Arthur slowly opened his eyes, but no ray of sunlight reflected in his pupils. Around him dwelled a total darkness that seemed to have devoured his room.
Even so, he didn't panic, as it was simply night in Ravenheart.
Due to the time difference with the Waking World, in the Song Clan's Citadel, night fell a few hours after he usually visited.
Slowly, he got out of bed, wearing comfortable, warm white pajamas, to light the candles and lamps in his room.
In the process, he noticed that Regis had already returned to his core and was taking a nap with a full stomach.
The lamps hanging on the walls were lit by a type of gas the clan extracted from the volcanoes, and using their heat, he managed to light the rest of the candles.
With both lit, the room took on an orange hue, bringing warm vibes.
Grabbing one of the candles, he went to the desk and placed it on the left, while on the right were notebooks made of paper brought from the Waking World with Nightmare Creature leather covers and a pen.
Bringing one of the notebooks and opening it to the middle, Arthur began writing his observations of what had recently happened, analyzing every word from the Queen to his own performance in the chess game.
'The first thing I can deduce from the game and from previous attitudes is that she is very strategic—which makes sense; not just anyone reaches the top of power without brains. Her plan to force Valor to send one of the princesses to Antarctica is proof of that.'
'During the game, and after it, something that became very clear is that she prefers to observe someone rather than believe their words—which also makes sense… for now, these are attitudes present in most people, nothing special.'
Arthur continued thinking and writing more things.
'Related to the first point is her ambition and resilience. Using the possibility of attracting a valuable asset from the enemy, she will take advantage to try to eliminate it.'
'Surely there's something more behind the plan, I don't think she's content with Valor sending more assets and transforming theirs weakness into a strength. Ki Song surely thought something similar. Now the issue is how she's going to solve it? Will she send another Saint? Maybe Mordret?'
His brows furrowed slightly next.
'Apparently, from what I deduce, she doesn't actually want the war to happen, nor does she desire it—rather, it's something that will inevitably happen due to a succession of chain events from the past. Perhaps related to when Nephis's mother died? Or when they betrayed her father?'
'At this point, I can already confirm that there was indeed a betrayal of Nephis's father in some way, one that led to his death. Now the question would be: what's the reason? Envy? From the Queen, it doesn't seem so, she came from the bottom, and her paths with Broken Sword are similar in a certain sense…'
'Maybe it wasn't her who was envious, but Anvil? That could be… I'll have to ask her next time about the Valor Sovereign to confirm this, though it might not be the whole story either…'
Finally, Arthur reached the part he was most sure about.
'Ki Song's weakness is her daughters…'
It wasn't surprising in any way, but that was where the problem lay. Usually, a weakness like that is quite exploitable, which meant Valor could have done it long ago, but even so, that wasn't the case…
Although he knew Valor had sent assassins after Seishan and her sisters—the former told him personally—rationally speaking, this was more a blow to the Song Clan than to Ki Song… Obviously, it must affect her if one of her daughters is assassinated, but Arthur wasn't looking for that.
He was trying to decipher Ki Song's Flaw.
'If we look at her complete history, the biggest point that stands out is the theme of family. Most of her life is centered on seeking a family…'
Seeking for her mother to stay longer with her and ending up being raised by her absence, her need to prevent this from happening with her own daughters while at the same time being distant due to the lack of humanity her own rank provokes.
'The fact that all her daughters are adopted…'
This last part could be defended by the fact that she had spent her whole life living based on her ambitions to recover what was hers and then to change the society that mistreated her own mother. This could make it difficult for her to find a partner.
Still, rationally speaking, she doesn't exactly need one to form a biological family. With current technology, she could do it without complications, and it's not as if she lacks resources…
'Maybe she doesn't want biological daughters because that would make them a target for Valor?'
That could be a possibility… even so, he wasn't entirely convinced.
'All her daughters were from the Outskirts before being adopted, maybe she wants no girl to be left without a mother? Avoiding what happened to her? That could be…'
After writing that last part he realized how much time he had left before he could return and decided to stop for the moment, though he felt he was very close to discovering something.
Still, if he discovered it, he wouldn't be able to do much with the information for the moment, at least.
After finishing writing his thoughts, he tore the page from the notebook and, using the fire from the candles, set it ablaze.
Before leaving for the Waking World after each visit, he had been doing the same thing and it wouldn't be smart to leave a diary for anyone who entered his room to read.
He wasn't worried about Mordret because he would notice if the Prince of War was in his eyes…
There was the possibility of writing everything in the Djinn language, but being a language that a potential infiltrated reader wouldn't understand, it would raise more suspicion than seeing an empty diary with torn page marks.
The next moment, he got up from the desk and changed his clothes, putting on the uniform the government had provided them at the start of the campaign.
To not be a Memory, the suit clung to the body perfectly and was extremely comfortable.
Arthur, once changed and ready, mentally concentrated to pull on his tether.
In a matter of seconds, he felt the passage from the Dream Realm to the Waking World, and the views of his room inside the Rhino became present.
Letting out a sigh, he left his room, heading toward the living area where, strangely, the rest of the cohort was present.
He couldn't help but frown.
Seconds later, Jet, Seishan, and Hale were seated around the table with slightly exhausted faces—mainly the latter two.
'What happened?' he questioned mentally, and simultaneously passed the question to Sylvie.
They were supposed to be inside Erebus Field, one of the safest capitals in the Antarctic Center. That was why all five members being inside the Rhino was already strange and the fact that it was moving was even worse!
Additionally, he identified that Sylvie was sitting on the Rhino's roof acting as scout. Arthur had sensed her using his Aether Sense.
Upon reaching the living area, the three present cohort members turned to look at him.
Jet's icy-blue eyes were slightly tired, but she maintained her energy to keep fighting if necessary.
Hale's deep blue eyes clearly showed the Awakened's exhaustion, one that was almost on the verge of running out of essence.
Finally, Seishan's dark eyes were at an intermediate level compared to the previous two. She wasn't on the verge of running out of essence, but she didn't have enough energy for a possible fight either.
Sylvie didn't respond mentally to his question, but he could feel that her mood was dark and pessimistic.
At that moment, Regis left his core, appearing in the center of the room.
"What's with those long faces?" he said while looking for a place to sit.
"Bad news," Hale said, his voice relatively soft compared to other moments.
Seishan and Jet nodded at his words, and the latter began speaking in a somber tone.
"Art, we thought we weren't going to see you."
"What? Why?" he asked, not understanding why they wouldn't see him… After a few seconds, he realized the reason. With the Rhino in motion, perhaps when he returned, they wouldn't be in a green zone, and therefore his tether would break, making it impossible for him to return to Antarctica.
"We didn't know if when you returned, we would be in a clear zone for travel between worlds," Jet said. "A couple of things happened since you left. Which version do you want—the short or the long?"
Arthur sat up alert, his eyes completely fixed on Jet.
"Let's start with the short one."
She shrugged and let out a sigh.
"Well, the short story is that Goliath destroyed Erebus Field, and we couldn't do anything but flee."
He and Regis blinked simultaneously.
"What?" Regis asked, all trace of emotion leaving his voice.
Jet shrugged again, and at that moment, the sound of a call rumbled through the entire Rhino. "That's for me," she said as she stood up and headed to the communications area.
Seishan cleared her throat, drawing the attention of the two.
In a slightly tired tone, she began to tell the long story.
"After you left, a couple of hours passed in which everything continued normally, but that changed in a matter of seconds." She pressed her lips together and continued, "After having been lost for almost a month and a half, Goliath emerged from within Mount Erebus, breaking through one of its slopes and causing a whole side of the volcano to collapse."
"The moment that happened, we went on alert to evacuate the civilians and stop the lava flow—which actually wasn't going to present a problem due to the government having installed many contingencies against it."
Her tone turned somber.
"The problem is when you add a Titan walking around the city's periphery, breaking the magma barriers, drain vents, and most other contingencies." Seishan shook her head. "Add the imminent lava and the constant hordes of Nightmare Creatures, and the result is that there's nothing we could do to defend the city."
Arthur nodded, implying that he understood perfectly, and in fact, they couldn't have done anything.
"What happened to the civilians? Did they manage to evacuate them?"
"We did." Seishan replied. "Fortunately, Randall's cohort was present, and between both of us, we did it." He nodded again, but Seishan hadn't finished speaking. "He sacrificed himself so we could flee."
'Shit.'
He said nothing and remained silent. In that situation, if he had been in Randall's place, he would have done the same—not out of being a hero or wanting to sacrifice himself, but because his cohort has the tools to face Goliath and kill it if all members are present.
So Randall sacrificed himself so they could live and when Arthur returned, have the opportunity to kill Goliath, since he couldn't. It was a rational and cold thought.
Regis, for his part, raised another question.
"So where are we going right now?"
Seishan stopped to drink water, clearly showing her exhaustion, so Hale responded in her place.
His voice was weaker than the Song princess's, but he still tried to remain firm.
"After we managed to escape the capital, we noticed that Goliath started running west. Knowing that you would return soon, we decided to follow." He coughed slightly. "Currently, it has a great lead on us, but we know its final destination, so there's no need to worry about losing it."
Seishan, who had already recovered, added, "The Titan, after bathing in lava, ended up with an overheated body. Therefore, we deduce it's heading toward the coast to cool off."
The corners of Arthur's lips began to curve as they spoke. For some time, he had wanted to face Goliath. Since what happened in Aurora Vale, he wanted to kill that Fallen Titan at all costs and now the opportunity had just presented itself.
'Turn off that thought,' Sylvie said mentally.
'Sylv… how are you?'
'Don't "Sylv" me now! I understand your rage toward the Titan, and I share it, but this is our mission on the continent, not a personal vendetta.'
Arthur was slightly surprised by that comment, but ended up understanding the meaning.
'I'm sorry, Sylvie.'
Even without seeing her, he knew she had a smile on her face as she told him, 'I didn't say it for you to apologize. I just want you to understand that we're all angry with Goliath, and when we find it, we're all going to fight it, not just you.' Sylvie finished by saying, 'Don't carry unnecessary things on your shoulders.'
'Thank you. I needed that.'
At that moment, Jet returned from the communications center with a dark smile on her face.
"Good news, everyone. We have the green light to go hunting, and the prey is none other than a Fallen Titan taking a shower."
The faces of everyone present changed slightly, some went from exhaustion in their eyes to dark smiles on their lips, others from confusion to concentration.
But all of them presented a degree of anxiety. Mainly because it would be the first Titan they would face, and it wasn't just any Titan. Still, in everyone's mind, only one thought could be heard.
'Goliath is going to die.'
-x-
A few days later on a dark, desolate highway, a black steed and its rider emerged from the shadows. Adamantine hooves rang on concrete as they flew forward through the falling snow, soon catching up with a small column of battered vehicles.
Sunny sneezed as he overtook vehicle after vehicle.
'Did I catch a cold?' He frowned at the thought.
The convoy was roughly halfway to its destination, and none of the vehicles had failed… yet. Each looked as if it had gone through a meat grinder, but whatever the technicians had done to the transports was still keeping them from breaking down on the road.
Hopefully, that would continue to be the case.
His soldiers were doing a good job of warding off the Nightmare Creatures as well. Nothing had managed to attack the column in his absence. The refugees were all intact.
It definitely wasn't easy to keep so many people safe, so the fact that they were doing it was a great sign of the soldiers' mental fortitude—even the mundane ones.
Although the number of these soldiers had decreased in a certain sense… some had fallen victim to the Spell and were sent to their First Nightmares. In fact, there was already one who had conquered it…
Sitting on Nightmare, Sunny tried to remember the name of that soldier. Then he frowned.
'What was that guy's name?'
He didn't even remember having asked for his name…
'Ah, whatever! As if knowing his name would change anything!'
Glancing at the military vehicles, Sunny sent a short communication to Gere:
"How much ammo do you have left, Sergeant?"
The response came in a crackle of interference:
"Glad… you back, Captain… sufficient… or two… nearly spent…"
Sunny frowned again. The worsening quality of the signal could mean only one thing. They seemed to be approaching a powerful Gate.
He concentrated for a moment to sense the Call and felt that it was gradually growing louder.
'Goddammit…'
With a grimace, Sunny sent Nightmare forward and soon reached the head of the convoy, galloping alongside the Rhino. He caught a glimpse of Luster, who was concentrating on driving, and then looked into the darkness ahead.
There was an ugly rift in the fabric of reality there—one that seemed small and inconsequential from a distance, but had to be considerably wide and tall up close, blocking most of the highway.
A Nightmare Gate.
The question was… how long ago had it manifested?
Depending on the answer, the abominations brought into the waking world by it could have long wandered away in search of prey, or were still lingering around.
'There is only one way to find out, I guess.'
Sunny remained in the saddle, wielding the Sin of Solace in his right hand. He was tensely looking at the swiftly approaching Gate, trying to notice the shapes of Nightmare Creatures that could have been hiding on the highway or the mountain slope nearby… even in the cold waters of the dark ocean.
There were no enemies in the water, and no enemies on the road. However, the mountain slopes made him feel tense. Disturbed, Sunny studied the cliffs rising above the highway to understand what he had missed. Their shape was somewhat irregular, but he did not see any movement…
That was until the slope itself moved, unfurling long limbs and turning away from the mountain to face the highway.
Sunny's mouth turned dry.
Looking at the creature rise over ten meters in height, with eight segmented legs that resembled wide pillars. It looked like a giant spider with an enormous, bulbous beehive attached to its carapace, and there were hundreds of small crimson eyes burning in the dark holes of that massive hump.
'…A tyrant.'
He did not know what Rank the creature was, but it had to be a tyrant… one that carried an army of minions within its body. The towering abomination was a dire threat itself, just from its sheer size alone, and there was no telling how strong and numerous the lesser monsters were.
Worst of all, the convoy had no choice but to rush toward it.
There was still almost a minute left before they would reach the Gate and its Guardian, so that was how long he had to come up with a solution.
Sunny swiftly considered his best options, but at that moment… something strange happened.
The giant spider, who had been staring at the approaching human vehicles with malevolent intensity, suddenly froze for a moment, and then took a step back.
Then, the creature turned around and rushed toward the mountain, climbing the slope with its long, powerful legs. Just a few seconds later, it was far away from the highway, and continuing to get further, large boulders rolling down from where it had passed.
Sunny blinked, dumbstruck by the unexpected turn of events. In front of him, the highway was empty, with only the pulsating rift of the Gate obstructing its middle section.
'What… the hell?'
Before Sunny could digest the new information, a cold shiver suddenly ran down his spine, and his hair almost stood on end. A sense of danger and fear like he had never experienced before suddenly burst into his mind.
Swinging his head to stare at the ocean, his eyes wide, Sunny felt a colossal shadow rising from the depths of the cold water.
The waves retreated a few meters back, and then…
A titanic stone hand suddenly broke the surface and soared into the night sky. The arm of the submerged giant rose above the coastal highway like a dark tower, easily reaching twenty or thirty meters into the air.
Sunny froze, mesmerized by the harrowing sight of a dark expanse of weathered stone rising from the depths of the ocean. It rose higher and higher, rivers of water flowing down from the numerous grooves and ravines covering the surface of the giant's arm. Due to the scale, it seemed as though the arm was moving deceptively slowly, but he knew that to be an illusion.
A single thought formed in Sunny's stunned mind.
'Goliath…'