Chapter 13: Barrier

A dark figure, walking through a dark tunnel, its steps faint yet audible. It seemed to move in excitement, momentary shudders emanating from its body.

How could it not be so, when its escape was no longer an inconceivable wish.

[I’ll get out...]

With no face to show, his voice became the only statement of his joy. He wanted to bellow out in excitement, though doing so would already degrade him further.

The boy could only stop himself from acting irrationaly, though his efforts seemed to be failing him.

[Hahaha...]

The light at the end of the tunnel... it was closer than he’d expected.

A journey which he expected to take at least an hour took less than 5 minutes. Each second counted, and he continued to construct a census of how long it took. Keeping count felt natural to him, as if he didn’t need to exert any effort.

And it showed, as he happily walked, nearing the glow.

[Closer...]

He made out the details of his target. It seemed to be a white, glistening barrier, separating the interior from the outside world as he could vaguely see through it.

[I need to get closer...]

The boy had, unwittingly, subjected himself to inhibit his own thoughts. His mind, torn at the sight of his exit. The so-called inhibitor, his black box, whirred to life as streaks of red and green clashed on his visor.

And, just like before, he was unaware of their presence, only reaching out to the opaque barricade.

At the touch of it, he tremored. An unknown feeling, one he had yet to comprehend, disclosed itself to him.

It felt as if he was being dragged upon, begging him to destroy the shimmering wall. Even if the strange notion did not appear, he would’ve torn down the wall, regardless of the consequences. And that was what he planned to do.

[What lies beyond the boundary that glistens with ivory...]

The red streaks won, erasing the green ones from his visor. And with a crimson grin, he exclaimed-

[Let’s find out!]

He slashed at the alabaster wall, his body shuddering with delight. A strange response coming from him, compared to when he first regained his sanity. The impediment withstood his attacks, contesting the herculean strength of his swings.

[HAHAHAHA!!!]

He did not heed the wall’s resistance, only continuing to carve at it. He felt elated over every slice he made. It was happiness. Not one of normal descent, but... something that he can only achieve by destruction.

[IT’S SO FUCKING FUN!]

Once a few seconds had passed, his attacks slowed down.

From blinding speed, they decreased in frequency until gradually coming to a halt. The euphoria that once surged through him receded, causing him to wince in pain.

The behavior he displayed finally came to light as he understood what happened to him.

The surge of emotion, the mania that followed... it happened again. His emotions were becoming more volatile. A condition he did not wish to worsen.

[pleasepleasepleaseplease...]

With his trembling hands, he bashed at the snowy curtain, as he pleaded his sanity to return. The red-lit visor died down, dwindling to its former green hue.

It seemed to represent his emotions, as it brought him to a calm.

[Just stay still...]

With the recovery of his reason, he doubted what he had done. It had only been a few minutes since his last frenzy, yet he flared up again.

The period in which they reoccurred had shortened to a small window of time, another irritating problem he needed to address.

[Sigh...]

The misfortune of his acumen, a compromised mind that he had yet to fix, was dragging him further.

[If I keep breaking down like this, how the hell am I going to survive outside?]

The lucidity he suffered through kept conceding to the strange machinations of his body, much to the boy’s dismay. His shrouded form's tendency to keep him in the dark was far from a comfortable degree.

[I j-just...] He uttered out a few words, only to stop himself short. Dispirited in thoughts, and talking to himself would only add to the distress he felt. [Never mind...]

He faced the barrier, his intention of breaking it down, brought low by the lack of any physical marks. None of his attacks seemed to affect it, any damage it sustained was reversed within a few seconds.

A singular wall that stood between him and his freedom.

[Oh geez-] Though the boy did not seem to be happy, as he could only groan at the revelation that his offensive was useless. The barrier remains unharmed. [Are you kidding me?!]

While he continued to lament his failures, an idea popped into his head. If, by the confines of this place, the recurring theme remained the same, then perhaps there was another way to tackle the problem.

Though the idea was another pain to begin with.

[A fucking puzzle, is that what you are?]

The boy approached the barrier, intending to examine the suspected conundrum. Despite the flowery language he used, as he swore off the suspicious wall, his mind was fully calm, allowing him to focus on his task.

[This better be the last one...]

His last words came out as a growl, though it did not represent the state of his mind. Instead, he was studying the barrier with concentration, not allowing himself to falter on any details that he could glean on.

After doing so for a fleeting moment, he discovered a few details of note.

He listed down the fruits of his labor, unknowingly resuming the behavior he wanted to avoid. He was talking to himself again. The boy did not notice this conduct of his, as he began his speech.

A length spiel detailing the elaborated intricacies of this 'puzzle', though he wanted nothing more than to tear it down by force.

[First, there are nine imprints on the wall, divided into a three-by-three grid. So that’s one detail down. Second, each time I press an imprint, a web of lines stretches out from them, attaching to the other imprints. Keep in mind that they don’t always have the same pattern, with each one having a unique impression on the wall. Third, after the ninth press, any recent changes become rewound, leaving the barrier unblemished. That must be the reason my attacks don’t work. They regenerate on my ninth strike. And lastly... this is just a glorified way of inputting a password, isn’t it?]

|||

Password [Concept]

A password is a sequence of characters; either letters, digits, or other symbols which is required in accessing or gaining admission for authenticitation in a system of verification via two parties; Verifiers and Claimants.

Verifiers are entities that, by the name itself, verifies any attempt by claimants in establishing a demonstration of knowledge that implies the claimant to be a verified identity.

Claimants are the ones that provide claims needed to verify themselves towards Verifiers, to claim a prerequisite identity through an established authenticication protocol that allows the verifier to infer the claimant's identity.

Typically, it is used in confirming one's identity or verify access authorization as it is a simple application of challenge-response authentication via a verbal, written, or typed response towards the verifier that requires identification such as: Keypad Locks, Computers, Verbal Confirmation, and etc.

___

Excerpt from: [Library of Ruin - Archived]

[Modifiers]

+ It is ruined knowledge.

|||

[So computers do exist.]

As the boy realized what his words implied about itinerant knowledge, his awareness of what he knew expanded.

The existence of computers confirmed a lot of speculations he had regarding his hidden knowledge, which somehow kept popping up at strange times.

With the confirmation of their creation, it is easy to assume that the world has already undergone industrialization and has conclusively proved the superiority of technology, no matter what magical phenomena he may have seen.

He couldn't explain the strange events that unfolded before him, though he already learned to omit their manifestations from his mind. Though it wasn't really effective.

[Shitfuckery or not, this thing isn't going to solve itself.]

Though knowing more about the strange world he found himself in would be helpful in the long run, he still had problems requiring his attention.

Such as the barrier that stood in front of him, silently judging the boy’s intentions. Though his imaginative mind was to blame, as he was getting paranoid.

[In any case, I need to sort this out.]

The boy made haste, as he applied pressure on the imprints, manifesting a cluster of lines from the stone reliefs.

He made his first attempt. The assemblage of tracings wove through each other, forming certain shapes in their likeness.

Whatever he was doing, it was familiar, as it felt that he had done puzzles such as these many times before. How or why such a feeling came wasn’t a concern for him, as he focused on continuing the formation.

‘Come to think of it, this is just like the lines I saw back then’ He noticed the similarities between the barrier and the throne-room, as they both had problems based on linear figures.

He advanced his efforts, fixating himself over what image the imprints would form. The lines accumulated more and more until a single engraving remained.

The inscribed lines formed a meaningless shape, one that he couldn’t identify at all. How the last engraving would finish it was unknown to him. He pressed it, only to see everything revert.

[It’s wrong?] The puzzle, which he assumed to be an effortless project to solve, was a lot harder than he thought. [Wait, wait, wait...]

His attempts proved to be futile, though his recollections reminded him of a reocurring numeral that proved to be quite hard to notice.

[Come to think of it, I've noticed something strange.] He remembered a certain fact while pondering about his errors. [A number kept popping up during my stay here.]

Nine ebony steles that blocked his path inside the throne-room.

A black monolithic crystal that took him nine strikes to fell, before it shattered to nine pieces.

Then a three-by-three grid that contained nine imprints.

Though he thought of them as nothing more than coincidences, perhaps they held the answer towards this puzzle.

[If I didn’t count those tiny details, I never would’ve known...]

The boy’s propensity of counting everything he saw that turned into a habit, no matter how futile, finally paid off.

He originally started this habit after he realized just how capable his mind was, to be a way of distracting himself while he explored the walls of his prision, yet now it bore him results.

[Really now, this puzzle would’ve screwed me if I hadn’t done that.]

Nothing in his vicinity could identify the credibility of his claims, and other clues could still be around for him to find.

[I need to guarantee it first, though.]

Still, he thought it best to solve the puzzle with number in mind before attempting another method.

[There’s a slight chance that it may not be the clue I need]

The boy tried once more, this time with a substantial figure in his mind. Perhaps the figure that he needed was the number 9, which somehow made things harder as the lines would twist and turn with each interaction they made.

Countless times he failed, as the complexity of the puzzle increased with every imprint he pressed.

Until at last, he was at the final engraving, a distinguished number embossed on the barrier. He only needed to complete it now, as the final inscription awaited him.

[And... done!] The boy pressed the last piece, as it discharged lattice marks, completing the figure. A large number 9 suspended on its surface, glowing in a white light.

It was the answer he needed to show. And, having solved the puzzle, he felt accomplished.

[That was a lot harder than I thought but, how long did it take?]

He perused his memories, only to realize the period of his stay. It was a lot longer than he expected. The number that popped up also adding to his surprise.

[9 hours, that’s suspicious as hell.]

He was in deep concentration during the entire duration, so the passing of time became nothing more than an afterthought, though he strictly maintained count, nonetheless.

Yet when he reviewed the time spent, another suspicious number appeared.

[To be exact, it was 9 hours, 7 minutes, and 34 seconds when I finished the job.]

He couldn’t understand the reason the circumstances of him seemed strangely affixed to the numerical representation.

[The world’s playing tricks on me.]

While he was curious of the reason, it held him from actively pursuing his independence, as he kept descending to a state of deliberation whenever something interested him.

[Trade your curiosity for freedom...]

Anything that brought out his attention would do so.

[It’s altogether a better decision.]

Though the boy still sounded unconvinced, it allowed him to direct his attention towards the floating number, which surrounded him in its grim light.

It bobbled up and down from its position, lightly shifting at the wind’s breeze.

[It’s just floating there... menacingly.]

It reminded him of the ebony steles, when he got caught up in their flaming destruction. Of the red rain that bled from his denial of their existence, as he destroyed the crystal quartz.

At the memory of it, he shuddered, remembering the pain that his body experienced. Yet he promptly dismissed it with such nonchalance that bordered on carelessness.

[If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that ominous things will beat the crap out of you.]

He was already used to pain, to say in the least. Though he genuinely loathed the experience. He was no masochist, and neither would he wish to be one.

[I’m not suicidal enough to touch you, so I’ll just throw my knife.]

He distanced himself from the pensile digit that continued to loom over him, facing it. And as it continued to loom, he trodded further.

[Preferably from a distance, too.]

Once he had gained enough distance from the dangling figure, he readied his blade. One he hadn’t wielded for quite a while, as a few hours had already passed since his last use of it.

The memory of where he held the knife, while still a fresh wound, was one thing he needed to get over with.

It was time for him to benefit from its keen edge as he held it over his head, aiming for the white number.

With an overhand throw, he let go of the lustrous blade as it gleamed emerald. The blade he threw hurtled past him, letting out a slight hiss as it flew.

While it wasn’t as fast as when he first threw his knife, it still did its job well as it flew at a respectable speed, clashing with the floating numeral... only to pass through it.

It wedged itself into the barrier.

[Uh....]

The barrier, one he’d assumed to be impenetrable, became a sheathe for the blade he threw. It had pierced the barrier, stabbing a few meters into the ivory wall.

[What just happened?]

Such developments were remarkably different from what he had in mind, to the point of suspected foul play.

The numeral that purportedly was his target became nothing more than a red herring, instead paving the way for his blade to force into the barrier. The floating number remained unharmed, with the barrier suffering instead.

It was the opposite of what he expected.

[I-I uh, no...]

Before he could voice out his thoughts, he stopped himself short, fearing that might curse his luck again. As it had happened before, taking such a precaution became a necessary requirement.

[Let’s not ask about it.]

As he was a few ways off from the barrier, he approached it again, this time to recover his stymied knife.

How or why the events played out like so was another matter for later, as he needed to reclaim the lodged blade.

[Hmm?]

As his fingers took grasp, the blade abruptly lit up, marred with fragments of red and green. The barrier that accommodated his silvery-gold knife fluctuated, cryptic symbols abound its surface.

Soon, numbers replaced the mysterious motifs, a word barely coherent housed in its center.

{|}

1001-1001-1001-1001-1001

1001-1001-1001-1001-1001

1001-1001-1001-1001-1001

1001-1001-1001-1001-1001

1001-1001ηօηªя¥1001-1001

1001-1001-1001-1001-1001

1001-1001-1001-1001-1001

1001-1001-1001-1001-1001

1001-1001-1001-1001-1001

{|}

[Nonary?] He muttered aloud, as he read what lay in its midpoint

The numbers vanished as quickly as they appeared, leaving the single word behind. And, after a few seconds, the strange word vanished too, withdrawing into distant lights.

The gap, once guarded by the ivory barrier, had disappeared, exposing a strange landscape in its stead.

The sound of ravens reached him.

[...]

Though his freedom was mere meters away, the boy remained still, his arm still raised and clasping onto the knife. His gaze remained on the ground as he processed the series of events.

[Just smile and wave, kiddo.]

No matter how much he thought things through, nothing made sense. Absurd occurrences greeted him left and right, to the point where he felt numbed by them.

[Smile and wave...]

The boy took his first steps outside, noticing the strong gales. He could not see beyond a few meters in front of him, a dusty view as a hindrance.

Whistling wind drowned his attention in dissonant discord, different from what he’d expected of the outside world. He had higher expectations that weren’t met by the outside’s first impression.

[I’m here now.] He mumbled, a near-silent statement from him. With what the boy had seen, it wouldn't be inaccurate to assume that he was already numbed. [What's next?]