no matter how rough the shaking was, no one fell. I wasn't sure how much time passed, but I'd say it was just as long as we walked—about 30 minutes or so.
The van stopped, and the door was yanked open.
SWOOSH!
A strong wind carrying an even thicker quantity of blue mist poured in, forcing all of us to cover our noses.
"Get down!" the soldier screamed.
"My God." I gasped in my mind, struggling to breathe.
My vision was blurry, and my head ached just from spending a few seconds here.
One by one, we got off the van. Beside it was a bucket filled with water and towels.
People picked up one wet towel as they walked past and tied it around their faces, covering their noses. I picked up mine and tied it too before taking a deep breath.
Only now could I breathe better. Unfortunately, these wet towels couldn't help my watering eyes.
I wiped my eyes while sticking close to the group. Once I was done, I looked ahead—and my eyes dilated at the sight. It was a hill, with blue cracks spreading across it from the very top to the bottom.
There was a massive hole, which I assumed was the entrance.
"Wow…" I muttered.
Only now did I realize that this was the source of the blue fumes.
My gaze quickly shifted to the buzzing drones hovering around the mountain like insects. These were the same kind of drones that occasionally patrolled the streets of our homes, so it left me wondering if they had another task here—or were simply here to make sure we didn't run away.
"All right, let's get to work! Those Aether crystals won't mine themselves!" someone roared, and the group quickly separated.
Only then did I notice there were wheelbarrows filled with pickaxes and crates.
Not too far from the van were large pots, charcoal, and other cooking utensils.
Everyone was given a task before being led out by a small team of soldiers wielding whips and guns. As the soldier promised, I was assigned to help the women cook and do menial jobs.
The job wasn't difficult, but the environment—contaminated by the concentrated presence of Aetherium—made even the simplest tasks hard.
The first day felt like forever. I couldn't tell morning from afternoon due to the thick blue mist.
After what seemed like an eternity, the day's work was over. Aside from the menacing glares I got from other workers who felt like I was doing too little, there were no major problems.
I returned home happily with half the rations my parents usually brought home, but since it was just me and Lia, it was just enough for us to eat our fill.
It took a few months, but eventually, I got used to the Aether-contaminated environment, which made work much easier.
Unfortunately, as time passed, I was given more strenuous work—but I didn't mind, since it meant I could get better food rations. As long as Lia could eat her fill and thank me with a bright smile, I didn't care how much I needed to work.
A year passed. Lia grew healthier and gained a bit more weight, while I got paler but added some lean muscle. Just after a year, I moved from menial jobs to a full-time worker who pulled carts filled with crystal Aether to the drop sites.
Once the Aether crystals were offloaded, I was searched thoroughly before being allowed to go off for another pickup. It was common knowledge that Aetherium crystals sold for mouth-watering prices on the black market.
A few times, desperate men would try to sneak away some Aether crystals—only to get beaten to the brink of death, or in some cases, killed on the spot.
---
— A Year Later —
It was late afternoon, and I pulled out the third cart filled with Aether crystals. My sack clothes were soaked in sweat, and my chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath.
Buzz!
Suddenly, a beam of blue light erupted from one part of the camp, shooting into the sky like a beacon and gaining everyone's attention.
"What the hell?" I was confused but watched as the ray slowly faded.
I traced the source of the light back to a part of the facility where massive excavators were drilling into a new hill—one a meteor had crashed into.
The location was much farther from here, and that's why I was stunned. I had witnessed them find mines in other spots, but none of them released this kind of dazzling light that almost looked like a beacon.
Weewooo! Weewooo!
Weewooo! Weewooo!
Suddenly, bright red lights erupted from all strategic posts in the facility, painting everything blue and red. My face twisted with worry because I knew what this meant.
There was a beast attack—and judging by how many posts released the alarm, I guessed it was one of a high scale!
These sirens had only gone off when numerous beasts attacked the city, and it made my heart skip a beat as I remembered Lia was still back in the city.
The last time an attack of this scale happened, Dad and Mum were still alive, and we hid together. But this time, Lia was all alone.
"Lia!" I cried out as I sprinted toward the exit, but before I could take the fifth step, a whip crackled. With the sound came an intense pain that made my vision blur for a moment.
Bam!
I fell to the ground, my body shivering from the pain—but my teeth gritted as I felt overwhelming rage building up inside me.
"Get back to work! Load the trucks, ASAP!" A soldier stood over me, barking orders with a hint of urgency in his tone.
"It's a horde! The entire city has been overrun! They're heading toward the facility—we need to leave now!" An engineer ran out of a tent set up near the site, a look of terror plastered on his face.
His words drew the attention of the soldier, but they also made me shudder at the thought of a horde rampaging through the city.
Didn't that mean almost everyone—if not all—were dead by now?
"No!" I gasped.
With renewed vigor, I pushed myself to my feet and sprinted toward the facility's exit.
"That little brat—shoot him!" the soldier screamed as soon as he noticed I was running.
From the corner of my eye, I saw some soldiers stationed near our van pull out their weapons and take aim. However, they froze as something unexpected happened.
Other slaves charged out of the mines and began running frantically in my direction. They too had family in the city, and their family was the only reason they were willing to put themselves through this hell instead of just taking their own lives.
Right now, the most precious thing to them was under threat.
It was only natural they unified—and moved as one.