The Celestial Hall pulsed with murmurs, a restless tide of voices rising and falling as word of the cursed city, Turf, swept through like wildfire.
"The sun hasn't risen there in months," one Legacy whispered under their breath, clutching their robe tighter.
"And the flames won't hold. Hearths die out as soon as they're lit. People are freezing," another added grimly, their breath fogging faintly even here, as though the chill had reached them from afar.
At the center of it all, EJ and Taki stood side by side, unmoving yet alert, letting the words sharpen around them like blades.
"The entire city…" Taki muttered under his breath, arms crossed, his brows knitted. "Swallowed whole by the cold. Even Celestial light can't reach them?"
"It won't pierce through," a passing Legacy replied, their tone heavy with resignation.
EJ's jaw set tight. His mind was already moving ahead of the conversation, already imagining the map, the conditions, the suffering. Without waiting for further explanation, he took a step forward and spoke, his voice cutting through the noise like a drawn sword.
"Who's been assigned to this mission?"
The question silenced the room. The crowd parted almost instinctively, and from the opening emerged Captain Will, clad in the ceremonial azure of the Celestial Guard. His boots struck the marble floor with calm authority, a faint smile on his face, though his eyes betrayed none of it.
"No one yet," Will said, his voice even but edged with warning. "Once you step into Turf, there is every possibility you'll freeze with the city. Our Celestial powers weaken there. The cold strips us down to flesh and bone."
He let the words settle over the hall before continuing.
"But still, is there anyone willing?"
For a heartbeat no one moved. Then EJ raised his hand.
The gesture drew a soft murmur from the crowd and a sharp exhale from Taki, who muttered something under his breath but didn't step away.
"You're quick to volunteer as always," Will said, his faint smile returning, though his gaze was grave now.
"We can't afford to let this linger," EJ answered without hesitation. "We'll take it."
Taki sighed beside him and finally nodded, resigned. "No point waiting around if no one else has the spine."
Will let out a low chuckle at their determination but shook his head. "Good to hear. But you won't go alone. Someone will join you, someone who's already endured conditions like Turf's."
"Who?" EJ asked.
Will's smile deepened, this time touched with something almost proud.
"My son," he said simply.
Both EJ and Taki blinked at him, startled.
"I didn't even know you had a son," Taki muttered before he could stop himself.
Will ignored the comment, his eyes hardening faintly.
"He's just returned from a mission in Endless. He'll catch up with you en route. You may have heard of him — Maki."
Silence followed, the name sinking into the gathered crowd like a stone into deep water.
Maki.
Even here in the Celestial Realm, his name carried weight. A general of the western quadrant. An analyst so precise that battles often ended before they began, and a fighter so relentless that few dared spar with him. Some whispered he'd already surpassed his father, though Maki himself never entertained such talk.
"I… didn't expect someone like him to join us," EJ admitted at last, a faint note of respect creeping into his tone.
"Never even seen him," Taki added under his breath, though his eyes now gleamed with curiosity.
"You'll meet him soon enough," Will said with a faint chuckle. "Don't let his quiet fool you. He moves before the rest of us even think to breathe."
With that, he clapped a firm hand on EJ's shoulder and handed over a sealed scroll, the mission's orders.
"Head to the gates and ready your supplies," Will instructed. "Maki will meet you there. And… good luck. Turf isn't just another city anymore."
EJ exchanged a glance with Taki, something unspoken but resolute passing between them.
They would see it through. Whatever it took.
As they turned and made their way out of the hall, whispers rose behind them, full of awe and unease.
Turf. The cursed city where the sun no longer rose, where warmth itself was hunted down and devoured.
As Taki and EJ prepared their supplies near the Celestial gates, the weight of the coming mission pressed heavier on EJ's chest than he'd anticipated. Even with all his training, even with all his resolve, a quiet unease settled in his stomach.
He found himself lingering at the edge of the marble platform, away from Taki's chatter, and reached into his robes to draw out a slender scroll. With a soft breath, he summoned a thread of his own Celestial light, wrapping it around the parchment.
"I might not be able to come back this time… Nicholas," he murmured under his breath, his eyes fixed on the faint glow of the scroll. "But I hope this reaches you."
He released it into the air. The scroll, now aflame with a golden glow, shot upward and disappeared beyond the high vaults of the gates. It was a Celestial signal — crafted from his very essence. If its light went out, it meant the owner had perished. No matter where Nicholas was, the signal would find him. Even if it took years.
Shaking off the heaviness in his chest, EJ squared his shoulders and turned back to Taki. Together, they approached the towering gates that shimmered with an ethereal blue light.
This would take them directly outside the borders of Turf close enough to feel the chill already creeping from the city.
And then he saw him.
Standing by the threshold was a tall man with ash-gray hair that gleamed faintly under the Celestial light. His presence alone made the surrounding air feel colder, sharper. He wore the black-and-silver uniform of the Emperor's five chosen generals — a uniform only a handful in the realm could ever claim.
The General of the West. Maki.
When his gaze swept over them, EJ felt it like frost along his skin — not cruel, but calculating, deliberate.
"I am Maki," the man said at last, his voice calm, low, and carrying an authority that didn't need to be raised. "And I've heard much about you, Legacy EJ."
EJ inclined his head slightly, meeting that steely gaze. "Likewise," he replied evenly.
"You can just call me Maki," the general added, a faint trace of something, perhaps amusement in his tone. "I don't care for formalities, especially when we're walking into something like Turf together."
Though still a little wary, EJ and Taki exchanged a glance, then both nodded in unison.
"Understood," EJ said quietly.
"Good," Maki murmured, adjusting the gloves on his hands as the sigils on the gates began to flare to life.
The three of them now stood side by side, facing the shimmering threshold.
Beyond it lay the frozen city where the sun had abandoned the sky.
EJ drew in a breath, and for a moment allowed himself to hope, though faintly, that they would all walk back through these gates alive.
Then the light swallowed them whole.
The world that greeted them was nothing like the radiant halls they'd left behind.
The three of them stood just outside the towering gates of Turf, and already the air bit at their skin like knives. A bleak, unnatural chill settled over the land, seeping through even the strongest wills. The sunless sky stretched overhead, a dull sheet of gray, heavy and unbroken. Snow and black frost coated the earth, and the air hung thick with silence.
EJ exhaled slowly, his breath turning to white mist. Even here, beyond the gates, it was clear the stories hadn't exaggerated, the cold here was different, clawing, almost sentient.
Without a word, he and Taki raised their hands, summoning their Celestial coats, the white-and-gold cloaks materializing around them in faint glimmers of light. The thick fabric wrapped their bodies, warding off the worst of the chill. Beside them, Maki's own coat formed in the same instant, though his bore the insignia of the General of the West stitched in silver along the hem.
EJ flexed his fingers beneath the warmth. "It works… for now," he muttered.
"Yes," Maki answered evenly, his gray eyes fixed on the gates ahead. "But the moment we cross into Turf, don't rely on it too much. The curse suppresses Celestial energy. Coats or not, we'll need additional layers."
At his word, Taki pulled out a bundle of mortal furs from his pack and began securing them around himself over his coat. EJ followed suit, shrugging into the heavy pelts. Maki was already finishing, his movements quick and precise.
Once they were ready, Maki took a step forward. He raised his palm, and a faint light ignited in his hand, forming a small Celestial ball, a perfect sphere of shimmering white, humming faintly in the air.
"What's that?" Taki asked, his breath fogging the frigid air.
Maki didn't glance away from the orb as he spoke. "It's a failsafe. If things turn dire, and we can't contain it…" He pressed the ball gently into the snow just outside the gate. "This will burst. Once it does, it will summon every Legacy within reach, and if the situation is beyond saving, the order is simple: destroy the city."
EJ's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the faint light pulse where Maki had placed it.
"So if we fail," he murmured, "Turf burns."
Maki finally turned, his gaze meeting EJ's evenly. "If we fail," he said quietly, "Turf dies before it spreads elsewhere."
For a beat, none of them spoke, the grim weight of his words settling over them.
Then Maki straightened, adjusted the thick collar of his furs, and began walking toward the gates without looking back.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," he added, his tone low but resolute.
EJ and Taki exchanged a brief glance, then fell into step behind him as the gates of Turf loomed ever larger, the cold deepening with every step. They shouted and asked for the gates to open, one guard stood there.
"Adventurers, if you don't wish to die, it would be better to turn back now," the guard called from atop the frostbitten walls. His voice echoed down to them, sharp and clear in the cold air. "Once you enter, you cannot simply leave. The cursed breeze from the city will stop you before you even make it back to these gates."
EJ glanced up, his expression unreadable, but Maki stepped forward, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied the figure above.
"Are you perhaps… a Celestial Nymph?" Maki asked calmly.
The figure straightened proudly at his words, frost glinting off his pale robes. "Yes," the nymph answered, his voice carrying an ethereal lilt. "I have been assigned here to stop mortals from entering… and to help any poor souls who somehow reach the gates find their way out again."
A Celestial Nymph.
EJ's thoughts darkened as he and Taki exchanged a glance. It made sense now — a nymph, planted here like a seed by the Emperor himself, sustained by divine power. These creatures could wither and die when their task was done but would always revive if their master willed it. Clearly, the Emperor had sent this one here to keep the situation from spreading… and to limit the body count.
Maki spoke next, his tone authoritative. "I am Maki, General of the West. And these are my Legacy companions. We've come to investigate the city. Open the gates."
At once, the nymph stiffened, his luminous gaze sweeping over them more carefully. "Celestials…! Forgive me, sirs. But I hope you understand, once you step inside, the curse will sap your celestial energy. You'll be weakened the moment you cross the threshold."
"We are aware," Maki said evenly.
EJ stepped forward as well, his breath steaming in the frigid air. "And we're ready. Open the gates."
The nymph hesitated for only a heartbeat longer before bowing his head. "As you wish, sirs."
With a sharp gesture, the massive gates began to groan and shudder, the thick frost cracking as ancient mechanisms creaked to life.
The frozen doors slowly swung open before them, revealing a dark, endless expanse beyond a city swallowed by ice and shadow, where the air itself seemed heavy with despair.
Without another word, the three Celestials stepped forward, leaving the relative safety of the outer world behind as the gates shut behind them with a deafening boom.