Part 1 –

Their docking in the harbour stirred quite the commotion and garnered many curious eyes and ears. The noisy inns suddenly fell silent when three loud splashes sounded outside in their lake.

One by one, the many drunkards sobered up and went to investigate the noise. When they popped their heads out, they were surprised to see the Commander’s airship, alongside two more, back in their beautiful harbour so soon.

As bells rang along the docks, many Demi-humans disembarked from the airship with cheerful cries and heartfelt smiles. A band of guards armed in the finest golden, silken robes pleasantly welcomed them with open arms.

It was a sight for sore eyes, no matter how many times the inhabitants of the city saw it. In their eyes, Yellow, Black and White were hailed as Heroes for saving their kind all across Cryo from the humans of Endo.

Soon, the Heroic figures revealed themselves with their glorious attires and companions. They spoke with the guards for a little while before they were steadily led up the path towards the towering palace.

Earlier, it was decided that they would all leave to meet with the Demi-human princess, Kati Goruden. Black was against this at first, seeing that there was no need for them to meet with her since their priority was to prepare for their trip into the Shallows.

But White thought otherwise and insisted that it was important to introduce Exrite and the others as friends of theirs. Not only that; White also promised to bring the Exrenity here as a means of strengthening their bond with the princess and the Demi-humans.

So long as they were allies, White had no qualms in sharing secrets.

Plus, she was rather close with the princess on a more personal level.

The various strange buildings and peaceful ambience brought about a soothing atmosphere. Balls of light dangled from the roofs of the buildings and archways that stood there like lampposts. Pleasant faces met with them along the long, wide path as small crowds of Demi-humans passed by.

Exrite hummed to herself and looked up into the mountainous outcrops surrounding the city.

“… amazing... it’s like we’re inside of a valley.”

“Hm. Funny you say that.” Milk laughed from the side. “There’s a long history in Saicry about it once being a part of the Shallows. This place was a valley before it became like this, but a few thousand years of weathering left those many rock formations and cliffs behind.”

“Isn’t that a bit too fast?” Khaos pondered.

“Far too fast.” Uru stretched an arm.

“That’s what it was like supposedly. Hm. Considering this is Six Point, it’s best to think that anything’s possible.” Milk spoke with a dignified, somewhat high-pitched voice.

It was the kind you’d expect to hear from someone with vast intellect.

At least that was how Black put it.

Along the way, Uru found herself as the centre of attention from the oncoming Demi-humans. Her appearance as a Dark Elf stood out like a sore thumb compared to the other… normal looking people surrounding her.

Not that she minded at all, however. Their gazes, no matter how awed or frightful, were still the gazes of an unfortunate race. They bared no significance to even begin to consider them.

But that’s not to say that she hated them.

Eventually, the group of eight were led into the gold-roofed palace. Its majesty and splendour was unlike anything Exrite had ever seen before, and being so close to it made her realise just how beautifully detailed it was.

As the guards escorted them up to the top floor, Exrite couldn’t help but to be drawn to the many strange objects and architecture. Even if she was in the heartlands of another race, it was entirely different to what she was expecting.

Pottery and stone sculptures scattered many parts of the palace. Their designs followed creatures she barely recognised, apart from the giant chameleons and Octanids. But what surprised her the most, were a few ancient carvings of the [Gears]. Or at least she thought it was.

For all she knew, those could’ve just been normal gears chiselled by a bored sculptor.

“Sorry, Milkazako?” Exrite spoke as they climbed the last set of red-carpeted stairs to the Princess’ floor, which resided at the top of the palace.

“Hm? Yes?”

“Those gear-shaped statues we just passed – do they have some sort of significance to Saircry’s history?” She couldn’t help but to ask.

With how little she knew of the [Gears], her curiosity was a given.

“Not a lot that I can say regarding those gears, but it does have an interesting backstory. They say that before Saicry and the surrounding lands left the Shallows, a gear fell from the sky. So ever since that day, these lands have been free from the fog. Where that gear went however, is still a mystery to us all. I even spent a few decades trying to pin point where exactly it fell as described in the recordings.”

“I see. Thank you, Milkazako – “

“Please call me Milk, Corr- Hm. I mean Exrite.” He cleared his throat and turned to the slightly confused Exrite. “My apologies, I almost got mixed with your name and the Frostbitten translation. It’s not often you hear a non-Frostbitten with the name of one.”

“Ho? So ‘Exrite’ comes from the Frostbitten language?” Uru inquired and hovered around Exrite with an intrigued grin.

“Indeed it does. Exrite means ‘Correct’ in our language, although I’m sure other Frostbitten will give you different translations. Or, maybe none at all like our fellow Frostbitten friends here.”

Khaos and Frosty wryly smiled as they continued their climb up into the golden room ahead.

That was news to Exrite’s ears. She had a hunch that her name was similar to the Frostbitten vocabulary, but Khaos and Frosty could never translate or confirm it for her, so she shrugged it off.

Once they finally arrived at the top floor – a cold breeze swept by and gently threw their attires into the air. The blown strands of black, yellow and white suddenly blinded Exrite momentarily as she winced and threw her face to the side.

Where they stood was nearby a giant, open balcony that oversaw the entirety of the Golden City. The winds blew harshly, carrying a silent howl and the scent of the sweet, glistening fruit that grew from the tips of the towering rock formations.

While Exrite flicked the strands of hair aside, White eye’s wandered for a bit before they landed onto a silent figure. It was a woman, dressed in the finest golden garbs who emerged from the only neighbouring room of this floor.

The fur of her ears and tail matched her attire, as well as her golden hair. A kind smile formed on her face as she slowly walked towards them with an elegance that could only be described as ‘divine’.

This was the princess of Saicry, Kati Goruden.

“You returned earlier than I expected, friends. How was your trip back to Truebirth?.” Her unusually high-pitched voice made Black grumble something rude underneath her breath.

White left the group and met with the woman halfway with a pleased face.

“So and so. There wasn’t much going on apart from the idle war they’re waging with Di-Lock. That aside, we did end up running into some more people along the way.”

Kati’s simple, unchanging smile was accompanied with: “I can’t thank you enough.”.

Soon after, she moved her attention to the small group waiting behind. Her eyes shifted onto each face while White explained what happened to the faraway village. It seemed as if she was searching for something, and when she stopped on Exrite, her golden eyes gently broadened before mellowing.

“And then we brought the airships with us to bolster the defences of your city, courtesy of Black.”

“Don’t mention it.” Black sighed and looked out of the balcony. “There’s no point in wasting precious firepower.”

“Thank you, friend… umm… White?” The princess drew close and whispered into her ear.

“Yes?” White whispered back.

“Are they the ones that you were talking about before?”

“You mean the Frostbitten and Exrenity?” White glanced over her shoulder, identifying the faces they curiously stared at their little collusion. “Mhm. That’s them as promised.”

“… which one of them is the Exrenity?”

“Which one, you say…” White slowly trailed off and turned to Exrite. “Exrite! The princess wants to speak with you!”

“Eh!?” An unusual voice left the startled princess.

Thankfully, the guards were sensible enough to leave the group alone beforehand. Hearing that come out of the lips of their beloved princess would’ve caused a few head scratches.

“Sure…” Exrite quietly hummed to herself and gracefully made her way to White’s side. But not without an air of doubt, despite wielding a soft smile.

No matter how friendly the princess appeared, it didn’t change the fact that royal blood ran through her veins. Kati wasn’t spared from Exrite’s dangerous bias and scrutiny.

However, she was still given the respect she deserved. With a bow – not too exaggerated for the sake of the watchful Uru – she patiently waited for the princess to speak.

Baffled by the presence of the acclaimed Exrenity, it took some time before she could recompose herself.

“A-ah- please raise your head. I know I’m a princess, but please, there’s no need to lower your head to me or my family.” Despite her nervous start, Exrite felt the politeness in her words and erected herself.

She trailed off for a moment, entranced by the beautiful, contrasting gems that were the Exrenity’s eyes.

“You’re… you’re really the Exrenity, right?”

“I am.” Exrite spoke with conviction.

Somehow, she became even more drawn into Exrite. The awkward silence was deafening, particularly for Exrite who didn’t know what to say or do in front of the princess. So, she remained silent and passive for what felt like the longest minute before Kati snapped out of the trance.

“S-sorry. I just can’t believe that I’m in the presence of the Exrenity. After countless of generations, I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would ever meet one…” Her eyes slowly shifted over to the group then back. “… and even more Frostbitten… really, even if we don’t have a God watching us here in Cryo, this can’t be anything other than a blessing.”

Cryo’s history was deeply intertwined with the Children of Balance and their Exrenity. In the past, it was the Exrenity who arrived as their saviour countless of times against the humans of Endo, and the beasts of the Shallows.

There were tales of their strength and valour, and unimaginable devotion to the Gods of Colight – the Children of Balance.

However – there was a major discrepancy with the old legends and with what was presented to her. Suddenly, her gaze became fixated with not only Exrite, but the rest of the group excluding Yellow and Milk.

The scrutiny left Exrite on guard, but a light “Ahem” from White cleared most of her doubts.

Of course; for beings like Black and White their trust was reserved for allies and friends.

“Exrite, was it? I’m sure your reason for coming here was because you wanted to meet with me, but for your Gods, am I correct?”

“That’s right. Sorry, but I didn’t come solely to meet with the princess of Saicry.”

Exrite didn’t have any reason to lie.

While she knew that meeting with the princess of the Demi-humans was inevitable, it wasn’t the reason why she came here in the first place. Finding the Maiden of Realms and the Biomech were infinitely more important than a royal figurehead she had never met before.

The princess didn’t mind her honesty, and seemed rather pleased with the answer.

“Is that so? I was hoping my family and I could speak with the Exrenity, but I’ll leave that for another time. You were in a hurry the last time as well friends, so I’ll wait until a more appropriate time. That’s if you don’t mind, Exrite.”

Exrite smiled.

“I don’t mind at all. So long as it’s after our plans, then I’m more than happy to.”

Kati’s golden ears perked joyously.

“Excellent! Friends, I won’t hold you back any longer. Please feel free to use our facilities as you see fit. After all, heading into the Shallows requires a healthy mind and spirit!”

So she knew…

Exrite wondered if Black and White told her beforehand, but she didn’t want to ask.

“Facilities?” Frosty curiously spoke.

“Like baths and food and all that good stuff! Plus you can get all that for free with me around!”

A vein popped on White’s forehead as she sighed.

“I’m sorry about her, Kati. Anyway, let’s continue where we left off. We were in a rush the other time, so I didn’t quite hear what you were saying about the Exrenity.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I think our history and definitions of the Exrenity differ, but it’s fine.”

Exrite hummed, intrigued by what she just said.

“And by that you mean?”

A small giggle left the young princess.

“For a handful of us, we believe that the Exrenity is more of a group than an individual, while everyone else believe the opposite. Looking at you now, I think it’s a nice balance between both. Quite fitting for the ‘Guardian of Balance’.”

Exrite suddenly stiffened.

It surprised her to say the least, but she held some doubts. First of all, the Gods explicitly stated that she was the Exrenity, and they even gave her the Eye of Despair.

Unless…

“… damn Gods...” Frosty voiced the simultaneous thoughts of Khaos and Exrite in a gruelling whisper.

The Children of Balance may have omitted this, just like they did with her inevitable descent into madness and her transformation into the Maiden of Time.

“But that’s not common knowledge. People here also believe that Exrenity is a single person. It’s only my family and a few others like Milkazako who know about this version.” Kati added.

“Ho? I’m rather interested in where you got that information from.” Uru asked with folded arms.

“It’s passed down information from our first ancestor, Exog Goruden. As far as I know, he met with the Maiden of Time within the Shallows and founded this city around the same time the giant gear fell from the sky. At least that’s how I think it went.” She gigled.

Interesting. Exrite never expected that Gaia was involved with the founding of Saicry of all things. But considering that she didn’t know anything apart from Gaia being the Maiden of Time and the person who dragged her into all of this – this was spectacular information.

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It left Exrite softly smiling to herself as she imagined what other answers would await within the Shallows.

“I see… thanks.” her heartfelt words went unnoticed to the princess.

“Feel free to ask me anything else if you need to. Or, maybe ask me when you come back. I’d hate to keep holding you back any longer.” At the mere sight of Black’s yawn, she laughed again. “White, we’ll talk first thing in the morning. I need to have a word with Milk and Yellow for a while, and then there’s the resources I need to remind my brother about. I’m sorry about that.”

“Take your time. We’ll be here for another day to prepare a few things, so don’t worry.” Black spoke on her behalf as she stretched her arms with a tired groan. “I’d kill for a good bath right about now~ all that blood from beating information out of those adventurers is gonna leave me and Exrite smelling like them.”

There were two obvious lies. One; Exrite didn’t partake in beating the adventurers. And two; ‘beating’ was a generous way to put it. The way she turned them into human sponges reminded her why she was so afraid of Black in the first place.

“A bath?” Uru stared at the back of Exrite intently and devilishly grinned. “Ho. Precisely, I think a bath will indeed be necessary before our departure. It’d be a shame to not indulge ourselves before embarking onto such a dangerous endeavour.”

For some reason, a dangerous chill ran down Exrite’s spine as she felt many gazes fall onto her back.

She wryly smiled.

* * *

The group followed Black and White around the palace, exploring beautiful spaces and furnishing of the Demi-human culture. Their presence left a powerful impression on those they passed, whether it be a rushing bunny-eared maid or a lizard-tailed guard.

Exrite sighed as they followed the wooden corridor leading to the private baths. And Khaos was right there with her with parallel thoughts. The two had offered to head into completely separate baths, but were denied by Uru, Black and White for different reasons.

White thought that it’d be a shame to have Khaos alone, and plus, there were screens available. It was an honest, pure-hearted suggestion in comparison to the other dangerous ones.

Frosty was the only outlier who wanted the two to do whatever they wanted. As embarrassing as it was, trying to refute was futile. So, she came up with a suggestion.

And by the time they made it to the spacious bathhouse, Uru tore two long tentacles from her injured hand and offered them to Khaos and Exrite.

“You two better wrap that around your eyes.” Frosty threatened with a hiss before sighing. “Honestly, I don’t get what’s wrong with all of you.”

“Nothing wrong with a little bonding, right~?” Black was already unbuttoning her garbs, instantly causing Khaos to slap the black tentacle around his head. “How cute.”

By the time it was tightened around his head, Exrite had turned and done the same, except she was a lot slower than he was.

“Hey, quit teasing them Black.” White sighed and looked over to Frosty apologetically. “Sorry about this, Frosty. But Black’s right, this is a good way to start getting to know each other better. We’re a big group of six, and the last thing we want is to be at each other’s throats… Also, Exrite, Khaos, don’t change until we do.”

As ordered, the two idly stood in the centre of the wooden bathhouse as still as statues, while the others began undressing and placing their belongings into shelves. In a palace such as this, combined with their strengths, the risk of anything being stolen was negligible.

Blinded entirely by the tentacle, Exrite distracted herself from the loud noises behind with a soft hum. It was a song she had heard on board the airship, sung by a leg-less Demi-human while she was tending to their wounds.

It was a pleasant tune, and she had soon forgotten about the noise for what felt like an hour until –

“Exrite~”

A seductive voice whispered into her ear.

She shivered, turning instinctively to the source as warm fingers brushed against her cheek. From the irresistibly soft fingers and the gentle nudges, she could tell that it belonged to Uru’s injured hand.

“How long are you going to stand there? Or maybe you wanted my help undressing –“

“I-I’ll be fine, thanks.” Exrite quickly interjected and held out both hands to ward Uru away. “Wait – but how are we going to get into the bath with this on?”

“Oh right. Yeah, how the hell are we going to get in?”

“I’ll pull you in when you’re ready. I’m a Succubus, after all, so dealing with these problems is as natural as breathing. Although it’s a shame that you’re not as embarrassed as Khaos.”

She wasn’t wrong, but also not entirely correct. Rather than embarrassed, there was a tinge of fear that lingered with Exrite. From the makeshift blindfold to the exposure of her body –

It all reminded her of the time she spent in that torturous prison she once called ‘home’.

“… Uru, are the others already inside?”

“A while ago, yes.”

“Then can I take off this blindfold? I-if you and Khaos don’t mind of course!”

“Go for it. You’re still you in mind and soul, so there’s no real shame.” Khaos laughed.

“You already know my answer, my dear Maiden~” Uru placed both hands on her hips, as if presenting herself to Exrite.

With a soft smile, the girl untied the tentacle and offered it back to the stark naked Uru. The sight brought her back to the mountains, and the strange lines that ran threw her body struck her with awe.

Thinking about it now, Exrite had never heard of a Succubus with such strange markings, let alone tentacles that comprised of her entire body. For a while, she found herself intrigued with Uru’s body, causing the Demon to grin seductively.

“You’re finally awakening to your carnal desires~?”

Exrite inadvertently chuckled.

“No at all. Sorry Uru, but not even a Succubus can revive that part of me. It’s been long dead ever since I was given the Heart of Time.”

“You say that, but I did feel a slight sense of desire from you back when we first met. Perhaps you’ve grown accustomed to me, or maybe my body doesn’t suit your tastes.”

“It’s neither.”

Uru tilted her head slight and hummed, wondering if that truly was the case. But before she could ask anything more –

“– Hey, am I able to start changing now?”

Khaos, who had been standing there with his back turned for the longest time, asked with a silent sigh.

It seemed like he had been forgotten by the two.

* * *

The bathhouse was utterly beautiful.

The spacious interior was caked with warm steam that hid the various privates of those who had the luxury of indulging themselves in this place. From left to right, an array of multiple stone baths surrounded the group as they blissfully enjoyed their stay.

Khaos and Exrite were left alone in a neighbouring spring, although they kept a screen up to protect them from Exrite. The girl was granted the right to take off her blindfold after a few episodes of her spacing out. As regrettable as it was, they didn’t want Exrite to suffer from the Eye of Despair.

So – they put a cloth screen in between the two baths and left Exrite and Khaos alone. Not that the two minded. In fact, they would rather it like this. They were men at heart, and didn’t want to get into the shenanigans that they heard from the other side.

“Man, it’s been a loooong time since we last relaxed like this.” Khaos stretched, his muscular build easily dwarfing the shorter Exrite who sat across, her body submerged neck-down in the bath.

He spoke like an old man reminiscing about the past, except his voice was incredibly deeper than the average person’s.

“Yeah. Way too long. It Brings me back to when we were still running away from Enthile. I remember we ended up finding a creek filled with Blood Worms and bathed in it.”

Blood Worms were a monstrous type of parasite. Unlike leaches that clung onto a creature’s body, these would bore deeply into the flesh and directly siphon blood from one’s blood vessels – hence their name.

Because of the blood, sweat, tears and grime they accumulated over the tireless days and nights of their escape, they needed to wash themselves thoroughly. The lonely creek they found in the wilderness was their best bet, but they never expected it to be plagued with dangerous Blood Worms.

“Right! And you ended up coming out with a whole bunch of them hanging from your back. H-haha! I know I shouldn’t be laughing since you died after that, but fuck – I can’t help but to look back at that and smile. Cause look where we are after that mess!”

His hearty laugh caused Exrite to chuckle.

“Ahaha. That was the first time you saw my ‘curse’ in action, wasn’t it? Sorry about that. And I think that started all my other stupid deaths on our journey to Colight.”

Consuming poisonous leaves and berries, falling into spiked pits, being tread over by a stampede of giant chameleons – she could go on and on.

She found the memories rather comforting, despite remembering the agonising pain that accompanied it. It was a bizarre contrast, but she didn’t mind it at all. Not an ounce of regret lingered with her past, because it was just as Khaos said; they were in a better future.

She didn’t believe in ‘what ifs’, because everything that happened led to now; a place that she found comfort, and – above all – a proper goal to strive for.

“On the plus side… yeah, if I can even call it that. Anyway, it’s given me a lot of experience and strength on how to deal with those things. I’m not as prone to drugs and poison anymore and my body’s grown a lot stronger along the way.”

She looked down at herself for a moment and softly smiled. In the calm ripples of the bathwater, she saw her feminine face and sighed.

“It’s not often that you get a second chance in life… or at all, really… hmm... What about you Khaos? How do you feel now that we’re this far into our journey.”

Even though Khaos was blinded, it felt like his gaze rested on her. And not a second later, he answered.

“Great! I’ve gotten stronger and learnt that giant swords are the perfect match for my mighty fists!” He laughed and slammed a fist into the water, throwing a surge of water above and creating a light shower.

“Khaos!” His sister yelled from the other side in a scolding tone, causing Exrite to silently laugh.

After a swift apology, Khaos resumed:

“To be perfectly honest with you, I didn’t know if we’d even make it through Katho. Making it this far is nothing but a surprise to me, and I know that it’s all thanks to you, Exrite.”

He suddenly spoke softly, his heartfelt words reaching the girl who quietly listened.

“I know I’m a numbskull and a meathead sometimes, but… I was also afraid. Meeting with the Maiden of Wisdom was too big of a dream to even be called a dream. It was a wish. Like a star you can never reach in the boundless sky… yet I saw you up there with them.”

Silence... The two sat there idly, absorbing the sentimental air that enshrouded them, as the ambient voices of the women fell on deaf ears. Exrite knew that if she didn’t say anything, then this would go on forever.

“I see… but really, I don’t think I’m anything special. If you take away my Heart of Time and my eyes, then I’m just Exrite. Just me… just a human with a dream just as ridiculous.”

She laughed.

“… but you never stopped walking forward.” Khaos’ muttered deeply and regained her attention. “No matter how many times you suffered, you never complained and just kept on pushing forward towards your goal. How can I – Khaos Eccent – not admire your determination? If I was put into your circumstance, then I would’ve given up long before it even started!”

The words came straight from the bottom of his heart. There was nothing but resounding admiration for the person who had accepted to challenge the impossible with unwavering resolve.

And as a human, no less.

Even if Exrite was the Maiden of Time, her original body and mind were ultimately that of a normal human being.

“… yeah… I think a lot of people would as well…” Exrite had to agree with him. With everything she had to endure, it was a miracle that she hadn’t already gone insane.

The air was beginning to grow too heavy and sombre for her liking. It wasn’t suited for a place that was meant to be relaxing, and so, she shifted onto another topic with a long sigh.

With how close they were to entering the Shallows, she wanted to savour the luxury of respite a little longer. Khaos spoke about the learning’s of his race while speaking with Milk, and was appointed to talk further tomorrow.

The Frostbitten were apparently among the first races to ever inhabit Six Point, and that each of them held bizarre characteristics. It would explain why Frosty and Khaos had anomalous abilities, such as impossible strength and the ability to devour souls.

On the topic of Frostbitten; Khaos ended up asking Exrite about her name. Because it was of Frostbitten origin, he wondered how she came up with it along their journey to Colight.

Her simple, honest response was:

“It was just something my older sister would say.”, and she shrugged and reminisced about the time she spent with her ‘family’.

The group thoroughly enjoyed the rest of their bath. While it was rather uneventful, Uru did come to the ‘men's’ side and cause all sorts of havoc for Exrite.

And as the massive moon of Cryo crept over the night sky, the countless stars shimmered and danced with it.

In a world full of dreams and wishes, the night sky held a star for each and one of them. Yet the moon shone brighter than them all and hovered closer to the world it loved.

And when Exrite roamed the palace alone in her dark attire, she caught a glimpse of the night sky from an open window and softly hummed.

“Maybe – just maybe, there’s a wish out there that’s within reach of someone.”

Reaching out for the moon that engulfed her vision –

her slender fingers only touched the empty air.

* * *

Part 2 –

It was a busy day of thorough preparation for Exrite and Black. The others went off do their own things for today. Khaos was with Milk to further study the origins of his race, while White was with the princess discussing various plans and deals.

Frosty and Uru roamed the city with Yellow acting as their guide. At first, Exrite was worried that they’d end up causing problems in the city, but ended up leaving them alone. Why? It was because Uru bargained her good behaviour with another favour point from Exrite.

The cunning Demon knew this from the start, and left Exrite mentally sighing every once and a while.

For a while now, Exrite and Black were working on creating weapons from the resources supplied by the princess. The unloaded cargo contained an assortment of hollow ceramic balls and other various materials.

It all left Exrite wondering what they were for.

Throughout the day, she was taught the mechanisms of how firearms worked and even had time to practise using a few of the newly made prototypes. The insulated walls within Black’s giant room – which was more like a workshop – suppressed the ear-splitting explosions.

From handguns to the larger, more powerful sniper rifles, Exrite had a fairly good understanding of how they functioned. Apart from the design of the weapon, it all boiled down to a few things.

The size of the projectile.

The pressure or catalyst that would be used to eject it, and most importantly;

The material used to contain the violent ejection.

Of course, Black made it clear that those weren’t the only important factors. But it made sense here since they didn’t have access to more versatile materials.

Standing over a black-stained working station, Black clicked her tongue in irritation.

“Tch. There’s no easy way on making fully-automatic rifles or weapons, and it doesn’t help that reloading these is just as annoying. Oh well~” She tossed the large rifle frame into a metal bin with a heavy thud.

“We’ll just stick to handguns for now.”

With a hum, a black and white ceramic ball was rolled in front of the nearby Exrite. A loud Rattlle sounded as Black picked one for herself from a wooden cage holding more than hundred more of them.

“So… what’s this for?” Exrite cautiously picked it up and closely inspected it.

Upon first glance, it looked like any ordinary ball, but it had a small resealable hole near what she assumed was the top.

“Just the base of our new toy.” Black played with one while she wandered the room in search for something.

“A weapon with ceramic balls?” Exrite whispered and brushed a thumb against its coarse surface.

“Mhm. That’s right~ Now, tell me Exrite – what do you think happens when we pour explosive powder into one?”

While Black scoured the other scattered workstations for a sack of explosive powder, Exrite wore a mused face. Pondering, the girl held the ball closer to her face.

The first thing that came to mind was a bomb, but they could’ve just used a cloth pouch to sufficiently encase the powder. The small hole was most certainly for a fuse, but that was a given. Then again, she wasn’t as well versed with these things. More than anything, it was the choice of material threw her off entirely.

Until she heard a shatter.

“Ah fuck. That’s one ball gone.” Black sighed and returned to the desk with the explosive powder, paying no heed to the mess she made. “So, did you figure it out or do you need me to drop another hint for you?”

A cunning smile was interwoven with her haughty hum.

But that hint was more than enough for Exrite to realise the function of the ceramic. Like the quills of a porcupine, she imagined that the explosion would propel the shattered fragments.

She gulped at the terrifying realisation.

“When the explosive powder goes off, I’m pretty sure that the ceramic will fragment and all the shards will fly out in every direction.”

Correct. Black accepted her answer with a pleased hum as she began filling a ball with explosive powder.

“Mhm~ It’s a basic fragmentation grenade, but it’s better than nothing. We’ll only make a single batch of these and test them while were in the Shallows. The Demi-humans on board can do the rest for us.”

From the way she explained it, the weapon seemed to be more for the crew mates than for themselves. Given how bulky and cumbersome it would be to carry more than a handful. Not to mention how dangerous it would be to carry them all at once.

It was far too much of a risk to overlook.

Of course, Khaos could’ve carried a bag full of them, but that would leave him as a walking bomb. On uncontrolled flame, and they’d all go off with a bang.

Exrite would’ve loved to have them as a part of her arsenal, but her inventory capacity was quite limited.

Two handguns, a crossbow, a sword and a dagger was all that she could carry.

Truly, it was a shame.

“I plan on arming them with a few of these each. With how armour is tailored in this world, there’s no way that anything’s going to stop a thousand super sonic fragments. They’d be shredded alongside their comrades in a festival of gore.”

Exrite ignored the last part with a soft sigh.

They spent most of the afternoon working on the grenades, and then creating spare bullets for Exrite’s pistols. Now that she had her mana reserves at maximum capacity, an idea suddenly sprung when Black complained of the lack of metal casting supply.

Bullet-making was a thorough and time-consuming process, and it surprisingly wasn’t within Black’s expertise as a weapon nut. Despite this, she had a little foundry where she cast the metal armour of the fallen into finger-tip sized balls.

Indeed, this was a task that fit well for Dwarves; the masters of metal.

Exrite found this as a good excuse to finally start taking advantage of her outrageously massive mana capacity. Because she didn’t know much about [Smithing] spells, she ended up using fire magic akin to that of the [Tier Six].

In a concentrated inferno in between her palms, a metal helmet glowed like the sun as it slowly melted into a mould below. Thanks to her body as a Maiden, she could withstand the blistering heat up close, but not without breaking a sweat.

Black was rather impressed with her work, and figured that she could leave the bullet making to Exrite while she diligently prepared everyone’s equipment. From packing bags with dry rations to inspecting their gear, Black wanted to ensure that nothing could possibly go awry in their perilous journey.

After all, there was no telling what would happen now that they had the Maiden of Time with them.

Tomorrow at sunrise, they’d finally step foot into the forsaken Shallows.

* * *

And somewhere, within the heart of a secluded island that was surrounded by a massive gorge – a lonely Biomech sat underneath an ancient oak tree.

Past the dilapidated ruins and monuments, and following the cracked stone road in between the emerald trees; the Biomech woman patiently awaited the arrival of the Maiden of Time.

In front of her, the aimless little Biomech children roamed the island, nonchalantly poking at their surroundings. Tenderness blossomed in her silver eyes as the song of a violin played in the calm air.

Pointing her nose to the sound, she smiled and sung with all her heart.

But only a distorted static left her lips.

However, the green-haired Maiden joined her and sung together underneath the full moon. Like a mother, Melody showered the Biomech with warmth and her lovely songs.

The song was a lullaby.

Slowly, the children of the Biomechanical Gardens became comfortable, whether on grass or on a bed of metallic flowers. And soon after, they closed their eyes and sunk into a delightful rest from the lonely world.

Soft snoring, tumbling, absentminded mumbles…

The two singing figures adored it.

Yet a subtle sadness fell upon Auga.

She was sad that her children could only show what was left of their personality when asleep. And once again, when Melody’s violin disappeared into thin air, she patiently waited for the Maiden of Time.

… as she always did ever since Gaia’s disappearance many eons ago.