Carllo City is a blend of metropolitan and coastal cities located on the shores of the solely demised sea, a stretch of water that appeared black and forlorn at night and sparkling at twilight.
It is surrounded by a 8-foot dark stone border wall that separates the main land from the coastal half of the city; the wall represents historical resilience and is slowly crumbling due to time, and the mayor is still deciding whether to reconstruct the wall, leave it as is, or gradually renovate and reapply the structure; it is the last wonder of the world before the resource wars began, and a history that no one wants to destroy and wither away.
The city is organized into five districts, each of which includes businesses, malls, housing, flats, and leisure areas. Within those five portions are five tall constructions or buildings that resemble modern-day skyscrapers, each with a unique design and a sculpture of symbolic resilience.
The first tower, located northwest of the city, is named Lightning Bell, and it is a power station that provides electricity to the city through sophisticated material refinement and magic. Because supplies are required to bring the city to life and energy, the area is positioned near the city's docks to facilitate the movement of the necessary resources. It is a historical edifice established by the first community as a lighthouse, then a power supply storage facility, and eventually a power plant that still looks like a lighthouse, with the light imprisoned in a metal circular bird cage.
The second tower was the city library, named after the city's first lady, Willow Stone Library, when Callisto Carllo was mayor. It was another community-built library where everyone wrote about what they discovered or remembered about the continent and country, such as animals native to the land, materials discovered, and historical tools from a lost age. The majority of the knowledge comes from before and after rebirth and is recorded here.
The third tower is the Howling Hotel, which was established in the casino and Memorial Bay after serving as a hospital during the Warring States era, commonly known as the resource warfare(Located to the east of the city).
The fourth tower, located deep south of the city, was an old industrial factory that prospered approximately nineteen years ago. It was closed for strange reasons, and many people lost their jobs; as a result, its district is primarily impoverished and does not thrive like the others.
The final and fifth tower, located in the city center, was the Goodenburg University of Magical and Modern Technology. Because the city thrives on the unlimited technology of nanomachines, this location promotes the study of technology as well as magic to better assist people in adjusting to their new surroundings.
And that is the sole recollection Jerry has of Carllo City; he was born here but left at the age of six, prompting him to recall what his immature memory capacity was like when he tried to remember Carllo City.
Jerry's energy rose and heightened his anxiety, forcing him to move up, his sweat pores affected. He only employed this strategy to wake himself up when his body was completely fatigued and he had fallen deeply asleep. Jerry used his hands to feel his blindfold, which showed signs of leakage. His tear glands were still present, but instead of producing tears, they leaked dark red blood from his sockets.
Waking up has always been tough for someone with no physical eyes to close and open, only blood-soaked husks. However, the sockets served a purpose for Jerry because they contained the dark mist and its deadly capabilities, over which Jerry had no control.
Thud! Jerry had to sit up straight after hitting a pothole on the road. [Nature perception] was immediately activated.
"Oh, you're awake, kid; I guess the juice worked long enough." Great, because that little temper tantrum nearly killed some of our rookies; it was their first time apprehending an infectant from the cultivation category. It gave them a spook and well deserved in my books, good job kid, it's a shame you are a criminal, I would have invited you for a drink. Oh well, fantasy stays in dreams."
Jerry said nothing as he stretched his hands side to side, avoiding touch with the officers sitting next to him. Because they were no longer present, they were transferred throughout the trip, and it appears that they replaced his cuffs with tight-gripped cuffs that were hefty, as if made of thick metal, but rough as a rock.
The waves expanded outward in a rhythmic pace, indicating that the surroundings were not hostile and that no mist needed to be summoned.
Abilities like [Nature perception] are energy-based and don't require his blessing, implying that it was an active ability that required command from his brain/will to function, and the mist served as both a passive and active skill.
Jerry's body was still aroused and strong, so he just had energy but no blessing to feed his strength; thus, he became a cultivator, a person who crafts his power to meet his will and ideal of reality.
So the mist can leak when not in use if he does not block the beholder, and it is in use at all. There are more skills to discuss, but let's go back to the story.
***
Jerry sat silently, gathering his thoughts on the matter of his escape. There was a lull before Jerry asked:
"Isn't the vehicle prohibited from entering the city, and doesn't the faraway festival celebrate the 4th century and also where are you getting the arses of the carriage you currently don't have?"
The same officer who spoke to him when he awoke said:
"Haha, funny," he remarked jokingly. "Listen, kid, there is a reason as to why we are called the most technologically advanced city in Obstacle?" As he stated that, he promptly touched a button, and Jerry heard this voice:
"Input registered... Begin searching for synchronization data from the selected period..... Period discovered name: Carllo City's Victory Era..... Would you like to learn more about the Carllo City Victory Era?"
"No, commence victory era type vehicle adjustment to police cruiser."
"Noted, Commencing.... loading 23% nanobots are restructuring the upper part of the vehicle.... loading 33% alterations to the doors"
As the voice spoke, Jerry felt a shift in his seat; the back seat began to weave and change, and he heard small sounds of metal being hammered, leather torn down, and rebuilt by something that sounded like a combination of mosquitoes and termites eating away at wood, and a woodpecker drilling into a tree. The sounds were mechanical, as if a tinkerer was tuning a vehicle anew and making it from scratch.
The reconstruction did not upset anyone, and the vehicle continued moving; it had been redesigned, adding more space, width, and length. Jerry finally heard a familiar sound: hoots thumping the ground and mechanical neighing resembling a horse's noise.
He was in a horse-drawn carriage, and the sounds of leather tacks snapped as someone guided the animal to a halt.
"Alright, we've got to drop you off at the city gate station to retrieve your attire and blend into the city's many forms of madness."
Jerry, still in handcuffs, let his hands droop, waiting for help getting out of the carriage; he could have arrived on his own, but he wanted to know who would lead him out. Someone did, their hands soft and happy, despite a few callouses.
Jerry grasped the person's left hand and used his fingers to feel for the ring finger, discovering a little stone ring that he suspected was sapphire or diamond. It felt rough, so he assumed it was a diamond ring, Jerry remarked with conviction after sniffing the air:
"Thank you, ma'am."
The woman inquired curiously:
"How did you know I am a ma'am son?"
"I identified your perfume, Misty pleasure. My mother loved the perfume."
"Oh, was your mother a local?"
"Excuse me?"
"No, it's just that Misty Bliss is mostly used in Carllo city."
Jerry smiled and spoke:
"Look into the directory, officer ma'am." The officer said nothing and continued to lead Jerry towards the border house near the city entrance. So Jerry asked:
"So, what happens now? I was not told what prison I was going to or what attire I needed to wear. Also, if we customize our clothing, could you perhaps provide a poncho?
"And that is where I come in," she continued. We entered the house, and the first thing Jerry noticed was the smell and what [Nature perception] showed me.
This was once a tourist destination, but now it serves as a check-in and check-out station for border patrol. Its historical significance and presence are still treasured by everyone in the city and beyond, which is why the majority of Carllo's belongings are in a museum, and the house serves as a border check-in. Jerry entered a chamber smelling like burning logs, charcoal, damp cloth, and an old brew of wine or beer.
'Can nanotech duplicate odours of this magnitude using only the data it has collected?' Jerry thought the house smelled like a wet wood dwelling that felt ancient, like an 8th-century house.
The fragrance of logs and charcoal indicated that there is a chimney here, while the smell of wet fabric indicated that something was left to dry or washed within the house, and finally, what house in the 8th century does have alcohol? The alcohol was there, intended to be sipped or used medicinally.
"Okay, Widney remove his clothing and start with the blind fold," explained the police officer who drove Jerry here. Jerry raised his hands to indicate that he desired a distance from them after hearing what they had stated regarding his blindfold. He felt a gesture made by the woman as though she was coming closer to him, and shook his head, telling her by hand not to approach him.
To some, the man appeared helpless and afraid as his face swelled with sweat. Jerry then stated with a jester's smile:
"Leave it be and go for the clothes," Jerry said, but the police ignored him as the woman was directed to approach the youngster.
"We don't take orders from you, kid," one explained.
"Listen, if you remove this, I will be held accountable for what will happen here, and I do not need that on my record except my initial crime."
"Listen kid, those cuffs on you are meant to suppress your infectant power so we can do so much to you without fear of retaliation; we need to do a body scan to determine rank and power differences, or do you want to add another record to that red notice of yours when we transfer you to a new prison? Trust me, it will be a freak's paradise just for you," the officer stated.
Jerry stood there, thinking as he tilted his head and shrugged.
***
"When are you ever going to let loose, Jerry Maddison?"
"Never Orika"
"You always fight with precision and effective techniques that deal with the enemy fast before retaliation. It is good to have that much focus, but you have got to have fun in these types of fights with the intent to learn and get strong right from the weakest opponents, my friend."
"Not a chance, if I prolong a fight, it will be hard to finish if both parties get strong and become never-ending."
"Whatever, tried though"
"Try hard next."
***
The officer's POV:
I have been at this job for about four years and have seen many infectants whose deeds made them the talk of the town, while others became the terror and fairytales we tell our kids if we want them to either pray and sleep with the windows closed.
I started to walk toward the kid as I reached for his blindfold. A cold chill slowly crept from my behind to the top of my spine. I stopped in my tracks as I felt nauseous and slightly dizzy, 'How is his power influencing me if it's cut off by the cuffs?'
"Ms Oaklen, are you okay?" said a concerned officer. I was still lightheaded, so I used him to balance myself and asked:
"Hey, Sergeant, what infectant type is he?"
The sergeant shrugged and added:
"Not sure what his power is, but all we know is that he is wanted for genocide against all cultivators and high realm masters, even though he is still a second realm cultivator who has not broken to the rank of master."
'Cultivators', my mind raced as I gestured for a glass of water, I drank two cups until my head felt clear and unblocked at all. I had read so much about how infectants have different categories that are assigned to them. Such as the Muntantes, Awakened, and Cultivators, Muntantes represent the bond of humanity and the wild, Awakened represent the bond between humanity and the elements, while Cultivators were the most elusive of them all.
Not much information is collected about these humans who bond with a basic instinct to bear the weight of might and wisdom. All we know is that Cultivators can harness powers that both lie in the realm of nature and concepts; they were strong and quiet.
They are so determined to get strong that they isolated themselves from the world until the government needed them, but sometimes they refuse the call or don't respond to it.
On the corner of my eye, I saw one of the soldiers going to the kid and holding the blindfold, and he started to untie it. 'If it's this easy to get close to the kid without being nauseous, it must mean I'm not strong enough to get close. The last of the cultivators is that kid and his blindfold.
I thought with some relief that the dizziness might have been in my head, just then I remembered something I read in a book about infectants. It stated: "The power needs to be seen and be reshaped by the capacity of imagination and will. That power lies in the beholder, that being the.."
My eyes widened as I immediately told the sergeant with a shout:
"Sergeant, shoot the kid."
I turned to see the blindfold come off. According to my observations, I couldn't see the kid's eyes as the officer blocked my view. But I observed the officer's body grow slack like a lump of sand, and he began to quiver, and foam bubbles formed from his lips, his pupils became listless and reflecting the mass that comes from the kid's eye socket, and he eventually died and fell.
Where the eyes should have been, I saw an endless darkness that resembled thick clouds, which kept emerging again and again. I took out my gun and shot three shots at the boy, which was a terrible decision on my part. When the child tilted his head toward me, the mist protected him as the bullets hit the thick cloud and drop to the ground. I didn't take my gaze away from him, and the dizziness returned. I heard something:
"Look away if you value your survival." The voice was cold and unsaid, as if the speaker were an abomination with unfathomable roots.
A vast volume of dark mist erupted from his eye sockets and enveloped his body. The remnant that was corroding the home paused its raging activity and gathered with the blanketing mist; it moved slightly, then quickly exited the building and surged into the sky, leaving a trail of destruction.