Placing down her wine glass, Bronya professionally folded her fingers over the table.
"As you know, once Madam Cocolia had fell into a coma, I had to return to Qlipoth Fort to provide an… altered version of the events that transpired. In particular, I removed the part where we battled her ourselves. The official story is that she attempted to go against the Stellaron but failed, and that we finished the job for her by sealing it. Tomorrow, once I'm inaugurated as the acting Supreme Guardian, you and your companions will have your charges dismissed."
She paused, a tired sigh escaping her lips.
"During the past month, the situation in Qlipoth Fort has been chaotic. The sudden loss of a Supreme Guardian drastically affects the countless operations of Belobog. Not only that, but as an Awakened, I'll always be gone for almost half a day. There's a reason why any Supreme Guardian that carried the Spell needed to Ascend."
Sunny blinked, a hint of curiosity on his face.
"Actually, where are you anchored? I've always found it weird that you guys were so isolated from humanity. I mean, you can't all be anchored in the middle of nowhere, right?"
It was highly unrealistic to expect that every Awakened from a planet was anchored at the same gateway.
Bronya thrummed her fingers against the table.
"We happen to be in the same region, but not at the same Citadel. I don't believe anyone from two seperate citadels have encountered each other. The only reason we know this is because we're all from the same place in the Waking World, so we can discuss such topics."
She stayed silent for a moment.
"That place… is strange. It is very much like the planet we live on — cold, dangerous, and unexplored. From a distance, we could sometimes glimpse a vast body of water. Nobody has ever reached it, though. It seemed infinitely far away, and sometimes, those who pursue it relentlessly would simply disappear."
She shook her head.
"I'm not sure what the sky would look like due to the blizzards. As I said, it's very similar to Jarilo-VI."
Racking his brain, Sunny found that he had no recollection of any region that had such an appearance. They were truly isolated, and the Nightmare Spell found it funny to stick them all in the same region, just to make sure that they believed that they are alone in both worlds.
It seemed that Seele was an exception, having been sent to a region that was already inhabited by humans.
Sampo may have been one too, considering his easy acceptance of people beyond the sky.
No one knew where he went, so Sunny couldn't ask.
Shaking his head, he said:
"You really are in the middle of nowhere. I've never heard of such a place…"
His eyes suddenly lit up as he came up with an idea.
"Actually, are there any records of people's Second Nightmares? If I cross reference currently known history, I might be able to find the general direction it's in."
Since Nightmare Seeds sent Awakened to a recreated past event within that location, there was always plenty of information that could be gained.
Bronya stared at him strangely for a moment, before shaking her head.
"That's not a problem. With the amount of Supreme Guardian's that have become Masters, there should be plenty of documents."
She slightly tilted her head, a small smile on her face.
"I didn't know you had an interest in history."
Sunny blinked. She must have detected his enthusiasm when he offered to help locate the general direction of the mysterious region.
"Uh… sort of?"
Sunny scratched the back of his head.
"I just like uncovering secrets and treasure."
An amused glint appeared in her eyes as she decided to tease him.
"To the point that you'd disappear for multiple weeks?"
Sunny suddenly coughed. He was glad that he wasn't eating something, or he would have choked.
"That… that was an accident!"
Tapping the table with her fingers, she changed the subject despite her interest in his story.
"Anyways, you still have the Lance of Preservation, right?"
Seeing him nod, Bronya continued:
"To change the punishment regarding the mystical law that was enforced upon the Underworld, one cannot simply hold the political power of a Supreme Guardian. It seems that the Lance of Preservation is the physical proof of Qlipoth's approval, and is needed to control Belobog's authority."
Sunny blinked. He hadn't been aware of that fact. It seemed like the specific reason that Bronya had called him over was because he was the current wielder — and possibly the last, as it was completely bound to his soul. That wasn't the case for Cocolia, so maybe the same could be said for previous guardians.
Remembering that the lance had been tarnished by Cocolia's Aspect caused him to somewhat reconsider this possibility. Maybe the Lance of Preservation was bound to the souls of all it's carriers, and Cocolia herself was the exception.
Either way, Sunny didn't have any clue about what would happen to the lance if he were to suddenly die.
Not that he planned to.
Sighing, Bronya said:
"After my inauguration tomorrow, I'd like to take you with me to the inner sanctum of Qlipoth Fort. There, we can try to revert the changes my mother made to the Underworld."
'Inner sanctum… like, a church?'
Finding the terminology a bit strange, Sunny simply nodded in agreement.
After a moment, Sunny hesitantly asked:
"…Is there something else you wanted to ask me about?"
Her gaze slightly unfocused, Bronya nodded.
"It's about Mother's current condition. It's strange… borderline mystical, actually."
When Sunny had extracted the Stellaron, he had made sure that Cocolia wouldn't die in the process. She didn't, but she fell asleep and never woke up.
When Bronya eluded to a strangeness with her condition, Sunny focused.
"Could you give me a description?"
She shook her head.
"I think… that it'd be better if you were to see it for yourself."
Her eyes widened when Sunny suddenly stood up with a plate of fries in his hand.
"Alright. Lead the way."
Bronya blinked in astonishment, before palming her face.
"I didn't mean right now. Once we're done eating, then we could check."
Sunny scoffed.
"For all you know, maybe Cocolia is dying right now. I'll just eat on the way, and the waitress will get the chefs to remake our order if the food gets cold, right?"
The last portion was spoken at a louder volume, allowing the waitress in the far corner to hear his words. She frantically confirmed his words.
"Y—yes, of course!"
Bronya stared at him in disbelief, before shaking her head with mirth.
"Please don't pressure the poor girl. Fine, you make a good point."
Carrying his plate of fries — tossing one into his mouth along the way — the two of them had exited the restaurant. Strolling into the elevator, Bronya pressed a button denoting a lower floor, causing them to drop as they saw the deeper parts of Qlipoth Fort flash one by one.
The elevator was mostly silent if one were to exclude Sunny chewing his fries.
What? They were well-seasoned.
Once they reached their desired floor and the doors opened, the two of them walked through the halls. Stopping at a pristine door, Bronya pulled out the card she had used to enter the elevator, allowing the door to slide open.
Once they entered, Sunny saw a fortified glass window that looked into another room. As he and Bronya moved over to it, he looked in.
And grimaced.
Laying down on a white hospital bed was Cocolia. Her blonde hair was down from the usual ponytail, and had even lost the drill effect. Dressed in a hospital gown, she wore an oxygen mask over her face.
She seemed almost normal if someone hadn't noticed the crystalline protrusions across her body.
A jagged, icy horn was piercing out of the left side of her forehead, curling upwards. It wasn't smooth, but cracked in numerous places. The surrounding area had smaller pieces of ice sticking out, but none were as apparent as the horn.
Her fingers lacked nails, and were completely replaced by icy, sharp appendages. Her arm seemed to be enclosed in a thin layer of frost, that almost seemed to be glowing. Her hair had shimmering, icy blue strands, and although her eyes were shut, Sunny expected a deformity behind her eyelids.
"…Do you recognize anything?"
As Bronya's voice took him out of his analysis of Cocolia's condition, Sunny nodded.
He didn't know the exact specifics, as he was only aware of it due to experiencing it for himself.
When Cocolia's voice attacked his mind, Sunny had almost lost his sense of awareness. His body began to shift between a shadowy figure and a tangible body — as if he had completely lost control of his Aspect.
Turning away from the glass panel, he looked towards Bronya with a serious expression.
"From what I could guess, she's mentally unstable. This instability causes a… destabilization of the soul? Honestly, I'm not much of an expert. The best answer I could give you is that she is losing control of her Aspect despite being unconscious."
The grasp the Stellaron had on her mind must have caused a sudden lashing when Sunny forcefully pulled it out.
She sighed.
"That was what the doctor assumed…"
She walked back to the door. Turning back to Sunny, who was still eating his fries, she forced a smile.
"Let's hurry back. I'd prefer it if they didn't have to remake our order if the food gets cold."
After a couple minutes, they returned to their seats. Staring at the wine glass for a moment, Sunny frowned before asking the waitress to get him some juice.
Bronya looked at him inquisitively.
"You don't drink? Just so you know, the alcohol here isn't strong enough to intoxicate us."
Their dispositions made it so that they could only get drunk if they want to. Otherwise, they'd need particularly strong alcohol from the Dream Realm.
Sunny shrugged.
"I hate alcohol…"
Turning his head slightly, he glared at a bottle of honey.
"…And honey."
'Damn bees…'
Bronya seemed quite confused, but she didn't ask for clarification, changing the topic:
"Actually, you never told me what had happened to you in the past month. When Seele said you disappeared, I feared for the worst."
Finding an opportunity to spread his grandiose tales, Sunny grinned.
"Well, let me tell you… it was quite the ride… if getting on the bones of a dead dragon could be considered a ride. Allow me to regale the story of the newest installment of 'The Incredible Adventures and Astonishing Deeds of Heroic Awakened Sunless and his Stoic Stone Companions Talking Rock and Silent Saint… Featuring the Walking Chest!'"