By the time Skadi realized she was utterly lost, she had already wandered the barren wilderness for several days.
The reason she'd ventured into this wasteland was simple: she had received a signal from a fellow Abyssal Hunter—though from where precisely, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that the signal lay somewhere ahead.
And the reason she'd gotten lost was equally straightforward. Recently, the signal had slowed to an intermittent pulse and shifted positions unpredictably. Following these unreliable clues, Skadi eventually found herself utterly confused.
She'd tried asking directions before, but her blunt questions always left locals bewildered, or they were too intimidated by her fighting prowess to dare respond. This only deepened Skadi's frustration.
In truth, there was a reason behind her situation. Without a doubt, the signal she followed originated from Laurentina. But the irregular frequency and shifting locations were caused by The City itself, which, as a mobile entity, constantly changed positions. On top of that, Laurentina had been too busy lately, frequently commandeered by Obsidian for labor-intensive tasks, leading to fewer signals being sent out.
So, from a certain perspective, the blame for her predicament rested squarely on Obsidian's shoulders.
Where should I head next?
Skadi tapped her chin with a troubled expression, scanning her surroundings as this question lingered in her mind.
"Um…are you lost?"
Just as Skadi wrestled with her dilemma, she heard a soft voice from behind her. Slightly startled, she turned to see a brown-haired woman gently tapping her shoulder, looking at her with a curious expression.
Skadi stared blankly at the woman for a moment, then silently nodded.
Social interactions had never been her forte.
"Oh… Well, I'm fairly familiar with this area. Do you need some help?"
Da'at tilted her head slightly, eyes brightening as she flashed a friendly smile at Skadi.
"Oh, by the way—I'm Da'at. Where exactly are you headed?"
Interlacing her fingers, Da'at leaned slightly forward, warmly posing the question.
"…I don't know," Skadi answered honestly, shaking her head.
"You don't know? Then…perhaps you're looking for someone?"
"Uh… Yes. I'm looking for someone."
"Do you have any description of their appearance?" Da'at asked thoughtfully, gently touching her chin as if considering Skadi's words carefully.
After some hesitation, Skadi described the appearance of her fellow hunters to Da'at as best she could. After hearing her description, Da'at paused thoughtfully for a moment.
"Hmm… I think I've seen someone like that? Well, at least one of them, from afar…"
"Where?!" Skadi blurted out instantly, eyes widening.
"In The City. A newly-established mobile city. Right now…it's probably still on the move," Da'at said gently, her voice trailing off into a slightly disappointed tone.
Skadi understood her implication immediately. If The City was still moving, then her current aimless wandering would surely lead her nowhere.
Realizing this, Skadi quietly lowered her head, her expression still unchanged but faintly discouraged. After some thought, Da'at suddenly raised her head, breaking the silence:
"Do you absolutely have to find her?"
This time, Skadi nodded without hesitation.
Da'at exhaled softly, then said quietly:
"If you want to reach The City…I can help you."
---
While Da'at was gently luring the naïve Skadi toward The City, Nearl and Don Quixote had already set out some time ago.
Following Obsidian's instructions, they quickly made their way to the outskirts and began venturing deeper into the wilderness.
"Ah! Found one. It's exactly like the burned black feather mentioned in the report!" Don Quixote exclaimed enthusiastically as he picked a feather from the ground, examining it closely before tossing it aside. He waved at Nearl energetically, calling out, "Come on, Nearl! I have a strong feeling a great battle awaits us ahead!"
Hearing Don Quixote's endlessly energetic yet rather childish remark, Nearl couldn't help but sigh.
"Don Quixote-san, please try to be more serious… And please, stop sounding as if a major battle is something exciting…"
She spoke wearily but still followed his lead.
No matter how many times this happened, she still struggled to endure Don Quixote's overly carefree attitude. Well, perhaps "endure" wasn't the right word; it was more like resigned acceptance.
Following the trail of feathers, scorch marks, and burnt branches, the two continued their investigation. After roughly half an hour, they both noticed the temperature around them beginning to rise gradually.
It was getting hotter.
Immediately alert, Nearl drew her blade without hesitation and glanced at Don Quixote. Seeing he hadn't even unsheathed his weapon yet, she briefly furrowed her brow.
But recalling yesterday's battle, Nearl quickly relaxed.
Right… For someone like him, I suppose weapons don't really matter.
Still, what kind of creature could it be, capable of affecting even the surrounding temperature? Whatever it was, it certainly wouldn't be easy to handle…
"Oh? Could it be that thing over there?"
Suddenly, Don Quixote stopped, lifting his gaze to a towering, dead tree ahead, its trunk charred like coal. Nearl followed his gaze upward and spotted a bird perched at the very top.
The bird was massive, its feathers entirely pitch-black as it waited silently atop the tree. Noticing their presence, it tilted its head downward, coldly observing Don Quixote and Nearl.
"Is that the target?" Don Quixote crossed his arms, exhaling softly as he casually leaned down, picked up a small stone, and hurled it at the enormous black bird.
"Hey! Wait—!"
Nearl's warning came too late as the stone flew swiftly toward the bird.
At that moment, the black bird let out a piercing cry, apparently enraged. Before Nearl's astonished eyes, its feathers instantly burst into dazzling golden flames, intricate patterns illuminating its body. Flames erupted around it, raising the surrounding temperature even higher.
With another piercing shriek, the Firebird dived sharply toward Don Quixote.
Facing this blazing charge, Don Quixote only smiled brightly, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Heh… Perfect timing!"