Sunshine's words stabbed deep into his heart.
He did not understand what Sunshine was talking about, but those words resonated with something hiding deep within him.
"Are you talking about my past?"
"I am." Sunshine said. "The memories you have conveniently forgotten would've shown you how your cowardice cost us our everything.
"Your blind trust in that traitor is the reason why we lost our dear friends."
Percival opened his mouth to ask what Sunshine was talking about.
In the past, Sunshine always refused to talk about the memories of the lives Percival had forgotten.
This was the first time he spoke about them.
Yet, Percival kept his mouth shut and did not ask for the truth.
He was not ready to face another painful reality.
"Save your allies," Sunshine spoke again. "Do not make the same mistake twice. You would regret it in the future."
The Spirit's tone was solemn.
It did not want to see Percival break again after he lost his allies.
"How am I going to do that? I'm…."
Percival's nails dug into his clothes.
"Beings stronger than me are trapped within Tartarus. The Dragon God of Void cannot escape it.
"How can I do it? It's impossible."
Sunshine spoke mercilessly.
"But bashing your head against the prison's wall to break it is better than giving in to despair and not even trying to escape."
Percival sat with his back against the Tartarus tree.
After he was thrown out of the world that existed inside Tartarus, he was not taken in since he did not have too much negative karma.
The last time, they had Neo to bring them in.
Even if Percival wanted to enter, he couldn't.
He had tried to use Fate to interact with people and had been unsuccessful.
The Fate threads present in Tartarus started to attack his Fate of Fortune thread whenever he tried to intervene in the world.
The situation had forced him to stay his hand.
"What should I do?" Percival muttered in defeat.
"Thanatos," Sunshine spoke. "No, perhaps I should call him Neo Hargraves. If it's him, he can overcome this twisted hell."
"Neo? He is strong, but nowhere near enough. This situation is impossible for someone of his level to solve."
"It is because the situation is hopelessly impossible that I believe he can do it. He has saved the world from certain doom. He has overturned destiny once already.
"If there is anyone who can conquer the impossible, it is Neo Hargraves," Sunshine said.
The Spirit's emotions were transmitted into Percival's mind.
Trust, admiration, respect.
"Who is Neo Hargraves? What do you mean he has saved the world once already?"
"That I can't answer. You would have to ask him to know the truth."
Percival was in doubt.
He aimlessly stared at the sky for a few seconds before he stood back to his feet.
This was no time to cry. He had to move forward, whether it took him into the jaws of despair or the cradle of hope.
"Dammit, I shouldn't have taken this mission. I can't believe I'm going to get myself killed here for other people," he joked and put his hands on the Tartarus tree before he activated his Fate Affinity.
Sunshine couldn't help but smile inwardly.
Percival – Apollo – had always been the first to break under pressure.
But he was also the first one to stand back on his feet.
Despair could never claim him for long.
Percival commanded his Fate of Fortune thread to sneak into the world of threads within the Tartarus tree.
He entered without much resistance, thanks to his previous experience.
The Fate of Fortune thread zipped across the world of threads and reached the entrance of the Abyss.
From Percival's perspective, he saw a hole that was sucking everything into itself. Fate, death, life. Everything.
'That is where Olivia, the Senator, and Neo are.'
'The Senator and Olivia should be alive, and their Fate of Life thread shouldn't have been eaten by their Fate of Devouring thread.'
'After all, they are Fateweavers like me, and their Fate of Fortune thread must be protecting them.'
'The one I'm worried about is Neo.'
'However, seeing Sunshine's trust in him, I think it's safe to say he is alright.'
The world of threads changed. Percival realized his Fate of Fortune thread had entered another dimension.
"Huh? There is a giant tree here too?"
Percival used his Fate of Fortune thread to look around. He saw the countless threads gathering in the shape of a giant tree.
"Wasn't the entrance of the Abyss supposed to lead to a place with three zones and three floors?
"Where am I right now?"
Percival started to make a mental map of Tartarus.
He decided to call each inner world a Layer.
Layer 1 was where Percival was currently at.
Layer 2 was where Sword Saint and others lived and perceived it to be the world of Tartarus.
Layer 3 was where Percival's Fate of Fortune thread had landed. It was a subdimension within Layer 2, and a giant tree was situated in the center of the subdimension.
Controlling the Fate of Fortune from so far was incredibly taxing. He had to concentrate hard to make sure the connection was not lost.
Percival noticed some people's Fate threads dangling like fruits on a branch.
He saw around 40 or 50 such people.
Their Fate threads were connected to the giant mesh of Fate threads that formed the tree.
He counted seventeen hundred fifty three people.
Their Fate threads were connected to the giant mesh of Fate threads that formed the tree.
"Are these… the Grand Expedition members?"
The army of millions of Grand Expedition members was only seventeen hundred fifty three people in truth.
The rest were the inhabitants – the illusion created by the nightmare.
No, even those 1753 might not be real people, and instead be just ghosts – puppets being forced to act as if they were alive.
Percival continued to look around.
He noticed a familiar Fate of Fortune thread.