The entire atmosphere inside the hall shifted, and a crushing presence pervaded the entire Moonviel estate.
"W-what's happening?" I whispered.
"Someone's coming," Zei murmured, her fingers tightening around mine, her eyes fixated on the towering door at the front.
A procession of figures entered the hall, clad in crimson robes threaded with gold. The figure leading them had deep red hair, his eyes a fusion of molten gold and emerald. His features were sharp, like those of a Roman god.
His presence was so vast that numerous nobles fell to the ground. My legs trembled violently as I tried to stand straight, each breath was a struggle under the weight of his presence.
"Aeriths," Icarus sneered.
My breath hitched.
Why were Aeriths here? Why now of all days?.
The man's gaze drifted towards the generals, a faint smile settling onto his face.
"Aesir Bloodborne greets the esteemed war generals of Eleithiya," the man said, his voice reverberating through the hall.
General Reinne's face hardened. "What is an Erelim doing here on all days?, I am sure you must possess a good enough reason to disrupt this gathering," her tone was cold, her face devoid of any expression.
"I offer my sincerest apologies for stepping into the sacred land of Eleithiya," he said. "However, given the urgency of the situation, it requires the immediate attention of both factions."
His words lingered in the air, silence stretching through the hall. General Reinne's gaze settled onto him–cold and indifferent.
"Speak then," she uttered.
Aesir met her gaze without flinching, a faint smile painted on his face.
"As everyone must know, we remain at war against the profanity," he began, "destroying its shards and monoliths, reclaiming what it took from us in the past."
"Centuries ago, a divine seal was placed upon the three Nexus of profanity, thus stopping the rampage of Profaneborn."
"What's your purpose for telling us all of this now?"
Aesir paused for a few moments.
"...Because the Nexus is on the verge of unbinding." A ripple of shock passed through the hall as the words left his mouth, the faces of both generals contorted, their composure faltering for a moment.
"The divine seal placed by our ancestors weakens with every passing year." He continued, "If it breaks, then both races will perish as chaos envelops the entire earth once again."
"I do not stand here as your enemy," Aesir uttered, his gaze sweeping across the hall.
"I stand here because I have seen what endless hatred leaves behind—corpses of soldiers and civilians, burned cities and despair. We have spilled enough innocent blood."
"The past is soaked in blood, and that cannot be undone, but the future remains unwritten."
"If we continue to raise our blades against each other, then the impending disaster will devour the lands Yggdrasil cherishes so deeply. Only by setting aside the past and uniting as one can we face the chaos that is coming."
Aesir's voice fell silent, his words echoing through the hall. A faint tension permeated the hall. Even the genrakl's were silent.
"I will take my leave now," he bowed gracefully. "I have no desire to linger as a nuisance. Still, we trust Eleithiya will choose wisely and lend its strength in vanquishing this evil once and for all."
"May Yggdrasil's grace forever guard the sacred land of Eleithiya."
His gaze swept across the crowd one last time, then halted, unmistakably lingering on me. A knowing smile tugged his lips.
The moment our eyes met, Something deep inside me stirred, a burning agony seared through my veins. I couldn't move, frozen in place.
Countless voices ravaged my mind, whispering into my ears, constantly screaming, pleading for help.
The world was torn apart, and my vision shifted. I stood amidst a sea of flame. Countless bodies littered the ground, some scorched, some with missing limbs, others twisted beyond recognition. They were all dead.
"...What's happening?"
Among the corpses was a lone figure, his eyes gleaming in faint blue light. His pristine white hair was soiled with blood.
"Why…." He whispered, voice hollow and strained.
"Why did they lie to us?"
The world lurched again.
Before me was a colossal structure woven out of red vines, a Monolith of Profanity, pulsating like a human heart, as if it were alive. Numerous monstrous beings started to emerge, drawn towards the structure as if guided by it.
Amidst the horde of creatures rose a figure, the same person I had seen earlier, his eyes filled with rage, a sword in each hand. I recognised that sword.
"How…" It was the Eternal Snow, its black blade flaring in silver runes.
The vision snapped, I was back in the hall.
The Aeriths turned back and left the hall, yet no one dared to utter a word, even as the suffocating pressure subsided.
I collapsed on my knees, gasping for air, as warm droplets of blood fell onto the marble floor.
"Rayne!" Zei knelt beside me, panic etched onto her face."What's wrong?"
"Don't worry…. It's just exhaustion."
General Reinne stepped forward, her voice echoing through the hall.
"We apologize, but it seems like this ball has to come to an end," she added solemnly. "We understand all of you must have questions, and they will be answered when the time is right. There is no need to panic."
With those final words, the Generals turned and departed from the Moonville estate.
For a moment, no one moved.
"T-this can't be real." Someone from behind whispered.
"It must be a lie. There is no way the Nexus….no way that can't be true."
"Oh, benevolent mother, please watch over us."
Countless murmurs rippled through the hall. A hand settled on my shoulder. I turned to find Kristen beside me, a worried expression etched onto his face, hidden behind a faint smile.
"We should head back before this turns into chaos," He said quietly.
I agreed, turning to Zei, "Shall we go?" She nodded as we headed towards the exit door together with Kristen and Lylia.
As we moved towards the exit, I paused when Icarus approached in his usual demeanor, despite the tension and chaos in the hall, Alina was beside him.
"It was nice meeting you, Rayne." He said, offering a smile. "I really enjoyed spending the night with you and Zei."
"Are you going to head back as well?" Alina asked.
"Yeah, I suppose you are going back as well?"
"Yeah, better to get out while you still can."
"You're right," He chuckled, extending his hand forward.
"Let's meet at the academy, hopefully I will get a chance to cross blades against Asher's disciples."
"Till next time." We both shook hands and turned away when he muttered something.
"Oh, that reminds me, this is for you both," He took two scrolls out of his pocket and handing it over to us.
"What's this?" Zei asked curiously.
"A parting gift," he said, "It's a rune that will aid you in your training, nothing extraordinary, but it should be helpful to you."
"This…but we don't have anything to give to you."
"Don't worry about it" He assured "I didn't give it to you to get anything in return,"
"Still…"
"How about this then,
Eventually, we were back in the vehicle we had come in.
"Is Asher not coming with us?" I asked, noticing his absence.
"No," Lylia said, "Something came up. He will be staying behind with Gerald and others. Don't worry, he will be back by tomorrow."
The car began to move, passing by the huge buildings shimmering in lights, it strangely reminded me of Tokyo back in the day.
Silence stretched inside the vehicle, thick and uneasy.
Sensing the gloomy atmosphere, Lylia let out a quiet sigh. "I know you both must have questions, but don't worry, whatever impending disaster is coming is still far away in the future, you should not linger on it too much. Leave it to the adults."
"We understand." Zei and I replied together.
After a while, Lylia glanced at us. "So, did you make some new friends?"
"I suppose I did," I answered. "Its too soon to call them friends, but they were good people."
"That's good," She said, "You'll need allies at the academy, so befriending reliable people is an essential step when you form your own combat unit."
"Why do we need to form a unit? Doesn't that make us an easy target on the battlefield?"
"You are correct," Kristen said, his tone calm and steady "however, killing one of those creatures alone is near to impossible, especially for inexperienced people like you, sure there are students who can achieve the feat but for most its dangerous and life threatening, so working in teams is better, not to mention you will face hordes of such creatures not just one or two," Kristen explained.
"We will prepare you as much as we can. Still, even the most skilled warriors die on the battlefield when facing a dire situation, that's how unpredictable it is out there on the battlefield."
"What about the war against Aeriths?" Zei asked.
"If what the Erelim said was true, then we won't be facing another war for a while, since neither of us would want their kind to be massacred in battle."
"That's….good," Zei murmured.
"Don't worry too much, you have a long life ahead of you," Lylia said with a faint smile.
Eventually, we reached Kristen's home, leaving behind the Moonviel estate.