89 - Treachery Weighed Against the Self-Preservation Instinct!


Years ago, in a lab, a woman was peering into a microscope but then she winced and pulled back. She rubbed her pregnancy, jutting out between her white coat.

"Remarkable… simply remarkable…"

She stared across shelves to her murmuring colleague. They were surrounded by chemistry glassware, botany projects and alien computer chips on little stands with hanging tube wires. A man stood before a featureless podium, above it hung a mechanical arm. The white of the floor and walls was cast in dim blue.

"What is it this time, Charles?" she asked and the young man glanced away from his huge telescope then back again.

"The precision of the water civ technology is beyond even the imagination of the scientists back home. Their lasers are so fine, they can cut images that are too small for the naked eye. Come and see, Sirona."

Sirona had olive skin and straight dark hair, secured at the nape of her neck. She made her way over. He stepped back and she brushed the fine baby hairs behind her ears before leaning into the telescope. It was aimed at a tiny diamond on the pedestal.

It was very magnified, too close to see any of the fractal sides. She'd expected to see a computer code or encrypted formula. Instead it was a simple question in cursive:

Will you marry me?

Sirona gasped, admiring the tiny detail. "Charles…" She pulled back. "For goodness sake, stand up."

He got off one knee. In the face of his love he wasn't nervous at all.

Sirona was flustered, she put a hand on her belly. "Charles… I'm carrying Oliver's child."

"I'd love them like my own. I think all of us will," Charles promised. He then spoke tenderly, "I know we don't have a lot of options here, but I want you to know it wouldn't matter if we were on Aurellia or not. You're the only one for me, always."

She turned away. "Alfred's given Oliver enough trouble. Let's please not encourage him to have it out for you too." She took a moment to collect herself, then with pink cheeks she looked back into earnest, waiting eyes. "I'm sorry, Charles. Oliver is the man I love. I'm sorry…"

Charles closed his eyes, though he knew it would never change the way he felt. Young or old. They were both lab technicians, and Charles was fairly respected amidst their numbers, but he'd lost out to a daring field operative.

Sirona watched him nervously for a while, "I hope this won't destroy our friendship…"

He opened his eyes, smile still enduring. "I'm still your friend. Always."


Currently, Charles and the injured had teleported away to heal up and later return with his map. A few of them stayed for Ulrich. Things had chilled out a bit, and the youngest person present had unexpectedly gone a little funny. He rubbed the back of his neck, shuffled his feet, eyes darting to the chosens as they interacted. Being around a group of fellow teens was entirely new for him.

"Jacob, come look!" Heidi called him toward the water. Despite the uncertainties, it was nice for Heidi to have got what she wanted. She was happy again. Jacob stopped beside her on wet black sand. Heidi shielded her eyes and turned. "This beach is the border where the water civ invaded the fire civ for the first time. Do you remember the starting sets? Can you imagine like, an Aqua Hulcus there and a Brawler Zyler there." She pointed. Then waved her arm overhead. "A swooping armoured wyvern?"

Jacob looked around and thought about it. "Yeah…"

Truthfully, who could say how much the landmasses had changed after aeons of world-shattering saga wars, but he didn't want to ruin the moment for her.

"Before I left Ikebukuro, I would've never thought I'd be lucky enough to be standing here."

Jacob joined her in just looking around.

It took under an hour, those present sat around and mingled. The tense air had mostly dispelled when Charles was beamed back with surrounding loyalists. His arm was wrapped but otherwise unsupported, only his worse cuts remained and they were taped up and almost healed. He approached Jacob who walked to meet him. A bundle of faded maps and documents changed hands. Jacob turned them around, licked his finger and started ferreting through. The other chosens looked as well through the mind-link.

"This mountain range here," Charles tapped a sheet and then pointed for them. Jacob squinted against the sun. Then Charles finger-drew a circle around an X. "Alfred's activity is centred around here."

"That's just fifteen minutes away, for us," Jacob murmured.

Carmine stepped closer. "It'll be good to put these doubts to rest once and for all." She glanced at Ulrich, standing with his head bowed. He was like the awkward kid at a party, standing by a wall - like he wanted to chat but didn't know how. Radley squeezed his shoulder.

Jacob noticed Amira smirk at his own deduction. She was relying on his perception and thoughts more and more while they were together.

Sinan walked over then. "I disagree with what you were thinking before, Jacob. That must've been your ego getting in the way."

Jacob learned what Sinan meant: a consideration he'd breezed over. He thought on it again. "You're right..."

Charles looked between them. "Is your team telepathic?"

Jacob admitted it.

"Through us they share a mind-link," Mercury explained and Charles' brows raised.

"Jacob got a good idea but shrugged it off," Sinan explained. "Only one of us needs to see Alfred for us all to verify your side of what happened. So I'll go." Sinan was choosing now to practise his autonomy, Venus was quietly proud. "Jacob, you should go back to the sub so Charles can help you track Gaigen."

Jacob looked to Charles, a bit embarrassed after their duel and accusations.

To his credit, Charles remained amicable. "We did get the signature of whatever diverted your digital path. We might be able to trace the source."

"Charles could also get us in touch with Drache der'Zen," Mercury said. "If the water civ lends us a ship we have a way to reach Urobach's moonbase."

Jacob sighed and looked at him. "If you'd be so kind?" Charles nodded. "Great. This does go a long way in proving you want to save everyone. But meeting Alfred…"

"It's fine. Be thorough. I want this more for Ulrich's closure anyway."

Ulrich's head was still low and he frowned at the sand.

Amira walked up. "I'll go as Sinan's backup. Just in case."

"Good idea." Jacob walked over to hand them the papers.


Within minutes, Venus Ia Saint Mother and Pluto Deathbringer were soaring above barren bumps and foothills. Everybody else had returned to the sub. The pair of phoenixes, light and darkness, scrutinised the landscape before descending on a treacherous mountain range. It was a pale indistinguishable colour, like a type of clay. Their feet touched down on solid ground. Sinan and Amira shared a look before entering a cave mouth.

They heard grumbling and the whacking of tools. Someone was cranky, muttering away, working something. Next they heard bubbling, so the project was possibly dinner. Sinan kicked a rock on accident and the noises stopped. When they rounded the bend they found themselves in a cavern. A few sonic commands were strewn out, their shiny innards on display. An old hermit faced them, bald with a wild grey beard. His beady eyes were shrewd.

"Who the hell are you!?" he shouted.

Sinan cleared his throat, "Are you Alfred?"

"How did you find me!?"

"My name's Amira and this is Sinan. Charles sent us."

"Why!?"

"To find out the truth," Sinan answered.

Those eyes lasered into them both.

Amira asked, "Charles wouldn't let Ulrich come near you. Because you killed his parents?"

"...I'm sure he'd see it that way." His low voice echoed off the walls.

"We want to know what happened. Please." Sinan said.

"I'll tell you what's happening right now…" Alfred tensed, rummaging in his rags. "Charles set me up. He took everything from me. My daughter, my son-in-law, and he's keeping me from my own grandson. He left me to rot in the wilderness and now that I'm old he's finally ready to kill me!" His shout exposed many missing teeth, he revealed his glowing deck. "I won't let you… I'm a survivor!"

Sinan looked at Amira who shrugged.

Sinan looked back. "Fine. I'll duel you."

"You'll be first," Alfred agreed before eying Amira. "Then I'll deal with you."

Their tables and shields formed. Amira stepped aside. She noticed how Alfred's eyes kept darting from Sinan to her to the way out behind them. He wet his lips.

The game was underway. Sinan and Alfred spent their first few turns charging mana; their opponent seemed to be using mono-darkness. Sinan charged and passed for the third time when Alfred started the game properly.

"I cast Just In You!" Gloom shrouded the outstretched card. "I mill four then play an Abyss that costs four or less."

"Abyss?" Amira murmured. They'd heard correctly.

"Abyssbell = Jashin Emperor!" A pit yawned open, from below rose a gorey throne, seated on which was a reptilian lord. Amira narrowed her eyes. She was sensing a myriad of new abilities.

Undaunted, Sinan drew but once more could only charge.

"I summon Madan = Row, Abyssal Furnace!" A golem stood tall, part steel and part brick. A smelting furnace roared at its chest. Sinan's hand was coated by a purple sheen. "I get to see the cards you're holding and discard one."

Amira's eyes narrowed in recognition. Sinan's cards floated out in a line, he bit his lip.

Alfred eyed each card. "Discard Kirazeus Savark." It snapped to the graveyard.

"He's using Abyss Royals."

They paused in shock. Alfred's head flicked to Amira but she hadn't spoken.

She smiled grimly. "Back so soon, Pluto?"

From Sinan they could hear the quiet growling of Venus.

"I… was shocked momentarily. Forget I said anything."

"We are too." Amira looked to Sinan who'd paused mid-draw. "Don't worry about it just now."

Sinan continued but once more could only charge and end his turn. Without Dragon's Sign or Now or Never in his hand, he had to wait for Alfred to attack in order to get his creatures out. Alfred was cunning enough to set up his zone first.

Amira felt prompted to intervene so she did, stepping up and calling forth a table. "Five!" Her shields, mana and hand assembled before a good portion of her deck vanished.

"What is this?" Alfred demanded.

"You're dealing with me now." Amira drew. "You both draw one because of Zeron."

So Sinan drew, Alfred noticed and so drew as well. Pluto was silent but watching every move from her mind.

"I summon Noron Up, "Question 2"!" It was a crystal-tech spikeball with an eye. "I draw two then discard two. Then I summon Atsuto, Duel Hero Strategist!" The suited fellow nailed the landing then smiled winsomely. "I draw two then discard again."

"Amira…" Sinan knew she'd halved her remaining deck. Amira nodded reassuringly.

"You have a special power that lets you hijack duels," Alfred surmised. "But it's cost you most of your deck." His brain was whirring behind those eyes before he smiled. "I've still got this. I activate Abyssbell's ability: Abyss Rush! I can summon Abyss creatures from the graveyard and for two mana less! First I play Hamma = Dhamma!" The next spooky customer to fly out from the abyss was a cloaked fellow with giant hammerheads instead of hands. "I mill three cards, then I can destroy Atsuto!" It lunged, walloping its target who took a tumble down the pit. "Then I summon Bauwauja, Abyss Three Roar and mill four." Leaping out next was a pale three-headed cerberus with batwings. "And Jablood, Wicked Dragon and I mill another two." Hissing echoed out from the hole before it coiled out, entirely skeletal. Its upper body was a giant human skull, its neck squeezing out between the teeth.

He now had a small army of five Abyss creatures.

"Madan = Row attacks and Civil Count 3 activates! Since I have three or more creatures or tamaseeds, I use a 'come into play' effect in the graveyard. I choose Atsuto's, allowing me to draw and discard two. Ike!" The furnace-golem blazed fiery before busting a dud shield.

"Twelve cards in his graveyard," Amira noticed.

"At the end of his turn, Abyss Rush makes him put the creatures he summoned on the bottom of his deck," Pluto started to explain, "but Jablood will let him keep them if he can shuffle four graveyard cards back into his deck for each one."

"You've chosen a fine time to resurface!" Venus scolded.

Alfred's eyes bounced around like trapped flies, teeth clenched.

Pluto hesitated, "Sorry…"

Amira sighed, "Guys, it's okay… let him help."

They were all surprised at that.

"You may know the effects of my Abyss Royals but that doesn't matter! Two against one might seem like an advantage, but taking you both out at once works better for me!"

Sinan looked at Amira who was getting all the more frustrated by their opponent. He could read her thoughts like they were his own: she was increasingly seeing her own likeness in Alfred. He had her worst attributes, only he took them further. Sinan wouldn't have made the connection himself, but through her eyes it was clear. He was reminded of that idiom: takes one to know one.

"Bauwauja now triple breaks…" Slowly he swept his finger before pointing opposite. "Sinan's shields! But first, its effect destroys Noron Up!" The devil canine leapt aside to maul their last creature then pinballed back on course, clearing most of Sinan's defences speedily into dust.

"Shield trigger, Rosia Final Dragon Ruler!" The gold-armoured soldier burst out in a solar blaze, chains flew alongside him to open hyperspace. "I bring out Gaiheart Galaxy Greatsword!"

Like Heidi, Sinan also utilised Gaiginga. He'd be a big help if they could manage to dragsolution.

"Hamma = Dhamma breaks your last shield!"

A tense few seconds of silence carried quiet tinkling before the pieces rewound into Dragon's Sign.

"Finally!" Sinan yelled while Alfred swore. "I bring out for free a dragon that costs seven or less. Zardiclica, Hybrid Winds Dragon!" Shining gold, fiery red and crystal blue denoted its triple-civ status. "Ex-life! I shieldify!" A new shield assembled. "He lets me cast a spell for free, so I play Purification Sharrup!" He flashed a nature twinpact. "This will shuffle your graveyard back into your deck."

Alfred swore again, louder.

He outstretched his hand. "Jablood attacks your last shield and I mill two." The hissing turned to a shriek and it dived, lashed a bony arm. "Abyssbell attacks, milling another two cards and todomeda!" It sprang agilely from its throne.

"Rosia blocks!" He intercepted, crying out as his chest was clawed through. Gaiheart fell into a closing hyperspace gap.

"You're out of attackers," Amira pointed out.

"I shuffle back the four cards in my graveyard to save Jablood.…" The aftereffects of Abyss Rush took hold, Hamma and Bauwauja turned black and decomposed, their cards sweeping under his deck.

Sinan pushed out his arm, palm downwards. "I summon Rosia, Final Dragon Ruler and equip him with Gaiheart once more!" Its return was heralded heroically by gold light. "Zardiclica attacks you and invasion: Redzone Buster, Roaring Awakened!" They'd not seen it since their first group duel where it defeated Jacob. The dragon was swallowed by white, becoming a slender steel mecha that whipped a gold sword. Bands of light squeezed Alfred's Abyssbell. "Triple break!" The energy line from its slash broke three shields and Alfred cowered, cuts dotting his arms.

"Sh-shield trigger!" His voice was high and urgent. "Hamma = Dhamma! I mill three cards-"

"But since my creatures all cost more than three you can't destroy anything," Sinan stated. His chin raised. "Rosia attacks now and revolution change! When a light dragon with cost five or more attacks, I can swap it with the Miradante Twelve, Time Pope in my hand!" A bipedal, heavenly-winged beast of gold shook out its blonde mane. Twelve roman numerals rotated around its head like a clockface. "You can't summon creatures that cost seven or less. Final break!" A solar beam comprising its 12,000 power exploded, throwing Alfred off his feet.

He'd received two shield trigger creatures, both cost seven so he couldn't play them.

"Hold it!" He waved his arms. "Time out! I give, alright? I'll tell you everything you want to know - just please, please don't hurt me!"

Sinan stared then sighed, removing his cards from the table. Amira was mildly disgusted by his begging and swept her cards together too. Their creatures faded, but Alfred's didn't.

A crazed grin replaced his features and he resumed play, shocking them.

"I cast two copies of the spell Just In You!"

"Wait - what?"

"I mill four and play another Abyssbell = Jashin Emperor!"

"What the hell is-?"

"I mill another four and summon Madan = Row-" there was a crunch and Alfred looked over to see Amira glaring at him, her cards back in position. Sinan remained bewildered. Unrepentant, Alfred shouted, spittle flying, "I look at Amira's hand!" Her cards slid from her fingers and turned over. He noticed her Team Zero cards, their mugen climb ability would let them be summoned even from the graveyard. "Discard Drag Szark."

"You lying weasel!" Sinan's reaction had caught up to anger.

Amira had unwittingly skipped her turn. Alfred had bet that the discomfort brought on by his begging would make them remove their cards hastily. He's good, Amira silently conceded and Pluto agreed.

"Jablood!" Ravenous, he chose his strongest creature, believing 9000 power would ensure a kill. He twisted it. "Todomeda!" With a terrible hiss it uncoiled, a skeletal claw crushed Sinan into the cave wall. Alfred grinned, his face looked slippery like pure calculated evil. "Madan = Row attacks Amira!" It punched through glass and she braced. "Second Madan, shield break!"

"Trigger! Grand Guignol, Dark Advisor!" The four-armed blue demon drooped forward on its extended torso, leaning on its staff. "I bounce Abyssbell-"

"And I shuffle four cards back into my graveyard so it stays. Hamma attack another shield!" Another panel was hammered, no trigger.

One Abyssbell remained tapped, the band of light around it from Redzone finally dissolved. He had one other untapped Abyssbell, his only blocker, so he wasn't going to clear the last of Amira's shields - especially not because she now had a single creature to attack with.

"Turn end." His eyes narrowed again, gauging Amira's mood after he'd seemingly just murdered her companion.

Sinan crawled up then, chunks of rock rolling off his back.

"...slippery, lying weasel…" he was still saying.

"It's not possible." Alfred's eyes widened in shock. "You… Who are you two?"

"At the start of my turn I burn a shield to revive The Lost, Dark Armor!" Blue glass drizzled away more finely than sand. "This fulfils the Ceremony of Resurrection. I mill two. Now I have eight cards in my graveyard and I fulfil the Ceremony of Graveyard, giving -3000 power to Hamma."

"I reshuffle four cards from my graveyard to keep it!"

Hamma wilted and died anyway. Alfred baulked and Amira didn't bother addressing his mistake.

"I summon Turbo Cho, Climb." The gokart with the sizzling engine burned rubber, skidding out in doughnuts. "Then, I shuffle back the eight cards in my graveyard to summon Jaouga Zero, Evil Oniga King." The orcish demon stood imposingly tall, composed of lavender bone armour with curved spikes.

Alfred was now coated in sweat. "Your creatures all become speed attackers…" He was thinking he could block Jaouga, two of her other creatures couldn't attack, but he wouldn't be just walking off a swing from Grand Guignol's staff.

Amira took another card between her fingers and started to pull it slowly.

She was remembering Pluto's willingness to forgive her back then, and his acceptance of her former treachery.

"I don't need forgiveness from anyone," Pluto said softly and she paused. "But I want to see you succeed. So please, use me and my powers as needed."

"Mugen Climb…" Amira said sinisterly. Watching the coward opposite her stand there and calculate was seriously ticking her off. "I tap four mana and my four creatures, I summon Genmu Emperor, Infinite Dragon." Darkness, water and the power of Zero coalesced. There was a shredding, and her new creature occupied the negative space. Armless, eyeless, but ghostly wisps formed a multitude of tails. "This is my secondary finisher, and he's like the opposite of Zeron. Instead of zero, his power is infinite."

Sinan limped up, tested the movement of his ankle and started rolling the joint. He stepped down then studied the creature with his sensing. Infinite power bested even Dormageddon's near one-million, and yet although it cast a signature presence it wasn't as awestriking. Sinan stretched his sensing and learned that while Genmu Emperor was unbeatable it utilised an efficiency over raw power.

"Infinite power…" Hope sparked deviously in Alfred's eyes and he worked to conceal it. "But only one attacker, and I have a blocker. So…" He was laughing next, his mercurial moods swinging moment-to-moment. "Attack me! And get your turn over with!"

"Genmu Emperor erases the effects of all creatures that cost five or less. That means Abyssbell is no longer a blocker."

A single beat passed.

Alfred threw himself onto his knees before her. "Pleaseee don't kill me! I'm just an old man! Dear child, I'm just an old man…" He hid his face in sobs. Sinan was fooled. Amira knew them to be crocodile tears.

"Okay shut up," she said, annoyed. He did, then looked up at her and sniffled. "I'm not going to kill you. I just wanted to see my cool new finisher."

Her creatures faded and Alfred was incredulous, wiping his wet eyes and sniffling.

"I-if you didn't come to kill me… why did Charles send you?"

"So we could confirm the truth," Amira repeated for them. "Charles was right about you being here and alive. I want to hear it from you: why'd he banish you?"

Alfred got to his feet, he was nimble for one so old. He hurried over and Amira was already recoiling before he clung to her arm and wept bitter tears.

"He lied to me. Ruined me. Took everything. All because of an accident. I regret it wholeheartedly, but I had no control over what happened!"

They tried to be steadfast and listen, but all they heard was a man denying so much as a glimmer of accountability.

"How could everyone at the sub have accepted Charles as leader over you?" Sinan asked and staggered backwards when Alfred pulled at his shirt.

"They're all brainwashed! Drache der'Zen is helping Charles! Brain hacking chips, you have to believe me! He sent you because he knew you'd never believe me!" More flowing waterworks. Sinan was aghast. "He wants you to kill me!"

Amira closed her eyes and took a breath.

They heard him out, but his story wasn't altogether complicated. Charles had always had it out for him and wanted to be in charge. Alfred didn't know about Charles' plan to bring revolution back home, but he swore his successor was a dangerous mastermind. After twenty minutes of that they left him, saying they needed to hear Charles' side.

The miserable man watched them go. Standing at the ledge they looked at each other before shining yellow and purple, jumping off and transforming, then flying away as phoenixes.

As Alfred watched them go he became solemn.

Another voice spoke from the dark:

"A swing and a miss… we need to start the next stage now."

"We do," Alfred agreed.


"I don't believe it…" Charles had both arms out, leaning against the control panel.

The navigation room had a huge holo-display. The individual stations curved in different directions so everyone beneath their raised platform swivelled their spin-chairs to stare up at it. Jacob stood and peered over.

"...Gaigen's signal came from Alfred's location."

"Are your teammates alright?"

"They just left. They didn't see Gaigen." Jacob bit his thumb, speaking around it, "We could kill him easily if we were in the same place. The moment after they left, Alfred would've digitised away."

Charles registered that then faced him. "At any rate, how did their talk go?"

Jacob hesitated. "I don't know how you wanted it to go…"

"Alfred never took responsibility for what he did. All he cared about was his survival, so I left him alive. I wanted to believe that all this time in solitude had humanised him." Charles sighed, "I'm guessing from your tone, he's still not repentant?"

"No. He blames you for everything." Jacob turned to meet his eyes. "So now we want to hear it from you. What did Alfred do that made everyone excommunicate him?"

Charles paused, the memory made his nostrils flare. Jacob sensed the other chosens watching behind his own eyes. Seconds passed as Charles gathered himself and started at the beginning.

"So, it was twenty years ago for me, only one year for everyone back home. Alfred led us. He was an extremely cautious man, but in retrospect, only with his own safety. He never took on the dangerous missions. For a few years there were minor issues, but they added up over time. Nobody liked how he ran things, but we followed orders. That was until he wanted to betray everyone back home…"

"You mean, like you do now?"

"No." Charles couldn't bring himself to smirk or otherwise react. "No, not like me. Alfred obsessively kept mission logs, which became useful evidence for us. He didn't disclose everything, but we put the pieces together and figured out he was terrified. After coming here he became convinced that Aurellia was doomed, that it was only a matter of time before the creature world took over. So preemptively, he tried to ally with the Abyss Royals."

"Holy shit. Just like Amira." Jacob uttered. Charles looked at him funny. "Nevermind. Please, continue."

"At the time we weren't seafaring, our base was stationary and set up on the coast. A tribe of savage Beat Jockeys attacked us - thankfully we had some advanced weaponry from Drache der'Zen in just such a case as this. Still, Alfred got himself 'kidnapped'." Charles clenched his fists, this was the part that really rankled him. "The attack was a ruse, somewhat. At the time we were formally questioning Alfred's leadership, I was spearheading the case against him. It turned out the attack was a cover so that Alfred could be escorted to the Abyss Royals. He was willing to help them reach Aurellia with our own technology."

"Bastard almost ended the world," Jacob said.

"Exactly. And this preemptive measure, all from fear, was to save himself. He tried pretending it was for the good of all of us here, but I'll never forget… When his daughter and son-in-law tried a rescue attempt he didn't call off the beat jockeys. He didn't want to blow his cover."

Charles raised his head, deep in the memory. "Well, Drache der'Zen came through in the knick of time. He sent a squadron that scared off the Beat Jockeys. The Abyss Royals didn't give a damn about Alfred once he could no longer help them. They knew coming after us would finally push the water civ to join the fighting."

"And after all that, you let Alfred go?"

"We may have been by ourselves for two decades but the idea of executing someone still seemed too savage." Charles' voice lowered. "But I wanted to… I wanted to kill him for making his own grandson grow up without his parents. I wouldn't be able to take the temptation if I kept Alfred prisoner, and I wasn't going to send him back to the world he almost selfishly destroyed. So I banished him to the wilderness - seemed fitting."

Jacob stepped away, massaging his chin and thinking deeply.

"...What?"

"Why would Gaigen work with a man who has nothing?"

"Information?" Charles provided. "We may have updated our cybersystems, but by the sound of it, Gaigen hasn't been in this dimension for much longer than you. He probably needed someone, anyone, to talk to and get his bearings. Alfred became that person. Alfred knows how to survive out there, at the very least."

"The lieutenants are specially trained to recruit from the local populace." Jacob's arms rested at his sides. "No. More likely, the Abyss Royals never completely cut contact with Alfred. Gaigen is working with them."

Charles was astounded and said nothing.

Jacob glanced over his shoulder, "Gaigen would've set himself up before luring us over, one hundred percent. This is the final stage he chose for our showdown. He's probably going to strike next with an army. The Abyss Royals want this vessel so they can reach Aurellia too."

Charles took a moment to steady his voice. "Then we'll have to prepare."


AN: Thanks to Convergence for completing Light Arc! I'm glad you liked it! And even if I had to nag, thanks to Acuma for getting back into reviewing, he's reviewed 84 and 85. Poor Shuriken has been abducted by Genshin Impact but they should let him go eventually. I almost thought that this would be the update I wouldn't make in time lol. Getting to the halfway mark will be huge for me though. I don't think I can say this is technically almost finished until we're finally counting down from ten. Thanks, everyone!