Advent of the Three Calamities - Chapter 847: Evelyn’s Resolve [3]

Chapter 847: Evelyn’s Resolve [3]

’Hahaha!’

’Pass the ball! Over here! Over here!’

’Would you like to buy this? Come… It’s the best that you can get!’

’May the Goddess be with you.’

’Are you cold? Wear this, it’ll keep you warm.’

Eisylra had always been cold. It was known as the City of Ice for a reason. But despite the cold, the citizens managed to live on. They dealt with and adapted to the cold. Alongside the Goddess’s help, they were all able to live in harmony.

’…I’m hungry.’

’I’m cold… can you spare me some money?’

But not everything was perfect.

No city was flawless.

But within the Mirror Dimension, such flaws were normal. People still lived on. They survived, and some even thrived.

Velar was one such person.

But not only did he thrive, but he also made others thrive. As a devout follower of the Goddess and one of the most powerful mages in the city, he became the guardian of the city.

He lived in the city.

And the city loved him.

’Thank you for everything!’

’…Thank you for keeping us safe!’

’May the Goddess be with you!’

’How are you doing?’

Wherever he went, people greeted him. They respected him.

Velar liked such a life.

Despite the cold that gripped the city, everyone could still live and survive. And it was his job to make sure such peace lasted.

Or at least, that was his initial thought.

But soon, the cold came.

A piercing cold so intense that even those accustomed to it struggled to endure it. They all began to pray to the Goddess, hoping for some help. But it was to the horror of everyone present that they soon found their connection with the Goddess severed.

Instead, they felt a terrifying dark lock onto them.

A darkness so terrifying that it left many unable to move. Even the Princes were left helpless.

It was also in that moment that the cold turned even more malicious, seeping into the bodies of the ordinary citizens.

’H-help! Help me! Someone help… me!!’

’V-v-velar! Help me! I can’t…! I can’t handle this!’

’Help! Help! What is happening! What is happening!?’

’Waaaah! Waaaah!’

Cries.

Screams.

Velar heard them all.

’Please calm down! Just stay calm! For everyone who is still fine, please evacuate the city! I’ll handle the situation over here! Coat your body with mana! Try not to let the cold take over!’

Velar did everything he could. He tried his best to evacuate the people from the city. He tried his best to calm the chaos.

He—

’…..’

Inevitably failed.

Crunch!

As he stood atop the snow, his blue hair fluttering in the fierce wind, Velar stared blankly at what remained of the city. The once-proud city that had bustled with life had now become a frozen wasteland of ice.

The thousands of statues a reminder of what they had once been.

’A-ah.’

Despite all his best efforts.

…Despite trying his best to have everyone escape, he ended up failing.

Not one person.

He hadn’t been able to save one single person.

The once-praised and lauded guardian of Eisylra had failed at the one task he had been entrusted with.

Memories of children laughing, of merchants smiling as they exchanged goods, and of workers raising tall, imposing buildings flashed through Velar’s mind as he continued to stare blankly at the frozen scene before him.

They served to remind him of his failure.

Of what he failed to protect, and in that moment, he felt it…

Cra Crack!

The faint cracks deep within his heart.

From that moment forward, everything felt like a blur for Velar. He mindlessly roamed the city, constantly reminding himself of the places that had once been. There were times when he’d think about leaving the city, but his duty prevented him from doing so.

This city…

It was his to protect.

Even until the end.

He was the last person who could leave.

The only thing he could do was look for a cure, but regardless of how hard he tried, Velar couldn’t figure anything out. The more he tried, the more he realized just how powerless he was.

Cra Crack—!

Deep within him, his heart cracked further.

Velar roamed mindlessly across the city, with no real goals. With the city he was supposed to protect gone, what else was he supposed to do? He couldn’t figure out the cause of the curse, nor did he know where to start.

He was…

Useless.

Swoooosh—!

With the passing of time, the cold grew stronger, and so did the wind. By now, Velar had long lost track of time. He just roamed mindlessly throughout the city, hoping for something.

Anything.

And soon, he found it.

Clank!

’Haha, you’re back!’

’Velar!’

’Did you find some food? Ugh! I’m starving over here!’

’Food…!’

Survivors.

Of the thousands that lived in the city, Velar eventually found survivors. Five to be exact.

A tall and burly guy. Reginald.

A young girl. Penelope.

A young boy. Ilyen.

A young woman. Chloe.

And lastly, Ol’Sal. An eccentric old man.

From the moment he discovered them, Velar found a goal once more. He found a reason to stay alive.

People to protect.

’Do you want to play poker? I’ve got some cards with me.’

’Me! I want to play! I want to play!’

’Me too! But…! I don’t want Ol’Sal to cheat!’

’What nonsense!? Cheat? I am too dignified to cheat! What is this slander!?’

For the first time since the cold came, Velar felt it.

A rare warmth.

Warmth that could only be found from having a reason to live and people to live with. From that moment forward, Velar ventured out further. He looked for food and resources. He was trying to get them ready to leave this place.

They couldn’t stay any longer.

Especially the children. They were far too young.

He needed to make them leave the place.

He needed to—

’….I-I am cold.’

’C-cold.”

Velar stood, staring at the two children as they hugged each other, their faces pale as they looked at him. Staring at them, Velar raised his head to look around. His expression gradually stiffened when he saw the familiar figures he had once known, now reduced to nothing more than statues of ice.

He had been gone for just a few hours…

How could…!

Velar immediately rushed towards the children, using his mana to help them.

’No, no, no, no…! No!’

’B-big brother, V… Velar.’

The soft voice brought him back, and when he looked down, he saw the two children staring at him, both hugging each other.

Their lips trembled as they looked at him.

’…C-cold.’

Penelope muttered.

’I know. Just hold on a bit. Just hold…!’

’It-s… very co…’

She never got to say her last words, her body slowly turning into a statue.

Illyen followed right after.

’A-ah, but.. I… No, I…’

Velar continued to pour his mana into them. He tried to melt the ice. He tried everything. But no matter what he did, the ice didn’t stop; it crept higher, slowly enclosing the children entirely.

By then, regardless of what Velar tried to do, nothing happened.

There was nothing else that he could do.

’…A-ah.’

Once again, he had failed to protect the one thing he had been tasked to protect.

’…’

Cra Crack!

Once more, he was alone.

But this time, there were no more survivors.

On that day, he became the last surviving member of Eisylra, the City of Ice.

Swooosh! Swooosh—

The cold grew stronger, and so did the wind.

The ice blanketing the city grew even thicker, and with it came a raging blizzard, swallowing the entire city in white.

Velar roamed the city mindlessly, his eyes vacant.

But even as the cold grew, and his health visibly declined, he remained. As the only guard of the city, he had no choice but to remain. For that was his duty.

He did the only thing that he could.

Grabbing a cloth, he began to wipe at the statues.

He tried to preserve what remained. Each time he cleaned one of the statues, he’d speak with them.

’It’s been a while, Kyern. It’s been a while since I was in your shop. Once this is over, I’ll make sure to visit again. Remember how you gave me those snacks for free? I’ve yet to repay you for it. So let me… repay you again.’

’…Cylian. You’re looking a little dirty. Let me help you.’

With loneliness, Velar began to speak to himself.

As he cleaned the statues, he began to imagine the people he once knew. For a moment, it almost felt as though he was truly conversing with them as he laughed and joked with them.

Loneliness was a brutal thing.

There were so many things that he wanted to say, but nobody to really say them to. He wanted to talk about the cold. The curse.

Everything.

He just wanted to…

To feel like he was living again.

Sometimes, it felt as though he was merely existing, but not living.

He felt… so alone.

That’s probably why he did.

’You’ll be my eyes.’

Cra Crack!

With a wave of his hand, the ice shattered from one of the statues. Color slowly returned to the young girl’s face as she opened her eyes.

’Velar!’

The young girl cocked her head, looking and speaking exactly as he remembered.

But Velar wasn’t done yet.

Cra Crack!

’You’ll be my voice.’

A similar scene occurred as the ice broke from Illyen’s body, the familiar figure appearing right before Velar. But as opposed to the past, he could no longer speak. He was now mute.

’You’ll be my hearing.’

Next was Chloe.

Color returned to her features as Velar shattered the ice around her body.

’You’ll be my sense of pain.’

The ice shattered from the old man’s body, his eyes slowly opening in the process.

And lastly—

’You’ll be my sense of smell.’

Velar pointed at Reginald, the ice shattering as he too awakened.

But none of them were truly awake.

Loneliness was a brutal thing. It drove many to do things beyond what was normal or acceptable.

In Velar’s case, it drove him to the point where he created puppets out of what once were the people he was supposed to protect. Each one represented one of his senses. In a way, they were a representation of how much time he had left.

The moment one froze, he’d lose that sensation.

The moment he lost all five, there’d only be one sense left.

Himself.

Taste.

And when that faded, too… that’d mark his last moments.

’Let’s play a round of Poker.’

’…Hehe. But you shouldn’t cheat old man!’

’Who is cheating?!’

But who could blame him?

In his last moments, Velar didn’t want to be alone. Even as the ice grew stronger and the entire city froze, he longed to bask in the last traces of warmth that remained.

This was his… Velar’s defiance.

From that moment forward, Velar thought he’d pass his remaining days lingering in that little warmth he had left, but who would’ve thought he’d meet new people again? It was a sort of situation that caught him completely off guard.

One boy and one female.

Neither of them was a citizen of Eisylra, but they shared a common goal. They wanted to rid themselves of the curse that had taken over their group. Velar wanted to tell them that there was no cure.

That it was impossible to fix the problem and to leave.

But…

But….!!

It had been so long since he had spoken to someone.

For a little bit longer, he wanted to talk to them. He wanted to learn about the world outside of the city.

’Yeah, just a little bit longer.’

And it was there that he learned about ’summer’.

He learned it from one of the new people. Julien. He was a bit enigmatic to Velar as he held a strange calmness that felt comforting.

At the same time, there was also Evelyn.

She was a bit different from Julien. She reminded him a lot of himself.

About how she always seemed to have a chip on her shoulder, and her desire to be do something and gain recognition.

They really were quite a like.

Perhaps it was for this reason that he taught her despite not holding much hope. It was also through her that he learned more about this ’summer’ thing.

Thinking about its description, Velar couldn’t help but imagine how the children and everyone else would’ve reacted to the idea of summer. He could picture it clearly, and the thought made him smile.

It was just unfortunate that he would never be able to see it.

For…

It was already too late for him.

Before he knew it, Velar began to lose his sense of smell.

What followed was his sense of pain.

Then his hearing. His sight.

…And lastly, his voice.

One by one, Velar started to lose parts of himself. Soon, there was nothing left besides his sense of taste, which was also starting to fade. In those last moments, Velar began to follow his memory, walking back towards the statues and cleaning them.

He wasn’t even sure if he was doing it right, but that didn’t matter to him.

He just wanted to…

Continue his duty even in his last moments.

It was dark.

Cold.

…And lonely.

Truly.

Velar found himself losing sight of himself more and more. He thought it would all be over soon, but just when he thought it would be over.

Cra Crack!

He felt it.

Deep within his body, he felt something.

Cra Crack! Cra Crack!

Once more, it rumbled. This time, more than before. The more Velar felt it, the more he started to understand as purple flashed across his mind.

That’s when he became certain…

Evelyn.

She was trying something.