Prologue:

Leonex Davidson was tired.

Granted, these days he was always tired, one way or the other. But today was especially tiring; it was just one of those days.

The sound of his boots landing on the concrete floor echoed throughout the vast monolithic walls surrounding him, the only proof of life in a desolate world. The man's eyes could barely distinguish the features of the building he was exploring in the dark and gloomy atmosphere that permeated everything.

Even the transparent wall serving as a window to the outside was utterly unremarkable. Only the vaguest hint of light emitted from the dim dwarf star hanging high and burning cool in the foreign sky, sending meek, dull red rays through the glass and into the empty skyscraper the man was in. One of the many empty edifices demarcating the fall of an ancient civilization.

It was a quiet universe, on the edge of heat death.

Leo sighed, hefting the wooden lever-action rifle strapped onto his shoulder and pulling the coat on his back closer to himself as he continued wandering aimlessly onward through the silent building, killing time. That was all he ever did these days, it would seem.

Quietly, he made his way to the staircase at the corner of the building and began to climb, keeping his steps light and gentle out of habit. With each step he took, he regressed deeper and deeper into himself.

He hated worlds like these.

The ones with nothing to distract him from the demons hiding within his memories. The ones that did nothing to disguise the loneliness haunting him.

Slowly, mechanically, his legs continued to move, dragging his body endlessly forward. A quaint metaphor for his life.

The stairs ended, and his noisy breathing leveled out as his boots made contact with carpeting, brittle and colorless from the years. He made his way through the dark hallway, absently keeping his eyes scanning the various doorways on the off-chance that there was anything lurking in the shadows that could pose a threat to him.

But there was nothing. Only the quiet thumps of his own boots on carpet kept him company.

How long has he been wandering? Leo pondered detachedly as he walked. It was funny just how little time held meaning to a person who travelled worlds.

To a man just trying to go home.

Tick… Tick… Tick…

Leo blinked as the foreign sound grew louder as he approached, a sound that mimicked the steps of his boots.

There, in the corner of an obscure, darkened office, stood a simple, primitive clock. Nothing fancy. According to the display, it was currently around noon. And that was all the information it knew.

Leo stood there in the doorway, watching the clock as it continued to tick, deafeningly loud in the silent atmosphere. Still counting time for a world that no longer held any use for such a concept. Useless.

With a slight shake of his head, Leo turned away from the brief curiosity and moved on, the ticking fading away the farther he walked.

Eventually, the man made his way to his destination, grunting as he pushed a hard steel door open, fighting against ages worth of rust. With a huff, the man managed to squeeze his way out of the jammed portal, stepping out onto the roof of the building.

A desolate city sprawled out before him. High up in the sky, the single dying dwarf star slowly and quietly burned to death, one of the few remaining sources of heat in the universe. A thick forest of concrete titans jutted out haltingly from the dead ground, their foundations solid yet their occupants absent.

Leo let out an exhausted grunt as he settled himself down on the edge of the roof, his legs dangling carelessly over the edge, over the vast network of empty streets hundreds of feet below. He gazed around, his eyes detached and haunted.

Just one of those days.

One of those days where he could not forbid himself from reaching into himself and remembering the mistakes of the past. One of those days of keen longing, and deeply-rooted despair. Just another one.

He sat there quietly, a wanderer marooned away from everything he loved.

Ever so slowly, his eyes fell from the horizon to the deadly drop in front of him, a strange look on his face. His hand clenched.

He forced his thoughts away from the abyss, jerking his gaze up towards the stars above.

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

"Notice. Device charge complete. Notification code: 0203."

The noises rang inside his own mind, but not outside. He grunted, standing up and away from the ledge. With a practiced thought, the man sent a mental message to the device embedded in his brain.

The device that allowed him to wander between worlds.

BEEP!

"Notice. Confirmation required. Notification code: 7021."

Leo took one last look over the desolate horizon with a detached expression. The silence held firm. Not even a single gust of wind blew in the air. This world was dead.

There was no point in staying.

And with that thought in mind, Leo nodded his head, seemingly to himself.

BEEP!

"Notice. Initializing. Notification code: 7029."

A sharp, acute hum filled his ears as the device in his head began the familiar routine of transporting the man to a different world. He had long ago lost track of how many times he'd had to listen to this same whining pitch growing louder and louder in his ears.

He let out a sigh as the whining peaked, his vision blanking out as the machine overrode his biological sensory processes in favor of easing the transition.

Just another step in an endless path.

A sudden blinding flash of light briefly illuminated the roof of the skyscraper in a brilliant cutting burst of color in a dull world. For a brief second, it was as if the sun had returned to full strength, announcing its presence to the empty towers of the broken city.

And then just like that, the flash vanished, returning the world to atrophy.

Just like that, the wanderer of worlds continued his ceaseless journey, foolishly searching for the place he called home.

Just one of those days.