CHAPTER 48: CHAPTER 47 – THE SKY ABOVE (PART 1)

Chapter 47 – The Sky Above (Part 1)

Liliana was stunned for a second; she never thought Jack would actually play into her question. She was simply teasing him a bit, since his reactions were always amusing and entertaining. She liked how subtle his emotions were, which kept her constantly staring into his eyes, trying to pick up the pieces to finish the puzzle that was Jack.

Even after spending an entire day with him, she still hadn’t seen him have a strong reaction to anything — even when he was facing near death, which had happened more than once. Jack simply didn’t seem to care that much about his own well-being.

Yet somehow, this same kid had suddenly embraced her and told her that she was "irritatingly attractive," right to her face. She could even feel his breath against her skin as he spoke. Gasping slightly, she blinked before pulling herself away.

"Well, ehem, it is of course obvious that you would find me attractive," she said, trying not to look at him as she floated up. "There is not a single being in this world that wouldn’t find me attractive to them."

"Hm, and you aren’t married or in a relationship?" Jack asked.

"Of course not."

"Why is that?"

"Because nobody piqued my curiosity. All of them are the same — arrogant, power-hungry idiots with no redeeming qualities. All they can think about is how they can gain the best of everything and never truly appreciate anything. So that ended up with me turning down emperors, extremely strong awakeners, and even clan heads of the biggest clans in all realms."

"..." Jack squinted visibly. "Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to you if you accepted one of these offers?"

"And spend my life with a worthless person? Absolutely not. I will choose my lover myself," she said as she tapped her chest. "A man who would be my everything. I will give him the world on a Mithril plate if he wishes for it."

Seeing the determined look on Liliana’s face, Jack found her idea rather understandable. No one wished misfortune upon themselves, and this demoness clearly didn’t prioritize power and position over her own pleasure. She was a seeker of satisfaction more than anything.

’Very fitting of a demon, I suppose.’ Jack exhaled before turning around. "Well, I wish you luck in finding said man. I’m sure he’s out there somewhere waiting for you to find him."

"I’m not putting much hope on that, Jack," Liliana replied. "If fate wishes for me to find my other half, I shall find him even if he’s hidden in the darkest of worlds."

"Mhm..." Jack hummed as he finally started closing his eyes. "Maybe you will..."

"Do you think it will happen, Jack?" Liliana sat next to him on the bed, this time not teasing him, instead staring down, seemingly feeling a bit somber.

"My answer wouldn’t change anything..."

"But it feels nice to know that someone thinks it is possible." She smiled bitterly. "Knowing I’m not the only one who believes that..."

"..."

"Jack?" Liliana called for him again. However, the boy didn’t respond — instead, she heard faint and rhythmic breathing. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Jack had completely fallen asleep.

Her eyes widened slightly before a faint, warm smile appeared on her face. "Falling asleep while talking to someone... So rude of you~" She giggled before leaning in, putting her lips next to his ear as she whispered, "You did great today, Jack. Now, sleep tightly, and may tomorrow be a better day."

With that, she leaned back and simply sat there, staring outside through the small window.

"Perhaps one day..."

***

That night was quiet. The sky was clear, and the shiny stars twinkled brightly. It was arguably the clearest night the city had seen in a very long time. The gusts of wind carried the cold temperatures across the hollow city. There were no movements, no sounds except for the occasional scream of a monster or the fall of debris from buildings.

Everything seemed to have come to a standstill after a very long and eventful day. Yet nobody could fully relax. The fear of monsters was still very prominent and very much alive. What if something attacks? What if it’s a flying creature? What if it’s a giant bug?

Nobody really knew what could happen. A quiet moment, as precious as it was, only further pushed the nerves and tightened hearts. Yet, against all odds, exhaustion always emerged victorious — and the base fell asleep that night.

Hours ticked by slowly as the night reached its darkest moments, and the temperatures plummeted to freezing degrees.

Then, and only then, around three in the morning, something happened.

BADUMP

It was subtle — almost unnoticeable. But for those who did notice, the sound and the feeling were akin to that of a loud beating heart. It reverberated through their very bones as if it were their own.

BADUMP

The second beat was stronger and more pronounced, reaching every corner of the world. It woke up animals and sensitive creatures.

BADUMP

The third beat, however, changed everything. As if it were a giant burst of energy, a large wave of pure Aether swept across the entire world out of nowhere like an unstoppable tsunami. If the second beat was an alarm, then the third was a siren — a warning that shook every awakener to the very core.

SWISH

Jack snapped awake as he felt his body slammed with immense amounts of energy. Rolling off the bed, he hit the ground roughly before quickly rising to his feet.

"What the hell is going on?!" he cursed as he looked around, shaken to the core. He couldn’t see anything out of order, but he had just felt it — that pure Aether had crashed into his body out of nowhere.

His eyes darted to Evan and Luna, who had also fallen to the ground.

"Huh?"

"What is going on?"

The two woke up, completely confused.

"Pick your weapons up! Something is happening!" Jack ordered. "Liliana, what is it? What did I just feel?"

"Hm, you should probably take a look outside, Jack," Liliana said. "It has begun."

"What has begun?"

Without wasting another breath, Jack climbed up and peeked through the window — and his entire body froze. His eyes widened, his breath caught in his throat, and his heart stopped for a moment.

His eyes reflected colorful lights and scenes that even the most imaginative of minds could not put into words.

"What... the actual..."

"J-Jack...?" Luna wiped her eyes and stared at her companion.

"..."

"What is happening?"

The boy didn’t reply as his teeth clenched slowly. "Goddammit... God fucking dammit..."

His expression twisted into anger as he quickly turned around, grabbed his sword, and ran out of the room. "Pick your weapons up and follow me! This is bad. This is really fucking bad."

"..."

Seeing the complete disarray on Jack’s face, the two felt chills run down their spines. They quickly took their weapons and ran out. The entire base had woken up to the guttural beating.

Confusion spread like wildfire as people screamed and cried, not knowing what was happening. Running to the main lounge, they found soldiers scurrying in panic, trying to figure out the source of the chaos.

"Luna! Evan!"

There, they found Alex and Emi, who were also alerted.

"What is going on? Where is Jack?"

"I don’t know. Something’s happening outside," Evan replied.

Meanwhile, Luna’s eyes were fixed on the door, which now stood open. She rushed toward it, chasing her friend — only to come to a sudden halt as the bright lights finally consumed her vision.

The sky... was odd.