DESOLATION. || A FE2 AU.

|| Talk. A serious one. ||

"Alright, so you know how I said that this meeting was going to be very serious?"

I asked, hoping that they recalled my message. They all looked like they remembered.

"It's.. a serious matter. So, I got word from Satomi. She told me that there was some sort of 'corruption' going on with the other maps, I'm assuming that we're the last ones to know what it was."

I explained, the lobby was quiet. Surprisingly.

"Not quite sure what it is, but it's dangerous. One wrong move, you'll.. you know, die. Basically."

I looked around for a reaction.. almost none? How strange.

I felt like I wanted to say something to break the tense silence in the room, but I didn't really know how and what to say in the first place. Times like these where the lobby on a regular Monday night is really awkward.

Maybe they're all processing it or something.

I should just leave them and make them go back to their maps-

"..Um, if you guys wanna, you can leave. Since.. this whole gathering was purely for that explanation I had earlier and I just wanted to notify you guys in person because.. it's serious. As previously stated."

I could already see Silo leaving.

Maybe I should follow her.

"Silo, where are you going?"

Sandswept asked. His tone was.. different. Not really different, but different enough to make him sound.. off.

"Back to my map. We're done here, aren't we."

Silo stated, not even looking back at us. She continued her way to the lift and exited the lobby.

Yeah, I should definitely check up on her later.

"..So, um. Good night, everyone. This meeting was only a few minutes long, so I don't expect you guys to stay up later anymore."

I said.

"You're leaving too?"

Moon asked.

"Yeah, pretty much. I've got some things to do."

I only had one thing I needed to do.

"Well, I wish you safety then, AVM."

Moon stated. She's a formal woman, but hearing the abbreviation of my name still feels damn weird.

"Yeah. You too."

Before I left, Snowy went to the lift first. Without another word, he entered. Probably going back to his map.

Which led me to a question..

"Hey, did Snowy even say anything at all?"

I asked.

"Well, he was standing there sulking the whole time when I came in."

Sandswept answered.

Huh, typical Snowy. It's a bit weird for him to not say anything completely like, at all. Sure, he was naturally quiet. But he still had a voice.

"So, he was radio silent the whole time?"

"Yeah."

Okay, that's weird.

"I see. Thanks, Sandswept."

I thanked him before I waved goodbye to all of them and walked over to the lift.

Right. Silo. I need to check up on her.

—  ❆࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ —

On the night of the snowy sky, I walked. My steps in the snow, quiet. The lift wasn't far from where I lived, but I still had to trek a long way to do so.

A familiar structure soon came to my view. My stronghold. Even in the cold darkness, I could still sense it.

Entering the main tower was a breeze, even though I've never done anything useful today, I still felt tired. I wasn't sure why, but I was. So why would I ask myself something I didn't know?

What a hassle.

Should I even call this my stronghold anyway? It's run down, and doesn't even look like one. Just surrounded by the bright blue lava that always acted like my guide sometimes.

Like the stars.

I saw my sword leaning on the wall of the room I was in. I grabbed it like so, and sheathed it. I forgot to bring it when I was in that gathering earlier.

.. Speaking of that, phenomenon? What a word. It'd be more like an infection or something. AVM didn't specify whether it happens to the physical maps or the map skins.

He always forgets.

I always felt like he had something on his mind, like he was a ticking time bomb or something. I left first before him because I was tired and wanted to sit or lie down for a bit.

Clearly, I've forgotten why I'm here.

This gathering was weird too. Me and Silo didn't say anything negative about each other. It felt like we were feeling the same thing other than annoyance and irritation.

Does she?

Maybe I'm just overthinking it. Maybe I do want her to feel the same thing as me everyday. Maybe I'm just delusional.

All of these thoughts distracted me, I didn't even realize I was at the top of the tower I was in. The stars above me.

I took a moment to realize where I was, and then took a seat on the ground.

This is a weird feeling.

Maybe I just need to rest more often.

I'm tired.