The Tear And The Shield

The Tear.

Located deep in the mountain range at the end of a massive valley between two mountains, it is a rift of pure swirling darkness torn open in space.

An anomaly that defies reality, The Tear is ovoid, like an eye. Massive cracks spread out of the rift as if the Tear was a massive hole in the middle of the mirror called the sky.

From what the previous Mordred learned, it is two-dimensional and stretches about a kilometer across the valley, and its highest point reaching about 150 meters high.

"What a sinister thing.", I muttered, looking at the magnified live feed of the Tear on the windshield that also functioned as a screen.

Merlin nodded beside me, "I always feel uneasy whenever I see that thing."

I nodded in agreement. A feeling of dread crept up to me and my skin crawled.

"As much as I enjoy seeing you guys getting creeped out by the Tear. We'll soon reach the airfield. I suggest you two buckle up.", Ace said.

Heeding her advice, I and Merlin returned to the cabin and put our seatbelts on.

As we got closer to the Tear, I could feel its gravity pulling us toward it. I noticed trees and even rocks tilting towards the maw of swirling darkness and a perpetual chill caused me to shiver despite the temperature control of the Peregrine.

As we got closer to the Tear, I saw something else that took my breath away.

On the other side of the valley, facing the Tear defiantly is the Shield.

The greatest defense of Humanity against the Tear. It is a massive wall of black stone stretched across the valley, forming something akin to a colossal dam.

According to a book the previous Mordred read and the internet, the valley where the Tear is about 4 kilometers wide, and that's how long the Shield is.

The Shield is a towering structure of about 250 meters in height with a plano concave shape. The narrowest region is about 50 meters thick while the wider portions are close to 100 meters thick.

This absurdly huge thickness not only strengthens the defense but also allows the Shield to be hollow without compromising the strength of the structure. This is because the Shield is also a fortress.

There is a mini city inside the structure for the soldiers fighting against the horrors of the Tear complete with all the facilities required.

The concave side of the Shield facing the Tear is covered with meter-thick dracium panels that can be slid out of place to reveal turrets of guns that use ardor to inflict huge damage.

The top of the Shield is also lined with watch towers, lights, turrets, and ardor railguns. There are even turrets built into the sides of the mountains.

The Shield is also equipped with the most advanced weapons system and arsenal.

According to the book, the Shield is one of the greatest megastructures in the world and the single biggest walled structure ever created.

There is an airfield on the outer side of the Shield. I spotted many different types of aircraft. combat helicopters, huge cargo planes, and special aerial carriers being among them along with emergency service vehicles.

I whistled. This whole facility is damn impressive.

My eyes shifted to the other side of the Shield and my face darkened.

The land stretching between the Tear and the Shield may have once been a beautiful landscape of snow but now it is a deep red color.

Even the rocks are a rusty red, the color of dried blood.

Countless people have been killed in this place, dyeing the very ground with their blood over the years. As such, this place has a chilling name.

Blood Valley.

The thought of standing on the ground soaked with the blood of others made my skin crawl. It reminded me of the battlefield of Camlann where I died.

Weird. I, who used to be covered in the blood of my enemies and was never affected by it am now finding a blood-soaked ground disturbing.

We've reached right above the airfield. The Peregrine tilted as Ace lined it up with the runway.

Soon we were gliding over the runway. The plane slowed down and we had a smooth landing.

"That was pleasant.", Merlin remarked. She got up and took out two winter coats from her storage bracelet. She tossed one to Mordred, "Bundle up, it's gonna be very cold."

"Lady and kid, we just had a ridiculously good landing, all because of your spectacular AI pilot Ace!"

"We have arrived at the Shield and all the best to you, Prince Mordred. I genuinely hope that you will survive these three years although your chances of survival are abysmally low.", Ace said cheerfully.

"At least I have a chance.", I muttered, trying to be positive. I donned the winter coat and followed Merlin out of the plane. The biting cold immediately engulfed me as soon as I stepped out.

We were in for quite a nice welcome. I saw two people walking to the plane and one of them was bloody strong, judging from his aura.

"You haven't changed at all, Merlin.", a deep but soothing voice spoke as I got off the last step and a wave of powerful ardor swept over me.

The owner of the voice is a man who appears to be in his forties. He has a tall athletic frame, sharp blue eyes, salt and pepper hair that is well-kept and pale skin.

A scar ran across the bridge of his nose and another ran diagonally across his neck.

Despite the biting cold, he wore a grey suit with a black shirt. 

I gulped. The aura he is currently releasing is terrifying.

Aura is a force that is released by an ardor being and is seen as a measure of how powerful the being is.

If an ardor being releases its full aura, it shows how powerful the ardor it contains is.

High-ranking warlocks and sentient ardimals are capable of controlling the aura they release and are even capable of completely suppressing their auras.

It is said that a warlock or an ardimal without an aura is the most dangerous.

According to the memories of the previous Mordred, High King Arthur's complete aura can shake half the planet.

It is different from Bloodlust, which is an intense desire that can even paralyze others.

If aura dominates the will of a person and brings them to their knees, then bloodlust freezes their very soul with fear.

And the aura I'm feeling right now from the man is pushing down on me and he's not even fully unleashing it.

I gulped and looked into my new memories. There is no doubt about the man standing in front of me.

The foster brother of the High King and the first Knight of The Round Table, Sir Kay.

The Knights of The Round Table is different in this world. They are the most powerful and elite organization on Asteris and have many A rankers and S rankers.

Like the Phantom Knights, they are chosen by Arthur and are his best knights. And among them, Kay is one of the most loyal ones.

The Kay of this world is different from the hot-headed and boastful Kay I knew in my past life.

No. This Kay is the opposite. He is a calm and stern person who is well-disciplined, a true man of chivalry and nobility. He is a powerful Spiker and is one of the most powerful sword masters in the world.

His achievements are too many to count. He is the master and commander of the Shield, protecting the world from the horrors of the Tear for close to ten years.

Oh. And he's my uncle.

I don't know if I should be glad or terrified.

Merlin gave a hearty smile, "I should say the same to you, Kay. Although I must say you look too serious nowadays."

Kay just sighed, "And your tongue is still the same."

He then looked at me, "Hello Mordred. It's been a long time."

I froze in my tracks. Not because of the cold of the mountains or the chill of the Tear, but of his sharp gaze.

Previous Mordred's memories of him rushed into my head. Unlike Arthur, he didn't ignore Mordred but also didn't show any particular affection towards him.

He was the one who introduced Mordred to the art of the blade. Kay's strict and serious demeanor including the fact that he rarely smiles, made him a scary person in the eyes of little Mordred.

I looked into his blue eyes and gulped.

This guy is still damn scary.

I calmed myself down and bowed to him, "Greetings uncle. Good to see you again.", I spoke in a respectful tone.

Kay kept his gaze on me, "They say you were a pathetic child lacking in etiquette but that's not the case here. You have changed."

I looked him in the eyes, still calming my tense nerves, and replied, "You can say I have matured, uncle."

He narrowed his eyes, "Call me commander, now that you are going to be part of the Shield."

He released part of his aura and brought me to my knees.

This could be a test. I kept my gaze on him and released my aura. Even though it was weak, I was able to not have my face planted to the ground.

Kay showed no reaction but I can see it in his eyes. He was mildly surprised that a weakling like me could even release an aura.

He looked at Merlin, "Are you sure about this, Merlin? You have already lost Arthur's trust because of the boy."

Hold on. What?

Arthur doesn't trust Merlin? And it's connected to me?

I looked at Merlin. Was it the incident with Arthur when I was born, the time when he got really angry with Merlin?

She didn't meet my gaze but gave Kay a dangerous smile. The already low temperature dropped further and I could feel Merlin's bloodlust starting to leak.

"I am well aware of what I am doing and the consequences. Everything I do is for Arthur and his kingdom. So don't concern yourself with it.", she said in a cold tone while maintaining her smile.

Kay closed his eyes and sighed, "Very well. It's fine as long as you're aware."

He turned to the young man beside him, "Felix. Guide Mordred around the Shield and get him prepared."

The young man named Felix nodded with a smile, "Very well, Commander."

Kay looked at Merlin, "Shall we catch up with a pot of tea?"

Merlin nodded, "Alright."

She looked at Mordred and said, "Good luck. kid. You'll need it."

She went ahead while humming a tune.

Kay gave me one last look, his blue eyes looking into mine.

"Mordred, as the commander of the Deathwalkers, I welcome you to the Shield. I hope you survive at least a day."

With those delightful and inspiring words, he turned around and followed Merlin.