In his subconscious, he could hear a cacophony of sounds. It was noisy, but a few seconds later and it all died down.
Later on
Just beyond the mountains to the east, there stood an impenitrable fortress that loomed in the distance.
Behind it's mighty walls, somewhere in the town, trouble brewed in silence.
"So I looked out of the window to see what was making all that noise, and suddenly...".
"What did you see?".
"Come on, spill it already".
In a small bar filled with thugs, rascals and hobos, a man chose to entertain the crowd. Everyone leaned forward on their chairs, curiousity on their faces.
Even the bartender was captivated by his tale, despite the fact that any of it was hardly true.
The story teller stood on a chair, a jar of rum in one had, and he spoke.
"Alright... So as I looked out, what I saw was something that has only ever been mentioned in books, it was huge, horrifying..."
"That's enough".
Before the words could leave his mouth, a heavy baritone voice echoed throughout, leaving everyone stunned.
They all turned at the same time towards the source of the voice, and it had originated from a sit at the end of the counter.
Sitting on a stool by the counter, backing the crowd, the mysterious man lifted his head slightly without turning to them, and addressed the people.
"I've had enough of that dumb story, shut the hell up or I'll make you", he said so as he took another sip of his drink.
Sour expressions appeared on their faces, and quiet murmurs rose. Eventually, one amongst them stood up and challenged the uncultured man.
"Hey buddy, I don't like your attitude, so I'm gonna have to ask you to leave".
The challenger looked like a seasoned fighter, with cuts and bruises all over his body.
The challenger stood with confidence, looming over the man like an eerie shadow.
The man however paid him no attention, and continued to sip his drink, nonchalantly.
The challenger lost face in front of the crowd, as everyone began to mock him.
He growled and gritted his teeth, and reached out to the man to grab... tried to grab him by the shoulder.
His hand however didn't meet the target, and was rather met by a retaliation. The man grabbed the challenger's incoming hand and twisted the fingers in ways that were wrong, in one move.
The man then got up from his stool. Standing at 6'2 feet, he easily towered above the fallen challenger.
His glacy green eyes beamed with lethality, as he gave off sinister killing intent.
"Wait, th-that's.. Fade!", a woman uttered in fear.
Nyren looked around, and suddenly, he felt a pang of pain in his head. The noises were all blocked out, and to the rest, it seemed like he heard something.
After a short pause, he picked up his glass and drank what was left of his drink and casually walked out.
Walking down a narrow path leading to the city, he murmured under his breathe, conversing with a voice that could only be heard by him.
"What is it?".
"I almost had it, if it weren't for you".
"I was doing my job".
"Hold up...".
He breathed in,
"Do you think I'm a joke?".
"Fine, I'll be there".
All this time, he had a deadpan look contoured on his face, like a ghoulish killer.
He sighed, lifted his gaze to the sun, and thought.
"Wish the sun wouldn't be so hot".
He lowered his head and pop on a hood attached to his cloak, and with a steady pace, he walked towards the center of the city.
Meanwhile
A couple of minutes ago at the Specialized Clinical Hospital, a young man had been rushed in by nurses with a stretcher. He was unconscious and an oxygen mask was attached to his face. It was Zenix.
His state didn't seem so dire, as the person who brought him stopped at the main entrance.
After he was tended to, the nurses took him to a different ward where he could rest until he regained consciousness.
He was currently laid on a bed in one of the wards, which was empty and with hardly any noise making it's way in.
In his subconscious, all Zenix could see was a plane and white space all around him. It was eeriely empty, with a feel that told of a luminal space.
He suddenly flinched as he was assaulted by a sudden burst of noise. It was at first distinct and distant, but steadily grew louder, like it's source was getting closer.
He tried to cancel it out, but the more he resisted, the more painstakingly persistent it became.
But it wasn't coming from the outside world, it was all in his head. He thrashed about on the bed, but it didn't stop, until he couldn't take it anymore.
His eyes opened in an instant and he shot himself upwards into a sitting position. His chest rose and fell heavily with every breath.
He hadn't started to process his current situation when something else came to his mind. He uttered in silence.
"The Resonance".