Chapter 2: lauf the fool?
After Ander Left Old Tomy
" I have been waiting for you how many lifetimes, huh? never mind " murmured Old Tomy with a smile as Ander left his stall.
After strolling through the abandoned streets of Chirping Town and finding nothing but old buildings and dilapidated streets, Ander climbed up one of the old houses and dozed off while holding his new dagger. He fell asleep while thinking about what had happened to him all day.
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In a grand hall dominated by golden hues, a group of people sat around a long table with a middle-aged man at the main seat.
"Your Majesty, the fertility rate of all living beings is declining, and the number of living beings is decreasing. At this rate, our civilization will perish within the next 500,000 years at least and a million years at most" said one of the attendees looking serious.
"And our resources are being consumed at a faster rate than ever before, while being generated much slower" said another attendee who was busy flipping papers.
"Your Majesty," spoke another individual with a muscular body, "the energies generated by the planets are also decreasing. It affects many powerhouses, and the power of our civilization will decline at this rate, putting us at a disadvantage in comparison to other civilizations."
"Don't worry about other civilizations. I received news from the Wizarding Realm, Mechanical Furnace, and other civilizations that they are facing the same problem. This may lead to a great war in the universe," reassured an old man who looked like a scholar.
As the middle-aged man listened, his expression remained unchanged, as if he knew about it earlier. He closed his green eyes in thought before saying softly, "I see." As soon as the meeting ended, he suddenly opened his eyes.
Ander opened his eyes, gasping heavily and soaked in sweat. Confused, he asked, "What happened to me?" but received no answer. "I'm hungry, I should go to Tomy. He said he'd help me" he thought as he got up and ran towards Old Tomy's stall.
As Ander approached the stall, he saw a boy around his age with a good physique. "Hey, are you Ander? Old Tomy asked me to help you hunt. Follow me; we're already late" said the boy.
Ander followed while observing him. He had black hair, big black eyes, and slightly thick eyebrows. He looked honest but spoke a little mean. Ander curved his lips, smiling.
"My name is Lauf, by the way. I gave it to myself," said Lauf proudly while walking ahead of Ander.
Ander almost laughed, thinking it was a funny name.
"What? Don't you feel it's a strong name?" asked Lauf with a knitted forehead.
"No, no. It's good. It's a strong name, of course" I replied hurriedly to him. I thought he was honest but a little screw in the head.
"Good. I will teach you how to survive before you become a real wonderer or detach as a walker" said Lauf.
"What? Am I not a wonderer? Tomy told me that all people in Chirping Town are" I asked, puzzled.
"Well, literally, you aren't yet. To become one, you have to be contaminated, and that's a dangerous way. Wonderers aren't as powerful as walkers, and they may become shadowed if the contamination in their body isn't controlled. If they are shadowed, they become strange creatures, losing their body and soul and becoming eternal slaves for the shadow. Unlike walkers who can detach from the shadow, they can continue to become stronger and can cross to other stars, collecting source power. All they need is to pay the toll," explained Lauf.
"Why do you know so much about walkers?" I asked, curious.
Lauf laughed silly. "Because I will become a walker. I am just waiting for the trials four months from now. When you detach, you will receive that information, so you have to be grateful to me, haha."
"So that's it" I muttered.
"So, Lauf, how to what did you call detach? How to do that?" I asked with anticipation.
"Well, this world is strong and is devouring our emotions, making our spirits dull. So all you need to do is to perceive other stars outside this plane, and that's a process that no one can control. I myself perceived the first star while running for my life, of course, haha" said Lauf happily.
But what he said made me upset. Why couldn't I control anything since I arrived here?
"Here we are. Let's start our first hunt. I'm really starving," said Lauf suddenly. As he said that, I looked around and was shocked. It was the same dead forest I had walked before - the same dead trees and the same cloudy air. "What are we here for?" I asked.
"Don't worry. I will tell you, but first, there are some rules. You mustn't turn back if you want to look back. Turn around a tree first; don't turn in your place. Second, no one will ask for help, and don't forget the first rule. Third rule, don't try anything if you don't want to be crazy or, worse, be contaminated. That's for the dead forest" explained Lauf as he took a knife and suddenly cut a big tree, making a wound in its skin, and it started to wriggle. "Run!" he shouted, "why didn't you tell me?" I asked In fury as we started to run . I followed closely, feeling the earth shaking under me. after running alittle He stopped and turned around a tree, and I followed. When I looked back to where we were, everything had become a mess. The roots wriggled around and destroyed everything around them. I felt cold sweat and horror when a big stone was crushed between those roots.
"Haha, I forgot, but don't worry. It will calm down now," said Lauf as it began to calm. "Now we can get our food." This fool started grinning. He came to the big tree and got some sap from its wound. It looked like blood and smelled like one too. He sprinkled the sap on the soil, and many big worms appeared. He collected them all. "Haha, what a big harvest. Let's eat. Don't worry; it tastes horrible, but you will fill your stomach," he said while eating. I tried, as I was really hungry. "Let's continue," he said after filling our stomachs, and we continued our hunt.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Arc_Deamon
Arc_Deamon This is the second chapter. I will try to write two chapters a week. If there are any mistakes or any thoughts, please write them in the comments. Thank you for reading.