The other Scions as well as Wuk Lammat Followed shortly in the ancient airship escorted by the ark nerressa remote pilot edited to her location, to ever keep arriving much slower than Casca (WOL)
Entering Everkeep
The massive gates opened slowly.
Beyond them rose the towering interior of Everkeep.
Elevators.
Floating structures.
Endless layers of machinery and architecture spiraling upward.
The group began ascending the structure.
The atmosphere shifted with every level.
Ancient stone gave way to metal.
Then to glass.
Then to glowing neon.
Finally—
They stepped into the city.
First Sight of Solution 9
The doors opened.
The entire party stopped walking.
Before them stretched the impossible skyline of Solution 9.
Neon lights.
Holographic displays.
Suspended roadways.
Towering cybernetic structures glowing with electrope power.
Artificial daylight illuminated the massive dome ceiling.
Yet the sky above was starless.
Silent.
Too perfect.
Wuk Lamat whispered:
“…What is this place?”
Y’shtola answered quietly.
“A technological civilization.”
She stepped forward slowly.
“But not one from the Source.”
Thancred frowned.
“So the stories were true.”
The Truth Revealed
Citizens walked calmly through the streets.
But something felt wrong.
Each of them wore a small device on their head.
A metallic crown-like apparatus.
Urianger studied one carefully.
“The regulators.”
Y’shtola nodded.
“They manipulate soul energy.”
Wuk Lamat turned sharply.
“…Soul energy?”
Nerressa tapped her scanner nervously.
“It’s worse than that.”
Her display lit up.
“They’re storing souls.”
Silence fell.
Thancred’s voice hardened.
“You mean… like batteries?”
Nerressa swallowed.
“…Yes.”
Y’shtola’s expression darkened.
“They consume stored souls to eliminate pain.”
“To remove grief.”
“To avoid death.”
Wuk Lamat stared at the crowds walking through the city.
“They’re… fueling their civilization with souls?”
Urianger answered softly.
“A transhumanist society.”
“One built upon the manipulation of life itself.”
Uneasy Realization
The Warrior of Light looked out over the glowing city.
The threat had changed.
This was no longer just a war of armies.
It was a war of ideologies.
Of survival.
Of morality.
Nekomushi muttered quietly.
“…Well, that’s horrifying.”
Beside her, 2P spoke calmly.
“Assessment: ethical instability detected.”
Her hawk shifted its wings.
Scanning the city.
The Resistance
From the shadows of an alleyway, several figures approached cautiously.
Members of a resistance group.
Oblivion.
One of them spoke quietly.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Thancred stepped forward.
“We were invited.”
The resistance fighter shook his head.
“You don’t understand.”
He looked up at the glowing skyline.
“This city isn’t what it appears to be.”
Nerressa whispered:
“…Yeah.”
She stared at the soul-energy readings on her scanner.
“We figured that out.”
Above them, hidden high within Everkeep, the ruler of the city watched.
Queen Sphene Alexandros XIV.
Her expression conflicted.
These outsiders had seen too much already.
And yet…
A strange hope stirred inside her.
Perhaps…
They might be the allies Alexandria truly needed.
Scene — Neon Gods and Hidden Chains
The gates sealed behind them with a deep mechanical thrum.
For a moment, the group simply stood in silence.
The glowing city of Solution 9 stretched endlessly before them.
Floating walkways connected skyscrapers made of chrome and glass. Neon advertisements flickered across the skyline. Streams of vehicles glided silently through aerial traffic lanes.
It looked like the future.
Yet above it all, there was no sky.
Only the artificial dome ceiling of Everkeep.
The silence finally broke.
Wuk Lamat turned slowly in a circle, absorbing the impossible sight.
“…This is inside the tower?”
Her voice carried disbelief.
“This entire city… was hidden in there?”
Koana crouched beside a glowing power conduit embedded in the street.
He ran his fingers across the material.
“…Electrope.”
His eyes widened.
“Incredible.”
Nerressa Goes Feral
Behind them, Nerressa had completely stopped walking.
Her ears were fully upright.
Her eyes reflected the neon lights like twin lanterns.
“…I need tools.”
She whispered it.
Then louder.
“I NEED TO TAKE THIS PLACE APART.”
Thancred immediately grabbed her collar before she could run off.
“No.”
“But look at it!”
She pointed wildly at everything.
“That’s electrope power routing!”
“That’s modular magitek infrastructure!”
“That’s—”
She gasped.
“THAT’S A SELF-ADJUSTING AETHER GRID!”
The Warrior of Light folded their arms quietly.
“…We’ll come back later.”
Nerressa visibly vibrated with suppressed excitement.
Citizens Without Grief
The group continued walking.
Citizens passed them calmly.
Too calmly.
People laughed.
Talked.
Shopped.
Everything seemed peaceful.
Perfect.
But the devices on their heads—regulators—never went unnoticed.
Y’shtola Rhul studied them carefully.
“…Every citizen has one.”
Urianger nodded gravely.
“A device designed to suppress suffering.”
Wuk Lamat frowned.
“…Suppress suffering?”
Nerressa’s scanner beeped again.
She checked the reading.
Then slowly lowered the device.
“…They’re using souls.”
The group stopped.
“Stored souls.”
She pointed toward the glowing energy lines running through the streets.
“Converted into energy.”
Thancred’s expression hardened.
“…You’re telling me their civilization runs on dead people?”
Nerressa nodded quietly.
“…Yes.”
Beside them, Nekomushi stared at the citizens walking by.
One man laughed happily while chatting with friends.
A glowing regulator pulsed on his temple.
“…That’s disturbing.”
She crossed her arms.
“People aren’t batteries.”
2P’s voice came calmly beside her.
2P tilted her head slightly.
“Correction.”
“From a purely technological standpoint, they are.”
Pause.
“Ethically questionable.”
Nekomushi stared at her.
“…You’re not helping.”
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
A distant roar echoed through the city.
The group looked up.
A massive structure loomed ahead.
A stadium.
A monumental arena surrounded by glowing holographic billboards.
Arcadion.
Crowds cheered inside.
The holographic displays projected images of enormous armored combatants fighting within.
Koana stared.
“…An arena?”
Thancred nodded slowly.
“Entertainment.”
Nerressa checked her scanner again.
“…Also a combat testing ground.”
Wuk Lamat blinked.
“You mean they fight for sport?”
Another explosion shook the arena.
The crowd roared with excitement.
Nekomushi smirked.
“…Okay, that part I understand.”
A quiet voice spoke from the shadows of a nearby alley.
“You shouldn’t be standing in the open.”
Everyone turned instantly.
Hands moved to weapons.
From the darkness stepped several figures dressed in worn tactical clothing.
Members of Oblivion.
The underground resistance.
Their leader lowered his hood.
“You’re the outsiders from Tuliyollal.”
Thancred nodded cautiously.
“That obvious?”
The man gestured to the group.
“Your gear.”
“Your weapons.”
“And the fact that you look like you’re about to overthrow a government.”
Wuk Lamat stepped forward.
“We came to speak with your queen.”
The resistance leader sighed.
“…Then you’ve already stepped into the trap.”
He gestured toward the distant upper levels of Everkeep.
“Everything here is a lie.”
Nerressa frowned.
“…Meaning?”
The man looked toward the glowing skyline.
“You’ve seen the regulators.”
Y’shtola nodded.
“Yes.”
“They store souls.”
The resistance fighter shook his head.
“Not just store them.”
His voice lowered.
“They harvest them.”
Silence fell across the group.
“They feed them into the system that powers this entire city.”
“Transportation.”
“Energy.”
“Medical systems.”
“Even their artificial weather.”
Wuk Lamat stared.
“…That’s monstrous.”
The resistance leader nodded grimly.
“And it gets worse.”
He pointed upward.
“To the twelfth level of the tower.”
The highest level of Everkeep.
Living Memory.
“A simulated paradise.”
“Where the memories of the dead live forever.”
Urianger whispered quietly.
“…The Endless.”
Nerressa’s ears drooped.
“…So they’re not just using souls.”
“They’re imprisoning them.”
The resistance fighter nodded.
Nekomushi cracked her knuckles.
“…Yeah.”
“That’s not happening.”
Her gunblade shifted on her hip.
“That’s messed up.”
Thancred sighed quietly.
“I had a feeling this would end in violence.”
