It was a cloudy morning, yet no one inside the City of the Inflamed Chalice could sleep well after the apocalyptic night where a storm dense with destructive energy had almost destroyed the port and part of the city.
There were rumors about a terrible battle far from the city, precisely in the middle of those brutal waters. A conflict where the creatures from the darkness and from the sea fought for supremacy.
The outcome was still uncertain, yet on this day, the east ocean was once again peaceful.
It's been more than a month since the research group set sail for the Ocean of Fallen Legends, and right on the first day of the month, the ship filled with mercenaries was back.
Ding... Ding... Ding...
The city's bells rang frenetically with the return of the brave warriors, but what about their mission? Was the young woman, Rose, back safely?
Ding... Ding... Ding...
The bells kept ringing until a large number of men on horseback came from the center of the city.
"Rose!!"
A defiant shout shook the dock. One of the men on the lead jumped from his horse and landed on the ship's deck.
"Captain... Where is my daughter?"
Another shout resounded, and this time someone answered: "Sir Oakur... I'm so sorry..."
The young adventurer could not finish his speech because it was interrupted: "Fergusson... where is the captain?"
"Sir Oakur... Captain Henrik is dead... We encountered some problems along the journey and lost almost all of the crew..."
"Damn... we lost brave warriors..." Oakur's face darkened when he heard his words. Yet another vital question seething for a response in his heart: "What about my daughter?... My Soul Compass stopped working a few weeks ago..."
There was a moment of silence. No one from the ship could find the courage to give Oakur a reply.
"Hey!! What happened?"
Another shout came, yet it was mixed with some different emotions this time.
They couldn't let that poor man remain ignorant, so Fergusson took a step forward and spoke: "Sir... Even our Soul Compass lost contact with her... I fear that..."
"NO!! She is still alive... Don't speak nonsense!" Oakur dismissed that possibility even before he could say those words: "Her Soul Table is still intact... The only possible explanation is that something is hiding her soul fluctuations. I was hoping she was with you, but this is not the case... Ahi..."
Seeing his firm resolve, none dared to say otherwise, yet some of them found this situation strange.
After all, how could she still be alive amidst that cataclysm?
"Since that's the case... How do you want to proceed? Most of the mercenaries wouldn't dare to take another step there."
Oakur knew that, too, but he couldn't abandon her daughter.
The circumstances were tough, and a solution was even more challenging now after the terrifying events from the last few days.
"Damn... let those poor men enjoy a couple of days on the land. In the meantime, I will search for another solution."
Oakur found himself in front of an impenetrable wall, yet not all the routes were closed.
After a moment, the image of a young man appeared in his mind: "Fergusson... Have you seen the young man I told you about last time?"
"What was his name?!... Hmm..." Fergusson thought for a moment before saying: "You mean Atlas? Well... we didn't see him on the ship. He didn't even set sail with us, actually."
Oakur was disappointed by his reply and didn't know what to say.
He was hoping for a miracle, but what waited for him was a bitter reality.
|||
"My Lord... the research group is back... alas, Oakur's daughter is still missing..."
"Hmm... That poor old man..."
Inside the City Lord's mansion, Umbriel was reporting the last news from the harbor.
"Also... we lost almost half of the crew..."
"Well... We are lucky that so many of them managed to come back. What about Atlas? Have you found him?"
The room turned silent for a while after those words.
"No... my Lord... forgive us, but we could not locate the young man."
Hearing his response, the City Lord closed his eyes and started thinking deeply.
Once again, no sound could be heard from the immense hall. It was as if there was no living thing there anymore.
Only after a few minutes did the man on the throne speak: "Damn... Umbriel, what do you think... should we send more people to check that tiny village? Maybe he went back there... or are you sure that no other ships set sail after the research group?"
"We checked every single one... so unless he has some kind of powerful artifact, it is impossible for that puny cultivator to disappear like this."
"Well... if they choose him for this impossible mission, he should have some tricks up his sleeve. We can't judge him by normal standards."
It took them a while, but after some discussion, they decided: "Keep looking around Val's properties... I'm sure he will come back..."
They couldn't do anything else now than wait...
|||
"It's been more than a month since he has disappeared... We left him alone, and this is the result..."
The East side wasn't the only one perturbed by Atlas's disappearance. Indeed, somewhere in a small village on the West side of the Continent, two old people were frantically hoping for a miracle.
"Elisabeth... you should know that it's all useless. He ventured into this damned world even in those terrible conditions... What else could we do?"
August and Marigold were looking over the horizon as if searching for something beyond the clouds, yet nothing could placate that gloomy feeling in their hearts.
"That stubborn child... at least he is still safe and sound. However, nothing could save him from a good beating when he returns."
"Mmm..."
They were worried but not desperate because the Soul Tablet linked with Atlas was still intact.
Even Atlas didn't know about this. In fact, the only reason why they let him wander alone around this world was this little object.
This one was more powerful than Rose's Soul Table because it had more abilities than a normal one. It was a precious treasure made by Old Mold, one of the best Crafter of the Continent.