Chapter 166: Start of the War [1]

Hera was completely baffled by Edgar’s words.

She stared at him for several seconds as the balloon continued floating gently above the Fortress, and then a small, genuine laugh escaped from her lips.

"I suppose you did tell me that."

The girl remembered how she used to laugh at his words when he first told her this.

She thought that he was lying just to impress her but now she knew it was more than that.

Edgar smiled at her words and looked up at the balloon. "I did."

Hera shook her head slightly while looking at the ground below them. "I just didn’t think you were being serious."

Edgar didn’t answer immediately as he looked around from the top of the balloon.

The Fortress had already become surprisingly small beneath them, while the surrounding forest stretched endlessly in every direction.

But there was something else.

The familiar grey fog that had always covered this region was now surrounding them.

It drifted between the trees and hills like an endless sea, hiding whatever existed beyond it.

From above, Edgar could finally understand how strange this place really was.

The world around the Fortress seemed to have no clear boundary.

The fog covered distant mountains, forests, and valleys, while strange sounds occasionally came from places that no one had explored.

There were Nightmares that appeared from nowhere, ancient ruins buried beneath the earth, and creatures that seemed to have existed long before humans had built their first settlements.

Even the sky itself felt mysterious.

Edgar had lived here for long enough to understand that this world followed rules he didn’t fully understand.

Hera quietly looked into the fog. "Have you ever wondered what could be beyond this place?"

Edgar looked at her. "We’ve talked about it before."

"I know." Hera rested both hands on the edge of the basket. "Back then, neither of us knew what was actually beyond the fog."

Edgar remembered those conversations.

They had wondered whether there were other cities, continent, or perhaps even other worlds hidden somewhere beyond the strange boundaries surrounding them.

But there had never been an answer.

No one seemed to know what existed beyond this place.

Edgar looked toward the endless fog. "Would you like to find out what’s above it?"

Hera turned toward him. "What?"

Edgar smiled. "I asked if you’d like to see what’s actually above this fog."

Hera stared at him with confusion.

Before she could answer, Edgar closed his eyes. His consciousness immediately connected to the Soul Network.

Hundreds of Soul Guardians were spread across the ground below them.

Edgar sent a command them to let go of the rope and the guardians immediately obeyed.

The rope became loose and the balloon slowly began rising.

Hera’s eyes widened. "Edgar, what are you doing?"

"Going higher."

The balloon continued climbing and the Fortress became even smaller beneath them.

The rooftops slowly disappeared into the fog, followed by the walls and roads.

The higher they went, the colder the air became. Edgar continued releasing Solar Energy into the balloon.

The fabric above them expanded further as the hot air pushed them upward.

Hera held tightly onto the side of the basket. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"No."

Hera stared at him with a baffled look on her face.

Edgar smiled. "But I’m controlling it."

That answer didn’t seem to reassure her very much. Still, she remained beside him.

The balloon continued climbing higher and higher. Soon, they were far above the Fortress.

The forest below was completely hidden beneath the fog. The world had disappeared and there was only grey mist surrounding them.

Edgar looked down and he couldn’t see the ground anymore.

The balloon continued ascending and the atmosphere slowly became different.

The air felt thinner and the temperature dropped.

Even the Solar Energy inside Edgar’s body seemed to react strangely to the surrounding environment.

Then Hera suddenly stopped looking downward.

She raised her head. "Edgar."

"Hm?"

"I feel something."

Edgar’s expression changed because he immediately felt it too.

There was something strange in the air and it wasn’t simply cold.

There was a pressure surrounding them. It was almost as if something enormous was nearby.

"I feel it too."

The balloon continued moving upward and the fog became thicker around them. It covered everything.

Hera couldn’t see more than a few metres ahead.

Edgar narrowed his eyes. "Stay close to me."

Hera moved slightly closer and They continued rising.

Minutes passed that turned more and more but all they saw was endless fog.

Edgar couldn’t see the Fortress anymore and he couldn’t even see the forest.

The entire world had vanished beneath the grey mist.

Hera looked around nervously. "How high are we?"

"I don’t know."

Edgar’s voice remained calm, but his eyes continued scanning the fog.

They had already travelled far beyond anything they had previously explored.

Yet there was still no sign of the fog ending.

Then suddenly... The atmosphere changed.

Edgar felt it immediately and the pressure became much stronger.

The air around them seemed to tremble.

He slowly walked toward Hera. "Something is here."

Hera nodded. "I know."

They stood together in the small basket. The balloon continued floating through the fog.

Then something moved. It was barely visible at first.

A massive shadow passed through the fog several hundred metres away.

Edgar’s eyes widened. "What was that?"

Hera didn’t answer.

The shadow moved again and this time, it came closer.

The fog began moving violently around them.

A deep vibration travelled through the air.

Edgar immediately released more Solar Energy into his body, preparing himself for whatever was coming.

Then they saw it.

An eye.

A gigantic eye emerged from the fog.

It was so enormous that Edgar couldn’t understand what he was looking at.

The eye alone was larger than the entire Fortress.

Its surface was covered with strange patterns, while a massive pupil slowly moved toward them.

Hera froze and her face became completely pale.

Edgar couldn’t move either because something was staring at them.

Something so enormous that they couldn’t even determine where its body began or ended.

A massive silhouette moved through the fog.

Then another part of its body passed by and another. The creature seemed to surround them.

Edgar’s mind struggled to comprehend its actual size.

"This..."

His voice became quiet and he couldn’t finish the sentence.

The creature wasn’t simply large. It was something on an entirely different scale.

The balloon suddenly shook violently.

Hera grabbed Edgar’s arm. "Edgar!"

"I know."

Edgar immediately reduced the amount of Solar Energy flowing into the balloon.

The heat inside it began decreasing and the balloon slowly started descending.

The enormous eye remained in the fog above them.

Edgar didn’t take his eyes off it. He didn’t know whether the creature had noticed them.

He didn’t know whether it was curious, hostile, or simply unaware of their existence.

He only knew one thing that they shouldn’t stay there.

The balloon began falling. Sowly at first but much faster.

The fog continued surrounding them as the enormous creature gradually disappeared from view.

Edgar kept reducing the energy output while maintaining enough heat to control their descent.

Hera remained silent. Neither of them spoke until the ground finally became visible again.

The Fortress appeared beneath the fog.

The Soul Guardians immediately grabbed the rope and stabilized the basket.

The balloon descended safely onto the ground.

Edgar stepped out first and he looked toward the sky.

Nothing was visible and the fog had returned to its usual state.

It was as though nothing had happened.

One of the artisans immediately ran toward him.

"My Lord!"

The man looked excited. "What did you see?"

Edgar turned toward him.

For a moment, he didn’t answer, then a strange smile appeared on his face.

He reached out and helped Hera climb down from the basket.

The artisan looked between them. "My Lord?"

Edgar glanced toward the sky again.

"I think..." He paused. "...we’re much smaller than we thought."

The artisan’s expression became confused.

Edgar didn’t explain further.

He simply looked at the endless fog.

Whatever they had seen up there was beyond anything he had imagined.

And for the first time since arriving in this world, Edgar understood that the Fortress wasn’t simply surrounded by mysteries.

The entire world itself was a mystery.

---

Night slowly approached. The last traces of daylight disappeared from the sky.

The Eternal Night soon descended upon the world, covering the forest, the Fortress, and the distant mountains in complete darkness.

The lights of the Fortress began glowing one after another.

Soul Guardians patrolled the walls while soldiers prepared for another night of uncertainty.

Edgar stood outside the Fortress.

The moon is about to come out and the darkness above slowly changed.

A faint light appeared through the clouds and then the moon began rising.

Edgar’s expression became serious as he could feel something changing.

The air became heavier. The Soul Network suddenly trembled inside his mind.

Every Soul Guardian connected to him sensed the same thing.

Something was approaching and it was powerful.

Edgar slowly raised his head. The moon climbed higher into the Eternal Night.

His fingers tightened.

"So you’re finally here."