Hey, hey, hey, what's this? An update before the late night? Amazing.
"Enter."
Tetsurou doesn't pause in his paperwork. There's a lot to do before the day is out and, sure, given that time is a bit of an abstract, he doesn't really have to do it now. There is, however, a sense of accomplishment in finishing his work by the end of a self determined day.
"Leader Bronze."
He looks up, finding Nishinoya and Ennoshita still dressed in the protective garments provided by Abyss.
"I take it you're finished with Consumption then?"
"We are," Ennoshita says.
"It went well?"
"It did, the citadel was expanded, Forest uprooted, no problem." Nishinoya smiles, fists propped on his hips.
"Very good." Tetsurou nods his head in dismissal and goes back to his paperwork. After a moment, he realizes Ennoshita remains in the room. "Something the matter?"
"What will happen to Consumption once the Rot covers it?"
"How do you mean?"
"We're only delaying the inevitable, aren't we? Eventually, the Rot will spread over the entire Realm. What happens then? Will it spread to other Realms? What happens if Consumption vanishes?"
Ennoshita's not the only one who's thought about the ramifications of the old Leader's decisions. Tetsurou doesn't know the whole of it, though it's probably buried somewhere in the depths of Keen Eye's library. There's only so much he can read at a time, and the Eternal Library contains every bit of knowledge to ever come into existence. What he does know is that there used to be a mechanism that purified the Rot, making it containable and preventing it from growing. The old Leaders did something, and that mechanism vanished.
The issue now is figuring out how to keep Consumption alive for as long as possible. It hasn't come up in meetings, only the briefest of questions, asking Abyss if he believes that his Realm will survive another decade.
The old Leaders should have known there would be dire consequences for their choice, that they didn't plan ahead or spare a moment to think about what could happen speaks to the unworthiness of their position.
He's been working with Law to find alternatives and pestering Keen Eye to figure something out. Law seems to know a bit more, seems to have some kind of plan so Tetsurou's gone along with it. But Tetsurou is the one who extended the olive branch to Abyss in the first place. He worked with Ennoshita to figure out how to transplant their Forest with minimal damage, and he headed the schematic write up for the citadel expansion.
Tetsurou puts down his pen and waves a hand to dismiss his papers. He gestures for Ennoshita to sit down and he leans back in his chair.
"I'm not sure, Consumption is a lot of variables wrapped up in one Realm, Abyss governs quite a lot there. We still don't know what all the Rot can do. All we know for certain is that it's dangerous. I'm not sure it will spread, it's contained within Consumption but again, we don't know much. We have to figure out something though, if Consumption vanishes, we're all screwed. Absorbing it isn't an option, the damage to any other Realm would be irreparable, and it's not compatible anyhow."
"So there's nothing we can do? We're just supposed to wait for the Realm to break?"
"Leader Law is heading an investigation, I met with him a short while ago, we're both trying to figure out what can be done. But as of now, there's nothing."
There is something. Law had a request, Tetsurou filled it. Whatever Law has planned will surely begin soon.
It's best that nobody knows, however. Even Tetsurou doesn't know all the details, it's safer that way.
Ennoshita bites his lip and Tetsurou waits for him to speak.
"Very well," he says at last.
With that, Ennoshita excuses himself and Tetsurou waits until the door has closed to summon his paperwork back.
He'll have to call Abyss for a meeting. He's been working on a method of containment, volleying for entry to the Hidden Matter or Keen Eye's library in hopes of finding some kind of solution. There has to be something in the records, an inkling of what was used to keep the Rot at bay before.
So far, he's turned up nothing and Keen Eye keeps denying him access. He tells Tetsurou that there's nothing in the Hidden Matter that would help, that there's nothing good within the Hidden Matter, hence why they're hidden.
Tetsurou's not so sure.
The old Leaders weren't exactly forthright. Tetsurou's own predecessor had a habit of telling him that something was locked up because it was dark magic or evil, when in reality he just didn't want Tetsurou looking at it. As soon as his predecessor faded, Tetsurou took it upon himself to look at everything he'd been banned from initially.
Keen Eye isn't the type to go against the orders of his predecessor, if he was told that only dark magic resided in the Hidden Matter, he wouldn't go looking into it unless given definitive proof that the orders were wrong.
The next step then, is finding some kind of proof. That's what Law is working on.
It doesn't take long for him to finish up the last bit of his paperwork, Tetsurou vanishes it and leans back in his chair, eyes closed.
Times are changing, there's a lot to take into account.
Knowledge has nearly tripled in size, Keen Eye creating more and more Watchers to look in on the world below. Law's Underbelly has been strangely silent recently, its effect counter to what Tetsurou was told to expect. Abyss' Rot problem became expedited, the time coinciding with Knowledge's growth.
The world below is booming, there's a massive influx of activity, and Realm Dwellers react in kind.
Tetsurou takes a deep breath and opens his eyes, pushing himself up and out of his chair.
Too much to do.
Too much to think about.
He bats down one of the floating ribbons of his robe and runs his hands through his hair in a vain attempt at making himself look even vaguely presentable. He locks his office behind him, gesturing at the handle as red light drifts from his fingers and filters into the door itself. Satisfied, he makes his way out of the Keep.
Some of the builders are racing down the halls, arms filled with schematics that need to be copied or prepped for the Couriers to collect. A few Architects are wandering, making notes on how to improve the ever evolving Keep.
It's never empty here, never boring, Tetsurou can appreciate that.
It's not just the Keep, his whole Realm is always on the move, not as much as Keen Eye's Realm certainly, but he knows most of his inhabitants don't sleep for cycles at a time. Always something new, something bold and never seen before. The air is heavy with the sound of tools and the feeling of magic. Empty fields stretch beyond the citadel, waiting to be built upon, plots already marked out for future construction.
There's always so much.
His Realm expands as he needs it to, it grows and develops, and will do so forever.
The exact opposite of Consumption.
Tetsurou makes his way to the Guild Square, slipping into the Communications Hub through a side door that leads down to the Central Command Post. It's a dark room, illuminated only by a massive wall of communication panes. The somewhat opaque panes glow with multiple circles, indicators, vanishing as fast as they appear.
Sawamura Daichi sits before the panes, eyes flashing an array of colors as he connects panes.
There's an automated system, Daichi figured it out some time back, but he likes doing it manually on occasion.
Tetsurou waits for a natural lull to make his presence known. He comes up beside Daichi and claps a hand on his shoulder. Understandably, Daichi startles, his eyes go pure black as his body lets off a burnt orange glow before he returns to normal. He sighs and put the system into automation before turning to face Tetsurou.
His eyes are back to their usual color, his gaze fixed on Tetsurou's mouth.
"Has something happened?" he asks.
Tetsurou taps his foot, leveling his hand with the ground and pulling up. A simple stool rises from the stone floor and he takes a seat.
"I can't stop by and say hello to an old friend?"
"I didn't say that. Usually, you don't come by unannounced unless something has happened."
"Usually, Sawamura, you wound me."
Daichi just chuckles and leans back in his chair.
"So, something has happened then?"
Tetsurou allows his smile to falter and tips his head back.
"Some of my Builders came back from Consumption-"
"Bronze, I need to actually see your mouth move, you know that."
"Right, apologies." Tetsurou looks back to Daichi and repeats. "My Builders came back from Consumption recently."
Tetsurou has offered to make him something, a hearing aid or something similar, he has the ability to do so without much difficulty, but Daichi has refused time and time again. He accepted once, probably to get Tetsurou off his back. He said the noise was too much. After that, Tetsurou tried making something better, something that Daichi would like, he's since given up on that endeavor. What Daichi uses now is a pair of glasses that transcribe spoken words so long as he can see a being's mouth moving, effectively allowing him to see words in a similar way to Leader Law.
"Right, the reconstruction efforts, how did that go?"
"No issues, we got the Forest uprooted and replanted, got the citadel expanded to fit all of their surface population. Everyone's below ground now."
"That going to affect their work?"
"I don't think so, we did a lot of expanding. The only way that there would have been an effect was if we didn't move the Forest, but we did, so-"
"So, what's the problem?"
"There isn't one."
"Kuroo."
"It's the Realm itself," Tetsurou says. He wants nothing more than to drop his head and rub at his face but then Daichi wouldn't know what he was saying. He settles for tapping his foot on the ground again, bringing up a stand just big enough to rest his elbows on. He props his head on his hands and sighs. "I've been talking to Law, he's been doing his best to investigate ways to slow the Rot or to find out how it was kept at bay to begin with, but he's turned up nothing substantial."
Daichi nods, drumming his fingers on his legs.
"Have you spoken with Abyss yourself?"
"Not in some time, but my Builders have spoken with some of the beings who work under him."
"Well, that's not exactly the same, is it?"
Tetsurou finds himself laughing, and he ducks his head a moment before looking back up.
"I suppose you're right."
Daichi is quiet for a few moments before he speaks up.
"Are you worried about Abyss as a Leader who has friends, or as Leader who's been met with a problem he can't solve?"
Tetsurou's ready to jump to his own defense immediately but he stops.
"Why can't it be both?"
Daichi just shrugs.
"I didn't say it couldn't be, I was just asking. This is for my curiosity, more than anything."
"Then...I suppose it's both."
Daichi keeps talking, but Tetsurou's not really listening. He should be, but his mind is drifting.
He hasn't known Abyss all that long, the Leader is the newest of the bunch, and outside of meetings, Tetsurou hasn't had too many discussions with him. He cares what happens to the Realm, he's not terrible, he has a conscience. But, if he has to be honest, there is an aspect of solving this eternal problem that intrigues him probably more than it should. He's always been driven, whether by his own ambition or by outside challenges.
And this is the biggest outside challenge of his time.
Tetsurou's not sure if he should feel bad about it or not. At this point, the idea has only been brought up between him and Daichi, so there's not a chance of word spreading. The last thing he needs is to be called shallow, or have all that he's built torn down on the fact that he's excited to solve a problem that no one's solved before.
"What the-"
Tetsurou blinks, coming back to himself to find Daichi facing the communication panes.
"What?" Daichi doesn't react but Tetsurou knows he'll speak again in a moment or two.
"Communications in Knowledge just went down- Balance too. Consumption, and -"
The lights on the panes shut off and the room plunges into darkness.
"Here."
Tetsurou jumps to his feet and tries to activate a communication. He summons a light as well, so Daichi can see his mouth.
"Bronze, I just said-"
"I know! What happened?"
"Well, if I knew, I'd have fixed it by now."
Daichi turns away, putting his attention toward attempting to fix the panes. His eyes change to gold and his body begins to glow in a multitude of colors as he begins his work. Without Daichi looking at him, Tetsurou can't converse with him, so he waits.
"I need a pulse," Daichi says.
Tetsurou taps his shoulder to let him know he's been heard then takes a step back.
Eyes glowing, Tetsurou takes a deep breath.
His Realm has no Patron, the powers he wields come from himself, as such, he's the lifeblood of his Realm. The heat starts in his chest before dispersing across his body and growing hotter and hotter. It builds until his form starts to waver with red light.
He draws in another breath, and another.
In one motion, Tetsurou releases the energy.
The red light all but explodes, racing into the ground and across the Realm, the majority of it focused on the Central Command Post.
He loses time, just a little bit, as his consciousness spreads through the Realm, seeing and hearing everything simultaneously. He drops to his knees when the pulse ends, body aching and a terrible ringing in his ears.
A hand falls on his shoulder and he nearly panics for he realizes that it's Daichi.
"It's back up, or it will be in a moment or two, I have to make sure the pathways are secure," Daichi says, crouching in front of Tetsurou.
"Everything's fine then?"
"More or less, there doesn't seem to be any kind of negative repercussion."
"Great, mind if I nap here?"
"Nap in your own damn office."
They're both on the floor and Tetsurou feels like he's going to puke. It's been quite some time since he's had to emit a pulse, it never ceases to amaze him just how much it takes.
"And if I make that request as your Leader?" Tetsurou says with an uneasy smile.
Daichi just rolls his eyes.
"Then make a bed for yourself, I have to figure out why this happened."
Tetsurou puts his palm to the ground and raises the stone a little, softening it so that it's not unbearably stiff. He slips off his robe and bundles it up as a makeshift pillow. He sees Daichi return his attention to the panes as he lays down.
He vaguely registers a door opening, sees Daichi's blurry outline turn to it and start talking, then Tetsurou's asleep.
When he comes to, he's still on the floor, and Daichi is sitting next to him, thumbing through a record book.
"Welcome back," Daichi says, setting the book aside.
"I feel like shit."
"Look like it too."
Tetsurou rolls his eyes and begins the slow process of pushing himself to sit up.
"How long was I out?"
"Not as long as I expected, we're just now starting the day cycle."
"What happened?"
"Some kind of influx, from what I can tell. Keen Eye's couriers got lazy."
No they didn't. They wouldn't. Law said that his plan would start soon, Tetsurou wasn't expecting to start now, he thought they had a little more time. It's just as well though, Consumption doesn't exactly have time for patience.
"And everyone's been notified?"
"I issued an explanation to all of the Realms."
"I should get back to my office if we're at the top of a cycle then. Thanks for the nap space."
"You sure you're feeling one hundred percent? I was serious, you don't look good."
"I'll be fine."
Tetsurou stumbles to his feet and rushes from the Communications Hub.
Law is smart, he wouldn't do anything to implicate Tetsurou. He's scheming, not malicious. But Tetsurou had no idea that this is what Law had been planning. Knocking out communications? What good would that do? Has Law lost his mind? When Tetsurou built the devices, he'd assumed Law was going to use them to learn the material in the library en masse.
Once back in his office, Tetsurou places his hand on his desk to open a communication line to Law. Daichi keeps a record of incoming and outgoing calls throughout all of the Realms, but Tetsurou saw the schematics and has long since figured out how to bypass that protective measure.
"Bronze? I suppose you'll be wanting a thank you? It's well deserved, everything worked perfectly from what I can tell, so, truly, thank you."
"What did you do?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Communications shut down across the Realms, Sawamura said there was an influx from Knowledge."
"Indeed, I needed to retrieve something from the Hidden Matter. Your beings installed the observation system, you know that shorting out communications would also temporarily disable that system, it was only for a couple of seconds."
Tetsurou nearly loses his focus on the call.
"You broke into the Hidden Matter? Law, are you insane? That's what got Fable arrested! Do you want to go to the Resting Place? You don't even have a successor, what happens to your Realm if you fade?"
There's an eerie calm on the other end and Tetsurou would think Law had ended the call if it weren't for the glowing indicator on his desk.
"You're the only one who knows, so long as you don't go running to Keen Eye, then I am in no danger. I've nothing against Keen Eye, but he's unwilling to act, even if it means he might save Abyss and Consumption, times are changing, Tetsurou, you need to as well."
With that, Law ends the communication and Tetsurou is left dumbfounded.
How did Law know his name?
And the plot thickens. Clarity to come next chapter, I hope you liked this one, please let me know what you think!