Avril felt the world shaking and heard a mournful wail, a desperate cry of pain and sadness shouting in the fierce winds. She didn't know why, but it disturbed her and filled her heart with grief. The feeling of triumph and confidence earlier almost seemed to be a lie compared to how her heart ached now. Around her, her sister, children…everyone shed a few unwilling tears, some wiping their eyes while looking confused. Several curious Exalts attempted to attack Gilbert in the center in a rapid bombardment, their powerful spells and Integrations failing to pierce a dense barrier that formed around the array of disks. The Shattered Scion, who became their ally for some reason, struck hard to no avail, the diamond cracking off and revealing his bare fist.
Even a Grade Nine failed to break through. Avril decided it wasn't worth remaining so close and wrapped vines around Renn and Gloria, pulling them along to escape whatever was about to happen. She tried to exit down one of the hatches, but a layer of Ein formed in the open gaps, acting as new flooring. The exits were closed, so her only option was to stand by the edge. Others came to a similar idea, and soon enough, everyone crowded at the edges. The violent streams of Ein endlessly erupting around them prevented anyone from jumping off and climbing down. Avril tested it by tapping it with the bottom of her staff and frowned at the spray of sparks.
"Renn, Gloria, Auren, get behind me. She won't let anything happen to her children." Avril nudged them back. Renn enjoyed a heartfelt reunion with Renee, whom she had picked up while climbing the tower. It was a stroke of luck to have found her future daughter-in-law on the way. But she feared she had led her into a death trap with no way out. Gilbert's followers huddled near the barrier protecting Gilbert, the titan, and the disks. They chanted his name and cheered for their coming victory, just as she and the others had done a few minutes ago. The situation had reversed, or as Oscar would say, 'it's been flipped.'
"Is that you, Avril?" A familiar voice called out for her, and she recognized the pair of emerald eyes and silver hair instantly.
"Celestina? It's been a while! She wished you could have visited Convecia City at least once." Avril formed a smile and hugged her friend. Though Celestina was her husband's former crush, she didn't mind being good friends since she could tell the princess deeply cared for Oscar. Celestina stiffened with a startled look and returned the smile, patting her on the back.
"Sorry. Too many people follow my movements since I'm the current empress. And I couldn't trust that I was safe enough to visit you or him. Our blunder decades ago cost him everything, and we couldn't bear to make the same mistake twice." Celestina gave a weak smile and rubbed her temples in clear distress. "Being under that bastard's thrall didn't help me to move freely either." She glanced behind her and grinned, "Are they Renn and Gloria? They've grown up well."
"Good evening, princess. I would have preferred the manner of our meeting to be on brighter occasions, but a great pity it is that we should meet again in these dire circumstances." Gloria curtsied and lowered her head. Avril blinked and covered her gaping mouth, wondering where her daughter disappeared off to. The miscreant and mischievous Gloria somehow became so well-behaved and proper. Beside her, Renn also bowed silently. Did Maia teach them? Or Master Remulus?
"I haven't seen you two for nearly a century. What a pair of splendid Exalts you've become." Celestina tucked her silver hair behind her ear. She gazed around and asked, "Where is Oscar?"
"You know him. He's trying to save everyone in his own way. She can't help but worry for him but knows he can do it." Avril looked down, wishing she had the eyes to peer past the floors and see her beloved, presumably in the deep pit he mentioned long ago. Knowing him, he was up to something; her role was to stay alive until he arrived. Glancing up, she noticed Charles, Celestina's brother, and Gavir, the royal guard. "Where's Serena?"
"Lady Terr, my wife and I talked at length and decided she wait below and hide with the others. Most of us have families to look after." Gavir chuckled underneath his golden helmet. "We're not as daring as the Terrs. But we can't waste our time catching up. There must be something we can do." He pointed at Gilbert standing in the center.
"There is none," Auren spoke up. "Every bit of the dark tower's configuration is fixating on the singular point up there. Breaking through it would require Ein and power beyond probably even King Exalts."
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"What is used for?" Gloria asked.
Her questions didn't need an answer from Auren, as one arrived soon after. The mournful cries halted as the winds stilled to stagnant air. Far above, a long crack split a small section of the sky and opened like an eye, shining a bright light that showered down on the disks. Faint shadows shifted and moved behind the light, drawing closer, the shuddering of the world intensifying every second. A person descended and landed on Gilbert's disk, followed by several others, each arrival bursting with otherworldly Ein that filled her with dread.
Nine had gathered—nine of the most handsome and beautiful people she had ever seen in her life save Oscar. Their azure gazes matched their blue hair, their faces distinct as if carefully crafted to perfection. Standing above the others and garbed in fine clothes of the highest material, they shone and bathed in divine light as if flaunting their greatness to the rest. She heard a loud clank and turned to see someone had dropped his weapon, and a few others dropped theirs in surrender. She couldn't blame them as the daunting Ein imposed on her. Four of them were Grade Nine, and the rest were Grade Eight, and all of them shone an Ancestral Mark on their foreheads. With Gilbert, that made it five Grade Nine Exalts.
The fear jolted up her spine, pinching her nerves in sharp panic that made her want to scream and clutch her head in despair. Only death seemed certain now. Dropping to her knees, Avril shivered, feeling the warmth leave her blood as if it had given up and prepared to become a corpse. Having endured the tortures of Lelith and received the soothing consolation of Oscar, her mind didn't fall into despair and kept to its wits. But screams and panic spread in the crowd, many banging on the walls of shimmering Ein, failing even to create a ripple.
"The offspring of Lady Cassandra. We have been waiting for your call. I am Artera." The man who introduced himself cleaned his glasses with a blue handkerchief and put them back on. He was garbed in a black suit and cloak, carrying a pocket watch in his hand. His short blue hair covered his forehead with bangs and barely reached the back of his neck.
"Cassandra…my mother. Can I see her?" Gilbert asked in a surprisingly tame tone, counter to the arrogance he shouted with before.
"See her? Why should we allow a screwup like him into our sanctum?" Another Caerulumen scoffed, jabbing a finger in Gilbert's direction. "The plan was for fifteen of us to get through. Yet only nine breached past the world's restrictions. The power should have been enough for it."
"Calm down, Alverus. He is of Caerulumen blood." Artera waved Alverus away. "The titan expended far more power than expected and lost control of the tower's formation. Not only that." Artera tapped his foot over the floor of the disk. "Someone placed their own formation that expanded over our configuration and weakened the output of ours. I didn't expect such skill in this lower world."
Auren's formation did more than just heal her and the others. Avril thanked Auren silently, and the young Exalt flashed a prideful smile back, thumping his chest. She shuddered at the possibility of facing fifteen of these monsters. Nine was still daunting but perhaps bearable. Thankfully, Gilbert didn't point them out, strangely docile.
"So many have survived. Who is on your side? I shall have to note them down for later." Artera swept a chilling gaze at the crowd, a simple passing glance buckling her knees.
'Oscar. Where are you doing? I want to see you.' Avril pleaded in her heart. She felt death approaching.
…….
"So they've come. Far fewer than I had expected, thanks to the formation your follower crafted to siphon the dark tower's Ein and thanks to the efforts of the others to draw out the titan's reserve Ein." Metures said, glancing down. "They cannot act now, lest they suffer the backlash of Talo's fury. But their chance will come in the Convergence when they bask in the stolen Ein of our world. After that, they won't need to worry and massacre everyone."
"Is my wife alright?" Oscar worried for Avril.
"For now," Metures answered. The red eyes brightened and peered below. "The Convergence is starting! The time is here!"
Metures's hand stretched out, and Oscar floated in the air, not of his volition, and remained still, waiting for it to begin. Erden joined him by the side. Globs of Ein began to bubble up from the ground, falling upward. More and more surfaced and flooded the entire chamber, drowning everyone in the pure Ein. Metures clenched his hand and forced nearly all of it into Oscar and Erden. The ocean refilled and swept past the gate, presumably rushing up the pit toward the dark tower. Oscar couldn't breathe and strained his thoughts, trying to stay conscious, but the pain was beyond any he had felt.
The Pools of Ascension paled in comparison; the hand of Saul in his chest was a mere bite compared to the crushing Ein that broke his bones. It filled his lungs, forced the blood out of his veins through his orifices, and peeled his skin. His muffled screams found a sole companion in Erden's cries. Demon offered to switch, but he rejected him. He knew pain well, and he could endure it, or else it would be for naught. It would be a power given to one who couldn't bear it. No, this was his fight.
"Good. That is good. Fight, Oscar. Fight, Erden. Be the metal of the earth. Be the fires that roar in volcanoes. Our hopes rest in you."