Part 4

--------------

Yggdrasil time [23:29] 

Boundary 

 

Without warning, the space beside Erwin began to distort. Suddenly, Ressavi’s form appeared, her arm now fully healed from the Medium. Her once purple hair had changed to a stark, muddy white, and her once bright red lips now appeared chapped and dry.

“I’m back,” she said, her eyes meeting Hadan’s with a sudden shock that washed over her expression like a wave of disbelief.

Hadan smiled, his response nonchalant, “Welcome back.”

“Wait, why the hell are you here, General Hadan?” Ressavi questioned, folding her arms as she approached. 

Hadan responded, approaching the lady and lowering his head. “The Moonfollowers said to return, and here we are.”

“All of the armies in the boundary?”

He straightened his back and answered, “Under the command of the Promus? Yes, Hidemanes, Gamireas, and Wallowingscars.”

“Hmm,” Ressavi let out a long hum, glancing at the egg before nodding to herself. She replied, ”Probably to escort the Divineness to the Labyrinth entrance?”

“That’s likely,” Hadan replied, following her gaze. “Seeing how the Divineness can go to the Boundary. It makes sense for all the Boundary armies of the Promus to return. But Boundary is more dangerous than Medium, and the transportation from here to the entrance takes twice as long.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Ressavi snapped her fingers. “Have you heard that the Eingre monster escaped the surveillance of the monitoring squads?”

“Yes, I saw it from the private board earlier. Wait, hold on. You’re not an officer, where did you get this information from?” 

“Thought you guys didn’t know,” Ressavi clicked her tongue, “Vanessa told me earlier.”

Hadan let out a sigh as he said, “She’s the Deputy Commander in chief, why would she disclose this information to you, especially to you?”

Erwin reassured with a wry smile, “She’s part of the Control team, so it should be fine. Anything she says tends to come out eventually. Oh, that reminds me, Ressavi, is the Commander still at it with the generals?”

Tilting her head, Ressavi replied without a care, “I’m not so sure. I didn’t see her around, so maybe?”

“I see. In that case, I suggest Hadan to refrain from going to Medium right now. General Arako and Escobar are facing punishment for almost causing the drowning of hundreds of thousand Seekers in Lake Tritonis.”

“Oh, that. I wasn’t involved in the decision to travel across the lake; it was a sudden decision they made. If anything, they should be replaced soon by more competent individuals. I’m competent, so it’s highly unlikely that I will be reprimanded by the commander, especially with the competent Bella.” Hadan claimed confidently.

“Right,” Erwin said, smiling.

Suddenly, Hadan sharply turned his head forward, his eyes scanning as if reading a holographic window that only he could see. Ressavi observed him, tilting her head in curiosity. 

“An emergency?” She asked,

“Not exactly, but I received a report about a monster attacking the secured perimeter the Gamireas is holding.” Hadan explained, “In addition, the Moonfollowers have officially designated the mission to the Major Base Promus.”

“Hehh,” Ressavi mused.

“What does it say?” Erwin cocked his head to Hadan, interested. 

While massaging his chin, Hadan explained, “It seems to be a plan outlining the escorts for the Divineness, along with various Pathway and contingency arrangements. The detailed plan is accessible through the private channel for Major Base Promus Commanding Seekers and Officers.”

Upon hearing those words, Erwin quickly accessed his player UI to enter the Expedition Tailgate Forums. He navigated through the numerous private threads until he found the section labeled Major Base Promus Commanding Seekers and Officers. As he was about to enter and look at the information, his attention was suddenly drawn to the red glowing object visible only to him, floating just within his reach.

Using his consciousness, he made all the holographic windows private, preventing the viewers of his stream from accessing the details provided by the Administrative Moonfollowers.

[-Dear Officers of Promus,

We hereby wish to formally notify you of significant adjustments made to the Army Commanding structure in light of the emergence of the Boundary. In response to this development, the provisional rank of Field Marshal Boundary has been instituted to effectively manage the Commanding Seekers of the Boundary. As a result, @Erwin has been temporarily appointed to the position of Field Marshal Boundary.

For those directly involved with the Boundary Seekers of Promus, we kindly request your immediate attention to the following directive: If there are any questions, please send them to Erwin (@Erwin), or his superior officer, Field Marshall Bella Montiri Gavela (@BellaOfRed).

We appreciate your continued contributions. 

Sincerely, 

Vivy,

Operator of Moonfollowers.]

Erwin’s eyes widened in shock as he read the holographic message displayed on the window. The words revealed significant additions to the army structure of Promus, along with detailed plans for the Divine Pathway Operations aimed at escorting the Divineness. He couldn’t believe what he had read, making him reread it twice, and thrice.

‘So they decided to make a change of the commanding structure right now rather than later.’ Erwin thought.

As the two fell silent to read the announcement, Ressavi pouted and approached Erwin from behind, curious about his reaction.

“Hey, you know. I’m not an officer,” she said with a curious tone, “but could you share some information with me?”

Erwin looked at Hadan, who responded with a shrug of his shoulder. Erwin, wearing a troubled expression, said, “I’m not so sure about that.”

“Is it important?”

“Quite.” Erwin immediately replied. 

Ressavi let out a long hum, “Hm,” before looking around. She spotted Lesny standing alone, silently  fiddling with her dark, shadowy hands as if she were busy with something on her player UI.

Seeing such, Ressavi’s lips curled into a sly smirk, she confidently took a step forward. In an instant, Erwin silently emerged from behind, his hand reaching out to grab her shoulders.

“Hyik!?” she let out a startled, garbled gasp.

Erwin’s voice lowered to a hushed whisper as he asked, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Sweat broke out on Ressavi’s forehead as she stammered, “Meeting Lesny? Um, why are you stopping me?”

“Just meeting?” Erwin asked with a hint of accusation and disbelief. 

“Yeah?”

Erwin let out a heavy sigh. “Don’t bother Lesny with this nonsense.”

Hadan abruptly interrupted their chatter, saying, “Oh? It seems like I will be going now. I got called by General Mayer to assist in securing the perimeters.”

“Did something happen?” Ressavi asked, swiveling her head to Hadan.

“I’m not so certain, but from what I can see in Gramireas’ Private Channels, it seems they’ve been engaging with those Forsinses Blob Monsters,” Hadan replied, with a mock gim tone in his voice.

“Forsinses Blobs? That’s quite bad. Does anyone know how to eliminate those things in the first place?” Erwin asked.

Avoiding Erwin’s gaze, he turned and replied, “Not that I know of, except for redirecting their presence to another area. I’ll work with the Gramireas general to divert them until the Divine recovers. Is that good?”

“Sure? Nothing much is happening in the Boundary, but continue your usual reports.” Erwin replied. 

Hadan nodded in response, saluting in the formal Aetherian military style by clenching his fist to his chest. Erwin acknowledged the gesture with a nod of his own. 

Hadan started running, with each step, the Boundary’s water splashed, and at a certain distance, his figure immediately disappeared.

“What’s that all about? Did you get some kind of promotion or something? Or is it because he's gonna die?” Ressavi asked.

“Who knows? He’s a competent man with many members under his command. I doubt he will, although he did die once. He is competent enough to learn from his past mistakes.” Erwin remarked.

Erwin’s gaze shifted towards the egg, which emitted a vibrant red glow, now accompanied by an intense mirage of green aura, replacing the once-blazing blue sparks. A swirling mist of black fog surrounded the egg, while the Boundary’s water increased the amount of bubbles accumulated around it. Despite the intensified visuals, there was no sound or shift in temperature; the air remained constantly cold.

As Erwin continued to observe the strange phenomenon, Ressavi followed his gaze and inquired, “What is happening with the egg?”

Erwin dazed as he recalled the moment, “I can’t say for certain, but when Vanessa tested her ability to resurrect earlier this evening, her egg began pulsating and emitting white light. Eventually, it transformed into a steady glow, marked with a massive black circle. It was like witnessing an egg undergo a solar eclipse - very strange. What’s even more strange is the contrast between the Phoenix sisters; the Divineness had a different response compared to Vanessa’s resurrection test.”

Upon hearing this, Ressavi responded with a nod, letting out a long, thoughtful hum. “But it’s definitely reacting, so it must be okay, right? How long did it take for Vanessa to revive, anyways?”

Erwin closed his eyes as if recalling his memories, “At about 5 minutes and 44 seconds after the first reaction.”

“Then her Divineness now?”

“It's been 5 minutes and 12 seconds.”

“Should be soon, no?” 

Suddenly, a bright glow emanated from the egg, spreading outwards and affecting the Boundary’s water. The temperature fell deathly cold, causing even the surrounding waters to freeze. 

“RETREAT!” He shouted, his voice echoing through the crowd.

He swiftly retreated to an unaffected spot, positioning himself a few meters away from the egg, with Ressavi and the other seekers following. Suddenly, the surroundings  were enveloped in absolute darkness, the only source of light coming from the eerie red glow of the egg and a mirage-like light that resembled auroras with an otherworldly luminescence above the skies.

Confusion spread among the seekers as the unexpected event unfolded. Then, a ray of light emitted from the egg, bathing the entire area in its glow. The sudden shift in the Boundary caught everyone off guard, prompting them to look skyward and witness the white skies.

As the ray of light slowly disappeared, and the freezing ice unnaturally turned back into liquid as the temperatures returned to normal. The white skies turned black, becoming the usual skies of the Boundary.

“Perhaps it's finished?” Erwin muttered under his breath.

Then, the bluish waters suddenly began to swirl around the egg, creating a whirlpool of waves. Slowly, the swirling water approached the egg, shaping itself into a blue sphere.

The nearby seekers witnessed the phenomenon with great interest. After the formation of the blue sphere, it gradually solidified, crystallizing before their eyes. Curious by the results, Erwin began approaching the egg.

‘I might be wrong, but it seems likely that both the Phoenix sisters manipulate surrounding photons during their resurrection. Vanessa requires a strong reflection of light since she resurrects at night, while direct sunlight may prevent her resurrection. 

Similarly, the Divineness needs… Perhaps the light of the Boundary? The Boundary is different from the Medium, after all. Which means blocking these sources of light, or creating artificial lights during their death, might prevent their resurrection.’ Erwin thought, ‘Another contingency plan to consider.’

As Erwin approached the egg, he noticed the glowing light penetrating through the crystallized shell. Within, he discerned a dark silhouette slowly taking shape, as if fingers were delicately placed at the other side of the shell before gradually forming into a humanoid shadow.

Erwin’s face lit up as he exclaimed, “She’s alive!”

Suddenly, a hand protruded from the crystallized blue shell, appearing almost like a delicate membrane. It tore the soft shell apart despite its crystal appearance, and the bluish liquid spilled out. As the tear extended, it revealed the being within.

It was the Divineness Alice.

“Good morning, your Divineness” 

Those were the thoughts that drifted into Alicia’s drowsy mind, and she felt her body weakened to an incredible extent, almost comparable to the moments when she had awakened from her slumber.

Struggling with the weight of her body, she leaned against the shell, which unexpectedly turned extremely soft and collapsed under her weight, creating a pillow-like bedding beneath her fall.

“Your Divineness?!” Erwin panicked, rushing over to Alicia.

As he rushed over, he saw Alicia sitting on the soft shell with one knee up with her hand supporting her swaying head. Erwin stopped at his feet as silence settled between them. Meanwhile, Ressavi, who has been observing, grew curious of the sudden quiet and decided to approach.

Erwin cleared his throat, catching the attention of the Divineness, who turned her head while still resting on her arms. He straightened his posture before greeting her once more, “Good morning, your Divineness.”

Alicia stayed silent.

“Um, your Divineness? Good morning?” He tried again.

“Ah, yes. Good morning, or is it? The sky is still dark. Why am I awake?” The Divineness’s voice sounded groggy.

“Um, Divine—” 

“Where is my cup?” 

“The what?” 

“Ah, no. Not that. Could you give me some space for a moment? I need to take a moment to wake up.” Alicia suggested.

Erwin nodded and turned around to see Lesny tilting her head, silently inquiring. He gestured subtly, creating a circle with his index finger and thumb to signal that there were no problems and whispered. 

Erwin speculated, “I think she might need some time alone to concentrate on inspecting her body, or something.”

Ressavi nodded silently before turning on her heel and approaching Lesny, who seemed uninterested in the current situation. Suddenly, a holographic window appeared in front of Erwin; it was a call from Vanessa. Without hesitation, Erwin accepted it.

“Sup?” Erwin said.

(I’M WATCHING THE STREAM, SHE RESURRECTED! SHE’S BAD AT MORNINGS! DON’T LET HER RETURN SLEEPING!) Vanessa’s voice pierced into his mind.

In a hurry, Erwin turned around and saw the Divine sleeping on her knees. “I have some bad news…”

(OH MY GOD!) Vanessa screeched. 

Following Vanessa’s scream, Erwin was struck by an astonishingly loud sigh that left him bewildered. 

(Send her back to the Medium without waking her up,) Vanessa declared before abruptly ending the call.

Erwin shifted his gaze toward the two women engrossed in conversation. Just as he was about to interject, a small holographic window materialized in the corner of his eyes, capturing his attention. 

At first, he considered ignoring it, yet he was engulfed by a sense of unease. Observing the flashing holographic symbol, he recognized it as a super chat donation. He then proceeded to slowly approach the ladies, all the while reading the super chat.

He silently pondered, ‘A golden super chat. I have a bad feeling about this.’

Erwin opened his livestream chat window, which was divided into five smaller sections: Control Team Sort, Moonfollowers, Donation chat log, and Erwin’s Followers, along with an all-chat function.

A donation of the super chat flashed on several windows within the chat, and disappeared quickly except for one particular window - the Control Team Sort Chat. Erwin’s attention was drawn to a significant donation of 100k ISD from Prince Shenie.

[Write a human-dick on her face, I will pay you 900k if you do.]

Erwin let out a tired sigh, “Prince Shin, I’ve told you before, I don’t want to draw you again.”

Suddenly, another 100k ISD donation from Shenei, along with a message stating, [What the fuck? How dare you? I will cancel our contract!]

“Even if you did, our main goal is for charity anyways, of which your donation totalled 1.4 million, which is more than our contract.” Erwin reminded.

Another 100k ISD donation came in from Shenei. [That’s true.]

Swiftly another 1.3 million ISD donation came in. [Another 1.3 million ISD. Now draw dick on her face.]

Erwin sighed and barely acknowledged the donation, saying, “Thank you for the donation! We’ve reached our goal for the charity!”

[I will donate 500k ISD if you ban Shin from your stream] Vanessa’s donation came in with 50k ISD super chat.

Shenie’s ironic donation of 500k came with a message [Too funny. I will donate 10 million ISD if you ban Vanessa.]

As Erwin averted his gaze away from the chat window, it eventually disappeared from view. He arrived behind Lesny, who seemed to be standing still as if engrossed by their conversation. 

“Hey, Lesny!”

Her shadowy form jolted as if startled by Erwin’s shout, and she turned her to face him,  all her glowing dark red balls fixed on him. 

He continued, “Could you please send the Divine to the Medium?”

Lesny nodded silently and glided towards the Divineness. As she reached the figure, she turned her head, and several of her crimson orbs appeared to be fixated on the blue shell.

“Cute…” Ressavi muttered under her breath.

Noticing this, Erwin said, “Leave the shell behind for now, I will assign someone to research the egg later.”

With specific instruction in mind, Lesny continued. Spotting this, Erwin nodded to himself before commanding his augment to enter the Medium.