He didn't allow himself to dream, nor did he permit his mind to drift. He simply waited for the full darkness to pass.
It came with the sensation of falling through nothingness, a descent he didn't resist. He only allowed himself to sink deeper and deeper until he could sink no further.
Then he awoke, eyes snapping open an instant before his body was unceremoniously dropped onto the floor with a heavy thud.
Just like that, his half‑day quota had been fulfilled.
"Damn it, why the hell did I have to be the one carrying you all the way up here?"
Tyson panted after releasing him, while the others finally climbed into view and reached the summit of the mountainous structure.
Yon and Red were visibly suppressing laughter, but a single glare from him made them avert their eyes.
"Because your defect makes your uniform feel like a warm bed. Try to take it as a compliment."
Red extended a hand to pull Cosmo off the floor.
"I never thought that rule was just another covenant. I assumed those were supposed to be something deeper than that."
"No, the soulless ones have their own laws, and this one's more of a blessing than a curse, honestly. My brain and mind are allowed to receive the reset they require without my interference. Even if half a day is a long time, there isn't much I can do about it."
He replied as he accepted the hand and rose to his feet.
"I guess so, especially after such a hard‑fought battle. That man barely left any room to breathe."
At Red's comment, Yon tilted his head.
"What man?"
"Huh? The same man in the armor who almost killed us."
"Oh, about that." Yon placed a hand on Red's shoulder. "That 'dude' was actually a chick."
"Eh?"
"Hmm‑hmph."
They all turned toward Cosmo for confirmation. He only nodded slowly.
An awkward laugh followed, tapering off as the realization settled in.
"There's no ignoring the subtle adjustments she had to make in close combat," Yon continued. "She tried to mask it at first, but once things got intense, it became easier to notice."
"I never noticed anything like that. She never gave me more than a few seconds before taking me out." Blue muttered as she replayed her battles with Artoria in her mind.
"Well, noticing things like that matters more than you think," Cosmo added. "I managed to break through her armor a few times, but without expecting such a slender body beneath it all, I failed to deal as much damage as I intended. Honestly, it was a bit exasperating."
<"It's definitely a hilariously clever trick if it managed to tick you off so much.">
"You're still here?"
<"I have to stay in touch, so I know when to begin. Try to keep up.">
"Yes, Ma'am."
It was through his A.D.A, hidden in Blue's pocket as it followed her through the spire, that he finally managed to contact Clarisse.
He wasn't entirely sure whether the intent he had programmed to track Rita and Blue would be detected and severed by the spire, so he had been forced to add another layer of assurance.
And since his A.D.A was more intelligent, mobile, and durable than the standard‑issue models his recruits carried, it had avoided detection while remaining powered off.
"It's funny," Cosmo suddenly cut into the banter that had resumed while he spoke with Clarisse, "Did it not occur to any of you that entering this structure could mean death?"
A heavy silence followed before Red responded with a puzzled look.
"Well, of course it did. But you said that wouldn't happen, didn't you?"
"..."
"Ah, I'm not saying I rely a hundred percent on that promise or anything, but… if our words as Eminents are enough to dictate how far our convictions take us, then why can't we at least trust our leader not to discard his own?" Red clarified.
"The thing is…" Blue continued for him, "We're all just as determined to save our friend from this place and leave alive, and that's something we don't intend to back down from. If we truly are a team, then we have to move forward while counting on each other's resolve."
"If yours is to make sure nothing goes wrong, then we have no choice but to dive in without worrying. That's all there is to it." Yon concluded, before Tyson added his own remark.
"What's wrong? You're supposedly the strongest one in this boundary, right? Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now."
"As if," Cosmo replied after holding his breath for a long moment. "You kids are just starting to scare me a little, that's all."
It was a strange feeling, acknowledging growth that had nothing to do with him in each of his officers, one instant after another.
And beyond that, he felt like he was finally beginning to understand what his role truly meant, even if only a little.
What it means to be a leader.
"Convictions, huh? I never actually asked what they were. What exactly brought each of you to this point? There were more than just the five of you rejected from enlisting and placed with the Nebula, so what made you different?"
It wasn't a question most could answer immediately.
It meant revealing what drove their lives at the time. It wasn't easy to pinpoint and name a specific conviction.
However–
"I'm looking for somebody," Yon began. "Someone I know will cause more suffering if left unchecked. Someone I can't defeat unless I take this path."
"Do you intend to kill this person?"
"No. I don't have the right to. But I'm still obligated to stop them."
"Alright… you?"
Cosmo turned his gaze.
"Me?" Blue perked up. "Well, it's a bit embarrassing but… I just thought this was the best way to protect as many smiles as possible."
As she spoke, her head gradually sank into her collar in embarrassment.
"So many people die or get hurt because of Shadowbeasts every day. I want to stop that entirely. Even if the world is way bigger than I initially thought, I still think it's possible."
By the end, her face was fully hidden as she groaned in chagrin.
"We were born in a camp near the construction site of something codenamed the Chalice that holds the 'Codex of Heroes'. Surely you know about it."
Red suddenly said this while staring directly at Cosmo.
"Perhaps, though I'm curious how you learned something as guarded as the project's name."
"I learned it by coincidence, but you know what happened eighteen years ago, right?"
"Right. When Conmundia's fire returned, the flames of the unregulated furnace destroyed everything in its vicinity, with only a handful of survivors."
Red scratched the back of his head.
"It's nothing too deep. I just want to find out the truth about that day, and I know the key lies along this path, through Veil."
"I can at least tell you that might not be the worst idea."
Cosmo replied, hand under his chin as though weighing the thought.
"I hope you don't regret telling me that."
"Pfft." He dismissed Red's remark before turning to Tyson, waiting expectantly.
Tyson sighed and looked away.
"I don't really have a definite answer. Being an officer just feels… inevitable. I can't say whether it's because I was influenced or because I thought it was cool, but that's just how it is."
"Welp, that's that."
As Tyson finished, Cosmo suddenly stood.
"What is?"
"It's ready. I was waiting for it–or rather, for them–to react to our presence before we began."
He swept his hand across the surface of the structure, opening a wide hole into the hollow depths below.
"I wasn't able to identify its deeper structure the first time we met, so I let its seeds invade my body that night to get a closer feel. Unfortunately, damaging it is only possible when it extends its consciousness over a tangible substance. Which means…"
"…We can only harm it when it intends to harm us."
"And the only way we have a shot at taking that thing out is by either tracking its true root–"
"–Or forcing the Spire to manifest itself to us."
Red, Yon, and Tyson pieced together the meaning, aided by the sight below as they circled the opening.
"I'm glad you're getting quicker at catching on." He made his A.D.A drift back before issuing an order. "Wait for my signal, and contact Clarisse when you determine the process is likely to succeed."
Opening the boundary was more of a tug‑of‑war than an outright takeover.
They didn't need to neutralize the Shadowbeast beforehand, only weaken its influence enough for the return to begin.
At the moment, the best scenario Cosmo envisioned was breaking the spire enough to loosen its grip on the boundary.
Doing so might give them the advantage they previously lacked.
"It's about that time. Prepare to wake from your sleepless dreams."
They stepped to the edge of the bottomless drop, and the air grew unnervingly still.
Hearts pounded until ears rang, trembling hands forced themselves steady, and weak knees braced under the weight.
<~"Hands trained to live shall triumph over the mighty foe sent to trample them. They shall not falter, and they shall not yield. So guide the hands of fate in their favor, now and forevermore."~>
They weren't sure whether Clarisse was activating a long‑range skill through her grace, or simply offering a heartfelt blessing she felt compelled to give.
Either way, they had no reason to question or refuse it. They needed every form of affirmation they could get, no matter how small.
And so, after leaning forward into the deep hollow beneath the opening, the five officers of the Nebula branch fell toward death without a moment's hesitation.