Chapter 41 – The World Outside
Brook woke before sunrise.
For a few seconds, he forgot where he was.
There was no stone ceiling above him.
No familiar sounds from the Watchmen barracks.
No distant bells from Shinokuni-01.
Only wind.
Leaves.
And the occasional crackle of a fire somewhere outside.
Then he remembered.
He was outside the Wall.
Brook sat up inside the small shelter Elias had given them.
Henry was already awake.
He sat near the entrance, sharpening his sword.
Sera was asleep against the opposite wall.
Crowley was nowhere to be seen.
Brook looked around.
"Where's Crowley?"
Henry didn't look up.
"Outside."
"How long?"
"Most of the night."
Brook stood.
"Why?"
Henry finally looked at him.
"Because he doesn't sleep much."
Brook frowned.
"That's not normal."
Henry smiled.
"Neither is anything else we've encountered."
Brook stepped outside.
The settlement was beginning to wake.
People moved quietly through the streets.
A few children carried buckets toward a well.
Hunters prepared their equipment.
Smoke rose from chimneys.
For a place supposedly beyond humanity's protection, Haven looked remarkably ordinary.
Brook found Crowley sitting on a fallen tree overlooking the forest.
He was staring into the distance.
Brook approached.
"You knew they were coming."
Crowley didn't turn.
"I suspected."
Brook sighed.
"Of course."
Crowley looked at him.
"You seem disappointed."
"I'd like one answer that doesn't come with another question."
"Then you're traveling with the wrong people."
Brook sat beside him.
"What did the angel mean?"
"About what?"
"Fate."
Crowley was silent.
Brook continued.
"It said every life has a purpose."
"That's what they believe."
"You don't?"
"No."
"Why?"
Crowley looked at him.
"Because I've seen people make choices that weren't supposed to happen."
Brook studied him.
"Like what?"
"Kings giving up kingdoms."
"Soldiers refusing orders."
"People sacrificing themselves for strangers."
"People choosing love when hatred would have been easier."
Crowley looked toward the horizon.
"Fate doesn't understand people very well."
Brook smiled slightly.
"That's probably the first thing you've said that I actually like."
Crowley stood.
"Come on."
"Where?"
"You're going to see something."
Crowley led Brook deeper into the forest.
Henry and Sera followed after realizing they'd left without them.
Brook eventually asked:
"Where are we going?"
"You'll know when we get there."
Brook sighed.
"You're really committed to being irritating."
Crowley smiled.
"It's one of my better qualities."
They continued for nearly an hour.
The trees became thicker.
The ground became uneven.
Then Brook saw something between the branches.
A stone structure.
Half destroyed.
It looked ancient.
Henry approached.
"What is this?"
Crowley walked toward it.
"One of the old shrines."
Brook examined the carvings.
Six symbols were engraved across the front.
His stomach tightened.
"The Sources."
Crowley nodded.
"This existed before the Walls."
Sera touched one of the carvings.
"These aren't written in any language I know."
"They aren't words."
Brook looked at her.
"Then what are they?"
"Representations."
Crowley pointed to the first symbol.
"Arcangel."
The second.
"Hell."
The third.
"Death."
The fourth.
"Earth."
The fifth.
"Magic."
The sixth.
"Soul."
Brook stared at the six symbols.
He knew the names.
He had heard them before.
But seeing them carved together made them feel different.
Real.
He stepped closer.
"These are the six Sources."
Crowley nodded.
"Yes."
Henry looked at him.
"How do you know?"
Crowley didn't answer.
Brook looked at the first symbol.
"What happens when someone carries one?"
"Depends on the Source."
"What's the first?"
"Arcangel."
"The second?"
"Hell."
"The third?"
"Death."
"The fourth?"
"Earth."
"The fifth?"
"Magic."
"The sixth?"
"Soul."
Brook looked at his hand.
"The first two have awakened."
Crowley nodded.
"Yes."
"What happens when all six awaken?"
Crowley remained silent.
Brook looked at him.
"Tell me."
"If you carry all six…"
He paused.
"…you become something the world has never seen."
"Powerful?"
"That's an understatement."
Henry stepped closer.
"Could someone actually control all six?"
Crowley looked at Brook.
"That's the question everyone is afraid of."
Brook frowned.
"Why?"
"Because if someone can carry all six, they may be able to affect the boundaries between worlds."
Sera's expression changed.
"What worlds?"
Crowley pointed toward the sky.
"Everything you think is separate."
"Humanity."
"Hell."
"Heaven."
"The realm of death."
"The natural world."
"The realm of magic."
"The realm of souls."
Brook looked at the carvings.
"Six Sources."
"Six realms."
"Six pieces."
Crowley nodded.
"And one vessel."
Brook's expression hardened.
"Me."
Crowley didn't deny it.
Henry looked at Brook.
"If you collect them all…"
Brook finished the sentence.
"I could become the most powerful being alive."
Crowley corrected him.
"Not alive."
Brook looked at him.
"What?"
"Don't assume the limits of life apply to you if you carry all six."
Silence.
Sera stared at Brook.
Brook looked down at his hands.
For the first time, he felt genuinely afraid of what he might become.
Not because someone else might control him.
Because he might choose to use that power himself.
They returned to Haven before noon.
Elias was waiting.
His expression was serious.
"We need to leave."
Brook frowned.
"Why?"
"Because the angels weren't the only ones who noticed you."
Crowley looked toward the forest.
"How many?"
Elias shook his head.
"I don't know."
"That's not an answer."
"It is the only one I have."
A distant horn sounded.
Everyone in Haven froze.
Elias grabbed his weapon.
"Everyone inside."
Brook drew his sword.
Henry moved beside him.
Sera prepared her magic.
Crowley looked toward the western forest.
"They're close."
"What are they?" Brook asked.
Crowley didn't answer.
A figure appeared between the trees.
Then another.
Then five.
They walked into the settlement.
Brook recognized their clothing immediately.
Black armor.
Red markings.
Long blades.
But they weren't the creatures from the previous night.
These people looked human.
Almost.
The leader stepped forward.
"I am looking for Brook Smith."
Brook didn't move.
Crowley stepped in front of him.
"You won't find him."
The leader smiled.
"Then why are you standing in front of him?"
Crowley drew his sword.
The man's expression changed.
"King."
Brook watched carefully.
The stranger looked at Crowley.
"I was told you were dead."
"You were told wrong."
The man laughed.
"Then Hell will be pleased."
Brook's eyes narrowed.
"Hell?"
Crowley didn't move.
The stranger looked at Brook.
"The vessel belongs to no kingdom."
"Not yours."
"Not the angels."
"Not the demons."
"Not the Kings."
Brook tightened his grip.
"I don't belong to anyone."
The man smiled.
"We'll see."
He raised his sword.
Crowley attacked first.
The fight exploded across the settlement.
Brook charged into the second attacker.
Their swords collided.
The man's strength surprised him.
Brook blocked.
The attacker struck again.
Brook ducked.
Sera sent a wave of magic across the ground.
Two enemies were thrown backward.
Henry fought beside her.
Crowley battled the leader.
Their movements were fast and brutal.
The leader laughed.
"Still hiding behind humans."
Crowley struck him across the chest.
"You talk too much."
The man staggered.
Then smiled.
"Your kingdom remembers you."
Crowley's expression changed.
The man attacked.
Crowley blocked.
Their weapons locked.
Brook saw something behind them.
A black symbol had appeared on the attacker's neck.
The same shape he'd seen in the underground chamber.
Brook's hand burned.
He stepped forward.
The attacker noticed.
"The Source."
Brook's eyes narrowed.
The man's smile disappeared.
"You really are carrying it."
Brook raised his sword.
"Who sent you?"
The man laughed.
"You already know."
"Who?"
"The one who wants every Source returned."
Brook's blood ran cold.
"Who?"
The man looked toward the sky.
"The one who believes they were stolen."
Brook didn't understand.
"Stolen from who?"
The man smiled.
"From the Maker."
Crowley suddenly drove his sword through the man's shoulder.
The attacker screamed.
Crowley pulled the blade free.
"Enough."
The remaining attackers retreated.
Brook started after them.
Crowley grabbed his shoulder.
"Let them go."
"Why?"
"Because they're not the real threat."
Brook looked at him.
"Then what is?"
Crowley stared toward the horizon.
"The people who sent them."
Later that evening, Haven prepared to evacuate.
Families packed what they could.
Food.
Weapons.
Water.
Clothing.
The settlement had survived for years.
Now it was being abandoned because Brook had passed through.
Brook felt guilty.
Elias noticed.
"This isn't your fault."
Brook shook his head.
"They were safe before we came."
"No."
Elias looked at him.
"They were comfortable."
"There's a difference."
Brook didn't understand.
Elias continued.
"People outside the Walls learn something early."
"What?"
"Nothing stays safe forever."
Brook looked toward the forest.
"Where will you go?"
"North."
"Blackhaven?"
Elias nodded.
Brook looked at Henry.
"That's where we're going."
Henry nodded.
Elias gave Brook a small compass.
"You'll need this."
Brook accepted it.
"Why are you helping us?"
Elias looked at him.
"Because your parents once helped us."
Brook froze.
"What?"
Elias smiled faintly.
"Thomas and Elizabeth came through Haven five years ago."
Brook stared at him.
"You knew them."
"Yes."
"What were they doing?"
"Looking for something."
"The Sources?"
"No."
Elias looked toward Brook.
"They were looking for the truth about the Walls."
Brook's heart tightened.
"What did they find?"
Elias hesitated.
"They discovered something about the Kings."
"What?"
"That the twelve kingdoms aren't independent."
Henry stepped forward.
"What do you mean?"
Elias looked at him.
"They all answer to something."
Brook's eyes narrowed.
"Who?"
Elias shook his head.
"Your parents never found out."
"Then why were they being hunted?"
Elias looked at Brook.
"Because they came too close."
That night, Brook sat alone beside the fire.
He opened his father's notebook.
A new line of writing appeared.
If you have reached the outside, then you are finally where I wanted you to be.
Brook stared.
More writing appeared.
Do not trust the first person who offers you answers.
Brook smiled bitterly.
"Everyone keeps telling me that."
Another line appeared.
Because everyone outside has an agenda.
Brook's expression changed.
Your mother and I discovered that the six Sources were never meant to belong to one person.
Brook read the next line.
If they begin choosing you, there is a reason.
His heart began beating faster.
Then one final sentence appeared.
And when you learn why, you will understand why the Maker fears you.
Brook closed the notebook.
He looked toward the darkness beyond the fire.
For the first time, the name didn't feel like a myth.
The Maker knew about him.
The angels knew.
The demons knew.
The Kings knew.
And now…
Brook knew that something was waiting.
He didn't know whether it wanted to kill him.
Control him.
Use him.
Or stop him from becoming something capable of changing the world.
But one thing was becoming clear.
The six Sources weren't simply powers.
They were connected to the structure of existence itself.
And somehow…
Brook had become the point where all six could meet.
He looked at the two faint symbols beneath his skin.
Then closed his fist.
"I'll decide what happens."
Across the fire, Crowley opened his eyes.
He had been listening.
He looked at Brook for several seconds.
Then quietly whispered to himself:
"That's exactly what I'm afraid you'll do."
End of Chapter 41