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The spatial chaos inside the Hollow was nothing new to Ignis, but the floating-island-like structures were a first for him.
Even when fighting for humanity across the galaxy in the Warhammer universe, following old sergeants to strike at Ork pirate nests in shattered asteroid belts, the broken structures had a similar feel—but nothing here compared to the Ethereals they were about to face.
The thunder hammer smashed down, annihilating the last visible Ethereal, which looked like a gigantic spider. After Cecilia guided the two Space Marines through the Hollow's unstable nodes, the massive spider-type Ethereal shrank back, frightened, hiding behind Cerakos.
Back on Earth, the Salamander had raised arachnids like tarantulas for some time, but facing a spider half his height with a leg span of several meters still made his skin crawl. The only consolation: this one didn't spin webs and seemed to be a predatory hunter-type.
The spider-like Ethereal's body contracted, its three remaining legs curled and trembled. Its form was gradually dissolving; the active ether within its corpse would vanish.
"All right, you can open your eyes now," Cerakos called. "That Ethereal is done for."
"Really?" Cecilia cautiously peeked out and saw the spider Ethereal turn to dust. "That's such a relief."
"Looks like you still have a long way to go before becoming a competent Proxy. Ethereals come in all sorts of shapes, aside from those with standardized forms. Every day, more unnamed Ethereals are being catalogued," the Lamenter said. "Being scared stiff like this won't make you a good Proxy."
"But…" the young lady frowned. That massive spider had left a seriously bad impression. "It was terrifying. I should have just sent you the data directly and let you handle it yourselves."
She sighed. "If only there were tech to communicate in real-time inside and outside the Hollow. I could direct you remotely, without putting anyone at risk."
In truth, the legendary Proxy Phaethon already had that technology.
Ignis thought to himself that if time allowed, he could bring them to meet Phaethon. After all, Gotthardt was on leave over there. Cerakos could visit him and bring Cecilia along without issue—but they would need to coordinate first to avoid awkward situations.
"You could buy a Bangboo and modify it. Then send the data to it ahead of time, and I can follow it into the Hollow," Cerakos suggested. "Most Proxies in New Eridu do it this way."
"No!" the young lady rejected firmly.
"If a new Bangboo is too expensive, even a second-hand one would work. I remember a very skilled modification shop on Sixth Street in Janus Quarter. Even older Bangboo models can be fitted with the right kits," the Son of the Angel recalled.
Girl, that modification shop is right next to your idol Phaethon's base.
"That's not the problem," Cecilia said, lifting her head to glare at Cerakos, opening her mouth several times but closing it again.
"What do you mean? The Proxy industry has to keep up with the times," Cerakos asked, clearly confused.
"Because… if there's a sudden shift in the Hollow's interior, I can recalculate in real-time! If we follow a Bangboo, we can't. Data that can't be updated immediately is useless."
"I only have you left. I don't want to lose you."
"My father and grandfather are gone, Cerakos. Don't leave me too."
Seeing the conversation grow heavy, Ignis turned over mental notes, trying to think of a light topic to defuse the tension. He felt his usual joking skills were useless here, and the young lady looked on the verge of tears.
"I swear to you," Cerakos knelt on one knee, "I will stay with you, Cecilia. Until you can live independently."
"What do you mean, 'live independently'?" the young lady asked, stunned.
"Until you marry and have someone to protect you. I will take your father and grandfather's place, fulfilling the role of your guardian," the Son of the Angel said, smiling brightly.
"Thank you," Cecilia said, not crying, but her face darkened.
"Now, focus on your duties as a Proxy. Remember that coordinate? The one your grandfather used to take me to." Seeing Cecilia's frown fade, Cerakos steered the topic back to the mission.
"I understand," the young lady said, frowning in displeasure but continuing her work.
The Hollow's space would always be distorted, but floating islands were rare. HIA investigators and independent contractors frequently studied these unique phenomena, leaving data pylons to continuously record ether changes.
Often, these pylons also attracted Proxies or treasure hunters. Naturally, their operational noise would attract Ethereals.
Cecilia ignored the crystallizing corpses at her feet. One was a formal HIA investigator. She pulled out a data cable, connecting her phone to the still-operating pylon.
"Found his investigator ID," Cerakos said, retrieving the card from the dead man's pocket. "Poor guy."
"From the surrounding traces, he wasn't alone, but a sudden attack killed him. The others scattered; their fates are unknown," Ignis observed. "Looks like that spider—leapt out from the shadows and bit him instantly."
"Quill Iverson," Cerakos said, handing the investigator card to the Salamander. "Return it to the HIA."
Ignis nodded silently, taking it.
"I've discovered something new," Cecilia said, finishing the pylon data read. "Recently, there was a super-intense ether activation event. HIA noticed and sent a team to observe."
"They were experienced investigators, trained for combat. But it seems they all died here," Cecilia shook her head. "The pylon recorded each investigator's signal—they went missing shortly after dispersing."
"Terrible," Cerakos said, sensing trouble. "The last time I checked on Sergeant Calyx was three months ago. His armor was already crystalizing, so he hadn't moved for days. Could the Hollow have eroded him, absorbed ether, and triggered this event?"
"That means we could be facing a Black Rage Lamenter, experienced in combat, wielding a lightning claw, and capable of jump pack maneuvers," Ignis groaned. "Great news…"
He honestly considered withdrawing and requesting reinforcements from Gotthardt. With all these buffs stacking up, this mission was suddenly terrifying.
"But ether activity here has always been low. How did it suddenly erode him? Years of exposure never caused this; he always maintained Black Rage," Cerakos added. Calyx had been here for years, showing crystal formation on his armor but never internal erosion.
"Anyway, we need to check. If we can release him, that's best. If not… we retreat," Ignis said, eyes on Cecilia as she read the data.
"Exactly," Cerakos sighed. "She's following us, so she's at real risk."
"I've found something unusual," Cecilia said, scanning historical pylon data. "There's a sudden spike in ether activity inside, not far from here."
"Grandpa Cerakos, this eruption point is close to where you normally go. There's a slight difference—these two points are not identical. After this ether spike, the internal structure shifted. I need to go to the eruption point, collect data, and recalculate coordinates."
Cecilia groaned. As a novice Proxy, calculating spatial data required the underground terminal at her base. The phone program could calculate, but she still needed to combine her father and grandfather's notes.
Still, Cerakos cared enough that she had to try—at least to help him resolve this.
Under the protection of the two Space Marines, the young Proxy advanced toward the target. With high ether activity, she even experienced mild erosion symptoms, mitigated by her anti-ether medication.
"Maybe we should retreat, gather supplies, then return," Cerakos said, concerned, watching her hold her head.
"I'm fine, just dizzy, normal," she exhaled deeply, steadying herself. "The eruption point is close. That floating island on the left is it."
Following the ribbon-like road floating in midair, they soon arrived at the floating island Cecilia mentioned—a warehouse ruin. In the Faunus Quarter, cheap rents meant many warehouses existed here.
The main structure was heavily damaged; bodies scattered across the floor.
"They don't look like the investigators—clothes casual, gear homemade," Ignis said, lifting a homemade harpoon connected by two wires to the corpse's battery. "Hollow Raiders? Here to see if there's anything valuable?"
"No, not quite," Cerakos said, pointing to tire tracks. "Unmanned trucks. Ordinary Raiders rarely bring these inside for mobility."
The tracks led to the upside-down warehouse. The Salamander walked first, shield raised, scanning, ready for combat, while Cecilia followed cautiously. It was pitch dark, but Ignis's Fire-Sight quickly detected signs: corners stacked with white tubes, corpses around, the tubes broken, contents gone.
"These look familiar," Cerakos picked up a damaged white tube.
"The eruption point is here," Cecilia said, voice trembling despite her effort to remain calm.
"These… I've seen them before at Scott Outpost. Containers for ether energy. They extracted ether from Hollows, converting it into energy for New Eridu. These white cans are special containers for that purpose," Ignis explained.
"The drag marks show they were unloaded from unmanned trucks and stacked here. Something happened, and the containers broke," Cerakos examined.
"I think we know what happened," Ignis said, pointing to the hole in the warehouse roof and the large pit below.
"Look at the claw marks on the wall and the container traces," The Salamander sighed. "Cecilia said this is close to where Sergeant Calyx was. Moving these ether supplies disturbed Black Rage Calyx. He activated his jump pack, attacked, and during the massacre, broke the containers. The ether spilled and rapidly activated inside the Hollow."
"Then the pylon recorded the ether surge, the Hollow structure changed, and HIA investigators were drawn here," Cecilia added. "But why move filled ether containers here?"
"Unknown. Possibly smuggling, hidden temporarily for trade," Ignis speculated. "But that's not important. Our goal remains: find Sergeant Calyx and see what we can do. Miss Cecilia."
"Understood." She set up her pylon, connected her phone, and began data collection and calculation.
"I have a bad feeling," Cerakos said, tossing an empty container aside, producing a clatter. "Calyx encountered this much active ether up close—he might…"
The Lamenter didn't finish, but Ignis knew what he meant: the noble comrade might already have become an Ethereal, his will utterly gone.
"Do you want to turn back?" Ignis asked him.
"I…" He hesitated—normal. He had tried to release his brother before but lacked the strength.
Today, with a new ally, success was more likely—but it meant facing Calyx's death, the death of the brother who had welcomed him into the Lamenters.
"If necessary, you can retreat, and I'll try to release him myself," Ignis said, concerned.
"I understand your worry. Brotherhood binds me, but this time, I won't turn back. I've turned back too many times," Cerakos said, inhaling deeply, face resolute.
He thrust his power sword into the ground, kneeling on one knee, and began to pray.
Cecilia accelerated her calculations, combining the phone's limited processing power with her own mind for auxiliary computation.
The air fell silent, save for Cerakos's soft prayers. Usually booming in combat like thunder, now his voice was almost inaudible. Mixed with sighs and low groans, he mourned having abandoned the Calyx brothers so many years ago, enduring the Black Rage alone.
Suddenly, all whispers ceased. A dim golden light cloaked the angelic warrior. Ignis felt a powerful presence descend—benevolent, merely comforting Cerakos's anguish.
When the light faded into fragments scattered across the warehouse exterior shadows, Cerakos rose. His eyes were no longer lost or remorseful.
Steel-blue and unshakable, his voice steady: "Allow me to pay my respects before the battle begins."
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