By morning, they reached the research camp where Ada was supposed to arrive after they parted ways in Kalahari, only to find it in absolute tatters. Where housing tents were once propped up lay ripped cloth, and where tables of research tools once sat were broken machines and charred wood. Nothing remained intact, nor was there any sign of life; just an eerie emptiness in the desert's rising morning sands.
"Do you think everyone's… You know?" Samson asked.
"Unlikely," Cygnus said. "The carts and the most expensive gear are gone, which means that they must've escaped at some point. This place was probably destroyed during the battle since it's much closer to where it happened. Look there, you can see the crater from here."
Cygnus pointed eastward, where an enormous crater could be seen in the distance. One which had not been there before.
"That sinkhole's got to be a few hours away by cart," Epsilon said, squinting his eyes.
"Are we sure they'd escaped?" Samson asked. "Are we sure it wasn't bandits from one of those brutish factions? The gods forbid, but surely it's a possibility with the disarray the South seems to be in."
"That's also doubtful," Cygnus said. "Unless they'd all been abducted, there would have been bodies lying around. And you should know better than anyone that my men aren't so weak to lie down and die."
Brax looked at Kofi, who was silently glancing around. The bruting man held a composed demeanor on the outside, but he could tell he was worried about his sister. Ada was strong in mind and had a sturdy Southland body, but wasn't anything particularly special in the grand scheme of the vast world. Someone like her could easily have gotten into trouble, and without the communicator crystals they had in the West, there was no way to contact anyone from the camp or determine their whereabouts.
"What should we do now?" Epsilon asked.
"We've been going all night. Let's rest a bit here," Cygnus said. "I'd like to look around before we go. Make sure they didn't leave anything important behind."
"I'll get breakfast started then," Samson said.
"Do you have anything else in your bloody mind other than food?" Epsilon asked. "Is there, perhaps, a brain in there? We've barely even got any food to make breakfast of."
"We've got water, dried meat, and some spices," Samson said. "The perfect time to cook up some survival stew."
"Yeah, yeah, just get to it," Epsilon said.
Cygnus was poking through the torn pages of some soiled books when he noticed something out of place in the camp. Something strange, but he couldn't tell what as he stared intently at the scene. Then it hit him: one of the tents was still standing. Perhaps there was a possibility, though with low odds, that one of the tents could have remained upright through the harsh winds of the battle that took place, but he thought it unlikely. Furthermore, there were charcoal remains from a fire that had not yet been covered with grains of sand.
Curiously, he walked up to the tent and peered inside. There wasn't much space in the shelter for one, but he did see a blanket with a lump beneath it, gently rising up and down. He wasn't sure if it was a wayfarer who'd taken up refuge in the deserted camp, or one of his men who'd been left behind, so he slowly crept closer and reached for the blanket.
Before he could do anything, the cover was thrown in the air, and a Southland woman sat up from beneath, rubbing tired eyes.
"Ada?" Cygnus asked.
"Ah, Cygnus, you're finally here," Ada said in a low morning voice. "I've been waiting for you."
…
"I see, so you opted to stay while the others went back," Cygnus said. "I admire your courage, but still, I feel like I ought to reprimand you."
"But if I didn't stay, you would never have known where they went," Ada said. "Someone like you would have been running around the entire desert until you found them safe."
"That was too reckless of you, sister," Kofi said. "There was no guarantee we'd return here. If something happened to you..."
"I'm sorry, but I don't regret my decision," Ada said. "With everything that's happened, there is no longer any safety in this world anyway. Surely, you feel it too, brother. This isn't a time to be cautious."
"But you're still…" Kofi started, but went silent right after.
"Since you're here, can you recount what precisely went down?" Cygnus asked.
"By the time I had arrived, everything had already been destroyed. It seems your men were waiting for you in the rubble," Ada said. "I told them you were in Kalahari and that they should retreat back towards the Westlands, which they did. Without any communicators, they were just waiting to die out here. No way such frail bodies could have survived the time you took to get here."
"I see," Cygnus said. "I'm glad that they, and you, were okay after what went down a few weeks prior."
"Which reminds me, what happened after I left?" Ada asked. "Was that really Sango? It looked just like him… and that overwhelming magic. Did my senses deceive me, or was it a dream?"
"I'm not quite sure myself," Cygnus said.
Kitsune walked up to them and looked towards the crater. "That was indeed Sango in body and might, but not in spirit."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Cygnus asked.
"Corruption clouded his mind, similar to the angel you'd encountered," Kitsune said. "Had the Merchant of Joy not taken her stand and defeated him, this land, and humanity itself, would not stand."
"Oh? That small Eastern girl stopped him? How?" Ada asked.
"By killing him," Kitsune said.
"Eh? What's that supposed to mean?" Ada asked.
"It was more of a mercy than murder," Kitsune said. "His mind was not his own, and that black witch is to blame. I have an inkling of who she is, too, but I am unsure."
"If this is a joke, your humor is beyond me," Ada said.
"I wish it were a joke," Kitsune said. "But in doing the unthinkable, Xinyu had thrust us into a future of uncertainty. One where gods can fall, humanity is engrossed in a war that spans the continent, and the heavens seek revenge upon humans. One where an unknown darkness lay beyond the horizon, speaking of an eternal nothingness to follow."
"What you speak of is a nightmare," Ada said.
"But it isn't," Cygnus interjected. "It's a horrifying time of uncertainty, which also makes it the most interesting! There's so much to discover, yet so little time. I'm horrified, just like everyone else, but also exhilarated to see what's next. You feel the same, don't you, Ada?"
"You've always been like that, haven't you, savior?" Ada asked, amused. "Strong-willed and never backing down."
"I haven't a clue what you mean," Cygnus said. He closed his eyes, thinking about each time he refused to take a step, each time he was afraid of moving forward. "I've faltered many times before. I've let people down and failed to save what's now lost. Those failures keep me up at night, yet I still press on with brilliance. That's because, as a scientist, I will always seek the truth."
"I see. A god has supposedly died, and the world is ending, yet you couldn't care less," Ada laughed. "Or maybe it's made you all the more excited."
"How could I not be?" Cygnus asked. "A whole new realm of possibilities has been
unraveled now that we know the heavens aren't what they seem. The gods. Humanity. The origin of magic. The Moonless Terra. The world's end. It's all coming together all at once! It's a mesmerizing cacophony of chaos, one filled to the brim with unlimited possibilities. There's no other life I'd rather be living than this one right now, wouldn't you agree?"
"When you put it that way, how could I not?" Ada asked. "Alright, you win, Mr. Rift. Let's start our investigation immediately."
"That's the spirit. And I think I know precisely where to start," Cygnus said.
"Where might that be?"
"Right over there," Cygnus said, pointing to the massive crater in the distance.