Planet Umbrae - Day 7

Today was the last day of Sil being on planet Umbrae. Even though he had been here for a mere week, the calm nature of the town was inviting. Perhaps one day when he's done with his mission, he could figure out a way to bring the blade members here. They currently lived on a giant ship, and to have a stable home again was a nice thought.

Before Swinn got off from work, Sil grabbed his beast gear from the blacksmith placing it all in his storage. When he arrived, Layla wasn't there, so he didn't think to get any gear made for her. He realized that he didn't have any bows in his arsenal. Not only that, but he did not recall Layla herself having a bow, only her sword.

'Should I get her a bow?" Sil thought, thinking about how he would manage with Layla joining him.

—

Returning back from the blacksmith, Sil spotted Layla in his training room. He didn't mind it so much since he didn't use it very often, finding that practical experience was better than practicing. She was using the sword against a fighting dummy, utilizing her telekinesis for greater movement. Then, as she flew back, the black sword had turned into a bow, and she shot a flurry of qi arrows at the dummy, leaving it littered in holes.

Sil leaned on the door frame, and slowly clapped, intrigued by the display.

"Guess I won't be needing to get you a bow after all."

Layla turned around to spot Sil, and she flew back down onto the ground. 

"Like I said, I can use this sword in ways others can't," Layla boasted.

"It is impressive, but have you ever absorbed a nest crystal before?"

Layla placed the sword on her hip, "No, I've never had the chance to. Why do you ask?"

"There is a limit to how much someone can improve their ability, even if you've trained for centuries. I'm sure you've hit a wall by now, correct?"

Layla stood there because she knew Sil had hit the nail on the coffin.

"Well, if you're going to be traveling with me, then I recommend you do so. I've absorbed a good amount of nest crystals over the years, and have grown substantially because of it. If you find any nest crystals then feel free to do the same."

Layla knew the gap between her and Sil was substantial, even with her sword. There were very few people who could even match up to him, infact, the only two people who she could imagine being on his level were Quinn and Erin, but even she had her doubts. Still, she wanted to prove herself no matter what.

"Got it," Layla said as she started to leave the room before stopping and turning around, "by the way, what planet we're going to next?"

"It's one that's been on my radar for a while," Sil placed a hand on his chin, "I've been following some leads about a specific celestial that resides on a planet not too far from here. The details have been hard to get due to nearly everyone disappearing after going there. I'm not worried about myself since I have quite a few methods of leaving a troublesome planet, but if you want to sit this one out—"

"I'll go, don't worry about me," Layla shot back.

"Alright then…" Sil muttered before leaving.

The two left the room and went in opposite directions of the hall outside. Sil teleported outside, looking around for Swinn's place of work. Walking around the street, Sil saw that familiar shop, and waited outside. It didn't take long for Swinn to finish his work, and the two walked around.

"I'm sure you know I'm going to leave soon," Sil began, "I know I could've left sooner, but I wanted to spend this time with you."

Swinn smiled, showcasing his snaggle tooth a little, "Haha, I'm surprised you want to spend your last day here with me."

"Why not? You were the first person I met on this planet," Sil replied, "I should be able to at least say goodbye."

Swinn's ears flickered, not out of joy like normal, but out of nervousness. Sil was special, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to see Sil again.

"So…" Swinn cleared his throat, "What are your plans after this planet?"

"I'm going to a different planet nearby to see what's going on with it."

"Which one? There's quite a few around with weird phenomena," Swinn nervously smirked.

Sil looked at Swinn and smiled, "Now that's a secret."

"Ah," Swinn sighed disappointedly. He hoped that he could maybe follow Sil, but if he wasn't willing to say where he was going then he wasn't going to push it. Swinn was sure there was a reason behind it, like perhaps Sil was sponsored by a company to acquire some rare material, and he was under a non disclosure agreement.

"What about you?" Sil asked.

"I'm going to work towards my dream," Swinn tilted his head up towards the night sky, a longing look in his eyes, "I'm going to travel one day— my own way. I'll get there no matter what."

Swinn held out his clawed hand to the sky, then gripped the air, as if he was trying to capture the stars itself.

Sil saw that determined look to Swinn, and he was reminded of a similarly determined man from long ago.

"I wish you the best of luck with your dream," Sil grinned.

—

Sil's ship flew into the air out of the atmosphere. He sat in the cockpit, directing the ship to its next destination. Pressing a couple of buttons, Sil leaned back in his chair knowing it was now on auto pilot. He sent a few messages to his logs updating about the situation with Layla

[Log 208,759] {Sil} She's awake now, and doesn't show any signs of being possessed.

{Logan} That is good to hear.

{Vicky} Did you give her the offer to join?

{Sil} I did. She's traveling with me right now.

{Vicky} Awesome.

{Logan} Should I invite her to the logs?

{Sil} I could do that myself you know.

{Vicky} Maybe we should get the log numbers changed. Didn't you say you wanted to do a different numbering system for them?

{Sil} Indeed I did.

{Vicky} Now's the perfect time then!

{Sil} I could do that while I'm waiting for my ship to head to the next planet…

{Logan} I can assist.

{Sil} That'll be appreciated. There's just too many files to organize.

{Logan} SSDL_Folders.txt

{Logan} Already done.

{Sil} You never cease to amaze me how fast you work with technology.

{Vicky} I know, isn't he the best? <3

Sil spent the rest of the time before his ship arrived at its destination organizing his logs. Having the logs be sorted into folders and having the folders have subfolders just felt so nice and satisfying. It was like he finally had his life together now.

Soon, the planet came into view, it was a light brown world with its ocean water a dark black color. He didn't even think about flying too close to the planet, as Sil kept his ship away from its gravitational pull. He flew the ship behind one of its moons to stay hidden.

Layla walked into the cockpit, taking a good look at the planet.

"What are we heading into?" Layla asked.

"This planet is known as 'Siciada' with an unusual history. Apparently Logan had investigated this planet a long time ago due to the military's connection to it."

"The military? All the way out here?"

"It happened a couple hundred years ago, but strangely enough, the military covered it up."

Layla let out a singular sarcastic laugh, "Of course they would. Don't tell me you've forgotten we're talking about the military."

"Anyways, I've told you before how people seem to disappear when going to this planet, and the person Logan sent was no exception despite having the shadow ability," Sil explained, "but I know there's a celestial here. Planets with weird phenomena often have one."