Forget thanking the Incarni. I'll praise Artemis.
That girl always pestered everyone in the unit to carry extra stuff and emergency supplies in our bracelets at all times.
Well, Iris and I always carried emergency provisions with us anyway. We just wanted to see Artemis's cute expression whenever she pestered us.
But the young Fray was more meticulous than us, so much so that she made us carry extra clothes, blankets, recovery potions, and even a portable workshop kit to mend our weapons and so much more.
"Thanks, Artemis," I muttered, shivering as I stood on the alien beach in my underwear.
The cold bit into my skin and the absence of warmth in the Abyss felt like it was seeping into my bones.
There was no sun here to provide any comfort, just an oppressive chill that matched the desolation around me.
My inventory was a lifeline. Along with a state-of-the-art survival kit, emergency provisions, recovery potions, and workshop kit,
I also had my entire arsenal of different weapons, blankets, and an extra pair of my uniform.
Nice.
Unfortunately, no tent or sleeping bag—something Artemis had been adamant about everyone having in their bracelets.
Oops.
Who would've thought I'd end up stuck in a weird world beyond the Tear?
As I put on my uniform, my thoughts wandered to my Unit.
Now that I'm gone, Artemis will become the new Captain of Unit 21.
I smiled. That girl was born to be a team leader. She managed to keep both Iris and me in check, so I'm sure she'll be fine.
Although she'll have a hard time soon.
You see, dear readers, just before I went into battle, I received a message from Jack Raven.
Yeah. The Jack Raven. Reaper and previous captain of Unit 21.
After two years of silence, he finally contacted me.
Honestly, I believed he and the team of nine Lunatics comprising the expedition team had perished.
But no. Apparently, they found what they were looking for in the far east of Les Anciennes, and he was returning to the Shield with five expedition members.
Which is why it's going to be a problem for Artemis.
The thing is, the Deathwalkers who went with Jack Raven are the reason Unit 21 was called the Lunatics.
They are the most talented Deathwalkers in the Shield and the most mentally cracked ones.
And five of them are returning to the Shield from the expedition.
I sighed. Good luck, Artemis. It would be a miracle if those guys didn't kill their new captain.
But I don't have to worry too much. Jack will make sure that won't happen.
Hopefully.
My thoughts drifted beyond the Shield, towards Camelot.
Falling into the Tear is the same as dying. The news will spread throughout the Kingdom.
The second High Prince is dead.
I doubt there will be much mourning for me.
Unlike Morgan, Gawain, Elaine, and Trinity, who are practically celebrities, the people don't know me. I was never seen in public, except for that one gathering where I beat up those heirs.
Many will be surprised, but they'll think about my death for a minute before resuming their daily lives.
The Axial Dukes and other nobles will send their condolences, and some might be disappointed at the loss of a potential political pawn they could use.
As for the Royal Family...
I don't know how the High King, Morgan, and Elaine would react.
Honestly, I don't care.
But what about the ones who love me?
Trinity would be really sad to hear the news. She was looking forward to meeting me after all.
Guinevere and Gawain would be devastated. They might even blame themselves for not convincing me to return early.
But my heart ached when I thought about her.
Iris.
Now that she no longer has the memories of our bond, how would she react?
Would she grieve for the High Prince she believed was a friend? Or would she spare a thought about me, now that she's the beloved knight of Blackrose Island?
The more I thought about her, the wrenching pain in my heart worsened, like a twisting knife.
I shook my head.
No point in dwelling on those things now. I should focus on finding a way out of this weird limbo.
My mind raced with different possibilities. The most likely among them was the most obvious one.
The Tear.
Asphodel brought me into the Abyss by entering the Tear, and the daemons invaded our world by marching through the Tear.
So the only possible exit I could think of was the Tear.
But where is it?
I frowned, scanning my surroundings again—the unearthly white sand of the beach, the black water of the alien sea lapping against the shore.
A fort...
Could something like that even exist in a place so devoid of life?
Time to find out.
Packing all my stuff into my bracelet, I examined it.
The connection to Minerva was severed the moment I passed through the Tear.
I accessed the clock to make sense of the time, only to find it was out of whack, showing random numbers that constantly changed.
So, the flow of time is different here. The clock in my bracelet is struggling to adjust.
Fortunately, my stopwatch works normally. Time flows differently in this place, but at least I can keep track of the concept of time I'm familiar with. So, I started the counter on my stopwatch.
As for the other functions of the bracelet. It's safe to say I can use some of them.
Despite the disconnection from Minerva, the bracelet has its own CPU and is powered by ardor, which is quite abundant in the Abyss.
I don't know if I should be glad or worried about that.
So, I turned on the distance tracker to measure how much I'd travel and looked at my sword lying on the sand.
Picking it up with my left hand, I executed a few practice swings and stumbled a bit due to the imbalance caused by the loss of an arm.
I gritted my teeth.
In my past life, I was ambidextrous, which helped me master all sorts of weapons with ease.
Unfortunately, I wasn't that blessed in this world and ended up being right-handed.
But I didn't let that stop me. As a Deathwalker, you have to continue fighting even when you lose an arm.
So, I practiced using weapons extensively with my non-dominant hand as well.
But fighting with just one arm has its disadvantages. My balance would be off, but I'd quickly get used to it.
I could use Haema to create an arm of blood for myself. There's an abundance of ardor in this place, so I wouldn't have to worry about it constantly using up ardor.
Unfortunately, maintaining a blood arm is mentally draining, and I must be alert at all times in this landscape.
I'd probably use a blood arm when things get hairy, but most of the time, I plan to just use my left arm.
Gripping my sword, I went through all my forms and slashed repeatedly until I got used to using a sword with one arm.
Putting the white blade back into my bracelet, I got ready to move.
My compass doesn't work properly, leaving me with two options: follow the shore or travel inland, keeping the sea at my back.
I guess I'll go with the first option.
And so I began my journey, walking along the beach with the black water softly lapping at the land to my right and the vast white landscape stretching out to my left.
Thinking about the long journey before me, I'm starting to wish I had a mount-type mechanima as well.
My thoughts went to Basil, my serpent mechanima. She had gone back into the Shield, carrying Captain Sparks to Althea.
She'd be lonely now that I'm gone, but I'm sure Artemis and the rest would take care of her.
As I walked along the beach, the black water softly lapping at the shore, I couldn't help but grumble about my predicament.
"This is not the beach holiday I wanted."
*******
"Weird."
I remarked, staring at the holographic screen projected by my bracelet.
"Pretty bloody weird."
I squinted, double-checking the data displayed.
It wasn't a mistake. According to my stopwatch, I had been walking along the beach for 24 hours straight—without a single break.
"What the heck?" I muttered, trying to wrap my head around it.
That means I'd covered more than a hundred kilometers.
Sure, I'm a superhuman with an absurd amount of stamina, but walking for 24 hours without even stopping for a second?
That's beyond strange.
Not a single breath out of place, no thirst, no hunger. Not even a drop of sweat on my skin.
And the weirdest part? I felt fine. No, more than fine—I felt energized, invigorated by the air, rich in ardor, that filled my lungs with every breath.
Could the abundant ardor in the Abyss be sustaining me, somehow keeping fatigue, hunger, and thirst at bay?
Very weird.
But weirder still was the beach that stretched endlessly ahead of me. After walking for an entire day, there seemed to be no end in sight.
Just how vast is this place?
I paused, considering the possibilities. If the ardor here is sustaining me, does that mean I've got infinite stamina?
The thought made my pulse quicken with excitement.
I looked ahead at the endless shoreline, an idea forming in my mind.
Activating Haema, I accelerated my blood, feeling the surge of energy rush through me.
I leaned forward and launched into a sprint, leaving a shockwave in my wake.
The cold wind whipped against my face as the landscape blurred around me. The exhilaration of speed coursed through me, my breath steady, my body moving with a fluidity that felt almost unreal.
But the scenery didn't change. The same white sand, the same black sea, stretching on and on.
Until, finally, after what felt like hours, I noticed the ground gradually rising. Shapes began to form on the horizon to my left, breaking the monotony of the landscape.
I smiled, slowing my pace. It was time to let go of the sea.
Shifting directions, I sprinted toward the mysterious shapes rising out of the vast white landscape, leaving the black sea behind.