“Oh hey, you guys are back.” Schwarz looked up from a frothing mug. “Did you guys enjoy getting your heads rung by incomprehensible single syllables?”

“Incomprehensible? Not really. But the experience definitely wasn’t enjoyable, though.” Claud yawned. “My head was pounding the whole time, and most of our questions weren’t answered either. In the end, no one seems to care much about the Last Godsfall either.”

“Yeah, the whole thing seems rather shady to begin with,” Schwarz muttered. “The previous Godsfalls apparently revolved around Bearers of Destiny challenging the previous era’s rulers, right? Why did the Coloured Gods have their own Bearers of Destiny this round? What about the Moons and the Dark? Why are they here?”

“Maybe we interpreted something wrongly,” Claud suggested, thinking about the whole mess. No one really knew what happened, and those that did were keeping mum for their own nefarious reasons. “Or a lot of things wrongly, actually.”

“Yeah, that seems about right.” Farah walked into the living room, two books orbiting around her as she flipped through the one in her hands. “No one really knows what happened at the end of the First, Second and Third Godsfalls, save for those who were alive back then. After all, history is easily manipulated, and records are but the words of the victors and survivals. The Churches of the Six Virtues no longer exist, and of the Primordial…”

“They’re all still here, though.” Nero sat up from a line of chairs, his appearance startling both Claud and Lily. “It’s just that no one worships dead gods. That’s all.”

“How did they die?” Claud asked.

“Killed? Was that not obvious?” Nero replied. “However, you’re right that no one truly knows what the Godsfalls were about. The records…are not that trustworthy, and the Coloured Gods have been very quiet about the whole thing.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah.” Nero shrugged. “Even as a Holy Son, I don’t know many things. For instance, what exactly does a Holy Son do? I don’t preach, nor do I do anything in the name of the Black God. Sure, I’m a devout believer of His tenets, but that’s it. I don’t seem to do anything as the Holy Son of the Black God.”

“Maybe, you know, it’s because you vanished a couple of years back and never reappeared?” Schwarz asked, rolling his eyes. “You should ask Clarissa about her role as Holy Daughter.”

“Yeah, I suppose.” He shook his head. “Still, there has to be something I can do, right?”

“Maybe the Holy Children of the Coloured Churches are Bearers of Destiny?” Schwarz suggested. “After all, the Holy Son of the Red God was His Bearer of Destiny as well. Is it possible that you and Clarissa don’t have that role because your masters are not part of this whole thing?”

“Well, the Black God and the White God are not part of the Last Godsfall, yes.” Nero pondered. “But isn’t that worse? We’re actually just holding on to the title for the heck of it!”

“Uh…”

Claud watched as the two drinkers suddenly delved into the topic of an existential crisis, and then rubbed his nose. There wasn’t much he or Lily could say here, so he simply turned to Farah, who was already reaching out for a snack.

“Right, where’s Risti and Dia?” Claud asked.

“Oh, Risti ran out to look for Dia,” Farah replied. “Dia hasn’t returned after some time, so Risti decided to go out and look for her, in case something happened.”

“In Moon territory?” Claud asked.

Farah paused. “I mean, if Dia happened to some poor building or Moonlit soldier.”

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“That’s equally horrible too,” Lily muttered. “Anyway, should we go and look for her? It’s not like we have anything much to do, and you guys would just fake-vomit whenever I talk to Claud.”

“Only because you two almost always start flirting?” Farah asked.

“It’s only flirting if you see it that way,” Lily replied. “Why can’t you see it as the way two lovers talk, hmm? It’s the way Nero and Schwarz speak, just that it’s more of something between lovers. That’s all. You’re viewing it with the whole lens.”

“…That’s sophistry, okay?” Farah sighed. “Well, whatever. Just…just go and find Dia or something. Whenever I see you two, I can’t help but think about Llyod nagging me to get married and have an heir. Sheesh. It’s not like I actually need any of that, right?”

She continued to mumble under her breath, and Claud recognised that there was no point talking to her now. After making some excuses, Claud decided to go and check on the two absentees. It was right to be worried; even a few hours of absence could very well mean something else. Of course, given Dia’s ability as a swordswoman, he wasn’t going to worry too much, but…

“Dia happening to some poor building, huh?” Lily commented out loud. “Do you think that’s going to happen?”

“Nah.” Claud rubbed his nose. “I think she’s just busy helping someone. Or maybe she’s enjoying dessert or something. Who knows?”

The two of them continued to look around the camp as they walked around randomly. The Blue Moon had given them permission to stay and move around in this camp freely, as long as they helped to defend it against any attacks while they were here. However, given that attacks were incredibly unlikely, Claud knew that this was probably the Blue Moon’s way of accommodating the Seekers of Life without seeming too servile or easy going.

“Dessert?” Lily’s ears perked up. “Where?”

“Well, there are a few shops,” Claud replied. “There’s one that sells soft snow or something. I think it’s some icy delight with syrup poured all over it.”

“Ooh. Shaved ice with syrup!”

“That’s the name?” Claud asked, before swallowing. “Sounds like a delight in days like this...I wish Schwarz would make some.”

“He’s a bartender, not a desserts-making person.”

“Right.” Claud licked his lips. “But what if one were to pour alcohol on a mound of shaved ice? Would it be a masterpiece?”

“I don’t know, but I think it’ll just be freezing, watered-down alcohol,” Lily replied. “Come on. Let’s go check out that shop. It’s nice that there’s a place to spend money, even in the military camp overseen by the Moons.”

“Do you think the two of them will be there?”

“They share similar tastes to me, so…probably?” Lily didn’t sound that certain, either, but the idea of eating ice flavoured with sweet syrup gelled well with Claud, so he didn’t raise any objection.

Hands interlinked, the two of them set off for the shaved ice store. Along the way, they came across a few Moonlit soldiers, who were chattering around drinks, food and shaved ice. Quite a few of them had stayed behind in the camp, despite the massive offensive going on in the Nihila Dukedom right now, and they were all living their lives happily.

“It’s nice to see people living life to the fullest,” Claud commented, his eyes on two Moonlit soldiers that were drinking from a huge cup together. The cup, filled with a frothy beverage, was as large as a regular adult’s chest, and the two of them were sucking from straws without any restraint.

“I get what you mean,” Lily replied. “One day, when we’re all free from worries about the future, I’m going to get a huge barrel of fizzy drinks and just sit there the whole day drinking from it.”

“Count me in, then.”

“Okay! It’s a promise!”

The two of them laughed as they entered a small area that resembled a food street. All sorts of aromas intermingled with each other as they looked around the place, but Claud couldn’t spot any trace of Risti or Dia. After strolling around the place thrice, the two of them sat down on a table and let out a long breath.

“Let’s just order some shaved ice instead,” Claud muttered.

“That’s probably for the best.” Lily wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. “I’m tired and thirsty.”

She raised a hand, prompting a yellow-coloured waiter to head over. After placing an order for two bowls of chocolate-covered shaved ice, Lily surveyed the area once more, before shaking her head.

“Maybe they’re back by now?” Claud asked. “I mean, we might have missed them one way or another.”

“Possible, yes.” Lily bobbed her head, but before she could say anything else, the Moonlit waiter had returned with a tray of chocolate-covered ice. “Oooh.”

“I’m drooling too.” Claud gulped. “…Let’s go around looking for her after this, shall we?”

“One of the best things I’ve heard today!”

“That’s quite the low bar, though…” Claud picked up a bowl and set it in front of him. As he raised a spoon, an odd sensation assailed his nerves, and he looked to the north.

“Something wrong?” Lily asked.

“Something...wrong. Yes.” Claud shivered. “I felt something odd. Wrong. Weird. I’m not sure, but I have the feeling something happened.”

He shook his head. “Let’s just finish this first, and then try to find the others.”