"How are they still here?"
"Didn't you take them with you when the dungeon was destroyed?"
"I don't remember. But even if I was holding them, they were created by the dungeon. They should've been destroyed with it."
"Maybe because you've already somehow influenced them with your power? Also you have Morgan le Fay's soul and power now. That might be enough for them to exist."
What Caelum and Erta were currently discussing were the weapons of the leaders of the two Wild Hunts.
After a week of rest, including the meeting with the Crown Princess, they decided to check their gear. And that was when they found the two weapons stowed away with their suits. They did not remember bringing them home, yet they still somehow had them in their possession.
The only possible explanation they could think of so far was that they had bathed in Caelum's power, particularly the Eternal Flame which contained its own Divinity. It might have influenced the weapons enough to grant them a stable existence outside of the dungeon.
"Is it normal for dungeons to leave behind these things?"
"Yes and no. In the process of clearing dungeons, people may come across items created by mana. These are what we call artefacts. But Honey, Avalon was very different. A normal dungeon doesn't disappear after being cleared because it's a natural habitat for new species of creatures that we call monsters."
"But Avalon was created by Morgan le Fay. And when she died, the dungeon was destroyed. Wait, what was she anyway? A monster?"
"She's probably closer to being a monster. She's a recreation of a mythological character right? The amount of power she possessed equals that of a dungeon itself. You could say that she is the dungeon, a dungeon in the from of a monster who created her own dungeon."
"Wait, if she was just a recreation, could she really possibly have a soul?"
The two fell silent. The topic of the soul had been something they had been ruminating on for the past week. The energy from the dragon veins was raw soul force, after all. Even the power Caelum obtained from Morgan le Fay was related to souls.
This further motivated them to learn more about souls, but they were getting no where near any definitive understanding of it. It was just as elusive as it had always been. It was because of this that Caelum could not wield the power of the island which was mainly soul force.
Realising that they would only get stuck in that dilemma again and get nothing done, Caelum returned to the main topic.
"So what do we do with these things?"
They stared back at the weapons displayed on their dinner table. One was a whip made from black human spine and the other was a black spear with a dark red blade. They were both emitting dangerous auras almost as though they were angry for having been ignored and forgotten all this time.
"Darling, do you want to learn how to use a whip?"
"I use a sword, Cal. Besides, I'm only a support when you're fighting. It's best for us that way."
"But come on. Wouldn't you be able to support me better from long range with a whip? I mean we can share them anyway, so why not?"
"Fine. I'll learn it, but don't expect much."
"Yes! Then you can start by hitting me while looking at me like I'm trash!"
"Honey, please stop. I don't want people thinking I have a weird fetish."
"But it's not you, it's me."
"Don't use that line there!"
After a short discussion, they decided they would both learn how to use a spear and a whip. Even just the basics would be fine as long as they could make use of every single thing they have. Or at least until they get proper weapons that fit their styles.
Their enemies were far stronger than them, so this was the only way they could fight back. Now, they only had to find a place to train their new weapons in. Halo was the best option, but since Caelum was not yet ready to meet Ceres again, they decided otherwise.
They could call on the help of the royal family now, but considering that they had gone to meet the Crown Princess only just yesterday, it would be awkward to meet her again so soon. In the end, the place they decided on was the island left from Morgan le Fay's dungeon.
"Don't you think we should give this place a name already? I don't want to keep calling it island."
"What do you want to call it then? You do have a name in mind, right?"
"I was hoping you could give me some suggestions. You're the one likes to name things, right?"
"I knew you'd say that. Why not just call it Avalon?"
"I think that's a good idea."
"You didn't even spare a minute to think!"
With the name for the island decided, they brought out the weapons. They had no idea how to start training in them, but that was where the internet comes in.
And just when they found a video tutorial for the whip, a call came in. They accepted the call on loudspeaker.
"Reynor, what is it?"
[My lord, where are you right now?!]
"We're on the island. What's wrong?"
[You have to come quickly! There are signatures of multi--zzzzz]
The call was cut off by static, but Caelum had already registered the one information he needed. Reynor was in a panic quite unlike him.
Realising quickly that there was a problem, Caelum and Erta were about to leave when they spotted a person walking toward the river from Sylven. The amount of mana they were giving off was similar to that of an A-rank Chosen.
The two watched warily as it raised its arm forward. Suddenly, mana began gathering on its arm which was quickly transforming into a large gun barrel and shot out a beam of light.
Caelum quickly jumped in front of Erta and used his wings to shield them. Erta created a barrier around them as well. However, their actions were unnecessary as the beam did not even reach them.
It hit an invisible wall around the island and was absorbed by it. Caelum felt his power react to it, telling him that Avalon borrowed his Serenity. While Caelum was shocked by that discovery, Erta was shocked by something else entirely.
"That's a simulacrum! How come no one noticed a gate opening?!"
The moment he heard the word 'gate', Caelum flew forward like a bullet wreathed in white golden flames. The simulacrum, unfazed, prepared to shoot another beam, but the distance between them was already shortened in an instant.
Before it could fire, Caelum rammed his wings onto its chest like a wild boar and slammed it to the ground.
The Eternal Flame slowly burned the skin to show metal, but even that metal had begun to melt.
Caelum retrieved his Eternal Flame to prevent it from burning the rest of the body, thinking that the metal could be a useful material. He began draining the power of the android.
"Wait, Cal! Don't drain it!"
"Ah, shit! Sorry, I think I already-"
[Assimilation complete. Beginning awakening process. Current progress: 1%]
Just as Erta arrived and warned him not to take the simulacrum's power, a cold mechanical voice suddenly spoke in their minds.
"Sorry, Erta. I was being too hasty."
"No. It was my fault. I was too shaken and couldn't react right away. More importantly, where did that voice come from?"
"You heard it too? I think it's because I completely drained this thing's power."
They looked at the simulacrum's body. It looked very much like a human where its skin was still attached. Everywhere else, however, was a hunk of metal, albeit melted in some parts.
It was completely cold, like a machine that had run out of fuel and left to rot in warehouse. Caelum turned to Erta asking for an explanation.
"I'll explain as we move. Let's hurry to Halo first and see if they're okay."
The two flew away leaving behind the cold remains of an android. Even in this day and age, no one would have expected to see anything like it in real life so Caelum was feeling rather worried. And his worry only grew worse as Erta began talking.
"The simulacra are machines that imitate the appearance of their target. Because of that ability, they are used as scouts to study their enemies and destroy them from within."
"That means they could be hiding among the people right now! How do we find them?"
"We need to destroy one of them and take its core. The core acts as a sort of battery for mana that's connected to a server which powers all the simulacra in the area. It will take a while, but there's a spell we once used to find that server."
"Good. Then let's hurry to Halo."
The two flew across the sky in a hurry. The people of London below were oblivious to the crisis they were currently facing.
Everything looked normal despite the fact that they were currently being invaded by machines that could perfectly imitate humans. Or at least, everything was fine until an explosion rang out.
Smoke rose from the direction of Halo's building. Caelum and Erta rushed even more, but by the time they got there, the entrance to Halo was already destroyed.