<h2 style="text-align: center">Chapter Twenty-one: Thanassiss – Between Jaw and Clouds </h2>


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    Chronifer felt a mounting dread as they sailed toward the monster. A creature like this wasn’t supposed to exist.


    But then, neither was he.


    He took a deep breath, steadying himself. His gaze locked onto the serpent. Its skin was the color of night, and only its head was visible – the rest of its cosmic body lost in the darkness of space. Yet, every so often, green sparkles flickered across its form.


    I guess that''s where the Eyeless centre is. Chronifer guessed. Despite its apparent stillness, perhaps even its death, its mere existence unsettled him.


    He found old worries which Oniihino had put an end to begin rearing their head, a stream of unease crept into his mind, old questions he had conquered attempted to rise again, was he ready? Was he big enough? Before they could make him waver he stamped on them and firmed his resolve, yes he was scared, but he would not wait before he strived for what he wanted from life and himself. He was ready, not because he was prepared but because he wanted to be.


    <hr>


    Not long after, they were all streaming out of the Strider and onto a platform similar to the one they had left Onyx Thorn from. Chronifer hadn’t paid much attention to the visible parts of the planet beyond the Serpent’s Maw, but as they got closer, he finally took a good look—and it was terrifying, yet beautiful.


    The land and water masses hovered in the air, fractured from the planet’s core, yet still seemingly whole. Land and sea, separated yet intertwined, connected by massive roots and impossible streams of water that defied gravity. Standing on the towering platform, Chronifer took in the breathtaking view. Below, in the distant landmasses, were cities, mountains and forests. Unlike the grim image the serpent had provided, the world below radiated life, nature, and peace.


    Although to the other aide of the horizon the serpents maw hung like a beckon of a never ending doom


    “Young lord, greetings. I am of the Dunsara,” a voice suddenly cut through his thoughts.


    Chronifer barely had time to process before a flood of introductions and pleasantries came his way. His mind quickly filled with family names, one after another, each person hoping to get in his good graces. He didn’t care much about them personally, but he understood their importance. So he made polite conversation, letting them feel like they had earned his recognition—though, in truth, it was purely strategic. He would remember their names, their faces, and any useful details about them. If there was anything to gain from them in the future, he would take advantage of it.


    Yet, one thing struck him as odd—none of the families Ruhira had listed before had come forward. Instead, he noticed a few teenagers lingering at the edge of the crowd, watching from a distance. He spared them a glance before shifting his focus, scanning for Nyte—only to find the boy approaching him.


    “Wow, you sure know how to draw a crowd. Too bad you couldn’t pull Drazel from his notepad,” Nyte said dryly.


    Chronifer followed his gaze and saw Drazel standing apart, scribbling furiously, lips moving in constant murmurs.


    “What’s he doing?” Chronifer wondered aloud.


    “Making calculations… the fucker’s crazy. Leave him be,” Nyte replied with a shrug.


    “I bet you just forgot what for, didn’t you?” Chronifer asked, a smug smile playing on his lips.


    Nyte scoffed, crossing his arms dramatically. “I’m not letting your insult force me to prove myself.”


    Chronifer chuckled. “Where were you earlier?”


    “I was rebuffed by the wave of people swarming you,” Nyte said, glancing around as if expecting to be caught in another flood.


    “You know you’re probably going to attract attention yourself, right?” Chronifer pointed out.


    “Yet, I haven’t,” Nyte said, raising an eyebrow.


    Chronifer narrowed his eyes slightly. “You seem different. More… open in how you’re speaking. And a bit happy.”


    Nyte blinked, looking down at himself as if searching for visible changes. “Really?”


    “Yeah. You don’t sound like it physically pains you to talk anymore, and you look—” Chronifer paused, studying him. “—thrilled about something.”


    Nyte exhaled, his gaze drifting toward the silhouette hanging over the world. “You saw the system and the serpent,” he said, leading into a thought.


    Chronifer nodded, waiting.


    “When I saw it,” Nyte hesitated, as if unsure if he should continue. But he did. “I knew at that moment—fuck a quiet life. I want to see everything the multiverse has to offer. I want to explore, to witness more sights like that.”


    His voice carried a blissful wonder, yet underneath it lurked a deep sadness. A sadness of realization—of only now understanding what he had missed out on.


    “In that moment… something inside me just clicked.”


    Stolen story; please report.


    Chronifer let the words sink in, then nodded. “That makes two of us. I have to see everything too.”


    Both boys stood in silence, staring at the dark silhouette looming above one side of the world.


    Although their reverie didn’t last long, the murmur of the crowd around them was ever growing and a sudden commanding and ushering voice drew both their attention.


    “Arrivals from the Montcroix-Wythe Planet''s, welcome to Thanassiss. A teleportation Circle has been made for faster transportation from here to the Eyeless Centre. If you will, we would ask you to form fifty lines. You''ll be led through the circle one person at a time.” The voice ended and the crowd broke out into shouts, murmurs and scrambling.


    Chronifer, Nyte and Drazel rushed into the end of the second line made close to where the voice talked from. He spotted Tehn, who was already waving. He did the same. Then Tehn mouth: “Good luck young lord.”


    Chronifer then gave him a nod.


    Chronifer found himself intrigued by the boy, in this life he wanted a group of people he would trust, those he''ll watch their back them his and something in the boy made chronifer want him as one of those people who will stand beside him. Tehn. He mused.


    After several more instructions from the man who Chronifer never actually got to see the first line with Tehn began marching Slowly then Chronifer’s flowed after. Shocking swiftly, individual after individual Vanished in a burst of hazy fog.


    “Truly Splendid, such an advanced teleportation Circle. Urg, I''ve got to focus on one thing, one thing.” Said Drazel, turning back to solving furiously.


    Slowly with the accompanying murmurs of the crowd, it was soon Chronifer’s turn to step into the circle drawn of intricate golden geometrical symbols, they seemed to shine in the sunlight. They didn''t seem similar to what he had seen in any manner, but he supposed he wouldn''t know.


    In a burst, Chronifer found himself standing among countless others—none of them the people who had gone before him. Then, the frigid cold assaulted him, and a sudden void of sound seemed to devour the world. The pale, bleak monochrome that had swallowed the landscape caught his attention.


    He looked up. A faint shadow loomed overhead, obscured by dark, tumultuous clouds. Turning, he spotted something in the distance—a colossal fang, barely visible through the haze.


    We''re inside the damned mouth of the snake.


    His stomach twisted with an uncomfortable fear.


    Shivering under the relentless cold, he forced himself to take in his surroundings. Before them, a circular podium stood, holding six massive paper-walled structures. Lanterns burned behind the thin walls, casting eerie glows through the intricate designs and colors that marked each one. Yet, no silhouettes lingered behind them. No sign of life.


    To the side, massive pillars stretched into the churning sky, vanishing into the dark ceiling of the serpent’s maw. They formed circular loops, supporting the massive platform on which they stood. Below—far below—Chronifer had spotted what looked like land in the distance, but as he studied it again, doubt clawed at him. Was it truly solid ground? Or was it something else? A dark gas, shifting and churning like a living thing?


    Pushing aside the unease gnawing at him, Chronifer turned his focus to the others. Most seemed his age—short, hesitant, and afraid. A few carried themselves with the air of training and discipline, but only one figure truly stood out to him—at least, among those he could observe.


    A girl.


    Her gaze swept the area, sharp and calculating. Then, crimson eyes met his pale gold.


    In that moment, Chronifer saw nothing childlike in her. Yet, he did not think she was like him—not someone who had lived another life. No, what he saw in her posture was something else. The poise of a fighter. A predator waiting for the moment to strike.


    For the first time, he understood what his father had meant when he spoke of the children of the Spiral.


    Now, he was seeing one for himself.


    <hr>


    Faurysa(POV)


    Faurysa Elisia-Betell Shinasho watched Cipher’s son, questioning whether her father had been right about the praise Cipher lavished on his talent. The boy seemed too relaxed—so much so that it almost looked as if he had never learned a thing about combat.


    She lowered her hand, still smiling as she observed the flustered boy. His reaction only reinforced an age-old joke about the Montcroix-Wythe clan: they were always socially awkward and…


    Her thoughts faltered when Cipher’s son suddenly waved back, flashing a brilliant smile—one that seemed almost rehearsed. She ached to pull out her jotter and start taking notes on his behavior, but something else caught her attention. As he shifted ever so slightly, she noticed it—a faint.


    His bloody stance was a faint. He had hide the steady preparedness that came with being trained so well.


    Jealousy flared, tangled with admiration and resentment.


    Faurysa nodded at him with a smile, then turned away. As soon as her back was to him, her expression fell, exhaustion and turmoil pressing down on her. She made her way toward a tightly packed space, glancing over her shoulder. He hadn’t followed. He had even stopped watching her.


    Yet she still felt watched.


    She took a deep breath, steadying herself. After everything her mother had sacrificed to give her life… after years of training under her father…


    And then this.


    Cipher had arrived at their castle, speaking of his so-called genius son, singing praises. But what had shaken her father most was not the praise—it was Cipher’s question, one no creature in existence would ever expect from him:


    "How do I become a better father?"


    She and her older brother hadn’t been allowed into the living area for the rest of the conversation.


    Ever since, she had wanted to see this Chronifer. And now she had.


    He had not disappointed her.


    She wished he had.


    Her two years of grueling training under her father, Ryuu Gregor Shinasho, seemed to have been matched—if not surpassed—by a boy who had been crippled for most of his life and had trained for only six months.


    Was Ennui right?


    The thought struck deep, a fear she dared not voice.


    Did Mother waste her life trying to fix me?


    The idea clawed at her, yet she had faced these doubts countless times and refused to let them fester. Instead, she made a decision.


    I’ll make sure your sacrifice wasn’t in vain, Mother.


    The words resonated more deeply than ever before,


    With that final thought, the air trembled—an omen of their arrival.


    And then, the screaming began.