Chapter 92: The Bonfire
Their shadows slowly moved away.
They stretched across the arduously cultivated artificial field. Two souls that had communicated only what was just and necessary.
Both only needed a toast to commemorate that day. Probably one of the last that still remained.
The clock continued advancing without mercy, fading the brutality and passions of reality into nonsense.
"This place is much better than simply surviving outside. You should fake an injury; they might allow you to stay."
"Will they let me leave? I thought I had to break an arm and threaten a lawsuit for them to finally let me go." Gabriel commented with sarcasm.
"Neither of us is any kind of genius. They already know everything. They know about the video. I’m surprised you’re still breathing."
Instantly Gabriel felt his muscles tense. His facial features forced a smile.
"How much do they know?"
"Everything!"
***
Time passed like a spring leaf falling, surprisingly fast.
Gabriel had expected that, as soon as he finished talking with Noel, the two agents would return to take him away immediately. The veteran had been clear: his stay would be limited.
However, no one appeared.
The minutes transformed and his stay extended.
He walked with Noel along stone paths, observed some trainings, and superficially learned the routine of the recruits. Little by little, the initial tension began to dissipate.
Hidden under countless metal assemblies, the camp was extraordinarily unique. It transmitted an intimate sensation that connected with the heart—forgetting the dissected monsters.
"I’m starting to think they forgot about me."
Noel smiled.
A disgustingly familiar smile. One that explicitly expressed: "you’re right."
Gabriel felt his stomach turn at the thought of the possibility. He would not like at all spending the rest of his days next to his analytical friend.
When they returned toward the center of the camp, the atmosphere had changed completely.
Several recruits were gathering thick wooden logs. They were forming a wide circle with enormous stones.
A stage with wooden benches was already built surrounding it.
It was an arduous collective work.
"Are these the famous bonfires of the past?"
"Like every afternoon, friend. No one misses the neon lights."
Above them the artificial sky began to tinge with soft orange tones.
Gabriel contemplated the enormous pile of firewood. He smiled ironically.
"Are you completely sure I won’t be the sacrifice?"
Noel pretended to meditate a few seconds.
"Truth is, I’d love to see it." He said with malice.
Little by little the other recruits began to approach. They gathered in small groups. There were those who greeted Noel and those who observed him discreetly.
He perceived curiosity without any kind of hostility.
But among the crowd a slightly familiar figure stood out. It was the boy he had hit exactly that afternoon.
He had carefully bandaged bandages on his nose. His face remained swollen like a potato soaked in water.
He walked with a miserable expression.
As he passed next to Gabriel he muttered through his teeth:
"Fuck you."
"Looks like the doctor did a good job."
The young man completely ignored the comment. He headed directly toward Noel.
"You told me to intimidate him a little!" He indignantly pointed at his own face.
"Does this seem like a little to you?!"
For the first time Noel revealed an embarrassed expression. He raised both hands pleading an apology.
After a tempting offer of extra dessert, he ended up leaving repeating unintelligible words.
His nose would probably take time to heal.
Gabriel observed everything that happened as if it were a cinematic piece.
"So you were conspiring behind my back?"
Noel responded with total naturalness.
"We needed to check if you were still so impulsive."
"We needed? I suppose it worked."
"Only me."
Their discussion was interrupted when an intense light emerged from a small metal platform located next to the bonfire.
Everyone present immediately raised their heads. The light began to take shape.
A man appeared suspended over the stage. It was not a body of flesh and bone.
His body was composed of countless luminous particles. A perfect hologram.
The entire camp fell silent. Even those who were still working immediately left their tools.
The figure slowly observed those present. His voice resonated with impeccable clarity.
"Stars of the New Dawn, today you have a guest."
Dozens of gazes automatically directed toward Gabriel. He felt an uncomfortable itch run down his back.
The hologram continued.
"Pay attention: events evolve every day. And we, as the human race, cannot afford any negligence."
His voice transmitted a firm conviction.
"For that reason we must all work united. With honesty and with sacrifice, to contribute to this determination."
He heard every word with honesty.
The speech was polished and stimulating. But even so, it did not contain too much value.
It was very different from the motivational speeches he had heard in the past, but it was not so memorable.
Slowly he came to understand that his appearance was no coincidence.
Those things did not happen by accident or improvisation.
That message had been exactly polished so that he would hear what he needed to hear.
It could be worse.
At his side Noel observed him with skepticism. Both shared a common thought.
The organization clearly urged its young recruits to advance and accelerate their growth. The reason could only be one.
It was because the exterior world changed much faster than expected. Even the elites seemed to be reacting.
The hologram proceeded.
"You are valuable assets for the future. Each one of you will form part of the most select ranks that will face the great disaster."
His gaze slowly swept over each recruit.
"Keep your swords sharp."
It was a speech that maintained a political tone, to which the speaker arduously adhered.
But in his voice it was impossible to feign the imperceptible nuance of concern.
Finally the man concluded.
"School of Tomorrow, rest."
The image began to decompose. Thousands of luminous particles slowly ascended until they disappeared.
Finally a young man advanced with a torch and the firewood began to burn.
The first flames grew slowly. Until they became intense.
The orange sparks ascended toward the sky before extinguishing.
They dissipated in a small explosive force.
Until disappearing into nothing.
***
After the glow, conversations immediately began with vitality. The recruits settled around the fire.
Surprisingly there existed no kind of constant competition to demonstrate who was the best or follow a hierarchical order.
There were those who stood out and those who did not.
Rivalry and conflicts driven by ego were totally denatured.
Instead he found cooperation in that small community. As if everyone understood that no individual would survive alone.
Noel followed the direction of his gaze.
"That’s how the days pass here."
"They are better than on the surface."
Noel chewed slowly in silence. He seemed to debate internally and finally spoke.
"Gabriel... Never stop playing that game."
"The Heaven Beyond All?"
"Yes."
Noel fixed his gaze on the flames.
"I don’t know what awaits us, nor how this will end, but I am completely sure that that game will be important."
Both observed the fire in silence. The logs disappeared slowly, converted first into embers and then into ashes.
The fire devoured everything with constant patience.
He remembered the dissected Pseudo-Tyrant.
And his progress in the great mysterious ruin.
"Maybe it will save your ass when one of those monsters comes to eat you." He said looking directly at Noel.
"I hope so. Because I plan to hide behind you if one of those monsters comes back."
Gabriel shook his head with an expression between exasperation and amusement.
But he recognized his own response deep down. He would never allow himself to stop advancing. The game had lost its economic appeal a long time ago.
He needed to become strong. Even stronger. He no longer sought only to survive.
He wanted to become the authentic Twilight.
***
Finally two known figures appeared in the distance. Again it was the veteran agent and the fool with the bump.
He knew he had to leave when they raised their hand. It was a signal of goodwill.
At that moment he could only observe his friend. No great goodbyes were needed.
Only a strong handshake.
Then he began to walk with the two agents. Neither spoke during the journey.
His mind continued reviewing everything lived since he had entered those facilities. Each moment was valuable knowledge.
But at the same time it represented an even more terrifying reality. Where humans would no longer be the animals at the top of the food chain.
When he looked back, an uncommon phenomenon caught his attention. He stopped by inertia.
The agents observed his movements carefully.
There was a dozen recruits who remained seated on the grass. They had their legs crossed and their eyes remained closed.
In their hands they held a blue crystal that shone slightly.
The faint glow enveloped them in a mysterious mist.
Like a dream that reproduced before him—or a sectarian practice.
The stillness was deeply transcendental.
The blue light quickly became a perfect circle. Transmitting a restorative sensation.
He had to hold his breath. Very deep inside him, he felt a hidden force that reacted discreetly to the attraction.
Probably it was the most memorable of the camp.
One of the most significant acts before the new history that unfolded before his eyes.