Two figures sat in silence within the parlor of the Nebula base, still, tense, and caught in the weight of what they had learned.
They waited, clinging to the faint hope that someone or something might appear to refute the truth they'd been asked to accept.
Red leaned back in his chair, lazily tossing a small orb into the air and catching it at regular intervals. Beside him, Blue gazed at the ceiling, her breath slow and shallow, her long hair pulled over the chair's back like a drape.
When they had returned from the gel dragon cave, the base had been eerily empty. Mama Maria was no longer at the spot where they'd left her. They had knocked on every door along the second floor, but none answered. Even the previously unlocked door Argenta had passed through was now shut tight.
They chose to wait, but the sense of confusion that clung to them hadn't faded. If anything, it had settled deeper.
THUMP! THUMP!
Two figures crashed to the floor like dropped luggage. The third landed weightlessly, barely stirring the air.
"Yeah, I'm never gonna get used to that..." Yon muttered as he pushed himself upright, stretching his shoulder.
The third figure, a composed young woman, stepped between them and glanced around, her calm gaze locking onto the two seated figures who now rose to meet her.
"You two must be Blue and Red," she said warmly. "I'm Clarisse. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"The pleasure's mutual," Red replied, brushing off his pant leg.
Blue folded her arms. "So far it's just us. Rita hasn't made it back yet, she's probably still tied up finishing her initiation task."
"Ah, I see." Clarisse gave a nod. "Then I suppose we'll wait."
"You guys got in without any trouble too?" Red asked, pointing to the ceiling.
"All we did was repeat that word Argenta used before," Tyson replied. "You?"
"Same, though it feels risky. If anyone overheard that word, they'd be able to walk right in."
He paused, then shook his head. "But I guess it can't be that simple."
"Of course not," Clarisse said. "If I had to guess, the mechanism hiding this place already recognizes you all as Nebula branch members."
"Yeah, that makes way more sense," Red admitted. "That's probably it."
For the longest moment, Yon's breath was caught in his throat for a moment as he prepared to ask a question the others were most likely pondering as well.
"So… did you guys find out about it yet?" He chose to ask bluntly instead of gently guiding the conversation.
Something that clouded each of their minds and couldn't be slowly eased into at the moment.
"We did." Blue responded gently. "The Conmundia right?"
"Who told the two of you?"
"She did." Tyson and Yon directed their attention towards Clarisse. "On our way here in the White Forest."
"You?" Yon inquires.
"We were told by a black dragon." Red responded as if it wasn't the strangest topic at hand. Though considering the other matter, that might as well have been the case.
Even as they blinked at the response, Yon and Tyson would wait till later to question them regarding the details.
"Honestly, it's a lot to take in all at once. We can't ignore the Shadow beasts since we've seen them ourselves. But the idea that there's no real Shadow continent and just a huge world outside our own? That's pretty overwhelming," Yon said.
They had devoted four long years to the academy, immersed in the belief that they were honing their skills to safeguard humanity from a looming menace that, in the end, proved to be nothing more than.
The weight of this revelation hung heavily upon them, igniting a swirling storm of doubts about their training and capabilities.
They found themselves wrestling with the unsettling thought that they may have been inadequately prepared for the genuine challenges that lay ahead, their hearts heavy with the realization that their dedication had been rooted in a deceptive illusion.
"Now I understand why we were asked to forfeit everything we knew and loved if we truly wished to join Veil."
"I guess that part's mostly due to time dilation," Tyson added thoughtfully.
"Time dilation?" Yon asked, even though the same information was supposedly shared between the two of them.
"It's like mixing time in a blender. The flow of time can vary depending on where you are in the Conmundia," Tyson explained calmly. "You might spend a year in one region of the Conmundia, while only an hour passes here on Earth, or the other way around. It can change significantly."
At that moment, Yon was rocking back and forth, rubbing a phantom ache on his head.
Seeing this, Tyson attempted to ease his stress. "But you shouldn't worry too much. We'll be getting equipment that reduces the disparity. By the time we get back, a long time will only feel like a distant memory."
Hearing this, Red and Blue exchanged glances, a silent sense of panic passing between them. They both decided to withhold their own revelations for a later time; surely, what they had to say wouldn't help the situation.
"Hold on a sec," Yon interjected. "She never told us that part."
"I didn't?" Clarisse touched her finger to her cheek as she jogged her memory.
"No," he replied, turning back to Tyson. "So how did you know about all that?"
Tyson blinked as the finger pointed at him, almost as if threatening to impale him. "Hold on, did you not understand this entire time? I'm from a family of elite eminents. What's considered a secret to the rest of the world has been common knowledge since I was a child."
"Oh, something about the Jahal family?"
"...Jarul."
"Right, sorry. I tend to tune out when it comes to rich people's business," Yon remarked. "Even so, why did you let her explain it to us without saying anything? You could have told the rest of us sooner. We can't turn back now, you know?"
"It only occurred to me on our way back that not everyone is aware of the same information I am. I'm very sorry."
With that, Yon had no leeway to press further. In fact, he could only scratch the back of his neck awkwardly. "Alright… my bad too, I guess."
It wasn't clear what exactly he was apologizing for anymore, but it was evident that a new level of understanding had been forged between them.
Suddenly, a door swung open. They determined it led down a mysterious flight of stairs. Out staggered Rita, covered in scratches and bruises.
Her dress was dirty and ruffled, and her twin tails looked disheveled. Slowly, she leaned over, collapsing with her face headed towards the floor.