While the Knight was in slumber, a full month at that, Maroon city and its inhabitants had been reaping the rewards.
A few hours after the waves ceased, the people walked out of their homes, lighting had the feeling of the last day of summer, late when dusk started. They looked around, calming their nerves, they felt something major had happened, but they could not place their minds on it. After a while, the Knight's squadron entered, battered, and bruised, marching through the streets on their way to the academy.
The whole city watched as they carried this four-metre metal clunk on their backs. The people recognised the clump of metal; it was shaped like a man in armour? It had been bent at awkward angles, and most of all, it was a whole four metres tall, their Knight was three, they are sure of it. But when they dragged him past they all felt a deep connection.
The looks of the knights' faces were sombre, giving the crowd the impression the Knight was dead. They themselves were not sure that he lived, except the disturbing voice that told them that it was not dead, technically speaking. The voice came from inside their heads, if not for the fact that they heard it all, they would be sure they were deluding themselves. They later released an official statement, explaining the events that had unfolded, the clear parts, and told the people they should not worry much.
After the hours of the day passed, and night approached and people walked back inside their homes, a hectic day which left the people exhausted, even if they barely did any work, ended. The strangeness was not even done. Around mid-night, a commotion outside woke up the citizens. The fact there was even a commotion, was strange.
The city had always been lively; it once had the luxury of safety, being far from any dungeon, thus nighttime had been active. But ever since the darkness covered it, night had become desolate and empty. People knew to stay inside and keep the lights off, or the windows shut. So, after three decades this was the first ever ruckus they had heard at this hour of day. Mid-night is a time of day when only the knights track the streets, and they were known to almost be assassin levels stealthy, which is why the people were confused.
This drew their attention, but everyone followed protocol and stayed inside. That is until the knights called the people to see, otherwise come day they would not believe it. They all walked out, drowsy from sleep, only to be sobered up from the view that befell them.
At night, the city had this dark barrier, looming over them like flood waters held at bay by a dam, ready to rush at them at any moment. It was gone; they could see the half of the city that had only been visible during day. Starlight once again hit the homes they had abandoned, the shops they had lost. It all seemed too good to be… real?
Come morning the city was in an uproar. Not everyone had awoken, those who did spread the words to those who did not. The city was a buzz. This meant that they would be able to use the night, and potentially even get to track to the other half of the city.
For people who spent every night for 30 years, in fear that things could get dangerous really quick, they were still sceptical. So, on the second night, the whole city was out, watching to see if the darkness would return. The knights had moved most of the forces, bracing for a sudden flux of destroyers, but they too hoped for better.
After a week, things changed, the night had become active, like that in a proper city. The police and soldiers had been issued orders to return. The knights would be reassigned their normal duties. The adventurers and clientele would soon increase. Things were looking good.
This is how people found out about their new skill. They had not found out that they all shared an odd connection to the Knight, who would have figured that? One day when some people were being appraised, they noticed that the bulk of them had come to possess the same new skill, [Belief of a Hero]. This made them feel a deep connection to the Knight, this even told them that the Knight was still alive.
Then began the stories. These were endorsement of the Knight by the people to each other and those who passed through the city. The stories about the birth of a hero, one who managed to push the darkness back, while protecting them from the terror of a devil.
Even the Knight's squadron spread these tales amongst the other knights. The thing is that even if this would have happened naturally but to a smaller extent, the skill was making these feelings towards the Knight even bigger than they were. Tales of a hero spread fast, by then more people had even gotten the skill.
Once the initial phases of the event, had passed, the city had become one thriving hub, even if it was still just a former husk of its glory. People often found themselves remembering an age-old story about a village passing through here, telling people that the abysmal dungeon was about to expand.
That report had been noted but mostly it was hard to believe. But now they had a story for their grandchildren, that would sound just as preposterous; the darkness vanished as it had come, not even a single destroyer had set foot into the city…
They were still worried about the Knight; it had been weeks. The one having the hardest time was Zuri. 'The pattern smiths could not figure out how to remove his armour… his squad keeps saying that a creepy voice is threatening them from taking the helmet off… He hasn't eaten… he hasn't drunk anything… he doesn't even smell?'
She had been visiting his room every day in the morning, she had even moved the checking on him to earlier in the day, so that she could fit it into her schedule. She would wake up, check on the Knight, go, and get dressed for the day. Then she would tend to the duties, which had increased due to the darkness that had disappeared.
At night, drained as she was, she would go and visit the Knight. Today, she didn't just peek in and say goodnight, she walked in. Sat in the chair next to the bed, the Knight was even bigger now, so she had to stand on it to try and see inside the helmet. It was pitch-black inside, so she was going to remove the helmet, she put her hands on it, making her fingers even colder than they were. Before she even lifted the helmet, a chilling voice sounded in her head.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She screamed and fell off the chair, she sat up rubbed the back of her head and asked. "Are you finally up?" the voice kept quiet, making her remember what the squadron said.
'So, that's the creepy voice keeping people out. Just how many strange skills does he have? What does that voice even know? It won't hurt anyone if I just take a small peek… I better not, if it's that eerie, I don't want to see what's making it, you know, on the off chance the disembodied voice has a body.'
After making the wise decision, she dusted her clothes and walked out, saying her goodbye. At some point she had thought he died, so she just went into the guild, to try and see if he's alive. "What would be the name of this person?"
"I don't know…" the clerk was slightly confused, then she asked, "do you at least have something that can tie to him."
She raised her shoulders and said, "…Knight?"
She then wrote Knight onto the glass, and it said alive, she was so surprised herself, there's someone out there whose name is actually 'Knight.' The glass works like whisper of darkness, once given an identification like name, it checks whether the person is alive. The whisper works with proximity, and instead of needing an identifier it provides one. The thing they have in common is that they trace souls, and those still in the world of the living have identification, even if they had become spirits.
While the whisper, traces the soul and finds an identification, the glass uses the identification to trace for the soul. And both do not need much, just enough to go on, the name "Knight" is half, but Zuri knows who she is referring to, and so was the clerk. Seems people have been coming in to check whether the Knight was dead, and they were just not being told lies.
This glass was invented to track whether loved ones were still alive. Families are generally small, but in this massive world they can live so far apart, communication might not be possible. So, one just has to find a guild and confirm. There had been an incident where families found out about their deceased before the news even found them.
In a world filled with this much peril, this had become popular use, since the darkness can just suddenly appear, like it had in the city. They are tools used by large scale organisations, like the guilds, merchant centres, police, soldiers, and the knighthood. They are used during escorts, quests, missions, war, and evacuations. Checking for individual people by their families had just been an application of the same thing, some people even purchase them, but they are pricey, this is why people just use the one at the guild.
Zuri could have borrowed one by the Academy, but she had only thought of this when she passed the guild on her errands, so she just stopped in to check. Now, she was off to meet with Noree the new official, she had been growing through the ranks, her skills are suited to handling large scale tasks, making her desirable. With the city doing better,
she would probably part of the officials sent to the city of Arulli, to help with the city renewal, before the evacuation commences. As it so happens, she is also the sister of the rowdy squire who somehow got acquainted with the Knight. Him and his friend had even become squires in the Knight's squadron after they completed training at the academy.
"Miss Zuri, I'm over here." She had been so distracted she almost missed her.
"Oh, Noree, right? And call me Zuri, I don't like the sound of miss."
"Yes, that's me miss… just Zuri. You seem distracted, are you worried about the Knight?"
"What makes you say that?" she was surprised to hear the question.
"It's all people seem to be doing these days, even my brother, it's all he talks about. I heard that you are his official representer, since he was acclimating into the knights, so I figured you would be the one the most worried really?"
"Well, I am, but only a little. He never sleeps, so seeing him sleep this long got to me. I keep telling him to mind his habits. Anyway, we came here to talk business, what are your reports saying, and how may I help?"
"For what it's worth, I'm sure he'll be up soon. The merchants have sent word that if the city keeps doing better, its official trade will be moved in, in bulk. Since they are planning to connect the trade route that went past it, that is once the adventurers finish clearing the roads of debris. The supplies for the movement of the bigger businesses to the other half of the city will be coming soon, space will need to be cleared. In the next two years the smaller businesses will follow suit, once their buildings have been renovated.
After a year, the work needed to fix up the other half will begin, there's a lot to be done before the re-evacuation order is issued. Some have volunteered to come back; the shelters have been cramped. The rest are still traumatised by the whole wave, even I was, so they will come a few years after total functioning has been restored.
There has been a request for a large-scale escort mission for the officials and merchants who will be helping with all this. Due to the clearing of the roads, the guild is a little understaffed. Should there be a movement of knights, the caravan was asking to be escorted."
'These merchants and officials were asking this because they knew something would change, and with change, a large number of knights would be re-allocated, giving them a chance to tag along. They sure are good at seeing ahead and spotting an opportunity. They had been able to judge just how much resources were allocated here, or maybe it was her, the new skilled recruit.'
She looked at her with wonder and said, "Within what period will they be willing to move?"
"I would say a few months, even in the year, there is still a lot of work to be done, this side, so there is no urgency."
She shook her hand and adjourned their meeting. "I will get back to you about the shifts that will be happening in the knights, and if a large-scale escort mission could be accommodated."