The meeting ended approximately an hour after that message arrived.
The rest of the time they spent there was dedicated to creating plans and distributing resources.
Arthur, Sylvie, and Seishan were walking through the streets of the Siege Capital. On either side, gray concrete buildings rose to a height of twenty meters. The architecture was quite simple, with the sole objective of providing shelter and nothing more.
Most of these buildings had been created in record time due to the possibility that the city would need to house more people than its previous capacity allowed.
Which was a correct decision, seeing the current results.
As they walked, they had been talking about topics mentioned in the meeting—like the plans the Saints developed to deal with Leviathan, Winter Beast, and Black Butterfly.
Regarding the first creature, there had been much controversy…
"That plan presents a major flaw," Seishan commented. "If both Saints abandon the Winter Beast, it will move toward Falcon Scott before the three weeks are up." She shook her head. "So you're exchanging a complicated situation for a worse one."
Sylvie and Arthur nodded.
"Yes, but if they do nothing against Leviathan, then they won't be able to evacuate so many people either," Sylvie replied. "The creature has also been drawn to Falcon Scott, and Bloodwave can't defend all the ships alone. So the priority of eliminating it is superior to the danger brought by the Winter Beast."
Seishan looked at her and nodded.
"Obviously, but if one of the Saints who went to help Bloodwave ends up dying? Then how could one alone deal with the Winter Beast afterward?" She didn't give them time to respond and added, "They're barely managing to contain it between two Saints—how could one do it alone? Who says that between the three of them they'll be able to kill Leviathan?"
No one answered those questions, because what Seishan presented made a lot of sense.
Arthur had even developed the same questions during the meeting. Either option brought great dangers in relation to the other uninvolved creature.
Not dealing with Leviathan would make evacuating the civilians much more difficult, but leaving the Winter Beast undefended for a time would make the creature approach the city more, with everything that implied.
If two Saints can't do anything but contain the Winter Beast, then the danger of such a creature exceeds the defense capacity present in the entire continent.
Even if the four Saints present in Antarctica united to fight it, they wouldn't be able to do anything. This was due to the nature of the Saints' powers. For that reason, the government Saint didn't enter the plans to contain the Winter Beast.
The same case could be made for Leviathan…
While the abilities of this creature were less bizarre than the Winter Beast, that didn't mean it was weaker.
According to the Nightwalker, the Corrupted Titan's body and strength exceeded the "normal" in such cases, meaning that even if the three Saints decided to attack it, it was possible they wouldn't do anything to it.
There was also the fact that if it decided to hide at the bottom of the ocean, the Saints of Song and Valor wouldn't be able to do anything—leaving Bloodwave alone in the cold water, waiting for his death.
There was definitely no correct answer, and they would have to accept the consequences that the decision they made would bring.
"Let's hope the government decides well what they're going to do," Arthur mentioned after finishing his thoughts.
He would have liked to mention something to Seishan about how she could ask the Queen to send more help, but the reality was that she was already doing so—in two different ways.
The first was his own presence in Antarctica, and the second wasn't related to the cold continent but to South America.
The Category Four Nightmare Gate that had been predicted to open on the continent was about to do so, and by the time it did, the Queen would use her Dream Gate to transport all those people to Ravenheart.
While she could do something more, the future war between clans didn't allow one of the clans to spend important resources for the moment.
Related to that was what was going to happen in a few minutes.
After continuing to talk for the rest of the journey, they finally arrived at the Rhino.
It was completely empty.
Emily wasn't in the driver's seat or with her tablet reading questionable novels, and Hale wasn't eating snacks or drawing maps.
Both Awakened had already retired to Ravenheart under his own orders.
Looking at the empty Rhino, Arthur felt a slight degree of nostalgia…
The memories of the things they had been through in these last three months replayed in his mind—though in those memories, there was one more figure.
A short young man with black eyes and blond hair.
Owen.
At least he had been avenged the moment they killed Goliath. Like all the people of Aurora Vale and Erebus Field.
Entering the empty Rhino, they went to the living area, and the three sat quietly in silence.
On the table were board games, but none of the three started playing. Four, in the next moment, when Regis left his core and lay down on one of the sofas.
The latter let out a sigh and asked.
"How much longer until they arrive?"
"A few minutes," Arthur replied simply.
Regis then closed his eyes.
"I'll take a nap, then."
Sylvie giggled.
"Didn't you just wake up from one?"
"Yes," Regis admitted. "But I'm still sleepy."
"But why do you always sleep so much?" Seishan raised the question with an elegantly raised eyebrow.
Regis didn't react to the question and remained lying down with his eyes closed.
"I'm just an Aspect Legacy, not a person or creature. My nature is tiring in itself."
'Besides, when I sleep, I don't have to put up with the princess…' he added mentally, just to annoy Arthur.
Seishan nodded while Arthur shot him a sidelong glance.
'It's not my fault you're lazy.'
'I'm not lazy,' Regis retorted. 'I just spend my energy strategically.'
'That sounds like a very elegant way of saying you're lazy,' Sylvie joined the conversation, and Arthur showed his agreement through the bond.
Regis didn't fall for the provocation and decided to ignore the comment.
'Don't talk to me anymore—I'm going to sleep.'
Sylvie and Arthur rolled their eyes, while Seishan frowned.
"Hey! It's rude to leave someone out of the conversation…" the latter said.
Both raised one corner of their mouths, silently admitting that Seishan had a point.
"Sorry," Arthur apologized and decided to add some information. "My parents should be arriving soon."
Sylvie and Seishan nodded, and the latter commented.
"It's been a while since I've seen them."
"Indeed." Sylvie smiled slightly.
Arthur added, "I've only seen them by call, so that doesn't count either."
"But you know they're okay, that's what matters." Sylvie consoled him lightly.
After that, they kept talking about other casual topics until Arthur's parents arrived.
Exactly twenty minutes later, a sequence of knocks could be heard on the Rhino's door.
He stood up from where he was sitting and headed to the door. Reaching it, he opened it with his right hand.
Standing with smiles on their faces were his parents.
His father had changed quite a bit during the campaign but at the same time remained the same as always.
His deep blue eyes contained a small flame floating in them, his eyebrows—which had always been strong and fierce—had greater intensity, while his beard had grown quite a bit in these last three months.
He was wearing the outfit the government provided them.
His mother had changed less than his father and still retained her maternal air, with her long eyelashes and perky nose. Her distinctive auburn hair was tied back, with a few strands falling across her forehead. There were a few wrinkles there—surely caused by stress.
She wasn't wearing the government suit like his father, but rather a leather jacket with three stars.
The words caught in his throat upon seeing them, and instead of forcing himself to say something, he decided to get off the Rhino and wrap them in a strong hug.
His parents didn't hesitate to return the gesture, and among the three of them, they remained for a few seconds submerged in the affection they were showing. It was as if their entire world had reduced to that space comprising only them.
It took them a few seconds to leave such a trance, but eventually, they did.
The first to recover was his father, who pulled back slightly. Then his mother released the embrace but held his face between her hands.
Her eyes were watery when she said, "I missed you so much, my baby."
He brought his hands to his mother's and gave her a warm smile—one that said without needing words that he had missed her too.
His mother returned the smile with the same quality and finally released his face, though their hands remained intertwined.
Reynolds watched the scene with a smile on his face, taking in the views and filling his heart with the affection they were showing.
After three months of campaign, it was exactly what he needed…
---
"…After that, we had to move to another Gate that was on one of the evacuation routes," Arthur commented. "The guardian was a Corrupted Devil, and it had about two hundred minions, though most were Awakened."
Sylvie nodded and added information. "Arthur took care of the Devil while the rest of us cleared the minions. They were the same as those from many other Gates—with antennae running along their backs and empty eyes."
Reynolds at that moment shared other data.
"That has been a topic of conversation within the high ranks of the government. Many believe that most Gates come from an unexplored region of the Dream Realm…"
He was mostly seeking confirmation of such a claim. If the government could have figured it out, then the great clans did so long before them. And in the conversation, there were two princesses of the Song Clan.
Being information that was going to be published in a few weeks, Seishan saw no need to hide it from Arthur's parents.
"In fact, yes." She confirmed the theory. "The creatures' characteristics indicate they come from a desert region, of which there is very little information within the clan to know its correct location within the Dream Realm."
Seishan told a lie at the end.
Her mother knows where the Nightmare Desert is. The only reason they haven't been able to send soldiers directly and claim the Citadel of the region is the Hollow Mountains.
Crossing them to reach such a zone is a journey destined for death, and there is also the complication of distance.
A journey from Ravenheart to the Nightmare Desert could take years. First, you have to cross a completely frozen region, then reach an unknown zone, and from there return to the Forgotten Shore. Then cross it and finally arrive at the objective without having touched the Hollow Mountains.
Going through the Hollow Mountains is the other option, but no one knows how to do it, and it would be a journey in which surely no one could survive.
Seishan knows only three people who would have a slight possibility of enduring time in the Hollow Mountains without disappearing.
The first is her sister Revel. Having command over True Darkness, she can survive for a time in the region dominated by the mist of Nothingness.
Another is precisely Mordret.
While he never said anything about what his element is, his mother informed them that it wasn't just reflections.
Finally, Saint Cormac.
The Saint of Valor sometimes ventures for months into the Hollow Mountains, and his mother knows that's precisely why.
Anvil has also tried to reach the Nightmare Desert, but his confidence in doing so is very low—otherwise, he would have sent more people to achieve it.
In a geographical sense, Valor always had the advantage to do it, having the Night Temple next to the mountains dominated by the mist of Nothingness.
Now that the opportunity to obtain the Citadel another way had opened, Cormac's task had ended, and using the excuse of Mordret's escape to punish him, he sent him to Antarctica.
To Song's fortune, he hasn't had luck detecting which Gate is the correct one. Though Saint of Sorrows hasn't managed it either…
Reynolds nodded at Seishan's response, and she gave him an elegant smile.
The former decided to speak again.
"While facing such creatures sounds fun, the most my cohort has faced was a Corrupted Monster."
"Believe me, it wasn't fun at all!" Regis decided to participate in the conversation, showing his disgust at such creatures. "They're all horrible and taste like rot that can knock someone unconscious!"
Some chuckles and giggles could be heard in the room.
Finally, Alice began petting him with her hands. With a tender voice, she consoled him.
"Aww, poor thing. No one thinks you fight with your fangs."
"Exactly!" Regis shot Arthur a sidelong glance. "The princess here doesn't think about my well-being and sends me to fight against those disgusting creatures."
Alice pressed a hand to her chest, letting out an exaggerated gasp. "Oh! How could he treat you like that?"
Regis shook his head in disbelief.
"He always does… at this point, he just sees me as a tool."
Arthur decided to intervene at that moment.
"Shut up, Regis. You spend all day sleeping, and when you do something, you complain!"
"See?" He asked the rest. "This is how he always treat me…"
Arthur rolled his eyes, defeated.
Sylvie, Seishan, and Alice giggled upon seeing him, while Reynolds brought a hand to his shoulder with an expression of I understand you perfectly.
Using that moment, Reynolds decided to speak again, raising a question.
"Art, have you talked to Ellie?"
He recovered and responded.
"As soon as I arrived, I sent her a message, and she responded a while ago telling me she was at Rain's birthday."
Both of his parents nodded, and Sylvie decided to add.
"I talked to her too, and as a gift for Rain, we sent her a video greeting her."
"I'm going to talk to someone to gift her something else too," Seishan commented when the former finished.
Alice smiled satisfactorily.
"It seems Rain is going to have a good birthday, then."
After that, they continued talking for a while longer.
They talked about what they had to do during the last three months. Their arrival at Aurora Vale and how it was later destroyed by Goliath, also the moment when Erebus Field met the same fate.
Finishing with the fight against the Fallen Titan and the journey back to Falcon Scott.
His father and mother also talked about the things they experienced—mainly the former spoke more, because his mother only did office work and healing work with the wounded on the wall.
Healers are very few, and the fact that she is a Master makes her value much higher than almost any other Ascended. That was why the government decided to keep her in a safe place.
Finally, after a couple of hours of conversation, the topics to talk about were exhausted, and it was time to say goodbye.
Seishan stood up elegantly from the sofa and stretched slightly.
"It's time for me to leave."
The rest nodded, and they said their goodbyes one by one. Finally, it was Arthur's turn, and he approached her.
"Stay safe," she said with a bitter smile on her face.
Arthur took a step forward and wrapped her in a hug.
"I will," he said, murmuring in her ear. "You stay safe too."
Seconds later, they separated, and Seishan nodded.
While she remained perfectly composed on the outside, he could notice that internally she didn't want to leave—that she wanted to keep being by his side.
"We'll take care of keeping him safe," Sylvie said, noticing the storm of emotions inside her friend.
Regis added, "Even though sometimes he's a bit insufferable, we'll take care of the princess."
Seishan nodded and looked at the rest of those present.
"See you another time. Take care."
Reynolds and Alice gave her warm smiles while nodding.
In a matter of seconds, Seishan's figure disappeared from inside the Rhino.
Noticing that she was no longer there, Alice mentioned something she didn't dare say with the Song princess nearby.
"Art, it was also Cassie's birthday recently."
"I know." A pause. "I already sent her happy birthday too."
Alice nodded and mentioned something else.
"I think it's time to mention that the government decided to send me to East Antarctica after the situation with Leviathan is resolved. They want me present in the next phase of the operation."
No one was surprised by such news. Everyone knew the importance of a Healer in such operations—Sylvie more than anyone.
"I think that's fine." Arthur then looked at his father. "Dad, you should go with her."
"I'm not leaving without you, boy," Reynolds responded.
Arthur sighed.
"Maybe by that time Leviathan has already been killed, but there are more threats in the sea. The ship might need your help."
"With your mother's presence on the ship, surely Bloodwave will be the one in charge of escorting it," his father replied back, and Arthur started to load the next excuse, but he didn't give him time. "I already told you from the beginning—if you stay in Falcon Scott, I stay with you." He crossed his arms. "End of conversation."
Arthur frowned and couldn't help but clench his jaw slightly.
"Stop, both of you, okay?" Alice intercepted in a dry tone. "This isn't the moment to argue about this. The three of us are fine, and we're going to finish the campaign, evacuate everyone we can, and return to Ellie, okay?"
His father nodded immediately, and Arthur took a moment but eventually nodded too.
"Perfect. Now Rey is going to go rest, and Arthur has to go to the wall because it's his turn." She asked, "Did you understand me?"
"Yes."
"Fine."
Both nodded, knowing there was no option to argue when she spoke to them in that tone.
Fortunately, Arthur had already accepted going to the wall—otherwise, his Flaw would have made the moment awkward and prejudicial for him…
After that, his parents withdrew from the Rhino, with his father heading to his own to rest and his mother returning to the office to continue her work.
Arthur, for his part, stayed with Sylvie and Regis inside the Rhino for a few more seconds, eventually leaving it in the direction of the wall.
Black and red smoke rose over the seventy meters, filling the area near it with a smell of gunpowder and burnt flesh. The sound of gunfire and creature howls could be heard in the distance.
If there was one thing war was… it was very loud.