Lauri was once again sitting cross-legged atop his bed in the rear of the Rhino. Having expended some essence in order to destroy the sixth bridge himself, Lauri channelled his essence through his body to speed up its regeneration.
The light within Lauri's soul also aided in the regeneration of his essence; it was a subtle but evident change. The more light, the more essence was regenerated.
Rubbing the necklace, Lauri scowled.
'We're this close to the seventh bridge, but how long do we have left?'
Lauri's grip on his necklace tightened.
'Say it's the worst outcome, the Whispering Legion has made it across the bridge. Will we be able to fight them? No, that's a stupid question. What can the seven of us do to hundreds, maybe even thousands of Nightmare Creatures? Even with the army Lucky has, it would do nothing but slow down the inevitable… None of us has an Aspect strong enough to take on the Whispering Legion single-handedly… Maybe, maybe if I were a Saint.'
Suddenly, Lauri recalled the last conversation he had had with Jet.
'What is it he had said, "how many problems in Antarctica we could solve on our own". If I was a Saint, would I be strong enough to sweep across the Whispering Legion and leave them as nothing but husks? Without the Fallen Titan, their strongest combatant would be the Knight, a Fallen Tyrant.'
Opening his eyes, Lauri looked at the wall opposite.
'The Pawns and Rooks can't be anything higher than Awakened Monsters, maybe even Demons… But those Bishops, what did they do to Ascended Morn? They affected his essence, meaning they are probably Devils, and since they managed to affect Morn so easily, that means they are probably Fallen Devils.'
Lauri's face twisted in anger before gradually calming.
'No, no, we will be fine. I trust my team to be able to fight a pair of Fallen Devils and an assortment of Awakened Monsters and Demons. But the Knight, if it comes to it, I will take it on…'
Raising his gaze, Lauri looked at the space ahead of him as something began to shimmer into the empty air.
'I guess I should take stock of my Memories in case I need them.'
Lauri's runes appeared.
This time, he focused on his Memories.
Memories: [From Me To You], [Best Present Ever], [Hailrend], [Partitioner's Relief], [Her Aegis]...
And the list went on.
Lauri had gained many memories in his years as an Awakened, and then many more in his time as an Ascended. Many had been lost due to being destroyed in fights – with both humans and Nightmare Creatures – and others he had sold off, having no need for them. Currently, Lauri had a few dozen Memories resting within his Soul Sea, but the majority were useless.
Most were of the Dormant Rank; most of these Memories he had gained during his stay in Antarctica and would be sold at the first opportunity when they reached Falcon Scott. Others were of the Awakened Rank; many he had gifted to his underlings to use, such as the greatsword Danse wielded, and any arrows or bows he received went to Mele and Sansa. But on the whole, these Memories would be of no use; there were a few of the Ascended Rank, but none of them caught Lauri's eye, so he simply looked over the Memories he knew he would have summoned.
These Memories had been with Lauri for a long time, some longer than others, but all of them were priceless pieces Lauri could never part with.
The first Memory was [From Me To You], the necklace Lauri always wore, with its golden threads floating within. A Charm Lauri had acquired near the end of his time in the Dream Realm as a Sleeper, it had only one enchantment, which protected him from seers, preventing them from looking into his future. Despite being only a Dormant Memory, its enchantment seemed to be stronger than its Rank.
The second Memory was [Her Aegis]: Lauri's reliable Ascended Memory, made of white chitin, which he had earned some time after his Second Nightmare while attempting to subdue a Nightmare Gate within the NQSC. Its first enchantment caused impacts to be dispersed across the entire armour, vastly reducing the danger of crushing attacks but doing little for piercing attacks. Its second enchantment was small but incredibly vital during combat, delaying the injuries its wearer received for several minutes. Meaning cuts did not bleed, and broken bones could continue to be used as if they were fully intact, a fact Lauri had learnt first-hand.
Looking at the next two, Lauri's eyes softened.
[Hailrend] and [Partitioner's Relief].
These two Memories he had received at the culmination of his Second Nightmare.
[Hailrend] was of the Transcendent Rank, its enchantments both revolving around cold. One enchantment caused [Hailrend] to inflict devastating frostbite with each slash or stab, and its other enchantment gave its wielder a great resistance to the cold, both natural and insidious. The enchantments acted like two sides of the same frostbitten coin, one serving to protect the wielder from their enemies, the other serving to aid the wielder in slaying their enemies.
As he thought of [Partitioner's Relief], Lauri's soft expression changed slightly, melancholy finding its way into his heart as he faintly recalled the events that led to him gaining it.
[Partitioner's Relief] was the only Memory of the Supreme rank Lauri had ever received. It was an armour-type Memory that took the form of a veil, and it had two enchantments. The first allowed it to be worn over the top of another armour Memory, and its second allowed Lauri to reduce the amount of damage he received from an attack, at a hefty price of essence befitting a Supreme Memory. Such is the reason why Lauri was hesitant to use it.
[Her Aegis], [Hailrend], [Partitioner's Relief]. These three Memories would be the backbone of Lauri's armoury should he have to face off against the Knight of the Whispering Legion.
'Ah, right.'
Rubbing the growing stubble on his jaw, Lauri turned his head. In the corner of his bedroom, the spear he had created from light and essence was propped up against the wall.
'I can't forget about the spear I made, I suppose I could use it in place of [Hailrend]. That way I can save on essence, which can be put to reinforcing my usage of [Light's Edge] or even [Light Dash] should things get… chaotic.'
----
Within one of the many conference rooms scattered throughout Falcon Scott, two women sat across from one another beneath cold fluorescent lights. One was an Irregular attached to the First Evacuation Army. The other, a Nightwalker of the House of Night.
For the better part of an hour, the pair had discussed the state of the ongoing evacuation efforts – the strain on resources, the endless flow of civilians arriving from the south, and the increasing pressure caused by the Nightmare Creatures gathering beyond the city walls. Since the siege of Central Antarctica's last human stronghold had begun, every day brought worse news than the last.
But that discussion had ended some time ago.
The reports and logistics now sat forgotten upon the table between them.
Because the topic they had drifted toward afterwards was far more important.
Or perhaps more accurately, far more interesting
"I just don't like it. I can't believe Central Command gave his team this mission!"
Pushing one of the chairs away with her foot, Jet grit her teeth.
"It's suicide, damn it! One Master and six Awakened against a legion of Nightmare Creatures! Ugh, just wait until I get my hands on whoever threw Lauri to the wolves. I'll show them how scary a ghastly enemy can be."
The woman across from her slouched slightly, head resting on her palm as her elbow dug into the table. Concern filled her indigo eyes.
"It is a fool's errand, but what better fool than Lauri to do it?"
The two ladies' gazes met for a moment before they burst out laughing.
Wiping her eye, Jet leaned back in her seat.
"The last time I spoke to Lauri, he brought up something… Something I didn't expect him to ask. He once told me he didn't want to challenge the Second Nightmare, that he didn't even want to challenge his First Nightmare… but fate sure had different plans for us."
Jet's head slowly rolled back until she was staring at the ceiling.
"Maeve, have you ever thought of attempting the Third Nightmare?"
Her posture straightened as Jet asked the question. Maeve bit her cheek for a moment before halfheartedly nodding.
"I have. Some of the other Ascended Nightwalkers and I were debating whether we should try for the Third Nightmare once this was all over. But when I brought it up to my father, he was not the most excited by the idea. It's hard enough to try and elicit any emotion from him, but he seemed… disturbed by the prospect."
Jet snorted.
"I hear that. I mentioned it once to Cor, and it was as if I threatened suicide. Although I reckon if I can get Lauri to talk to him, he'll convince the old man."
A fond laugh escaped Maeve's lips as she shook her head.
"Maybe I should let him talk to my old man… When did you last talk to Lauri?"
Jet shifted in her seat, crossing her arms.
"Uh, I think it was just before he was sent to destroy those seven bridges. Yeah, that's it, Tyris had just gone to fend off Winterbeast, so there was a lull in the storm, and I could reach him. Why?"
Maeve frowned a little bit, rubbing a finger against the table.
"Ah, the last time I saw him was in the Dream Realm… Although he was asleep, I could only stroke his hair. I didn't want to wake him, but sadly, I got called away, so I couldn't even wait for him to wake up."
Jet tilted her head as she listened to Maeve.
"You stroked his hair whilst he was asleep? That's kind of creepy… What were you even doing in his house? Don't you have your own?"
Maeve grew flustered.
"I- I was just so surprised to see him, I wanted to make sure he wasn't an illusion created by a Nightmare Creature that had snuck aboard the Night Garden."
Jet grinned faintly.
"Uh-huh, so how did you get into his house? Did you use your Aspect and slip through the door, or do you have a key?"
Maeve hesitated for a few moments.
Jet slapped the table, laughing.
"Oh, my Dead Gods! You do have a key to his house!"
As Jet slapped the table a few more times, laughing her head off. Maeve raised her hands, trying to defend herself.
"No, no, I mean, I do have a key, but Lauri gave me the key. His house is located in a particularly quiet spot, it's just so lovely and relaxing there, I like to go there sometimes and get away from it all…"
As Jet slammed her palm against the table in another fit of laughter, the conference room door suddenly opened before Maeve could respond.
A tall man stepped inside, the atmosphere shifting almost instantly.
His sharp gaze swept between the two women. His expression was stern, carved from the kind of discipline only years of command and battle could forge, and the rigid posture he carried made him seem as if he was expecting a Nightmare Gate to pop up behind him at any moment.
Even the long dark coat draped over his shoulders hung neatly against his frame, untouched by the chaos happening beyond the walls of the conference room.
But the most striking thing about him was his hair.
So dark and smooth, it resembled a layer of raven feathers resting atop his head.
Maeve stood up, bowing her head slightly.
"Saint Cor, I wasn't expecting you to join this meeting-"
Despite Maeve's reverence for the Government Saint, Jet was anything but.
"Hey! Hey, old man! Get this, Maeve has a crush on Lauri!"
Maeve immediately twisted to glare at Jet, she hissed.
"Jet!"
Cor just shook his head.
"I am not here to partake in your meeting. I wanted a word with Jet."
"Oh."
Maeve stepped away from the table.
"I understand, we were finished with our meeting anyway, I'll be going and inform my father about what I've learnt here."
Quickly moving toward the door, she stopped when Jet called her.
"Hey, Maeve, aren't you forgetting something?"
Maeve turned around in confusion, only realising what Jet meant when the Nightwalker gestured toward the scattered files on the table.
"Ah… right."
Moving quickly back to the table, Maeve gathered the documents into a neat stack, pressing them lightly against her chest before making her way back toward the door. Pausing beside it, she gave Jet a small wave before bowing her head respectfully toward the tall man.
"Bye, Jet. Goodbye, Saint Cor."
Jet responded with a small wave of her own, still faintly amused, while Cor simply gave a slow nod in acknowledgement as Maeve stepped out of the conference room.
As the door swung shut, Jet giggled a few more times before exhaling.
"What can I do for you?"
Looking at the chair nearest to him, Cor considered sitting down for a moment.
"I'm leaving Falcon Scott."
Hearing this, Jet nodded.
"Of course you are, you're heading down south to pull Lauri out of the mess he's no doubt gotten himself in. It's been almost seven days since his team began their operation, and last I checked the scout reports, the Whispering Legion was at most seven days from reaching the ravine. So it makes sense you'd head out to check on him."
Cor's expression darkened.
"I'm not heading south."
Jet's eye twitched, her voice filled with an intense emotion.
"What?"
"Central Command is pulling their focus away from Central Antarctica, with all the cities evacuated, and the evacuation of Falcon Scott well underway. They are moving their attention to Eastern Antarctica, and defending the cities and civilians there."
Jet glared at Cor some more as she decided on what to say.
"Then you're abandoning, Lauri?"
Jet and Cor locked gazes for a long moment.
When Cor didn't respond, Jet suddenly stood up. Her hand snapped down onto the chair she had been sitting on, and in one motion, she hurled it across the room at the Saint.
Unfazed, Cor raised his hand and caught it mid-air, the impact ringing out like a struck bell. Then Cor twisted, slamming the chair down with brutal force and driving it into the floor. The impact shattered the surface beneath it, embedding the chair legs deep into the reinforced material as cracks spiderwebbed outward.
His piercing gaze fell on Jet.
"Enough."
Jet's expression didn't soften as Cor let go of the chair he had just embedded in the floor between them. She tilted her head slightly, studying Cor as if trying to pick apart the answer he hadn't given yet.
"So what?"
She said at last, her voice quieter now, it carried a certain sharpness to it.
"You've stopped caring about Lauri?"
Cor didn't respond immediately. His piercing gaze remained fixed on her for a moment longer, unreadable and stern. Then, slowly, he lifted his left hand.
Two rings sat there.
One was forged from bright, almost radiant metals, inlaid with a few pale, luminous gems that caught the light with a clean, steady glow. The other was darker – crafted from a dull grey metal, set with stones that carried a faint, hollow sheen.
Cor's thumb brushed briefly over both, almost absentmindedly.
When he finally spoke, his voice was even.
"I have a responsibility to the people. To my role as a protector. Lauri knew the danger he was stepping into. He is not a naïve child, Jet."
A brief pause followed.
"He will be fine."
Jet's gaze dropped from his hand to the embedded chair, then slowly drifted away altogether. Her earlier fire cooled into something else, something full of concern and worry.
"You can't know that for sure…"
She said at last, exhaling through her nose in a soft sigh.
For a moment, the room was only filled with the faint hum of the building.
Jet's eyes narrowed slightly, though not at him anymore.
"Lauri… always running around with that damn carefree smile of his, like coming back alive from the next fight is already a foregone conclusion."
Her fingers tightened against her arm.
"That kind of confidence gets people killed."