10 : 00 am, Start of the mission.
Fifteen agents fully armed, a small veteran party capable of raiding a military camp, delved into the relic. The group is led by Captain Flakes. Upon contact with the relic, each agent vanished from thin air.
Ksssshhh
-"Flakes here. Relic insertion successful. Agents dispersed. Report status and immediate location. Over."
-"Andrew to Captain. Insertion appears randomized. Confirmed four personnel present in forest environment. Over."
-"Agent Willy. Solo position. Confirmed forest environment. Over."
-"Agent Draun. Affirmative, same environment. Over."
-"Flakes here. Deploying smoke signal now. Rendezvous at smoke position. Over."
A few minutes later, all 15 agents assembled again, with no casualties. A brief report about the new territory was quickly drafted.
-"It seems Professor Caligo's guess was correct, this is indeed a pocket world." Flakes started.
-"A few agents were teleported at the edge. There is an impenetrable fog surrounding the forest. I think this place is at least 1000 square meters." Draun followed.
-"A pocket world !! That's crazy man, we're making history right now! There are only like five of them in the whole world right ?" Andrew mused.
-"Yeah, this is a great discovery. It's also confirmed that there's no sign of life, no monsters and no traps in here so it's ownerless." Willy added.
-"That's great news if there's nothing, we came here prepared to fight a guardian after all." Flakes pursued "So, Willy, what did you say your guys found?"
Willy answered "A few agents noticed an entrance to an underground space at the center of the forest. I think that's where the secret of this space lies."
-"Alright, we're moving then." Flakes finally commanded.
A few agents stayed at the temporary base while the others started trailing in the direction of the center of the forest. Three agents stood by at the entrance while the elites led by Captain Flakes dove into the underground in formation. Soon enough they stumbled upon a chamber with a stone coffin lit by sun rays at the center.
-"Stay alert" Flakes said while slowly approaching the coffin.
There was nothing amiss in the chamber and no other issue, they finally regrouped around the coffin.
Draun warned "Captain, I didn't sign for this. This is obviously the kind of stuff that activates a curse or a trap."
-"Do you guys think there will be jewelry or treasures on the corpse ? Maybe this is a king's grave ?" Andrew smirked.
-"We'll know after we open it." Flakes resolved. Willy started punching the lid aside but it was too heavy for him. Only with the force of four agents were they able to open it.
Duuuum
-"What ? What is this ?" Andrew questioned.
-"A wooden statue." Willy confirmed.
Knock knock
-"Come in."
Click
A young employee entered the room nervously and swallowed before beginning his report. "My deepest apologies, Director Hwang. We've received the investigation results regarding the relic we retrieved from the disappearance case."
The director extended his hand to receive the documents the employee was holding while keeping his eyes fixed on his work. He took them and placed them on a pile right next to him.
The young employee, feeling even more stressed due to the silence, took a deep breath and continued his report.
-"T-The researchers have determined that it's a relic from an unknown civilization. Physical contact with the object seems to miraculously transport people inside it."
-"Oh, so it was a pocket world after all. Were you able to determine the conditions for entry and exit?"
-"It seems only ordinary people are teleported. There was no reaction when high-ranking officials touched it. The agents who were able to enter came back out as soon as the urge struck them."
-"Anything else ?"
-"The forest was completely deserted according to the reports, no sign of monsters or traps. No night cycle either and time flows normally. Just... they found something else... some kind of stone coffin?"
-"A coffin? Did they open it?"
-"Yes... but there was no corpse. Just... the wooden statue of a young boy."
-"When are we getting to Mandala? I'm sick of waiting!"
The complaints of a curly-haired blond kid could be heard all along the road. The driver, watching him sprawled across the back seat through the rearview mirror, seemed about to snap. He was a man in his twenties with a sharp look wearing a black suit with sunglasses and a black hat under a striped looking hairstyle.
-"We're here, you brat! And how many times do I have to tell you it's not Mandala but SS Electronics!" The angry driver shouted.
-"Hmph, yeah right, sure! There's no point keeping it secret. I know it's really Mandala, but I'll pretend to save your face." the blond kid announced proudly.
-"Tch, when we get out of the car, you follow me, understand? No wandering off anywhere."
-"Okay, no problem."
They both got out of the car and headed toward a building bearing a large sign marked "SS Electronics." The driver accompanied by the young boy entered the building smoothly while passing by the security guards as if they were immediately recognized and headed to the reception counter. The receptionist greeted them: "Ah! Chief Mahoney, you're finally back from your mission?"
-"Yes, it's good to see you again, Anna. Could you call Internal Affairs? I need to know where today's meeting will be held."
-"Of course, just a moment."
-"Phew, I can finally get rid of you, you little bra—"
When Chief Mahoney turned around, the boy had already disappeared.
-"Damn it! Where the hell did he go now?!" Shouted Mahoney while scratching his head furiously.
The boy, who had slipped into the first available elevator, was beginning his exploration of the 5th floor shortly after.
(Hehehe, if I hang around with that old fogey, I'll spend the whole day in boring places again. Today, I'll discover all the secrets that Mandala hides! On the surface they pretend to be an electronics company, but I know they're really a secret organization fighting evil!)
During these musings, the boy suddenly spotted a group of people in white coats and decided to blend in with them. His choice led him to a laboratory where numerous researchers, all dressed in lab coats, were gathered.
(What's happening here?)
Driven by curiosity, the young boy crawled between the researchers' legs to try to see what was making them so enthusiastic.
The scientists were engaged in a passionate debate about their next research.
-"This is a historic discovery! It's been decades since we discovered a pocket world, and before that there were only a few ever recorded." A researcher claimed, as the others also voiced their enthusiasm.
-"Exactly! And this wooden statue is also fascinating. It's as if a real person had transformed into wood."
-"What makes you think it's a normal statue? We've confirmed the existence of other races such as dryads and other plant anthropomorphs. For now we should observe and study it carefully, both it and the relic."
-"Come on, Professor, just a small incision on the arm level. To confirm whether it's sap or blood that will flow."
Having reached near the center of the crowd, what the blond kid could see when he stood up was a stone coffin and the human figure of a boy his age made of wood lying inside.
He arrived just in time to see one of the researchers delicately trace a line with a scalpel on the statue's arm.
Zzzzaaaap
-"Professor! We have a problem! The relic has suddenly started emitting a large amount of energy!"
-"All ordinary people evacuate the laboratory immediately! Contact team leader Owusua!"
The researchers panicked and pushed toward the exit. The chaos knocked down the young boy who hadn't yet had time to understand what was happening.
When he looked around, everyone had evacuated and only the old man with glasses, a bald head, and a long white beard whom the other researchers called Professor remained.
-"A child? Hurry up and get out, quickly!" cried the old man.
A glass shield on the other side of the room shattered into a thousand pieces.
Crack KRRSSSHHH
From there, the relic began to levitate slowly towards the coffin and stopped just above the wooden statue.
The object floating in the air was a black ebony gourd covered with golden linear inscriptions.
Grrrccchhhh krak krak
The gourd twisted and stretched with a groan like splintering bones, its bark flexing as trunks erupted from its surface.
Its wooden surface extended in four directions like limbs. Its ebony body became even blacker and the golden lines on its body became more pronounced. Finally, a jackal head formed from the gourd's mouth with golden eyes and horns.
GRRRAAAAAWWWW
The beast's roar shook the entire room, forcing the two spectators to cover their ears.
-"Glorious heavens! A myth takes shape before our very eyes!" exclaimed the old researcher with stars in his eyes. "A jackal head with humanoid morphology! Is this the true form of the gourd? Or is it a polymorphic creature with attributes of space and wood?"
-"Calm down, Professor Caligo! One day, your curiosity will get you killed." The man who had interrupted the professor placed his hand on the latter's shoulder.
-"Ah! Director Hwang, I thought you'd arrive any second. I may look old but not old enough to die from my own experiments."
-"Director Hwang, all personnel have been evacuated," reported the man with dreadlocks accompanied by Chief Mahoney.
-"Good work, Owusua."
-"Ah! The little brat?! What are you doing here?" shouted Chief Mahoney in the direction of the blond kid who was trying to sneak away from the scene.
-"Ah... I got lost going to the bathroom, haha."
-"None of you have realized the situation yet, so let me inform you," announced Director Hwang with a grave and serious tone, his eyes fixed on the beast. "I don't know why it hasn't made any movement since all this time, but its gaze tells me this creature is undoubtedly intelligent. What's more, the energy I detect from it is a Level 7 Threat."
-"An Extinction-Level Threat ?! That's impossible ! You're telling me this beast is capable of leveling an entire country?!" cried Chief Mahoney in panic.
-"Calm down, Marlow. If it were just you and me, we'd already be dead, but fortunately Director Hwang is with us," Chief Owusua reassured.
-"Oh... yes, you're right, Mak! Director Hwang is the third strongest at Mandala," replied Chief Mahoney.
-"Third, huh?" repeated Director Hwang, shooting a sharp look at Mahoney. The latter jumped, then Director Hwang turned back to the beast. "Against this beast... I think I could hold out... 5 no... 2 minutes."
-"Ah, we're screwed !!" replied Mahoney, collapsing.
Director Hwang's pupils suddenly became elliptical as he addressed the beast: "If we fight here it will cause enormous damage and deaths, and I can promise you, you won't leave unscathed. But if possible I'd prefer to avoid going that far..."
The creature fixed Hwang from the depths of its eyes while displaying a mocking smile.
-"You also have something to protect, don't you?" continued Hwang, who understood very well the creature's actions as it stood just above the coffin. "We have no intention of harming the boy. If you want, we can even help you protect him. You can trust me."
The beast, which seemed to understand every word Director Hwang addressed to it, stopped smiling and approached him.
It placed its head right in front of Hwang and stared into his eyes like a death warning.
Fsshhhhhh
The enormous black figure compressed into two siamese spheres. In an instant, the beast had become a gourd again.
It levitated above the coffin then fell onto the wooden statue. The gourd began to melt on the statue's chest like jelly to become one with it, leaving only a symbol on the surface where the fusion had occurred.
The next instant, the wooden surface of the statue crumbled by itself to reveal skin radiant with vitality.
The sleeping boy finally opened his eyes.
- END of CHAPTER -