After a surprisingly fulfilling slumber, Sunny, March, and Dan Heng left the Goethe Grand Hotel in order to meet up with Wildfire. In particular, they were meeting Oleg, Sampo, and Seele.
He noted that Natasha wasn't here, which brought him to believe that she was working in the clinic. As it was revealed that Oleg was her stand-in for Wildfire matters, it made sense for her to delegate any tasks to him.
"Oh! Look who's here!"
Sampo followed up on Oleg's exclamation.
"It's the bane of Svarog! The big hero of the Underworld — Sunny!"
The boy in question squinted his eyes.
'Why is he singling me out?!'
Sampo's gaze turned towards the other two who came with him.
"And the other big heroes, Dan Heng and March 7th!"
March rolled her eyes.
"Were those lines rehearsed?"
Dan Heng sighed in exasperation.
"Where's Natasha? Is she here?"
Oleg shook his head.
"She has a bunch of other things to attend to, so I hope you don't mind talking to this old man instead. I speak on behalf of Natasha. By the way, sorry for keeping that whole thing about her being the actual leader of Wildfire a secret. Hahaha..."
The corner of Sunny's mouth twitched at the half-hearted apology.
"You don't sound very sorry."
He simply shrugged in response.
"Oh, well. I might just be second in command, but I still have a lot of responsibility. I couldn't give Natasha up right when we first met, could I? I had no clue that you bunch would become big heroes of the Underworld."
He turned towards Sampo.
"She told me to make sure you return to the Overworld safely. I gave it some thought, and I think the safest way is to ask this fella for help."
The man in question sent them an infuriating wink.
"I brought you down. I can take you back up! Free of charge, satisfaction guaranteed."
Naturally, the three of them couldn't help but narrow their eyes in suspicion as March asked:
"...There's no need to knock us out this time, right?"
An offended expression appeared on his face.
"Of course not! This time we'll go back through the Furnace Core."
Sunny raised a brow.
"And why do we need you?"
"Well, for my sparkling companionship of course! ...I jest, I jest! The path has been blocked for over ten years, and very few know how to get through. That's where I come in."
Seele, who had been silent up to this point, impatiently sighed.
"Enough chatter. Just be a good guide!"
As his attention was drawn to her, Sunny found a missing presence.
"Hold on. What about Bronya? Why isn't she here?"
Seele scowled slightly as she seemed to recall something.
"She already went back. As you know, she has some things to settle with the Supreme Guardian."
March gaped in shock.
"What? She just ditched us and went back? How could you let her…?"
Sunny interjected, cutting her off.
"She left without Sampo?"
'How lucky.'
Seele sent him a scathing glare.
"Enough about Sampo! We need him for this trip, and we can still get rid of him after we reach the surface."
A crooked smile appeared on the man's face.
"Miss Seele, I'm still here, you know..."
Of course, he was ignored by everyone present.
"Oh right, Bronya told me to give you this."
Seele handed Sunny an envelope. Considering the situation, it could only be a message.
"She left us a letter. Hmm... could this be one of those 'open-in-case-of-emergency' letters? I've never gotten one of those before. Should we wait until we run into something dangerous?"
Sunny scoffed.
"Please. She didn't send us a letter. She sent 'me' a letter."
Dan Heng pressed a hand to her forehead as if he had a migraine.
"Stop overthinking and just open it."
Opening it up, Sunny removed the folded sheet of paper within. Opening it up, he read the first line.
'Sunless, March, Dan Heng:'
"Ha! I told you it was sent to me! She put my name first!"
March simply sent him a deadpanned stare.
"I wasn't even arguing about that…"
Continuing, he read:
'By the time you read this letter, I should have returned to the Overworld and be on my way to see my mother. I apologize for not telling you of my plan. I was afraid that you would strongly object, which might sway my resolve.'
'Madam Cocolia raised me up, and I will never be able to repay her kindness. She taught me countless life lessons and virtues, as well as how to defend Belobog and its people. Even though she has lately made certain decisions that puzzled me, I can't let go of all the precious memories I have with her. I must communicate my point of view and thoughts to her honestly, and seek to arrive at a mutual understanding with her — this is my goal as a daughter, but also my duty as a Silvermane Guard.'
'But I'm aware of the risks I might face on this journey. So, if I fail to win my mother's approval — or if something happens to me — please forward this letter to the Landau siblings and ask for their help. Serval and Gepard are honorable people with enormous power in Belobog, and I have complete faith in them. I'm sure they will unreservedly help you in your search for the Stellaron once they see my seal and handwriting.'
'Bronya Rand'
Pursing his lips, Sunny could only think two things.
'How considerate. She used smaller words so that people like March could understand.'
'Also, who's Serval?'
March squinted her eyes at the letter.
"Brother and sister Landau...? I know the brother must refer to Gepard, but who could the sister be..."
She stared up at the underside of the Overworld for a moment, before snapping her fingers.
"Oh, Serval! So she's Gepard's older sister!"
Sunny tilted his head in curiosity. How did March know who Serval was if he didn't himself?
Sensing his confusion, Dan Heng explained:
"Serval owns a workshop in the Overworld. We met her when you were unconscious."
…That made sense. There should have been over a dozen hours between when he fell asleep in the Supreme Guardian's office and when he woke up in the Goethe Hotel — not to be confused with the Goethe Grand Hotel in the Underworld.
Meanwhile, March had a hazy look in her eyes as she sighed.
"Blonde, tall, good-looking... Those Landau genes sure are something else."
'…Tall?'
Now that he thought about it, Gepard's figure was quite towering. He might not be as tall as Svarog, but who decided to compare humans to robots in the first place?
As he kept thinking about height, Sunny's expression darkened.
Dan Heng glanced at him for a moment, before asking a question in a relatively hurried manner.
"Sampo, do you know the Landau siblings?
Sampo blinked.
"Landau... Uhh yeah, we're old friends. I've mostly dealt with the younger brother in the past, but the sister..."
He suddenly shuddered.
"She's much scarier. Today's supposed to be a day of celebration, so let's not talk about it right now. We can set out at any time. Just come find me when you're ready~"
March opened her mouth, about to proclaim that they were already ready, but Sunny suddenly started to walk away.
"There's something I need to ask Natasha about. Just wait until I get back."
She blinked, her mouth still hanging open. She turned to Dan Heng for an explanation.
In response, he simply shrugged.
***
Bronya's head peaked out of a corner, looking down the corridors of Qlipoth Fort. Seeing that there were no guards stationed, she silently walked through the hall.
Appearing before the grand doors of the Supreme Guardian's office, Bronya simply opened the them without any warning for anyone within. Nobody else would dare to intrude without at least signaling, but she had special privileges.
As such, when her mother's head swiveled in her direction, her expression contained a look of relief rather than alarm.
Having not seen her in a few days, Bronya couldn't help but look up and down her mother's hourglass figure. At first, she had simply brushed off her youthfulness as a perk of being an Ascended — which it was. However, it seemed that her appearance was more accurate to her age than Bronya originally thought.
It had been ten years since she was adopted, and the Supreme Guardian was only a teenager at the time. She wasn't even thirty, but she had a daughter who was two-thirds her age.
…Bronya forced a smile upon her face.
"Mother, I have returned."
Cocolia quickly hurried over to her.
"Bronya! I thought... I thought I'd lost you. Where were you? A—Are you hurt? I'll fetch the butler right away—"
As she spoke, she used her hands to check Bronya's body in concern until she was cut off by an indignant exclamation.
"No, there's no need! I don't want to see Sebas right now. Sorry, mother..."
A soft smile graced her features.
"I'm fine, really. I just got into a few skirmishes down in the Underworld, but nothing I couldn't handle."
An almost imperceptible flicker of… something appeared in Cocolia's eyes before immediately disappearing. However, 'almost imperceptible' wasn't enough to escape Bronya's eyes. After all, she tended to notice much more than she wanted to.
Cocolia spoke in a measured tone.
"The Underworld? Oh... I see. In that case, report everything you saw, Commander Bronya."
'Already back to Commander, huh?'
Bronya's lip almost twitched as her demeanor shifted to something that was more suitable for a Commander of the Silvermane Guards.
"After the failed pursuit at Backwater Pass, the wanted outsiders and I were somehow taken to the Underworld. Because of the difficult situation we were in, we formed a temporary alliance to help the residents of the Underworld resolve a few... issues of survival. We also defeated an ancient robot known as Svarog, and learned some truths... about the Stellaron.
Her mother grew silent for a long moment. Then, she nodded in affirmation.
"...I'm listening. Go on."
Bronya took a deep breath, speaking her mind in a firm tone.
"Madam Cocolia, it is my firm belief that the visitors from beyond the sky are not the villains we had imagined before. I witnessed them take up arms in the name of justice, and risk their lives for the sake of others. I can also ascertain that they did come for the Stellaron, but only to relieve the disaster it has brought upon Belobog."
Her lips quivered slightly, her following words reminding her of a possibility that she didn't want to come to fruition.
"Mother... you've always known the truth about the Stellaron, haven't you? The responsibility of bearing that truth will fall upon me one day. Such is the burden of being guardian — to carry these secrets for eternity."
She paused.
"So... I ask you to forgive my defiance, but I believe that the order to dispatch the outsiders was a mistake. To solve the problems brought on by the Stellaron, the Architects waited hundreds of years, and those outsiders may be the... the—"
"Enough!"
Bronya flinched at the sudden tone that Cocolia took. There were very few times when she had heard her mother speak in such a manner, and it was never directed towards her.
The Supreme Guardian exhaled sharply as she slowly shook her head. She walked over to her desk.
"Arrogant, ignorant... Oh you disappoint me, Bronya. You merely glimpsed the tip of the iceberg and now you think you know everything. You spend a short time with that Underworld scum, and suddenly you have the audacity to question my orders?"
She picked up a audio transceiver, holding it up to her mouth.
"Guards! Take Bronya—"
A hot feeling welled up in Bronya's stomach. It was unfamiliar, and before she knew it, she was already shouting.
"They are not scum!"
Immediately, the image of Seele appeared in her mind. Bronya couldn't think of a single Underworlder who was worse than the purple-haired girl — with her brash comments and uncaring insults. Despite that, she couldn't possibly equate her to anything near scum. Seele thought of herself as a good person, and acted as one despite her vulgar personality.
If Seele wasn't scum, then how could anyone else from the Underworld possibly be one?
Bronya was almost amused by her unreasonably childish line of thinking, but she was simply too angry to care.
"My entire life, everything you ever kept from me... I remember it clearly now. This time... this time I'm standing my ground, Madam Guardian! And please, stop dismissing me with vague excuses. Tell me what you have seen. What exactly it is you are hiding... Why do you send the Silvermane Guards to die in the Fragmentum? Why have you abandoned the people of the Underworld? And why... why did you have that sudden change of mind?"
There was an empty silence as Cocolia simply studied her. Once the adrenaline died down, Bronya couldn't help but feel uneasy. After all, she had never spoken in this manner to anyone — not even fugitives.
The Supreme Guardian sighed.
"...I see."
She placed the transceiver back on her desk.
"I knew this moment would come sooner or later... I just didn't expect it would be so soon. You want to know why I gave those orders... is that right? Do you believe you are ready to learn the truth?"
Cocolia walked in her direction as she spoke. Realizing that she had succeeded, Bronya had to keep herself from smiling as she solemnly nodded.
"Yes. I am ready... Mother."
Once Cocolia reached her, she simply walked past her.
"Then come with me, Bronya."
Her tone suddenly grew softer.
"It is time you heard it... the voice of this dying world."
An unheard voice whispered in the blonde woman's ear:
"Come... Come..."