Cataclysm

He was undoubtedly confused, he had just pieced together that he had come to posses Amon's clone and now this giant was calling him Sarsir. Was he Amon, was he Sasrir, was he the man who transmigrated, who was he? If boiled down to his essence, who was going to appear?

It was a whirlwind of emotions, and he wondered if those were his own feelings or not. He feared losing himself, would he suddenly lose his own will and be manipulated to do Sasrir or Amon's bidding?

Observing his dazed expression, Murskogan seemed to understand his predicament as it set off to explain. "Truthfully, I sense some anomalies in your spirit body. It has remnants of something I can't pinpoint. I had been guarding your body inside the Giant King's Court when I sensed your aura far away. I set off immediately and just arrived."

"So, you know a part of me isn't your Lord?" He asked tentatively, slightly adjusting his monocle. He still felt hesitant to be so near to an existence that could essentially just squash him like a bug but he reckoned gaining information was the best he could do for now. Plus, it didn't seem to have any ill intent.

The giant nodded, not intending to hide anything. "Yes. But a large part of you is still Lord Sasrir and I have sworn duty." It seemed to be quite happy from its tone, he vaguely knew from the novel that a certain giant had waited a long time for its Lord to awaken, even staying with him after its physical body's deterioration, he reckoned that giant was Murskogan.

Although, its words didn't bring him much comfort, it seemed like his and Sasrir's soul were currently conjoined, reaching a perilous balance that was just about right for him to be barely influenced. Fear burrowed itself into the deepest part of his flesh.

He felt a faint gratitude bloom from his heart and he reckoned that was Sasrir's soul echoing through him. He was still unsure how to feel about it all, sharing a body was a strange and troublesome predicament.

"Murskogan."

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Thank you for waiting for me."

He had a warm smile on his face as he spoke. Perhaps it was pity that made him say it, after all Murskogan had perished protecting Sasrir's sleeping form — and in a sense, protecting him.

If it was Sasrir, he would most likely choose to not say anything but that was exactly why he had verbalized his appreciation. He couldn't allow himself to be influenced too much, some of Sasrir and, on the rare occasion, Amon's emotions were already flowing through him, if his actions followed suit then he'd just lead himself into a corner.

Under that thankful gaze, the giant silver-cladded knight seemed to freeze, unfamiliar with the praise. Murskogan subconsciously smiled under its helm, lips curling just the tiniest of amounts.

To Murskogan, waiting for its Lord was nothing out of the ordinary, another duty it had to fulfill under its oath of blood. It was shameful to not even do such a simple thing for its Liege. It had never gotten words of thanks before. It decided then that it felt quite nice.

"It was my honor."

...

He, along with Murskogan and Arrodes, slowly ventured back to the research institute. It was less worrisome given the presence of the 5-meter-tall giant behind him. He planned on taking a rest first before taking actions on any of his plans. After all, he had been mentally drained after such a long and eventful day. It would be much more strange if he was alright after having to question his entire existence multiple times, nearly consecutively.

"Great Master, I am still your favorite loyal servant who lights up your way, right?" Arrodes had been strangely persistent in asking him this question during the short trek back. "Do you feel pressured by Murskogan?" He asked back with a small smile on his face, amused at its antics. He wasn't quite sure how the mirror was avoiding its "equal exchange" mechanism given it seemed to not be able to ignore it even with Klein but he reckoned he'd figure it out later.

"Yes, Exalted Master!! I was here first!" You didn't even bother hiding it... He released a snort at its words, shaking his head in intrigue. The mostly silent giant behind them released a nearly nonexistent huff in slight exasperation, the softness of it surprising for its huge stature. "I've served the Lord ever since the second Epoch." Its words carried a hint of pride, and he could almost imagine Murskogan puffing its chest out as if indirectly saying 'know your place.'

"I was here when the Great and Exalted Master awoke!!"

"You wouldn't even be able to protect the Lord."

Their petty and mostly one-sided argument lasted even when the three of them had arrived. Arrodes was taking a verbal beating from the knight, which was more or less predictable. After all, Murskogan had sworn an oath and served him even when his entirety was still Sasrir, while Arrodes had only met him when he awoke from the Chaos Sea.

Still, he listened quietly, quipping short responses here and there.

"The both of you act like siblings." He mused, as he was focusing on his small control over the Abyss to get back inside the facility, it was fairly difficult but certainly not impossible.

"No." The silver-cladded knight didn't even want to consider it.

"Exalted Master!!" Arrodes was horrified at the thought.

Rolling his eyes and chuckling under his breath, he glanced behind him as he tilted his head. "By the way, will you be alright outside?" He asked the giant. Due to its size, it naturally couldn't go inside but it seemed to not be all that bothered. Then again, it seemed to be unharmed during its journey from the Giant King's Court so he wasn't that concerned either.

"The glow of my eye is enough." Nodding his head, he bade Murskogan farewell before entering the facility, the shining mirror in hand.

'I can finally sleep..'

...

He had began exploring the entirety of the research facility as soon as he woke up. He felt a dull ache every time he moved too much but it was bearable enough. There wasn't much to recover, most of the items had been corroded to a point where they were barely salvageable or just weren't of any practical use. The most valuable thing he found were a bunch of slightly yellowed papers.

"Russian..?" He mumbled, staring at the Cyrillic with some hints of curiosity on his face as he traced the words in silence. He himself was Ukrainian so it wasn't that difficult to understand it. He had naturally learned Russian.

His lips twitched at the sight of the pages, unsure if he was more amused or annoyed. The cruz of his issue was the handwriting, it was almost too crude. It was barely comprehensible. 'Is this how every researcher's handwriting looks like?'.. he shook his head.

"Research of the appearance of oil in a dried-up oil field. Why would they need to build a research facility in such an unimaginable place for such matters?

God, what did they discover deep in the oil field. This is some amazing material.

What exactly happened? The doctor turned into a puddle of black oil in front of me!

More and more people have turned into oil. This research facility has been sealed from the outside. No one can leave. No one can leave.

Mad, they've all gone mad. We're still normal, but our food is almost running out.

I seem to be hearing things. There seems to be sounds coming from underground. It's summoning me. "He" is summoning me!"

He flicked through them carefully, afraid they'd tear, before staring at the name penned at the last page, barely legible and ink slightly faded. Matviyko.

"The Ancient Sun God..?" He muttered to himself, voice bouncing against the walls as he considered the possibility of it for a short while. It certainly had a chance to be true but it was still more of a wild guess. Taking the single paper from the pile, he decided to pocket it.

"Alright, it's time to go."

...

He stared at the settlement in the distance, eyes brimming with curiosity as he stood alongside Murskogan, the giant also taking its time to observe the city. It had been a few months since they set off from Chernobyl and things were as well as they could possibly go. Arrodes and Murskogan's petty debates never failed to entertain him, with Arrodes actually managing to win on rare occasions and it always left the giant silently sulking.

In terms of food, it was rather simple. The mirror didn't even need to be fed although it seemed to want to attempt it after it observed what its "Exalted Master" was doing, the Light Culler would hunt the beasts, and he was left with the duty to separate the corruption and cook.

They had passed by a fair amount of destroyed or abandoned settlements along the way, lost in the passage of time, covered in a blanket of darkness. Arrodes and Murskogan seemed apathetic to the sight of them, although they stayed silent when they observed his expression.

This land was cruel. Too many lost themselves in these grounds. Murskogan had been a witness to the tragedy long ago, and Arrodes was unmoved.

He knew his companions wouldn't be able to care as much as he did. One was a mirror and the other wasn't human, such losses nearly equated to nothing. But he understood, even he himself felt slightly detached as he peered down at the cities, an apathy gnawing at him from the inside, a coldness that seeped into his flesh.

"Let's settle for the night."

...

The newly established City of Nois, Forsaken Land of the Gods

As the newly appointed chief, Suni felt a dreading sense of responsibility to care for the people under his jurisdiction. It had only been a few years since they had been plunged in darkness due to their disloyalty towards the Lord, and their losses had already piled to the hundreds. They couldn't farm, all the animals had turned to ferocious beasts, and walking in the darkness without a light would literally make one perish.

Cornered and abandoned, Nois City was barely hanging on. The former chief, his own father, had taken his own life in despair.

He groaned without reservation, he was exhausted, his body ached with every mission, and if he wasn't busy gaining another wound, his mind was plagued with the concerns of his people. The main concern was definitely food. Although they had swallowed their complaints and settled for monster meat, all of the residents of Nois City were eager to find better alternatives.

He was about to go and head over to the library when he heard the door suddenly slam open, he could hear the hinges creaking from the sheer strength the other person used. At the doorway, a nearly 3 meter tall man stood.

"Calum, what-" he furrowed his brows before swiftly being cut off.

"Chief! The patrol team found an outsider!"

Suni wore a troubled expression at those words as he barely retained his calm before he pushed himself up, heavy boots making contact with the ground. "Are you sure the outsider isn't a monster we haven't encountered yet?" He questioned, taking a hold of his great sword as he walked along with Calum.

"He had a light of his own, Chief. And he wasn't frazzled by our lights too. We found him on a makeshift camp a few miles off the southern wall."

"He was alone?" Calum nodded once with a slight frown, he also found it strange for the outsider to be alone. Although, Nois City faced problems one after another, there were rules they upheld that allowed them to exist to this day. One of them was to never travel alone if you ever decide to leave the city perimeters.

"Yes."

It didn't take too long for the two men to arrive to their destination, expressions staid. As soon as the members of the patrol team noticed them, they sent the two Pillars an acknowledging nod before quickly making way. "Anything new?" Calum unhurriedly asked the leader of the patrol team, Orion, and the stern-looking young man shook his head.

"Nothing. He's just been eating. We're not too sure what it is but it seems to be uncorrupted."

".. Uncorrupted?" Suni glanced at his son disconcertingly as his eyes remained trained on the man who seemed completely unperturbed with their presence. It was impossible for him to not notice their presence by now, they hadn't bothered to take any measures to hide.

"Yes."

At that moment, the Chief met eyes with the outsider, hazel meeting abysmal black ones. The young man flashed him a carefree smile, seemingly not concerned, followed with an amiable wave of his hand.

"I'll make contact."

"Be careful." Orion, his eldest son, added. He didn't bother to respond.

Suni walked towards the campfire, boots heavy and sword unsheathed, although he was determined, he also had his guard raised. Not only was the man capable of surviving through the darkness, a feat even he wasn't confident in accomplishing, but he was also able to obtain uncorrupted meat.

He took a seat opposite to the monocle-wearing individual, not bothering to hide his great sword as he stabbed it to the ground near him. The outsider didn't seem bothered with his vivid wariness, or even all that worried as he glanced at the weapon before pointedly ignoring it. Waiting for a few seconds before he spoke, Suni took in a silent breath. He didn't bother beating around the bush, immediately introducing himself to the man. "My name is Suni Withers, I'm the Chief of Nois City. What is your name and purpose, sir?"

He saw the outsider take a short while to take his words in, nodding as if taking not of his name, before a warm smile spread across his face, hand coming up to adjust the crystal monocle on his right eye a little.

"My name?" He asked, mirth in his voice.

"It's Astaroth."