Rivergate is set deep down the lake, where the constant groaning of the dark waters pressing against the reinforced metal plates fills the corridors.
You could hear faint drips of water falling through the cracks of the metal, their sound echoing like distant footsteps.
The air was damp, stale, and awfully metallic, the same as one where blood had rested for a while, which couldn't mean anything good.
But for someone who was just about to drown not long ago, it tasted like cake.
The lights were inconsistent; some corridors glowed with a harsh white light, while others flickered under amber bulbs, leaving many stretches of shadows.
The place was functional, still not trashed and destroyed like Ashen Wing had been when he first found it, with its ceiling destroyed and fallen down on the floor. With all the desks and seats burned and completely demolished.
But nothing like Downspire, which even to this day, was quite organized, the only thing bad about it being its lights, and the dust that had been accumulated over time.
The bunker was made out of a Central Core and four outer rings.
The Central Core was a massive cylindrical chamber which... contained the Sun.
It was suspended in a web of cables, piping, and ribbed steel braces.
It was an improved version of the Black Sun. Its size was a lot bigger, which was the reason why it could reach the surface from all the way down in the depths of the lake
It still had that black color, but it was lighter, much lighter, it was some sort of gray, but not quite white yet.
But it was still crude; it had failed to achieve the color of a normal core, and it was nowhere near enough to give back time to the world.
For him, it was just the same as the other, but for someone like Avrie, it wasn't the case.
Aether watched as the little witch, who was still wearing the coat she had stolen from Downspire, got closer to it, almost hypnotized by it. But stopped just before she could touch it.
"This... is incredible."
Aether looked at the Sun, trying to figure out what she was talking about, but maybe because he didn't know as much as she did, he couldn't figure it out.
"It's not the purest, but it's incredible that they were able to reach this level."
He blinked twice, giving up on the idea of finding what was so extraordinary about it himself, and asked Avrie.
"What's so amazing about it? That it is a little pure, but what does that mean?"
Avrie turned to him, smiling like a little child who had found a new toy. He almost pitied the Sun, since she was not going to let it go until she found everything about it.
"It's a little complicated to explain, but I'll try my best."
She sighed, pointing to him.
"What knowledge rank are you?"
Aether tilted his head slightly, not very invested in that question.
"Fragment, but why is that even important?"
Avrie's eyes widened, not expecting Aether's rank to have been that low. But she cleared her throat, reminding herself that he still was very helpful with getting intel.
"Then that means your core is a pure white. If you were to ascend in your rank, that white would become unstable, inconsistent, and start to darken, and corrupt."
She then paused, turning to the Sun.
"The one from Downspire was black, meaning it was fed essence from a dark core. Which made sense because they used Abyssal creatures. But this one... it is in the middle between being pure and corrupted."
Aether listened to her words, very interested in the witch's ramble. But stopped when he heard Elpis grunt, and after seeing his deep frown. His sharp eyes stared at the Sun with some sort of hatred.
Avrie also saw this, but didn't get why he was acting like this; he was looking at a big step in their research, and something extraordinary.
But while she had not realized why he was acting like this. Aether had.
He almost questioned himself if he knew that damn knight better than Avrie. But he just guessed she wasn't familiar with this side of him.
If he were honest, he sided with Elpis a little, but he didn't like it one bit. And to think it would happen again after they somehow find a way to help the researchers out of the Queen's control... he knew it affected the honorable Knight very much.
The Sun from Downspire was black because it was fed Abyssal creatures, monsters who had devoured many humans. But the one in Rivergate was gray, meaning the monsters it was fed had to have devoured fewer humans, so that their ranks would be weak. But he doubted there were enough of them to bring this color to life, which could only mean one thing.
They had also used innocent humans.
Not even humans who were monsters of their own, who killed others for the fun of it. But innocent humans, maybe parents, children, or who knows who else had to suffer. To match the dark core of the monsters, they had to have sacrificed the purest, meaning people of the fragment rank, just like he was.
It made his blood boil; he couldn't imagine what Elpis was thinking, because unlike him, he didn't like taking advantage of the weak, even if it helped him in his goal. He would have probably sacrificed himself rather than used human lives, humans who had done no wrong to the world.
Aether turned from Elpis and looked at Avrie, who was examining the way the Sun with great attention.
"What do you want us to do?"
The witch seemed irritated to be interrupted, but still quickly responded.
"What else? You guys go and see if you can find anything, I mean, there is still a log we haven't found."
She then paused, glancing at Aether.
"And if you can, try using your ability to try and squeeze any information from the shadows. Now, sho sho!"
Aether gritted his teeth but tried to keep a calm face. Walking out from the Central Core and into a hallway leading to the closest ring. Elpis, whose face had completely darkened, was following behind him. Which made Aether a little nervous, since usually he was the one standing in the back, with the knight leading.
After reaching a door made of pure steel, he looked to his side to see the name of the room that rested beyond the door.
"Holding Quarters..."
Aether felt an awful sensation in his stomach as he read the name. He had an idea of what it had been used for, but he didn't like it one bit. And he knew Elpis didn't either; he was practically boiling at that point, his skin was a lot redder, and yet he still kept his anger inside of him. Aether was quite impressed by his perseverance for his honor.
He stepped forward, the doors opening themselves to him like they knew him.
Looking inside, his fear was proven true. This room was used to hold humans, maybe even monsters, but humans definitely.
There were many cells where the human subject had probably been kept inside. The walls were lined with reinforced glass, so the observers could watch the behaviour of the humans.
The cells had a bed, a hole which, if he had to guess, was their toilet, a desk, and one chair. It was a simple room, but for some researchers who had to move every time the Queen's troops got close, it was impressive.
While the idea that humans had been kept inside the cells was terrible, it was still not the worst thing in the room.
There was this small steel box. It looked to have been much more reinforced than the other cells, with its metal stronger than any he had seen. Entering, he almost vomited, seeing human remains splattered on the floor.
This room was used to feed monsters, and with what else, than humans...
But he couldn't understand why they would do this. Didn't letting the monsters eat the humans give them shards, and in the end, letting their rank ascend. Didn't they want to make a purer Sun? So why were they doing the opposite?
Had there have to be a small balance between the two, for it to be able to stand? Or did the monsters have to be fed to survive, and because the small ranks and class of the humans fed, they never ascended?
Either way, it made him sick.
Aether walked through the room, trying not to step in the blood and whatever else was inside of it. But while looking around, he found a bone and a note standing quietly on it.
As if waiting for his arrival.