"Why aren't you answering?"
Night pushed himself up and gazed at the horizon. The silence and the rays of sunlight peeking through the dark clouds made the deserted park live up to its name.
However, the silence and peace it gives off were something that made Night think about the usual time he spends there, almost forgetting that the Chaos Dance was in full swing.
[If I were to ask if someone like you could defeat that annoyingly handsome guy, just as he would be defeated if he were to fight the strongest Legion in existence. Would you be able to do it?]
The emotions on Night's face faded, and his usual stoic expression returned.
"That's a strange analogy."
[But a good one, isn't it?]
A frown crept onto Night's face.
The wind blew Night's overgrown hair, which covered his black eyes. His pale complexion and slender appearance made him appear delicate, as if he possessed a fragility aura. Truly a treasure amidst the trash.
[Are you forgetting something, Master?]
Night sighed and used his thin, twig-like arms for support as he leaned back.
"I'm not. It's not wrong to prepare myself, no?"
[I think you've prepared yourself long enough. So, here it goes. The reason why the Sage initiated the Chaos Dance is because she desires the occurrence of the second coming of the cataclysm.]
"I have already figured that out."
[But it's not as simple as you might have thought. I'm sure you know a lot more about the cataclysm than any regular citizen.]
"So, what about it?"
Night, bored out of his wits now that he had calmed down, spoke nonchalantly.
[Do you remember what happened after the cataclysm descended upon your world?]
"The majority of the Earth became barren, and when humans thought that their demise was near, the Oases were built. New civilizations were created inside the Oases."
Night's voice became low as he finished his sentence. Words came out of his mouth more slowly at the end.
***
After the cataclysm occurred, the Earth had become nothing but an apocalyptic wasteland where humans were continuously slaughtered by Chaos Creatures. Rifts did not stop appearing, and as their numbers grew, stronger Chaos Creatures emerged from the Abyss.
At that time, the once peaceful world became nothing but filled with death and chaos. A world devoid of hope. But that was before the Sage appeared.
Everything turned out for the better after the Sage appeared. Awakened individuals who were unable to combat Chaos Creatures became Legions. Some fought for peace and to reclaim the world from the monsters' grasp, while others fought solely to survive.
However, those Legions still wandered through the apocalypse, blindly chasing what they believed to be attainable goals. But that was before the Sage offered them a proposition.
A deal disguised as an act of pity for those who have lost everything.
***
[What the Sage wants is to limit the areas where humans can live at.]
The deal, disguised as an act of kindness, was taking effect at the Chaos Dance. The Sage was finally holding the humans accountable to fulfilling their side of the deal.
'The only problem is that the deal was made years ago. Whoever the Sage made the deal with may have disappeared now. It would be too difficult to find them in all 16 Districts.'
[No, Master. I don't think that is the case. We don't need to find whoever made the deal with the Sage because, from what I know, sages don't make deals and have their intentions already revealed.
Sages offers something that entities need in exchange for something they may need or desire in the future.
Sages only offer this to entities that are desperate for survival and only to those who were vulnerable enough to give in. It then becomes predatory as the sages start pushing the deal to its limits.
[I assume that the Sage only offered to help in exchange for a favor from humans in the near future. Knowing sages, she might have made a condition or two.]
Night leaned forward as his arms started to go numb. His palms, pale and origianlly red from his blood, appeared as if scalding water had been poured on them.
[The Sage might have manipulated the situation, causing humans to forget about the deal and replaced their memories. This could be seen as an act of pity and kindness on human's part, but it's actually a scheme.]
Night's head hangs low and shadows befall his face. A few moments of silence made the atmosphere heavy as small raindrops started to fall.
"Don't tell me that you would do such underhanded things to me?"
[... I wouldn't stoop too low to their level. What we have is a win-win situation. We're clearly in a mutually beneficial relationship.]
Night pushed himself up and raised his head. He let the raindrops wet his face as he stared at the dark clouds above. The silence and the rain, which had started to pour, heightened the solemnity he was feeling.
How could such a relationship be mutually beneficial when it was evident that he was the sole beneficiary?
Night stood silently under the rain. Rafael left the silence undisturbed, allowing Night to sort through his thoughts. She refrained from reading his mind, as she usually does, to respect his privacy.
As time ticked by, thirty minutes had passed since the silence had appeared. Night was drenched and cold, but he still hadn't moved from his position, nor had he uttered a word.
[Master, you need to take shelter. I may be able to help you alleviate some of the pain, but I cannot instantly cure any sickness you may have.]
Rafael was still a system. The short time she spent with Night and the empathy she showed, which could only be seen in humans, made him almost forget the crucial fact about her existence.
"Right, I should. But the problem is, I don't have a shelter."
[....]
'Well, I suppose I should just work on it.'
***
"Sir Salazar, the casualty results-"
Heindrik raised his hand and interrupted whatever his secretary was about to say. He had gone home after the incident occurred. The Legions left the Central Awakened at Area 2 and traveled to the Awakened Academy at Area 3 under Liam's leadership.
Both the Awakened Academy and the Awakened Association in District 8 were located in Area 3, making it the central area of District 8.
Heindrik pushed his chair back, reached under his desk, and pressed a button. A soundproof veil was activated to prevent sound transmission from the inside to go outside.
Outside of the veil, it would appear that Heindrik was receiving his secretary's casualty report, but in reality, he was receiving a different one.
"Have you found out where he is?"
Heindrik leaned in to his desk and rested his elbows on top of it.
Secretary Lee was a Legion who was not affiliated with the Awakened Association, but rather served as Heindrik's personal assistant.
He was a loyal servant to Heindrik after the latter saved his life. He was a non-combat Legion and specialized in reconnaissance and, at times, clairvoyance.
"Yes, sir. Legion Night is currently hiding in the depths of the deserted park located at the boundary of Area 2 and 4."
Heindrik's eyes closed, and his head tilted back, resting on the chair's headrest.
"I will receive the casualty results later, so please prepare a few things that you think are necessary for rescuing a stray cat."
"Should I bring a car?"
"No. We're going to be as quiet as possible. The poor cat might be alert and try to run away again."
Secretary Lee bowed his head and left the room after receiving his orders.
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the abandoned park. The pouring rain hindered their senses, but the sound of two metals clashing was still evident despite the rain and occasional distant thunder.
"Sir."
Secretary Lee called out to him, but after seeing that he was already looking in the same direction, he didn't need to continue what he was about to say.
"Let's hurry."
Heindrik then darted in the direction where the sound of two entities was clashing.
With a Legion's heightened senses, Heindrik could see what was happening even from far away. He had never expected to see such a sight, and it never crossed his mind that something like what he was seeing was even possible.
Night was keeping up with a calamity-tier Chaos Creature, the Six Mirrored Wraith.
Secretary Lee felt a shiver run down his spine, and goosebumps appeared on his body. His heart clenched, making it hard for him to breathe, while he sweated profusely.
"Secretary Lee."
He tried his best to glance at Heindrik after he called him. But Heindrik was not looking at him; instead, his eyes were locked on Night, who was on par with a Chaos Creature that could wipe out half of Area 4 in just half an hour.
"Get out of here."
He had no idea if the water rolling down Hendrik's chin was rainwater or not. He took his eyes off Heindrik and stared at the calamity-tier monster.
However, the fear he felt was nowhere near as intense as when his eyes momentarily locked with Night's.
'What is this feeling? It's as if a god has descended on earth.'