He slumped down, he vomited, spewing on the floor, he grabbed on to the side of the bed, his eyes trailing to the left, where the door was.

He opened the door slowly, peeking his head outside, his gaze traveled down the stone stairs. He smelled dust, and down the flight of stairs, he heard the trains making sounds on the railways. His head was looking from left to right. He clambered down and leaned on the stone railing.

It was a concrete city, lights were everywhere, and there was a railway that has a train speeding up, below was the building blocks, numbering hundred, congested together like puzzle blocks. Multi-colored lights and part of the city was covered in neon lights, above the gigantic cavern that houses a city was obsidian plates shaped in hexagons, covering the entirety of the city ceilings.

“Welcome to Barren City,” the voice said. “The City of concrete and obsidian, the home of those who have the blood of monsters, the center of the barren lands, the Capital of Monsters.”

He turned. A woman with jet-black hair yet ruby-like eyes walked near, her walk resembling a cat’s tiptoe, behind her was a pale-haired man with the same eyes as her, red, has a slit on it, and yet there was something even more inhuman.

“You shouldn’t be walking around like that,” the white-haired man said.

“He’s still in shock, Adey,” the woman said. “Let him process what he’s currently seeing.”

“Is that so?” The man folded his arms.

“Where am I?” Alva said. “I, oh, I see, I was rescued from that place?”
He covered his hands to no avail, he spewed vomit and held on to his head.

“I am out? Is this a dream?”

“No,” the woman said. “You are free from that monster burrow now. Hmm, though I do agree with Adey here, you need to rest.”

Alva stared at his hands. His hands were thin, his right hand’s trigger finger was cut in half, the finger near his pinky was missing the fingertip, and his left hand’s middle finger has a bone that poked out. His ribs were showing, his skins were stuck on his bones, and his limbs were thin enough to be held in one hand, he had little hair, and his cheeks were sunken.

“Never thought that you’d survive to be a battery for a dungeon,” Alva said. “How many days were you inside that thing?”

He looked at the space blankly.

“182,500 days, I counted, no, it was the only thing I could other than scream.”

Adey and Machina cringed visibly. Adey’s mouth curved down, his brows tightened. Machina’s face turned stern, her arms wrapped around her own.

“That’s a long time,” Machina. “Do you remember anything before that?”

“I was working as a tavern I think, and when I was on my way back home, I got caught by this strange ghostly monster. It was smoking with black shadows all over it.”
“A wraith?”

“I think so,” he lowered his head. “After that, I found myself in that eggshell, and I was unable to move.”

“My goodness,” Machina has a horrible expression on her face.

“Looks like you got unlucky,” Adey said without a tone in his voice. “But that’s not should you be looking at right now.”

“Adey,” Machina put her finger in front. “Can’t you sympathize with the human?”

“I do,” Adey said. “That’s why I am saying this. We save his life but it doesn’t mean that we’d be babysitting him. He’s safe and now he has to think about what he should do now. Do you really think that this city is kind enough?”

Machina’s mouth was twisted. She turned her eyes on the wide-eyed man who was staring at him. Machina twisted a lock of her hair, her eyes staring at the obsidian ceiling.

“Indeed, it may be harsh, but Adey is right, you owe the Atone now, it only means that you have to work for your due. We simply cannot let you freeload and get all of this treatment without payment.”

“We may sound harsh but this is what the world is. Especially, you are now an inhabitant of this city, or are we making choices for you?”

Alva shook his head, he glances at the city, and back to the two. He looked at his half-cut trigger finger, he stared at it, behind him, was a train speeding past.
“I have nowhere to go, and I do not remember anything other than the days in that shell. This...is better than screaming inside that shell, acting as a battery for a burrow. I’ll pay my dues, but do you really think I can do that now?”

“No,” Adey said. “Your way too thin, and the wind could you at this point. But, you will have your work around here. We always need a stooge to do office work.”

“Wow,” Machina said. “Did we just scam a famished human into doing our work?”

“Scam?” Adey said. “He should be thankful that we are letting him on this mercy. Do you really think that the humans above would accept something as thin and famished like him? Be real, Machina.”

“Point taken,” Machina shrugs. “So, Alva right?”

“Yes,” Alva nodded.

“Would you mind coming here for a second?”

“What is it?” He walked near Machina

“You know, lies can only take you so far. The way you speak, ah, could it be that you are hiding it?”

Alva stared at her.

“I really don’t remember, Miss,” Alva said.

“Miss?” Machina sized him up. “I guess I can leave you alone for now, though, I got to warn you, Alva. You smell like a time wraith, and if they are chasing after you...I wonder what are you hiding?”

“...”

“Stop interrogating him, we have work to do.”

“Aw, Adey, why are you such a spoilsport?”

“Dementia is getting you, Machina,” Adey said.

“Nonsense, I am forever a young adult. You can’t just say that! That is rude!”

Alva watched them leave as if it was nobody’s business. He put his hand on the stone railing, his gaze travel down the lights that shines this city.