Just a heads up: this series involves the names of Underworld characters and locations mentioned in LN volumes 24 and 25. Besides names, no other spoilers have been included as no other information has been made available.
Best,
EF
1
Incident/Incarnation
Ambassador Sheera
Underworld, en route to Cardina: August 3rd 2027
08:00
(One year after Specter incident)
I hate the void. Our people always paint it with pictures of stars—emphasis on the stars—like that one painting from the artisan stand at the market—beautiful brush strokes of blended blue and purple, and such energy behind painting the stars in gold.
Space does its portraits a disservice. Out here, there's just black.
I'd have Captain Shasta shield the observation deck from the empty sight if it didn't mean removing our vantage—as if anyone would attack an ambassador's flagship anyway. There hasn't been war in over 200 years.
Oh well, I shouldn't disturb the staff for something so trivial.
Everyone else on the bridge rotunda works behind their stations: engineers running on and off bridge with palm-sized pads inscribed with holographic runes, navigators leaning on the map table with 3-D star charts and our flight plan, and the pilots behind their monitors on the bridge, closest to the glass, front row seats to the abyss.
All this manpower for a simple trip to Cardina, for a talk and a vote. I'd prefer to go home and buy that painting instead.
"Ambassador Sheera."
Karaka's back. "My retainer, have a seat." I could use a distraction.
The 2 Mel tall pugilist rocks the commander's section with his weight as he sits beside me. He brushes his mohawk with calloused hands. His black airman uniform looks freshly wrinkled. He must've gone below deck to train again. His dark eyes harden while looking out into space. Wrinkles furrow on his brow.
"You're not a fan of traveling to Cardina?" His expression is obvious.
"I don't fear the void." Karaka gruffs with his pugilist pride.
"Other-Worlders then?" Centoria's population has been increasing with them. It's meant to be an exchange program for cultural values and information, but then, why does Admina never get them? "Or is it the planet Cardina entirely?"
Karaka adjusts his seated posture. So it is that.
"Have you ever been to Cardina?" Many from Admina have never stepped foot on our original home world after having left it over 100 years ago.
"I was born and raised on Admina." Karaka confirms. "Never needed to leave."
"Our ancestors hail from Cardina." I try to emphasize this for all my retainers and staff, the importance of our history and the context it wraps our lives in.
Karaka adds nothing. He stays stoic. I'm still getting used to having such a direct retainer, one who does not fancy indirect conversation, small talk.
I think I'll keep indulging myself anyway. It's a long trip. "Back then, we called it the Dark Territory. Says a lot about how we saw ourselves, don't you think?"
"Ma'am?" Karaka raises an eyebrow. He's really not used to these types of conversations, maybe I expected too much.
"Sorry, just musings." I chuckle. "Drink?"
The bridge violently rocks. Pilots double out of their seats, and all eyes stare out past the glass. Something's amiss.
"What was that?" Karaka stands. He needs to relax and show leadership to his lower-ranks. I tug his military jacket and usher him down.
"Captain Shasta, report." I command.
"Engineering, report." Shasta barks from his seat in the center of the room above the other pilots. The Ogre's unpatched eye beads between crew as his fur stands up.
"Thrust has stalled, sir!" An engineer taps his pad. "We still have some propulsion, but we're moving at only 75 percent speed!"
"Diagnostics!"
We ran systems check before we embarked. This is too big of an issue to overloo—something's blaring.
The star chart blinks red, same with every crewman's terminal: a red button flashing. Shasta checks it as well. "Status." He gruffs.
"Contact! Trying to hail us now!"
Contact?
"I've got visual from the deck!"
Guess it was good to leave the shutters up. Out in the void, a light twinkles, and it looks too dim to be a star—someone's out there. "Can we get a better visual? Incanometer? Scope?"
"On it!" A pilot calls.
A holographic display appears in front of the center window, an enhanced video feed of what's out there: still small, but it looks like—a small ship, long wings, red trims—
"Enhance!"
The picture zooms closer; it's blurrier, but the shape is unmistakable, the figure of a metal dragon, an integrity pilot's ship.
Were we scheduled for an escort? "You said it was trying to hail us?"
"Correct." Shasta confirms.
"Patch us through." Let's find out what's going on.
Speakers on the ship's bridge crackle. A distorted voice breaks through static: "This is- 71—urgen-"
"What's with the interference?!" Shasta's gaze swerves between his operators.
"Change frequency!"
The static builds as the voice distorts further.
"Attention! This is IP 719 with an urgent distress message. We have identified potential safety risks to this carrier. We will escort your vessel beyond this point."
"Do they know about the engine?" Karaka ponders.
That seems awfully convenient.
Captain Shasta reaches for comms—
"Wait." Something's off. "One? They sent only one Integrity Pilot?"
"Ma'am?" Karaka catches on.
I don't like this. "Tell them we'll be fine. We still have thrust."
Captain Shasta nods. He presses the comms. "IP 719, you can retract your offer for escort and return to Centoria. We'll be all right the rest of the way."
On the visual, the ship remains lifeless—just drifting toward us with inertia. "I'll just need the ambassador's confirmation for that?"
"Don't answer that." I command. You don't need ambassador's confirmation. This is open space. Why would they ask that? "How did they get here?"
"IP 719 where are you coming from?" Shasta answers. "Where is your partner?"
Integrity pilots always travel in pairs. It's a system meant to protect them from abyssal horrors in space. Their ship doesn't budge, and no backup has arrived.
Shasta presses comms again. "Give us a moment to check with Centoria comman—"
The ship suddenly rockets forward with a tail of light behind it. It's spearheading right for us.
"Raise battlements and fire defensive photon shots!" I order.
"Ma'am?"
"Do it!" If I'm wrong, I'll apologize to her majesty later.
"Shields going up!"
"It's really close to our bow, barely in minimum firing range."
"Reverse our thrust!" Create more distance.
Blue fire jets from the small ship's underside. Cannisters accelerate toward us on video.
"It's firing on us!"
Missiles? The shields are up, we'll be fine.
The payload sharply cuts past starboard, cruising just over the kinetic shield of our carrier, and out of sight from the front windowpane. A distraction?
"Inside minimum range, firing photon shots!"
Red beams, super compressed thermal elements, fire away from view in quick succession. The sole sources of light strobe toward our pinpoint target.
"Loading second volley—"
"We're losing thrust!"
What? "Give me a status." How are we losing more?
"50 percent—no, 42 percent—it keeps dropping! We're below 20!"
"Get me a visual on the thrusters and engineering deck." Shasta slams his console. The tension must be getting to him now.
Two more holographic screens appear over the window, port side. On one screen, engineers scurry around switchboards and consoles. On the other, an outer view of the ship: Black tendrils spread over the ventilation of our thrusters. There's at least a dozen on one vent alone. In the center of one is a round mass, ashen skin wrapped in black and red aura. It looks like a tinier abyssal horror.
Did it fire those at us? I've received no news of Centoria harnessing the abyssal horror to weaponize. "It's blocking the vents." I can't see it's face or teeth; It must be absorbing our thermal elements—and our thrust.
"The engine's overheating."
"Cool thrusters." The engine's building heat with no ventilation.
"Confirmed. We're now moving with just inertia."
"What about the integrity pilot?" I ask.
"They're through our minimal range. Turrets won't be able to touch it."
True. I can see it closer through the window now. There's rust and scorch marks on the body of that ship. I doubt that's even a real integrity pilot.
The ship cruises past the window as the bloom of light behind it dies. It cut its thrust again. It drifts out of view. They're going to try and board.
"Shasta, call for security forces to assemble at the hangar." Karaka gives the correct order.
We can't shoot and our thrust is dead in the void, and who knows if the abyssal horrors will stay on the vents once the engine completely cools? They may move for where the next greatest source of heat is—us inside. We need to clear the assailant out as soon as possible to focus on the task. By the time Cardina or Admina realizes something's wrong, it'll be too late. We're out of communication range at both stations-the observatory? "Can we hail the observatory?"
"Signal's there, but it's weak. By the time radio travels there—"
Too much time will have already passed.
"Ma'am. Protocol dictates I'm to take you to the safe box, the bunker, on A deck." Karaka offers me a hand.
A leader doesn't abandon their crew in this situation. "If the call is made to scrub, then I will." We share the same fate. There's an importance in comradery among Adminians; I learned that from my great grandfather's stories passed down about the war.
"Ma'am, I must insist." Karaka has to; it's his job.
"You're a pugilist, right?" I ask rhetorically. "Answer me, would you run away from a fight? Abandon your tribesman?"
Karaka straightens. He shakes his head. "No ma'am."
"Good. Then we must keep the chain of command calm and direct, and we must trust those men and women assembling at the hangar to do their job." We can't breakdown now.
The engineering room feed changes to the hangar. Soldiers in fatigues and dark knight armor position behind boarding ladders and fueling carts.
A plume of fire and smoke erupts, source off-camera, near the floodgate.
"Close the floodgate in the hangar. Keep shielding up!" Those soldiers need air to fight.
The hangar doors slide closed, but the integrity pilot ship descends inside; wheels jut out and squeal across the landing platform. They're in.
"Captain Shasta, prepare three jumpers to remove the pest out on the vents." We're going to capture the assailant, and then get rid of the abyssal horrors outside.
"Copy that." Shasta salutes. He starts his finger for the comms, but freezes.
"Captain?" Why did he stop? He's watching the hangar footage.
On screen, the pilot cockbunker hisses open. Security raises swords and aims rifles. The pilot leaps out with a dark cloak whipping behind them. Plasma shots plug through the integrity pilot ship but miss their mark on the mystery assailant.
Whoever it is has great reactionary speed.
They roll over the nose of their ship and draw something from their cloak. A wide-bladed scythe spins while deflecting plasma bolts. Flashes and flurry. It's true that blades have the advantage in closer quarters. They can deflect any bolt of plasma or laser. It's why most of our elite still use them. So, is this person an actual integrity pilot? They close the gap between our security forces. The scythe descends on our men. Some fall back to build distance.
Just then, the assailant retracts their scythe—a glitch pattern—to make it disappear. They points both of their hands toward a security officer. Suddenly a rifle glitches in the assailant's hand. A shot smokes from the chamber as the security officer stumbles face first on the deck with burns through his head. The assailant presses forward, deflecting plasma bolts with their scythe.
An incarnation to summon weapons? If so, we're dealing with an experienced fighter, and they came onboard knowing they'd be outnumbered.
Just then, something bursts from the belly of their ship in the hangar, sludging black creatures spill onto the floor, tentacles and red eyes slither across. More abyssal horrors. They're inside.
"Karaka. Give the order, abandon ship."
"Are you sure ma'am?" He questions my order, but we don't have the same experiences in battle. I've dealt with pirates and scum in the past. I know a professional killer with a plan when I see one.
"Yes, and please hurry." My legs feel heavy as I stand. All the stress from trying to stay composed is focusing there, the burden of rank and responsibility. "And once you do, we're leaving for the bunker." They asked on comms if escort denial was my decision. They were trying to confirm that I'm here, which means, I'm their target.
If I stay onboard in the bunker, will they leave the rest of the crew alone to escape in pods? It's worth a try to save lives.
Karaka looks to Shasta behind the console. Shasta picks up his radio: "General calling, general calling. We are under attack. The order has been given to evacuate all non-essential personnel from the Iskahn. Please follow floor lighting and signage to your designated escape pod."
Shasta presses a button on his console. "General calling, general calling…"
The message plays on repeat.
"Ma'am." Karaka ushers me away from the bridge. A sealed set of double-doors stands before us: the entrance to A deck's corridor. "Security will try and hold the assailant at E deck."
"We'll be staying behind too." Shasta reports.
I was afraid he'd say that. Shasta comes from a long line of proud Ogre chiefs. I'm sure that's blending with his pride as the captain. No one should die for my sake. "If they make it up to C deck, you all have orders to evacuate." That gives them 3 decks to leave. "Do I make myself clear?"
Captain Shasta and his crew of pilots nod. "Navigation, make your way down to the escape pods on A deck."
The assortment of Goblins and Orc in military dress peel away from the glowing red table and hustle through the double doors, sliding open. An empty hall, dark and illuminated with red floor lights leading to designated escape pods, waits on the other side.
"We should get going too ma'am." Karaka starts first.
I follow. What does the assailant want? To deal a blow to her majesty? To interrupt the talks? We had warnings about protestors, but there was no intel about potential terrorist activity. There's been no reports of anyone new breaking the seal of the right eye, no reports from Centoria nor the outside world.
The ship rocks again. I feel rumbling under my bootsteps. The navigation crew turns a corner as we proceed forward. The bunker is at the end of the hall.
"Any crew remaining on D deck, proceed to evacuation pods on B deck!" Shasta's voice growls through speakers in the hall.
They've already made it through the hangar to D deck? And what about C deck?
The floor rumbles again. I can hear the groaning of metal underneath. Something's coming. "Get back!"
I pull Karaka back by his shoulder. The floor opens and explodes with shrapnel and a plume of fire. Black tentacles with rows of teeth coil to the ceiling, attach, and make tension. A cloaked figure rises from the opening, riding on the head of a mini abyssal horror. They hold a scythe in one hand with a rifle strapped around their back.
So quickly?
"Get down!" Karaka growls as he launches himself at the assailant. The scythe swings but bounces off Karaka's iron skin, the common trait of a pugilist. Karaka rushes forward, rearing a fist cased in fire.
The abyssal horror lashes with a tentacle.
Draw.
My hand pulls my sidearm and squeezes the trigger on instinct. A plasma bolt sears through the abyssal horror's red eye. It disintegrates to black ash. Strange, they're supposed to be far more durable than that.
Karaka uses the opening. He has good footing and stance with the twist in his momentum from the hipmand a right hook of flames rocketing for the assailant's hooded face. They raise their scythe in defense.
Karaka suddenly shifts his footwork—a faint—he spins around and deals a backward kick to the assailant's torso, sending them flying across the corridor and into the door of the bunker.
They won't be getting up from that. Karaka's kicks crush insides. I've witnessed it on training dummies.
The assailant slowly rises from their crumpled state.
Karaka grunts. He knows too, that should've been the end of it. "Ma'am, when I create an opening, we'll move for the bunker."
"You'd better not leave me in there a lone while you play hero outside." I know the type too well.
"I'll be following in after you." Karaka gives his first smile since becoming my retainer. Pugilists do love the fight.
The assailant's hood falls as he rises. A human, tall lanky frame, bangs for black hair with a ponytail in the back. From a distance, he looks too frail to be causing all this trouble, and hardly a match for 2 mel tall Karaka. He looks up, laser focused, golden eyes.
"Who are you?" Karaka buys time.
The assailant appears before Karaka in a blink, the scythe swipes for his neck. Karaka's muscles tense there; his skin can deflect that.
Suddenly Karaka's arm flounders on the floor, completely detached, cleanly cut. Blood hoses from the wound.
What? Karaka leaps back; me too. When did-?
"Ambassador, surrender yourself to me, and no one else on this ship will die. You have my word." The assailant's voice sounds distorted. I thought it might've been the radio frequency, but it's his actual voice.
"And what worth is your word?" I need more information. Who are you?
The assailant just shrugs. Is this a game to him?
"Ma'am, don't listen to him." Karaka stumbles. The blood loss must be making him dizzy by now.
"Who are you?"
"Tch, tch, tch." The assailant wags a finger. "Let's keep this professional."
I feel Karaka's weight shift beside me. "We have a mission; we have our honor as Adminians, hundreds of years of strife and struggle by our ancestors for our right to exist now. You will not stop our progress."
"Bring it on then, big guy." The assailant devilishly grins.
"Ma'am, the opening, take it." Karaka heaves. He readies his left arm.
"Thank you, Karaka, my retainer." I understand.
Karaka launches off his feet. I follow his lead with my sidearm readied.
My finger squeezes bolts of plasma from the chamber toward the assailant as he spins his scythe in anticipation. The shots ricochet off the sickle, but now Karaka's there, left fist blazing and bearing down. It's going to connect.
I run past the incoming clash. I trust Karaka. He will win. The bunker is close, and then he'll join me.
"Don't get cocky!" The assailant lunges in. His scythe suddenly isn't spinning or in his hands anymore, an illusion? Did it vanish?
In a blink, the assailant is at a different stance, not rushing toward Karaka's torso, but leaping back, scythe in hand, and the reach of his sickle is cutting through Karaka's left leg, the pillar of his momentum.
A blink. The assailant is in a new stance again, the momentum of leaping backward is gone; now he's firm and upright, like he never moved. Karaka stumbles toward the assailant's sickle. Gravity and the scythe's upward swing do the rest. Karaka's head rolls to the floor. His body follows.
The bunker. The keypad by the kinetic shielded door is right ahead: 379579.
The door opens. I rush in as the shield immediately fills behind me.
"Ah, man!" The assailant facepalms. "Guess I got distracted in the heat of the moment. I was actuallyenjoying that pugilist guy."
"Don't mock him." People who disrespect their opponents, people who injure innocents, they're nothing but trash.
"No, no, I mean that sincerely." The assailant struts to the bunker entrance. He waves a finger over the keypad. "How about you come out now?"
"And leave Karaka's sacrifice in vain?" My jaw grits.
"Sacrifice?" The assailant chuckles and meets me eye to eye. "It's funny you think your life has any real value, that any of yours do."
He rests his scythe on his shoulder and walks away.
Where is he going? He can't be giving up.
Abyssal horrors pour out from the hole on the floor. Their black forms snake all throughout A deck, and a few head for the bridge. The pilots and Captain Shasta should've evacuated by now.
The assailant stops pace before the hole. He turns and smirks before jumping through.
The abyssal horrors amass to the bridge. With each opening of the double-doors, the room grows more pitch dark. Karaka's body lays on the corridor floor. Shasta's evacuation order echoes through the lifeless halls: "…evacuate all non-essential personnel from the Iskahn."
Please, by the gods, let us have accomplished that much.
The ship violently quakes.
Kirito
Toto University of Technology: August 3rd 2027
11:00
I thought Toto was only tech courses.
"Self-fulfilling prophecy, Macbeth, what does the psychology and the thematic ideas of Shakespeare have in common?" The professor paces in front of class in a brown suit. He's hard to make out from so high up in the lecture hall. To be honest, I'm surprised his class is so big for a tech school. Psychology and Shakespeare—maybe people sign up as a blow-off?
"Kirito, Kirito." Alice nudges and whispers beside me. Her curious blue eyes take me in. "Is this Shakespeare your master of the sacred tongue?"
"Something like that." Now I feel like that's why she wanted to audit this class. I never would have thought about checking it out.
"I'd like to posit a thought to the class—that what's in common is a commentary on the power of thought—how our minds shape our reality."
"Kirito." Alice whispers again. She looks so serious; I guess she's a good study just like her sister, Selka. "Is he perhaps talking about Incarnation?"
The professor directs his gaze toward us. He adjusts his frames. "Ah! I see we might have a question from our—auditors then, up there?"
Alice!
Her blue eyes hold innocent curiosity. She doesn't understand classroom etiquette, unspoken rules like: don't talk during lecture. "Yes, uh, Professor Arimoto—well, uh, I thought your comment about the mind shaping reality was interesting."
"How so?" The professor smiles.
"Uh, well—" I don't know.
Alice startles me by standing at attention with subconscious knightly posture. "Where I come from, we call it Incarnation."
Chairs squeak. Murmurs travel across the quiet air. The entire class turns to face us now. They're watching Alice in particular. Do they know? The world's known about her for a while now, the firstbottom-up A.I. and with an impossible to distinguish human appearance. Her day clothes should help her blend in, but she still looks the same as that day she appeared before the world on TV.
"Incarnation?" The professor goads. He's invested in the thought.
"Yes, we would use it to manifest our deepest desires in—well, combat."
More murmurs. The lecture hall rises in noise. What are they saying about her? And why am I feeling overprotective of someone who could beat anyone, including me, to a pulp?
"Would you agree to its power over man then? Over society? Maybe even fate?" The professor 's voice rises with his enthusiasm. He leans on his desk at the lecture hall front.
"Would that not then contradict the concept of fate, professor?" Alice retorts.
The professor smiles. "Something to chew on for Shakespeare and the rest of us. Perhaps our minds control our reality, and because of that, nothing ever has to be set in stone until we believe it to be so."
The dismissal bell rings. The lecture hall claps, mostly towards Alice with their gazes admiring her. She's dumbstruck. It's a friendlier reception than we're used to for sure.
"Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and for the honor of having your attendance with us today." The professor bows. "Audit us again anytime, or just become regulars!"
The lecture hall chuckles. Students rise from their chairs.
Alice looks at me. "Kirito?"
"Hm?"
"I like University." Her smile glows.
Her smile's contagious. Asuna was right, taking Alice to audit Toto with me was a great idea. I'm glad she's enjoying the real-world much more.
"Kazuto Kirigaya?" The professor calls from below.
I just noticed the class cleared out. A girl with short raven-black hair and half-length bangs collects papers left behind on desks.
We should get going too. Alice and I file down the steps. Professor Arimoto's features become clearer as we walk: sharp pointed face, brown hair in a ponytail, clear frames, baggy eyes, but a bright smile and disposition.
"Thank you for allowing us to sit in professor," I say. "Alice enjoyed it especially."
"Thank you!" Professor Arimoto glows. "It's a pleasure having you both. Are you considering applying to the Toto?"
"After the end of this semester." By my parent's calculations mostly.
Professor Arimoto nods with a smile. He looks to Alice. "And you, young lady?"
"Oh, um—" Alice pauses. With the red tape between RATH and the government, it's hard to say, but maybe we can ask Rinko.
Professor Arimoto reads the room. "My apologies for putting you on the spot. I didn't consider your current position diplomatically."
Diplomatically? How much does he know?
"Anyways, it was wonderful to have you." Professor Arimoto checks his watch. His eyes stiff when he reads the time. "My apologies, you two! I must get going." He looks to his TA collecting papers. "Miki!"
"Go on ahead Arimoto-sensei!" The TA responds while collecting another paper. She pauses her gaze between me and Alice in particular, then breaks away. "I'll clean up behind."
"Thank you." Professor Arimoto bows. He takes on last glance at us with a radiant smile. "Take care!"
Alice and I wave as the professor fast paces out of the lecture hall.
"So, where to next?" Alice incurs with a genuine smile.
"We're meeting with Asuna for lunch, I think." She's already out of class for the day. Let me check with her-
My pocket buzzes. My phone. Maybe that's her already. We do seem to share a mind these days.
I pull it from my pocket.
Caller ID: Dr. Rinko.
Zeref
Underworld: Cardina, Obsidia: August 3rd 2027
*Time unavailable*
The headaches feel less intense this morning, just the occasional pulse from mental static—echoes from past voices with no context to piece them together. Not that I'd like to.
"Zeref! You in here?"
Is it time to get up already? This sheet over the bed of hay's so comfortable—
"Zeref!"
I'm new to this experience of 'waking up.' How do other-worlders do it every day?
The Orc farmer's snout turns the corner before his plump belly. He stabs his pitchfork into hay and red earth, declaring his territory, his barn. Horses winnie on all sides. He's caught me dead center in the barn.
"Good morning, Lobo." A yawn escapes me.
"Didn't hear you come in last night; you were out so late." Lobo leans against a wooden support beam at the entrance.
"Was I?" Damn, I thought I was quiet coming in.
"Late enough to take responsibility for your chores!" Lobo chuckles and swings the barn doors open. Red tinted sunlight bleeds through and blinds. Now my head really hurts.
"Lobo." I went through too much yesterday for this.
"Look, Zeref, you want to stay here, you have to do the work." Lobo paces to my hay pile. His tone sounds stern, but he has a goofy smile under those tusks. "We all have our fair share of late nights and hangovers though. I'm sure I got you a remedy for that."
"What about for just headaches?"
Lobo tilts his head. "Why else would your head hurt?"
That's—too hard to explain. "The hangover cure will do."
Kirito
RATH (Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean): August 3rd 2027
15:25
"There's been an attack in the Underworld." Dr. Rinko's words linger on still air in the empty command center. All the monitors are unattended, no staff. I guess she wanted to keep the circle of informed small.
Real-worlders? I hate that my first though went there, but the seal of the right eye—
Dr. Rinko sags on the console behind her. Flanking that, a monitor displays an overhead still image of modern-day Centoria: Integrity pilot jets and zeppelins cruising in the sky, more futuristic architecture, rectangular and slimmer, less detail, and tall.
They've achieved skyscrapers, satellites, and space travel. I shouldn't be too surprised. It's just hard to believe after living there for 2 and a half years, 200 years ago.
Eugeo.
Concentrate, there's trouble.
"Do you know what happened exactly?" Alice leans into the briefing, further than me or Asuna.
Dr. Rinko shakes her head. "I received a message from the commander of the Integrity Pilots, Eolyne, this morning. He didn't leave many details, and—" Dr. Rinko searches her words carefully. "I'm not so sure he wanted to."
"What do you mean?" Is there trouble between RATH and the new Centorian government?
"Well, as you know, the Ministry of Defense recently came to a compromise about Artificial Fluctlights and the Underworld." Dr. Rinko leans off the console. "The exchange program."
Allowing VIP's and guests to dive into the Underworld and mingle with its population, the start of diplomacy between the two worlds, and a bridge to giving artificial fluctlights human rights. "But what does that have to do with the problem?"
"Well," Dr. Rinko says. "Eolyne's last message carried a—tone. The seal of the right eye is still in effect, and we keep tabs now on anyone that's able to break it—for the sake of safety. We're then supposed to pass along that information to the Centorian council and the Queen of Admina."
I meet Dr. Rinko's green eyes.
"Your first thought for a culprit was someone from the outside world too, right?" She asks. "If you were talking with someone in charge of screening those people, would you give them all the details of a security breach?"
"But RInko!" Alice raises her voice. "You've always been an ally to our world."
"Not on the inside, not like the three of you, anyways." Dr. Rinko lets her gaze fall. It's true that she doesn't dive too often, but the Underworld and RATH wouldn't be afloat without her leadership in Kikuoka's absence. She's been an advocate for the Underworld on this side ever since. She should give herself more credit.
"That's why I believe he's waiting to talk to all of you about the situation." Dr. Rinko paces toward the Soul Translator room. "If you're up for a dive with the STL?"
"Of course! Right?" Alice passionately answers, then turns to me and Asuna.
"Lead the way." Asuna nods with her calm demeanor and smile. She takes my hand.
"Let's go." Let's find out what Eolyne knows.
"Right. This way then." Dr. Rinko's heels clack through the empty control room as she leads us out.
We need to know what's going on. If a real-worlder did carry out an attack in the Underworld, it could jeopardize the peace being built between our two worlds. Underworlders would have no reason to let in outsiders; the government might impose its authority to come in anyway—more conflict between the two types of intelligences.
Asuna squeezes my hand.
I look into her auburn eyes as we keep pace behind Dr. Rinko and Alice. I know. I know. We'll get to the bottom of it no matter what.
Asuna nods in agreement.
RATH staff in white lab coats pass us by in the hallway. Alice receives plenty of warm-smiles and high-fives. They've really taken her in as one of their own.
"We'll have you and Asuna dive from STL unit 1 and 2, if that's ok. Alice can connect automatically as long as she's on the Ocean Turtle." Dr. Rinko stops before a metal door as it slides to reveal two large cuboid machines hovering over hospital beds. The Soul Translators.
It's still bizarre coming back here after everything.
Alice and Dr. Rinko walk inside first, but Alice checks for my reaction. Even after a full year, this room holds a lot of painful—and fantastic memories.
"Kirito?" Asuna tugs my hand.
I'm still standing in the doorway. "Right, sorry. I'll take the right." I let go of her hand and cross to the hospital bed. My hand presses into the gel-layer as I hoist myself up and on, and my body sinks into the bed. Comfortable, and a contrast of the loud humming noise above me.
I arch back and see the inside of the STL. The helmet and visor hidden under the large cube glow low fluorescent green. The way it completely consumes the field of view is appropriate for the way it stimulates you in full-dive: a reality completely indistinguishable from this one.
"Are you ready?" Dr. Rinko's voice calls me to crawl out from under the STL. I respond by meeting her eyes.
"I'm ready whenever these two are." I make sure to smile for their sake. Alice is probably the most nervous. They nod along too.
"Ok, you and Asuna go ahead and lie down. I'll get things ready in the control room. Nurse Aki should be here shortly in case we need to expect any long-term diving."
"Nurse Aki?" I ask.
"Good luck!" Dr. Rinko's heels already clack down the hall.
Great. I lean further back. The STL visor takes up my view. The darkness.
"Kirito?" Asuna's voice.
"Yeah?"
"It'll be all right." Asuna reassures me with her soothing voice.
"Yeah, I'll see you on the other side." I reflexively smile, even though I know she can't see it.
"Thank you, both, for doing this." Alice next.
"Of course." We'll see to it that everything's all right, for Alice, Eugeo—for everyone.
"Ok!" Dr. Rinko's voice echoes through the STL surround-sound speakers. "Everyone ready?"
"Ready." Asuna answers.
"Ready." Alice reports.
"Ready," I say.
"Ok, thank you." Dr. Rinko says. "Initiating Full-Dive."
The STL hums louder as it spins up.
Right, no polygons or rainbow streams—just a light burst.
Kirito
Underworld: Cardina, Centoria: August 3rd 2027
15:34
White walls and a lavish oak desk wash into view. Sunlight beams through a window and reflects off a finely polished wooden bookshelf in the corner. Three cups of tea steam on the desk.
"I was wondering when you'd all get here." That deep voice, that chill tone—
I turn to the rug embroidered with knights and wars fought, and to the double set of couches and the coffee table in between them. A blonde-haired young man bearing a white mask and navy military robes reclines on the couch sipping tea: Eolyne, commander of the integrity pilots. "But I forget that it takes time for people in your position to reach this place."
This isn't like the usual where we spawn in outer space. "Did you—"
"Summon you here?" Eolyne swirls his tea with a clanking spoon. "Yes, I took the liberty this time. I hope that's ok."
Eolyne must have adjusted the spawn.
The chink in Alice's heavy footsteps and armor alert me to her presence in the room. She must've just spawned in. I turn and see her blond hair shining in the sunlight.
I feel Asuna's presence next as her auburn hair flows in my periphery, and her heels balance onto the floor with the rest of her majestic white stacia attire.
"Eolyne, tell us what's transpired here," Alice cuts to the chase.
"Relax, honorable knight." Eolyne raises hands to defuse. "I was planning to tell you everything once you arrived. Please, have a seat."
Everyone indulges. I end up sitting beside the Integrity commander. He and Eugeo's features have an uncanny resemblance, but it stops there. Their aura, their personalities, they couldn't be more different.
"I see no one took the tea." Eolyne slys as he sips his.
"Sorry about that!" We were in a hurry. I start up.
"No, no, it's all right." Eolyne sets his teacup down. "Let's get down to business."
Everyone settles in.
"8 Hours ago, we received word that the Ambassador from Admina, who was scheduled
to meet with our Parliament, never made it planet-side." Eolyne crosses his palms and rubs his temples in thought. "And when we sent out Integrity pilots to investigate—all that was left was a graveyard of what became of their ship, the Iskahn."
"How awful." Asuna processes. We all do.
An entire ship gone? "And crew?"
Eolyne shakes his head. "The few escape pods we managed to recover had crew, but once we opened them, we found they'd been killed, super-compressed thermal elements pierced their skulls, likely plasma bolts from a rifle."
"So, it was definitely an attack on the ship, not a malfunction." Alice ruminates.
"And it sounds like someone was removing any witnesses." Which begs the question- "If there's no witnesses, where are we with leads?"
"Ah, for that—" Eolyne rises from his seat.
The doors to Eolyne's office swing open. A young girl with red eyes and a beige ponytail tied by a bunny-eared black bow struts in. She wears full white Integrity Knight armor with a grey cape waving behind her boots.
"Dramatic entrance!" Eydis Synthesis 10 cheesily smiles.
"E-Eydis?" Alice stammers. Her cheeks immediately blush deep red.
"Alice!" Eydis wades through the room and gives Alice a wide hug. "I missed you last time you visited. They had me in deep-freeze, so we have to make this one extra-long, kay?"
"Eydis, wait, we—" Alice looks between me and Asuna, and I can't contain my smile. Alice slumps and surrenders. She hugs back. "I missed you too."
They warm up the room—
"Ahem." Eolyne clears his throat. He wants the room back.
"Yo! Eolyne, did ya fill them in yet?" Eydis drops formalities, no salute, with an innocent grin.
"No, not yet. I was getting to it." Eolyne sighs.
"Aw, then I mis-timed my entrance." Eydis knocks on her forehead. "How about I fill them in then?"
"You're already here anyway. I assume you're here to fill me in as well?" Eolyne sets his teacup down.
"Mhm." Eydis nods, then her levity wanes; her focus and gaze intensify. "We just pulled navigation data off the integrity jets."
Kirito
Underworld: Cardina, Centoria: August 3rd 2027
15:45
Eydis and Eolyne lead us down the packed halls of the Central Cathedral. Staff in military dress and uniform glance at Alice, Asuna, and I as we pass by. I feel so—exposed. Maybe we should've gotten disguises to look more official? At least Eolyne gave a military dress to Asuna, but I'm out in my disciple uniform. No one's seen that outfit in over 200 years.
Alice and Eydis don't seem to mind. Their armor rings and chinks with distinct rhythm, and their steps and gaze face one direction only: forward.
I admire the Integrity Knights' focus at least.
Eydis stops in front of a large pair of double-doors. It must be at least 2 and a half Mel—Meters.
"Right this way." Eydis shoves the doors wide open, leaving no room for a quiet entrance. "Yo! Commander on deck!"
A room lit with blue light and ambiance. Holographic charts and figures swirl around a central platform where a charred and busted jet slumps under dangling chains and hooks. A sole occupant types on console in front of the room. She brushes her long red hair back over her navy-blue integrity pilot uniform, and then turns to face us with flaming red eyes.
Stica Shtolienen, Tiese's descendant. We met when Asuna, Alice, and I dove back into the Underworld.
"It's you guys?!" She points with a flustered face that matches her hair color.
Eolyne clears his throat.
"Ahem, right, right." Tie—Stica stands at attention and salutes. "Welcome, commander."
"At ease." Eolyne chuckles. "You can say hi, Stica."
"It's so wonderful to see you all again!" Stica saunters over and graciously shakes each of our hands. "If only Laura could be here too!" Ronye's descendant must be out on a mission then. I really would've liked to see the spiritual successor of my disciple again.
"Ties—Stica," Asuna catches herself, but I get it. Stica really does look identical to Tiese. "You work with Integrity pilot ships too?"
"In my spare time." Stica boasts. "And when the commander wants to run a check—on all—300."
By herself? I just noticed. She has sleep-deprived bags under those red eyes.
"Sorry, but you know this is important." Eolyne examines the ship's carcass: burn marks on the belly and blackened glass over the cockpit window. It's definitely seen action. Residue from plasma/thermal fire?
"What did you find?" Eolyne asks.
"Well, after running through all the ships, and then narrowing down your request to those that had seen combat," Stica says. "Whether it be insurgent engagements, combat drills, or stress tests, I thought this one's flight log looked odd."
"Did it show it'd been in the same space as the ambassador's ship?" Alice asks.
Stica shakes her head. "Nothing so obvious, but it did have a flight log that didn't match up with a pilot's record."
"Show me." Eolyne gaits toward the console. Stica follows beside him and types over a holographic keyboard.
So cool. We all crowd around.
Immediately, a log with ship schematics pops up on a holographic display: Fuel status with the gauge in the black, a repair report highlighting every burn mark on the body, a separate panel charting previous flights. The flight chart shows a straight line between one edge of Nolangarth and back to Centoria, over and over for the past 7 days, and the name of the last operating pilot: Garrick Zizek.
"So, what struck you?" Eolyne ask. "Zizek is a regular who oversees the Nolangarth empire, correct? Their flight plan looks normal."
"The date." Stica answers. She opens a hovering drop down menu next to the flight plan: dates in the Human Empire Calendar scroll up until stopping at the top. "Here. Zizek was to have a day of rest on this date, but he volunteered to take on a flight mission, a live-fire drill with some pilots in training in Nolangrath."
"Is acting charitable a cause for suspicion?" Eydis asks.
"Well, first, Zizek and charitable don't go together." Stica wags her finger. "And second, check the fuel usage."
Black. Empty. "What does that mean?"
"Flying from Centoria to Nolangarth and back barely uses an eighth of the thermal elements in the combustion engine, but Zizek's last use has the engine on fumes." Stica points to the line drawn on map vs. the fuel tank meter.
"Your conclusion?" Eolyne requests.
"Sir," Stica adjusts her posture to standing more upright. "I believe the flight plan has been fabricated. Or, maybe Zizek really did go to Nolangarth as planned, but he definitely went somewhere else afterwards before returning, and made sure to remove it from the log."
"Where is Garrick now?" Alice's tone drops. She's probably eager for action, and that golden plated fist is already clinched for someone's jaw. She's never been the type to stand around if there's a fight that's needed.
"I'll see to my own pilots." Eolyne defuses. "I'll visit Zizek myself first, and—"
The double doors creak open. We all turn. In the light, a small figure with elbow length brown hair clutches a tablet to herself and wanders in. Small dead-pan indigo eyes take us in.
"Airy?" Eolyne acknowledges.
"Commander Eolyne." Airy speaks with low incantation and curtsies. "The parliament requested I fetch you as you were not in your usual quarters."
Wait, that voice—"Operator!"—she still looks the exact same as the day Eugeo and I stormed the cathedral and rode her elevator. She still hasn't aged.
"Hm?" Airy looks past Eolyne and stares trance-like between Asuna and myself. She bows. "Your majesties."
"Huh?"
"Please excuse her," Eolyne speaks up. "Airy has been around since the days of the Axiom church and the Administrator. She must find you both to be extremely familiar, but mistook you for his and her majesty."
"Mm." Airy just ruminates.
Weird—it feels right though, it feels natural, and yet, I'm having trouble forming a mental image, like trying to catch the ripple in a pond with my bare hands.
"Commander." Airy refocuses Eolyne with the most direct tone I've seen from anyone else in the cathedral.
"Right, my apologies." And Eolyne goes along with that. He must have much respect for her. "It seems I'm needed by the parliament." Eolyne turns to us. "In the meantime, can you, Asuna, and Alice see to Zizek? Please try and get him to come willingly and quietly."
There's an emphasis on the quietly, and his tone with Rinko—
"Eolyne." Asuna speaks up now. "Is there something else we should know?"
Eolyne starts for the doors. "Take Eydis with you." His bootsteps echo down the hall behind Airy's petite ones.
I look to Asuna and Alice, and they look to me with raised brows and curious eyes. There's still a lot Eolyne isn't saying. How does Eydis feel—
"One second." The white integrity knight walks past us as her armor glows and flutters away in shards. She struts to the door in her sleeveless black undergarment dress and peeks around the corner. Then she waves for us to come closer.
Alice facepalms and sighs.
What? What's she doing?
Eydis looks back at us this time. "C'mere." She whispers.
Everyone piles behind her. We all peak around the corner. Now empty halls lit by the immensely-sized windows. Eolyne and Airy stop at a pair of double-doors at the end that slowly creak open.
Eydis peters down the hall. I just realized she disengaged her boots as well. She's walking in her stockings to cut noise.
"Uh, I'll just stay right here then—"
I turn around. Stica fumbles with her hands on the platform, awkwardly watching us.
"I promise I won't say a thing." She gives a thumbs up.
"Thanks," I nervously chuckle.
Alice disengages her armor in a flash and begins walking barefoot. Asuna and I follow—slowly, quietly. The double-doors at the end of the hall fully open to reveal bright white light. Eolyne and Airy walk inside as the doors start closing.
"System call." Eydis whispers. "Umbral element. Orb. Discharge." A purple globule sputters from Eydis' fingertip and plops on the carpet. It starts snaking toward the double-door entrance.
"Eydis." Alice almost hisses, but Eydis shushes her.
Something tells me these two have done this before.
The umbral element slithers to the closing doors and stops just short of the threshold. The doors shut.
"Did it just—get smushed?" I didn't see it go in at all.
A trickle of light polygons swirl around Eydis' waist before materializing into dancing shadows. The form of a katana takes shape before a physical one seeps through. Eydis takes it by the sheath.
"System call." Eydis murmurs. Her entire aura changes as the room temperature plumets along with every light source. Suddenly we're surrounded in darkness.
"E—Eydis?" Asuna doubts.
"Now, now." Eydis tsks, but I can't see her. "Enhance Armament, release recollection."
The Darkness thins to a purple transparent film. I can see Asuna, Alice, and Eydis now, and a room of high thrones surrounding us. The eyes of officials in military dress, similar to Eolyne's, bear down over us. Speaking of Eolyne, he's standing right in front of us, and everything looks filmed behind a purple filter.
"Eydis, what's going on?" I spill the question.
"I've been working on my perfect control art." Eydis giggles. "Impressed?"
"That Umbral element earlier—" Are we inside it?
"So to speak." Eydis nods. "Not too shabby, eh?"
It's like we're in the room! This is perfect. Although, I feel a little bad spying on Eolyne. Or are we spying on the Parliament? Maybe a bit of both.
"Commander." A stern voice directs towards us—Eolyne, actually. "Please elaborate for the Parliament how one of your Integrity Pilot ships is culpable in assassinating an Arminian diplomat."
"We're currently investigating the ship in question." Eolyne responds with a dead-pan tone.
"Do you have any suspects?" Another asks.
"None so far." Eolyne lies.
Why would he need to lie?
"Commander Eolyne." Another voice chimes in. An official from the top chair leans in. He strokes thin grey stub, and despite his straight face, his eyes are smiling. "I think the parliament, myself included, is eager for results on this as soon as possible. Her majesty on Admina especially."
"I can't imagine your position." Eolyne comments. I don't have to be in the room to tell he's completely done with this conversation. "Because this is a developing situation, we are still in the middle of preliminary investigations. You will all be notified the moment we have a suspect named."
"Perhaps we should be considering you, commander." A councilman with a mane of golden hair and a red suit crosses his legs and bears down on Eolyne, unimpressed.
"Councilman Antinous." The one with the grey beard speaks up again. "Commander Eolyne has shown nothing but unwavering commitment to his position and the safety of our people. I have the utmost confidence that he will bring us a suspect."
"Thank you, Councilman Joran." Eolyne bows to the rare acknowledgement.
"That being said—" Councilman Joran interrupts. Eolyne holds his bowing pose. "There is something troubling we also need to discuss with you."
Eolyne rises. I can't see his facial expression from back here.
"Perhaps this information is news to you, and perhaps it can help with your investigation." Councilman Joran leans back in his seat. "But the parliament reviewed the listings of 'other-worlder' visits to Cardina, and we found some—irregularities."
Eolyne stiffens. "Irregularities?" He rises.
"Yes," Councilman Joran says. "Every other-worlder's name that travels here must be tracked in our scribe's log; It's the only way to monitor them, and their name does not leave that list until they leave back to their world. However, we've noticed that some names in the log have either no-name or were not shown to have left when they should have. You and your pilots are in charge of this. Do we possibly have other-worlders staying in our realm that should not be here?"
"This is news to me, councilman. I'll conduct an investigation into it," Eolyne says. I can't tell if he's telling the truth after he just lied so casually.
"You just seem to keep getting more and more on your plate, commander." Councilman Antinous chuckles. "Are you sure you're fit for this position? Should we have someone alleviate it?"
Councilman Joran raises a hand of objection and stares at Councilman Antinous. Antinous averts looking back.
"We are not here to interrogate Commander Eolyne's record." Councilman Joran answers. "But, commander, please see to it that this is all taken care of. If we do not get to the bottom of this quickly, we may have to consider halting the 'exchange program'. We can't have other-worlders coming in if they are harming our citizens and our diplomacy with Admina."
No. We can't let it come to that; we can't let them reverse course—could that have been the intent of the attacker?
Eolyne bows.
"Now, lets get to budgetary concerns—"
Darkness swallows the purple film around us as I hear steel sliding into sheath. Black. Eydis must have ended the spell. Sunlight from the Central Cathedral windows sting through; we're back in the hallway and facing Alice and Eydis' backs.
"We should hurry." Alice murmurs with a stiff tone and back turned. Her hand rummages over her sword hilt. I feel her angst.
We don't have many leads, there's a lot of unknowns, and last time someone from the real-world attacked the Underworld, we had war.
Asuna comforts Alice by patting her shoulder. "Let's get going." Asuna keeps an upbeat smile, but the same thoughts are flashing in her mind too; I can tell. Her smiles breaks when she gazes at me.
We have to find Garrick Zizek. We need answers.
Alice
Underworld: Cardina, Centoria: August 3rd 2027
16:36
Even the streets have changed. I shouldn't be surprised. Jets and Zeppelin's roar through the sky in place of where dragons might have. The walkway from the rose garden is akin to the smoothened concrete of the outside-world, no longer cobblestone.
We walk past the front gates of the Central Cathedral. Guards bearing polearms strike attention as we pass. The city reveals itself. The past is gone.
Skyscrapers, automobiles, traffic, the way citizenry dress—well, the outside world's fashion must be bleeding through. Everyone dresses more lazily and standard—I've seen that same buttoned tunic in that blue color on five gentlemen already as we walk through the streets. Corner shops, or compounds rather, claim every street corner. Large glass panes hint at what's on display: that same blue tunic.
Eyes turn toward us, specifically on myself and Eydis. We must look like relics from a bygone era in our Integrity Knight armor.
"Um Alice—" Asuna whispers.
"Hm? What is it?"
"Uh, maybe you two should drop the armor—just for now." Kirito suggests. "He did want us to keep a low profile."
"Are we still doing what he wants?" Eydis' rebellious quirk emerges again. "He hasn't exactly been forthcoming with what that is."
Disengage: Armor. I feel lighter as my breastplate, shoulder guards, and gauntlets evaporate.
"Well, if Alice will!" Eydis does the same, revealing her sleeveless black dress. A natural beauty in and out of her armor. And she changed her tone so quickly.
"I don't disagree that he's withholding information, but he gave us this lead. We owe him at least some cooperation." Kirito assumes. "Besides, it'd probably be best for the people around too if there's not a ruckus."
Something about that logic disturbs me. It's the perceived loyalty to Eolyne. "Kirito, are you sure you're not saying that because—" Well, he does look just like Eugeo.
Kirito halts. "I'm not sure." He answers honestly. Asuna takes his hand.
As long as he's aware.
"Guys! Guys! Let's not ruin our double-date, ok?" Eydis giggles and continues leading.
Double-date?! "Try to take this at least a little seriously."
"Oh, I'm very serious." Eydis smiles. The mood shifts as we continue down the street. Eydis said Eolyne tries keeping his pilots in one of these towers nearby in case of emergencies. If we're following the instructions Stica gave us, Zizek should be right—
"Here." Eydis stops in front of a slim skyscraper. Countless windows reflect the east facing sun, and above the front portal to the lobby, a coat of arms cast into the brick and mortar: two swords, side by side. One looks like Kirito's Night sky blade, and the other looks like Asuna's Radiant Light rapier.
Strange.
"Shall we?" Kirito steps in first with no hesitation. Did he notice the insignia? Given how quickly he reacts, he may have already thought of the implications—that Airy person called Kirito and Asuna your majesty.
I walk in behind Eydis. The front lobby reminds me of the hotels Dr. Rinko and I would stay at during our rounds to meet Ministry officials: open-space, carpet floors, and a reception counter. Someone in a red bell boy uniform comes out from a backdoor behind the counter.
"Greetings!" His bright yellow eyes welcome us. "How many I assist you?"
Eydis takes the lead now. She leans across the reception counter. "We're here to visit the residence of Garrick Zizek, Integrity pilot 719?"
"Are you an expected guest of his?" The receptionist's smile glows.
"We're here under orders from commander Eolyne." I step forward. We don't have time for pleasantries if he's here.
Engage: integrity armor.
I feel the safety, weight, and power return. I know it's a show, but seeing the armor should be the fastest way to get through residential pacts such as consent to search.
"Oh!" The receptionist stammers. "Well, then, let me find you his key right away. Should I inform him of your arrival?" The receptionist lays the key in my palm.
"No need." Kirito speaks up. "We'll handle the rest."
"Zizek's suite is located 20 floors up, third door on your right as soon as you get off the elevators." The receptionist bows. "Please let me know if there's any other ways I can help cooperate."
"Thank you," Asuna says.
Everyone paces for the elevators to the left of the counter. Moods and expressions suddenly shift. Eydis presses a button to call the elevator.
"Should we focus on bringing Zizek in, or question him right away?" Eydis ponders.
"Will his room be a good environment to interrogate?" Kirito questions. "Don't you have—I don't know—tools to make it easier to get information?"
"Kirito! I know you're not referring to torture!" Eydis slaps him on the back of the head.
"Ow! No, no." Kirito corrects. "I just figured with all the—ya know, advanced tech here now—"
Never mind about the serious mood.
Asuna chuckles. "He figured you'd have some way to read minds or memories."
Doors open to enter the elevator. Everyone squeezes in.
"There are incarnations that allow for reading of memory." As I recall, the chief elder, Chudelkin, had such power. "But interacting with the human soul to touch human memory—"
"Right, complicated, I'm sure." Kirito finishes for me.
Yes. After all, it stole memories of my old life, of my childhood, from me. "It's not a tactic we should employ without exhausting all other options."
"We'll follow your lead, Alice, Eydis." Asuna watches the lights climb the floor numbers until stopping on 20.
"Thank you, Asuna." I won't let any of them down. The fate of my world, or at least the diplomacy with the outside one, might rely on finding out the truth. Only Zizek can tell.
The elevator doors open. A wide hallway lit with wall lamps stretches further than the row of golden doors along them. The burgundy carpet muffles our approach. Third door to the right, room: 719. So, their number corresponds to their Integrity Pilot ID too.
Everyone takes a deep breath. I double knock right away.
Nothing. No rumbling or footsteps.
Harder.
There's a fumbling. Someone's in there. "Zizek?! Commander Eolyne sent us to escort you to the Central Cathedral! Are you in there?!"
"Th—the, commander sent you?!" A shrill voice cracks behind the door.
"Zizek, is that you?" He sounds—uneased. Is he expecting trouble, or is he the culprit?
"Who are you?! Show me some form of identification!" The voice orders.
"Sheesh! He sounds paranoid." Eydis sighs. "Ok, ok." Eydis steps in front of the peephole with her breastplate revealing the insignia of her integrity knight status. "My name is Eydis, Eydis synthesis 10. Commander Eolyne awoke me from deep freeze. Right now, I'm here to ensure your safety and the safety of others. So please, let us in, kay?"
A pause. The door lock unlatches. A pale young man with unkept grey hair peeks through the door ajar. "You really are an Integrity Knight." He opens the door fully and drags to his living quarters.
I suppose that's an invitation. Everyone steps in, and Asuna makes sure to close and lock the door behind us. Smart. Zizek seems to be expecting someone else.
I look around. Zizek's living quarters look unkept. Dishes are piled in the sink. Dust trickles between the thin beams of light from the covered windows. It's a room shrouded in shadow and angst. Zizek curls into a chair. His alert eyes track between us four.
"Do you know why he summoned us to help you?" Asuna takes a seat first. Her calmer aura might be the key to getting information here. I'm sure Eydis and I's presence in full armor keeps him on edge. Kirito takes seat beside her.
"You—" Zizek eyes Kirito in particular. "You seem familiar. Have we met?"
"Can't say." Kirito rubs his chin but tries to smile. "You look pretty familiar yourself. Maybe in passing?"
"Maybe?" Zizek scoffs. "So, the commander sent two integrity knights and two strangers to my quarters, to—what? What's the problem?"
We don't have time to dance around. "Your ship log had some-irregularities."
Zizek stiffens right away. His eyes widen like a frightened elk, sensing danger, or a presence: the truth.
"How could that be?" Zizek plays dumb.
"You tell us." Eydis pours on pressure. "You volunteered to help pilots-in-training over in Nolangarth, but your fuel status didn't match up with that distance."
"Maybe it was already low when I left," Zizek says.
Maybe? "Maybe?" I ask. "You sound unsure."
"N—no! It's not like that!" Zizek protests. "I—I'm sure! I just flew to Nolangarth. That's it!"
"Technically, the taboo index would prevent you from lying to an Integrity Knight," Kirito says. "And it would prevent you from bringing direct harm on others without authorization within the laws."
"Tha—that's right!" Zizek jumps on that explanation. "See? It wasn't me!"
"What wasn't you?" Eydis asks.
"Huh?" Zizek pauses.
"What wasn't you?" Eydis repeats with a cold stare. "We haven't technically accused you of anything. So, what do you know?"
Zizek shuts up. Did we push him too hard already?
"Zizek." Asuna speaks up. "You wouldn't intentionally hurt people, right?"
Zizek furiously shakes his head. "N—no, of course not, never!"
"But someone did get hurt." Asuna keeps a calm tone. "You're the only one who can help us put their memories and loved ones at ease."
Zizek furrows his lips, bites his tongue, and just keeps shaking his head. He's wavering. He wants to spill it all, I can tell. "I—can't tell you that. I can't, I'm so sorry."
"Why not?" Kirito leans over.
"Because then they'll kill me." Zizek heaves. "I messed up. I messed up. Oh, man, I messed up." He leans into his chest and cradles his head. "I didn't know!"
"It's ok, it's ok." Asuna tries comforting Zizek with a touch. "Take a deep breath—"
Zizek swats her hand away. "No! You don't understand! I just let them borrow the jet, and they said it was for maintenance, that's all! I didn't know they'd-" Zizek gargles.
"Zizek?" Asuna gently shakes him for his attention. Zizek's head rolls as he slumps back, and when Asuna retracts her hand, I spot the blood on her palm.
What? I didn't even hear or sense anything.
bink. bink.
That sounds like glass. Zizek slides to the floor as more blood trickles from his mouth. He's gasping.
"Alice!" Eydis steps in front of the window. "Dark shroud!"
A black bubble surrounds us. Impressions start stretching toward us in a straight trajectory—bullet lines as Sinon would say—they look like thermal element bolts.
Zizek sputters and coughs. Asuna rushes to his side and cradles him.
"System call." Asuna lays a hand over Zizeks chest. "Luminous element, heal!"
Zizek keeps coughing, then it turns to wheezing. He's drowning, and he might not have long if we don't get out of here.
Suddenly impressions stretch through the bubble from the opposite end. Are we taking projectile fire from multiple points? The first two look like they came in the direction of the window; this set looks like it's from the door.
Zizek coughs up blood.
"The healing isn't holding!" Asuna reports. "I can stop the bleeding for a few seconds, but then it starts again!"
"Eydis! Let down the bubble on 3!" Kirito commands.
"You sure?" Eydis checks both ends of the bubble. The impressions are still bulging through.
Kirito's right. "If we don't find a way out of here, Zizek will run out of time, and we'll run out of leads."
"Alice, Eydis, you take the front door." Kirito commands. "I'll take the one out window. Asuna, try to keep Zizek alive."
"Agreed." Eydis nods.
"I'll do my best." Asuna reports.
"Understood."
"3…2…" Kirito stops counting down. The bullet impressions stop. Did they leave?
"1!" Kirito leaps forward anyway. The shroud unveils to reveal the room. Several holes fill the curtains as punctured glass liters the floor. Kirito jumps out the shattering window.
I unsheathe the Fragrant Olive Sword and face the doorway entrance. Empty, but I hear footsteps running down the hall—and the elevator. Eydis and I make eye contact.
We propel into the hall and watch: a red bellhop hat flees behind the elevator doors.
Ding.
Fastest way down to the lobby? Stairs? No, we need to go faster. "Follow me!" I pull Eydis by the hand back toward the room.
"Huh? Where are we going?" Eydis asks but follows along.
"Out." The window.
"Huh?!" Eydis bawks as we pass Asuna healing Zizek. "A—alice?"
I turn and face the window. Kirito left a way out for us. I feel the rush of open air whipping my face. This distance is nowhere near as high as that time with the Central Cathedral. Don't think. Just go.
The air howls as my body clenches in free fall. Eydis yelps from behind.
"We. don't. Have. Dragons. Anymore. Alice!" Eydis yells.
She's right. Amayori is nesting back in the West Empire. I'll have to—tank it—as Kirito says.
Ant-sized impressions of people grow in detail, their strides, their clothes, their faces of shock looking up at us. The ground fills more view. Eydis. "Come to me!"
"You don't have to tell me!" Eydis shouts as she wades towards me. I clench her hand and cradle her body under my arms to carry her. Only one of us needs to take the wear from this.
My boots SLAM into the ground. The shock crinkles up to my knees, through my body, and around my arms from carrying Eydis, but the sensation dulls quickly.
"Alice! Are you ok?!" Eydis pats my cheek.
"We've gotta catch up." The entrance, it's also the only exit. The bellhop will come through there.
"R—right." Eydis leaps out of my arms. "Can you-?"
I'm ready, I've recovered. "Yes, let us be quick."
We race through the streets and past onlookers. The entrance is around the building corner, less than a mel away. We turn on heel. The entrance doors slide open, and the red bellhop freezes in place as he turns and spots us.
"Stop!" I dash in first, unsheathing my blade. I hear Eydis doing the same beside me.
I can see his grin as we get closer. He lifts his hands, but his aura dispenses hostility. He's tense.
Get ready for a fight. "Eydis!"
"Gotcha!" Eydis draws her dark slash sword. "Enhance Armament!"
"Not yet." The bellhop's grin widens as Eydis' dark shroud surrounds him in a black bubble. He disappears behind it.
"That should keep him contained." Eydis paces around the bubble.
Good. Eydis' bubble comes from her sacred treasure. It should have the authority to hold him for questioning.
"My, my." A male voice sings.
Where? I look up. The bellhop sits on top of the bubble.
"An ability to trap a target in sensory deprivation." He remarks. "How chilling."
How? I just saw him get trapped. Did he move that fast? "Who are you?"
"A bellhop." He winks a golden eye.
"You jest, but you were just complicit in the attempted murder of an integrity pilot." I raise the Olive Sword's pointed tip toward him.
"Oh?" The bellhop crosses his legs. "Attempted?"
This isn't an ordinary opponent.
"Support me?" Eydis prepares her stance, raising her blade to an upward thrust stance, and pointing her tip downward.
"Always." I raise my sword. "System call! Enhance Armament! Storm and churn my flowers!" The golden petals rush forth from the hilt, tidal waving.
The bellhop smiles as Eydis charges forward. In a flash, a blood red scythe appears in his hands to block Eydis' strike. The blades spark and crackle.
Rush and cut down this foe. He's not going to let us take him in. The golden petals fly overhead by my will and curve, surfing toward the assailant's back and blind spot. The bellhop holds his ground against Eydis, and as the petals hone in on his flank—they rebound without making contact, upwards into the sky. It looks like an incarnate barrier. Is that his special skill?
Eydis slashes at multiple angles to push the bellhop deeper into the flurry of petals behind him, but he meets every strike; he's matching an integrity knight's speed.
No, something's off. It's like his stance keeps changing for the perfect counter. I blink once and he's at one pose, blink again and he's in an entirely different one with no transition—like skipping frames of movement. It's unnatural.
An illusionary technique? I need to get in closer.
I kick off the concrete and charge in with my blade drawn, pointed to the heavens, and ready to crash down on the bellhop's scythe. Can he handle the weight of two integrity knight's strikes?
Eydis and I sync. Our blades drive through his sickle and hilt at the same time, and I feel our force pushing through, pushing his handle off kilter.
"As expected of two integrity knights." The bellhop's grip wavers, but then, suddenly, he's gone, evaporated.
Wha?
"Over here."
I look left. The sickle is coming down from that side, and I can't dodge; my petals can't redirect in time either. All I can do is watch that devilish grin.
No, there's always a move.
I raise my left arm. The sickle digs in as sharp pain ignites from my arm to my chest.
"Impressive!" The bellhop smiles.
"You bastard!" Eydis shouts, and I see her shadow vault over me. She flies forward rearing a horizontal slash.
The bellhop ducks, but Eydis keeps springing forward, winding and flexing a kick directly to his chin, and it connects.
The bellhop flings back and slumps to the ground, and with his pullback, I feel pain explode where my left arm was. My boots soak in my own blood.
"System call!" Eydis pants beside me and presses my arm. "Luminous element, heal!"
Motes of light surround my open wound. Eydis reaches down and grabs my detached left arm. She presses it against the wound.
"Please." Eydis prays.
"Eydis." the target's still in reach. His form is getting blurrier as my body feels light. My cheeks, my fingers and toes, they're losing sense of touch as heat leaves them. But the enemy is still before us. "Don't let him—"
"Shut up. Let me help you first." Eydis' breathing hastens. She rummages her healing hands between the severed limbs. "It's not working, why isn't it working?!"
We look over at his crumpled form. He slowly rises with blood dripping down his nose. "Let me go, and I'll release the incarnation I just used to prevent her healing."
An incarnation that prevents healing?
"You're bluffing." Eydis challenges.
The bellhop shakes his head. He lifts a hand toward us. His palm glows with a haze of sickly purple.
I feel a pulse in my left arm. "Eydis." He's telling the truth. I sluggishly shake my head toward her. "But we can't let him get away, it's our duty."
"Make your decision," The bellhop says. "Your friend is arriving shortly."
Kirito? How does he know that?
Eydis grinds her teeth. She won't let go or leave my side. "I will find you." she answers and holds her tongue. She holds me tight. "Go."
"What?" We can't. "Eydis, we can't!"
"You won't last if this wound stays." Eydis' voice shakes. "You'll bleed out."
"But the people, the Underworld-we live to protect them." We can't let him run free.
"I also live to protect you." Eydis' soft red eyes gaze into mine.
"Eydis—"
"The incarnation will dissipate once I'm outside your range." The bellhop turns away. "Make sure he doesn't follow me either." The bellhop starts down the now crowded street. Onlookers with wide eyes in shock make way for him. He disappears into the crowd becoming a blur.
A pair of footsteps land behind us. "Alice?!"
Kirito, I'm sorry. I failed.
Asuna
Underworld: Cardina, Centoria: August 3rd 2027
17:07
It's not working. Somehow, despite the sacred art, Zizek's wound isn't healing, and his blood loss won't slow down. It's like his blood won't clot. "Zizek?"
He hasn't opened his eyes for a while now, but he's still breathing by a miracle.
If he doesn't make it— "Zizek, can you hear me?"
The Integrity Pilot moans. His words silently drift on thinner breaths and wheezes. He doesn't have long.
"Zizek, who did this? Who took your ship?" I lean my ear to his lips to listen.
The same moan. He's trying to speak.
"Fail—safe." He whispers, then draws one last breath. "Fail—safe."
His eyes roll back. He's gone. "I'm sorry." We weren't able to protect him.
"Asuna?" I hear Kirito's voice from the door. I turn as it squeals open.
Kirito carries Alice in his arms; she's trembling and stained with blood over her left arm. Eydis waits behind him. The blood looks drained from her face as well, defeated.
"What happened?" Kirito asks.
"He's—gone." I look down on Zizek. I'll never get used to this. Seeing young people die violent deaths. Why did he deserve this?
"Did he say anything? A name?" Eydis murmurs. Her voice sounds shaken, but she meets me eye to eye, slowly summing up focus again.
"He just kept saying one word." And now that I think about it, his breaths sounded similar to it. Is it a place? A code? A name?
"What was it?" Kirito asks.
"He kept saying—Failsafe."
Zeref
Underworld: Cardina, Obsidia: August 3rd 2027
*Time Unavailable*
Shade, breeze, the scent of fresh hay. The tree leaves rustle like the sound of ocean waves. It's the perfect break spot from this heat, and if I close my eyes, I almost forget the red sky and earth all around.
"Zeref! You taking a break?!"
Why is Lobo so loud? "Yuh." I open my eyes. Lobo's tusks fill my view of the tree leaves.
"We're not finished." Lobo's snout curls.
"What happened to lunch?" What happened to regular breaks?
"Not today." Lobo sighs. "The Iskahn festival is coming up in a few nights."
"Iskahn festival?" Stuff like this reminds me of how I'm still an outsider. 3 months still isn't long enough to acclimate.
"Ok, I know you're not originally from Obsidia, but even people in Centoria know about Iskahn." Lobo grunts while plopping his calloused palms to his hips. "You must be from really far away."
Did I reveal too much? I surge up and look Lobo in the eye, those green eyes-does he suspect anything? Any reason that I'd need to up and leave?
I'd hate to have to leave no trace again.
"Haha! Relax, Zeref! I know we agreed no digging into personal histories!" Lobo slams me across the back with his palm. "Think of it as our cultural festival. They host it on Admina too, but, ya know, for the rest of us out here in the boonies, we do a pretty good party ourselves."
Admina—the other planet—where more people like Lobo live—people who left him behind. "Have you ever been?"
"Of course! We make great business at the festival by selling—"
"Sorry, I—meant Admina." Has Lobo ever ventured out? Seen how much bigger his world could be?
"Oh." Lobo tilts his straw farmer's hat. "I have some family that relocated, but we're pretty far separated now. Such a distance, ya know? And, well, there's not much to go around in buying transport right now."
"So—they abandoned you?"
"Huh?" Lobo asks. "Abandoned—me?"
That's what he means, right? That's what it means when family leaves you behind. My head starts pulsing.
"Zeref, are you all right?" Lobo takes a knee and examines me, his expression always stoic, but his eyes stay soft and concerned, reflecting me in this form, lanky, frail, someone else. "Is it your head again?"
I can feel the rush through my temples—as if rubbing them will make the headache go away—the surge of memories that should be suppressed. The program should be doing that much, but I can hear it ringing in my ears: gunfire, a deadpan voice, a woman's scream.
"Here, take your break. It's ok, friend."
I feel Lobo's firm grip take me under his arm. My feet plant on the crusted earth as he carries me back to the brown barn. Our tools are staked in the red ground as oxen graze the few patches of grass growing in scattered patches of greenery.
Take in senses to dull the pain. That's why I came here.
"Weird choice of words." Lobo adds.
"Huh?"
"Were you abandoned, Zeref?" Lobo asks under his pants.
He built me, and then he left me. "It's complicated." Kayaba left me.
Author's note:
Thank you very much for reading Ch.1 of Specter Part 2! I'm very excited to continue the story threads from part 1 while incorporating the main SAO gang. I hope you'll join me on this new adventure.
Since I'm planning a more expansive story this time with a much broader cast of characters, chapters moving forward will typically be much longer than the status quo from Part 1, about the same length as chapter 1 here. Because of that, updates/new chapters will more than likely release every month instead of every 2 weeks like in the past.
I'll try update and do the occasional double-drop though if time permits!
Thank you, and until next time, peace!