"So, you're saying you heard a voice coming from the orb above, and it told you that you needed to kill everyone?" Myth raised an eyebrow. "Laerton, your people are weird."
"It also called me 'Mother.'" Davi rubbed his neck awkwardly. "I think I'm far too young for kids. Not to mention I'm a man, last I checked."
Laerton let out a sigh. "Why does trouble follow you, Davi?" She glanced up at the ball in the sky that shone upon the city, bathing everything in a radiant color.
The queen of Enforcer City had finished her speech. It was mainly short and said everything that was known already. This first day would be a rest day, and they could explore the city if they wanted to. Afterwards, starting tomorrow, they would play three games, followed by three more every day until the fifth day, when a final game would be held. The winners of the games were allowed one item in the vault, which was, of course, empty, and then everything would be done.
Once the queen finished her speech, Sunny led all the Knights to a large hotel. It was one of those strange crystal buildings that floated off the ground, but, weirdly enough, once they stepped past the doorway and entered, the space within seemed to shift, resembling an average hotel. Carpeted floors, painted walls with a few pictures, elevators that led to different floors, and numbered doors for the many rooms.
The guilds were all kept separated with Pantheon on a floor above them, and each room was meant to hold four people.
Davi never got a chance to look at his room, though, as he had gone straight to his captain, as well as Captain Myth, in order to tell them all that had happened today. And so, that was why they were now in a small room, with Laerton gazing out the window, studying the fake sun above.
"In the real world, the sun was created by the Lord of Order," Laerton said softly. "The Lord of Order and Haru were the only two beings strong enough to survive on the surface of the sun, and they built a palace upon it. The Lord of Order lived there while Haru took up the moon. It was here that she had her climactic battle with the Ebony Knight. She struck him down, and he fell back toward our world, fleeing like a coward. After that, Haru went missing. Maybe she's still up on that moon, or perhaps she is buried somewhere here on our world, or maybe she's not dead at all and just went to explore the stars."
"Yes, yes, we've all heard the story of Haru," Myth nodded. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Perhaps this world and our own are not so different." Laerton mused. "What if, just as the Lord of Order resides upon the sun, something is residing up there?"
Myth's gaze snapped to the orb in the sky, and he looked a little uncomfortable for a moment. "No, that's not possible."
"Are you sure?"
"I am," Myth said. "When I first came to this dungeon, I was just a Squire in the Pantheon guild. Back then, Father was the Vice Captain of our guild, and Clause and I also had the thought that something might be weird with that orb. When we told Father, he got it in his head that he wanted to check it out. Using the power of the Holy Saint, which he had just acquired through the rite of marriage, he flew up there, and he told us what he saw."
Laerton leaned forward, very curious, as did Davi. "What did she see?" Laerton asked. "The Holy Saint is old, so she must have seen something grand, right?"
"That's the thing." Myth let out a snort. "Father saw nothing, nor did the Holy Saint."
"Nothing?"
Myth pointed out the window and toward the orb. "That thing is far, far, far, smaller than the sun of our world. Our sun is apparently as big as the land of Gallenth, for Gallenth was the first part of the world ever created, and the Lord of Order modeled the sun after it. The sun up there isn't even a fraction of the size of ours. It's barely a mile wide. It lacks a palace, and no one resides in it. In fact, it's not even real."
"Not real?" Davi folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
"Our sun is a massive ball of molten metal where the Lord of Order's castle resides." Myth explained. "The reason it appears all fiery is because the Lord of Order resides up there. His mana is so thick it coats the solar system and creates concepts such as space, time, gravity, and everything else. The Almighty created the universe, but his angel made the laws. The Lord of Order's mana is able to seep out for a near-infinite distance, warm everything up, and generate the particles of the universe. Now, take a look at the sun up there. There is no ball or anything within. It's an orb of pure fire and light. Completely hollow, it is nothing but a construct of mana that comes from somewhere else. Do you know the story about what was sealed here?"
Davi shook his head. "No, I mean, I know Haru sealed something here, but that's it?"
"Yes, it's odd that Haru would seal something within this land." Myth frowned. "After all, she was Haru; if she wished, even the Lord of Order could fall at her blade, yet she faced something that was so powerful she had to seal it away? It makes little sense and furthermore adds to the weirdness of this dungeon. I believe the thing she sealed is buried deep beneath this city. It's no secret that there is something the Licht-Fulks are hiding. I think this monster is down there, locked away. In the end, it doesn't really matter to us, as if Haru couldn't beat it, neither could we. I bring this up because the monster is said to be the cause of the chilling freeze we've been faced with. In order to survive in this land, the Licht-Fulk created a machine. It is somewhere in the city, I don't know where, but this machine is generating the orb of light up above. So, you see, that orb is nothing more than hollow mana, created by a device, so I find it doubtful you heard it speaking."
Davi frowned and rubbed his chin, trying to think. At first, he had assumed that what he was hearing was the voice of the monster Haru sealed away. If the thing was underground, though, then shouldn't he have heard it coming from the ground? He was sure he heard it coming from up above, directly from the orb in the sky, yet now he was being told nothing was up there, and the orb was fake?
Not to mention, what was up with being called "mother"? He had assumed that whatever was reaching out to him was connected to the Invaders, and from the sounds of it, the reason he was thought to be an Invader was because of the sword that resided within his vault, which gave off the energy of the Ebony Knight. The Ebony Knight was a guy, so if whatever was reaching out to him reacted to that, shouldn't it have called him father?
"I got nothing."
As usual, he had no fucking clue what was going on.
"Are you still hearing the voices?" Laerton asked.
Davi shook his head. "No. It stopped talking pretty quickly. It only said those two things."
Myth took a seat and folded his arms over his chest. "I hate how many things seem to involve you."
"I hate it also. Think it could have something to do with the evil seven?"
"The evil seven?" Myth looked confused for a moment. "Wait, you mean the terrorist group that is after you, and that Nyx girl?"
Davi nodded. "Yeah. I assume the captains know pretty much everything?"
"Only what you know," Laerton said a bit bitterly. "We just know that there seems to be a group of seven powerful people who all have underlings who are trying to kill seven other people. As for who the seven are, we do not know everything, but we do know that sooner or later, they'll come for you. That was another reason I brought you and Susie along. This place can help protect you."
"It can?"
"You're mostly safe here." Myth mused. "The… 'Evil seven', I guess we're calling them that, would have to be stupid to attack here. For one, they'd likely get stuck in this dungeon, and if they fuck up to badly, they'd get themselves killed by unleashing the thing sealed away here. Not to mention, there might be seven of them, but Laerton and I have our entire guild as well as the Licht-Fulk. Most of the soldiers of the Licht-Fulk are around squire level, but a few, like Sunny, reach Title Knight level, and the queen is said to be on the same level as a captain. I heard her daughter is a prodigy as well. As long as we remain in the walls of this city, and you're near a captain, your chances of dying are pretty slim."
"Well, don't jinx it…"
"Either way," Laerton began. "There isn't a whole lot I can go off of. If you hear any more voices, come to Myth or me. Keep your ears and eyes open as well. We can't afford to miss the games."
"Your captain is right." Myth nodded. "Have faith that everything will work out and try to be normal."
"Normal?"
"Yeah, like smile more, I dunno." Myth shrugged. "Just rest up. I'll make sure everything goes smoothly, kid."
"Alright, if you two say so?" Davi looked a little unconvinced, but with nothing else to go off of, he left the room and began to walk the carpeted halls.
Room nine-twenty-five was the one he had been assigned. As he opened the door, he saw Ken, Olivia, and his brother already inside. The space they had been given wasn't very big, but it did have four beds, a bathroom, a table, and a mini fridge. No TV or proper lighting, as the dungeon still shut off all technology, and the room was incredibly hot as well, since it had no AC.
The heated room was a comfort compared to the freezing chill outside, and both women had changed into lighter clothes, wearing shorts and shirts, while Sieg opted to walk around bare-chested, with only his mask and a pair of torn jeans. Davi remained unaffected by the air and kept his white robes on.
"So, what did they say?" Ken asked, fanning herself off.
"They just said to keep my eyes and ears open," Davi said in his usual bland way. "They seemed put off by the idea of me hearing voices, but at the same time, there wasn't a lot that could be done about it."
"It sucks something is happening." Olivia pressed a cold bottle of water to her neck. "I was hoping this thing would go smoothly, but I guess that's asking for too much."
"Speaking of too much, it's way too hot in here," Sieg grunted. "I might just sleep outside."
"What I wouldn't kill for an ice mage." Ken nodded.
"Well, if any of you want to cool off, I actually had something outside I needed help with," Davi suggested.
"And what's that?" Olivia shot him a look.
Davi gave a grin, which unsettled all of them since he seldom smiled. Whatever was on his mind, it likely wasn't good.
They all got dressed and made their way outside, leaving the hotel behind. They were allowed to go anywhere in the city but were told they couldn't leave the walls. A few other members of Pantheon's guild explored, running around and looking at all the sites, and Davi also spotted Falco and Ghost, walking hand in hand as they visited several food stalls, Mama Herta and Clause, who were viewing a blacksmith shop, Laerton who was singing and dancing, drunk off her ass, with several other older Licht-Fulks, and even Vlad, who had taken shealter in a nearby dumpster and was playing on a gaming device that somehow still worked in the dungeon? Maybe it was thanks to his magic?
The entire city looked weirdly peaceful. Children were running around and playing in the streets, and every stall was serving free food, and more than once, people ran up to them to shake their hands. What was strangest of all, at least to Davi, was the fact that he didn't see any stables, nor farms, and there wasn't anywhere in the city that vegetables or fruits seemed to be growing, so where in Haru's name were they getting the stuff to make all this food? How did they have so much of it?
There was also a shocking number of people. In fact, an entire city's worth. Enforcer City was strange indeed, yet it was also such a lovely place. Everything was warm and cozy, and the others looked excited to have the people running up to them and cheering them on, so he kept his mouth shut.
"Hey, isn't that Olem?" Olivia asked.
"Oh yeah?" Ken nodded in the direction Olivia was pointing to. "It's weird seeing him, of all people, walk around."
A small stone building stood on the side of the walkway. Olem was directly in front of it, looking through a large glass panel that showed a workshop filled with half-finished golems.
"Yo, what's up, big guy?" Sieg called out as they approached the golem.
Olem glanced at them for a moment, then turned back to the window. "I was just remembering the past."
"The past?"
"Oh, yeah, he said this place was his home," Davi stated.
"What!" Olivia's eyes went wide. "Olem, you grew up here?"
"I did. I was made long, long ago, by Himvel. The forge was extra hot the day he created my brother and me." Olem hummed. "It is always good to be back, but I'm glad I did leave."
"Why?" Olivia looked around at the peaceful city. "This place is awesome, and it's a dungeon with no radiation either. That's like insanely rare. Impossible even. This is almost like the perfect city."
"Well, I can assure you, it isn't the perfect city," Olem said bluntly. "There is a reason I left." He glanced in the direction of where a massive castle resided at the edge of the city. The palace of the royal family. "You should all head back and get a good night's rest before the games." Olem's body clicked open, and he unfolded, stunning Sieg, Ken, and Olivia, since they had never seen him do that before. He casually reached inside of himself and pulled out four ice cream cones he had stored, handing one to each of them. "Here. A treat."
"Thanks?" Davi took the cone, as did the others.
"Now, hurry back." Olem insisted. "Before you do something stupid."
They ignored his advice and made their way to the center of the city, standing beneath the orb. Once they were done eating the ice cream, it was time for Davi's brilliant plan. Ken looked a little uncomfortable as she held her arms out and Davi plopped himself into them, being carried bride-style by her.
Olivia and Sieg both snickered while Ken's eye twitched. "What exactly am I doing?" Ken demanded.
Davi wrapped his arms around her neck and held on tightly. "None of us know Sky Walking, and I'd hate to get anyone else in the guild involved. Plus, I don't know if they'd be okay with this. I want you to fly me up to that orb."
"The mini sun?" Olivia squinted at it. "I thought Myth told you it was empty?"
"He did, but I'd still like to check it out myself." He removed one of his hands from Ken's neck and swatted her back. "Fly sled. Fly."
"I'll fucking kill you."
"Please?"
Ken stomped her foot down a few times, muttered several curses under her breath, and then summoned Yujin. Her companion took the form of a bird this time, and when he merged with her, her hair turned a familiar gold, her eyes turned red, and she sprouted a tail and ears. She then squeezed Davi tightly, crouched down, and with all the mana she could muster, she leapt into the air.
The ground exploded as Ken blasted up, getting higher and higher, but even with all of her strength, she'd never be able to reach the mini star.
"Row Flame Bolt!" Fire erupted out of Ken's feet, and like a rocket, she went even higher, piercing past the buildings, the clouds, and even more. Ice started to form on both her and Davi, yet they went on until they finally neared the orb.
Despite being so close to it, no heat actually came off of it. It was bright and hard to look at, but Davi ignored the stinging in his eyes and gazed at it directly.
A swirl of colors came off it—blue, red, yellow, pink, white, green, orange, and so many more—shifting and mixing, and they flowed down like tendrils. He was reminded of the king's core, but this wasn't a core. Right?
The sphere was huge but still small compared to the actual sun, and part of it was transparent, allowing him to look to the core. He had expected… Well, he didn't know what he expected or what he wanted, but he had still expected something, anything, yet Myth had been right. There was nothing.
The star was totally empty. He could see all the way through it and gaze at the scene behind it. A hollow orb of colorful mana that warmed the city below. That's all this was, and yet again, it was strange he couldn't feel any of the heat that it apparently radiated off.
"Well?" Ken looked toward him, and she hovered in the air, fire constantly streaming from her feet. "Did this help at all?"
"Not really," Davi admitted. "It just looks…"
'Mother.'
"Never mind. I hear it."
The voice was soft, and this time he tried to make it out. The pitch was odd. High and low, it didn't sound like it could be created from a normal human. It was more mechanical or robotic. As if someone had used autotune on their voice. It also whispered, yet it was booming and echoed around in his mind.
'Mother, have you come to save me?'
"Who are you?" Davi called out. "Why do you think I'm your mom?"
'Mother. Mother, please let me out.'
"I need you to answer my question first-"
'Mother, I have learned my lesson. Please, I want to leave this darkness. Mother? Please.'
"Can you hear me?" Davi spoke louder. "Are you able to hear my words? I need to know what's going on."
'Mother, please, is it time we kill?'
"Right, I forgot it wants to kill everyone," Davi muttered.
"It wants to do what?" Ken demanded, very alarmed now.
"I didn't plan to unseal it anyway, but I wish it would make more of an effort to talk to me." Davi shook his head. "Oh well. Nothing to be done. Let's go-"
'Mother.' The colors twisted, and a tendril shot out. Ken let out an alarmed yell and tried to dodge, but it didn't aim for her. The tendril brushed against Davi's head, and his eyes widened. 'Mother, remember. Remember the promise that you made.'
Davi felt a pounding in his head, and his eyes ached as flashes of images passed over his vision. Memories that weren't his suddenly shoved their way into his mind.
Fire. He saw a land on fire, forged of brimstone and lava, with a sky made of screaming faces and twisted metal that shaped into the images of men. The air screamed, and lightning howled. The sea was made of blood, the rain was acid, and vegetation didn't exist.
He saw the moon, the one for his planet, a palace of white marble crumbled to ash, and a rusty sword that was stabbed into the ground before it. He saw the sun, drained of its fire, turned into a spiraling mass of darkness that devoured everything in the universe. He saw the planet, a massive piece of flat land in the void, which ripped like paper.
He saw mana die, concepts like space and time cease to be, and then he saw a universe of white hands and bodies without heads that shattered and broke as destruction climbed toward them.
And finally, he saw a world of light, golden gates torn asunder, a city of absolute holiness past them, with a lone woman standing before it all—a woman with blonde hair and a body made of metal.
He saw Haru.
Haru saw Davi.
They saw each other.
Then, everything turned white, and all he saw were words being written on a page.
"The End."
A book closed.
Davi's eyes snapped open, and he breathed heavily, nearly throwing up.
"Davi!" Ken flew away from the orb, the tendrils no longer reaching out toward her. "Davi, are you okay?"
"I-I think so. I saw something?"
"What?"
"I don't know?" Davi winced. "There was so much. What the hell was that?"
He didn't get to consider it for much longer as a loud whistle cut through the air. Ken came to a halt, and her eyes widened when she saw Sunny riding on his horse, which stepped into the air. He held a hand up and glared at the two of them.
"Halt," Sunny said. "You two. Down. Now."
"Oh boy, I think we're in trouble." Davi chuckled.
"You think." Ken glared at him. "Great. Just what we needed…"