Arthur approached Nyx, tapping her on the shoulder. Nyx blinked, saliva drooling down her mouth. She wiped it off and locked eyes with Arthur.
"What do you want?" She asked, tiredly.
"Professor Sterling wants to approach the abyss…" Arthur replied.
Nyx blinked. "What? Why does he want to approach the abyss?"
Arthur scratched the back of his head. "Well…uh, he says the frequencies aren't stabilizing on the chaos chart so, he needs to go near the abyss to find the average."
"I thought I told him not to approach it?"
"Do you really think he would listen?"
Nyx frowned. "…Fine, I'll watch over him. If anything feels wrong, don't hesitate to pull him back."
"Yes, ma'am." Arthur saluted.
He went back to Sterling, passing Nyx's barrier while feeling a gaze stuck on him. Sterling was quietly waiting farther away from the abyss.
"Finally! The frequencies were just stabilizing!" The professor exclaimed.
"My apologies, let's get going. I just had to inform the supreme commander." Arthur stated.
Sterling frowned. "It's always about asking your superiors. Can't you do something yourself?"
"It's the law…" Arthur whispered low enough so Sterling wouldn't hear.
The two approached the abyss – carefully. Sterling's meta glasses picked up all the chaotic frequencies from the surroundings and then, transferred it to the super-laptop. The super-laptop tabulated all the data onto a chaos chart – the best and most efficient way to know the amount of the chaos located in a specific area.
'It's stabilizing but what does it mean…?'
Sterling's lips couldn't help but curl up. Arthur was warily gripping his katana, waiting for an attack.
'Wait…if they are ghosts then, what are physical attacks gonna do against it?!'
He let go of his katana, his eyes glowing a yellow hue. Half an hour passed without anything happening as stood in place. Arthur let his guard down a little, sensing no immediate danger. More time passed without any ghosts or possession which made Arthur let down his guard even more. After a while, his lips parted as he told Sterling.
"Let's go, professor. I believe the chaos chart has been completed by now, hasn't it?"
Sterling sighed heavily. "You are correct but…I can understand more of it if I get closer."
Arthur's mind flashed with Matthew possession. "No, I can't let you do that."
"Then, come with me!" Sterling approached the abyss, the chaos chart fluctuating.
"Wait!" Arthur tried to pull the professor back but it was already too late.
Sterling stood on the edge of the abyss – no possessions. Arthur paused and then, stood beside him, his guard at an all-time high. As the chaos chart went crazy – nothing happened…? A few minutes passed, no possession, no ghosts or anything.
'Is it…safe?'
Arthur let guard down a little and stepped back.
"Alright, five more minutes professor. Then, we're out of here." He stated.
"Just enough time." Sterling grinned.
He locked onto the chaos chart and saw the chaos's average range.
'1500- 2000…that 300 times more than what we get back on the continent…'
He continued clicking away.
'Maybe this abyss isn't an abyss after all…maybe it's just a massive chaos fragment…but no then, the surrounding chaos wouldn't be so dense.'
He continued theorizing his mind racing with possibilities.
'Maybe…maybe…it a portal to another dimension…? Ha! I'm so funny but that is indeed a possibility.'
"I think I've figured it out." Sterling grinned.
"Almost time professor…" Arthur crossed his arms.
Just then…the air froze…the darkness rippled. Arthur's eyes widened – his worst nightmare came true. The ghosts escaped the abyss again, the darkness rippling. But they did not possess anyone. Arthur's eyes widened in horror as one leaned into Sterling's ear.
"Do not try to understand what's beyond you…Sterling…"
The ghosts felt like an echo in a cave. Sterling's pupils dilated as he pulled down by the ghosts. Acting fast, he unclipped the laptop stand from himself.
"Professor!" Arthur rushed towards Sterling.
Dark tendrils surged out of Nyx's barrier, reaching towards Sterling. Sterling's meta glasses fell onto the stand – a final string of luck. He twisted his old body and threw the super-laptop.
"ARTHUR!!!"
He couldn't speak more words as the abyss swallowed him whole. Time seemed to slow down as Arthur paused – realizing he was too late. The tendrils caught the meta glasses and the stand which the laptop was stuck to. Silence engulfed the whole area as Arthur stared into the void.
The wind blew, leaves rustled and grass waved. He took a step forward, halting at the edge of the abyss.
"…sir…?"
His voice echoed throughout the land but no response came. He froze – a surge of…. emptiness washed over him. His mind became blank and cracked a little as he continued staring into the darkness. His hands swung at a steady pace; his bright blue eyes became hollow like the darkness before him. He bit his lips – a void formed in his heart.
Then, a memory he had forgotten long ago flashed before his eyes.
He saw the sight of a woman hanging from the balcony of his own home. Her face covered by darkness as blood poured down her whole body. He took a deep breath and chuckled hoarsely. Then, he began laughing silently like a maniac.
"Is this how you feel…Missio…?"
He took the name of a good friend of his. He bit his lip, drawing blood. He wanted the void to take him to but it didn't. No ghost came to possess as if they were mocking the loss he had experienced. Or was that because he was and Ashking? He wouldn't know. His anger rose as he formed a gun pointed at the abyss.
But he didn't fire off an attack – he couldn't.
'Why…? Why…? Why can't I do anything? Why am I so helpless?'
He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. His heart ached heavily as he remembered the conversion he had with at the Hospital.
"An enforcer must have a flexible heart."
His own words echoed in his mind. He chuckled darkly while turning around.
"Your own words come back to bite you someday, don't they…?"
He headed back to the camp – slowly. The dark tendrils followed him like his own shadow. He passed the barrier as the tentacle like Darkness pulled the Sterling's items in. When he entered, he lifted his head and saw the supreme commander in front of him. He didn't say anything to her, knowing she had witnessed the same thing he had.
He passed her without a word, heading for his tent. Nyx drew a deep breath and pulled the items she held down.
"We need to get out of here and fast." She whispered.