Zaigu: Part One

Zaigu, a world of rich cultural diversity, had its roots in a complete mystery. And Zaigu, a land of infinite ecological activity, had an environment bathed in ambiguity. There was something peculiar about this small universe in itself called Zaigu; something special about it. If ever life was to be restored, only Zaigu could restore it.

Presently, Zaigu’s magnificent landscape did not reflect the predicament of its people. Leaks in the twisted Hijil system seemed to have let in outsiders in search of resources, and Zaigu had started to reflect the image of the intergalactic wasteland. A young man called Nadai, caught within the newly established slavery regiment on Zaigu, had something to say to a dying humanity, even if he did not yet know it.

And so begins the story of Zaigu...

One

----Excerpt from the ancient Hawkanin encyclopedia, the Kiloin

A slim, muscular figure wearing a tattered, brown rag around his waist bolted towards a wide, ancient looking gate in the distance. He darted through shallow pools of water and hopped over high-voltage electric fences, letting no obstacle impede him in the slightest, not even the dark. Occasionally he looked back, his shoulder length hair jumping to the side, observing an iridescent sphere shaped prison shrink more with each thrust forwards.

All around him, above and to the sides, a nearly opaque dark neon blue spherical covering could be seen. It seemed as if the surroundings were all no more than the inside of a gigantic room. This huge, false sky that shone blue light extended all around eye’s sight. Other than the sparkling blue glow above and to the sides, there was only a single path leading towards a low gate a few kilometers away. From the spherical prison behind to the gateway ahead, the path gradually increased in simplicity. The ground was hard and bumpy, making running an arduous task. But fortunately, he had passed the roughest terrain, that of barbed wire fences and booby traps.

His name was Nadai. A decrepit wooden medallion on his neck clanked back and forth, making contact with a small, tri-cylindrical shaped key tied to a string, also around his neck. Nadai had found it previously while in his cell. In an instance he had recognized it as one of the master keys of the Hawkinan Prison. Such a key was not only compatible with the lock on every cell in the prison camp, but with the dome as well. The key had simply appeared one day in a most suspicious manner, but Nadai had jumped to the conclusion that a friend had surreptitiously placed it for him rather than that a Hawkanin had laid it as bait, without any other evidence. He reiterated his thoughts on the incident as he ran.

Had I really been certain that the key came of good intentions? Or had my rational thinking slipped under my blind yearning for freedom...he thought and began to show a worried look on his face. He searched deeper into his memories of that day, two weeks ago, and could not find anything convincing that his plan to escape had been a logical choice. What a fool I was to risk my life on such feeble reasoning! And only now, only during my escape when I have nearly reached my goal, does this thought befall me...