The Topography Of The Fallen Bridge.

"Are you sure none have you have ever left the Fallen Bridge?"

"No. We were born here and none has ever thought of leaving, mostly because the Ice Rain on the edges of this place are so dangerous that it might kill the most powerful creatures, even for you."

"I see... well, thank you for telling me. You should head back to your husbands and keep them in line. Some of them were looking at my subordinates."

"Understood."

Zarvana left his tent, leaving Vastarael sighing deeply as he lay his head onto the table of maps surrounding him.

"Two and a half years and yet I haven't found what EPOCH wants from me. And these weren't the best years either."

Vastarael went back to the Fallen Bridge and for some reason, the Insignia Knights joined him, protecting his daughters too, who wanted to come as well. They escaped from Halo Islands and decided to come with him. He didn't know how they crossed the ocean between the two islands and escaped the Island of Peony but at least they made it safely.

And when he expected to either go back in time or end up in the test, he found himself inside a vast frozen world called the Fallen Bridge. And for half a year, they struggled to survive.

Fortunately for the Insignia Knights, as long as the Obsidian Runic Spire was still active, they would never die. That was their Boon and Bane. If the spire is destroyed, they will permanently die. And if it's restored, they will come back to life.

So, for the six months, they hunted Infected Krepsunas over and over again until each and every one of the knights were Third Phase Ascenders. And also, Shimmer maxed out the Third Ascender Phase as well. The knights left Sunderer Rank Krepsunas at a near death state for them to kill. Vastarael on the other hand, was still at the First Ascender Rank but this didn't mean he was weak.

In fact, it made him stronger since all the stars he got from killing improved his own Tethers instead. And he was already at the Sixth Star of Circlecraft, since he focused more on it for a year. All he had to do was to modify the Control Circle and it made him rise from the Third to the Sixth Star.

For half a year, they focused on survival to get stronger. For a year, they all mastered their Ascended Tethers and the other year focused more on renaissance and training. But for Vastarael, it was pure training for the two and a half years.

They couldn't leave the Fallen Bridge even if they wanted to since they didn't know how to. At first, Vastarael spent a month making Paina Tes, his Flight Circles to enable him to fly up but unfortunately, after days of flying up, he couldn't get anywhere.

And when he gave up and began going down, he was immediately teleported close to the snowy ground.

Vastarael focused less on his current Tethers and mostly on Circlecraft and forging. He already had eight types of Mystic Circles; Healing, Plasma, Water, Heat, Control, Sapphire, Protection and Flight.

He made Sapphire, Protection and Flight Mystic Circles in the Fallen Bridge. And in terms of forging, he already made a Priestess Staff for Peccavi and a zweihander for Runner.

And he made another sapphire sword, which he used Fool's Copy, a Divine Artifact that Sirithiele gave him, to copy it and give it to the knights. He also made other sapphire weapons that focused on energy absorption and illumination.

And by the time two and a half years passed, Vastarael's subordinates were the strongest Ascenders in Erna Isles and the Fallen Bridge. Each and every one of them can take down a Sunderer Rank Krepsuna with ease and survive.

Vastarael on the other hand, was getting bored. He wanted to go back to Halo Islands. He was so strong to the point where fighting Ferris felt like teasing a child.

He had maxed out everything involving his Tethers. He was a Sixth Star Circlecraft Mage. He had mastered the first Plenituse Technique, Viridescence. His sapphire was stronger and more powerful than before.

And they had hunted down every powerful creature on the Northern Fallen Bridge, where the number of Infected Krepsunas were on the maximum. The other three directions only had a couple but at Scavenger Rank and only himself, Ferris and Arletta could handle those.

He missed Adelasta. He got married and he left her alone without telling her goodbye for two and a half years. He missed talking to Elyonari as well.

Either way, he had to go to Central. That was where the next Winter Labor was and he was going to kill him or her. He didn't know which gender he was since the Winter Labor was in hiding.

"Master, can I come in?"

It was Ferris.

"Sure."

Ferris stepped into the tent with her usual unshaken composure, though tonight there was an underlying edge in her tone. Her armored boots made soft thuds against the snow-dampened floor as she approached the table.

"Master," she asked, tilting her head with a slight narrowing of her eyes. "What will we do tomorrow?"

It wasn't an unusual question, yet something in the way she asked it made it feel heavier, like she wasn't just asking for the next task, but for certainty. And that's exactly what Vastarael noticed.

He didn't respond immediately. His fingers idly grazed over one of the carved and he exhaled deeply.

"I don't know," he admitted at last, lifting his hand away and pressing his palm to his forehead. "That's what's bothering me."

Ferris blinked, momentarily thrown off. It wasn't often that Vastarael Richinaria, their leader, the Prince of Anqerise, ever said he didn't know. He was the kind of man who would walk into the mouth of a creature and map its insides while cracking jokes about its breath. Uncertainty didn't suit him and yet here it was, spilling from his mouth.

"We found Central a year ago. It was there and we knew it was there. The spire formations, the changing weather patterns, the way the Ice Rain didn't fall as harshly around its border… It was calling. And I ignored it."

Ferris nodded slowly. "Because you didn't trust it."

Vastarael leaned back in his seat, arms folding over his chest.

"No. Because I felt… something. Not fear. Not even hesitation. It was like the world was whispering 'not yet.' Like something in that place wasn't ready, or we weren't. So I kept us out. I thought I was being cautious."

"And now?"

"Now, I think I was right. Something might've changed."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… I don't know what happened," he admitted, "but something occurred back then. Something subtle. And it's still there, lingering in that silence around Central like a trap waiting to be triggered. Or maybe it already was, and we've been breathing in the aftereffects for a year without realizing."

Ferris stood in silence for a moment, her gaze trailing over the edge of the map before focusing back on him.

"So… we still aren't going to Central?"

"Not yet," he said, pushing himself up from the chair with a rustle of his coat. "According to Zarvana, as 'Northern Chieftain', which she did not sign up for, she has to go through the Eastern, Southern, and Western sides before she's allowed to enter Central. Some age-old tradition of the region's order of strength or hierarchy or some nonsense."

Ferris scoffed lightly. "Sounds like a ritual made by bored immortals with too much time and no real enemies."

"Exactly," Vastarael muttered, rubbing his temple. "But whatever. We're going East tomorrow. That's the plan."

"Understood. Should I prepare the others?"

"Yes. Tell them to sleep early and be packed by morning. We don't know what we'll find on the Eastern side but if it's anything like the North, it'll try to kill us for blinking wrong. New creatures mean new abilities to counter, new kill strategies, new weaknesses. I want everyone sharp and ready."

She placed her hand over her heart and dipped her head slightly, not in servitude, but respect.

"As you wish, Master."

But before she turned to leave, she tilted her head slightly and gave a smirk that barely cracked her professional demeanor.

"Also… we're having Highland Boar for dinner. I just came to ask if you'll be joining us or brooding over maps again."

Vastarael groaned quietly and rolled his eyes.

"Eat to your full. Vienna will use Fool's Copy and her inventory to store a few racks of meat for the journey. I'll save my portion too. Tell the girls to eat plenty. We'll need the energy. Especially Shimmer. She burns more energy than the rest of you combined."

Ferris gave a short chuckle. "You spoil them."

"They're my daughters. That's my job."

She smirked again and turned to leave, but Vastarael's voice stopped her just as she reached the tent flap.

"I'll join you all soon. I want to do a final lookout around the camp. Just to make sure we don't have any new neighbors crawling around before we sleep."

She paused, looked over her shoulder with a soft but knowing look.

"Don't take too long. The meat tastes best while it's still hot."

With that, she left, letting the cold air briefly sweep into the tent before it sealed behind her again.

Vastarael remained there, staring at the maps, his hands braced on the table's edge. He could feel that same subtle pull from the center of the Fallen Bridge. Something waiting. Something asleep, or pretending to be. Maybe tomorrow's expedition to the East would offer answers… or more questions.

Either way, it was time to move after two and half years of staying in the North.