Advent of the Three Calamities

All sorts of weird textures floated before my very eyes.

The veils differed in color, each drifting in the air and connecting to different areas of the city. I paid no mind to the unnecessary veils and merely focused on the red one that stood before my very eyes.

’...It’s starting to thin out a bit.’

Tharvek had mentioned that there was a time limit to the ability.

He didn’t specify the exact duration of the ability, but if I had to make an estimate, it would be around ten to twenty minutes.

’I have to be quick. At least, I need to get a proper direction.’

My steps were light as I moved.

With Tharvek’s ’support’, I no longer needed to worry about being sneaky.

But even then, I kept my presence to a minimum.

’He’s using me to find the blood.’

This much was obvious to me.

Given that he already had the ability, it was clear that he had the ability to go look for the blood himself. The only reason why he didn’t was simple.

’He might not show it, but he’s afraid...’

Afraid of Dawn.

If Tharvek truly had the courage to look for the source of the blood himself, there would’ve been no reason for him to hand the ability over to me. He could’ve simply followed the trail himself.

Instead, he chose me.

’...In other words, I’m his disposable pawn.’

I didn’t particularly mind.

In fact, this worked perfectly for me.

So long as I could find Noel, I didn’t care what sort of intentions Tharvek had for me afterward.

My gaze remained fixed on the thin red veil floating ahead.

Swooosh—!

It fluttered lightly beneath the wind, stretching through the streets before curving toward the central pillar.

I followed it silently.

The third level was considerably quieter than the lower floors. There weren’t many people walking around, and those who did hardly spared me a glance. Most of the buildings were large estates separated by wide roads, their sandstone walls noticeably cleaner than anything I’d seen below.

Even the air felt different.

To the point where the sense of suffocation that I felt in the lower floors almost felt completely gone.

But I knew that this was all an illusion.

’It really is ridiculous how much things change depending on where you stand in this city. But then again, things aren’t much different in the Empire.’

I kept moving.

The red veil passed straight through the gates surrounding the pillar, continuing toward the enormous structure at the center.

"...Down?"

My brows furrowed slightly.

That made sense.

Noel couldn’t possibly be hidden somewhere obvious like the third level. If anything, keeping him somewhere beneath the city would make a lot more sense.

Especially if Dawn was involved.

I entered the pillar.

Step. Step—!

My footsteps echoed throughout the massive structure as I descended the spiraling staircase.

From the third level to the second level.

The moment I reached the second level, the scenery changed immediately.

The clean streets disappeared, replaced by narrower roads packed with more people. Merchants shouted from different stalls while warriors moved around with weapons strapped across their backs.

Compared to the third level, everything here felt considerably more chaotic.

Still—

’Not here.’

The red veil continued downward.

I didn’t stop.

My steps quickened slightly as I headed back into the pillar and continued descending.

Step. Step. Step—!

The veil was becoming thinner.

Every few seconds, its edges would flicker before becoming visible again.

’How is it already starting to thin?’

I didn’t have much time.

I increased my pace.

By the time I finally reached the lowest level, the familiar smell immediately assaulted my nose. It felt like a mixture of rot, blood, sweat, and some other unpleasant stuff.

My expression stiffened slightly as I stepped out from the pillar and looked around.

Nothing had changed.

Bodies remained scattered across the sides of the streets while people walked past them without even sparing them a glance. Some dug through piles of trash while others sat motionlessly against the walls, their hollow eyes staring at nothing.

Compared to the upper levels...

This place really was another world. I felt this difference even more clearly now that I came back from the upper floors.

But I had no time to pay attention to any of that.

My eyes remained fixed on the red veil.

Swooosh—

It drifted past several buildings.

I followed closely behind it, occasionally having to change direction whenever the path narrowed or became blocked by collapsed structures.

Left, then right. Straight ahead, followed by another left.

The deeper I moved through the lowest level, the fewer people I encountered. Eventually, even the buildings started to change, becoming older and more damaged.

Several had completely collapsed, leaving behind large piles of rubble that blocked entire streets.

’Where the hell is this taking me?’

I continued ahead.

The red veil had grown extremely faint by now.

At times, I could barely see it.

But it was still there.

And so long as it remained visible, I continued following it. Every scent and sound felt incredibly deep inside my mind as I stopped from time to time in order to ensure that I wasn’t being watched or spotted.

Until—

"...Hm?"

My steps came to a sudden stop.

The veil was right in front of me.

Or rather...

I slowly lowered my gaze, my brows drawing together.

"...What?"

The red trail continued downward, disappearing straight beneath my feet.

I stared at the cracked stone ground for several seconds, wondering if I was somehow seeing things incorrectly.

But no.

The veil unmistakably passed through the ground.

"It’s down here?"

My brows pulled together.

I looked around.

There was nothing particularly special about the area. Just several worn-down buildings, piles of rubble, and a narrow street that seemed to lead nowhere.

There were no stairs, no hidden entrances, and nothing that suggested there was anything beneath me. However, the trail before me was obvious.

’It’s down here.’

I did somewhat expect this, but...

"...How the hell am I supposed to get down?"

I crouched and pressed my hand against the ground.

Mana spread outward.

[Mana Sense]

The world around me changed slightly as I searched beneath the stone.

But—

Nothing.

My frown deepened.

’No hollow space?’

That didn’t make sense.

The trail was clearly leading downward.

I stood back up and looked around again, this time paying even closer attention to my surroundings.

From the walls to the worn-down buildings, piles of rubble, and a few broken doors filled the area, but there was still nothing that resembled an entrance.

At the same time—

Swooosh!

The red veil flickered.

My expression changed.

It was getting even thinner.

"...Ah, fuck."

I had to find the path down.

And quickly.

I was running out of time.

***

"...What are you not telling me?"

Evelyn’s soft voice echoed as she sat opposite Leon, her purple eyes slowly drifting over him from top to bottom as she carefully analyzed him.

She’d been trying to get him to talk for the past few hours, but he remained silent, sitting cross-legged as he tried to focus on his next fight.

He seemed completely unresponsive.

"I’m not dumb. He said that you’ll die. Is that true?"

"It’s not."

"...So it must be true."

"It’s not."

"Is it because of the fights? Is that how you’re going to die?"

"No."

Leon’s brow twitched.

Evelyn’s head tilted.

"Who are you going to die aga—"

CRACK!

A crack formed beneath the wooden floor, Leon’s eyes flaring open as he glared in Evelyn’s direction. His lips parted as he prepared to shout, but Evelyn’s lips curled at the sight of him staring at him.

"You’ve finally looked."

The anger faded in an instant.

Evelyn stood up, moving closer to Leon and staring directly into his deep gray eyes.

She merely stopped before him.

Evelyn didn’t do anything else, and her voice softened further.

"You feel useless, right? That’s why you’re pushing yourself so much. Even if it means that you’re going to die, you still want to do this, right?"

"....."

Leon’s lips quivered.

For just a moment, Evelyn’s lips curved at the sight. But it was just a brief moment before her lips straightened.

"I take your silence as a yes."

"....I didn’t say yes."

"But you don’t have to say yes to show what you’re feeling. I’m not an emotive mage like Julien, but I can at least see the obvious. Because... you look exactly like I did not too long ago."

Evelyn’s eyes drifted towards the window behind Leon, granting her a glimpse of the city outside, with the faint lights from the center barely visible amongst the numerous buildings surrounding them.

"I know that look all too well. It really brings me back."

Evelyn hadn’t seen it, but she had felt it.

She knew exactly what Leon was going through, and in such moments, there was nothing that she could’ve done or said to stop him.

The only thing she could do was...

"Isn’t it quite fun? To beat the overwhelming odds?"

Cheer for him.

"He seemed quite confident about your death. Kiera and Aoife can both smell your bullshit."

"It’s not..."

"Is it not?"

Evelyn stared straight into Leon’s eyes. He stared back, but only for a moment before he brought his gaze away.

He found it hard to look straight at her.

"...I’m not going to die."

Still, his lips moved.

"I sure hope not."

Evelyn moved back, sitting back down in her seat.

Leon cracked a small smile as he lowered his head. It faded almost immediately, and his lips parted once more. "...It’s like he doesn’t think I can do it. I’ve been training hard to achieve something, and it’s like he’s invalidated all of my efforts. As if none of it matters."

Leon’s teeth clenched as he thought back to the conversation he had with Julien.

"I can do it. I can... do it. I’m confident in it. He also didn’t seem to be sane in the mind when he said it, and—"

"That you’re useful?"

"...What?"

"Is that what this is about?" Evelyn asked. "You don’t want to feel useless. You don’t want him moving forward while you’re still standing in the same place. So every time he takes another step, you convince yourself that you have to take one too."

"It’s not like that."

"Then what is it?"

Leon opened his mouth, but Evelyn continued before he could answer.

"If he’s the person you’re supposed to protect, and you’re telling me yourself that he wasn’t in the right state of mind... then why did you let him leave? If you really cared, you would’ve stopped him. Instead, you let him go."

Leon’s face froze.

Silence settled between them.

Evelyn stared at him for a moment before her expression softened.

"Maybe, just maybe... you’re not doing all of this entirely for him."

Leon looked up.

"Maybe he’s just the reason you’ve given yourself because it’s easier than admitting the truth."

"...And what’s the truth?"

"That you want to be enough."

His lips pressed together.

"You want to be strong enough to stand beside him. Useful enough that he needs you. Strong enough that one day, when he decides to walk somewhere dangerous, you won’t have to watch his back disappear in front of you."

"No." Leon shook his head. "It’s not that simple."

"Of course it isn’t."

Evelyn’s answer came without hesitation.

"We’re people. Nothing we do is ever that simple."

She finally stood from her seat.

"You care about him. You want to protect him. I’m not saying any of that is a lie."

She turned towards the door.

"But something can be true and still not be the whole truth."

Leon remained silent.

Evelyn reached for the handle.

"You feel useless, so you push yourself until you don’t. You feel like you’re being left behind, so you keep running even when you don’t know where you’re going. And somewhere along the way, you started calling all of that ’helping him.’"

Her fingers curled around the handle.

"Maybe part of it is."

The door opened with a soft click.

"But if protecting someone means destroying yourself just so you can feel worthy of standing beside them..."

Evelyn paused.

"...then you’re not only doing it for them."

A soft breath escaped her lips.

"And that’s okay."

Leon raised his eyes towards her.

Evelyn glanced back at him from the doorway.

"You don’t need someone else’s life to give yours a purpose."

Her gaze lingered on him for another second.

"...You matter too."

The door closed, and silence settled inside the room.

"....."

Leon remained where he was, blankly staring in the direction Evelyn had left before falling back onto the bed, his hands rising to cover his face.

"Seriously..."

He muttered, one of his hands reaching for his chest as he felt a soft thump.

This wasn’t the right time.

It was the dumbest of times.

Stupid.

"D-amn it."

He bit his lower lip.

"When did she... get so hot?"

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!