Five years later…

Walking the street between white houses, Fleck hits the asphalt road, letting him know that he is in a middle-class zone. Stopping for a moment, he hits the road with his right feet, then sights.

Still ways to go, king of Zunko.

Raising his eyes, he continues walking up the road and gets on the cobblestone street at his right side, blending with the Zunkois walking up and down the street. In his mind, he calls to a voice he is very familiar with.

-”My Lady, have you found the next destination?”-

A feminine voice answers to his call.

-”My, someone is a bit eager right now uh? Wait a moment, reading the ripples in the Ether at this scale isn’t an easy feat.”-

-”It can’t be that hard, right?”-

-”Well, excuuuse me, mister lone wolf, but if any human could do it then the job wouldn’t have fallen into my hands in the first place.”-

Fleck falls into silence as the voice continues.

-”Now that I think about it, don’t you stand out a bit too much? Nothing can be done with the eye patch on the right eye, your black hair or your white skin, but you could have at least shaved and chosen a get up that blends a bit better with the crowd.”-

Looking around him, Fleck notices how most people wear bright loose clothing of bright colors, especially white, and walk around in sandals. Then, looking at himself, he can see nothing but blacks and browns, tight to his body, boots, cape, a sword strapped to his waist and a cape with a hood.

-”Well, I’m an adventurer…”- Fleck finally answers.

-”Adventurer my foot.”-

Fleck snorts.

-”Oh, wait, finally, I got a clear reading.”-

-”So? Where do I need to go?”-

-”Wait, let me see…”- She says as she gives the results a clear detailed look, and then she says -”Oh…”-

-”Lady Ereshkigal?”-

-”Well, well, well, isn’t this ironic… Fleck, I got it. The readings are a bit strange…”-

-”How so?”-

-”It doesn’t matter how, what does matter is that it is within the range of a part of a God. I located where it is from and I think you will be overjoyed to hear this…”-

Fleck reaches one of the main roads of this middle-class zone, this road being high enough that allows Fleck to take in the view of a good part of the Kingdom of Zunko. Many houses are piled against each other in clusters that follow an asymmetric arrangement made with the houses, the roads, and the streets, and if you put each cluster together with the next one, you could see how each cluster mirrored the other, revealing a symmetric arrangement on a larger scale. Raising a bit more his eyes, Fleck can see the walls of Zunko, famous because at all hours of the day they always give a pristine ivory look to whoever looks at them. Beyond, he can see the farmlands, and by the horizon, he can see the throat of Arcadia, the lake that is the only route that connects Zunko with the territory of the fallen Kingdom of Arcadia.

His heart sinks within himself.

-”Where is it?”- Fleck asks after taking in the view.

-”The epicenter is located in the island of New Arcadia.”- Ereshkigal says, letting a giggle escape -”You know what that means…”-

-”I have to go through the safe line of Arcadia.”-

-”With no backup. The situation in Midgarsorm at the north has become troublesome and have sent all available hunters to deal with it.”-

-”That’s ok… in the end, I work the best alone.”-

After some moments of silence, Ereshkigal replies -”Such a boring answer. Even if you worked with a group, as long as you carry such an attitude, it would be no different than working and being alone.”-

-”What can I say? I’m a man that finds pleasure in simple things.”-

-”Expertly dodge. Your education surely hasn’t left you, mister simpleton… Wait, there’s a strange reading over Arcadia right now…”-

Fleck snorts again, still standing beside the main road when Ereshkigal suddenly speaks once more -”It surely looks that your journey has become way more… interesting…”-

Before Fleck could ask what she was speaking about, the sound of an alarm cuts through the air, a sudden light flashed high in the sky, far away into the territory of Arcadia. As if a thunder where, it catches Fleck's eyes and of all Zunkois around him who end up transfixed at the sight of the blue, clear sky suddenly turning crimson red, as if someone had poured wine in a glass of water.

-”Ether density has skyrocketed over Arcadia. J’avos surely will go wild and have a feast with this.”- Ereshkigal’s voice comes through, taking Fleck out of the fixation he was in.

Lowering his eyes, Fleck catches how from Zunko’s wall a couple of Aquamarine crystals are brought up. They then suddenly turn red and from then a light comes out, joining with other lights that came out of other crystals and then all around and over Zunko, covering it like some sort of bubble. Within the surface of the force field, movement can be noticed, with the bubble wobbling forward and backward as it receives and deflects all Ether particles that come from Arcadia.

As Fleck looks around him, he catches a small boy, covered in rags, ginger hair, in the middle of the road just in front of him. This boy, like many Zunkois right now, is still transfixed at the sight of the crimson sky. Some Zunkois that have snapped are also pointing towards the boy standing still and wondering if he will move before an automated cart crushes him. Fleck looks at them, the Zunkois that where speaking notices his eyes, and Fleck flashes a smile, all the while his stomach revolts inside.

To the sound of the alarm joins the cry of an eagle, strong enough so everyone there can hear them. Looking to the right, Fleck watches how an automated cart is coming their way at high speed, and how the automated carts in the road in front of him are moved to the sides. Seeing how the boy is still transfixed and the Zunkois chatter grows louder, Fleck lunges forward and tackles the boy to the ground, letting the automated cart pass right over them.

-”If you want to die, go do it where I can’t see.”- Fleck says as he leaves the boy behind.

The boy is still surprised for what happened and tries to speak some words, but Fleck raises his hand and says -”Save it. Just go back to your home.”-

Leaving the boy behind, Ereshkigal’s voice comes through once more.

-”If you want to die… oh wait, true, you can’t.”-

Fleck can hear some giggles.

-”You surely like that joke.”-

-”If you pass as much time as me in hiding you would also start to find entertainment even in the dumbest jokes, but that’s beside the point. You know now what to do, right?”-

-”Yeah, I’ll find a way to get to New Arcadia, as soon as possible.”-

After some moments of silence, Fleck can hear Ereshkigal let a heavy sight out -”If only we could be sure that it is a part of her…”-

Fleck’s heart sinks a little bit more within himself. A sensation that runs through his body stiffens his arms and leaves him mind in a blank.

If only…