Chapter 7: One step at a time
The tallest building in Falcon Scott was the Military HQ Center Complex. No one wanted to go on the roof due to the biting cold winds.
But this made it the perfect location for Sunny to achieve the 5th step of Shadow-Dance.
He would do what he once already did; assume the form of a Stone-Saint. In body, mind, spirit, and Will. He's had Saint from all the way since the forgotten shore, so he knew her and her kin the best out of all his shadows. And who would be a better tripsitter than his own dear Shadow, Saint?
Saint gave Sunny an indifferent but slightly confused look. She didn't know what he was planning this time... looking around, there was nothing but a snowy, desolate expanse of the buildings roof.
Just then, he finished writing something on a stone plate with his dagger [Moonlight Shard]. He got up, pressing the plate in Saints' hands with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, Saint... I might be acting weird in a moment, so just show me what I've written here and try to keep me from killing people or anything."
The taciturn knight regarded him indifferently. Looking down at the inscriptions, she noticed that there were many runes that described names etched into the stone plate. "Nephis, Cassie, Noctis, Kai, Jet, Ananke, Effie, Obel, Luster, Kim, Quentin, Samara, Dorn, Belle, Deareon, Wildflower, Eurys..."
She tilted her head a bit and then gave him a nod.
'Alright then... here I go.'
Looking into the distance, Sunny let out a breath. He summoned the [Shadow Lamp] and released a torrential flood of shadows that surrounded him. At the same time, he sunk into the shadows, abandoning his human form for now.
He envisioned himself being a Stone-Saint, child of Nether, Prince of the Underworld.
Sunny felt a clear picture of what he had to do and how to do it, assembling in his head — creating a path he had to follow in order to successfully perform the Fifth Step.
Imitation was not going to cut it.
He had to become the genuine thing.
And so…
Sunny thrust himself into a foreign mindset, substituting the essence of his being with one that belonged to someone else.
He was not a creature of flesh and bone born in the outskirts of NQSC. He was not a shadow of that mortal man, either.
'I… was born in the Underworld.'
Deep in the cavernous halls of his dark domain, the last child of the Forgotten God had created Sunny from stone to quell the fire burning in his resentful heart. However, that fire only grew hotter.
Designed to bring peace, Sunny and his siblings were instead born into an endless war.
'I… was raised on the battlefield.'
He was proud. He was strong. He was a warrior.
He was proficient in all forms of combat, having wielded all manner of weapons to wage war upon the gods. On a thousand blood-soaked battlefields, countless weapons sang in his hand — and by listening to their cold songs, he had learned how to fashion himself into a weapon, too.
'I… know no surrender.'
There were beings out there who could destroy him — however, there were none who could bring him to his knees. His stonelike body was nearly indestructible. His spirit was indomitable. His conviction was as firm as a mountain, as clear as crystal. His fierce heart knew no submission, only loyalty.
"I…"
He was an orphan. His creator was long dead, and his siblings had all been either destroyed or consumed by corruption...
Sunny slowly manifested himself into existence out of the shadows.
His flesh was neither stone nor flesh. Instead, it was something in between, possessing the same stonelike quality as the [Marble Shell]. Instead of a heart, a furnace of divine flame burned in his chest. Instead of blood, ruby dust flowed in his veins.
Impossibly thin diamond strings permeated his body like nerves, creating an intricate and beautiful sorcerous array. Essence flowed through them, giving him life.
Giving him power.
'I am a Stone Saint.'
His powerful body was encased in a fearsome suit of black armor, which had been forged by the Prince of the Underworld — his father — himself.
His mind was deep and unfathomable. His will was indomitable.
Sunny knew then he had succeeded.
He had shadowed the Attributes and Abilities of a Stone Saint… [Battle Master], [Stalwart], and others. Some of them, like the [Flame of Divinity] and the [Underworld Armament], he had already possessed, but they permeated his being differently now.
Saint stared at Sunny's manifested form. He became her long-lost kin. Why he did it was still unclear, but on her usual stoic and impassive face, her eyes softened just a little. She was glad to see her kin. She was all that was left, so this offered her some solace— not that she needed it.
Looking around, he quickly noticed the millions of souls surrounding him. All children of the Flame. War God's, to be specific. His enemies.
He summoned his spear, [Cruel Sight], now ready for war. For his destiny.
But then he noticed another presence approaching him. He turned, observing the intruder with indifference, ready to strike.
Only... it wasn't a child of war – or any other God actually – it was his sister. His long lost kin. He lowered his spear, looking at her with faint happiness.
"Sister? It's good that you're here as well. Let's eradicate these children of the Gods."
Saint meanwhile stopped in front of him. She reached out, patting him on the cheek, which made him look at her confused.
The taciturn knight shook her head faintly, showing him a sign with runes on it.
He spared it a look, confused why they weren't gonna wage war. But the more he read it, the more confused he grew.
'Nephis... Cassie, Noctis... why do i feel like something is wrong here?'
But it couldn't be... he was immune to mind and soul attacks. Then, a memory resurfaced as he reread the name of Nephis.
"Go... Lost from Light."
His eyes widened as he stared up at his sister again... no. She was Saint!
'Lost from Light. That's who I am! Shit I almost lost myself here!'
His form slowly lost cohesion and then crumbled in on itself again as he dissolved into the shadows... The spell's voice interrupted him.
[Your Aspect Legacy mastery has increased.]
[You have received the right to claim a Legacy Relic.]
[...Your Shadow has evolved]
Saint watched him dissolve into the Shadows again, a solemn look on her face for a moment. But it quickly vanished again as she threw the stone plate away.
Sunny stepped out of the shadows, looking around again with a faint headache. It wasn't exactly easy to gaslight yourself into becoming a weapon against the Gods and then realize that you're just a human again...
'Human huh... I already have 4 out of the 7 weaves. Doesn't that make me more Deamon than human, actually?'
His philosophical debate was brought to a hold when the spell kept going.
[You have slain a Fallen beast; Sharpfang of the Swarm]
[Your Shadow grows stronger...]
'Huh...'
[You have slain a Fallen beast; Sharpfang of the Swarm]
[Your Shadow grows stronger...]
[You have slain a...]
[Your Shadow...]
Sunny just stared at the distant ocean with a small smirk. 'Glad to help out, Serpent.'
*
Meanwhile, in the streets of Falcon Scott...
Many people were starting to get worried. Rumors spread like wildfire that Saint Tyris had at last been defeated by the Winter Beast and lay in the hospital, injured.
No one knew who started these rumors, but it didn't matter. They felt it. The blizzard had been slowly picking up over the days. The snow in the unmaintained streets rising. And the electronics starting to glitch and fail.
A quiet sense of doubt and creeping anxiety was taking root in people's hearts. No one was spared; not the refugees. Not the soldiers. Not even the Awakened.
Sunny had been seeing all this unfold from the shadows. He had his Shadow sense stretched out to the max, trying to find his friends. He hoped that they all had been smart enough to have boarded the ships by now. People were starting to realize the quiet disaster that was coming. Even if everything was just rumors and without any base for now... it wouldn't take long for the hopeless truth to come out. And with it, the panic.
"Ugh... where the hell are they..."
He didn't find them. There were millions of shadows moving around, trying to get on board the vessels. Fishing out his few friends would take too long.
"No time... they better have listened to me, idiots..."
He dissolved into the shadows, going back to where it all started. He couldn't be bothered with all the current problems and bad news.
He had a memory to weave.
*
Sunny stood before his rhino. Giving it a small smile. He was quite fond of the APC.
'Maybe I'll turn you into a memory as well...? Heh...'
He climbed on the roof, opening the hatch and entering it. It was still as warm and cozy as he remembered. He walked through the compartments with a nostalgic look. The lounge room where they used to share a meal and sip tea with Obel, the Pilot cabin where Luster used to drive them... The sleeping compartments had their pods long removed after his cohort abandoned the Rhino, which suited him fine.
"More space for me!"
And then he saw the small shower and bathroom compartments...
"Ah... having a mobile hot shower is quite the luxury I recall."
He moved all the way to the back, just behind the command & communication center was his cozy captain's room.
With a grin on his face, he dropped onto his bed and summoned the [Covetous coffer] and [Weaver's Needle].
He took out all the materials needed. Goliath's red eye, 4 transcendent, and 3 ascended soul shards.
He didn't have much time, of course... so he had to keep the enchantments simple but effective. Essence wouldn't be a problem since he's got such a ridiculous amount and quality of it. Additionally, Serpent always gave him a bit of essence when it killed things.
Which it constantly did, making the spell keep whispering some stupid names into his ears teasingly.
[You have slain a...]
[Your Shadow grows stronger...]
"Gods, shut up! I'm trying to concentrate here!"
He had his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he pulled many strings of shadow essence from him soul. He used 8 arms for this complex work, 2 of them his real porcelain like arms, and 6 of them manifested from the shadows.
[You have slain a Corrupted Tyrant; Chief of the Sharpfangs.]
[Your Shadow grows stronger...]
"I said, shut up!" He didn't remember the spell being this annoying...
The spell continued, seemingly amused.
[...your Shadow is overflowing with power]
[Your Shadow is taking shape]
"Shit..." his eyes widened in realization... he was quite close to his Tyrant core after all, so this shouldn't have been a surprise.
"Ahh... f-fuck! Ahhhh!" He fell on his bed in a fetal position, groaning as he felt the blinding pain of his soul being ripped apart and reborn. The formation of a new Core was always a stupendously painful process... but being caught off guard by the pain was even worse...
*
[Your Shadow is complete]
When the pain slowly subsided again, Sunny slowly sat up again. He had a hollow look in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced with a greedy grin.
"You got me, spell... but I'm a tyrant now. And Serpent is one as well."
Sunny couldn't wipe off his stupid grin anymore. He was working diligently on his memory, one string of essence at a time.
*
Eventually, he let out a sigh, falling back into his bed again with self-satisfaction.
[You have received a memory.]
"That's right..."
He didn't know how much time must've passed by now. He was deeply lost in concentration, after all. 'Probably hours if I'm honest...'
He lazily opened his runes, scrolling down until he found his masterpiece...
Memory:
[Winter's nightmare]
[Memory Rank: Transcendent]
[Memory Tier: VII]
It wasn't a "real" Tier 7 transcendent memory since he used 3 ascended shards as a bridge... but that doesn't matter.
[Memory Description: "Hey Neph. If you're reading this, I'm sure my runes must've been a great shock to you. Indeed, many strange things happened to me, and it's very complicated to explain, but just have some patience, I will be there in a bit to explain everything to you and Cassie. Also... tell Cassie about my attribute [Fate breaker], I'm sure she'll be shocked! Anyways, I have a Corrupted Titan to kill. See you later, my Neph."]
Sunny had been a bit over the top if he was honest to himself... and that last part was certainly daring, but he didn't care anymore. He wasn't a young idiot who didn't understand his feelings anymore. He knew he loved Neph, and she knew it too, even if she didn't want to believe it yet.
He wouldn't make the same mistakes. This time, he wants to be closer to Nephis. His Nephis, the one who still remembered them.
[Memory Enchantments: [Gift of Heat], [Vampiric tendencies] ]
[Gift of Heat]
Enchantment description: "Offers a Gift of Heat in a 10 Meter radius. Its surroundings are always close to the boiling point, and none escape it... Not even the Intangible."
[Vampiric tendencies]
Enchantment description: "This memory has a dislike for other heat sources. It gets stronger when it's the only source of heat and significantly weaker when it isn't."
Sunny had heard about vampires before. He thought they must've been quite interesting creatures of at least the Awakened rank...
Anyways, His descriptions were straightforward. The first Enchantment: [Gift of Heat] will be a direct counter to the winter beast, while the second enchantment was a type of Flaw/Condition that significantly weakened the memory when the Sun was out or visible, and in return becomes extremely strong when it isn't.
In these months in Antarctica, the sun was never out, meaning... his memory had a strong power boost for the whole predicted duration of the fight!
But why would Sunny give his memory a flaw? Well... it was because he noticed that memories that worked on flaws/conditions always had a significant power boost. It seemed that the natural Law of Flaws applied to memorys as well.
He slowly got up and stretched before shadow stepping outside of his Rhino. He would have been tired by now, but the blessings of his [Shroud of Graceless Dusk] and his flesh and blood weaves kept his body fresh and full of energy.
Serpent's kills kept refilling his cores with essence as well.
The blizzard immediately met him, making his dark hair flutter in the wind.
He let out of sigh as he stared at the familiar sight of his snow-covered Rhino... 'I don't wanna abandon it again...'
But then his eyes looked down at the [Covetous coffer] in his hand...
It still had some Ascended soul shards left over. He slowly smirked a little...'Maybe I don't have to...'
*
On a beautiful island of ancient trees and emerald grass, a tall Ivory Tower stood.
Inside the tower, at the 2nd highest floor was a kitchen, which was unusual considering that they were in the Dreamrealm after all.
Nephis had been greatly confused when she, after waking up, checked on Sunny's runes as usual. Only for him to somehow have gained a bunch of strange new attributes... he had gotten 2 more pieces of his ominous lineage somehow while in Central Antarctica. She also noticed his Fated attribute had evolved...devolved? To [Fate breaker]... how the hell did he even "break" fate in just 4 months!? And then there was [Time Anomaly]... its description left her wondering...
Nephis was eating at the table, lost in thought... when the door opened and the familiar blind seer entered. Nephis turned and gave her a small nod. "Hey Cass. I've made some rice."
Cassie offered her a small smile and joined her at the table. She had a surprisingly good orientation so that one could forget that she was actually blind.
They quietly ate, together as they often did lately. Many things were going on in their and their friend's lives, but a quiet lunch was always nice to have.
After they had eaten up, Nephis poured herself some tea and looked over at Cassie again.
"Cassie... I need to talk with you about something..."
Cassie didn't seem surprised. She offered a faint smile... "It's about Sunny, right? I've noticed... some strange things going on with him, actually."
Nephis nodded a bit. It was expected that Cassie already had an idea that something wasn't right. "Yes... his runes to be exact." Nephis sipped her tea, Summoning his runes simultaneously as she prepared to read them out loud for Cassie.
Usually, Nephis would have kept his secrets safe, but... this was a unique situation.
'Oh... he's got a new memory? Transcendent of the 7th tier?? How the...'
But when she read the description... she almost spat out her tea. Shakily lowering her cup again, her face remained stoic, inside, however...
"Neph... is everything okay? You seem tense." Cassie said, her tone slightly worried. She knew that had just read Sunny's runes... and nephis was rarely surprised...
She cleared her throat and nodded a little...
"It's fine. Just... I'll read it out loud;
"Hey Neph. If you're reading this, I'm sure my runes must've been a great shock to you. Indeed, many strange things happened to me, and it's very complicated to explain, but just have some patience, I will be there in a bit to explain everything to you and Cassie...""
Cassie stared at Nephis, dumbfounded... last time, Sunny had a relatively short message, but now it seemed he went all out to explain himself... huh.
Nephis continued: "Also... tell Cassie about my attribute [Fate breaker], I'm sure she'll be shocked! Anyways, I have a Corrupted Titan to kill. See you later, my Neph."
Neph's voice wavered a little at the end... her stoic expression betrayed nothing, but her ears now had a tinge of red.
Cassie, meanwhile, completely lost it. Her beautiful blue eyes wide and jaw dropped. She almost jumped out of her chair. "W-WHAT!? WHAT WAS HIS ATTRIBUTE CALLED!?"
Neph meanwhile snapped out of her slight daze, wondering why the quiet seer suddenly went feral? 'He did say she'd be shocked... I guess he didn't lie.' She mused herself as she looked at Cassie calmly.
"It's his attribute, [Fated]. It was changed and now it's called... [Fate breaker]."
Cassie was completely shocked. This wasn't supposed to happen... how the hell did he even break fate!? She had been desperately trying forever to do such a thing! She lowered herself to her chair again.
"What... what does the description say?"
Nephis observed her quietly. She knew that Cassie wasn't exactly fond of Fate. But she had rarely seen her this distressed...
"The description... it says:
"The strings of Fate have loosened their grip on you and thus no longer bind you with their inevitability.
You may bend your Fate to your will, but be cautious, treacherous Lost from Light, Fate has a distaste for outsiders." "
Cassie keenly listened. Her eyes widened as she realized what this meant for Sunny. For them all, actually. Their Fates weren't set in stone anymore... Sunny was the key. The unknown variable that could change everything... that could change the horrific futures she had been forced to witness.
'Just... how the hell did you do it, Sunny?'
Cassie... finally allowed herself to smile just a little... 'How thoughtful of you, Sunny.'
Her thoughts were interrupted by Nephis.
"There's... another 3 new attributes. 2 of them are parts of his Weird lineage... and the third is called [Time Anomaly]. I... I'm not so sure about that one."
Cassie nodded. She knew that Sunny had The lineage of Weaver... 'Really sunny? The deamon of Fate of all options...' But it couldn't be helped. That was just his Fate.
"What does the description say on the last one?"
Nephis read out loud, a bit unsure.
"In a lost future, The Supreme of Death had broken fate and defied death, leaving the tapestry in shambles. Having deemed his act of defiance not enough, the treacherous Lost from Light broke the law of Space-Time as well, motivated by his desire of wanting to right his wrongs.
Your treachery truly knows no bounds at all, does it Lost from Light?"
She sipped her tea, eyes furrowed in thought. There was a lot to unpack here.
"It seems the spell thinks that Sunny is or at least has been a Supreme."
The silver haired beauty nodded as he looked down at her fists. They weren't even Saints yet, and her Sunny already had achieved Supremacy. It was hard to wrap her head around the idea. "It does look like it. But I've seen his runes. He's only an Ascended right now. Maybe it's hinting at his future?"
"Or... his past." Cassie chimed in. She repeatedly tapped her finger on the table to help her focus. "It is talking about him being the Sovereign of Death – which is coincidentally Shadow God's domain – in a "Lost future. " That could imply that... he was somehow brought back here..."
Leaning back in her chair, Nephis let out a sigh. "If he... really was a Sovereign once, then there is a lot I want to ask him. He could really help us out... if he wants to, of course."
Cassie was remembering the vivid vision she had recently... but that was for another time. She didn't want to reveal too much because it could become a problem knowing certain things. But this vision... it seemed off, like it was part of the "Lost future," the spell mentioned.
"I guess there's too many questions and no answers. Sunny did tell us that he'd explain everything... so I suppose there's no point in trying to understand him... for now." Cassie got up, taking her dishes to the sink. Sunny owed them a big explanation for sure.
"I guess you're right, Cass."
When Cassie left the kitchen, Nephis slumped on the table and let out a breath...
He mentioned killing a Corrupted Titan like it was nothing... that much was expected of a former sovereign, and Sunny at that.
She opened her runes again, rereading the message he left. Specifically, that last part... she couldn't stop the small smile finding its way to her face.
'Stay safe, my Sunny.'
*
Standing on the snowy walls of the port fortress, a young man with porcelain like skin, wearing an exquisite dark tunic, was observing the current ship that was being boarded and planned to set sail very soon.
'Things really... went from bad to worse, huh?'
He had been gone for many hours and thus missed out on a few developments...
The most important one was that the wounded Saint Tyris had now boarded the ship he was observing. She was a high priority evacue, and thus, the vessel had to be personally escorted by Saint Bloodwave as well.
'Leaving Falcon Scott... with no Saints at all. Just me and Jet with the mess now. How wonderful.'
And of course... the news that both Saints are abandoning Falcon Scott while the damned Winter Beast was coming for the free feast... didn't go well at all. As it did in his own timeline.
The ember of Doubt and restlessness among the remaining people had sparked into a whole fucking wild fire. Everyone was scrambling to get on board the overcrowded vessels now. They were herding together and crushing each other for a chance to get to the docks.
A mother hoisted her baby on a strangers shoulder, and he passed it on further down the line. She whispered him a quiet thanks while sobbing.
At the gates to the bridge, a soldier helped an elderly man stand up right. Helping his frail body not get crushed.
The Awakened sailors of clan Night had their hands full. Their shouts drowning amidst the cries and shouts. "There's no room anymore! Stand back until the next ship arrives! I said...!"
It was incredible loud. The shouts, the cries of scared children. It was a proper mess.
Despite the intense cold, people were sweating from the constant struggle and closeness. Puffs of air leaving their mouth as they breathed.
Yet despite the panic and large crowds scrambling to secure their place, the empathetic and determined spirit of humanity still shone subconsciously in their hearts. Elderly people gave up their chances to let young the ones have their seat, parents tried to secure spots for their children. Men subconsciously created a sort of "self-order in the chaos," while some people even tried to save others at their own expense.
The human spirit shines the brightest during these dark times after all.
'It would've been beautiful if it weren't such a horrible tragedy.'
Before coming to the port, Sunny had been looking for Obel and Beth, but didn't find them. That meant that they had taken his advice and got on the vessels in time. His Devil's cohort had assured him that Luster and Kim had been evacuated as well.
'At least these ones had some brains... unlike those 3 honor bound clowns.'
He felt relief knowing that Obel had gone this time as well. That was one more person he had saved already.
He watched the huge Vessel of one Kilometer length lifting its anchors. It's spelltech powered engines coming to life with a loud hum as it prepared for departure.
Just then, footsteps approached him. He turned to look, already having sensed her through the shadows.
"There you are, Sunny." Jet stood beside him, joining him in observing the crowd.
"It's just us now, huh?" She chuckled a little. "Oh and "mongrel" too. Can't forget about your stone lady, can we?"
He snorted a little...
"Yeah... Saint will be of great help for what I'm about to do."
Jet spared him a glance. "I assume you dislike the disorder in the crowd? Your giving it a certain stare, you know?"
He grimaced when watching a families faces drop in hopelessness when the Vessel took off. "Yes... we have to give them some sort of order or hope to cling to. If this keeps going... it could get very ugly."
He lowered his head, eye narrowing. "But I mostly dislike the defeat in their eyes. I have to prove them wrong.
If that's my Supreme will, none will stop me. Not even a little Corrupted Titan."
Letting out a whistle, Jet grinned at him.
"Wow, Sunny you've became such a talker, heh." She nudged his shoulder, gesturing him to follow her toward the crowd.
"Let's see if your just all talk then, little Devil."
They descended the walls making their way through the enormous crowd. Parents watched with reverence but also uncertainty for their future. The crowd was parting infront of them to let them pass when they recognized them as Masters and the legendary figures that held the City for these 3 harrowing weeks. But not all were sharing that sentiment. A middle aged man shouted at them.
"Are you awakened going to leave us as well!? Cowards!!"
Sunny meanwhile grimaced a little.
'How does one control a crowd that is almost sure they will die soon? What to do, what to do...'
Leadership. Structure. Clear instructions. That is what army command has to achieve. They have to snuff out the uncertainty and hopelessness in people's hearts.
Raising a large stage out of the shadows, Sunny and Jet ascended in the center of the crowd. Not too high that they would appear small, but just high enough for them to be seen and heard by everyone.
He summoned Saint and nightmare by his side as well, increasing his projected power. And then took the [Extraordinary Rock] in his hand to amplify his voice, making sure that everyone of these millions of people heard him.
'Look at me... anti-social outskirts rat addressing millions of people because Noone else has the guts.'
That thought made him smirk despite the situation.
"It's major Sunless and Soul Reaper... look!"
The refugees turned their heads one by one. Whispering and murmuring amongst themselves when they saw the raised platform. Some of the cities' bright spotlights were turned to illuminate the Manifested Platform in Antarcticas darkness.
"So they finally showed themselves!"
An elderly woman shouted from her group her body trembling from weakness and the cold.
"I... I hope they have a plan..." A man hugged his wife tightly, offering her his warmth.
He began...
"My people of Central Antarctica, I – the Devil of Antarctica – have personally assumed command of Falcon Scott's remaining evacuation efforts."
The people quieted, listening in to what he had to say. They now lacked structure and a strong leading figure after both Saints left. The Devil himself was the one most respected and renowned among them. So it was only normal for him to become their new leader.
In emergency situations, people always cling to leaders, so he had to fill that role perfectly.
"I understand your fear and worries.... It is indeed true that Saint Tyris – after 4 months of continuous fighting – has been severely injured and is being evacuated. It was a wonder that she even held out this long for all of us."
Some people lowered their heads. It was an ugly truth, but one had to be empathetic and honest in situations such as these.
An elderly woman held her grandson with a defeated look. She chocked down a sob... 'we're all doomed now, aren't we?'
Sunny hated seeing them defeated. He raised his voice...
"But do not for even a second, believe that I and the High command haven't expected this outcome. I have already planned ahead and will personally confront the vile Winter Beast with the help of my Elite team."
Sunny stood with his arms crossed. Chin raised in determination. He had previously unsummoned his [Shroud of Graceless Dusk] and instead wore his fearsome onyx plate armor, [Marble shell] in its Mantle of the Underworld form.
A man stopped shoving for a moment, glancing over at the podium with a grimace.
"A plan?? Don't make me laugh... even Saint Tyris couldn't defeat it..."
Another man sighed loudly, annoyed by the pessimism. "Shut up, will you!? He said they already planned for this scenario!"
Sunny felt the various reactions through the shadows... he gritted his teeth, adjusting his approach.
"I have extensively studied the Titans weaknesses, and thus i am sure that I, the Devil of Antarctica, will either kill the Winter Beast or manage to distract it long enough for all of you to make it out safely. That, I owe you all."
Some people found solace in his oath. But the doubt still remained. How could a mere ascended kill the Winter Beast if a Saint had failed?
The grandmother lifted her head again, wiping away her hot tears. 'I... I really hope you're right, young man.'
He lowered his voice at first.
"We've lost many people... all of us have." Then he raised it once more. Determination shining through.
"But that doesn't mean that we should give up and let their sacrifice be for nothing, does it? I promise you all, this is not over! Not Yet!"
He had to lift their spirits. Even if they thought they would die, they still should at least try until the bitter end.
"He's right! We can't give up yet! Not while he and Mongrel are still here!!"
A small group cheered at this. Their reaction spread and suddenly many people of varying ages groups were shouting their lungs out...
"Glory!!"
"We won't give up!!"
"We hear you!!"
He waited for them to calm down again, his eye twitched a little...
"But I can't do this alone, people of Antarctica... all of us have to work hand in hand together, or this will fail. No one here will abandon you and your families. Please listen to the soldiers and awakened who risked their lives every day for all of you."
A soldier manning the wall nudged his partner with a grin. "See? At least the Major still respects us..."
A father looked at his children, his shoulders relaxing when he heard the leader's reassurance.
They had previously already planned about this. Army command had a clear doctrine for controlling a crowd. Many soldiers and awakened would now be used to split the massive crowd into smaller groups of 5000~ and then be responsible for leading them individually. This would prevent a "herd mentality" among the people and give them a sense that there was still control and clear structure.
"We will rearrange the evacuation priorities as well. Women, children, and the disabled will go first. While we need all the help from the fit enough men we can get in assisting our evacuation army in maintaining clear evacuation lines, as well as the construction of shelter and logistics against the biting cold and hunger. The elderly will go at last."
A burly man stood alone, looking at his empty hands, he sighed bitterly... 'I'll probably die... but I'd rather have my hands full, assisting everyone as i die.'
Letting the children go first would assure the families, while giving the men labor and assigned tasks to help out in every way they can will give them the feeling of being useful and assisting the evacuation, instead of just being sitting ducks...waiting to die. 'Distracting them would calm their nerves and keep them warm as well... this could work.'
A group of men shared a look. "Of course..."
Another sighed... "no... I think he's got a point. Sitting here and doing nothing won't save us any faster, will it?"
They reluctantly agreed.
The soldiers spread out among the crowd began to move, setting up barriers and organizing the refugees... "Careful! Families stick together!"
A young mother let out a sigh of relief, whispering quietly with gratitude... "Thank you... thank you, Major Sunless..."
'Not everyone is convinced... as expected.'
He continued...
"I will do my part as your leader! And I expect all of you to do your parts in this joint operation as well! People of Antarctica, let's defeat the Winter Beast and make the impossible possible once more!"
Sunny loudly exclaimed, raising his spear [Cruel Sight] into the air, using its divine flame as a bright beacon among the people in the darkness of Antarctica.
A wave of gasps spread through them all.
Many covered their eyes at first, but seeing this divine light seemed to have ignited something inside their frozen hearts.
It was a few thousand at first... but then it grew and grew...
And as Sunny blinked the wetness out of his eyes a few times, suddenly
Millions of people erupted into cheers. Loudly exclaiming their loyalty and trust in him. The whole ground was shacking and many had to cover their ears from the incredible noise.
One could say that the incredible stir was even felt over in Eastern Antarctica.
These actions and his leadership and structure brought clear direction and a faint hope to people's hearts. Maybe he will manage to distract the Beast until they all have managed to evacuate? Maybe they will make it out if they all combined their strengths and worked together?
But one thing was now clear in their hearts. Giving up is not an option anymore. The Devil of Antarctica trusted them and they had to trust him as well.
*
Inside the HQ complex, Sunny summoned his Shadow Chair and slumped down on the large oval-shaped table in the conference room.
"Ugh..."
Big speeches still weren't his thing at all...
With him sat his remaining cohort; Dorn, Belle, Samara... and Jet.
They were all giving him funny looks for some reason...
Jet spoke up, positively surprised...
"Well, I must say, Sunny... when you told me you wanted to do some crowd control... I didn't expect you to ignite them this much, honestly..."
His devils nodded in unison. Belle spoke up...
"Honestly, Captain! When did you become such a speaker??"
Sunny just shrugged them off...
"It came with my age, I guess..."
They all stared. Then Samara spoke up, stating the obvious.
"But your the youngest person here, Major...?"
'Oh, right im 21 here...' He coughed a bit.
"Anyways... about the plan." He sat up straight again, giving them all a look.
"Me and Jet will go and confront the Winter Beast once my ally arrives... which should be about tomorrow if I'm not mistaken... I want the three of you to temporarily take up command in our absence and keep the remaining evacuation efforts going smoothly now that I've laid the structure for us."
Dorn nodded seriously. But Belle and Samara didn't seem very enthusiastic about the plan...
"Won't you take us with you as well, Major?"
Sunny shuddered a little, immediately dismissing the idea due to certain bad memories.
"Fuck no... you three be good and stay here. That's an order."
The 2 reluctantly nodded... but then their discussion was suddenly interrupted by an alarm from their communicators.
They quickly looked down, reading the report.
[ALERT! AQUATIC NIGHTMARE CREATURE OF LEVIATHAN TYPE APPROACHING RAPIDLY FROM THE NORTH OF FALCON SCOTT!
Sonar reports show Leviathan and or Serpentine features!
ESTIMATED RANK: EXTREMELY HIGH!
ESTIMATED CLASS: UNKNOWN.
ETA RESULTS: 2 HOURS.]
Jet groaned loudly in displeasure...
"Well fuck me sideways!! Just what we needed..."
The 3 Devils meanwhile paled.
But Sunny had a strangely calm look as he read the report.
'A Leviathan, huh..?'
He smirked.