Arlok's body fell rapidly onto the cold ground. Nanomachines covered all the damaged parts of their owner's body, hastily attempting to heal them without overly interfering with the organism.
Controlled by Aria, she orchestrated everything to ensure Arlok would rise and recover on his own. But for this condition, mere waiting wouldn't suffice.
Her master was in the midst of a crater, where pieces of the flesh of a strange creature - Werner - remained scattered. To protect her master, she began moving his body using his clothes, crafted with nanomachines.
All she did was twist him into an uncomfortable pose, but now the cloak could easily cover most of his body. Lucy took advantage, hiding her sword and redirecting and distributing Carnage's energy.
Normally, Carnage could do this on his own, even while sleeping. But in this situation, control over his body was slipping away more than ever before, so for safety, Aria managed the energy. It was an unconscious order from the Grand Admiral.
In this state, Arlok spent the first night in the crater. Several times, the earth trembled beneath him, all a result of the reshaping on Endoria. The explosion of the 'Minor Masterpiece' caused the lithospheric plates to shift by a few centimeters and stirred the volcanoes.
This led to a series of changes on the planet. Tsunamis, glaciers dislodged due to the shaking, and some regions were contaminated with volcanic ash. To minimize these problems for Carnage, the helmet remained on him, filtering the air and maintaining pressure on his head within normal levels.
Another day passed, and then another two. But Arlok showed no signs of awakening; he resembled a caterpillar about to transform into a butterfly, with his cloak serving as his cocoon. It provided warmth and maintained his body in the state Aria calculated necessary for his awakening.
While the soul restored itself in slumber, days passed incredibly quickly. On the day when almost a week had passed since the battle, hundreds, even thousands of people arrived at the crater.
Aria noticed how aircraft first surveyed the situation. She observed them, and they didn't even notice Arlok. They reported only about the crater...
"Where's my son?" grumbled an old man, tall but already a withered warrior.
"Your son?" a soldier tried to dodge the question, aware of his duke's reaction.
"Don't delay, speak faster!" He slammed the table; his large beard made the old man a formidable figure, still capable of instilling fear at an advanced age.
"Sir, he's with Miss Karki..." The soldier attempted to avert his gaze, just having delivered the future duke to the present one. And this young man didn't quite fancy being caught in the middle.
"That brat! Call him immediately! I told him to be ready for the march, but he's gallivanting around with girls!" The old man was big and not very nimble; his hands were enormous, and they struck the table with all their might, causing the other end of the table to jump.
"Dad?" A little while later, the young man came into the tent; he had blue eyes and graying hair.
"Who are you?"
"I'm your son," the boy obediently responded.
"So why is the empire's future wandering around with women instead of preparing with the soldiers? You're the empire's symbol, you're its future, so set a good example for the coming generation!"
"But I don't want to do this," the son replied, looking at his father's angry expression.
"I asked you what you want to do. I told you to be an example, not a disgrace!"
"Wait, am I a disgrace? Are you suggesting I'm a coward, bringing up wartime stories again?"
"You're getting carried away," the father pointed at his son.
"Just like you! Do you think I'll keep quiet like I did in childhood, listening to you badmouth me?"
"You're given the power to change the world; you're like a legend's embodiment, but you're just walking around, being disorderly!" He spoke loudly.
"How long will you keep thinking of yourself as the empire's duke, Wolfgang Helmut, or finally remember you're the father of four children? Or do you not care about us and our mother?"
"Dietrich, don't bring her up. You seem to forget how much I suffered from her loss!"
"Maybe you did forget. You're not behaving like a father. How can I remember that man from childhood?"
"What's with these insinuations, Dietrich?"
"These aren't hints; I stopped dropping them after turning eighteen. I'm stating a fact that I and others see - you're a terrible father, and as a duke, you're even worse."
"Who are these 'others,' back-alley whores?" The man rose, towering over his son.
"Maybe they are, but I assure you, you and your politics have exhausted everyone they've touched."
"Look at yourself first, you incompetent womanizer! Besides your strengths, you seem to have nothing else!"
"True, because someone forgot about their eldest son! Someone only sat in trenches, thinking of others, but not about the people who genuinely loved you!"
"Do you even remember what happened then? We fought alone against the world, and you blame me instead of those who attacked our home?"
"Yes, because even then, even now, you're behaving just the same, as if a war is ongoing, even though it ended long ago!"
"Are you saying my efforts were futile?"
"Yes, you're worthless, father!" - The young man received a blow to his face.
"Get out, Dietrich, and if I find out you've slept with anyone, know that I'll kill their relatives in front of them, then it'll be their turn whore!" The son began to rise after his father's blow.
"You're still the same, callous and cruel!" - Dietrich's lip split.
"But an idiot is you, Dietrich! I live for the country, what about you?"
"You should've lived for the family; I'll continue to live for the future family!" - Dietrich yelled so loudly that saliva flew from his mouth.
"Raised an ingrate!" - Wolfgang spat on the floor as Dietrich left.
When the young man exited the tent, he was immediately met by a soldier. He held Wolfgang's pre-prepared order.
"Damn!" - The young man snatched the papers from the soldier's hands.
Many in this place knew how the father-son relationship unfolded, and many had become accustomed to it. But this time, it was a rare instance where Dietrich was struck in the face.
"Sir, are you alright?" The soldier reached out towards the young duke's face, but his hand was stopped by a look and words.
"You'd be better off eating tree branches than standing here doing God-knows-what!"
"Should I go eat a branch..." - The soldier pointed to a tree.
"No!" - Dietrich immediately refused, assuming the soldier would comply.
Following this, Dietrich began to walk and prepare to execute the order: "Explore the crater at the site of the former underground civilization."