COI C110
Enders Bridge, for how long did the two left and return? Yet, only one returned with more gifts to bring for the first recruit. U’ecin goes his way to the undergrown, hearing stories from Raker Mawn guild members joining the elves’ old quest. This man left the city after the siege, riding a train to the first time. The forest is overwhelming the region, showing signs of demon interference. Myrrkei left the most common information to Emerald, they should be fine. Dearly they will dare to face it or wait like any Horsin when the Jigeram’s light is in full, treating such threat as any natural disasters . . . A manmade disaster.
Myrrkei sees adventurers who wished to venture through Rune Isles. Hearing them out of his time passing and waiting for his arrival, they act so excited. “I can’t believe we are going to Enders Bridge. We visit Mountaiwall and Agathean City before, but that city is in full apocalypse”
“Laugh* You wish. I’m just glad we can travel there without having to experience the incident”
“S-shush, we shouldn’t talk about it”
“But we shouldn’t forget about it either”
“Sorry, let’s just enjoy the ride. We can see the Isles over there”
“. . .”
“What!?”
“From what we saw thus far, I’m just glad the weather over there didn’t reach here”
“Agreed”
Focusing back to himself. Emerald spoke about the moons to Myrrkei. Sustenance for them to thrive under such a short period of time. The moon cycles are no jokes. It balances out the weirdest way to fill the imbalance of this world’s existence. Back then, there are so many lives been taken or entered this world. Devolved so clearly to form realms that this environment is too much of a problem to survive against. Alga bringing lives of a mind of beasts and Jigeram ends them sealed into a crystallized form. There is no order, but only endless creation and destruction. The final product of those Jigeram’s particles, it is the nourishment for such non-living materials.
Jigeram is coming to this region to plague all lives to death and left into the dust on every land it fell to its light. Slowly gaining the paces as Alga sways further away and closer to Circoston region. Such for this world to continue exist, the idea of a civilization to overcome such dangerous moons were always about magic. Better to understand it all, the original race who lived in this world. Formerly and respectfully are the demons, it is indeed their world. Myrrkei remembers his past research about worlds linking together, to be just able to understand the races to co-exist.
Wondering about its ancestry and more so to be able to bringing multiple different versions of humans or any race he had observed. Myrrkei himself is an example of such version of men. No power and magic to use, rely heavily on the adaptation of his own very flesh to bound with mana. Men’s own magic physique transformation like Sanquin, Oue or Yui for her absolute strong magic originated from another world, and Kiege, same as him, with her own different route through survival skills instead of mending with magic. Now the new human race, the demon powered individuals.
When the time where the train stops, he quickly heads out and go back home. The Raker Mawn Guild tower, all of its glory just any other guilds. Empty, and with only small numbers of members are taking their time to enjoy what days left during this busy hellish world. The guild members see him being able to return home, the people are here with paperwork about going to the undergrown. The old quest is finally set in motion, three moon cycles delay since the Isekai City’s appearance. The outskirts of the city in Rune Isles show promising activities happened beneath the sea. Giving this chance for this city to have a breather.
Myrrkei said to them “Where’s the recruit with the card of society?”
“Card of society? You were really gone that long. It’s almost one moon cycle when the elder lady talked about it in public. Well, the girl was down from the beginning. Now she is getting livelier now”
“Good, and about her reason to become a member”
“She did, but rather waited for you instead. References she had is more complicated and made her flat out given up. She didn’t bother to reach out all of us . . .”
Words echoing down from thee the tower, it was the elder lady’s response “. . . It is because you have the experience more than just speculating. The Rat”
The elder lady walks down the stairs with her grandchildren joining and tailing her. Myrrkei sees her in such a grand showing so many children, inside the city of never-ending siege. All of them seem to be lively and the boys properly welcome him. Myrrkei sees their expression as they were forced to behave that way. He ignores them and asks “Where is she?”
“Training in the sphere or with the body builders”
“Body builders!? Did someone want her to become a soldier?”
“No, more like stop researching and focus on being healthy. Your recruit is more of a free loader until now. Then again, she is the one who somehow become a leading example to have other Enders to tolerate her inside this city”
Myrrkei and the elder lady talk about her for the time being. Joining along with the other members to spend the time in this echoing tower, hearing them from afar as it means something. Whereas people from the higher levels heard them, the guild members kept their distance and whispers through both of those people from the ground floor about their topic.
“How far was she to find the way to leave this world?”
“Close, and she never knew how close she is before given up and waited for you, Myrrkei. The problem is to where she is from”
“My ancestors left me the coordinates to my original world, but that reality is no longer befit my life”
Enders Bridge, consists of secrets of multiple origins. It is the greatest life mystery how they got here and more so how they will never leave. The guild members from higher levels know why. The Isekai City is their most important example, they don’t use magic before and ultimately abused the magic to keep them alive ignoring their origins’ sustenance of life. Nutrients, Healthy habits, Mental health, and etc. are what their old world need to survived, or they will force themselves into a wrong habitat to fill a miserable life. Without it, it’s become a world you don’t belong. There is no way to go back to Horsin if their original world has no magic at all.
Somewhere in Enders Bridge, Tabitha finished her workout for the day. She looks at the mirror to see how she transformed, nothing changed, and she feels great about it. Realizing how much mana to put into her system to be healthy, but now having decent daily healthy activities, she is getting better and continue using her magic less. No matter of thinking of herself to have a nice muscular body. She thinks about Kiege. Then she quickly remembered Yui’s cute face. Tabitha was a bit complex about her, she is very powerful but her honest impression made her hesitate.
“Oue” or “Yui” as she pronounces it right, Yui is the only short cute young woman with a childlike personality. She is older than Juela, and the same age as Kiege. It was the most relatable experience she had when meeting new people. However, she is mature to her, like she is her aunt, and more than an older sibling. Oh, what a world she has to live in. Tabitha gets out and hears the train sounding its horn. The Enders Bridge is now being populated with adventurers now, before it was a quiet city with Enders always setting out to Rune Isles. News about them going to Kinteinnou region to work with the elves. Juela and the rest of the girls were going there leaving her alone.
She walks along the adventurers as she hears something about what happened to the city. “. . . I’m telling you. Taiyou Industries will take some time to recover and continue to manufacture the products”
“I can’t believe none of us died. But I don’t like losing to them and take parts of the Mihayara district, my friends’ apartments are in ruin and staying those makeshift magic realm cubicles”
“I get what you mean, and we are here to find someone who will be able to manufacture what we needed for the events”
“I can’t wait for our business to flourish. We have enough content from the internet to make some state-of-the-art entertainment”
Tabitha heard them and had read it in the internet. It is about the community is trying to revive conventions with new better experience through magic and other better services. One of the adventurers notice her from behind,
“Hey, are you that girl that city guild mention about? The rumored girl who is with the Enders Guild”
“Yeah . . . I am”
“Sorry for interrupting your business, it’s kind of strange to why people want to join a foreign guild. I’m not going to bother since you know about it in the internet, right?”
“You knew about it too. Uhm, sorry I need to go”
She left their group and going along with the other Enders. Out from the group of people there is someone reaching out to her. He says to her “Not feeling well among your brethren and sistren, it’s been so long when they return to this place and learn the way of archscience”
“Elrond!”
The Enders elf, who helped her learn about Enders Bridge and its secrets. She is relief to see that he is next to her. The changes happened to her as her sense of judgement feel a bit unnerving. This is something she knew about from him, and he said,
“They are still who they are, as long they have their will, and there will be no problems for you to worry”
“Right, thanks”
Across the ruins of ships as they passed by, Tabitha stops at the balcony of the floating immovable ship. The mana flows through her as she sensed the adventurers’ mana. One of them had traces of demon presence, it was too frail to even know it still stuck to one of them. The Jigeram’s light should wipe it off, and some of them are nearly left into crystallized particle from what she viewed. Her powers are strong to detect such almost invisible spec, and she fears it. Her friends definitely know about her situation, and she must soon face it to remove her acute trauma.
Myrrkei and the elder lady see Tabitha walks inside the guild tower, her expression was not in a good mood while her great grandchildren start encircling her. The youngest girl walks toward her recognizing the woman who was here for the longest. She reaches out her arms as Tabitha got caught of her innocence. Tabitha picks her up and carry her in her arms, the young girl pointed at her great grandmother. Whereas Tabitha sees Myrrkei once again since they met from the vendors. Myrrkei watches her comes to them and said,
“I learn some private information about your city. I have no mistaken the ideas that you have something I need to confirm about, before someone might interfere”
Tabitha feels like she is being pressured, the young girl sees her being stressed out and look at Myrrkei with a mean stare. The elder lady sees her little girl being so courageous to protect the woman from distress. Myrrkei nudges at the lady,
“Can you?”
“Alright, you boys bring your younger sister out from the nice lady’s arm. My friend is busy”
Tabitha gives the young girl to one of the young boys. Kids trying to help each other to carry the young girl, as the young girl turns around looking sad at Tabitha, she waves her hand with that ‘come over here’ gesture but actually it is her saying goodbye.
Myrrkei and Tabitha walk up to the archives. She has so many things to say to him, comparing talking with the Raker Mawn guild members she had learn so much about this guild. All drafted or not to be tolerable to the citizens and try to find ways to deal the hostility around them. They provide her the cases happened in east coast and the rest of the surrounding southern forest. It is the reality of this world, there always be struggles to no end to each in every lives. Tabitha understands the stereotypes of this world, she asks those same questions again to him.
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“I learn a lot from this guild, is it true that there are bad people who can easily identified as slaves to the demons?”
“Bad people? Laugh* Only in Agathean City. In Enders Bridge however, they are free to do so. You can’t justify their actions as that time show the reality without the demonic influence. Some are pure and some are not, but it will end after generations. The humans have the most variations of itself from different worlds. It will be hard to identify if they are naturally good or evil. The safest precaution is be ready for anything”
Tabitha thought so, the people at Agathean City is nothing different than her own world’s crimes. It is something of a reality she had to be wary of. The problems to deal with them is acting as if they are in man’s dark world. Live or die for the convenience of others, she got herself having issues of the Enders wanting her to leave through their provocative eyes and back in Agathean City, it is more disgusting that she had to realize the dark secrets among the inner realms first.
Myrrkei reaches the door of the archives. He stops and look at the slab on the door, the symbols are not well solved of its puzzling key. Tabitha said “Is something wrong about the door?”
“How long did they use this disfigured symbol?”
“I don’t know, they let it that way as me and Archivist did a little jangle with it”
“Certainly so, then it should be my turn to open it. Please wait”
No magic on him, as he tries to unlock something on the slab. Slowly moving it compared to the others make it swift, he carefully takes his time and something leaks out from the small gap of the door. White light beams through, Tabitha shakes.
Myrrkei calms her down “Don’t worry, if I set the key right. They won’t be troubling us. Look at this symbol and how it reacts, it would be easy for it to not tell it that you are a threat. True librarians and readers know how to open secrets of books”
Tabitha watches him to check on the slab, as he is about to finish it. One slight movement as the white light brightens the slab. Myrrkei quickly grabs the door and pull it as it tries to seal it. The door opens and the white light release in a flow of water. Then it rises up to the air and light becomes air, the two got sucked inside the room as the door closed it and sealed them in. The slab reverted back to its default symbol like it never happened.
Tabitha sees the other side of the archive, more prestige, formal, and aesthetically pleasing to her taste. The lost modern classic of interior designs. There are no post-apocalyptic interiors and other messy looks like every mix of different furniture and decoration that doesn’t fit the theme. Inside this archive, it is look impressively like western like display. The theme though looks more of its mystic mending with the books and shelves. The white light brightens to her arc of sight, but the corner of her eyes saw only darkness. It is so pleasing to see something new for a change.
Myrrkei and Tabitha take their seats and the round table’s artistic top summons the book Tabitha took and other books she is interest in, and all while being piled up with Myrrkei’s. All set align according to their habits of reading. She was astonished, and he himself acted the same for her encouraging expression.
“Why didn’t anyone use this style of a library?”
“They are simple men, with no vast reach for the books instead of the basics. I can see your sets are a little beginner friendly. Kindly see what I have . . .”
Tabitha witness something entertaining, countless of books he had read under the different sets according his years of research. The round table is like a computer materializing out what he had in stored. Like files inside of each file after the other, the ray of white light becomes like mystical fantasy keeping appearing with books that none of them could see clearly of its continuous changing settings. A fairy tale embraces of a show like no other, she raised her device and record every scene rolling to Myrrkei’s collections.
Myrrkei stops and let the table set to clean and painted with arts on it. Showing the map of Isekai City itself, he places pieces of characters; all the Enders member who are there and especially himself in the appearance that once was . . . the rat.
“I have learned by your people that this is the only way we could learn beside words. It’s a summary of my adventures throughout your city. But first, I have to know what you are searching for during your stay here”
“I don’t know what to say, you recruit me out from a simple conversation and now you have provided me so much of how much effort I’ve been through”
Humiliated for her slow progress as she found a way to leave this world. The main problem is the coordinates to where to. Elrond have given her the clue of the past people who brought here, and Lady Constantine is the keeper of those same people who wished to leave. She had to confess to him
“Yes, I join just to leave this world”
“And?”
“I have found out the origins but the tools to make me leave this world, separately, was the greatest concern I have never thought about it before”
“It’s because the place you need to get is on Cirtei”
That awkward moment of silence, and the oblivious remarks of her own reaction, she nodded out of hopelessness
“Yeah, in Rune Isles”
Rune Isles was Cirtei, the apocalypse happened, the fall era, and now she is standing the edge of a fallen region. She grips her hands on the edge of the round table trying not let her emotions raised her magic. Like in the past, she didn’t know why she can’t control her magic when she is emotional. Elrond had done so much for her to understand the secret of leaving this world. The elves already have their world link to go in and out as they pleased, but for her and her people is a different matter.
Myrrkei waits for her to continue, while he keeps his mind interlinking her motives and to the others, he met at Isekai City. The difference between her and them is that this is the safe place to talk about the Foundation. The sight of many rowdy people getting close the Foundation and tried to use it to leave, but sent to the other cities instead. The key is still hide among them as they took out the Foundation’s link to their original world. It already makes sense when Sanquin and him talk about it. Sanquin said she sense an old friend. He imagined himself regurgitate at her being poetic about it.
He is assuming that the summoner of these people won’t let them through it. Such connections to the other hypotheses on his head didn’t cut it up well. He said to her
“Base on everything I know so far, for you wanting to leave, it will take more time to have your goal. I know I’ll be wrong to say to you like this . . .”
“It’s fine, Elrond asks me to wait until everyone in my city is willing to leave”
“. . . Elrond?”
“Elrond . . . now I think about it, he is just an elf who was asked to help me. No, he wanted to help me from the beginning”
“I understand about being an elf, but Elrond by name is something I have no knowledge whom he is, interesting”
The two talked about further details of their progress and research. Specifically, Tabitha picks her topic for him while she says it all even the relations she had with her new friends. Myrrkei was mistaken for once about the rumors.
“So, people like you never in common doing nightly acts”
She blushes “You’re the one who send that awkward letter to me”
“Such as I make an assumption for a false idea. It escalated extraordinary when we entered your city back then. The girls who are probably your friend with were disgust about that activity”
Tabitha tries to remember who; Kiege is too much tomboyish, Juela can be the one who thought that being innocent and all, then Yui . . . She guessed she should be the one.
She spats out her name as she guessed “Yui?”
“Yui? Who’s that girl who named . . . Ah yes, Sanquin’s creation of making rivalries. Oue'jhnr, don’t me making names here, but her thought about you being sexually active? She is too mature in regarding affairs. You may assume because of her looks and manner. It is quite a misunderstanding”
“Just forget it, I don’t want to talk about it. A matter of fact, I have already settled the rumors spread the entire guild”
“Indeed”
As the conversation revert back to the beginning, Tabitha was a bit worried about her home city. Getting improvement for her well-being is enough for to stay healthy, except for her trauma. But the city was attacked and parts of the city was destroyed. Elrond keeps saying to her to overcome everything she had to do. She is now Enders novice and she never left the city to gain experience of the tragic world it has become. Myrrkei sees her looks being frowned and said
“You look like something is wrong”
“I have, and I was thinking of going back to the city to have a break for once. Until the siege made me changed my mind”
Archivist enters the room with a trolley. Myrrkei and Tabitha see him bringing some familiar cuisine. Myrrkei touch the table and teleport the meals before them. Archivist too from other side of the table, magically sit and his hoody moved in a confused cartoonish expression. He said to him
“Can you at least make me do it without magic?”
“We have a special important conversation here. Are you the one that the guild master chose to be with her side?”
“That’s right, but it was the elder lady who prepared it for her”
They look at the table as the meal is set from Isekai City, the familiar bowl of rice and a hot pot mix between Enders foods and seasonings from the city.
Tabitha checks her device and look at the time, “Are we this late? It’s almost dinner time”
Archivist never thought about the time “Well, I was asked to deliver it to you. This meal they said is from Isekai City. I don’t know what this white food”
Myrrkei sees it so “Then this meal was meant for you, Tabitha”
Tabitha shook “Yeah, the rice is the most basic meal in my city. Wait, I mean the only food available to grown in my city. Let me take a picture first”
Archivist blank dark face curved his hoody as it looks like he is angry then said “Does people from her city do that?”
“You will be surprised more if you visit there”
Click*
“You done now?”
Tabitha keeps circling around the table to keep on taking pictures. The aesthetic of this archive blinding her to have it as a nice background. She keeps doing it, until she receives a message.
“Ok, let’s eat”
Both Archivist and Myrrkei look at each other, Myrrkei already used to it while Archivist wants to know why they enjoyed it. Tabitha claps both of her hands and waits for a bit and begin chowing down with them. Archivist eats the rice as he tastes it is kind of bland. Myrrkei teaches him how to eat it. Showing him how Myrrkei uses the pot and the rice together to make a different taste.
While they are eating, Tabitha opens up her message and lights up above them like a hologram. Only through her side of view that she reads it. A message from R-cord himself, and Tabitha reads it carefully as she sees the conditions happened inside her city. Feasting between Archivist and Myrrkei as they talk, they look at Tabitha being occupied looking at her device. Archivist said to him
“Don’t bother her, even I can’t understand reading their language”
“She is being provided a meal, and she should also have some company while eating. I learn it from her city”
“Even they are preoccupied?”
“They have time you won’t believe”
Tabitha keeps eating while reading, R-cord’s message is more than just texts. It made her look more worried than she needs be. As she has knowledge in dealing with magic within the city, but she only knew by theory. Sealing the realms, Rebuilding the city, Ending the remnants, disbanding criminal groups outside of the city, and all is happening at the moment. To her surprised she said to them with a full mouth
“Mph-mph”
Archivist listens to her gibberish full mouth intensively as he gobbles it too
“mmph-hmm-mm”
She swallows her food as she gasping for air “Breathe* My home city is in really in a bad situation. I think I should be doing my time there”
Myrrkei responds “Great! When will you be going?”
Archivist felt crushed “Why?! You know I have to be with you when you needed”
“It’s fine, Archivist I could . . .”
Tabitha starts remembering among the guild member, especially from guildmember. The man who used telepathy always nurture both of their thoughts. Also, her guild master’s spectatorship between her and Archivist. She starts to blush
“. . . Well, I do need your cooperation since I’m using magic less”
Myrrkei didn’t know about that as he raised his eyes. He wants to ask her about it, but the guild will fill his interest indirectly. This time he needs to know her reasons to go.
“I have questions, but it doesn’t matter anyway. I hope you know the procedure to go, right?”
“Yeah, I know. I need permission . . . yeah, the guild master is out. Who am I going to ask permission to?”
Archivist answers “The elder lady, about that reason for going there? I will be the one will make a letter for you”
“Thanks . . .”
She scratches her head as this plan was not been plan out earlier. Reality though, she thought about out in a blue.
“. . . The reason is ‘I want to enlighten myself’”
“That’s too soon for you to settle your nightmares”
Myrrkei gets between their quarrel. He doesn’t know what’s going on and he continues to eat the pot. Picking up some nice meat and some vegetables as he watches them talk.
“I know I am not ready. This opportunity filled me to the grim when I received the message from R-cord. I have to do this, and to end my fear of using my magic. I am able to control my mana now and it starts to get hurt myself in doing so”
“It’s because you set yourself as a beginner who plays with fire. Does is not what I’m talking about”
He turns his hood to Myrrkei, a hoody curved with his face hid in the blank view.
Tabitha’s personal reasons made him not to say it. The hood curved and twisted showing the head being wrapped. It opens up and shows a cartoonish doubt expression.
“There’s no point in arguing. Yui was right for you to be face it as soon as rather being a princess inside the guild tower. I can finally stop being called as your dragon for whatever that means”
“Pfft”
Tabitha almost laughed out loud for hearing that joke. Yui gives nasty remarks through her cute baby face expression.
Once they finished their dinner, Myrrkei listens her plans for going there, he had to summarize it “Going back to your city to do some practical work, no more training inside the sphere, and now trying to test your experience. You have something need to do to cure your trauma with Archivist’s help. I’ll say that trauma explanation I better off not giving a full detail, because it is not my concern. You two will have an adventure in Isekai City, but I warned you though. Don’t go to Stranding Island, yet”
He gives them his membership card and Tabitha was surprised what he is holding.
“You are working with the government?”
“What else where they need to collect information during that siege”
Tabitha keeps it and takes her leave with Archivist. Archivist picks up the dishes and the pot as they head out from the archive. He mentions to her “How did you guys managed to solve the slab?”
“Myrrkei did it”
“He did? He never opens the door like that when I was with him”
“Really, I don’t know why”
Myrrkei watches them leave as he left alone in this room. The white light summons his preferred book, and he takes a look. The sources of its content show a familiar information, the differences it shows are the language. Scanning deeper through the book through memory finding a matching picture.
Myrrkei sees the picture and the date is way off to his own speculation. Through no understanding regards in time, he had remembered the Not Worthy guild’s secret archive.
“That room is hundreds of hundred years old, but the picture matched. A cartoon which they say, but the formats in letterings are different. Oh, will I dare to read a non-existent language? Even though they exist just only months?”
The man dares to go through ancient texts to their recent texts, and dare he opens more books tonight, the archive’s old room continue its existence.