Phase 20 “The Tomb”
They were blinded by the darkness and the intense snowstorm slashed at their bodies as they struggled to see in the pitch black. They continued on their journey rather than turning around since they had had enough of this illness and wanted to put an end to it. They finished off their supplies by drinking the last bottle. Just as they regained their cat eyes and realised that everything was much easier to understand now.
When they made their way through the brushes, they came upon a door made of stones and heavily pushed it open. They were safe from the rain once they were inside, and they immediately removed their masks. They looked about and saw mosses and spider webs, which was evidence that no one had been there in a very long time.
“H... hye... can... hear... me?” a voice cracked from their ear receiver.
“Not so clear, Dominique,” one of them answered. “We’re in and there’s no trace of zomb---Arrg!”
“Allen! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Kaien,” Allen answered his partner. “The receiver just blew up on my ears.”
“... I can't reach Dominique too,” Kaien checked his receiver and signal strength, he found there was none. With no more strawberry juice or hot chocolate left in their supplies, they were now hopelessly stranded. Not to mention the fact that they were extremely exhausted and had bumps and bruises all over their bodies. Though they were awake due to the wound, the wound itself was slowly killing them.
“We can’t go back...” Allen declared even though he was so beaten up. “We already came this far.”
Kaien summed up the situation, saying, “I know, let's finish this as quickly as possible then,” to which Allen nodded. After ensuring that the door was secured and that the zombies had not followed them inside, they proceeded through the clay tunnel that resembled a cave.

“I find it hard to believe that the ancient dynasty used this location to treat people,” Kaien commented. Wet and musty, no one would ever guess that the building had formerly served as an ancient hospital decades ago. Due to the infrequency of earthquakes, the structure itself was buried underneath.
When they emerged from the tunnel into a large square chamber with some pillars, Allen was quick to point out the most important detail, “At least, there are no zombies here.” It was really dark until Kaien found a flashlight and managed to shine some light on the area. They came across an antique stone bed that appeared to have been used for sick patients and now was coated in a thick layer of moss.
They moved closer to an altar that was located in the middle of the structure and climbed the stairs near it. Upstairs, there was a stoned-trunk that resembled a tomb. There was an antique carving on it. Neither Kaien nor Allen could make out the words. Both Kaien and Allen were completely clueless about what the text actually said. They made the decision to use their camera to take pictures, and let Dominique look at it afterwards.
“It’s a silly mission,” Allen finally said. “We risked our life just for this stupid tomb.”
“I know, but we might end this madness if we’re right,” Kaien muttered. “Let’s try to open this tomb.”
They pushed the lid firmly until they heard friction sounds, at which point they forced it to fall forcefully to the ground. They stopped to catch their breath before looking inside the tomb to see what was there.
“Tell me I’m hallucinating,” Kaien demanded.
“You’re not...” Allen whispered. “... Because I’m also looking at a fine human being with an old-fashioned robe sleeping peacefully.” He then poked the person inside the tomb. There was no answer or response.
Kaien decided to get the person up with his bare hand. They examined the old man that looked around his fifties and had few white hairs.
Then, the eyes suddenly opened.
“Woaaaa!” Kaien and Allen yelled as they moved backwards away from the threat. They were geared up and ready to fire or slash the individual who was staring at them with blank eyes. They continued in this manner until they heard a person speaking with hoarse voices.
“Poor little thing... Even after many eras passed, they’re still haunting you...”
Kaien pulled Allen to his back when the old man smiled at them.
“You two are just the same as ever, trapped in this stupid game forever... Not knowing what’s really going on...”
“What do you mean?” Allen dared to ask. “Who, I mean, what are you?”
“Ignorance, aren’t you?” the old man mocked,” Even though your souls are still intact...”
Kaien had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but he could not since the pain was affecting his entire body. He shouted in agony, and he could hear Allen also wailing in his distress. Kaien did everything in his power to rise up and reach out for Allen, but he ended up himself getting slammed down to the ground instead.
He felt an overwhelming sense of cold, fear and fragility. His body defied his mind and his eyes gave out on him. Kaien and Allen both fell into a very deep sleep at the same time the elderly man emerged from his tomb and approached them.
“Let your souls speak and so you’ll understand how foolish you’ve been...” was the last whisper Kaien and Allen managed to hear in their slumber. The old man smiled as he continued talking to himself in some ancient language. It was like a song, yet, it was not.
“Hmm, I wonder should I make the other three awake too?” was the last thing the old man spoke before he vanished into thin air.