Eternal Elysium

Time: Unknown.

In a cold and empty hallway, the sound of steps echoed as a figure walked through it.

It was Lenz holding a sword in his hand.

He swung it once as the blade rippled through the air and gave a faint smile.

"This one is better."

He said, satisfied with its performance.

As he again started to walk forward again, he looked back.

No one was there.

Lenz frowned, his brows furrowed together.

"Was I mistaken?"

Tak—

Tak—

Tak—

He again carried himself forward, his steps becoming louder and louder.

Then a throbbing sensation filled his chest. He placed one hand over his chest as sweat trickled down his neck, sending a shiver down his spine.

Then as he came close to a window, his steps halted.

Just then a cold wind, a strong wind, came hitting the window panels, bursting them open.

Lenz staggered back, his eyes wide open.

Outside he saw a tornado take shape in the air not far from the base. The storm of wind was not formed by nature but by someone he knew.

His eyes remained steady as he saw a fight break out in the mountain chains, a dark withering power clashing with the winds, sending shock waves around.

Suddenly he again turned to look back, feeling a presence behind him.

A shadow loomed at the corner of a wall; someone was hiding there.

Lenz held his sword tightly and raised it in the air.

"Who is it? Show your face."

He asked with a commanding voice.

Then the shadow flickered, and the presence of the hiding figure expanded. Lenz's hand shook slightly as his face went pale white, a dreadful feeling gripping his heart tightly.

The shadow that had looked small now covered his entire being as the hiding figure showed itself.

At first Lenz looked at the figure in a daze; even confusion was evident on his face.

He wanted to speak, to say his stern words like usual, but couldn't bring himself to as the figure smiled.

Suddenly a pressure descended on Lenz's body. The sword left his grip, falling down with a metallic ting. Then with a gasp, Lenz's knees buckled down, hitting the cold floor as he watched the being in front of him.

His mind went blank as he gripped his face tightly, trying to scream, only for his voice to get cut off. As his nails dug deeper inside his face, blood started to appear, soon filling his hand and face crimson.

His sanity finally went bleak as his mind was crushed before fog filled it completely. An illusory power spread around as a jaw appeared from the hidden figure's face—something that looked nonexistent and bit him.

No sound was made, as no one survived.

As the mysterious power trailed through the hallway before vanishing completely, Lenz, now lying on the floor, stood up. His pupils, unlike before, were now white, dull, and hollow with a dreadful creepiness inside them.

Soon his eyes shivered under the watchful gaze of the figure; his eyes dilated back to normal.

They both smiled, looking at each other.

One was natural, while the other felt foreign, even forced.

The blood covering Lenz's face and hands slowly vanished, going under his skin like insects crawling in as he lifted his fallen with creaky movements.

Now one and the same, a single voice came from their mouths in sync.

"Now… get… back… to… work… me."

***

Walking around, I first moved toward the medical wing.

The place opened up as I entered a hall. The place was white and serene. A strange scent like that of timber wood entered my nostrils as I walked forward toward the stairs.

Above it was the same as down below.

Doctors wearing white would move across the hallway along with their assistant and helpers, grabbing several things. They walked with precise and fast steps as if they were out of time.

I watched all this happen from the corner of the hallway.

After a few seconds of watching the commotion, I placed my hands inside my jacket and started to move again.

It was time to start searching for the clues.

The first thing I needed to find was who was killed and whose existence got erased from people's memories.

There was still a foreboding in my mind that the Plague might be aware of me getting rid of his influence, but I soon removed that feeling.

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I was not directly attacked by his ability after all. The loss of memory, or more like those vague memories, is the side effect of Plague's partial erasure. Maybe if the Plague had directly targeted me, it would have been a different thing altogether.

I wanted to avoid confronting it directly.

No, I didn't even wish to see it.

Everyone seems to be unaware of the fact that a Calamity doesn't need to even use its ability on us to kill us. Just looking at it can rob us of our sanity.

I had doubted it before, but after witnessing the fragments of Hollow firsthand in my soul, I knew it was not a lie anymore.

I knew my psyche was damaged badly when I was in its presence. Thankfully, due to it being a small fraction of its true self and my Will I wasn't pushed to the brink of insanity.

Just then, from the corner of my vision, I saw one figure walking straight down the hallway.

Nasi walked gracefully wearing a white dress; her ginger hair, kept open, cascaded down her shoulders. As I looked closely, I noticed her baggy eyes and dark circles on her face. She looked tired, but it was different from Commander Alos.

As she reached near me, we almost bumped into each other as Miss Nasi didn't stop. Then with a gasp she looked up, her small stature almost giving the impression of a small animal.

"Ah… Captain Asher, are you injured again?"

Nasi blinked before saying in a pitiful voice.

I hesitated, wondering what caused her to be like this, but then slowly shook my head.

"No… I did not."

I paused.

But then, looking around, I cautiously asked.

"Miss Nasi, Are you all right? You look a little tired."

Nasi's lips suddenly twitched as her brows furrowed up together.

"Little?" She whispered with her fist clenched.

I took a step back, but she closed the distance with a smile.

"Captain Asher, little is too much." She said, giving the same smile.

Then she sighed, shaking her head.

"Sorry, I am a little sleep-deprived. The last three days have not been easy. The 2nd division came back from their mission with many injured and in high risk. Everyone is busy with them and I also went on expedition yesterday… And joined again this morning."

I frowned hearing this.

"Is that so? That's weird… How did so many get injured?"

To get so many injured that even the medical wing is full—that felt strange.

Nasi took a deep breath and took a step back, her hand patting her dress lightly.

"They were returning from their original mission, a simple cleanup work, actually. That would have taken no more than a week. But suddenly a swarm of monsters of different kinds and shapes attacked them."

"A swarm of monsters suddenly appeared?"

"Yes, that's what happened according to them."

This same thing had happened to us not long ago.

No, not just here.

In saffron I had seen something similar there. At that time we had thought it was due to the high concentration of origin inside the ruin. But now, was that really what happened? Or was there something much deeper than what we knew?

I frowned deeply and raised my hand to my chin.

"Captain Asher, you and your group faced something similar recently, right?"

I nodded.

"Yes, we did."

"We were lucky to see them come from a little far, but even then we suffered many losses."

Just as my words left my mouth, a noise came from behind her.

A man wearing a face mask came running toward us.

"Captain Nasi, we need you urgently. One of the soldiers has lost too much blood. The supplies are running late."

Nasi nodded without a second thought and then, saying no words, followed him behind.

I stayed still, unsure what to do, but decided to follow them.

Rushing forward, we reached a closed gate made of half metal and glass.

As it opened, inside, a group of three medics were standing around a man kept in bed.

The black-haired man was covered in bandages and other equipment. His breathing was slow and uneven, his face was deadly pale, and his eyes were dull and shaking with pain.

"We are keeping him stable and have closed his wounds, but it seems some internal injuries have opened up again."

One of them said, with an equally tired voice.

"Shit!" Nasi cursed, surely not befitting that of a noble lady.

But no one minded as she reached the man; her hand covered in blue reached his head and gently caressed him. He stopped shaking slightly, but her frown deepened. More injuries suddenly appeared on his arm like a fountain bursting open, making the medics' eyes go wide open.

"We are losing him!"

One of the medics said to inform the others and take action. They rushed forward again, trying to stabilize him.

I sighed and walked closer.

Nasi's eyes moved back to look at me, finally noticing my presence.

"Stay away right now—"

I didn't let her complete her words and placed my hand on the man's crimson hand.

The blood that had been flowing out suddenly stilled, thickening until it moved like jelly. It crept so slowly that no more could escape.

"This should give you some time." I said and took a tentative step back, giving others space to work.

They look at the scene awe-struck with their mouths wide open.

"Get back to work." Nasi's voice pulled them back.

Her voice was calm yet commanding; she had not shown a panic face from start to finish as her hands moved with proficiency.

I went out after two minutes went by and the problem was finally resolved. The blood coming out stopped and the pack of blood came on time to help the soldier.

Waiting inside one of the empty rooms, I sat with my eyes closed, threatening to doze off.

I sighed and opened my eyes.

Miss Nasi had come back; in her hand was a small box as she drank something from a straw attached to it.

Suddenly she threw another box-shaped container toward me; I raised my hand, catching it swiftly, only to be met with a small laugh.

I looked at her in confusion as she sat on a nearby chair.

"Thank you for your help, Captain Asher. We appreciate that." She said with a small smile.

I looked at the drink in my hand and took a sip from inside it before nodding slowly.

"It's no big deal."

"Haha, true. But I would not recommend going inside a critical patient room again."

I gave her a wry smile but didn't say anything further.

Nasi remained silent for a few seconds before clapping her hands.

"Ah, I actually forgot to ask your reason for coming here, Captain Asher. You must have a reason, right?"

I chuckled lightly; her words had hit the correct spot and I didn't need to bring it up.

"Yes, actually I do have a reason for coming here."

"I see. How can I help? Just say the word." Nasi said a little more cheerfully than before.

I licked my lips, feeling them go dry.

"The day we had returned from the mission… Can you give me the names of people admitted here? Even for a regular checkup, I mean."

The central base accommodates a large number of people. It was not possible for me to find the missing person here by myself. But I can still narrow it down.

And it would work. I was sure of that.