177 A Message From Heaven To My— (2/2)

That was all that was required of him on his behalf.

Beneath him, a great trembling shook and against all that dictated common sense, the beginning of a future legend erupted from the bowels of the earth.

It was such an energetic event that it could be felt across the entirety of the North. Even the East and the West were affected by the fearsome tremor in some part themselves, though not as intensely.

Near ground zero where the quake originated, the earth itself was akin to fresh clay, malleable and in constant flux as it warped under the immense forces underneath it. The city of Itroch itself could be seen bobbing up and down, swaying precariously as it endured the best it could.

For Astor, Horatio, and Ophelia the sudden chaos had proven too dangerous for them to handle. They had retreated on top of an Ancient Mulian skyscraper in hopes that it would endure long enough for the madness to subside.

The trio were of the same mind, concerned not of their own safety, but of the pair that had entered the fissure not too long ago. What form of danger laid within the fissure capable of such a terrifying display of power, to rend and torture the land so easily?

A flurry of messages from the Spirit of Bountiful Charity had already begun to assault their feeds, ordering them to retreat, but they hadn't even considered it an option for themselves.

They would not leave until they verified whether or not their friends had perished or succeeded. The fear of loss had taken hold of them, rooting the trio in place.

Far away in the command bridge of the Spirit of Bountiful Charity, Velvund and a certain crown prince watched as the ancient city trembled with anticipation in an entirely literal sense.

But that was not the only thing that caught their attention. In light of the disorder across the lands of Mulia, an abnormal energy signature had been identified — one that'd left them both without words.

It was... immeasurable, at least with the equipment they had available to them. The sudden mega-flare of Anima that had come from the city had completely fried every sensor aboard the Spirit of Bountiful Charity instantaneously.

For Velvund and Haydn, it'd been a mortifying experience. It was as if they'd seen the sigh of a bonafide diety pass through the ship unchallenged.

They'd been like two little men on a raft that had brushed across a hurricane in passing. There was nothing they could have done to stop it from destroying them if it had really wanted to do it.

Velvund caught his breath first and immediately released the tension that'd formed on his shoulders before he said, ”That was quite the surprise, was it not? It seems that my boy's run into trouble, no doubt.”

Haydn pursed his lips and said, ”He truly does have a penchant for it, doesn't he? Given everything his record, I'd go as far as to claim that he's been blessed with something truly unfortunate.”

Blessed? Velvund almost laughed when he heard the crown prince's interpretation of Reed's innate disposition for misfortune.

”Were that true, it'd make him Heaven's most beloved child, I wager,” said Velvund in jest.

Hadyn chuckled and said, ”Heaven? Who said Hell can't give out blessings, mine lord? I'd wager that he's Hell's most beloved, if anything. Still, I cannot deny that whatever he's burdened is among the most interest...”

Haydn's voice trailed off until it sputtered into oblivion as his eyes bulged in abstract terror, not daring to so much as blink. And it was no different for Velvund or the rest of the staff in the Spirit of Bountiful Charity.

Although it had started off somewhat slowly, as seconds turned into minutes, the scenery had begun to dramatically change in the city of Itroch.

At first, it had appeared as nothing more than silvery sheen across the city, but as the tremor continued to intensify, so did the peculiar glitter near the city's center until...

It had finally risen through the fissure, out into the open world, for all to witness. A monument to the sacrifice of a forgotten people brought to light.

And upon it stood a lonesome pair, standing firmly on what they had unearthed.

The ominous, crimson nebula above Itroch had transformed. A resplendent starscape colored in the hue of the warmest honey-gold shone radiantly the moment Reed had succeeded, almost as if it was alive. It appeared to be far more gentle than before as it illuminated the city below it in a way that was difficult to describe.

”...Oh? I wonder what caused the change up there,” said Reed in an inquisitive tone. ”Was it because we freed the crystal geode or some other reason?”

It made logical sense to Reed, at least in theory. Perhaps the nebula had been some kind of S.O.S in Ancient Mulian that had only recently been activated with the appearance of the fissure in Itroch.

Lu'um sighed and said, ”How can you be so dense and yet so...” It continued to baffle her how out of touch he was when it came to the most obvious things.

”What? I mean, what else could it have changed for? There's nothing else here in this city except these guys,” said Reed, stamping his left foot on the crystal geode.

Lu'um groaned, clasped Reed's head, and pointed it toward the nebula.

”It's right in your face, you just aren't looking at it correctly. You have to pay attention to the details. Look at the brightest stars and link them together instead of looking at the whole thing.

It was not uncommon for the Ancient Mulians to position stars as they sought it fit in the past. They would, over the course of millions of years, push stars into specific places in space to create an image or write a short message. At one point, it'd been an expensive method of making a grand announcement — usually an amorous declaration of eternal love.

Starscripture, it was called, though Reed was unaware of the concept. It was his first time seeing it in person.

And such an enormous undertaking always required a vast amount of Anima and skill to accomplish.

”H-Hey, is that a... massive heart, or am I seeing things?” said Reed as he retraced the path of the brightest stars within the nebula.

Love in its purest form.

It was clear as day for Lu'um who the sender had been, which is why it hurt her to have to spell it out for Reed.

Though it seemed like the blockhead still hadn't gotten the clue, yet.

Ironically enough, Reed really was blind, just like love itself.

What a sadistically cruel thread of karma that is...

That was a private reflection that she never let Reed know about, for his sake. Not that she had a say in the matter, anyway...