Adam finally got out of the truck and collapsed onto the ground, hands pressed against the cement, wheezing from the extreme cold. His heart felt like it was burning. His muscles cramped and shook uncontrollably, completely out of his control.
"Woah… you look like you're dying. Do you need help?" Yoku exclaimed, approaching.
"No… I'm fine," Adam muttered, his body struggling to maintain homeostasis. His purple-tinged skin slowly returned to a pale, more natural color. After a few minutes, his body stabilized. He began taking off the layers of military-grade clothing that had been trapping heat against him.
He looked around. The ground, walls, and ceiling were all made of flat cement, as if designed to prevent structural collapse. Steel bars lined the sides of the walls, and the entire space was dim—almost completely black.
Yoku glanced around, then pulled a nearby lever. Light bulbs fixed to the walls like lanterns flickered to life, buzzing.
"I've never seen this place before," he said with a smile, seemingly unfazed by their near-death experience. "C'mon, Adam, let's explore a bit."
Adam glanced at him. "Yeah…"
'Hahh… this guy. I guess I'm curious too.'
They walked through the concrete halls. Black mold and gray patches grew in the corners of the walls. Hot water trickled down from unseen sources, flowing across the surface of certain walls.
"Why is this place still running?" Adam murmured. The pipes had clearly burst from a lack of human maintenance. Some walls had lost their paint entirely, flaking and degraded.
He felt a strange sense of nostalgia—like being inside one of those old horror games he used to play. Only now, he was living it. And this time, there were no monsters.
'Ahh…' All this thinking made him wonder if he'd ever get used to the feeling of frequently almost dying.
They passed abandoned crates, empty shelves, locked doors, and some slightly ajar. Most of the crates were empty. The place—whatever it used to be—was a mystery. Strange symbols marked some of the walls and doors, ones Adam didn't recognize.
After wandering through most of the facility, they finally reached what looked like a gate…
"Finally the way" Yoku exclaimed
They stepped through the door into what seemed like an endless hallway, lined with enormous statues of people centuries old—unknown figures frozen in time. Some wore exquisite black suits, others long lab coats. The hall stretched left and right before ending in a chasm.
Adam glanced around. "Who are these people? Why would they even build statues like this?"
He figured they must have been important, perhaps famous, as he stepped carefully onto the concrete bridge ahead.
Yoku snickered. "I don't know. I've got as much knowledge as you do. Historically, we're not that great at archiving the past. But maybe… they led some great project, centuries ago."
As they continued walking, the further they went, the newer the surroundings became. The cement looked recently poured. Steel supports appeared more polished and intact. They passed through another white gate—and the contrast was startling.
Now the walls gleamed with marble. Robotic cleaners hovered and glided, polishing the glass-encased floors that revealed lush biomes beneath. Plants thrived under artificial light, encased in the floor like miniature biohavens.
Adam raised a brow, looking slightly disappointed. "Wait... it's all just decoration." He noticed the glossy colors, synthetic plastics, and fake polyester vines—nothing alive except the controlled plants.
Yoku was different. His eyes lit up as if he'd never seen anything like it. He stared at the crystalline ceiling, where glowing formations mimicked stars and planets in an orbiting dance. In the center of it all, a structure made of gold and precious stones shimmered under the lights.
"Why would they even make this?" Adam asked. "I mean, it's good... but it's all useless, isn't it?"
Yoku tilted his head. "If someone who knew nothing saw the statues... and then this place... they might start to worship them."
Yoku blinked. "Worship? What's that?"
Adam sighed, but his curiosity grew. "Like... seeing them as gods. Beings from another world. The ones who planned everything."
Yoku looked puzzled. "What's a god?"
Adam hesitated. "A god is... someone who created the universe. The will behind everything. The one who plans... it all."
Silence.
"Why would there be a god? Does the universe even need one?"
Adam didn't answer right away. He sat on the edge of one of the statues, deep in thought. He was a Christian—believed in the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit... even Jesus Christ. But you wouldn't know unless you really talked to him or watched him live. He wasn't the preaching type.
"I don't know," he finally said. "But it'd be strange if something like this didn't have a planner behind it."
Yoku set his things down, casually preparing a small meal on what used to be an altar. "Guess so. But why are you asking me?" he grinned. "You're weird."
Adam turned red, flustered. "You're the one who asked what a god was!"
"Okay, okay. But... I've never seen one. Never heard one."
Adam smirked. "Do you always see the author's name in a book full of story?"
Yoku paused. "No... I usually have to look at the first page or the back..."
"Exactly."
Yoku looked down. "I guess... he wouldn't care about my life. And I don't think I'd care about someone who doesn't care about me."
Adam stared at him.
"What if he did?"
Silence again.
But it was broken by a loud stomach growl—Adam's.
Yoku laughed and took out two food wrappers, pouring them into a bowl like spaghetti. One smelled like grain. The other... smelled unique. Adam had never smelled anything like it before, but he was starving. He'd eat anything edible. He owed his survival to Yoku anyway, he gulped down the food and enjoyed it.
He sat down, the hunger of his stomach is still there… annoying him, a sense of emptiness suddenly washed over him.
"Why am I like this? I thought I was free... I never had problems—at least not the kind of doom from that hellhole." he grits his teeth "that world"
He grabbed his hair, fingers digging into his scalp.
"Why am I still in pain? What's the problem? Am I the only one who feels like this? What about Mom... is she okay?"
He stared blankly ahead.
...I'm tired. I just want to rest.
"And I thought I'd be free..." he muttered, breath trembling. "Hah... hah..."
A hand landed softly on his shoulder—it was Yoku.
"You okay? If you're that unsatisfied over a little food, you could've told me," Yoku said, setting down another bundle of food wrappers. Instant noodles. Just boil and eat.
Adam's hands and legs barely moved. His eyes felt distant.
Why is he so... happy?
He looked up, barely a whisper.
"God... if You're out there... please..."
...
Silence.
Yoku handed him another bowl: soap-colored broth and strange meat, like vegan imitation with way too many ingredients.
Adam took a bite. His face scrunched up.
So flavorful... too good...
He glanced at the wrappers Yoku tossed aside.
"Enhanced Nutribun."
"Vegan meat blend (fortified, high-density)."
He grabbed one, reading the back. His eyes widened.
"What in the duck!? Why is this 800 kcal... each?!"
-_-
He was too hungry to care. He ate again—delicious. Raising his hands toward the ceiling, he gazed at the orbital lights above.
"It's... so artificial..."
He thought, about the tower he waked up from at the beginning.
"I wonder what happened to that tower."
Yoku, sketching on a notepad and drawing graphs of the nearby structures, looked up.
"Tower? Oh... you mean the final floor of the city? How do you know that?"
He smiled. "You read my thoughts... My final goal is to reach the end."
Adam tilted his head.
"End...? What end? What thought… did I read?"
Yoku just smiled, serene.
"I want to reach the top of the city, and see the world."
'I guess… im purposeless, huh?' Adam thought. 'Why am I scared… when I don't even have a purpose… when I don't even know what im fearing is.'
"So that's your life goal?" Adam asked.
Yoku let out a laugh—as if Adam had told a joke.
"Why would I limit myself to only that?
I guess that's just the current plan.
Besides… I might not even like it when I get there."
Adam looked away, feeling a little embarrassed for even asking.