Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 270  Angel of Sorrow [1]

The Megrail Estate was located at the very edge of the city. It was separated from the city, built on a fairly large island in the middle of a lake with a long bridge connecting to it. Lined up around the estate were several dozen guards dressed in white. "....It's been a while since I've worn something like this." I carefully shifted the tie on my neck. It was rather tight. "You've worn this before?" Leon's voice sounded from behind. Turning around, I glanced at his clothes. They were similar to mine, and he too looked rather uncomfortable in them. "I have." ".....That explains why you were able to put it on so quickly." Leon nodded quietly.

Judging from his reaction, the previous Julien must've probably never worn a suit. Though he knew that the previous Julien was no longer here, he tended to compare the two of us from time to time. "Where are the others?" Leon asked as he looked around. "Inside." At least, Aoife was. Because of her special status, she went ahead by herself. According to her, she needed to greet a few important people. 'Makes sense.'

At the same time, I started to feel pity for her. I would've died from exhaustion had I been in her position. "Ukah..! Ah!" A certain groan attracted my attention, and when I turned my head, I spotted a familiar figure stumbling her way in our direction. Dressed in a white dress that perfectly accentuated her white hair, and seemed strangely elegant for her, Kiera wobbled on the spot as she tried her best to walk on heels. "Careful..." "Careful my ass!" Helping her was none other than Evelyn who was dressed in a purple one-piece outfit. "...Why do I have to wear this shit in the first place? This is ridiculous." "Shhh! Don't swear here... Don't forget where we are." "Ah, fuck!" "Hey! Stop swearing!" Leon and I exchanged glances as the two forced their way past us. Just as they were about to cross us, Kiera stopped and glared at Leon who was looking at her strangely. "What are you looking at?" ".....Nothing." Kiera's eyes narrowed, but things ended there as she left. Staring at her departing back, I adjusted my tie before thinking of something as I turned to look at Leon. "Say, what did the tie say to the hat?" "....?" Leon blinked. Then, as if realizing what was happening, his eyes widened as he frantically shook his head. Shake. Shake. Shake. 'Don't do it.'

So he seemed to say as his eyes turned bloodshot. He looked pitiful. Perhaps, he was, but... "You go on a head; I'll just hang around!"

"....Fuck!!"

*

Massive chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, casting a grand light over the room. Tall white pillars stood on either side, supporting the massive structure. The surroundings were loud as the main hall was littered with all sorts of people. They all seemed to be dressed in different types of clothing, indicating their different origins. As I entered the place, my eyes wandered everywhere as I took in the sight before me. Intricate mosaics adorned the ceiling, depicting the Empire's storied history and bloodshed.

In particular, a certain scene caught my eye. A familiar red-haired man. He stood alone in the mosaic. Opposite him were thousands upon thousands of different dark creatures. They stared ominously in his direction. A certain thought crossed my mind as I stared at the mosaic. 'Just how much of it was true, and how much was it was fake?' There were stories that mentioned the fact that the first Emperor had once reached the Zenith, but was that really the case? ....No, maybe they were true, but how much of it was due to Atlas? "What are you thinking so deeply about?" "It's nothing." Tearing my gaze away from the mosaic, I looked at Leon. He was staring at me with a peculiar look. Then, raising his head to look at the mosaic, he mumbled, "I think I've heard about that fight before. Something about how Bremmer was built. I don't quite recall it." "Oh, yeah."

I did hear about that story, but never really paid attention to it. The history of the Empire never truly interested me in the past, but all of a sudden, things were different.

I started to understand that the world I was seeing had many different layers to it.

Layers that I had yet to uncover.

....The history of this world was a lot more complicated than I thought, and the inner workings behind the history ran extremely deep. It made me wonder if the same was true for the other Empires. 'At least, I now understand how the ring ended up going into the Archbishop's hands.' I had always wondered how something so precious had fallen under his hands, but in the end, the reason for it was that the ring had been buried in the rubble of what once was the Empire of Nothingness. Would he recognize it if he saw it...? I didn't think so in the past since Delilah had taken care of it, but now...? ….Eventually, it fell into the hands of the Archbishop and then me. Staring at the inconspicuous ring on my finger, I had mixed feelings about it. Especially when taking into consideration how Atlas was the one responsible for its downfall. Would he recognize it if he saw it...? I didn't think so in the past since Delilah had taken care of it, but now...? I wasn't so sure anymore. Was Delilah even stronger than him? "Haa." I sighed at the thought. All of a sudden, the sense of dread that was slowly closing in on me intensified, closing in on me at a faster rate than before. Time...

I was running out of it. 'Right, the diary…'

There were still pages that I had yet to read. Perhaps, I would find a way to buy myself more time. The way things were going, I was set for failure. "It's nice to see you two, here."

My hand froze at the sound of Atlas's voice.

Turning around, I saw him approaching with a glass cup in his hand. Dressed in a distinctive regal white suit, he looked incredible, drawing attention wherever he went.

"Why are the two of you here by yourselves? It's good if you go interact with the people from the other Empire. It's the entire reason why we arrange a Summit like this."

He had a warm smile on his face as he addressed the two of us.

In the past, I wouldn't have thought much of it, but as of right now, every single one of his actions threw me off. Still, I had no choice but to put on a facade.

"…That's true, but I was just taking my time admiring the place. It's quite nice."

"It is, isn't it?"

Atlas smiled as he looked at me.

The moment his gaze fell on me, I felt my legs grow weak. It suddenly felt like he could see through every secret of mine. But despite the feeling, I remained firm and didn't show any sign of discomfort.

"Would you excuse us?"

This was until he addressed Leon as he nudged his head in my direction.

"…."

Leon didn't answer and just looked at me.

I stared at him for a few seconds before nodding. Only then did Leon go, leaving the two of us standing together. "He's quite loyal to you."

"….He is."

"That's nice."

Atlas mumbled with a faint smile. Then, as his gaze fell on me once more, he pressed his hand against my shoulder.

"Is there something wrong? You seem a little on edge lately." My heart sank.

It felt as though he was onto me, and my toes curled inwardly. I continued to do my best to not show my nervousness. Feigning ignorance, I calmly addressed him. "….Yes? Does it seem that way?"

"Hmm."

Atlas's eyes gleamed slightly before he looked away.

I thought he was going to leave things there when Atlas spoke again, and my stomach flipped.

"There's a certain smell coming from your body. No, not just you…"

He looked around with narrowed eyes.

"It seems to be coming from every one of you. It didn't use to be there, but I can smell it… it's an unpleasant smell."

With narrow eyes, he looked at me.

"I already heard the gist of what happened from the reports, but I want to hear it from you."

"…."

Suddenly, the surroundings turned extremely suffocating as I struggled to keep my breath in check as tremendous pressure seemed to give out from Atlas's body.

I knew it was just my imagination as he didn't release any real pressure, but it felt that was as his mouth parted open to ask, "….Were you injected with a certain blood during the incident? Since—"

The world froze halfway through his sentence. 'Uh…?'

Stunned, I looked around me. As if all color had been removed from the world, I found myself standing alone in the hall.

Before I had any chance to understand what was going on, everything shattered and my vision turned black.

"….."

When my consciousness returned, I found myself standing before a tall and ominous statue. It depicted the image of an angel.

The statue stood tall, looming where I was as its dark exterior blended with the gray backdrop of the world. Its wings, made of dark feathers, were spread wide. Almost as if they were trying to embrace me.

Standing beneath the statue, I felt a sense of insignificance... In particular when my gaze fell on the angel's face which was filled with sorrow as its hollow eyes bore down on me from above. With its arm extended slightly, palms out, it pleaded silently at me. 'Pleaded...?'

By now, I was already aware that this was a vision. I wasn't exactly sure why the vision occurred now of all times, but I made sure to seal everything that was happening in my mind.

The world was gray, and a white sun hung in the distance.

'….The Mirror Dimension.' n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

I realized where I was rather quickly.

But… I was more curious about something else.

The statue before me, what was it? ...And why was I being shown it? Cr Creak—! A cracking sound suddenly echoed. It was faint, but it was enough to freeze my entire body. Slowly, my head lowered as something appeared within the palms of the statue. Drip...! Drip. Blood dripped from its fingers, pooling on the ground beneath.

With both hands cupped together, a head rested on its hands. It was a familiar head, and the moment I stared at it, my mind shivered. How? How was this possible...?! My hands felt wet all of a sudden, and when I lowered my hands, my mind paused as my entire body stopped moving. It coudln't be that I... '….'

I stood like that for as long as I could remember until eventually, light returned to my eyes and I found myself standing back in the hall.

A notification flashed not long after that, but I didn't pay much attention to it.

[ ◆ Main Quest Activated: Angel of Sorrow] : Character Progression + 377%

: Game Progression + 14%

Failure

: Calamity 1 + 22%

: Calamity 2 + 16%

: Calamity 3 + 15%

My only focus was on a single person, and single person only.

"…Are you sure you're alright? You don't seem to be alright."

It was none other than Atlas.

Staring at him, my mouth grew dry. The vision replayed in my mind, and my heart stopped beating. The noise in the background faded, and everything around me moved in slow motion. Raising my head up again to stare at Atlas, the surrounding background changed back to that of the Mirror Dimension. The statue appeared again, and so did... My head as it rested over the hands of the statue. "H-ho." What in the world...? Looking up, my eyes fell on Atlas. He was looking at me in confusion, and despite the many thoughts that were crossing my mind, my mouth opened to speak, "Statue of Sorrow..." I mumbled quietly. "....Do you have any idea of it?" 

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