He found his soldiers calmly preparing for the nearing — and most likely their last — battle. Sunny had chosen the members of his cohort based on their mental resilience but even still, he was surprised and slightly disturbed by how nonchalant all three seemed.

Samara had lost her rifle, but was now in possession of Kim's carbine. She was sitting on an alloy crate, silently charging one bullet after another with essence. Belle was sharpening his sword with a vague smile on his face — Memories did not need to be sharpened, but the swordsman had a habit of doing so anyway.

Dorn had been wounded by the Scavenger. The deep cut on his chest had already been dealt with by an Awakened healer, but he was yet to fully recover. The giant man was moving his shoulder through a set of stretching exercises, wincing front time to time. His sledgehammer was nearby, its handle leaning against the wall.

When Sunny entered, the three Awakened glanced his way and saluted.

"What's the news, sir?"

He shook his head.

"No news yet. If we're lucky, the bastard will show up tomorrow. If we're not, it will be here today."

Sunny remained silent for a few moments, then added:

"In any case, we will have to deal with the blizzard first. Keep those charms I gave you summoned.

Protection against cold is going to play a big role when the Winter Beast comes."

Sunny possessed the Memory of Ice, but he had also created lesser versions of the Ascended charm for each of his soldiers — those Memories were not as potent, but also required much less essence to sustain the enchantments.

They nodded, summoning the artificial charms.

Looking at his soldiers, Sunny couldn't help but feel a hint of fear. He had only known these people for a few months... but they had gone through a lifetime of struggles together. Even if he wasn't responsible for their lives, he would still have been fiercely reluctant to see them die.

Belle, Dorn, Samara... they were admirable warriors each. More importantly, they were his people.

Sunny sighed.

"...You just had to go and stay, huh?"

He had been fully prepared to have Naeve load the whole cohort on the ship, but the three Awakened silently refused. Staying in Falcon Scott was their choice.

Belle looked at him and grinned.

"Sure, sir. That's our job."

Samara simply nodded, choosing not to say anything in her usual manner. Dorn chuckled.

"We did. But aren't you here too, Major?"

Sunny winced. Of course, it wasn't the same... he was an Ascended, and one ridiculously hard to kill on top of that. His soldiers, however, were merely Awakened. They were not nearly as resilient.

"Yeah... I am."

Belle put his sword away, the smile slowly disappearing from his face. The swordsman remained silent for a few moments, looking at him with an uncharacteristically serious expression.

A heavy atmosphere settled in the barracks room.

Eventually, he said:

"There is something I wanted to ask you, though. Sir. You don't have to answer, of course..."

Sunny frowned.

"What is it?"

Belle hesitated for a bit, then asked thoughtfully:

"There are. rumors going around... that you're dating Mongrel. But Mongrel, she is your Echo. What's that all about?"

Sunny stared at him, speechless.

"What the hell are you on about, feel?! I'm not dating anyone!"

The swordsman suddenly threw his head back and exploded with laughter.

"I see, I see..." © 2024.

Dorn gave him a disapproving look and let out an exasperated sigh.

"That guy..."

Sunny shook his head, suddenly feeling an urge to laugh, too.

'He‘s crazier than me. Gods!‘

"If you're done, Belle... let's discuss strategy."

***

Some time later, Sunny walked outside to get some fresh air. The air was much cleaner in Antarctica, after all... it would be a waste to remain inside all the time, even despite the cold.

As Sunny stared at the distant sky, he suddenly noticed a black bird looking at him from a nearby roof.

Then, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Sunny. There you are."

Master Jet appeared front behind a corner and walked over to him, then stopped, her icy blue eyes full of coldness that was even more chilling than the polar night

He looked at her, then smiled.

"Here I am."

She sighed.

"I sent all the information we have about the Winter Beast to your communicator. Did you read it?"

He nodded. Sadly, there was little known about the titan and its abilities — even though Saint Tyris had spent months suppressing the creature, most of their drawn—out battle had not been a direct one. The Winter Beast had shown an eerie ability to control cold, snow, and wind. Since Sky Tide commanded the winds, as well, their battlefield had been the sky above the Antarctic Center itself.

It was precisely because the titan's most dreadful power had been continuously countered by Saint Tyris that no one knew its true extent. It had to be tremendous, though, considering that the mere presence of the creature was distorting communications across the entire region.

All Sunny and Jet could do was make educated guesses.

She hesitated.

"...Good, then."

After that, both fell silent.

Sunny looked at Soul Reaper, remembering the past. She was the first person he had met after surviving the First Nightmare... back then, Jet looked like an unreachable goddess to him. Seeing her cold beauty, he had been stunned... luckily, she promptly slapped some sense back into him. After that, Master Jet was always in the background of his life, arguably saving it on more than one occasion with her advice and slightly jaded wisdom.

And now, they were equals.

It was funny... the two of them had only met a few years ago, but Sunny felt as though he had known let all his life. Maybe because those years felt like several lifetimes...

He sighed, then suddenly asked:

"Master Jet... I've always wanted to ask. Why did you really join the government? Considering your abilities and character, the Legacy clans probably showered you with offers — and incredible ones, at that. Well, you must have received a Special Strategic Asset designation, as well."

They had briefly talked about it in the past, but Sunny always felt that he did not know the full truth.

Soul Reaper looked at him with a surprised expression.

"What? Where did this come from?"

He chuckled.

"Just... curious, that's all."

Jet remained silent for a bit, then scoffed.

"Well, alright. But you are really overestimating me. A Special Strategic Asset? I wasn't even designated as a simple Strategic Asset. Sure, my Aspect was a dangerous and unique one, but other than that, I was completely unremarkable. I was foolish, timid. and unsure of myself, too. It was only later... much later... after being beaten by life over and over again that I got rid of some of my foolishness and bloomed into this awesome and incomparably majestic figure you see in front of yourself today.

Satisfied?"

Sunny smiled.

"I guess."

After a few moments of silence, he asked:

"Do you regret it, though? The path that you took?"

She looked away, a thoughtful expression appearing on her face. Master Jet pondered his question for a bit, then shrugged.

Her voice was calm:

"Ours is a bitter life, Sunny. From the outskirts of NQSC to here, it has often been bitter, and only rarely sweet. A life like that... it would be a waste, to make it taste more bitter still with regret. So, no. I might be unsatisfied with many things, but I would never waste my time on regret."

Jet looked at him and raised a brow.

"Why? Are you feeling regretful about something?"

Sunny laughed.

"Honestly? Right now, I am regretting pretty much every single decision I've made in my life."

She stared at him blankly, then rolled her eyes.

"Well, get over it. We have a titan to fight."

And so they did.

The temperature continued to plunge, and the winds grew more and more frenzied, howling through the streets of the siege capital like hungry wolves.

Faster than everyone had hoped, only a few short hours later...

The Winter Beast had reached Falcon Scott.