《Avrillatria; This Legacy, Our Eclipse》 E#1 - Prologue Nothing ever lasts¡ªit is a trivial, unavoidable truth. However, Kellvar¡ªa nation in the north, had survived what everyone thought would be its end. ...only to face the world¡¯s final tragedy. On that day, there was no warning, only hopeful rays of the afternoon sun shining across the great royal hall, coupled with the sound of hearty laughter. ¡°But of course, HA-HA-HA! It¡¯s all thanks to y¡ª¡± A shame it had to end all too abruptly... ¡°YOUR MAJESTY!¡± ...replaced by the desperate scream, born in the throat of the general standing by the Queen¡¯s side. ¡°ERAYLEN!¡± ¡°MOTHER!¡± ¡°WHAT¡¯S HAPPENING?!¡± A chorus of cries left no trace of the festive atmosphere that had been there just a moment ago. Of the people gathered round the table, half were stunned to witness the Queen¡¯s body collapse into her assistant¡¯s arms, while the others were blinded by a wave of light emitted from the crystal floating in the middle of the room. ¡°It¡¯s The Blessing! DESTROY IT!¡± The general commanded without hesitation, even though his face was a mess of worry and fear¡ªfear of the magic that suddenly swallowed the space around him. A cold void tugged at his very soul, is how it felt. Several attendees whose magic was weakest fell to the floor, but all who survived the initial wave heeded the general¡¯s order¡ªor acted of their own volition. There was no time for hesitation; in mere seconds, mana-infused spears, swords and hammers struck the crystal in quick succession. The blinding light posed a difficulty, but high pitched clangs confirmed the hits... and yet, the crystal remained undamaged. ¡°Thirty! ...seconds!¡± A struggled shout escaped a woman¡¯s mouth as she tried to concentrate¡ªshe was the only grand archmage serving in the royal guard. The woman wasn¡¯t keen to waste time either, even if using her strongest spell right away could make it seem otherwise; there just was no point in trying anything else. The thought of it sent a chill down her spine, but her magic didn¡¯t falter. The two opposing mana streams clashed around the mage wildly, creating spontaneous wind, lightning, flames... It all looked surreal, with her long flaxen hair caught in the currents. ¡°By your lead!¡± The response came from one of the nation¡¯s ministers, but all mages present shared his sentiment. Those who were familiar with the Grand Archmage¡¯s spell¡¯s resonance began preparing their own strikes, while the rest focused on restraining the hostile mana. In the meantime, the warriors formed a defensive formation around the circle of wooden shards¡ªthe remnants of the table that not long ago stood below the crystal. They took turns carrying out attacks in the hopes of expending The Blessing¡¯s mana for its protection, but... everyone gathered in the hall knew that something was wrong. The amount of mana being released was unreasonable¡ªthe act should have been unreasonable... Now that the initial shock began to wear off, among anxiety, brewed doubt. The Blessing had saved the people of this land when the greatest war of all times threatened the remains of the northern alliance; it was a gift to the Queen... so why would it turn on them on this victorious day? Add to it the fact that everyone who collapsed earlier was still breathing, as individuals checking up on them signaled... but the magic unmistakably elicited dread from whoever it touched, and the Queen was still unconscious.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Without their ruler¡¯s guidance, the general relied on the Grand Archmage¡¯s judgement; she voiced no complaints to his order, but... perhaps if only the mage had waited a moment longer with casting her spell, she would have noticed what was happening... As the Queen¡¯s subjects were left to face the situation by themselves, her own mind had drifted far away from the castle¡ª ¡®This... It cannot be...¡¯ Were she able to form an expression in her current state, it would be of terror. Not unlike before, the crystal took over the Queen¡¯s¡ªEraylen¡¯s, senses. It brought her to a palace dripping with grandeur unmatched in the north... in all of the northern continents. There, it showed her the king¡ªher husband; his body lay lifeless on the beautifully crafted marble tiles... next to his men, but also the governors of the south. A foul stench akin to burned hair permeated the air and there was about as much blood on the floor as rubies on the columns¡ªand those were not spared the surrounding excess. ¡®No... No! Why?!¡¯ Soundless shouts echoed in her thoughts. She saw it¡ªthe golems she had built with The Blessing¡¯s help and their bloodied arms... this was their doing. This was her doing¡ªis what she believed. However, even whilst grief and regret flooded her mind, the Queen hadn¡¯t lost sight of what needed to be done. The general had told her about his bad feeling regarding The Blessing before. Now, she needed to get back¡ªto him, to the others. But first, she would confirm whether the artifact had truly tricked her. Its unusual silence, though, was telling. In the past she could command The Blessing to end the possession through magic, yet nothing happened this time. ¡®I ask for thy forgiveness, Ravessia.¡¯ The apology was directed at the goddess whom the whole world revered; it was an apology for calling the crystal her blessing. With that, Eraylen may have realized that her mind was trapped in here, but she was far from hopeless. ¡®There was a cause for the trickery, wasn¡¯t there?¡¯ Whatever were its goals, the crystal had to have a weakness. Even if she were unable to escape the possession, she believed that her nation would survive this emergent threat¡ªbut she would return, no matter what. Because, while The Queen of Kellvar may not have been the greatest mage in the world, that was primarily due to her having a nation to lead. And indeed, the possession proved unchallenging to break. Within a minute, Eraylen had dispelled it, but... what she ¡®awoke¡¯ to¡ªit made her heart drop. At first she noticed that her ears were ringing; next came the lingering smell of singed hair; then lastly... a myriad of shiny particles blurred her vision. They were floating around human statues, from which protruded crystal blades. ¡°D... Drasyl...?¡± She spoke in a timid, quivering voice. It was when she saw her general¡¯s motionless body at her feet, that Eraylen learned despair. Even though several of the nation¡¯s mightiest were gathered in that hall today, they all failed to stop The Blessing¡¯s spell¡ªanother trick. It made Eraylen realize why she had been shown her husband¡¯s misfortune... it was only to cause her pain. This... being... it reveled in her pain. ¡°WHY?!¡± The Queen screamed, surrounded by her rigid subjects, the last of warmth leaving their bodies. For the first time in her life, she shed tears. But then, a weak plea sounded from behind her... ¡°M-mother?¡± ...and Eraylen¡¯s shoulders shook. ¡°Ve... Venny!¡± She turned around in a jittery motion to find her daughter on the brink of death. Just how the general had saved his Queen, the assistant had done his utmost to save her daughter... but it was not enough. Seeing half of Venny¡¯s body covered in the mixture of jagged crystals and skin, Eraylen¡¯s face was no longer able to express the pain she felt in her chest. At the same time, she noticed The Blessing encroaching into her mind, as if preparing to steal her very soul... The end was nearing, as Eraylen looked into the beautiful rubellite eyes of her daughter and gently stroked her cheek. The Queen had failed, but the mother... found the last strand of hope. ¡°Live, my child.¡± Delicate voice escaped her trembling lips. ¡°Live, in a different world.¡± Eraylen had done many mistakes, but The Blessing made one¡ªone that it would come to regret. In the next instant, before Venny had the chance to ask, the air rumbled while another flash of light swallowed the great royal hall. And as the radiance faded, the disappearance of two forms was revealed. E#2 - Where do the stars go? (I) In the midst of a cave, fire crackled. Its purpose was to ward off the cold, something it wasn¡¯t doing much about. What it did however, if still poorly, was illuminate a portion of the passage. It was a narrow space, barely a meter wide at best. Admittedly, its dark stone walls didn¡¯t help the light spread, but besides the sharp rock face, there was something else the light fell on... someone. Five people had taken refuge here tonight. ¡°Ke-keh.¡± A cough broke the silence that had lingered for the past couple hours; it was caused by smoke, but that of a cigarette. The cave turned into a ravine deeper inside, so the air never got stale for long. Too bad that the wind could make you shiver in your sleep... ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± The words belonged to Dora, who wasn¡¯t responsible for the earlier cough. ¡°I¡¯m going back.¡± Frustration laced her strained voice. She rose from the rough floor and reached for a compact backpack that sat on a ledge by the fire. There was a rifle attached to that backpack, though it was so large you could very well say that it was the other way around. ¡°You are making a mistake, is what this is.¡± The response came from Welthan, who was smoking the cigarette. In contrast, he sounded indifferent, relaxed. He sat cross-legged, furthest from the fire, where his smoke was the main source of light. ¡°Am I now? Feel free to take me to court if you manage to survive.¡± Dora¡¯s gaze swept across where she expected his eyes to be and then she took one last glance behind herself. ¡°Anything¡¯s better than this. I get how they see us, but to give us that thing was just betrayal.¡± She turned away, ready to leave, but¡ª ¡°That woman has saved your life twice!¡± Another, feminine, voice found her ears. It belonged to Lilly, who laid with her head by the fire, where the flickering light emphasized her hazelnut hair, dark eyes, and a double silver stripe on a once-white uniform. ¡°Not only that, but she can hear you!¡± The ''thing''- the woman in question, sat at the other far end of their little camp. With how narrow the cave was, it was best to have another person on a shift to look out for the ravine. ¡°Keep sleeping Lilly, we¡¯ve had this conversation enough times already.¡± The words did nothing to change Dora¡¯s mind. Definitely not her opinion on this matter. ¡°Keep dreaming that a human would ever be able to communicate with those cursed rocks...¡± She muttered. Maybe if she had heard that woman utter a single word¡ªhad seen her show a single sign of emotions... maybe then she would consider her human, but not any sooner. Lilly wanted to say something back¡ªDora had a point, she always did, but to Lilly it only meant that their companion must have endured a great deal of wrongs. Even if she had underwent an inhumane experiment, that shouldn¡¯t have meant she couldn¡¯t be human herself anymore. Which was still just a speculation... Before Lilly thought of anything, not helped by her having just woken up, Dora lifted her hands to feel out the rough, rocky walls. She took a couple steps forward until she stopped in front of Welthan who, partly to her surprise, moved the cigarette to his side. ¡°No orders? Not even a lengthy explanation on why I should stay?¡± Her voice softened, but it wasn¡¯t pleading.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°What can I say that you don¡¯t already know?¡± His response carried a hint of... was it sadness? Disappointment? A tinge of concern... not something he showed often. With her back blocking what little light could possibly reach them from the fire, it was impossible for them to see each other¡¯s faces, but they didn¡¯t need to. Welthan reminisced Dora¡¯s expression on the day their squad lost a rookie- she didn¡¯t let it show then, except for a pair of sad blue eyes. Dora, on the other hand, imagined Welthan giving her the bored look- not the usual kind he had, but the conflicted one. ¡°I do, however, have an order.¡± Dora felt him slip a piece of paper into her palm. ¡°I dare say that you do have better odds with the rest of us, but if you must, give this to the LRAD.¡± In response, she slid the message into her pocket right away. ¡°That¡¯s your plan? They will never charge that thing for the four of you.¡± Welthan shook his head, of which Dora discerned only a slight change in its dim contour. ¡°Not for the three of us, but that woman might be worth more than a handful of charges.¡± ¡°Doubtful. They would have never sent that here, if it was valuable.¡± Again, ''that'', ''it''... This irked Lilly every time, but Welthan seemed to just ignore Dora¡¯s choice of words... either that, or he actually agreed with her¡ªnot that Lilly would know which one it was, she had met him a couple weeks ago. ¡°Don¡¯t you find it suspicious that we had a colonel with us?¡± The colonel that had died, together with the near-entirety of their regiment. ¡°He seemed to have known that woman well...¡± ¡°Not really. Either he had outlived his uses for the people above him, or expected a quick promotion by leading a suicide mission in person.¡± Dora had to admit that she had never heard of a colonel going out into the exacrystals¡¯ territory before, especially not this far... but if the majors did, what stopped a colonel? ¡°Then, I bid you farewell. If you¡¯re right, you¡¯ll know whether I made it.¡± With those words, she stepped over his legs and headed towards the entrance. She was going to send him a letter anyway, once and if she got out of the army. ¡°Farewell, lieutenant. I hope we have yet to share our last cup of coffee.¡± And so, Welthan took what was left of the cigarette back to his mouth. He didn¡¯t expect to have a chance at smoking many of those in the coming weeks. ¡°I would like that.¡± Dora¡¯s voice echoed from behind a sharp turn in the passage. The silence was about to return, to be broken only by the sounds of the fire crackling, but not just yet¡ª ¡°Would you also like to go back?¡± Welthan asked Lilly, who hadn¡¯t gone back to sleep. She looked at him, still leaning on her elbows for support. ¡°I... think everyone wants to go back.¡± Even though she woke up only recently, her face, that was gray with dirt, looked tired. As if her earlier reaction already spent all the energy she had regained. ¡°But we end up here for a reason. You mentioned that the woman has to reach the portal in a week¡¯s time from now¡ªthat is enough for me. The colonel must have known something, it¡¯s just too bad he is dead now and we can only guess what should happen.¡± That time limit was the reason why Welthan couldn¡¯t turn back. Apparently the readings on this portal were far beyond anything the army had ever encountered, captured from such a great distance no less. Usually it was the Long Range Artillery Division¡ªthe LRAD, that disposed of portals, but even the empire¡¯s greatest weapon lost too much power at this range. Lily¡¯s words made Welthan¡¯s lips curve into a shallow smile. He took one last puff of the cigarette and then threw it away. ¡±I bet the majors were let in on the details. Unfortunately, all you are left with, is a captain.¡± In theory Welthan was supposed to know everything he needed to complete the mission. Still, he wasn¡¯t sure whether that really was the case... E#3 - Where do the stars go? (II) ¡°So she really took it.¡± Cole stated the obvious¡ªLilly had already brought him up to speed about Dora¡¯s departure, a development that he had slept through. ¡°Yeah, she did.¡± Welthan answered him matter-of-factly, while removing the bush hiding the rest of their ''supplies'' that they had left in front of the cave the other day. The sun had risen and the group was getting ready to depart, deeper into the dangerous territory they were in. ¡°What, you thought she had gone back on foot?¡± It was a ridiculous thought... To say the land was unwelcoming to humans would be an understatement. You could find a plain or a forest here or there, but most of the area was covered by sharp rocky protrusions. Those only got denser the deeper you ventured into the exacrystals¡¯ territory, yet there were still far worse things present around here... those that lurked, and those who laid dormant. Lily was currently on the lookout for both... ¡°Well, why not? She deserted and took our stuff, further sabotaging the mission.¡± The tone of Cole¡¯s voice was disapproving, judgmental... of Welthan. ¡°I don¡¯t think it was wise to let her go like that.¡± His gaze drifted to his captain¡¯s back. In response, Welthan stopped tending to the gear that their lives realistically depended on, and approached Cole with a look in his green eyes that he rarely had¡ªit was a cold, piercing stare. ¡°Is that so, Corporal Cole? Then please, be so kind and share some of your wisdom with me. Would you rather have had her shot? Would you have left the exoskeleton to rust?¡± Welthan let a measured hint of anger into his voice, an artificial one. The situation wasn¡¯t worth his honest emotions. ¡°Since you blatantly lack the skill required to properly assert control over a single unit, I bet you must be great at using two simultaneously.¡± He took a step closer towards the corporal, presenting him the absurd challenge. Welthan wasn¡¯t fond of doing this, but the situation served as a painful reminder that the people who had put their faith in him... they were gone. Dora was the only other survivor from their ''elite'' squad... and she had now left him as well. Cole wasn¡¯t even close to being her match, but having him around should have still been a net positive¡ªthat was, if he was going to behave. Looking at their confrontation from the side, the corporal stood half-a-head taller than the captain. He had short dark-blonde hair, where Welthan sported long black curls reaching his collar and a short beard. Both of them were clad in dirty white uniforms, but where the corporal¡¯s had a singular silver stripe interrupted by a silver four-pointed star, the captain had an uninterrupted, diagonal golden line cross his chest. Perhaps unexpectedly, Cole¡¯s expression changed as if a bucket of cold water just got dumped over his head¡ªhe hadn¡¯t seen this side of the captain in the four days of serving under him, ever since that frantic night... ¡°I apologize, but wouldn¡¯t the¡ª¡± Still, he didn¡¯t back down. ¡°What, you worry we will run out of oil? Rations? That¡¯s not for you to be concerned about. Just because you cannot fight, doesn¡¯t mean I need your head here.¡± In truth, Cole wasn¡¯t as useless as Welthan made it sound. It was only because of the mission¡¯s roster that his skills were at the low end... and because it was easy to control other people through their weaknesses. ¡°Do not mistake my attitude for a weakness, corporal.¡± After a short moment of silence, Cole lowered his head. ¡°I apologize for stepping out of line, I shall accept my punishment.¡± It was a much stronger response than he had anticipated, a lapse in judgement.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Forget it.¡± That easy-going ''attitude'' had returned to Welthan¡¯s demeanor as if it never went away. ¡°I only require you to do what I say, when I say. We are not in school anymore, corporal. For your own good, do not doubt me.¡± While saying so, his gaze drifted somewhere else, to the nearby ridgeline... ¡°Unsurprisingly, your exoskeleton requires recalibration after that stunt you pulled off yesterday. In this state the L2-2 block might not last till evening, so get to it.¡± That being said, Cole¡¯s exoskeleton was in a better shape than Dora¡¯s... but she would manage. When it came to her, Welthan felt no need to babysit. With that, he considered the issue resolved and left Cole to his task.
In the time the captain and the corporal had been busy working out their differences, Lily had been scouting out their surroundings. She did so while crouched on top of the rocky formation that they had slept under. ¡®Here as well?¡¯ She thought and decided to check the display of the small metallic box in her hand once more. ¡®It may be deep... but it¡¯s definitely there.¡¯ Then she dragged her hand a couple degrees to the right... The odd device she held, was a sensor that got invented decades ago to detect anomalies emitted by exacrystals. However, it¡¯s funding was cut short as the military had no interest in dormant specimens, which dominated the spectrum. As a result, even Lily had a hard time trying to pinpoint their locations. ¡®And here... That¡¯s too risky.¡¯ While estimating distances, her memories went back to the moment that a pillar of light shot into the sky in front of the regiment... They didn¡¯t know the exact distance they had to keep the woman away from exacrystals, but it was better to be safe than sorry. At least while they could. Having scanned the area as far as Lily trusted her own abilities, she decided to go back and report to the captain.
¡°How does it look, specialist lieutenant?¡± Welthan addressed Lilly, who was moving down the steep slope with ease. Even without her exoskeleton. ¡°It seems everything¡¯s continuing to calm down, captain. Their forces are returning to the pylon.¡± Her long hair would bounce into the air every time she jumped to a ledge below. ¡°However, I bring disappointing news. There is a large formation on the route we sought out yesterday.¡± Judging by how deep a rock of its size had dug, she guessed it was a pylon impact site¡ªlikely destroyed during the war¡¯s early years... ¡°Ever the pleasant morning...¡± Welthan muttered to himself. It¡¯s only been their fourth since then, but each time the morning sun would show them even more troublesome revelations¡ªa great thing that it did, but it was a bad outlook. ¡°What about our alternatives?¡± He asked just as Lilly landed next to him. ¡°Unless we¡¯re planning an about 14 kilometer detour south to check our luck there, the yesterday¡¯s worst option is now our best. Though I will admit, it¡¯s suspicious that all the exacrystals I identified in that area are so similarly polarized...¡± Lily found such a case atypical and so she offered that she may have misinterpreted the readings. However, Welthan grew to trust Lilly¡¯s reports quickly. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t identified any other ones, that is just how it is.¡± Her specialization was scouting, which is what earned her the title. To have a scout specialist of the lieutenant rank was a rarity¡ª and she had already proved her worth these past few days. ¡°Ah... this is frustrating.¡± He muttered to himself again and took out a cigarette from his cig-case that was dangerously close to running empty. ¡°It is...¡± Lilly agreed. ¡°Based on this tendency, I estimate we will close our distance to the target by around 40 kilometers today and then...¡± She stopped mid-sentence and gazed at nothing in particular for a second. ¡°In four to five days, we might be unable to avoid detection at 10 to 20 kilometers.¡± At first she had hoped the exacrystal density would grow linearly at worst, but this morning was proof enough that it was closer to being exponential. ¡°I really wish you were a pessimist.¡± Welthan sighed at her predictions. Meanwhile, Cole finished fiddling with his exoskeleton and closed the flap, which made a clicking sound that caught Lilly¡¯s attention. ¡°Should I go get her?¡± She had sort of become the woman¡¯s caretaker. Welthan nodded and gazed eastward with the cigarette in his mouth. Another long day lay ahead of them... E#4 - Where do the stars go? (III) ¡°Young master Lawrence, we shouldn¡¯t keep the officers waiting.¡± Joseph spoke by the door to the washroom, from where the sounds of water splashing could be heard. It was an arched, brown double door of the fancy kind¡ªat least three meters tall, with thin frosted glass windows and golden accents. ¡°And why is that?¡± Contrary to his elderly butler¡¯s advice, Lawrence had no intention of skipping his morning shower¡ªan hour-long morning shower. He was being petty on purpose. ¡°What is a couple hours to the years they made me wait?¡± And a couple hours he could spend there. After all, if Lawrence kept on doing exercises in the shower, he would keep getting sweaty, and he couldn¡¯t face the officers in such a state. He had just stood up, having completed a set of diamond push-ups. His water-soaked blonde hair grazed the top of his ears, while the warm morning sunlight did the same with the rest of his lean, athletic body. The light had entered through a large arched window and scattered around the room. Aside himself, it bounced off the beige tiles covering the floor together with the lower half of the walls, where said half was taller than an average grown man. Eventually Lawrence decided to step out of the shower, which was so large he could lie down in it. But of course, if he was going to do that, he would have rather chosen the bathtub. With his lower half wrapped in a towel, he approached the mirror to shave¡ªwhat was perhaps the most striking in his appearance, was not his chiseled jaw, but the silver irises of his eyes. They were dark at the edges, but shimmering where light grazed them. Done stalling, Lawrence donned the clothes that Joseph had prepared for him¡ªa dark-blue vest that went over a white shirt; a black velvet jacket with golden finish around the edges; a matching pair of closely fitted pants; a pair of black leather boots that reached above his ankles; and polished gloves. The outfit was further complemented by a dark, patterned ascot. The doors opened and Lawrence stepped out of the washroom. ¡°Let¡¯s get going then!¡± He announced with a lively, yet mellow voice.
¡°I always understood young master¡¯s bitterness towards the military.¡± Joseph began saying from behind the steering wheel of their old, yet fine, shining black diesel-mobile. ¡°Elias had been my employer, but a friend first and foremost. However, I must remind you, Lawrence, that having strained relations with the government won¡¯t do you any good. If anything, I had hoped you would have changed your mind about this by today.¡± They were driving on a five-lane road¡ªthat is, with five lanes on each side, which were split in the middle by sturdy piers supporting elevated railway tracks that seemed to never end. Meanwhile, Lawrence was looking out of the window. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about, Joseph. I only have to know what really happened back then.¡± Paying no mind to the other vehicles, nearly all of which were steam-mobiles, his eyes focused on the station that they were currently closing in on¡ªa large structure overarching the road. It reached all the way to the sidewalk, where people were marching up the stairs to catch the approaching steam-powered train. Which, unlike its long gone predecessors, relied on a closed water loop made possible with advancements in material arrangements...If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Even though it¡¯s been so long¡ªeven though it wasn¡¯t even the same station, Lawrence felt his chest tighten at the sight. Especially today. ¡°I only hope that you are making the right choice, young master.¡± Joseph looked to the right, as they were nearing their destination. He was going to leave Lawrence at the main entrance of the building belonging to the MSSA¡ªthe Ministry of Science for Strategic Advantage. ¡°I just want you to know, that whatever it is you choose to do, I will always be there for you.¡± The tone of his voice was warm, but it carried a slight worry. ¡°You make this sound overly dramatic.¡± Lawrence looked into the rearview mirror at his loyal butler¡ªhis wrinkled face, the eyes that almost seemed too deeply burrowed into his skull, the short black hair that still kept that graying beard of his at bay... and a moment later, the vehicle came to a stop. ¡°Thank you, see you soon.¡± Lawrence opened the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. No longer obscured by the diesel-mobile¡¯s roof, he found himself surrounded by the enormous city, that was only a provincial capital. The majority of the buildings were more than a hundred meters tall, squeezed tightly together. Most of them had blocky shapes, with a slight variation here or there. The color palette was also fairly similar, dominated by warm pastel paint on the walls, coupled with dark mansard roofs. There was a tad larger variety in the styles of doors and windows, where the various kinds of arches were popular, but rectangular designs weren¡¯t rare either. However, Lawrence had seen all of this a million times and the view was hardly a concern of his in this very moment. What now awaited Lawrence was a battle for the truth behind his father¡¯s death and for his own freedom, which he could lose today if he wasn¡¯t careful. Or rather, that had been the only price he had been offered up to now.
¡°Mister Lawrence, welcome!¡± The receptionist called out to him shortly after he had entered the grand hall. It really was grand, with an enormous white and silver carpet covering a big portion of the taupe-brown marble floor, from which two rows of five blocky columns rose up to the vaulted ceiling above. It wasn¡¯t an obvious architectural choice, considering the roof was still a few floors higher, but nothing the empire couldn¡¯t afford. ¡°Good morning, Donathan.¡± Lawrence responded in kind to the receptionist whose hair color was akin to his own. However, that was about everything that was similar between them. Donathan¡¯s irises had an ordinary brown tint, he had a softer face, his work clothes were roughly twenty-times cheaper and so on... ¡°Quite early, isn¡¯t it?¡± Donathan smiled at the mention of it being ''early'', but not in a mocking manner. It was far from being the first time they met. ¡°Marshal Hester awaits mister in her office.¡± Unlike his father, Lawrence didn¡¯t work for the government directly, but as a third-party contractor. He had a few investments here and there, but the majority of his income came down to designing and selling arrangement blueprints to the MSSA; they were especially willing to pay large sums for anything enhancing steam-powered engines. Oil-related blueprints sold too, but despite their superior qualities, the market was all about coal. Understandably so, once you considered that the oil reserves were now so low, even the military stopped production of higher grades. ¡°Floor twenty-six, entry one. The elevator on my right will take mister right next to it.¡± Donathan pointed to the elevator with his palm. ¡°Thanks.¡± Lawrence was already on the way there before Donathan finished speaking, not minding the one or two odd looks his behavior got him from the other people in the hall that witnessed this scene for the first time. Donathan was used to this, to the point where he managed to unlock the elevator¡¯s access to the twenty-sixth floor before Lawrence got in reach of the button. E#5 – Where do the stars go? (IV) This was the second time Lawrence got invited to Marshal Hester¡¯s office, but even if that wasn¡¯t to be the case, you couldn¡¯t miss it without making an effort. The elevator door opened silently, without making as much as a squeak, and Lawrence found himself in front of a looming double door that was six meters tall. If you were to exclude a couple special spaces scattered throughout the building, the top floor had the highest ceiling, from which hung box-shaped lamps that barely managed to keep darkness at bay. Lawrence didn¡¯t get to explore where else the corridor led previously, but he had a hunch it might turn out differently today. Still, for now he approached the door. Golden accents lined the wood and split in the middle was the shape of an eight-pointed star- such was the symbol of a marshal, a star overshadowing all of its humble four-pointed counterparts. And while the decorations were commonplace for all high officials, there was one thing far more valuable than the gold¡ªit was the naturally white timber. Not even Lawrence would spend his fortune on something this lavish... or perhaps he would, if it had any benefits at all for the unreasonable price it fetched. Then again, the military didn¡¯t abide by the same rules that bound him, not in full, including the availability of goods on the open market... Lawrence knocked on the door, unfazed by its size or whom he expected behind it. However, all that answered him was silence... then, a couple seconds may have passed, before he pulled on the handle and entered the empty room anyway, disregarding the etiquette. First thing he noticed after setting foot inside was the odd mixture of a detergent¡¯s floral scent and a signature perfume of an elderly lady. It wasn¡¯t a match made in heaven, but it didn¡¯t irritate Lawrence¡¯s nostrils either. The layout of the office was fairly straightforward. There were four enormous windows on Lawrence¡¯s left and in front of him was an unnecessarily large desk. Behind it stood a lonely, white leather armchair, followed by another door. The walls were primarily occupied by various distinctions- medals, words of gratitude signed by influential people... but there were also a couple bookshelves¡ªfor decorative reasons more than anything else, was what Lawrence thought. He considered picking up a book, but his mood wasn¡¯t quite right. Instead, he headed towards the glass door that was situated in-between the windows and stepped out onto the terrace. It was a rectangular open space cut out from the building¡¯s grayish-turquoise roof, directly above the entrance of the grand hall. Intended for marshal¡¯s personal use. Lawrence leaned against the balustrade overlooking the street below and swept a bored glance across the city¡ªit didn¡¯t look much different from up here than... anywhere else, really. He didn¡¯t necessarily dislike it, no. There were even some aspects of it that he enjoyed, for example the food, cinemas and other luxuries. It was more of a case that looking at it as a whole reminded him of the less favorable things... After a moment, he heard the door¡¯s lock click and a woman¡¯s voice reached him from behind. ¡°My, my, have you really put in so much effort to earn the privilege of getting arrested by me personally?¡± Actually, the etiquette wasn¡¯t the only thing Lawrence had gone against... it was also the rules of this place. ¡°You needn¡¯t trouble yourself like that, have some confidence. The last time was suitable enough to do so.¡± The tone of her voice wasn¡¯t exactly a pleasant sound, especially not with that raspy background it had, but he had heard far worse. ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s been a while, Marshal Hester.¡± Lawrence turned to face her with a smile that wasn¡¯t completely fake. Serious as this meeting was for him, at some point in his life he began enjoying the battles where no blood was shed. ¡°And we have such a fine weather to accompany us on this morning.¡± You could think that he should have shown some restraint if having his request fulfilled mattered to him that much, but perhaps, after all this time, his priorities were bound to get mixed up in the heat of the moment.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The woman responded in kind, with a wry smile of her own. ¡°Yes. It is such a blessing.¡± From her face alone most would have guessed that she was around sixty to seventy years old, but about fifteen of those years could be attributed to stress. It was what earned her an extensive collection of wrinkles and graying hair, though her blue eyes were still full of energy. However, few would dare comment on any of it in her presence, once they saw the golden star on the chest of her white uniform; the golden epaulettes on her shoulders; and the white cape reaching her ankles that had an even larger star embroidered from golden thread. ¡°Believe me or not, but your tantrum is misguided. General Nockett¡¯s case is not exclusive to my branch. Has never been.¡± This, being realistically no information at all, was already more than Lawrence got out of the government during the past nine years¡ªor five, if you were to exclude the effort he put into it before reaching adulthood. A few more minutes and this meeting would also become lengthier than their last one. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Not so fast, you should know by now that I don¡¯t run a charity. You have rejected offers from the army many a time, but you see Mister Nockett... I¡¯m not the one wasting time here, don¡¯t get the wrong idea. There is something that will make you have a change of heart, something that will help your nation.¡± ..and something that will help her. ¡°But first, come inside. Let¡¯s sit down.¡± Lawrence barely restrained his sudden urge to laugh out loud, because there was only a single chair inside, thus he imagined himself sitting on Marshal Hester¡¯s lap. ''Luckily'' he got over the thought quickly, reminded of his grandmother... It was just as he expected. Once inside, she sat down in the armchair, while all he could do was stand in front of the desk. ¡°I do find your persistence in retaining civil status stubborn and unwise, but that no longer matters to me. All I need is your signature under this business contract and then I shall show you one of your father¡¯s secrets.¡± As she spoke, Hester procured the contract from within one of her desk¡¯s drawers. Her words about ''his father¡¯s secrets'' did, in fact, spark a change of heart within Lawrence. ¡°After you are done with your part, you will receive copies of the documents listed on the last page.¡± She then presented the papers to him. Right away, he was surprised with the thickness of the bundle¡ªor rather, its lack of thickness. Not even his commonplace contracts spanned as few as eleven pages, such as this one. As he read through it, Lawrence came across the usual, mandatory section that forbade him from leaking information under a bountiful collection of threats, not excluding the death penalty. It was followed by a few more ordinary paragraphs and finally, the list of documents. He wasn¡¯t naive enough to expect the whole truth, but if, for example, the mentioned copy of the ''autopsy report'' was to be genuine... Bewildered as Lawrence was to not find any loopholes making him the military¡¯s plaything, he did notice one issue¡ª¡°What¡¯s the job?¡± Not a single paragraph touched up on the subject. ¡°Don¡¯t fret the details.¡± Hester had been certainly expecting this question, as an odd smile formed on her wrinkled lips. ¡°After all, I wouldn¡¯t wish to spoil a surprise from your father.¡± If Lawrence had ever seen a red flag, this would have been one, so, of course... he signed his name at the bottom of the last page. And the reason why, was trivial¡ªto quit, he had to pay a fine. It was nothing. The lack of accurate description of ''his part'' did also leave the contract vulnerable to invalidation, but Lawrence wasn¡¯t naive. At least not naive enough to not understand why this agreement held any value in the first place¡ªit was due to his potential for future contributions. Lawrence made a laughing stock out of the government¡¯s arrangement researchers and the Empire simply couldn¡¯t afford to lose him. ¡°See. It wasn¡¯t so hard now, was it?¡± Seeing Marshal Hester¡¯s smug face was the greatest downside to this meeting. ¡°Now, since time seemed to fly oddly rapidly today, I wonder if I have enough of it left to show you around...¡± E#6 - Where do the stars go? (V) With the contract taken care of, Hester led Lawrence out of her office and down the corridor he had eyed earlier. There was a momentary pause in their step though, as she stopped to look at something on her forearm¡ªLawrence recognized that she wore a wireless text communicator, a device whose complexity to size ratio was at the limit of the world¡¯s laws... or perhaps this one tried to push beyond them, as he noticed her feeling out a device on her hip¡ªan electricity generator. There, her fingers worked to tweak the current manually. That was because electricity was an extremely volatile power source¡ªrealistically impossible to store and vulnerable to unpredictable fluctuations, but no one could deny its potential. Especially with the advent of pocket-sized closed-loop steam generators. Several clicking sounds spread as Hester pressed the keys on the attached keypad and Lawrence waited patiently. Staring at her back as she tried to send a message, he noticed that her form was perhaps slightly wider than his. A part of it could easily be attributed to the uniform, but for a second he wondered if she could have arrested him then, by force... It was a useless thought though, and Lawrence quickly found something else to fill his mind with. The oily scent made him wonder what projects were being worked on here... Even though the other doors were rather plain in comparison to that single white one, they sparked his curiosity about what they hid. At times like these, he almost wanted to give in, to learn all those secrets and incorporate them into his own work. Almost. ¡°Good news.¡± The words finally left Hester¡¯s mouth, as she resumed walking. ¡°It turns out you may still have the opportunity to begin today.¡± Her voice sounded certain, if not commanding. It left a sour taste in Lawrence¡¯s mouth. ¡°Dear me, what delightful news.¡± Despite the sarcastic tone and a smirk that Hester didn¡¯t bother turning her head to spot, he really considered the news to be good. She was also aware that it was just for show. Eventually, they arrived at a door not unlike the rest and Hester pulled on its creaking handle. At that point, they had made it to the other side of the building. Before he gazed inside, Lawrence couldn¡¯t help but notice the familiar white timber in the distance... meaning, coupled with the door that had been positioned behind Marshal Hester¡¯s armchair, that they had unnecessarily taken the long way around. Was this her quiet revenge for making her wait, or was he unworthy to see the rest of her office? He wouldn¡¯t know, but the latter was closer to the truth. Shaking off the momentary distraction, he stepped into the room after the Marshal, and the sound of her closing the door echoed. The inside was dim, as only a little light filtered through the metal blinds affixed to the windows on the ceiling, but Lawrence clearly spotted four saluting officers¡ªtwo generals and two colonels, judging by their uniforms. There was also a large, lengthy workbench in the middle, surrounded with tens of cabinets and various machinery standing by the walls. Still, there was enough space left to move freely. ¡°At ease.¡± Marshal Hester commanded and the officers lowered their hands from their hearts. ¡°Ferilay, take over. No need to be nice.¡± Her tone was noticeably different from when it had been just the two of them. More serious, more proud... less like she was dealing with a spoiled brat. ¡°Understood, Marshal!¡± Ferilay answered in a gruff voice from under his gray moustache. ¡°Greetings, mister Nockett. I am General Isaiah Ferilay. To my left are Specialist General Cordle and Colonel Leedace, who inherited ownership of project Veil-Nine.¡± The two officers tipped their heads in order, as was customary. But, at least the Specialist, seemed to already have a less-than-positive opinion of Lawrence. ¡°And lastly, Colonel Wyvers. She had assisted General Nockett with the research.¡± The woman, wearing round spectacles, nodded curtly.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± Lawrence responded, taken over with curiosity. Joseph had told him plenty more about his father than a young boy could remember, but this was new. His father''s work... The general continued¡ª¡°The project has once reached a promising breakthrough, but... the progress has been stagnant ever since.¡± Lawrence neither missed the pause in his speech, nor the unamused expressions of two officers. The breakthrough was his father¡¯s, wasn¡¯t it? But Lawrence didn¡¯t get a confirmation. Instead, Ferilay explained the project¡¯s history briefly¡ª ¡°As you know, the third age overturned many of our definitions; in particular, our understanding of the barrier.¡± By ''third age'', he referred to the empire¡¯s term that had been established alongside the fall of the first exacrystals; an event that had sparked an outrage among scientific circles. The question of what really was the sky had never been as popular in the known history as afterwards, because the old findings had decreed it an impenetrable void... but now something did come from the other side. That was common knowledge, but the follow-up was not. Ferilay disclosed that the government had started a collection of projects under the codename ''Veil'' to reexamine the ''barrier''¡ªthe sky, but also investigate the portals employed by exacrystals. However, he didn¡¯t elaborate on the matter in detail, as this was specifically about the ninth project in the series. The goals of it, which he discussed, were to evaluate the possibilities of disrupting portals and... their adaptation for human use. The latter of which, was now Lawrence¡¯s goal. ¡°...I understand you must have a lot of questions.¡± Ferilay was certainly not wrong, but Lawrence wasn¡¯t given the chance to ask any. Rather, the General began explaining what files would be disclosed to him, how he may request additional information, and more. When Ferilay¡¯s speech was nearing its end, he made one final remark¡ª¡°For the period of this collaboration, Mister was assigned an assistant, as per Colonel Wyvers¡¯ assent.¡± At the mention, the woman nodded while temporarily locking eyes with Lawrence. Hers were the only ones here that he could mistake for showing understanding, kindness. ¡°That is all; resume duties.¡± Ferilay announced without much sentiment, before he headed for the door. Hester was no longer there at that point; she had made her exit around the mid-point of his speech. ¡°¡°Understood, General.¡±¡± The Specialist and the colonels answered just before the door closed shut. Without missing a beat, the two ''project owners'' moved on to a portion of the workbench near the entrance, where various instruments were stationed. It could be felt that the meeting had been a waste of time in their eyes¡ªand Lawrence couldn''t truthfully disagree with such an opinion. However, he hardly paid them more mind than they did him. At about the same time, Wyvers had approached Lawrence. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mister Nockett Junior.¡± The tone of her voice was warm, if a little firm¡ªbut whose wasn¡¯t at this place? ...Donathan was the only person that came to mind. The way she addressed him was unusual¡ªmore so elsewhere, but still uncommon around these parts. That was because the term ''junior'' had been used by the old nobility of this land, the people who had governed this territory before it became a province of the empire. ¡°Likewise, Miss Wyvers.¡± Neither of them saw it, but the Specialist rolled his eyes at the exchange. Next, Wyvers gave Lawrence a detailed overview of the project. She went over individual files, experiments, their results, relevant samples and artifacts; the time passed by quickly as the two got along really well, despite there being at least two decades separating them¡ª¡®But why can¡¯t I remember the rest?¡¯ Lawrence wondered, because that¡¯s when his memories turned into a blur, disconnected from the present. An unlikely suspicion lurked in his thoughts, but it was a crazy thought to have... and yet, he could not deny what lay before his eyes¡ª It was a large chamber that wouldn¡¯t even come off as particularly odd, if not for two reasons. First, the room was in complete disarray. The stone walls were fractured and debris was scattered around the floor. Second... there was something wrong with the statues in this place¡ªthey looked too human¡ªthe parts which were not distorted by a matter that couldn¡¯t be mistaken for another... ¡®I think I made it, dad....¡¯ With each passing moment, even though Lawrence''s mind kept coming up with other excuses, the idea that he had portaled was settling in. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, mom. I worry I might not be there when you wake...¡¯ E#7 - Where do the stars go? (VI) ¡°Cole, status!¡± Welthan shouted into the comms after ducking into cover. In the next moment, a bolt of radiant blue energy blew off a chunk of the rockface next to where he had been standing. ¡°Fodder low, need a piercing round for the Thorn, open field, over!¡± Cole¡¯s response came through Welthan¡¯s headgear¡ªthough they were within four hundred meters of each other, the sound buzzed and constantly threatened to cut out. It had only been getting worse the further they travelled. ¡°Lilly?¡± Welthan asked as he peeked from a different angle, his right eye pressed to the rifle¡¯s scope. At a light press of the trigger, a burst of bullets shot out towards the group of creatures heading his way. While the creatures¡¯ bodies varied in size and shape, each of them had four legs attached to a modest, headless torso. At first sight they seemed organic, but what appeared to be their skin, would turn into solid crystal once the glowing core in their ''stomachs'' was destroyed. These beings were classified as ''fodder'' and valued on par with the Empire¡¯s rookies during wargames. They were dangerous, but Welthan¡¯s bullets shredded the approaching vanguards¡¯ cores with ease. ¡°She¡¯s on the way, ov¡ª¡± Shots drowned out Lily¡¯s voice just before she abruptly cut the transmission. ¡°Roger.¡± Welthan acknowledged and slid a fresh magazine into his rifle. ¡°Aetheris, western anchor; armor piercing; north-eastern Thorn-class. Over.¡± His commands were word-for-word tailored after the way a¡ªnow dead¡ªmajor had assigned orders to the woman. At a calmer time, he had agreed with Dora that Aetheris'' behavior was akin to a machine''s, but Welthan didn¡¯t care much. She was necessary for the mission¡¯s success, so he couldn¡¯t make sacrifices either way. Plus, while the finicky commands¡ªof which he didn¡¯t know the full list¡ªwere far from ideal, the woman couldn¡¯t be labeled as deadweight...
Nearby, in the rocky maze that was the valley¡ª CRACK! Another translucent frame shattered in the shadow of an exoskeleton seemingly suspended in midflight. Smoke poured out of the gun barrel that its pilot had aimed for the shot. She had long white hair tied in a bun and emotionless silver eyes that had already forgotten about the creature she had just killed. She twisted in the air, her feet landing back on the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. With maintained momentum, Aetheris ran into the sector of the formation that Welthan had designated. After a few more steps, she nimbly scaled a large boulder that offered her cover from the south; from there, she scanned north-east for her target... ¡°THERE WAS A CASTER! I REPEAT, THERE IS A CASTER WITH THE THORN! OVER!¡± Cole¡¯s shouts and transmission noise reverberated in her ears, but to Aetheris... there may as well have been no sound at all. Having failed to spot her target, the woman leapt to a nearby ledge for a better vantage point. ¡°Safety first, Cole! But keep it pinned as best you can until I get there! Over.¡± Disregarding the comms, Aetheris climbed all the way on top of the cliff overlooking the valley below. From there, her eyes finally found a glowing tail and an even brighter spot inside the body it protruded from. She reached for the sniper rifle on her back and took aim¡ªYou could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Aetheris! Elimination; north-eastern Caster-class, Thorn-class. Over!¡± Just as she pressed on the trigger, her body reacted to the new command. The resulting miniscule sway of the rifle caused the bullet to diverge from its intended trajectory, but¡ªthrough a stroke of luck¡ªthe scorpion-like creature moved right into its offset path. The specialized alloy pierced the thick skin of the enemy and shattered the joint holding one of its ten legs... missing the core completely. It wasn¡¯t enough luck. And at that moment, somewhere in the distance, Cole cursed. Which he, of course, did with his microphone disabled to keep the comms clear. Aetheris, on the other hand, didn¡¯t even wait to see where the shot went. Once her priorities got rearranged, the Thorn no longer mattered. Or rather, not until the Caster was dealt with...
Welthan¡¯s breathing became rugged as he ran towards Cole¡¯s position. He leveraged slanted rocks and pushed the exoskeleton¡¯s joints to near their limits in an effort to maintain momentum; every second mattered. However, the four-legged monsters were everywhere, seemingly hungry for his blood. The terrain in the valley was a mess, often times forcing Welthan to stop and dispose of the creatures blocking his way; after all, he couldn¡¯t just jump over them¡ªno human would, definitely not in this model of the exoskeleton... other than Aetheris. How did she do it? How could she avoid the creatures¡¯ claw-like limbs, their ranged strikes, aim her weapon, and control the exoskeleton so that it won¡¯t break on landing¡ªall at the same time? Whether the government had gone too far this time or not, Welthan was aware that the Empire needed such weapons to survive... But that didn''t mean Welthan¡¯s own skill was negligible. Because to survive this uninvited hell that they had stepped into, everyone had to cover the role for an entire squad, if not more. It would''ve been a much easier task had they all stayed together¡ªis what you would consider if you enjoyed gambling with your life on the line. Which, as they learned a moment ago, would have been a losing bet¡ªthere was a reason to this madness... Eventually, the echoes of Cole¡¯s shots grew much louder and Welthan spotted the swaying tail of the Thorn from behind a ridgeline, so he veered off towards the crest to asses the situation. ¡°Cole, where is the Caster? Over.¡± The smell of soil permeated Welthan¡¯s nostrils as he laid down on the gently sloped ridgeline and took in the sight in front of his eyes. There, in the middle of a modest opening, writhed the monster whose headless torso measured over six meters in length. It was attacking the narrow passage which Cole had used to escape its deadly limbs and, most importantly, that long tail which had a jagged, triangular crystal formation at the tip. Additionally, a stench that was both alluring and repulsive carried over the wind, coming from the creature¡¯s direction. An odd enough fact was that this strange smell wafted only from the wounded living specimens, never from the dead. Welthan quickly spotted the cause, the hole that Aetheris¡¯ shot had left mere centimeters clear off the core, and pondered¡ªcould he finish the job before the creature noticed and subsequently finished him? But this train of thought got stopped once the speakers in his headgear came to life. ¡°Behind the¡ª¡± Welthan could now make out Cole¡¯s voice coming from behind the rockface to his left¡ªand then the earth itself seemed to take issue with their presence, as jagged stone spikes erupted in a line, hurtling toward Cole. ¡°¡ªshit!¡± This time he had no mind, no time, to silence his microphone. Welthan heard the thundering sound of stone shattering and saw dust shoot into the sky; he got his question answered one way or another. ¡°Cole, hold on!¡± He spoke, but was already running. Because he knew. The Caster had widened the passage. Even though the attack had had no sympathy for the Thorn, Welthan saw its tail slither into the dust cloud... Shots followed and Cole shouted¡ª¡°RIGHT FLANK, SIR!¡± And a moment later, Welthan burst out from the other side of the powdery mist, the air swirling behind his back. There, he saw Cole who had given up stalling the monster. Instead, he was running straight towards a cavity between the rocks. That was his only hope, in the face of the Thorn whose tail had charged up while it had been stuck. An energy that resembled lightning began forming at the tip of its tail, ready to strike, but¡ª BANG! CRACK! The energy quickly fizzled out as crystal-like shards began to fall out of the creature¡¯s ''belly''. A second ago, Welthan had realized that Aetheris¡¯ shot had left the hole on both sides and synchronized his idea with Cole¡¯s. He had instantly dived on his back to get the appropriate angle and fired a burst of bullets, one of which struck its mark. The two could finally catch a breath, but not before they put something solid between themselves and the passage where the cloud of dust had nearly settled. There was a far greater threat lurking beyond it... E#8 - Where do the stars go? (VII) ¡°Lilly, status.¡± Welthan spoke into the microphone between slow, measured breaths. Everything¡¯s gone quiet around him after he had shattered the Thorn¡¯s core. As a result, the entire creature turned into a rigid piece of dark-gray stone, with some vein-like blue streaks. ¡°All¡ªorder. No more¡ªnearby and no¡ªof Casters. Over.¡± The tone of Lily¡¯s voice was now calm as well... or maybe it was only Welthan¡¯s imagination, because the transmission quality between the opposite sides of the valley left much to be desired. And so the Captain thought hopeful that there was only the single Caster left... Casters. The threat that caused Welthan to employ the ludicrous tactic of ''surrounding'' an entire swarm of enemies with a unit of four soldiers. While elites they may have been, the move could easily be called suicidal... but not stupid. That was because most of the creatures of the exacrystals¡¯ origin were, put bluntly, dumb. Once the group had triggered the trap, the fodder, the thorns... these would do nothing but try to kill them. They were... reliable in that sense. But the casters were not. They had first appeared only a little over a decade ago and completely changed the war. It wasn¡¯t necessarily the damage they could cause, which they could do a lot of, but their intelligence. Had a caster escaped this encounter, a greater force was sure to come after the four humans later on. It would have been a death sentence. In truth, it could still be, but they were almost done pulling off this little miracle... and Welthan suddenly felt the urge to light up a cigarette, but thought better of it. ¡°Cole, how are you holding up?¡± The Corporal was leaning against a rock wall opposite of him. The two had formed a triangle with their lines of sight to make sure the Caster stayed put behind a pillar in the middle of the open field, where Cole had initially ''fought'' the Thorn. They knew that it remained there, because an ice shard had almost skewered the Corporal as soon as the dust had settled. ¡°Nothing worse than bruises for me.¡± His shallow smile stood in stark contrast to what Welthan was seeing¡ªthe man before him looked like he¡¯d been through hell. The group had become well-acquainted with dust and dirt, but Cole¡¯s uniform was now torn in ways that Welthan found puzzling to explain. ¡°But Captain was right, the ankle joint didn¡¯t last till evening.¡± His exoskeleton hardly looked any better than the clothing. Few¡ªif any¡ªparts of its frame were shaped within production tolerances... Cole couldn''t read Welthan''s face, but at that moment it had the look of a captain whose unit had just bled most of its combat resources; that of a human happy that they had all survived; and that of an engineer who was already annoyed at the thought of putting their gear back into working condition... And finally, they heard footsteps¡ªthe Caster did too. An ice lance came flying from behind the pillar towards a nearby scarp, where Aetheris had arrived running. Rather than dodge it to the side, she jumped over it and off a three meter drop in the ground. Seeing this stunt, Welthan smiled internally at the suspicion that Aetheris¡¯ exoskeleton might not even be in the worst condition at the end of this... But Welthan did not watch idly, as he rushed the Caster; either he would take it down by surprise, or buy Aetheris time. The outcomes were both still possible when behind the pillars¡¯ edge he found a humanoid figure turning in his direction. It was clad in what looked like a cloak, but the dark material played tricks on Welthan¡¯s eyes. One moment he saw it covered in a crimson pattern and the next¡ªit was gone, changed. That threw his mind off-balance just enough for the Caster to respond before he pulled the trigger.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. A different set of glowing patterns appeared around the creature. The air warped and the bullets never reached their intended destination that was the being¡¯s face. Though to call it a ''face''... was not right. What ''looked'' back at Welthan, was a head with no features. It was a plain oval, behind which the Caster¡¯s core glowed. All this lasted only a moment¡ªthen the crystal got blown to pieces from behind. But Aetheris didn''t slow down, she had to¡ª¡°Aetheris, stop. Over.¡± Welthan had to terminate the command he had given her earlier, because the Thorn was already dead. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± The words that left his mouth almost sounded dreamy...
Later that day, when the last of blush highlights had departed the clouds in the sky. ¡°¡ªmy opinion?¡± Lilly asked rhetorically, but she had been genuinely taken by surprise. ¡°I think that we should make camp here, sir.¡± Her mood had soured after today¡¯s events and remained that way till now. ¡°Yes...¡± Welthan nodded and breathed in his cigarette. ¡°Everyone, we sleep under the stars tonight. Leave your gear here, and Cole¡ªcooking duty is yours.¡± To which he heard an affirmation from the Corporal. Lilly had also quickly unlocked her exoskeleton and went to help Aetheris out of hers, but Welthan grabbed her arm. ¡°Captain?¡± She asked in a soft voice. His grip was firm, yet gentle. They stood like that in silence for a moment and Lilly ended up following Welthan¡¯s gaze that was directed at the horizon. There, the eastern sky had already turned near-black, but the plains stretching before them still caught a bit of the indigo afterglow. Far beyond them, a mountain range looked as if it was biting into the darkness¡ªthat¡¯s where they had hoped to have gotten today... ¡°I¡¯m sor¡ª¡± ¡°No. This time it¡¯s the wrong answer.¡± Lilly blinked as her apology got interrupted. She was perplexed, especially since Welthan¡¯s expression didn¡¯t betray his thoughts. ¡°Sir?¡± Welthan didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he turned to her and offered his cigarette. Lilly accepted it, albeit after a moment¡¯s hesitation. It had been a long time since she last had one, so she coughed lightly after taking the first drag. Satisfied, Welthan gazed back at the horizon. ¡°You are too smart for your own good.¡± He finally spoke in a subdued voice, which only further confused Lilly. ¡°Why, sir?¡± She asked after breathing out smoke. ¡°That thing¡ª¡± The device she always carried on her hip. ¡°You can make sense of it like no one I¡¯ve ever known. You are the only person who can know if today was avoidable.¡± The today¡¯s fight. ¡°And you are also the only one who could have realized our current situation.¡± The discovery she made after the battle... Back then, they took a rest once the Caster had been eliminated. It was because Welthan had to ensure their exoskeletons wouldn''t break beyond repair until the day¡¯s end. So, Lilly had of course gone to check the valley¡¯s perimeter, but was still left with free time on her hands. She had chosen to take a closer look at the Caster, as this was maybe her third occasion ever to do so. That''s when she found a crystal in its rock-solid palm¡ªit was still aglow. With her curiosity peaked, she took out the sensor and... there was an extremely faint, but highly unusual signal. Captivated by the readings, she tripped when adjusting her position while crouching. Her hand that was holding the sensor was thrown off target, but... the signal was still there. It didn''t take long, before she understood two things¡ªit spread similarly to sound, not light, and it travelled far beyond the valley. At that point, she was already filled with tension as her eyes followed the sensor''s needles. However, it was only after she recognized a different, new signal, that anxiety took over her mind. The fear that something was responding... After another short bit of silence, Welthan turned to face her again. ¡°But you should also know, that we are here at all thanks to you.¡± He looked deep into her umber eyes. ¡°Do not let these thoughts torment you.¡± The thoughts that she could''ve done better. ¡°For your own sake and ours.¡± After all, if theirs was the correct interpretation, things were about to get far harder than they had been. Lilly nodded, but said nothing as she slowly brought the cigarette to her lips again. Another few seconds passed and Welthan''s gaze turned upwards, where a plethora of stars had already appeared. ¡°Even out here, the Pegasus has lost its wing.¡± He said to change the subject. And Lilly looked up as well. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen it in so long that I don¡¯t even remember what it looked like.¡± She added while gazing at the constellation. ¡°Around a year ago, you could still make it out. Far from the city lights...¡± Welthan¡¯s words trailed off into memories. In the books, it had been recorded that there once existed a constellation that vaguely resembled a horse with two wings¡ªnow, the shiny spots that had formed the wings were nowhere to be found. ¡°Has sir ever wondered... where do the stars go?¡± Lilly''s voice may not have sounded happy, but Welthan thought that she had calmed down a bit. ¡°To a better place, maybe.¡± And he thought of the stars like the comrades he had lost... E#9 - Will you save me? (I) Far from any trace of familiarity, Lawrence wandered through corridors that were shrouded in darkness. Initially he had thought that it had simply been nighttime, but ten hours had already passed on his wristwatch and not much was different. Whatever this place was, it was not filling him with optimism. The statues he had awoken by, were indeed human corpses whose flesh mixed with exacrystal matter. Every structure was in ruins and the sky never changed from the foreboding mix of oranges and purples. Rather than sun or moon, the only source of light was a glowing arc that slowly rotated above the horizon¡ªit looked as if a thin stream of sunlight was flowing into moonlight, or in reverse. The sight was so strange that Lawrence didn¡¯t hope to make sense of it¡ªthough he tried. He had spent a long while in the hall thinking of what to do, if maybe there was a way for him to return from this place or if it were a dream, but to no avail. The next most logical conclusion he arrived at, was to look for a source of water. Thus, he picked up a thin blade from under one of the statues¡¯ feet and stepped over a door that had long since fallen from its hinges. As to why he picked up a sword... perhaps it would come in handy? No, that was unlikely. He just liked how the weapon felt in the palm of his hand¡ªfencing practice had always helped soothe his mind during hard times... The only issue was that he couldn¡¯t find the means to make a torch, but he could make do without one. While he didn¡¯t smoke, Lawrence had the habit of always carrying a lighter on him. It wasn¡¯t much, but it certainly helped him avoid a hole while traversing a staircase in otherwise pitch-black darkness. Though what he wanted to avoid stepping into even more, were the corpses. The further he went, the less statues he found, but... human bodies at various states of decay lay strewn across the floors, clad in tattered clothes that had once overflowed with elegance. The whole experience was beyond morbid for Lawrence who had only heard of death, even if it were his father¡¯s. Yet, at the same time... he found it surprisingly easy to detach himself from it all. Whether this place simply felt too surreal, or his mind worked overtime to stomach this, he wouldn¡¯t know. He just kept exploring. The palace, which was what the structure reminded him of, was enormous. That wouldn¡¯t have been much of an issue by itself, but the layout wasn¡¯t straightforward either. Along the way, Lawrence came across hundreds of rooms, including one that seemed to have been a kitchen. A couple bottles of wine stood on a counter, which was something, but admittedly not the thing to satisfy thirst with. Worst case, he had seen a river flowing through the adjacent cityscape. Perhaps the water there was suitable for drinking... As his adrenaline subsided a bit, Lawrence began to ponder aspects that weren¡¯t in immediate relation to his survival. Such as... what was this civilization? There were no signs of the technology he knew and it all looked like what was written about in fantastical tales. It was impressive¡ªthe sheer size of the palace, but also the craftsmanship of the interior... as ruined as it was. The theory that the fantastical tales were in fact records of the far past had become a hot topic in Lawrence¡¯s homeland following the invasion. Especially since the government announced the appearance of enemies using ''spells''¡ªthat was not the term the military had used, but it was what majority of people called it.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Then¡ªwas this the past and not a separate place? But if it were, this past seemed to have no future... so perhaps, portals hadn¡¯t been exclusive to the exacrystals? So he wondered... There was also the question of magic¡ªdid it exist? Obviously extensive research had been conducted on the matter, and although Lawrence didn¡¯t have access to most of the papers, the commonly known consensus was... maybe. Reached in no small part due to the issue of defining what magic was even supposed to be and the inability to understand exacrystals. Perhaps had Lawrence remembered the events preceding his portaling, he could come up with a proper answer... Lost in these thoughts, he eventually found himself in a sprawling garden of dried up flowers and in front of the gate leading into the city. The arch loomed high and the large metal crest hanging in the middle exuded strength, but the portcullis was in a pitiful state. Clink! While walking through its broken pieces, Lawrence accidentally kicked a piece of metal and nearly jumped at the sound¡ªbut it was only for a moment. Quiet. This whole place was dreadfully quiet. No wind, no birds... nothing. His very own breath seemed loud. Still, Lawrence simply resumed walking. Outside the palace walls he moved along the city roads. The buildings there were significantly shorter than he was used to seeing, reaching up to eight floors at most, often less than half of that. But yet again, the designs, the craftsmanship, shined through the ruin. The decorated walls, windows, doors, tiled roofs... what had it been like, to sit at a table by the sidewalk and watch the carriages pass you by? It was what Lawrence was imagining. Though his vision ended shortly, because when repairing the broken carriage with his mind he had forgotten to remove the corpse leaning out of the window... It looked like he wouldn¡¯t be spared the gruesome sights anytime soon. Half an hour later or more, Lawrence finally heard a sound that wasn¡¯t made by him. It was the river that he had spotted from the palace. It flowed through a once-beautiful canal that stretched far across the city in both directions. The water level may have been unnaturally shallow, judging by how the canal was built, but the stream still spanned a good thirty meters. Lawrence went down a set of stairs, then a bit further along the ground before crouching by the riverbank. When he gazed down, he saw the reflection staring back at him¡ªthough it looked more like a contour in the dim light. Seconds passed and then... a splash formed on the water¡¯s surface; and another... He didn¡¯t know why now, but Lawrence was crying. Suddenly his heart ached at his earlier realization that he would probably never get to see his mother again. Not Joseph. Not anyone... Of course, his brain offered various ideas, hopes¡ªnone helped. His current state couldn¡¯t be reasoned with. Because it was as if he subconsciously knew that no help was coming and that there was no exit within his reach. The teardrops weren¡¯t numerous, but they kept falling for a while before they stopped. That is not to say Lawrence was fine afterwards, but he didn¡¯t let go of his grip on the sword the entire time¡ªbecause he wasn¡¯t the type to give up. Though he had to put away the weapon now if he wanted to form a bowl with both his hands. His throat felt even drier than it had before¡ª Screech! But he wasn¡¯t given the chance to bring any water to his mouth, as a deafeningly loud noise assaulted his ears. It was a hundred meters down the stream where he saw something move¡ªno, it was running. A brown... animal? He couldn¡¯t tell in this light, but his heart suddenly started beating fast and his neck prickled. Run. Every part of Lawrence told him to run.