Major troubles Outside put regular people's minds towards the history of improvements. This went on for as long as necessary or as long as it was safe.

  Secrets were different, while far too dangerous ideas weren't vital to get out there, or out. Facts about Alphas and Betas under every horde category weren't as simple as words about leaders. Many of them were special cases of Darks, lands, and their hierarchy described countless other merits. Leaders of the Dark legions were hardly simple matters, and that just scratches the surface of this position.

  “Next is this,” Mi-Yung smacked one particular scroll stand, which shook just from her strike. Scrolls opened up, revealing their content.

  “Oh, crevices?” William frowned and swore he had seen something like this recently, not in books or pages, but with his own eyes.

  “You saw them, William. North America has thousands of them, or perhaps even more, if we consider every crack as a crevice. They are the echo of the Dawn, spreading far and wide. Far and deep, of course. Smaller ones are effects of Hordes, or general fights. A crevice or a hole is a cut in the earth, and for us, Darks crawl from there, and they are among the toughest places to wipe out. Dungeons can be included. They are not fun, by the way.”

  “Can you… kill it?” Celeste asked, patting a very deep picture of a large crevice. She wasn’t sure where it was, but it resembled an eye or a massive wound on Earth.

  “Kill what? Dungeon? Sure. Crevices? That requires earth molding and days’ worth of camping. Maybe is my answer, while my true answer is... fuck no. Screw that. This is a bit harder and akin to a war.”

  “I could only imagine how dreadful it is,” Ellie added, whimpering and clutching her mouth when Mi-Yung looked at her as if she were a student speaking in the middle of a very crucial exam.

  “Crevices are far too big and consist of typical physical rankings. Small to... well, apocalyptic. They are homes or countries or cities. Whatever is in their depths is like a big wound on the Earth. Some are even part of other crevices, caves, or various structures that Darks created for whatever reason their sick heads conspired over the past century.”

  “How in the world are those pictures so detailed?” William said, leaning closer to the photos. Such vastness required a huge research. It sounded insane.

  “These are medium ones. In the middle of North America, there is one area around a hundred miles wide and thousands of miles long.”

  “Thousands?!”

  “I doubt you missed that one since it is hard to see it as a crevice. Maybe Luke went around it on purpose. Anyway, travel by air is dangerous and not clever because of the areas and unexplored landscapes of these crevices and dungeons.”

  “But New York City is?” William argued, which surprised Mi-Yung.

  “I have no words to give you, William.”

  “Hm. Then don't tell me some madman actually goes into these things to map and research them?” William asked, eying one picture in particular. It included deeper diagrams of many hidden parts that spanned hundreds of miles in total. Caves, rooms, and even halls depicted crazy grounds. Darks had their fair share of builders, it seemed.

  “Crevices are usually temporarily wiped out, but it is more like a solution to battles rather than wars. Wiping them out means to crash them to bits and let the earth fall. It is easier. I have been to many of them myself, and due to the passage of time, it is nearly impossible to know how far and how many of them there are.”

  William nodded. “Yep. That is understandable. I have never been close to them.”

  “Good. The senseless boy wasn’t stupid, I see. They are big danger zones and quite terrific Darks marks them as their territory. Fan fact: the closer you go to the sea, the fewer of them are there.”

  “That’s not it. New York City is a bit better, isn't it? HOW?!” Ellie argued.

  Mi-Yung rolled her eyes and mumbled to herself. “We aren’t speaking of the same things. Oh, patience. Have patience. I am a teacher today. Teacher. Not a lunatic.”

  “Define a bit?” William asked Ellie and realized what Mi-Yung meant. Not every territory was equal and worth tossing into the same tier, and like people and Darks, they too had differences and irregularities.

  “William, don’t jump. I swear. New York City is... not that. Not worth telling. It is a very specific landmark. Not a crevice.”

  “Why not?” Ellie said, poking at Mi-Yung’s obvious desire to express something nicer than this room. Perhaps it was personal?

  “As I've said. Former cities make excellent foundations. New York City was quite famous and full of incredible skyscrapers. Sounds like a perfect place for nests and stuff.”

  “And travel? I doubted Luke wanted to get over it, and it seems I was right.”

  “It saved time and fuel, and it isn't as if his squad is clueless about such travels,” Mi-Yung excused her husband and turned back to the photos. “Getting rid of their homes is an effective way to force or migrate or piss of Darks. Cramped spaces are a good way to kill them one by one if Walkers are built for it. Skills and physical strength work wonders, and so does deep physical force. That sort of shit works wonders, by the way. Just crash them and smash them. Crevices can get smaller quite quickly. There are many tactics for these scenarios, and Walkers have to learn strategies and work with teams. Which means it is nothing to you right now, William, Celeste. Got it? Not you.” Mi-Yung spoke with the expertise of an experienced Walker, and even Ellie got her last attention.

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  She shut up with saying whatever she wanted to say to her.

  Turning, Mi-Yung was at least glad Celeste looked at her with an improved impression. Whether it was good was hard to tell.

  “Madmen. They are quite brave madpeople.” Ellie whispered to William, who nodded as he watched further details, scribbles, and sketches of those enormous structures.

  “How are they made?” he asked after a while. Undergrounds resembled ant colonies, yet those were actually humongous and reached for miles beneath the surface. Some of them were also way too freaking big.

  “Dawn was a horrible gap and time in history. Some say it was an aftermath of the First Fracture, which means catastrophic arrivals of Darks, waves of Corruptions, Ancient Fog, and natural events. Volcanic effects, tectonic shifts, and earthquakes are next in line. And guess what? Darks didn’t give a shit about them. They either created them, or so some people say, and like this chaos.”

  “But this? This feels systematic.”

  “It is. Some monsters are great builders. You would be shocked.”

  “What the fuck?” William mumbled and looked like an idiot.

  “I've said the same thing... almost. I was seven when I learned of this.”

  This time, he was speechless. Seven?!

  “They are terrifying spaces,” Ellie suggested with more respect than necessary.

  “Yes. Walker Squads require training and a reputation to charge into any given mission or cause. Solo attempts are optimal, but great at leveling and gaining more Skill options. Wiping them is different. Rank 6 or 7 leadership is recommended, and at minimum, Rank 5s are fine with upkeep of these places. It’s for safety concerns, even if rooms and halls can be full of low-ranking Darks. Surveillance is a key, you see. There are houses and homes of Darks you wouldn't mess with, let alone wake up or witness.”

  “I see. I won't ask about them for everyone’s sake. I don't want to know details about them any longer.” William swiftly excused his sorry head, and Mi-Yung was glad he acknowledged that because she didn't. She kind of regretted it a very long time ago.

  “Not like it’s important. A lot of points act like a hand resting on your shoulder. There are reasons even the System restricts many matters, and people do it even more. Most of us hope to teach new generations with already experienced and proven logic. I agree and disagree with these methods at the same time. Why do you think so, Ellie?” She tried her because her perspective and present situation were kind of curious.

  Ellie changed her face and hummed in thought.

  “Knowing can cause panic, and people can be… troublesome. Not giving the public such care is a good thing. Focus and work, and the future of the Federation is a good method of order. Next, I suppose the Assembly is behind this sentiment, while this library does a good thing in a different way. It helps, but not too much. It is very meticulous.”

  “Glad to hear that, but does it make sense to everyone? Young Walkers know the bigger world because of their families or connections, or with already established teachers or their own eyes.” She gave Celeste an eye, but she was as silent as that beast.

  “There are way too many dangerous things Outside than safety. For Walkers, it is their thriving and hazardous motherland.”

  Much to her disappointment, many decisions weren't up to her. Leadership and Assembly had the final words and votes in most matters. They had to create long-term and short-term benefits, and they had been leading for decades. Of course, there were a couple of misses here and there, and they learned from them.

  Not providing unnecessary information to young Walkers, or even low-ranking ones, was another such decision. It was an issue for everyone to deal with. The economy or logistics didn't significantly influence this topic. Raising Ranks was often an individual endeavor, and progress was sensitive to the mind and the stability of the senses. Teams and teacher-like effects could only help to a certain degree, or in a specific situation. Nobody wanted to stagnate and weaken, but it happened way too often.

  It wasn't too bad, considering there was a rather sizable death toll among the young Walkers in active duty. Mi-Yung was aware of those statistics, and it was a goal of many to lower that number every year.

  Alas, who would be ready to go head to head with those prime predators that cracked this world? Kids who barely had normal teens, or… well, they weren’t even adults, yet they handled the strength of no humanity. It had its shortcomings and wrong expectations, or the power of preparations was just not there.

  That’s why pushing the Forced Awakened Walkers into active duty wasn’t a lawful agreement. They wouldn’t go out there straight away, and that had been the law for many years. Again, Outside didn’t know that, and so did William.

  Preparing them for what was yet to come was hard, yet most Assembly Pillars and even more experienced Walkers had their own thoughts about this and how to approach this devious issue.

  Mi-Yung was the same.

  Perhaps this society was long overdue for a sensible change of order. Young generations needed that like a charm, and so did older generations, but it didn't seem to change at all. Changes weren’t often excellent and acceptable. Such tasks required time, tools, a lot of work, and justification. And votes, of course. One shouldn't forget the law or people who supported everything behind the scenes, or created places worth protecting.

  “I am kind of overwhelmed.” William shook his head. “It's true. Please, don't pinch my face or scalp.” William joked, feeling apprehensive about Mi-Yung and what she said.

  His opinions were slowly changing, and his opinion about what to know ahead of time was no longer very important to him. For now, he wanted peace and to study those materials. Alone or with these people, it didn’t matter to him which was ahead, but it was true that one of them was more optimal.

  “I can pinch your guts,” Mi-Yung offered, pounding her fist into her palm.

  “N-no, thanks. I like to keep my meal in my stomach.”

  “I bet. Anyway, what are the next ones?”

  Mi-Yung went back to her lecture mode and began to describe geopolitics, locations, and sensitive conclusions about South and North America. She said fewer concerns about a broader world for several good reasons, but even then, there were a lot of things to show.

  Sometimes, Ellie asked questions, William answered, or Mi-Yung, who was talking most of the time, tested everyone out.

  It seemed converting already-made canyons was easy for Darks, but the Dawn created even more changes to this planet. Outside was unaware of most of them simply because they were far from them, and too many years had passed.

  Mi-Yung didn't forget about the worst historical record. The Dawn destroyed major metropolises, nations, and countless homes. Many such places were fine for a couple of Darks, or many, even without close humans.

  Add to that the shocking mark of this current era, with not many people around, and what should they think? William realized Darks didn’t think much about humans anymore, which was odd. Perhaps they were too hungry and wiped out humanity far too quickly. That was false and wrong. They took their damn time and didn't even finish the job. They got... bored, maybe? Even with Walkers in the way? They had already won, in a sense, so it made sense to William.

  That meant the things he had met and seen were just… little and secondary events here and there. The actual truth was even worse?! He didn’t want to believe that.

  Most of the past human infrastructure was obsolete. Roads became one with nature. Cities were the same; either doomed to dust, or converted and standing like New York City, or worse.

  William remembered what he had heard in the past. How the former nations and military used their last cards left, and so on. It was like a middle finger to Darks.

  Or more like a needle. A chunk of the earth felt those nukes, marking devastation and marks of doom into lands. No human could have predicted what that would cause, or why it had happened that way.

  William was thinly aware of those reasons, although he wasn't very trusting.

  Note: I am kind of falling through a rabbit hole. For a couple of months, I have been sitting on a written Diary that William obtained from the Cultural Floor. Like... WRITTEN! It has 47 chapters... non-edited, though, and it describes quite a few things. I don't know how to somewhat implement it to this story, or if I should just outright publish it as another novel. It is in first-person, though, and follows a diary of a certain individual.