Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 811: The Land of Elements [2]

*Puff*

Smoke drifted in the air.

A figure stood by a balcony, his gaze hovering towards the busy streets below.

The cars were sparse, and a certain quiet hovered across the surroundings.

But that quiet didn’t last for long.

“…I feel like we’re being watched.”

A voice echoed from behind him.

Emmet didn’t react at all, his eyes turning slightly hazy as he continued to stare at the cares beneath.

“It’s not just that we’re being watched. It’s like they know our every move… almost as if they can read our thoughts. How is this possible? Do you think that someone has betrayed us?”

*Puff*

Emmet drew another drag of the cigarette, feeling the afterburn linger at the back of his throat before he closed his eyes and drew out the smoke from his lungs.

Eventually, his lips parted.

“You’re not wrong. They can read our thoughts. But only to those they’ve set their targets on.”

Emmet’s voice was cold as he spoke.

His face showed no emotion, and his eyes turned hazier with each passing second.

“Speaking about them will also attract their attention.”

*Puff*

“…They’ve also started to spread their influence across the entire world. Their intentions are clear. They want to suppress us.”

“B-ut… but what should we do?”

The voice from behind shook.

One could feel the fear that lingered deep within the voice.

To the question, Emmet remained silent.

*Puff*

He took another drag of the cigarette before blowing it in the air.

“Learn how to act.”

“Huh? What does that…?”

*Puff*

Drawing the last drag from the cigarette, Emmet tossed it away from the balcony as he turned to look at the young man who stood before him. Emmet’s hazy eyes swept over him before he walked forward and slid the glass door of the balcony to the side.

“…Immerse yourself in the role.”

“W… what? What role?”

Emmet paused, his fingers twitching as he felt the urge to take another cigarette out. However, he just barely held himself back.

Eventually, he answered.

“Your role as a god.”

The surroundings turned silent.

“The world is now your theater. ’They’ are your spectators. Become someone you are not and hide your thoughts from ’them’. That’s the only way to slip past their gaze. But of course…”

Emmet took a step into the room, closing the door behind him.

“Don’t lose yourself in that role.”

*

The ’Land of Elements’ was a lot bigger than the ’Land of Light’.

Not only did it span the entire region that had once been part of Russia, but it also extended far beyond. Each domain contained several major cities, and Eisylra was one of them.

Known as the ’City of Ice’, a major part of its infrastructure was built from thick ice.

The other known cities within the ’Land of Elements’ were: Kyron (City of Fire), Mirage (City of Wind), Reinhord (City of Earth), Kapensaint (City of Light), and Surtrommer (City of Dark).

There were many other notable cities, but these were the more ’well-known’ cities according to Anne.

Of course, that included Eisylra.

“…I get that it’s supposed to be a city of ice, but… b-but, why the hell is it so damn cold?”

Evelyn’s voice trembled as she spoke. Even with a thin layer of mana shielding her body, the cold still managed to seep through, biting at her skin. The others weren’t much better off. I could feel the same sharp prickle crawling across my own body from the freezing air.

“There’s something about the cold over here. It’s… slowly eating at my mana reserves,” Leon pointed out while looking at the surroundings. The thin layer of mana that covered his body grew thinner and thinner.

He quickly followed up by adding more mana, and only then did it stabilize.

“Yes, there’s something about the chill in the air that eats away at the person’s mana. I’ve never heard of something like this happening before. Did something happen?”

Anne’s words were filled with doubt.

As a pirate, she was most likely aware of the geography around the Crimson Sea better than anyone else. For her to say this, it was most likely the truth.

’I think I’ve got a good idea as to why the situation is like this.’

It most likely had to do with Clora’s absence.

The Mirror Dimension was known for its extreme weather. However, given how many cities thrived in her domain, she most likely played a role in keeping the weather from becoming too extreme.

Her sudden presence most likely shattered that balance.

“I don’t see a lot of people either.”

I looked around. We stood at the city’s port, and aside from us, not a single soul could be seen in this vast city of ice. It felt abandoned, eerily still, but on closer look, there were remnants of life: empty merchant stalls left behind, faint traces of activity, and bits of trash scattered across the frozen ground.

Getting off the ship and picking up a piece of the trash, I frowned.

“It’s frozen stiff.”

No, everything was.

“…I guess it’s no wonder there’s no one else present.”

Kiera got off the ship, rubbing her hands together as a small flame formed.

“That’s a little bit better.”

“Hey, let me get some.”

Evelyn tried to push herself closer to the flames, but was pushed away by Kiera.

“Fuck off, do you think I’m some walking heater? Use your lightning or some shit.”

“Stop. Why are you being so stingy? It’s just a little bit of heat.”

“No means no.”

Evelyn grit her teeth, turning her attention towards the little girl who walked next to the silent Aoife.

She smiled sweetly.

“Theresa dear, do you remember all the times when I allowed you to watch Justice Man in secret? All the snacks that I’ve given you? Would you mind giving me some heat?”

Evelyn did her best to guilt-trip the little girl, bringing up old favors and past kindnesses, but to her surprise, Theresa only looked back at her with a faint smirk.

“…Hur. Hur.”

“Huh?”

Did she just…

“Kek.”

Kiera giggled to herself, staring at the little girl and giving her a thumbs up.

“Good one. I’m glad to see you’re learning from me. The best things are meant to be kept for yourself. There’s no need to share them with anyone else.”

“Hur. Hur.”

Theresa gave the same ridiculing laugh to Kiera, prompting her to frown, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Hur. Hur.”

Theresa just kept laughing with the same smirk.

Suddenly, both looked at Aoife.

“What have you been teaching her?”

“…What did you do to her during the time we were gone?”

Aoife frowned while feeling their gazes.

“Don’t look at me like that. I had nothing to do with this.”

“That’s bullshit. You were the one taking care of her, not us.”

Aoife’s frown deepened, but she chose not to respond, closing her mouth and holding back any retort. However, Kiera’s next words made her lips twitch despite herself.

“She’s like this because of you. She’s practically a spitting image of you now. You’re a terrible influence.”

Regardless of how much she had changed, Aoife was still Aoife at heart. The moment she was attacked like this, she exploded.

“What do you mean she took from me? Do you see me laughing like this? I’ve never laughed like this in my life. If anything, she probably took that crappy laugh from you. You laugh like some deranged witch. Have you ever heard yourself laugh?”

“The hell you say?”

“Wow, chill you two. It’s not that deep.”

“Shut up.”

“Shut up.”

“What did you say?!”

And so, the three of them began to bicker. Despite all the time that had passed and how much they’d grown, they were still the same at heart. I couldn’t help but let out a quiet sigh.

But that wasn’t the main problem.

Staring at the little girl who was watching the entire fight unfold, fanning the flames with her, Hur. Hur’s.

’Just what am I even watching?’

“I think this is good.”

“Ah?”

I turned to look at Leon, who watched the scene in silence. Looking at him, I couldn’t help but think he had also lost his mind. How was this good? The three were acting stupidly for no reason. An’as and Anne were also staring at the scene speechlessly.

I didn’t need to read their thoughts to know what they were thinking.

’What the hell is this?’

’…Are they really fighting over a little girl?’

“Yeah, this is good.”

After a moment, Leon shifted his gaze back towards me.

“You weren’t here, so you wouldn’t know, but in the three years you were gone, I hardly ever saw any of the three smile, or even argue like this. Sure, they were caught up in their own things, but with each passing day, they just seemed to grow gloomier and more distant. In the rare times that they did meet, they’d only talk for a few moments before leaving. I don’t know… It felt a little off. It was almost as if they were becoming completely different people.”

For a moment, I didn’t know how to reply.

Indeed, I had never truly seen how much the three had changed during my disappearance. I knew for a fact that they had all been forced to change due to the circumstances that followed my absence, and neither of them probably ever had the time to relax.

’Maybe that’s also what accelerated the calamity meter.’

“This is the first time in quite a while that I’m seeing them return to how they were. At the very least…” Leon’s gaze paused over Aoife as she grew louder and louder, Theresa standing beside her with her now trademark smirk. “…At the very least, Aoife looks to be reverting to how she was in the past. I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”

“Is that so…?”

I also looked at Leon.

Ever since coming back, I also noticed that Leon had changed a lot.

He was a lot calmer than he had been in the past.

There was a certain calmness to him that made me feel calm as well.

’I guess I really did miss out a lot while I was gone.’

I sighed at the thought, but decided to brush those thoughts aside for now. There was no time for dwelling on the past.

The past was the past.

What mattered was the present.

Turning my gaze back to the massive city, I took in the towering structures coated in ice, their spires jutting toward the gray sky above. Strengthening the layer of mana around my body, I ignored the girls’ chatter and began making my way toward the city.

’Right, I can’t think too much about the past. Let me see if I can find some information regarding Delilah and the situation within this Domain.’