Two hours had passed, all of which was in silence. Only the occasional thundering boom or gust of sterile air disrupted the silence. Every so often, the party would wander upon the corpse of a civilian, mauled and unrecognizable.
Sure, it was nauseating but they could learn a lot from studying their corpses. Most of the abominations that had left the gates were either bestial, or humanoid. All of which they had encountered used long and sharp claws to end their foes, their skin either inhumanly hairless, or covered in a mantle of fur that protected them against slashing.
And the one who had figured that out, was a girl named Ellendore. Naturally, nobody called her that. Perhaps it was to tease her about her long name, or maybe it was because the man who did it was her lover, Bell.
Whatever the case was, Ellendore was quite valuable even if she did not possess a combat-related Echo ability. She was gifted with enhanced perception and cognitive functions, similar to that of Astheneia yet completely different. She did not know for certain whether the information she was giving was true, nor was she able to outright identify its weakness.
Perhaps her Echo ability manifested because of her desire to learn. 'If that is the case, why did I manifest with an ability related to Nothingness?'
Ira did not know—what she did know, was that she would most definitely find out once she became an Awakened, and gained her first Curse of Profanity.
'First out of three...'
It was an exciting yet scary thing. To gain a Curse of Profanity was the consequence for climbing the ranks of Enlightenment. The law of imperfectionism was truly a treacherous thing, yet it was needed. For one to grow, they must struggle, and to struggle is to live.
That was the will of the gods.
"Ira, what is it that you wish to accomplish so badly that you are so incredibly desperate for power? You always challenge the strongest foe you can, and then you somehow win?! If only I had your Echo ability…" Bariealla said, a deep sigh leaving her bloodied lips.
Despite all the filth that covered Bari's body, Ira could not help but feel as if her beauty was still there in all of its entirety. 'Lucky…'
"T-that is something I like to keep to myself."
She internally screamed at the stutter. She wanted more than anything to rip her tongue out, hammer it until it was fixed, and put it back into its rightful place.
Well, perhaps she wanted to escape Fate more—only slightly more, though.
"Alright, I guess. Trying to act mysterious, huh? Well, what I wish to achieve is bringing honor to my family's name. Even if their expectations are a little crushing… Whatever the matter is, I will stop at nothing to achieve my goal. I hope to be read in history books far in the future, my people reading with happiness and gratitude for the sacrifices I have made." A large grin painted her face, her eyes remaining calm and cold even throughout it all.
Ira jokingly mocked her, a single chuckle escaping from her wind-chapped lips. "What is with these big-time families and bringing honor to their name? In my opinion, l-life is better when used to pursue your own d-dreams. Do you have any that do not correlate to your family? Because, I do."
Glancing upwards at the blinding skies, she spoke once more. "I wish to see a world where humans are no longer struggling to survive. I wish to not see children starve to death on the streets because humanity is incapable of feeding the dwindling population anymore. That is what I dream of… No, I don't wish to see it—I will create it."
Bariealla only let out a chuckle, "Bullshit. I have seen how you effortlessly kill Purge Beasts without an ounce of hesitation in your heart. I have met people who despised them with every fiber of their being, but still have a fraction of a second of hesitation. You don't give a damn about humanity. Admit it, Ira."
Turning to face Bariealla, she glanced around and saw the other Dormants staring at her with curiosity.
"You… You're right. That said, I do wish for a more prosperous and peaceful future—not for others, but for myself. And you all should be like that too." Her lips curled slightly upwards into a smile.
Holding her blade above her head, she threw it past Bariealla's body, the blade narrowly avoiding her.
Even so, her eyes did not waver from Ira's. A gentle smile appeared on her face.
"Well, did you kill it?" She said, a small chuckle following suit.
The Dormants had no idea what Bariealla meant. To them, it had seemed like Ira had just threatened to kill the only daughter of the House of the Riallman!
"Of course I did. It is only a pitiful Strayed Beast. No stronger than that of a mundane adult."
A single fragment trickled into her soul. She had described the feeling once to herself before, but now she felt like it was more akin to a guilty pleasure.
Bariealla only laughed quietly, "You make it seem like most people could kill the average person in a single blow. Hell, even with a weapon some would fail."
Another ray of light let out a thundering boom in the far distance. Ira simply turned away from Bariealla, continuing their journey.
◇
Her thoughts focused on the vision the Oracle had bestowed upon her. What she was mainly interested in, was the Fate of the man known as Decaius.
He had attempted to strike down a Vile God, spouting about ripping every fiber of its being apart before watching its Profane flesh be devoured.
Ira severely doubted that the man had survived that encounter, but if a Vile God had sought to destroy him, he must have been quite a formidable foe. Not everyone could catch the attention of a literal god.
'I wonder.. Why could I not comprehend the last part of its title, "Defiled Monarch of -Unknown-". Perhaps my Dormant body is incapable of comprehending such a thing.'
It was an interesting thought. Perhaps the Shadow of -Unknown- and the Defiled Monarch of -Unknown- were the same being. If that was the case, was a Vile god responsible for creating the path of Enlightenment?
It was a hilarious thing; a being of Profanity creating the concept of Ascension.
Why had it done such a thing? Ira did not know, but perhaps in the future she would uncover the truth about Resonance.
Another question appeared in her mind—albeit a far less important one.
"Why do we not follow the star system, Bariealla?"
Focusing her gaze on Ira, she responded quickly.
"Star system? Are you asking why we do not don stars on our clothing to showcase our rank and class?"
Ira simply nodded, wanting Bariealla to answer her question as soon as possible.
"Well, we are more akin to mercenaries than government agents. Some people even call us private armies for the Forts."
Ira was always eager to learn—well, except for when it was done by the horrifically boring school board. It was much more enjoyable to learn from someone who had no obligation to tell her something.
"Go on..." she whisper, her eyes glimmering with interest.
Bariealla only nodded, her eyes gazing at the sky for a second to ponder her next thought.
"There are four major occupations that were created by the nine major Forts: Gate Exploration Task Force, Gate Incursion Response Force, National Defense Force, and the National Affairs Force—or their abbreviations, GETF, GIRS, NDF, and NAF. Only the NDF and NAF follow the star system, while people in the GIRS and GETF are, as I said, more akin to mercenaries or private armies."
Ira struggled to process the large amount of information given by Bariealla's long-winded speech.
Even so, she had plenty more questions to ask the violet-eyed girl.