I awoke feeling as though I'd been better off not sleeping at all. My body was weak, and my head was a jumbled mess. I'd only managed three hours of sleep, but usually, that was more than enough.
Turning on the radio for some background news, I hopped into the shower. But the alternating hot and cold streams of water brought no relief. It was as if a weight was pressing down on my shoulders, anchoring me to the ground. It wasn't the same emotional torment I'd felt after my Padawan's demise, nothing like that. Sure, Crixus's death had shaken me, but his betrayal and backstabbing had hit me harder. As for Mersk and Punisher, I had no regrets about them, especially not the former head of the Masks of Novilter, who had no qualms about killing other raigs in pursuit of his agenda.
If I was bothered by the losses we'd sustained yesterday, it was only because they'd diminished the fighting power of the Break Knights. However, yesterday's Breakthrough clearly demonstrated that even with the absence of two high-ranking raigs, we could still fend off monster invasions.
Post shower, I did a few exercises that revived me a bit but didn't quite restore me to my usual state. I reached for the Break and immediately collapsed onto the bed. My prana hadn't replenished during my sleep and was stuck at eighty percent of its maximum capacity.
Since my dormitory mates had long been vetted by me, I transitioned into the Break right in my room without any apprehension. The other dimension greeted me with an unusual grayness and sharp gusts of energy winds. It hadn't seemed so during the night on the avenue: after the Breakthrough was closed, the Break hadn't fully recovered! I reached out to the Spark, opening it to draw in energy. But no matter how much prana I poured into myself, its level in my reserve wouldn't rise beyond the four-fifth mark of my maximum energy value.
I had half an hour before the first class, and decided to take a risk. I dashed through the Break from the island to one of my secret stash locations, where I kept an unregistered smartphone with internet access. Once inside one of the numerous caves on the coast, I activated it and logged into the BKDW website using Maestro's credentials.
My worst fears were quickly confirmed. The most discussed topics on the forum were all centered around a single issue... All the Knights injured during the last Breakthrough's reflection couldn't recover prana beyond the value of their damage. In other words, if someone's energy reserve had dropped to half, it wouldn't rise above that half. Those who had lost one-tenth of their energy reserves were unable to recover precisely those ten percent. Meanwhile, all prana below the damage mark functioned normally; it could be depleted and restored, but it simply wouldn't accumulate above this threshold.
Interestingly, this was only noticed in Wilflaes. That very night, a Breakthrough occurred in Antwerp. Halley got in touch with a group of Knights who had participated in that battle, and they reported no anomalies. The moment they closed the Breakthrough, everything returned to normal. Additionally, the altered characteristics of the Break that we experienced, such as heightened "sharpness," increased "grayness," and amplified "contrast," were not reported anywhere else but in the capital of Novilter. The puzzling situation was further complicated by reports from those who remained on duty at the Breakthrough site, stating that the Break felt even more "tense" over Burgundy Avenue.
After considering all the positives and negatives, I decided to skip my first class, donned Metatron, and dashed off to the capital. Education is important, yes, but not in this case.
"Maestro?" Leonidas exclaimed in surprise, perched on the rooftop of a nine-story building, his legs swinging freely. "Aren't you early? My shift is the last; it's already morning. Didn't we agree to keep watch until nine, then call it a day?"
Leonidas himself was unscathed from repelling the Breakthrough and, most likely, hadn't been on the forum; meaning he was unaware of the issues many Knights were facing. After a formal greeting, I inquired about his condition and then got straight to the point:
"Any incidents? Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?"
"No," the "Spartan" shook his head. "Everything's as usual, except the Break here feels a bit more 'sharp' and 'rigid' than normal. But that could just be my nerves. I only got three hours of sleep today! If it weren't for the projection and the Break, I don't know how I'd manage to keep watch." He was clearly overstating - one can easily go a day without sleep without significant consequences at his age. "So am I free to go? Is my shift over?"
"Hold on for five more minutes."
Leaping off the roof, I strolled down the avenue from where we'd pushed back the fight to the point where the whirl's center lay. Nothing, just emptiness. I listened to the artifact in my watch - it was silent too. Yes, the Break did feel slightly different at the site of the Breakthrough, but I didn't find any critical changes. After making several rounds, I informed Leonidas about the problems many raigs were encountering, then advised him to stay cautious before relieving him from his duty. I took up his previous spot, settling into place where the "Spartan" had been stationed.
Is it worth maintaining the vigil? And for how long? Until things return to normal? What if these inexplicable symptoms of the Break persist for a week? Or never cease at all? Do we need to station round-the-clock patrols after each Breakthrough? No, that's not feasible. More concerning, however, is not the alterations in the Break observed in the capital, but the peculiar behavior of prana in those injured during the nocturnal battle. What if this blockage of maximum energy doesn't subside by the next Breakthrough? What if these wounds are irreversible? The mere thought of the latter option was unsettling. If we can't recuperate between Breakthroughs, our battle will reach a swift and unfavorable conclusion!
"Are you feeling uneasy too?" Halley, apparently harboring thoughts akin to mine, hopped onto the roof.
"Something like that," I admitted, not concealing my mood from him.
We engaged in a lengthy discussion, close to half an hour, yet arrived at no definitive conclusions regarding the transformations in the Break. The sole agreement we reached was to cease our watch. Instead, we posted a request on the website for the Knights to remain on alert if they were near Burgundy Avenue. Should they spot any irregularities, they were to report it immediately. This seemed to us a satisfactory compromise. We also concurred with the new head of BKDW that all peculiarities of the Break should be communicated to our allies. Let the analysts at the House on the Hill also grapple with the question: "What on earth is happening?" and "Is something happening?" After all, they're being paid for it.
Our conversation, as it turned out, somewhat alleviated our collective anxiety. Halley's nervous twitch subsided by the end of it, and my thoughts ceased their frantic leaping. After bidding each other farewell, we each pursued our separate paths. Halley went off to contact the new curator, while I headed towards the university, hopeful of making it in time for the second lecture.
At the university, no one took notice of my slightly downcast demeanor, as many students and professors were similarly dispirited. This collective gloom was a common occurrence following the repelling of a Breakthrough. Sociologists have even attributed a scientific term to this mass depression. As for me, it seemed a perfectly natural human reaction to the abrupt reminder of the ever-present, invisible, yet palpable threat to one's existence! A threat against which you personally are powerless, and can only hope that a small group of youths, known as the Break Knights, will ward off this impending danger.
Even Christian and the eternally cheery Claire seemed like pale versions of themselves today. As for Maya, she didn't show up at university at all. However, this made sense: her official status as a Break Knight allowed her to be a bit lax when it came to attendance.
"Thank you for your help with Mary's birthday celebration," my classmate approached me after lunch. "Without your approval, Claire would have surely sent me packing. You should've seen how worried Mary was that the house had already been rented out and her friends couldn't come."
Honestly, I thought Mary was fed up with Christian's indecisiveness and concocted the whole story about her friends. She did it just to spur the little crow into action; so far, he had been too shy to even peck the girl on the cheek! At least, that's what Claire had told me.
"Return the favor someday!" I winked at the guy.
Truth be told, I had my own motives behind this invitation. Ketsu Sugawara hadn't shown up. But I was still confident that he was keeping tabs on me. I believed he definitely wouldn't miss a golden opportunity to get to Izao, like a secluded house in the woods. And that's exactly what I needed. Plus, it was better to confront Ketsu sooner rather than later; otherwise, Abel de Diaz might perceive him as a "threat to his king" and eliminate him, an outcome I'd rather avoid.
Right! The day would come when I must face the legate... The only problem was, I had absolutely no clue how to go about it. I couldn't just kill him, could I? Plus, one could argue he was a descendant of one of my past reincarnations. The question of how to restore his sanity was one I didn't have an answer to. I had even considered setting up a meeting and demanding he doesn't act without my consent. But how could I ensure such promises were kept? I couldn't! And how would he react to such a command? Abel was too unpredictable. Hence, as long as I could, I refrained from exerting any pressure on him, let alone issuing any orders.
Nevertheless, despite the myriad of less-than-ideal news and events that have transpired in recent days, I found myself smiling. The cause for this stray smile was that I finally had a clue about where to look for the elusive Door. With this thought, I subconsciously stroked the watch on my left hand. I can't imagine how much longer I would have been searching for this Door, wandering aimlessly around the capital, and obviously, I wouldn't have found anything, as I now know.
The Door I needed was situated in another layer of reality. Not just in the Break, which merely acted as a barrier separating the physical world from other dimensions of the universe, but beyond. Regrettably, I couldn't elaborate more. My efforts to sense something or awaken the artifact by shifting to the Break were fruitless. It appeared that I would have to wait for the next Breakthrough to validate or debunk my hypotheses. However, as my intuition suggested, I suspected the wait wouldn't be long. As the End of the World approached, the Break would increasingly shudder, triggering more and more Breakthroughs.
After attending all my classes, I decided to take a stroll along the most solitary paths on the island. Part of me simply craved relaxation; another part of me was on guard in case Sugawara decided to make an appearance and corner me. I walked for quite some time, not returning to the dorm until past ten in the evening. Throughout this time, to my mild disappointment, Ketsu didn't show up.
I opened the door to my room and halted. A folded piece of paper lay on the floor. I swiftly checked the marks on the door and windows - everything was intact; it seemed no one had entered the room during my absence. Presumably, the paper had been slid under the door. After securing the room, I donned gloves and picked it up.
It was a note from Abel de Diaz. In a grandiose manner, he announced that he had to travel to Europe for a week and advised me to be cautious during his absence. As soon as I finished reading the text, the paper contracted in my hand and crumbled into ashes. I didn't believe the legate was lying; he likely had indeed left for Europe, presumably on urgent Inquisition business.
As I sat up in bed, I breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did I realize the extent to which the unseen presence of the Dark Adept had been oppressing me. The fact that he would be absent for at least a week was a welcome reprieve, and I no longer had to worry about him killing someone "for your own good, Sire!"
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
I undressed and laid down on the bed, attempting to sleep. Half an hour later, I managed to doze off. But it didn't last. As soon as the hour hand on the clock passed midnight, I was jolted awake. The all too familiar, and now habitual, sensation of an impending Breakthrough roused me. I wanted to curse and shout out, "What the hell?!", "Why two in a row?!" but knew such outbursts would be futile. So, instead, I relaxed and soared into the sky, transforming into a faint star.
I wasn't surprised when my star, having reached its apex, rapidly fell and landed on the now all-too-familiar Burgundy Avenue.
"What? Again?!" Rex, appearing beside me, jumped to his feet. He looked up, shrugging. "Well, fine. I couldn't sleep anyway."
His casual words contrasted so sharply with the looming Breakthrough that everyone who had already gathered on the avenue couldn't help but smile, and some even laughed.
"Do I do the same as yesterday?" Leonidas asked me.
"Go ahead."
"Spartan" immediately sprinted to the police station. If there was anyone to feel sorry for, it was the men working there. A second Breakthrough, just a day after the first one, and again on their turf! Maya and Halley also shifted into reality and, whipping out their mobile phones, began to alert all the city's services.
Two minutes later, the police started to block off the avenue, herding the few people on the street into the nearby buildings, recommending they immediately descend to the basements. Three minutes later, the civil defense siren wailed. Their response was unforgivably slow, most likely because the person on the receiving end of Halley's call couldn't believe there was another Breakthrough and didn't immediately hit the right button. However, that's not my concern; I'm sure this oversight will be swiftly rectified by those responsible. It's fortunate that it's night, with fewer people and cars around, but what if the Breakthrough had happened during the day? Then, even a minute's delay in sounding the siren could result in hundreds of unnecessary casualties. Hence, when the incompetents who were manning the alarm panel today face trial, they won't find any sympathy from me.
Unlike last time, the Break wind was reluctant to reveal the direction of the Breakthrough; instead, its gusts splintered into small whirlwinds that sporadically sprang up along the entire width of the avenue.
Following my directives, the Knights dispersed into loosely spaced groups. We designed this formation for situations where the threat is ambiguous. In such circumstances, we can't stand compactly in a phalanx formation, because what if we were hit by a large-scale area attack that catches everyone off guard? Loose formations, like "chess", could also lead to casualties in case of an unexpected attack from the side. However, small mobile groups, prepared to instantly aid their neighbors, didn't have such downsides. Yes, such a formation wasn't particularly suited for repelling a large-scale frontal attack, but unlike yesterday, we didn't know where the attack would come from this time.
I listened to the artifact in my watch, but it was silent. So engrossed was I in my thoughts that I didn't realize when it all began. Rex's shout jolted me from my reverie:
"Air!"
Directly overhead, about thirty meters above the rooftops of nine-story buildings, small spatial portals began to open in the sky. There were... many of them... dozens, at the very least! The portals dimmed momentarily, and metal balls, each about a meter in diameter, tumbled out of them. These balls had no engines - no jet, no propeller. And judging by their free fall, it was clear that they weren't equipped with any speed dampers.
"Don't let them land!" Maya shouted.
She didn't just shout, but also demonstrated precisely what she meant. In Sliding, she soared to the height of the seventh floor, then pushed off the side of a building and flew across the entire avenue. Mid-flight, she managed to slice through two of the falling metal spheres with her sword. Instantly, they sparked and smoked, and upon hitting the asphalt, fragmented into numerous pieces.
Her demonstration was clear and to the point, but the rest of the raigs didn't have enough time to replicate her action. Gravity, after all, is unmerciful, and the orbs from the portals weren't considerate enough to wait for us to prepare - they just plummeted, drawn by their weight. And they did so rapidly.
Halley, Rex and I managed to get a hit on a sphere while it was still in the air. The rest of the metal balls, over fifty of them, crashed onto the asphalt and opened up. Or rather, they unfolded, transforming like some sort of mechanical origami. The upper layers of the spheres peeled away, revealing support limbs, four for each sphere. In the center of what used to be spheres, was a semi-circular body as thick as a thigh, from which extended three manipulator arms, each ending in a wide blade crackling with sparks. Also protruding from the center of the metallic "body" was something resembling a double-barreled heavy machine gun. As these spheres transformed, I was reminded of the Trade Federation "droidekas" from Star Wars. However, these local versions lacked a force field, and they looked more like crude contraptions rather than products of a highly advanced civilization.
"Attack!" I commanded, realizing that it would be best to take out as many "spheres" as possible before they could transform into their battle form.
Using Sliding, I struck the "trunk" of the mechanism with Word. I braced myself for a substantial impact, for resistance, but my sword passed through the steel body of the aggressor as if it wasn't made of metal, but something much softer. Immediately, sparks flew from the robot, its legs gave way, and it tumbled onto its side, immobilized. However, not everyone was as fortunate as me. Five meters to my left, Teiko, a novice in samurai armor, lost sight of a second enemy while attacking one. The overlooked machine struck him with its blade, draining almost half of the Knight's prana in an instant. Changing direction, I shredded Teiko's attacker with a combined blow from Word and Purity.
"Watch out!" I shouted.
"I've got your back!" Leonidas echoed, shielding the rookie.
At first glance, the enemies didn't seem too challenging. They were poorly armored, with only their blades capable of withstanding a Knight's strike. They weren't quick either; the "droidekas" were unable to keep pace with the raigs when we were speeding up in Sliding. But, as always, there were "surprises."
The Fan alerted me to an impending threat with a timely red line. A swift dash to the right and a high jump saved me from a double burst from a coaxial machine gun. Approximately three seconds had passed since the "spheres" had descended and fully unfurled, and it took them another ten seconds to activate their primary weapon.
Fortunately, the raigs reacted quickly, thinning out the landed "droidekas" so that no more than two dozen robots began firing. Several Knights were shot and knocked to the ground, but their armor withstood the impact, and their prana levels barely dipped. What was worse, the machine guns' bullets caused real damage when they hit a solid object. After a few seconds of gunfire, many of the cars parked along the avenue were riddled with holes. The windows on the lower level of the nearest nine-story buildings were also damaged. I could only hope that people had the sense not to peer out into the street after the alarm for Civil Defense had sounded.
"This Breakthrough is like something out of 'Attack from Mars'!" Maya yelled, though the title didn't ring any bells for me. "And that means...!" she continued, raising her voice as she obliterated another robot, "There'll be several more waves of attackers!"
Sure enough, Maya was right: before the last "droideka" had a chance to settle on the asphalt, the portals reopened in the sky, spitting out another fifty of them.
"Air!" Halley shouted.
In Sliding, I ran up the side of a nine-story building and launched myself into the air. Word effortlessly sliced through the first sphere that crossed my path. However, the blade of "Purity" wasn't long enough to destroy the enemy completely, and the metal ball, now smoking and sparking, continued to fall - damaged but still functioning. No matter! Those who remained below would take it out. My job was to eliminate as many enemies as possible while they were still in their spherical form - before they could land, unfold, and transform into killing machines.
Next to me, Maya, Halley, Rex, Dobrynya, Leonidas, and Quintus are engaged in a fierce aerial battle, moving in abrupt spurts through the air. The remaining Knights, not yet prepared for such acrobatics, stay below. Naturally, our group of seven didn't manage to obliterate all of the descending spheres; we only destroyed about a quarter of them, in fact. Another quarter of the invaders were destroyed before they fully transformed into their combat forms.
However, even those spheres fortunate enough to land and transform didn't last long. Each of them was swiftly and efficiently dealt with by at least one Break Knight. Only a couple of the "droidekas" managed to unleash their machine guns, and even they were promptly silenced.
"Air!" Maya was the first to spot the new threat.
This time, the portals blinked twice, doubling the number of descending spheres. However, we were already prepared for the attack, perched on the roofs of nine-story buildings rather than standing at ground level. Distance and speed are paramount when your mission is to destroy as many temporarily defenseless enemies as possible. In this wave, our group of seven managed to knock out thirty spheres. Nonetheless, about seventy human-hostile machines still crashed onto the asphalt due to their increased numbers.
"Down!" I command, summoning those nearby to assist the fighters below.
The aggressors' blades pose almost no threat, not because they can't cause damage - they can - but because they are too slow. The heavy machine guns also aren't as dangerous as they initially seemed. To penetrate a Knight's armor, they need to land two very close hits. The problem is that the "droidekas," as soon as they assume their combat form, immediately start firing their machine guns in all directions. In some parts of the avenue, the crossfire became so dense that several raigs had to take cover, reluctant to rely on their armor. There was a brief moment of equilibrium in the battle, but that ended when our group of seven descended from above, slashing and crushing everything in their path. The once incredibly dense machine gun fire was reduced to sporadic shots and completely suppressed within five seconds.
We didn't have time to catch our breaths, as once again, the voice echoed throughout the Break:
"Air!"
Again, the portals blinked twice. In Sliding, sprinted along a steep wall, and jumped.
With each repetition, I was improving. Observation and analysis were paying off. If I struck the joints of the steel plates, then even "Purity" was enough to shatter the metal sphere while it was still closed and in free fall.
The majority of the Break Knights, the ones who remained below, were also getting the hang of the combat. They understood the enemy, its strengths and weaknesses. A single "droideka" posed almost no threat even to a first-level raig, but the moment the robots assembled in a group of four, they could generate enough firepower to threaten the Knights. Recognizing this peril, the raigs prevented the enemies from grouping and consequently dispatched single targets with ease.
However, despite this apparent ease with which the enemies were being eliminated, occasionally someone still got hurt, and their prana waned. Unlike me, the other Knights didn't possess a Fan of Probabilities, and evading machine gun fire from behind when you can't see the shots being fired was a quite challenging task.
"Air!"
And up we went again.
Strike, sparks, explosion, smoke, and hissing.
Everyone was anticipating some kind of catch, a complication, or new, more dangerous enemies. But... Again and again, the same portals opened, and the same metal spheres dropped out. Once, the portals blinked thrice, but by then, the Break Knights were operating as a highly coordinated, seamless, lethal machine.
Against ordinary people, such aggressive tactics, bombarding us with iron non-stop, would most likely work. But our projections do not tire. As long as a raig has prana, they will continue to fight.
During the next wave of falling spheres, I found the time to listen. But, alas, I didn't hear even a hint of the already familiar song. And the artifact in the watch kept pulling in different directions, as if it itself was unsure where the object it was seeking was located.
Another wave, this time single, and only nine droidekas reached the asphalt. But they were destroyed before they could even stand on their mechanical legs. I flew to the roof and looked up, waiting for a new wave. But instead, the Break quieted down, the mini tornadoes along the avenue subsided, the night sky cleared, and the stars became visible.
"Is that all?" Dobrynya, standing next to me, asked in confusion.
"The Breakthrough is closed!" Leonidas confirmed, swinging his sword.
He was probably right. But this Breakthrough didn't close as usual, but rather the same as yesterday. Yes, the Break seemed to have become cleaner and calmer, but a certain tension, unusual for it, persisted. Moreover, we were once again left on the avenue without being returned to our starting locations.
"That was... surprisingly easy," Halley drawled skeptically, slowly sheathing his sword.
"I agree," Maya confirmed.
We didn't lose anyone during this Breakthrough, and the number of injuries was almost three times less than the last time. The city, however, suffered significantly: it seemed the aggressors had destroyed more than seventy cars, four buses, and demolished two building facades. Thankfully, people had been evacuated from the avenue before the "droidekas" opened fire.
"Ha!" Rex leapt onto the roof to join us. "That was a pretty standard Breakthrough." He paused, then added, "Well, not for Wilflaes, though..."
"Explain!" I demanded, quickly turning towards him.
"Well, after the Breakthrough on the ocean liner and our report, I received messages from several Knights from other cities," Rex started. "They all said the same thing: they embellish their victories too, but our report on the Sea Breakthrough is a true masterpiece of exaggeration and fiction."
"But there was nothing imaginary in it!" Maya, who had written the report, crossed her arms over her chest defensively.
"Exactly!" Rex agreed. "So, I did some digging. It turns out that almost all Breakthroughs in the world are similar to the one we just repelled. The kind of Breakthroughs we usually fight off... they're very rare elsewhere, and dealing with them often leads to the loss of many raigs."
"And you're only telling us this now?" I asked, struggling to maintain my composure.
"I couldn't confirm it yet!" Rex defended himself. "The information wasn't definitive. I planned to investigate more before presenting it in the report."
"He's right," Halley backed him up. "We should verify before we report."
"Fine," I conceded, agreeing with their rationale.
"The Breakthrough is closed..." Maya mused, tilting her head back to look at the sky. "But for some reason, I feel like it's not over yet. Again..."