Chapter 37 - The World Responses

Her surroundings were filled with the vast greenery of a natural jungle, where it would have been easy to get lost if she didn't exactly know what to look for. Despite only a few rays of sunshine passing through the ceiling made of leaves, the humid and moisty air turned her trivial task into an insufferable trip. It led her through this hot-pot in the middle of nowhere. She made her way through the enormous leaves and bushes protruding from all around her while silently cursing to herself. Any place would have been better than this. Even the freezing cold in the north was a better environment to be in. At least there she could have tucked herself in layers of clothing to endure the cold.

But in this heat, there was nothing she could do to relieve herself any further. Her already meager amount of clothing would leave her ashamed if anyone saw her in public, but at this point, she was already far beyond caring about any of that. A breeze regularly covered her body to guard her against the buzzing insects that thirsted after her blood. Although the breeze was sufficient to keep these nasty and illness-ridden insects at bay, it barely helped against the heat itself.

However, this was what she'd signed up for. She knew very well an environment like this was part of her job, so she could only suck it up and continue performing her duty.

“Armin! Armin! Damn it, where are you!?”

The young woman paid no heed to keep her whereabouts hidden. She could tell that this jungle was filled with wildlife, gathering all different kinds of species that could be harmful regardless of which race they encountered. Yet, despite them warily lurking in the shadows of the trees, not a single animal dared to pounce on this unsuspecting prey.

“Over here, Aiyla!”

At last, the voice of a man answered her unceasing shouts, much to her relief. After passing through another layer of bushes that barred her way, she arrived where the voice had originated from. In front of her was an unusually large clearing. Every plant that had previously resided here was rooted out in an unnatural way. But Aiyla didn't pay much attention to these surroundings as a waft of foul air filled her nostrils. An atrocious stench that turned her annoyed frown into a furrow of disgust. Yet, the nausea welling up inside her wasn't enough for her to keel over or lose her bearings from the shock. It simply took a few short breaths to calm herself down.

It was difficult for her to tell whether it was a good or a bad thing that she'd gotten used to the stench of bloody corpses rotting in this natural oven beneath the sun.

“You know I hate it when you run off like that.”

Aiyla complained, not in the least interested in hiding her annoyance. She confronted the man who sat atop a tiny mountain, where he longingly looked at the sky as if he could see through the layers of leaves blocking his sight from the heavens.

Still not getting an answer from him, she crossed her arms, restlessly tapping with one of her feet on the ground. If she didn't know any better, she'd would have thought that the man hadn't even noticed her arrival.

To her eyes, he appeared as a human male, who wore a plain dark shirt, together with a shabby pair of trousers that tightly clung onto the brimming muscles beneath his body. There was not a single place where his muscles weren't exuding their explosive strength within them, yet, he wasn't burly to the point of them hindering his mobility. Instead, his lean stature was crafted into the perfect balance needed for what he'd task of them. With his slightly bend back, he sat on the mountain beneath him as his arms loosely rested on his legs, taking a short break in this humid heat. His untended hair was bound to the back of his head so it wouldn't disturb his vision, further revealing his expressionless face that was hardened by the hammer of the different experiences life had to offer.

“And you know, I hate it when you call me that.” He answered her irritated.

“Yes, yes, I know. We all know! I'm sure the entire country and this goddamn jungle knows! Give it up already! Now, can we return home?”

Aiyla's exhaustion gradually reached its peak, and she was sure if she remained here any longer than it was necessary, she'd fully turn crazy.

But instead of answering her plea, the man stood up, ignoring her entirely. As a result, one of the boulders rolled down the mountain, making Aiyla realize what she hadn't entirely taken notice of before. If the smell wasn't enough to display the events that had unfolded here, the lifeless eyes of the corpse staring her directly into the eyes most certainly were. The human boulders were clothed in uniform dark robes that covered their entire bodies, thus it was harder for her to tell earlier. This mountain that towered in front of her, with a size dozens of times taller than her, was a stack of corpses. Piled upon each other like dirtbags, they resembled a crude throne for the man who triumphed over them.

“Armin? Armin! Hey, Ashton!!” Aiyla put the matter of the corpses in front of her aside as she felt another bad premonition.

“Seriously!? Again!?”

Armin continued to ignore her, leaving Aiyla very frustrated. Since the mountain revealed to her that their job was done without herself lifting a finger once again, she had high hopes that they could leave this place behind. But Armin's unresponsiveness meant that it likely wouldn't be the case. Again.

“I understand.”

He muttered to himself before stepping off the pile of corpses. Instead of falling, he slowly descended through the air like a feather, arriving directly in front of Aiyla.

“New orders, Aiyla. We have to return home as fast as possible.”

“Ah... yes, yes...” At first, she nodded reluctantly while giving herself up to her fate.

“Wait... Home? Home?”

“What? Are you deaf? There is an emergency, and we have to hurry to Rydenna. They found the cause for the quaking.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!”

Ever since the quaking happened, the two were moving from place to place without pause. For reasons unknown, as if the quaking signaled the beginning of chaos, throughout the world, incidents ensued. Criminal activities more than doubled, and people that had gone missing for years suddenly returned. Most of them had seemingly lost their sanity and caused suffering wherever they went. Cults like this one they'd come to stop were only one of many that had resurfaced, further sowing chaos as humanity was already weakened by the epidemic. This was no doubt one of the worst crises humanity ever had to overcome.

“Not so fast.”

Armin shattered her fleeting hopes with a single sentence. But instead of being annoyed, she realized that she'd forgotten why they'd come here in the first place and started to look around.

“It's over there.”

He eventually said after a short time and walked around the pile of corpses with Aiyla. Behind that, they saw a small hut that was filled with stacks of brown boxes. When Aiyla was about to head over and see what was inside them, Armin grabbed her by the shoulder and shook his head. Taking the clue, she grimaced and stared at the boxes for a little while longer from a distance. Only after offering a silent prayer did she turn around to focus on the large circle that was drawn in front of the hut.

Adorned with letters from the Divine Language, it was easy to tell what its use was. Or what it was supposed to be used for. Armin hinted to her to take a few steps back before he walked into the middle of the summoning circle. Raising his leg in a casual motion, it fell back onto the ground with a force that couldn't possibly be made by the use of his human muscles alone.

Accompanied by a faint glimmer of golden light, his foot tore the ground apart, sending a shockwave throughout the jungle. As a result, dozens of wild animals that had been lured by the scent of blood scurried away in a hurry. After Armin destroyed the summoning circle, the two were about to depart when he suddenly stopped in his movements as he felt something inexplicable calling to him. Turning around to see what was making him halt, Aiyla likewise gasped in shock when she took a closer look at the cavity beneath the earth.

Behind the rubble, another, smaller circle was drawn into the cave below, and within it, there was a small casket. Inside of it was an infant. To Aiyla, it appeared to be a human baby, and the implications with the circle drawn beneath it were apparent.

“Bastards!”

This time she couldn't hold back her trembling lips as she cursed out aloud. Traces of small tears welled up inside her eyes and she sunk to the ground, her trembling legs failing to support her. Seeing the deaths of murderous lunatics could no longer bother her, but this was entirely different. To top it all of, the emotions inside her raged in a fury as she looked at the pile of garbage that had dared to call themselves human.

“For someone who has such strong beliefs, you sure lose hope fast, Aiyla.”

Contrarily to Aiyla, Armin was in a much better condition. He slowly climbed down, heading towards the small casket. Then he reached forward with his right hand, which resulted in a scene that left Aiyla breathless. Armin's hand shone in a blinding light that revealed a symbol on the back of his hand. Drawn within a circle, the picture of a burning fire was etched into his skin from which the light emerged. Aiyla was forced to avert her eyes as the light enveloped the casket in front of Armin, but the sounds that followed soon after made her heart skip a beat.

It was the sound of an infant, crying for reasons no person ever knew. But it was the sound of life and the sign of healthiness. For an infant, otherwise known, as the sign of its birth.

“Armin, you...re-...revived him?”

She uttered those words with utter disbelief. Although Aiyla was some distance away from them, she was certain its heart had already stopped beating.

“Don't be silly. Come take a closer look.”

Hurrying down the small cavity, she appeared next to Armin as she looked at the child he took into his arms. Realizing Aiyla's confusion, Armin pointed towards the infant's hand, which resulted in another gasp of surprise.

“He is the third one...” Armin confirmed her suspicion.

“I believe...He... is the reason we were sent here.”

Unlike Aiyla, Armin was less enthusiastic about this turn of events. Sure he was as glad as anyone else, knowing the infant survived. Still, looking down at the infant, he saw a blinding circle etched into its tiny hand. Its inside was empty, but the ring itself shone brightly, not losing out to the light of Armin's that had begun to recede. Without averting his eyes, he starred at the circle as if trying to make sure of its existence.

He knew it without a doubt. He had already felt its authenticity and the connection to the Divine. But even so, he starred at it unblinking, hoping it would disappear. Hoping that it was just an illusion.

Alas, his wish didn't come true. Unmistakably, this was the third one.

After releasing a heavy sigh, he grabbed one of Aiyla's arms and jumped into the air while tightly holding onto the child. Surprised, she released a meek shriek as she furiously stared at Armin while they traveled against the fierce winds brushing past them.

“What was that for!?” She shouted while the necklace around her neck dealt with the pressure of the wind blasting against her.

“We've already lost too much time. I told you we have to return immediately.”

Aiyla reluctantly accepted his explanation not bothering to bicker about whose fault it was they wasted time. Instead, she turned to look at the child in his arms, worrying about its well-being. Naturally, Armin wouldn't let any harm come to it because of his movements. Seeing her worried expression, he let out a small chuckle.

“Why don't you name him?”

“M-me?” Startled, she said, not knowing how to respond to his sudden suggestion.

“Sure, why not? I doubt we can find his parents and we have to take him with us anyways. So you just might as well name him.”

Instead of finding fault in his wording, Aiyla closed her eyes, wondering if she was right to do as he'd said.

“Ray.”

She answered eventually. Since it was his idea to begin with, Armin obviously didn't complain. He carried the three of them towards the north with increased speed, after handing the sleeping Ray over to Aiyla to take care of. Passionately she watched the peaceful expression that was yet clueless about the world surrounding him.

“Calm down, everyone!”

Somewhere amid nature, far away from the humid jungle, droves of animals darted around wildly without any order. Surrounded by blooming flowers that likewise swayed in turmoil, every living being lost its composure. From small squirrels to bears and flock of birds that didn't care about dropping their gorgeous feathers in their hurry, living beings of all kinds were present as utter chaos ensued.

But those small critters paled in comparison to the giants trembling in agitation. The wingbeats of a feathered creature that towered above the forest almost swept away the animals and see of hurrying trees beneath it. This eagle-like entity dropped all of its pretense and pretentious attitude that it was so fond of displaying to the point of being entitled. Not the slightest composure or its pride remained when the comparably tiny green flickering ball of light had delivered the news.

Down below, the gentle voice originating from the green light sighed heavily in exasperation. Running out of patience, a shriek erupted from the ball of light traveling through the giant forest. As a result, the panic finally died down, while the animals were busy enduring the displeasing sound even plants couldn't ignore. Likewise returning to its senses, the giant eagle calmed itself down, sinking to the ground where it bowed its head with a slight expression of shame and guilt when it took notice of the critters that had clung themselves to the ground to weather its uneasiness.

Even the plants had finally regained their calm. What had seemed to be the result of the eagle's restlessness was also the trembling originating from the sentient flora itself. The news had spread through their territory with the speed of the wind, resulting in every living being rushing towards this conclave to confirm the news. Even if it wasn't for the news themselves, each and every one of them could feel the connection to their Mother, who began trembling in unceasing agitation ever since recent days.

“What you all feel, naturally, is the truth, not your imagination. But it's not Mother's health you have to worry about.”

The green light answered with a distorted voice that resembled a child's. It was the sound of a kin of an animal, the sapling of a tree, or the voice of a little girl, depending on whom heard these words spoken with the Divine Language.

“It all happened when the quaking first appeared. Despite her weakened state, our Mother trembled restlessly. Unfortunately, she currently remains silent, and only her quivering has yet to subside. As you all fear, this a bad omen. Whatever it was, the trembling is connected to something harmful to the world, and a calamity may befall us soon. But do not fret! With the last of her strength, Mother has already made me aware that a visitor will arrive soon and aid us in protecting our home! Thus, believe in Mother Nature and trust her. With her watching over us, we have nothing to worry about.”

Finally, the herd of animals and plants calmed down and relaxed when they heard their Guardian's proclamation filled with reassurance. One by one, the beings left until only the Guardian remained. The green light remained unmoving until two similar lights appeared by its side, far larger than itself as they rose from beneath the ground. In a short time, these lights transformed themselves into humanoid figures. Their pointy ears and pale skin color resembled the traditional depictions of elves that lived inside the various forests inhabited by the Guardians.

“Esteemed Guardian... Are you sure about this?” One of them asked, struggling to find the right words.

“Sure or not, what I said was the truth. A calamity might be imminent. Thus panic won't get us anywhere. Trust in our Mother. That being said, it should be us children who ought to protect their frail parents. As such, I won't change my mind. While I'm attending the meeting, I trust the two of you with the protection of our home. In an emergency contact the adjourning Guardian.”

“We understand.”

The two returned into flickering lights of green, leaving the Guardian alone with its thoughts. Closing its eyes, it saw a sapling that was barely as tall as herself. With two leaves sprouting to each side, it swayed gently within the breeze. Yet, the small stem itself, quivered as if it was in a constant state of fear. Seeing this, the lousy premonition inside the Guardian's mind solidified itself. However, there was nothing it could do. It couldn't solve a problem it neither knew the existence or extent of, so the only thing it could do was address matters one at a time.

While throughout the world, everything was in turmoil, Tristan Stelfort sat on top of his wooden chair he jokingly once called his throne. Above him was the ceiling of the earth that cut him off from the rest of the world as he sat within this dome beneath the surface. In the middle of this dome, there was a large circular tower that connected the ground below with the one above. Next to it, a large crystal connected with several tubes made of stone that rose forth from the walls. Like a web, they connected itself, creating several pathways to the city above.

Below Levestein, Tristan looked at the foundation of the city, showing no signs of admiration or any other reaction. Casually sipping from a cup made of porcelain, he seemed relaxed, taking no note of his surroundings or paying any attention to the outside world.

“What's the point of hiding?”

Eventually, Tristan said in a tired voice. In turn, the little light in front of him that originated from the crystal distorted, revealing a humanoid shadow. Likewise, he said on a wooden chair, relaxing as if it'd arrived at his own home.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Emperor of Humanity.” The shadow spoke its words containing an accent from lack of practice that made it difficult to understand.

“It's still too early to call me that,” Tristan answered unbothered.

“There's no need to be humble. For a human, you are quite accomplished.” Despite its lack of proficiency in speaking the human language, the mockery hidden within its words was as clear as the hidden sky.

“Do you know why I'm here?”

Tristan had no courtesy to offer to those who didn't treat him with respect and, as such, ignored what it had to say.

“I wonder why... is it always you humans? Once more, you have done something we can't ignore and created this monstrosity. This-”

“The birth of a new demon.” It was Tristan who answered to interrupt the shadow before it went on a tangent.

“You know of it?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then, how will you take responsibility?”

“Responsibility? Ha!” For the first time, Tristan dropped his uncaring attitude and chuckled coldly as if to provoke it. “Why do I have to take care of it? It's not our problem.”

In response, the shadow couldn't deal with Tristan's antics anymore and erupted with a burst of mana that filled the entire cavern. Every trace of light disappeared as Tristan was enveloped in an endless world of darkness, cut off from the previous world.

“Don't take this lightly, human! This is a calamity you have created, and you will help take care of it! Unless you want your pitiful race to be wiped off from existence, you will listen!”

Although there was only darkness, Tristan focused his vision on a single spot in his surroundings. Concentrating his gaze as if he met its eyes, he answered it.

“We both know you can spare your breath with these meaningless threats. Don't worry, I will play along and help. But if you had simply asked nicely or shown a little respect, we could have resolved this more peacefully over a cup of tea."

Finishing his words, Tristan waved his hand. Just like opening up a curtain to the side, in compliance with his hand, the world of darkness disappeared, returning him back to the cavern. The featureless shadow reappeared in its chair, where it remained silent to his response and actions. Still, the faint light flickering forth behind the wall of shadow revealed its astonishment.

“Tristan Stelfort. Consider this a warning. Know the place that was made for you. Else... it one day might be stripped away.”

With that, the shadow grew smaller as it folded into itself before vanishing. Resuming to sit back onto his half-broken chair, Tristan tapped with his finger on his cup as he remained in thought.

“Aien, huh...”