Path of Death: Awakening
Chapter 37: Golden Core - Rotten Shell

Chapter 37: Golden Core - Rotten Shell

The air was suffocating.

The scent of scorched dirt, rust, oily smoke... and something else.

Something Fade couldn’t quite name—a sense of corruption that didn’t belong.

To call it a street was generous.

Containers piled side by side, alleys surrounded by rusted barrels, makeshift shelters draped with torn tarps.

Children weren’t playing—they just stood, still and silent.

Their eyes didn’t hunger. They had already given up.

Zeyna let out a breath. "Damn... this is supposed to be a city?"

Darin clenched his jaw. "Feels more like a graveyard."

Kaela scanned her device while glancing around. "System marks this zone as ’Wasteside.’ Zero security access. No patrol logs."

"What about the people?" Arven asked. "Aren’t they recorded?"

Fade didn’t respond.

But his thoughts silenced the rest:

"No one lives here. They just... remain."

There were people around—but they didn’t feel present.

No eye contact. No greetings. No curiosity.

Each clung to their ruin like it was chosen.

Because no one here wanted to be saved.

Zeyna’s eyes lingered on a man sitting beside a heap of old armor.

A spear rested against his shoulder, a charcoal burner before him.

His eyes were closed, lips moving—whispering either a prayer or the madness of talking to himself.

"They think they’re strong," Fade muttered under his breath,

"Because they’ve never met real danger."

Right then, two figures emerged from around the corner.

Mismatched armor, makeshift weapons.

Their tone wasn’t hostile—but their posture was.

"Heeey... fresh ones," one said, chewing a piece of wire between his teeth.

"No one passes without paying the newcomer’s tax. That’s the rule."

Arven stepped forward, but Fade raised a hand to stop him.

Silence hung for a moment.

Then Fade spoke:

"Are you guys strong ?"

The man smirked. "Here, strength means respect, my friend."

"Wrong," Fade said.

"Strength is what keeps you alive one more day in this city. And you..."

His eyes flicked to the crooked spear.

"...think that’ll be enough?"

The smirk faltered.

Uncertainty.

And when pride breaks, it turns into aggression.

Fade saw it coming—right on time.

Kaela’s voice echoed in his mind:

"If they had failed this ’test’... the city would’ve paid the price."

When a city turns its security into a test—

It’s either too powerful...

Or it’s forgotten how weak it’s become.

Fade closed his eyes briefly. Then opened them again.

He examined the two so-called tax collectors.

Their armor was thrown together, their breathing uneven.

But their confidence? Solid.

The wrong kind of solid.

Fade’s eyes lit up—system flare:

[SYSTEM SCAN INITIATED]

[Subject: Unknown Human – Unregistered Citizen]

[Alias: "Tigo"]

[Level: 4]

[Combat Class: None]

[Weapon Mastery: Improvised Melee Lv.1]

[Affiliation: Fringe Gang – "Dagger Rats"]

[Threat Level: Negligible]

Mental State: Brave on Surface / Fearful Beneath

Potential: Limited

Warning: No Threat Detected

"Dagger Rats," Fade thought.

"Even the name sounds like street trash."

"Hey!" Tigo shouted. "We said something, didn’t we? You hear us, newbie?"

Fade stepped forward.

Zeyna raised an eyebrow, but stayed quiet.

Kaela’s eyes didn’t blink—reading not the device, but the scene.

Tigo raised his spear. "Last warning!"

His partner crouched behind cover. "We run things here!"

Fade stopped.

Lowered his head—not in deference, but calculation.

Then stepped in.

Not fast.

But at the perfect angle, with perfect aim.

He caught the tip of Tigo’s spear.

And with a flick of the wrist, broke the man’s balance.

Tigo hit the ground.

Still clutching his weapon—uselessly.

Fade didn’t follow up.

He only spoke:

"Those who lack power play with fear.

And those who play with fear... drown in it."

The other thug stepped back.

Zeyna moved slightly, but Fade’s side glance halted her.

"Enough."

Tigo tried to rise, shaking.

Fade didn’t bend down. But his voice landed like a slap:

"Don’t block our path again.

Next time, different day, different enemies.

I won’t be so kind."

Silence fell.

Tigo couldn’t even breathe.

And then—Fade walked away. Slow. Steady.

Arven muttered, "So... the newcomers passed the test, huh?"

Kaela smiled.

"No. We weren’t being tested by the city."

"The city just realized—it’s being tested by us."

They continued walking.

The fear left behind by Tigo and his kind bled into the dust of the streets.

The team moved in silence, but not ease.

And then, a door creaked open.

A man stepped out—well-dressed, but plain.

A fitted gray coat, tired eyes, but sharp.

His steps were purposeful—headed straight for them.

The man approached, voice steady despite the exhaustion in his tone."Looks like they were a bit rough with you," he said.Kaela narrowed her eyes. "You one of them?"

He nodded slightly. "My name’s Nail. Oversight unit. Since you made it past the outer ring and completed the system scan... you’ve earned access to the next step."

Zeyna stepped forward. "What kind of step?"

"One night. Rest. And observation," Nail replied.He motioned to the corridor behind him."Follow me. If you stay here too long, they will try to test you more. Bad exams... bad results. It will lead to bad results."

No one rejected.

On the way...

The sticky mud from outside gave way to tiled floors.The flickering streetlights were replaced by warm, rhythmic glows.Even the posters on the walls weren’t peeling anymore—they looked more like propaganda.

Kaela wasn’t scanning with her device now.She was simply watching.Before even entering the system, she could sense it: order.But this order felt built atop ruin—layered over collapse.

Zeyna paused by a window.Inside, a family was having dinner.For the first time... she saw something close to a home.

Arven murmured, "This place... feels different."

Nail stopped and turned."This is the inner ring of Last Hope.But the deeper you go, the more color you see.Meaning... black and white stop being grey."

Kaela looked at Fade."So even colors are ranked here?"

Fade said nothing.But his eyes reflected not color—Shadow.

Nail led them to a small but tidy building.Inside was clean. Beds were firm but safe.There were surveillance sensors on the walls—but they didn’t feel hostile. Just... structured.

"Spend the night here," said Nail."Tomorrow, we’ll decide what you really want."

Zeyna muttered, "And if we don’t want anything?"

Nail smiled."Then it means Last Hope doesn’t want you either."

He left, gently closing the door behind him.

[Zeyna];She was the first to enter.Her eyes swept all corners—trained.Beds lined up neatly. Towels folded with care. Even the sink had real soap.

But what caught her attention most—was the silence.Too clean. Too sterile.

"This place makes you feel like messing up is forbidden," she thought."Everything... feels like it’s watching you."

She walked to the window. Double-paned glass.She could see outside... but it felt like the outside could see her too.

"Am I safe? Maybe. But free? Not really."She sat at the edge of the bed, hand under her head,and stared at the ceiling.

[Arven];He sighed as he kicked off his boots."No joke... can’t remember the last time I felt carpet under my feet."

The floor was soft beneath him.But every step felt like it left a mark.

He glanced at the sensor in the corner. Didn’t blink.

"You can’t hide here. Everything’s recorded.But maybe... that’s still fairer than the chaos outside."

He leaned against the wall and whispered to himself:"Getting used to comfort... does it make you weaker?Or just help you forget who you used to be?"

[Kaela];She placed her device on the nightstand.It beeped low voltage—but never linked to the network.Wouldn’t connect."Because even the system is filtered here.Freedom’s just... simulated."

She sat on the bed. The springs didn’t creak.

"They’re weighing us without showing it.From the bedsprings to our breathing patterns.But they should remember—we’re watching them too."

She input a code, dimming the device’s light.Only her eyes glowed in the dark.Not with distrust—But with sharp, ready intelligence.

[Darin];He threw himself onto the bed."Damn... did we fall into heaven?"

He grinned.

"We’re still breathing. So... this must be real, right?"

Hands behind his head.

"Are there women here? A bar? Hot food?"

Then his face turned serious.

"But who stayed here before us?And why... aren’t they here now?"

He closed his eyes—but didn’t sleep.Because when the place doesn’t feel right,Comfort never brings peace.

[Fade];He was the last to enter.His eyes scanned the walls, the ceiling, the bed.But they didn’t settle.His mind was somewhere else.

Step by step, he moved forward.Sat on a chair.Stared out the window.

He didn’t care about safety, or order.Only one thing held his focus—

Silence.

"Something’s wrong here. Not from the outside... but the core.This city is like a ghost collapsing in on itself.Eyes wide open, but its soul already buried."

He clenched his hand.The phantom of Phantom Leap still tingled in his legs.Chemosense nudged his gut—a chemical unease in the air.

He whispered to himself:

"We didn’t really enter this place.But the city’s already watching us."