As she braced for the most ominous facts, Lucille's heart pounded wilder in her chest.
She pressed her lips into a straight line, her brows furrowing. The tension was squeezing within her.
Not wanting to interrupt Ashrik, Lucille reminded herself to remain as collected as possible. She should only bring up her inquiries if the time was suitable.
Including… What he had done to the traitorous old man Gao.
Lucille believed that Ashrik wouldn't simply leave Captain Gao in the underground cave. Unless the old man had been tortured to death, he might be confined somewhere.
Stay calm. She had to stay calm.
Nothing great would come if she let her emotions rule over her rationality. Her father often reminded her, they needed to keep their composure to survive the apocalypse.
Ashrik took in the concerned yet resolute look on Lucille's face. Without him realizing it, he straightened his back, his countenance grim.
"I'll be direct, Lucy," he said, his gaze bearing onto the young lady's. "Vivi's disappearance was predetermined. She'd also triggered the apocalypse."
Her eyes flung open, Lucille's initial resolve almost cracked, especially after hearing Ashrik's last sentence.
She tightened her hands into fists, her nails dug deeper into her palms. Her ears buzzed with the noise from her rapid heartbeat.
The apocalypse... was caused by Vivi? Really?
But how?
Regardless of how surprised she was, Lucille didn't interrupt Ashrik. Her eyes, albeit laden with disbelief, told him to continue.
Ashrik actually expected Lucille to shoot him with a barrage of questions about Violet, especially related to his last remark. Seeing she was calmer than predicted had eased him.
Because the tale would be progressively worsened.
"The relic's core you're tasked to locate and retrieve yesterday was the object responsible for the doomsday four years ago. It's the crux of this problem."
Ashrik's voice filled the living room, echoing above the oppressive air. Lucille gave him her full attention.
"The one behind it is the company Novum Terra, or rather, an organization. The same one that sponsored the excavation Vivi joined before she went missing. They aimed for her from the start."
From then on, Ashrik explained more. Each of his words was laced with suppressed anger and anguish, spoken lowly but clearly in the living room.
"Its actual name is Genesis. It seeks to control humankind through the doomsday."
Ashrik brought up Genesis. One of its leaders was deeply involved with the study of ancient relics, especially the one that had caused the apocalypse.
"From my investigation, I learned that all humans have an ability core since birth, but dormant. Their cores were awakened because of the sudden influx of spiritual energy four years ago."
This was the first time Lucille heard something like this. Even though some stated that the apocalypse was caused by something mystical instead of completely scientific, she thought it was just hearsay[01].
Ashrik continued, "Humans whose cores are too weak will turn into zombies, while the average ones stay ordinary. The rest is powerful enough to gain abilities."
Lucille swallowed, never expecting such a thing. As for Ashrik, he calmly explained further.
"Thousands of years ago, the Earth had an abundance of pure spiritual energy. It's depleted because of the constant overmodernization. The relic's activation will forcibly bring back the energy. But it only resonated with a gravity esper, like Vivi and you."
"—?!"
Violet also had a gravity-based ability?
The same as her?
More questions surged to Lucille's mind, but again, she held herself back. She gave her full attention to Ashrik while enduring the heartache.
What kind of torment... was her friend under?
"Because Vivi's ability was still dormant, Genesis regarded her as their... sacrificial lamb. They thought she'd... die. But surprisingly, she survived after the activation. Then, they took her to their base, hence her sudden disappearance."
Ashrik explained how he assumed nothing when Violet didn't reply to his calls and messages. She had done such a thing many times before when she was too busy or in a place with a weak connection, but...
Never did he expect that she had gone missing at that time. To say he regretted not reaching out earlier was an understatement.
"Vivi... She sent me a strange message. I still remember... that day," he said, voice slightly cracked. "I admit that I actually didn't believe it at first... until I realized something was indeed wrong with the world."
In the message, Violet detailed everything. The ancient relic was named Heavenly Calamity Stone, which Ashrik simply called Calamity Stone now.
There was no such thing as heavenly out of it, only pure hell.
Violet mentioned that the Calamity Stone was fragmented into one core and seven pieces after the activation, the cruel experiments done by Genesis, and its plan to dominate the world. She had also touched on the possibility of reversing the apocalypse by using the core.
Instead of focusing on expanding its influence and size further first, Genesis hastily activated the relic. Its leaders' greed led them to their own downfall.
"Vivi escaped when the seven fragments suddenly vanished without a trace. One experiment crippled Genesis at the same time. Someone helped her flee with the core, but... she knew she couldn't survive, so she..."
Ashrik paused; his tear-glazed eyes were rimmed with redness, redder than blood. The pain of losing his younger sister was still raw, particularly when he had just discovered her remains.
"Brother Ash..."
Without thinking, Lucille leaned forward, reaching for Ashrik's hands. Her heart quivered, for she couldn't possibly fathom the misery he was forced to experience.
No wonder...
No wonder he was so frantic when he called her four years ago, asking about his sister's whereabouts. It turned out that it wasn't a simple missing case.
Ashrik let Lucille grasp his hands, feeling her warmth seep into his ice-cold skin. He stabilized his ragged breathing, knowing this tale was far from over.
"Vivi gambled by sending me the message. She was afraid that no one would know the truth, especially me. She said she'd protect the core. She couldn't let Genesis retrieve it."
A strange sense of premonition cast over Lucille's heart. Unknowingly gripping Ashrik's hands tighter, she asked, voice trembling, "How... How did she..."
"By burying herself with the core," he cut her off, his smile uglier than crying.
"W-what?" Lucille gasped, thinking she had heard him wrongly. "Protect the core by... burying... it with herself? Don't tell me..."
The underground cave. The remains of an unidentified woman. The relic within the skull and bones.
Didn't they...
Her hands on his loosened, and she fell rearward, her back brushing the chair cushion.
Realizing the horrified yet strange look on Lucille's face, Ashrik lowered his head, unable to hold his gaze on her anymore. He clenched his knees; his knuckles turned white.
"Yes. The remains... belonged to Vivi."
His declaration thundered in her mind, bursting forth the dam of her eyes.
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Reference:
1 - Chapter 1