Clyde still remembered it clearly about the vision that had burned itself into his mind. The realm of black ash or sand and the similarly dark sky.
A world where nothing moved, where the air was thick and suffocating, where time itself felt like it had unraveled into an endless, silent abyss. And something ancient and mysterious was residing there.
And in that sky... the slitted, colossal eyes watching him.
He didn’t think he would ever forget about the eye and the sight of that realm. The sheer presence of that thing pressing down on him as if he were nothing more than dust beneath its attention. But still, he was in that thing’s attention.
But more than the eyes, he remembered the massive ancient structures that stretched into the dark sky with surfaces inscribed with strange unreadable runes. Black walls and towering pillars made of some unknown black material, standing as silent remnants of something far older than even the time itself.
His mind raced, connecting the pieces.
If what Asqa had just told him was true that Archangel Uriel had retrieved a black fragment from the Far North, a piece etched with shifting runes, then could it be the same as the structures he had seen in the black realm?
Was it a mere coincidence or was the fragment actually a piece of that place?
Clyde narrowed his eyes.
Was the realm he had seen actually inside the Black Wall itself?
The idea unsettled him.
He had always heard of the Black Wall as a mysterious, impenetrable boundary because that was a place where even Celestials, Angels, and Demons hesitated to approach. A barrier that existed beyond this worlds, separating it from something far more ancient.
Maybe the black realm he saw was actually inside the Black Wall.
Clyde exhaled slowly, fingers tapping against the device in his palm.
"Asqa," he finally said through their telepathic link. "This fragment Uriel took. Do you know where she’s keeping it?"
There was a pause before Asqa responded, her voice laced with hesitation.
"...I don’t know yet. But I can try to find out."
Clyde nodded to himself. "Do that. Let me know the moment you learn anything."
He had a feeling that whatever Uriel had retrieved was important. If he was right that it was truly a piece of that place, then it might just be the key to understanding the his real purpose.
There was silence for a few moments, but Clyde could feel an undercurrent of unease drifting through their telepathic connection.
Asqa hadn’t spoken yet, but her emotions bled through the link, faint at first, then growing stronger. Restlessness. Anxiety. A quiet, lingering sense of dread.
Clyde frowned slightly. Was it because his level and power had increased so much that he could now sense her feelings more clearly? Or was it simply because of the bond they had forged over time? Before, he can only feel her feelings when she say something.
"What’s the matter?" he asked with calm voice.
Asqa hesitated for a moment before she finally responded.
"I... I don’t know." Her voice was quiet and uncertain. "Ever since Uriel returned with the fragment, I’ve been feeling off. Like something isn’t right."
Clyde straightened slightly. "You’ve actually seen it?"
"No. I haven’t even saw it. But..." she paused, searching for the right words. "It’s like... just knowing it’s here is enough to make me feel uneasy. And I’m not the only one. Some of the other follower that also don’t even know what it is have been feeling strange too."
Clyde slowly, tapping his fingers against his knee.
A presence so strong that it could unsettle even those who hadn’t seen it? That wasn’t normal indeed.
"What kind of bad feeling?"he asked.
Asqa hesitated again. "Like something’s watching me. Or waiting. It’s hard to explain. But I don’t like it."
Clyde didn’t reply immediately. He wasn’t sure what to say to make her feel better when he himself was now feeling an odd sense of restlessness too. Maybe it was because he could feel Asqa’s emotions through their link. Or maybe, just maybe, it was because she was right.
Something about that fragment was deeply fundamentally wrong.
"Asqa, listen to me," Clyde said with serious tone. "You need to calm down. I think you shouldn’t try to get too close to that fragment."
There was a brief silence before Asqa responded, her voice carrying a hint of hesitation.
"But... what if I need to bring it to you?"
"You don’t need to." Clyde cut her off before she could continue. "Not now. For now, just prioritize your safety. I have a bad feeling about it as well."
Through their connection, he felt something shift in Asqa’s emotions. Like a knot of tension loosening, or relieved feeling. But also, something else that feel lighter. A flicker of happiness.
Clyde wasn’t sure why she felt happy, but at least the overwhelming anxiety had subsided.
"Alright, Clyde," she finally said. "Thank you."
Clyde breathed a slow and long breath, leaning back against the cold metal wall of his room. His fingers instinctively tapped against the surface beside him, his mind still racing even as he tried to relax.
Asqa wasn’t someone who got shaken easily. She had been an inside person in Uriel’s domain for long time and that needs pation and mental strength.
And yet, the mere presence of this fragment was enough to unsettle her and enough to make even those who didn’t know about it feel an unnatural unease.
That wasn’t good. If the fragment truly came from the place he had seen in his vision, then it wasn’t just some fragment with runes. It was a piece of something beyond this world.
And it was now in Uriel’s hands.
Clyde’s jaw tightened. He needed to know more. But for now, he had to be patient. If he moved recklessly he could endanger Asqa and himself because he will be exposed to that Angel.
He closed his eyes for a moment, forcing himself to steady his thoughts. Where could he gain the information about that fragment?