Cole stiffened his face. "What is it?"
The Potter scoffed. "Beneath the Katharis, at the very depths of Null Centura, past the storm, madness, and chaos within, lies the resting place of my life's best work." He spoke in a sad, frustrated tone.
The deity crossed her arms; for some reason, she found his words strongly peculiar. So peculiar, it flipped her mood upside down.
"By a pillar made of sand and veins, in a vast, barren land of crafted soil, you'll find a grave. There you'll find the body of Sant Flora, the former deity of nature, or at least... what remains of Her." He concluded, then left.
His words, like a presence, stayed with them, clouding their thoughts and testing their judgment. Cole felt like a cold hand brushed through his heart; frozen in place, he stood like a statue.
The deity pulled a thinking pose, shut her eyes, and pondered intently. Cole finally moved, but instead of speaking, he grabbed a seat, lowered his head with crossed arms, and stared at the floor like a void.
Vanity didn't interrupt. Though he couldn't hear, see, nor sense the deity, he naturally assumed she was comforting Cole as he sat. Unfortunately, it was the exact opposite; she herself needed someone to snap her out of her daze.
Sentiments aside, Cole had to venture into the depths of Null Centura through Katharis. It sounded like just incessant yapping with no substantial weight at first, but as Cole further introspected, more theories came to mind.
Firstly, there was a chance the Potter was lying. Without any leverage against him, there was no guarantee he didn't feed them false info. The majority of what he spoke also sounded like bullshit; then again, Cole didn't have much knowledge of the world.
Secondly, the possibility the info was true, but the specific dangers and hurdles weren't mentioned. Dangers such as him venturing in but never returning; hurdles such as beasts, curses, and the likes of it.
And thirdly, the end result. If truly everything was 50/50, then the overall chance of success was not absolute. Initially, Cole's idea, mission, and goal stemmed from a hunch—just a simple hypothesis based on the very little he knew about the world of Indulgers. Considering all he just heard, was any of the things he considered actually possible?
The deity didn't seem to oppose his idea nor actions; at the same time, she had ulterior motives of her own and was never really trustworthy to begin with. Still, would she really spend so much time on a mere assumption? Or was the possibility of the assumption being proven accurate her main objective?
Either the deity was just as in the dark as Cole and used him as a scapegoat, or she knew it was possible and supported Cole; those were the two alternatives weighing on the scale. At the same time, would asking be the right approach considering she's probably more conniving than he gave her credit for?
Thoughts like these ravaged through Cole's mind. In the midst of the chaotic brainstorm, Cole changed his gaze towards where she sat. Surprisingly, she gave him a cold, silent, yet sharp and focused glare.
'She's waiting for my decision,' Cole thought. 'As a Venerable, I am immortal.'
Cole couldn't forget the cold, bruised palm that grabbed his hand during his conversation with the Sealed Deity. The warm feeling it gave him, and that momentary hallucination of the life he always dreamed of.
He exhaled loudly and gave his decision. "Take me to the edge of Katharis. I'll jump into the depths."
The deity rubbed her hand down her leg as she stood. "Follow me." She smiled.
Cole dug into his pocket and dropped ten of the coins he had. With a fluttering yet confident voice, he blurted, "I'll come back someday. Just please learn how to cook by then."
They left.
Filling the interior with an otherworldly silence once more, Vanity entered the kitchen, went to their table, and gripped the coins. "I'll be waiting."
As Cole and 'Her' walked through the messy streets, a strong yet weak breeze ran past them, lifting the various waste off the ground. The deity's hair danced to the rhythm of the wind, and so did Cole's.
An absurd silence rested between them; the palpable feeling of awkwardness clung tightly to Cole's neck. Cole was pressed to ask her if everything the Potter said was true, what awaited him beneath, if he'd be able to make it back, and more importantly...
"Will my endeavours succeed?"
The deity heard the whisper from his lips and answered without turning back.
"That's up to you, Cole."
WHOOSH!
'Should've expected that.'
In the end, they reached a section where buildings were scarce; mainly purple rocks, tiled floors, and empty lamps occupied the place. Right before their very eyes was a rail, thin and fragile as it stretched widely throughout Katharis. That thin rail was what separated Cole from the depths below.
Before they went closer, the deity instructed Cole to pull out the pocket watch. After Cole obeyed, she wrapped the chain around her hand and his wrist.
"What's this for?" he asked melancholically.
"Like an equalizer of sorts. It's a bit difficult to explain." She pointed towards herself. "Since I can't grant you the full advantages of a Faction Head, especially the power, I'll have us share my wavelength."
Cole glared at her like he was looking at a rock.
She sighed. "Dumb it down further: you can use my little power to some extent. Does that make sense?"
Cole's brain was still too rigid from overthinking to process her explanation.
The chain shattered into shambles, and the watch dropped. Before it hit the ground, she caught it in her hand and showed it to Cole.
"The clock is ticking. If you overstay a maximum of 20 false days, it'll reel you out." She tossed the watch and gripped it tightly. "If you have any sense of pride, you won't let that happen."
"Thanks for the help." Cole smiled gratefully.
"Consider it a favour you'll pay back soon enough." She shrugged. "Oh, and one more thing: it'll take exactly five days to cross the storm alive by my estimation, so good luck."
Cole froze at the edge. "Wait, is this storm actually dangerous?"
She ambushed Cole from behind, pushing him over the rail without his consent. "Duhhh, what else did you think?"
As Cole fell, her tone grew distant along with the view of solid ground or anything that wasn't a blur. His body was light, tossed around by rough winds.
By a stroke of bad luck, Cole was struck by a fast bolt of purple lightning. Overcome by the immense heat and current, Cole's body disintegrated into dust with only a loud, pained groan to accompany his death.
The deity watched from above; lax hope shone in her eyes. The clock in her hand continued to count the seconds.
TIK! TOK!
Soon it would count minutes.
TIK! TOK!
Then hours...
TIK! TOK!
Then days.
Honestly, whether Cole would return whole or lose an important piece of himself down beneath the Katharis was just as much a mystery to her as the overall success of his plan. Regardless, as far as her objectives were met and goals accomplished, what became of Cole was minuscule to her.
Like a spectator, she stayed on the sidelines as Cole entered the abandoned realm of Null Centura, the "Land of Aught."
A place where fallen heroes rot along with their memories, achievements, and significance.