Eternal Elysium

Walking out of the cabin with a sour mood, Summer clicked her tongue.

"Not do it again? Like hell! How can I even blast a hill? Is that guy retarded? No, he is. I am sure that curly-haired baboon!"

Chris sighed, his voice barely a whisper.

"Summer, keep your voice down, will you? If that guy heard you, only the goddess will know where we will be sent for the next expedition!"

"Huh? So what?! We were sent to this forsaken place as punishment, not because we wanted to. I have every right to curse them!" Summer snickered, her voice louder than before as they walked through the gravel-paved roads.

Enzo stayed silent and then nodded with a small smile.

"Well, curse that guy as much as you want. Today we should be getting a new captain; he can't be worse than this guy, right?"

After the case regarding Elric was sorted out and it was proven that they had been forced to follow his words under the pressure of the contract, Enzo and his team were not turned into prisoners.

But clearly they were not left unpunished.

The Temple gave them another contract, one Enzo especially hated. It was to go to Kalista and work here until a special mission was over, and the most gruesome part? No one knew what the mission was. They had said they would send one more person later, after them, who would lead them.

If it were a normal job offer, he would have outright rejected it, but sadly, he could not go against the Temple's order.

"Ah, right. Who is that guy anyway? It's already night here… maybe?" Chris said with an uncertain tone as he looked at the grey sky.

This was one of the reasons why dead zones were uninhabitable places. Especially Kalista, as the sky, no matter what time of day, remained grey, making it impossible to tell the time and follow the day-night cycle.

Enzo followed his gaze and looked at the grey sky with a solemn face. His hair was neatly combed in a bun at the back, while his face was now washed after coming back from outside the wall.

"I don't know who he is," Enzo said, shaking his head. "But Commander Alos said he should be here by tonight."

"Hope he is not a bitch like them…" Summer whispered and rubbed her palms, her bronze skin almost giving a picturesque look under the grey sky.

But then she suddenly froze; her gaze moved to look at the towering black walls surrounding the camp.

At the very top, a lone figure stood in silence—his obsidian-black hair fluttered in the air along with his dark cloak.

'What the…? Who is he? How did he get there?' Summer thought with a dazed look.

The walls surrounding the camp were anything but small; if she were to compare it to any building, she would compare it to a tower built in city walls to look outside. The only way to climb them was through heavily guarded stairs. Even the captains avoided going up, but Summer was sure he was not a captain. She had not seen him before, after all.

She turned back to see Enzo and Chris looking at the man with suspicion.

"...Should we call the others?" Chris whispered.

Summer didn't speak and looked in the direction the mysterious man had been staring at.

Very far from the base stood a group of mountains—barren and empty.

But even amidst them was a peculiar exception.

A charcoal-like mountain with dead trees filling its bottom, and at the top was a volcano. Dark smoke came out of it, covering the region in darkness.

But then he turned his gaze away and looked at her.

Her heart dropped, and her breathing quickened as she took a step back.

The man's eyes were clear as they stared at her with a silvery hue present in them.

Unconsciously, they all tensed up, and Summer raised her finger in his direction, ready to attack.

And then—

"Eh?" She gasped as the man jumped from the wall.

As he descended to the ground, he kicked the sky, using it like a staircase, and slowly landed on his feet.

"It's nice to meet all of you," he said calmly and started walking towards them.

"Sir, are you the new captain?" Enzo asked, seeing the military uniform underneath the man's cloak.

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The man smiled, his silver eyes lighting up in joy.

"Indeed, I am Asher. The captain of the newly established eleventh division… which you all are going to be part of."

***

'Strange is a small word to describe this place.'

This thought could sum up this entire location if not for the randomness of the monster attacks.

Kalista was divided into three regions—the central base, the west base, and the east base. Each base protected different regions located far from each other.

Currently, I am at the central base after a long journey. Even then, there was no train or carriage that could come here, so a big chunk of time was spent traveling on foot.

I walked toward the direction from which Enzo and his team had been staring at me for some time now.

I greeted them, but I could see the wariness present on their faces.

"Sir, are you the new captain?" Enzo asked, his voice calm and collected like usual, but even I could see through the building tension underneath his words.

'I am an honorary captain, but I don't think I need to say this.'

"Indeed, I am Asher. The captain of the newly established eleventh division… which you all are going to be part of." I said with a warm smile. Being aware of their cautious nature, I had decided that maintaining a friendly approach would be more beneficial in the long run.

Enzo nodded, his black eyes turning sharp as he heard me.

"I see. Let me introduce myself. I am Enzo, and they are—"

"Summer. And that man standing there is my brother Chris." Summer quipped in, her words cutting Enzo off in the middle of his words as she pointed to the man standing at the back. His skin, similar to hers, held a bronze look, albeit he was a head taller and much more muscular than she was.

I nodded and stared at the camp for a moment, noticing the influx of people moving from one place to the other.

The central base was surrounded by towering black walls, and inside the buildings were made from large stones and metal, while still not as big as those in Atlas.

But even then, not all buildings were made of stone and metal; many were makeshift shelters made of wood and camps set up by tent in a hurry.

I could tell at a glance that it was a strategic choice to show efficiency and maybe not to waste the scarce amount of resources present here.

Then, turning to look back at them, I said in a commanding voice.

"Meet me in my cabin in two hours. I will first go and report to the commander of my presence."I said as I looked around the camp once more before turning around and walking away from them.

As I left them, I could feel their eyes burning into my back, but I didn't let it affect me. They were right to be suspicious; after all, I was a complete stranger to them.

'Even though they already know me... Or at least my other persona.'

Keeping it a secret was not my intention, but I also had no reason to tell them. If they find it out, that's fine, but if not, then it will remain a secret as it was supposed to.

As I walked through the gravel-filled roads, I could feel various gazes over me. Some of the soldiers, resting outside one of the buildings, moved towards me.

Their gaze was sharp and heavy as they stared me down, inspecting me. All wore light armor, made of black and white materials, a type of bodysuit that the guild and kingdom provided.

It has its use; as compared to normal clothes, they were more robust and adaptable to the weather. Along with the fact that they provided excellent support and protection, their movement made them even better than any armor sold in the market.

Even the uniform given to me by the temple was the same, albeit a bit better than theirs.

"Identify yourself." "One of the soldiers said," his hand grabbing the hilt of his sword.

'Why is everyone asking me this?' I tilted my head in confusion and looked down at my attire.

Was the uniform not clear enough?

I sighed, my gaze turning sharp as I pointed to my uniform underneath the cloak.

"Asher, captain of the eleventh division."

The man frowned; his companions whispered something into his ears, with a small smirk playing on their lips.

Their efforts to intimidate me were obvious.

"There is no eleventh division!"

"Yeah, there is now. Take me to the commander... "Uh, what is your name?" I said, my voice a lot calmer than I expected.

The soldier's grip on his sword loosened a bit, and then he nodded. Hearing the word "commander,"

"...Sir, I am Bob." He said, with a shaky voice, and then turned his head to look back.

"Ah..." he gasped.

His friends had run away.

"Is there any problem, Bob?"

"N-no, Sir. Uh, let me guide you." He said and started walking ahead.

I followed him, understanding his plight. Talking rudely with your superior and trying to intimidate him was not the best thing a soldier should do.

'He must be new.'

Reaching the center after ten minutes of walking, I saw a large building. From the outside, it looked similar to that of a cuboid with a minimum number of windows and soldiers moving around to guard it.

With a small sigh, I let Bob go as he had started to turn pale in fear.

I walked inside and passed through the strict security, this time making sure my uniform was out in the open with my cloak open.

And then—

My eyes turned to look at the woman walking past me; her eyes held a dazzling look, and her blue hair flowed down like a river.

'Is she also a captain?' I thought as suddenly she turned her gaze to me.

'Oh, crap!'

I swiftly turned my head away, a little embarrassed from staring at her for too long.

I sped up, my steps finally bringing me near the commander's office.

I could feel someone staring at me from behind, but I chose to ignore it.

Knock—

Someone opened the door. From inside, I saw a woman with a clipboard in her hand, as she nodded and let me in before leaving.

"I assume you are Asher?"

A stern, slightly grumpy voice reached my ears. I turned toward the middle-aged man with white hair and a rough, unkempt beard. Even seated, his presence was imposing—tall, broad-shouldered, and solid with strength.

"Yes, Sir. I am Asher. It's a pleasure meeting you." I lowered my head, performing a small bow.

The man nodded.

"I am Alos Greast, the commander of the central base. I have heard a lot about you. Lady Morgana has praised you highly. She seems to hold a lot of expectations regarding you, Captain Asher. Something very rare, I must say."

Alos' words were sharp, yet seemed to hold the wisdom of years. I wondered if even this small talk held some meaning to him.

"Your praise is all I could ever ask for, Commander Alos," I said politely and tried to keep a poker face.

"I assume you have been filled in regarding your job here?" he asked, raising his brows together.

I nodded.

"Yes, Sir. I have been told that I need to lead a team as scouts and support the other squads in between."

Alos stayed silent, the room going eerie as he suddenly asked in a cold voice.

"Is that all?"

"Yes… that's all." I replied, showing a confused look.

'Do you really expect me to tell you everything, old man?'

I knew what he was trying to ask me—my real reason for coming here. But seeing his serious and cold expression, I had a feeling he had a guess, and maybe he was correct.