Outside of the base now lies a clear path, which is made thanks to the markings left by the last expedition, leading to the crystal. Hurlem and his fellow researchers at the Valkyries' logistics are now operating at a camp set up around the crystal to observe the behaviour and state of the strange anomaly. The settlement has welcomed many survivors of these wastelands and became sustainable with a newfound way to grow crops indoors with the help of magic. Natalia became a beaconess of hope for the religious people in these trying times, usually holding ceremonies to somewhat keep the survivors intact against the eternal winter. Theobold Perulem, the strongest flamemancer at the time for the Thannatopian army, is now operating once again after getting over a strong fever. All is going well for the people of Thannatopia as they are finally finding their way to victory, even by the littlest of steps.
"Ahh, when was the last time I saw this much snow again? Reminds me of that time at Winterhold, I really hated going there, snow everywhere! Careful, mom.", despite stepping around in the cold, which he hates the most, he still keeps a cheerful attitude as walks down the path to the camp set up by the crystal with his mother, lady Astrid - also the former leader of the Valkyries' Assault division. "Mhm. I'm still in the age of deployment, well, just slightly above it, a bit of snow doesn't scare me off, unlike you.", the woman chuckles at him softly as she pushes her adopted son gently. Theobold just shrugs off the teasing and laughs with her instead, not really understanding exactly what they're laughing at, though. The dumbfounded Valkyrie and lady finally arrive at the camp not too long after.
The crystal and its surroundings are fully enveloped by human progress. Every inch of space is covered up by either gear or metal plates to clear the path around the camp. At an elevated platform, near the vegetative crystal, Hurlem can be seen observing it carefully, deep in his thoughts. The other researchers there are also preoccupied with their work, not really noticing that a member and a former member of the Valkyries have arrived. That was until Theobold called, "Hey, lil' Fragment!". Hurlem has not heard this nickname for a long time. Fragment was a supposed 'god' with extreme knowledge of everything, some may call him the omniscient god, rivalling that of both Yrdos and V'lander, though he was brutally murdered by both the gods of Celestia and the Abyss, in fear of getting overtaken by his power and ideals.
Hearing the call of a familiar voice, the young prodigy's eyes widen and he swiftly turns around. A smile grows on his face as he goes down the stairs that lead to the platform he was standing on to run right at his two family members present there. "Mom and Theo!", he calls for her as he lunges into lady Astrid, who was already kneeling down to welcome the child into her warm embrace. The once focused researchers at the camp are now disturbed and looking at the three. "Sorry guys, keep working, we're just looking around.", Theobold waves at the others there as the members of the logistics branch give the three Perulems welcoming nods before returning to their work.
"Aren't you two afraid of the cold?", Hurlem asks as he sits comfortably in his foster mother's arms as they walk around the camp, occasionally shuffling his gaze between the researchers and the crystal. Lady Astrid scoffs at the question, "Oh, please. I'm still as strong as a bull, unlike a certain captain.", then the woman lets out a hearty laugh as she nudges Theobold softly. The cat boy suddenly turns to the two by his side, dumbfounded as he was looking at something else. Hurlem can't help but chuckle a little at how silly his eldest brother is and shakes his head a little. The boy then lets out a small sigh, "Well, I'm guessing you guys are also here to see how things are going at the camp, too. To save you guys some words, I'll go over the reports. Our team has confirmed that this is a construct of Pure Ice, a material which has similar properties to those of regular ice, but never melts. Something of this calibre is definitely Raven's, since he's the only person I know who can make Pure Ice with ease. We are still looking for clues, but this is certainly a good footing for more in-depth research.".
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Of Thousand Lives
FantasyOuroboros - death and reincarnation in one tragic loop. Justice's life was on a constant downhill ever since he was abandoned by his family until he sought for the embrace of death. In this foreign world of bladeworks and sorcery, the soul and memor...
