V-Monsters Re:Alive

It was massive.

An ancient structure, its metal walls worn down by time, covered in moss and tree roots.

Corroded columns reached for the sky, while twisted, blackened beams hinted at a place that once held great significance.

Kenji was speechless.

"Incredible…"

Seeing it in person felt like uncovering a hidden treasure. No book could ever replace the experience of standing before something so old and unknown.

Pulsebun hopped onto a pile of rubble, then ran over to a rusted piece of metal embedded in the ground.

"This isn't stone. It looks like some kind of alloy I've never seen before…" he muttered, poking at it with his claws. "Maybe I can melt it down and analyze it later."

"You're already thinking about dismantling a historical site…" Aiko crossed her arms.

"If the past doesn't help me build the future, what good is it?!" Pulsebun shot back.

Kenji ignored them and stepped toward what looked like an entrance. A massive rusted door lay toppled on the ground, half-buried in dirt.

He knelt to examine it closely.

"This was probably automatic once…" Pulsebun observed. "This door wasn't designed to be pushed open. It was meant to slide on its own."

"What makes you think that?" Aiko asked, glancing at him.

"Even in ruins, you can tell the edges are more worn down than the rest."

Kenji nodded, analyzing the structure.

"And right here…" Pulsebun pointed to the ground. "There's a groove, almost the exact width of the door. I think it used to slide into this slot."

"But this steel plate is way too heavy." Kenji tried lifting it, but it wouldn't budge. "And if it was automatic, it must have required a huge amount of energy…"

Pulsebun hopped in front of them.

"So, are we going in, or are we just gonna stand here admiring it?"

Aiko sighed.

"So much mystery over a pile of metal and stone…"

They stepped inside, and the darkness of the ruins swallowed them whole.

Inside, the air was dense and cold. The high ceiling was held up by corroded metal beams, while cracks in the floor had given way to creeping roots and moss.

But the strangest thing was the lingering feeling that this place had once been alive.

Even in the dim light, Kenji could see marks on the ground—traces of hallways and rooms that had been used long ago. He lit an oil lantern and shone it against the walls.

His heart pounded.

"Look at this…"

Carved into the metal, the symbols were unlike anything they had ever seen. Geometric lines and patterns intertwined, forming primitive circuits—pieces of a long-lost system.

Pulsebun stepped closer.

"These look like… electrical schematics," he murmured, analyzing the engravings. "If I could activate this, I might be able to figure out how this place stored its energy."

"Like a jar storing flour?" Aiko asked.

"More than that. A power source capable of keeping something running for centuries."

Kenji was mesmerized by the symbols.

"This proves that the ancient civilization had technology far more advanced than we ever imagined… But why was all of it forgotten?"

He scanned the room and noticed a side hallway.

"Come on, I think there's more over there."

They moved forward, passing through what looked like a research hall. Destroyed metal tables and shattered structures suggested this place had once been a center of study—maybe even a laboratory.

At the center of the room, a large circular structure was embedded in the floor.

Kenji stopped in his tracks.

"This looks like… a ritual chamber."

Pulsebun twitched his ears.

Aiko cautiously stepped forward. The circle on the ground had small engraved markings, as if something had rotated or activated in its center.

She stepped onto the circle.

The air around her vibrated.

Blue lines began glowing, following a pattern—an ancient mechanism coming to life.

And then, Aiko's vision went black.

For a moment, she felt like she was falling. Then, light and symbols began flashing before her eyes. Lines and sequences—unintelligible yet somehow familiar—flowed through her mind as if she were reading a language she had never learned but could mysteriously understand.

It was a stream of information.

Lines of code.

Formulas.

Data maps.

Aiko's heart raced. What was this?

A voice whispered in her mind:

"Identity recognized. Access granted."

Then, glimpses of something far greater flashed before her eyes.

Images of an ancient world—one where lights shone without fire, where messages could be sent without scrolls or messengers.

And then… everything went dark.

Aiko collapsed to her knees, gasping for air.

"Aiko!" Kenji rushed to her. "What happened?!"

She looked up at him, still breathless.

"I… I saw something."

Pulsebun hurried over, concerned.

"What do you mean?"

Aiko's eyes drifted back to the glowing circle on the ground.

"This place… isn't just a ruin. It's still alive."

Kenji frowned.

"Alive?"

She slowly nodded.

"I saw codes. Data. This place is part of something much bigger… something that still exists."

Silence fell between them.

"But what are 'codes'?" Kenji asked.

Outside, the world seemed the same. But within those ruins, a long-buried secret had awakened.

And Aiko knew—this was just the first piece of a much larger puzzle.