Sector 11 was in an uproar, Crowds surged toward the massive, platform-like golems, each one destined for distant, safer sectors. It was utter chaos—people scrambled like it was their last chance at life. Parents pleaded for their children to be lifted onto the golems. Others fought their way forward, desperate to board. Some were met with violence, either from the golem operators or the retreating guards. A few were even thrown off their own golems, plunging helplessly into the abyss below by the desperate hoards. People ran in every direction, shouting and crying out for their loved ones. Amid the panic, some took advantage of the chaos—looting stores, ransacking homes, even abducting the defenceless.
Rules no longer applied. Chaos reigned, what little structure of civilization had remained was now gone.
It had been only a couple of hours since they had successfully rescued Yannick and the others. By now, only Lucid, Alice and Shion remained together. Shion had used her golem to transport Yannick and the rescued individuals up to Sector 10, where they would at least be guaranteed some measure of safety.
Initially, Lucid had intended for Alice to board the golem as well and return to the tavern. However, Shion's particular golem could only carry four people at a time. Alice refused to leave. She begged to stay with Lucid and help him and Shion. The other three passengers urged her to board, one even offered her to board in his place. But seeing how determined she was to remain by his side, Lucid couldn't bring himself to deny her. He relented and allowed her to stay.
When they parted ways with the golem's passengers, no words were exchanged. The air was painfully silent; everyone was drained and weary. Yet, Yannick gave Lucid a look—one full of pain and warning. It said, without a single word:
'Save them at all costs… or I'll seek my retribution against you.'
Lucid couldn't help but think that Yannick blamed him for everything—and in a way, Yannick was right. If their positions had been reversed. If Lucid had lost Alice, and some Archmage had uttered Yannick's name in connection to it, he would have been furious as well. He would have sought vengeance without hesitation.
But to Lucid, these thoughts were insignificant. Quite frankly, he had never cared much for the opinions of others. He knew why he acted the way he did. He knew the hand he'd been dealt in each moment, and how hard he had fought within those limits. He had done everything within his power to save and to help.
Maybe he had changed since coming to Andorrea—or perhaps this was something that had always been part of him, even back when he fought side by side with his previous group. Was it because of Aika? Had he grown so accustomed to being judged for every choice he made, even when it was for the good of the team?
Perhaps that was why he'd become immune to judgment—why the scorn, the doubt, the second-guessing no longer pierced him. Every thought process, every plan he'd made back then had been picked apart, demonized by a former comrade he had once trusted.
Why would he worry about someone who had never lived a single day in his shoes—someone who couldn't even begin to imagine a mere minute of what he'd endured. What right did they have to judge him?
Still. As he thought about it, he began to understand why everyone was so tense and so chaotic. It wasn't the grief of desperation and people pleading to be saved. No, there was something deeper at play, after all—now he knew. The mana crystals buried beneath each sector's island. They weren't a source of power that elevated the sectors. Their influence seeped into the mind, subtly twisting perception and warping judgment. The more he considered it, the more he realized that the crystals had been shaping the thoughts and actions of everyone around them.
'But why hasn't it affected me?'
He wondered, the thought gnawing at the edge of his mind. With a faint scowl, he brushed it aside.
Lucid sat perched on the rooftop of a broken building in the center of town, his gaze sweeping over the chaos unfolding below. With his newfound card in hand, he focused, channelling his essence into it. The diamond card began to glow faintly—its usual blue glow now tinted with a reddish hue.
Through its power, he could see it. A red aura seeped across the entire center of town, like faint smoke curling through the air. It wasn't random, it formed trails, linking one person to another. Some individuals glowed faintly, their red aura barely visible. Others radiated an intense crimson, the color clinging to them like a stain.
The pattern was clear: the stronger the crimson, the deeper they had fallen under the crystals' influence.
Behind him, Alice sat quietly, her legs pulled close as she tried to follow his gaze. Shion stood at his side, arms crossed as her eyes were fixed on the streets below. The three of them were silent for a moment, letting the heavy air speak for itself.
Finally, Shion's voice broke the stillness.
"So… what do we do now?"
Lucid heard her question loud and clear, but chose not to answer. His mind was elsewhere—deep, really deep, in thought.
What was he supposed to do here? Was he a hero now? Was he expected to save the entire damn sector?
'No' he decided.
He wanted out. He wanted to take Alice and leave—at the very least, that was the last step in his mind. And now, a plan had begun to take shape. He could already see how they would move from this point forward.
"Shion," he said suddenly, his voice breaking the stillness. "Can you destroy those crystals?"
Shion turned to him with a strange look.
"Uh… no. The sector would fall."
"How do you know?"
"Well, I've been here longer than you," she replied flatly. "So… no."
Lucid narrowed his eyes, still turning ideas over in his head. Something about her certainty only fueled his curiosity.
Shion hesitated, then finally added, "I… I saw it. When my syndicate was being destroyed—the whole sector collapsed. It was when Themenos and that other Archmage were clashing with my leader."
"But… did you actually see the crystal being destroyed?" Lucid asked.
"Well, no," Shion admitted. "The whole island just… fell apart. Bit by bit, collapsing in on itself. So, no."
"If anything," she continued, "I think if you destroy the crystal, the island will just lunge downward. Sector 12 was destroyed by two Archmages and a former one. Logically, it wouldn't survive the combined force of three Archmages. And besides—Sector 12 was much smaller than the usual sectors. A barren land, really."
"Hmm… okay then."
Shion studied him carefully, intrigued by the way his mind was working.
'He's thinking as far as cleansing the corrupted mana…'
"I suggest we find another way," she said.
"Yeah. That's why I'll just speculate on it for now."
"Speculate?" she echoed.
"Yeah… one piece at a time." His tone was casual, almost dismissive, but it was almost like he knew he would get to it later. He was determined.
Lucid raised his hand, calling forth the same card that had been floating in the distance—the diamond poker card. The very same one he had used earlier to peer down into the town center. He held it like a talisman, closing his eyes as though entering a meditative state.
"What are you doing?" Shion asked, brow furrowed.
"Shh," Alice hissed softly, her eyes fixed on him.
The Seven of Diamonds—its ability was clarity and storage of wealth. Unlike the Seven of Clovers, which influenced his luck, faith, and precision, this card was, for lack of a better term, his third eye.
Through it, Lucid could see the battlefield in a way no ordinary person could. He could follow trails of mana and ether, detect invisible threads connecting people, and read those connections to anticipate their movements. Each thread carried meaning—predicting an enemy's next step, exposing a hidden weakness, or revealing the path toward victory.
The brighter a thread or a point of light shone, the greater the probability of success in that action.
During his recent fight with the Archmage—where he had managed to knock his opponent unconscious—it had seemed to Lucid that he was relying on the Clover card to detect vulnerabilities. But in truth, the two cards had been working in perfect union.
The Seven of Clovers governed luck and probability, bending chance in his favor. The Seven of Diamonds granted clarity, allowing him to see the threads and weak points. Combined, they became something far greater: a moment where luck, faith, and vision aligned perfectly, enabling him to strike with absolute precision.
To Lucid, it had felt like muscle memory. He hadn't even realized, at first, that both cards were working together. He assumed it was simply the Clover's doing. But in reality, his sheer will and faith had merged with the Diamond's clarity to guide him to success.
It wasn't until he was on his way back to the group, his essence drained from the violent clash with the Archmage—that he finally understood what had happened. Now, reinvigorated and fully aware of the power he wielded, he was ready for whatever came next.
"Fourth block, next to that destroyed bakery," Lucid said without hesitation. "We'll find the kids there."
Shion turned to him, staring in pure disbelief.
How did he—? she silently cursed in her mind.
Alice, however, simply smiled. It was as if she'd expected nothing less from him.
Lucid was no longer the weak, disoriented man who had woken up in that forest. For the past two weeks, he had trained relentlessly. Memories had begun to resurface, pulling him closer to the person he once was. His powers hadn't diminished—in fact, his strength and arsenal were the same as before. The only thing holding him back was the blank spots of memories in his mind and something else he still couldn't quite grasp.
But he was getting there. One step at a time.
"All right," he said, shifting into command. "There should be eight guards inside. The mana flow in the building is relatively weak. Shion—you go in from the roof. I'll take the front and draw them out."
He glanced at Alice. "You circle around from behind and back Shion up while she's getting the kids out. I'll keep their attention on me."
"Even if there's a guard or two left for security," he added with a faint smirk, "I'm confident you can take them down Shion."
"This," he said firmly, "is our first step toward success."
He locked eyes with each of them in turn.
"I'm counting on you."