Jet absorbed the shattered soul of the Heart of Kanakht into her mist blade. At the same time, she took a deep breath, feeling a few soul fragments being pulled into her core. Making it a little bigger, and capable of containing a little more essence.
Her expression changed slightly.
«Walt, what is…»
There wasn't just one fragment, or even a few. A whole flood of them was suddenly pulled into her soul, too many to count.
Countless.
«…What the hell is this?!»
—— —— ——
A long time later… The battle was over.
The Nightmare Creatures had been eradicated, and although the seven Gates still remained, barriers were built around them, with soldiers keeping watch in case more abominations arrived.
The city… was beyond saving. It was damaged too much, and too many people had died. The survivors were slowly emerging from the shelters, while the soldiers were searching the ruins for those who had not been lucky enough to find a way to safety.
Jet had no heart to look at the lost faces of the civilians, so she retreated to the top of an artificial hill, observing everything from a distance.
She had replenished her essence greatly after participating in the final cleansing. So, she was feeling alright.
Kal and Effie were sitting nearby, staring at the ruins with exhausted expressions.
After a while, Effie suddenly said:
«That was a bit scary, wasn't it?»
Kai stared at her silently for a while, and then shook his head.
«Scary… you know what was scary? Watching a titan fly across the sky like a balloon. Now that… that gave me a fright!»
Despite her fatigue, Jet smiled.
«Damn. I missed that… what a pity.»
Effie grinned.
«What's the problem? Next time, I'll throw a titan in your direction. You'll get the front row view!»
But then, the smile disappeared from her face. She sighed, lingered for a bit, and added wistfully:
«But, anyway. Battles like this one will only become more frequent in the future, won't they?»
Jet hesitated, then nodded simply.
«I guess.» 𝔣𝔯𝔢𝔢𝔴𝔢𝖇𝖓𝔬𝖛𝔢𝔩.𝖈𝔬𝖒
The huntress lowered her gaze.
All three of them remained silent for a while, not knowing what to say.
Despite the fact that today's battle had ended in triumph- and a historic one at that — none of the three seemed particularly joyous.
Instead, their faces were somber, and their eyes were harsh.
Eventually, Effie broke the silence.
«Well, whatever. Now, about that Memory you received… please, tell me it's a weapon!»
Jet gave her an odd look.
«Sorry. It's not a weapon. Actually, that Memory… it's a bit strange.»
Effie cursed, then leaned back in irritation and glared at the sky.
«What is it, then?»
Instead of answering, Jet simply extended a hand and summoned the Memory. Soon, a peculiar object appeared on her palm.
She raised an eyebrow, looking at it with a vexed expression, and said slowly:
«…It's an hourglass.»