Belobog.
The last fortress standing amidst the Eternal Freeze. Seven hundred years ago, monsters from beyond the sky ignited the planet, reducing everything to ashes. At the brink of life and death, the Eternal Freeze suddenly descended—a raging blizzard buried the entire world without warning, leaving only Belobog intact.
The steadfast Architects built this city. Under the protection of Preservation, Qliphoth, Belobog remains warm and enduring, even as it is battered by snow and wind.
That said, Belobog has never been entirely safe. The Fragmentum continues to expand, and ordinary humans who linger within its boundaries for too long will either be killed by monsters or become one of them. The Eternal Freeze has persisted for seven hundred years, with no signs of abating even today.
No one knows why the disaster came, nor when it will end.
Except... for the Supreme Guardians who have protected Belobog for seven hundred centuries.
Qliphoth Fort, located at the very center of Belobog, is the city's tallest structure. Successive generations of Guardians have conducted their official duties here.
Including the current Supreme Guardian, Cocolia.
[Coco...lia...threat...approaching...]
"No need to remind me. That power isn't even trying to hide from us."
Cocolia crossed her arms as she gazed out the window, her tone calm and composed.
[We must...eradicate...eradicate all variables.]
[For...eternal prosperity.]
"I know."
Cocolia nodded. She looked out the window calmly, observing the beautiful and prosperous city, yet her heart held only sorrow.
Including the previous seventeen Supreme Guardians, almost no one in all of Belobog has ever aimed to venture beyond the city. People cling to their land, peering at the circular sky from under the protection of the Walls, much like ants guarding their anthill.
Only inner turmoil.
In the endless cold tide, souls are like meteors bound by gravity, unable to break free from its shackles, forever incapable of soaring toward the skies of freedom.
In such circumstances, only destruction... only by erasing all traces of the old world's decay, abandoning the desperate struggle without hesitation, can a new world rise from the ruins.
Cocolia took a deep breath, gazing into the sky with a resolute expression:
"I will... make the world anew."
Just then, the office door abruptly swung open. A guard officer hurried in, then knelt on one knee, clasping his fists and reporting:
"Lady Cocolia! Three travelers claiming to be from beyond the sky request an audience!"
"...Bring them to me."
"Yes!"
Truly... easier than expected.
...
Felicity pushed aside the mountain of mechanical parts and successfully uncovered a bottomless hole.
In her perception, this hole connected to another vast space, where countless life signatures scurried about below.
Was there another civilization beneath Belobog? An underground civilization?
Felicity grew intrigued.
Let's go down and see.
Without hesitation, Felicity leaped directly into the cavity. She discovered that the hole led to a long passageway, sliding her downward like a playground slide—until she landed hard on a pile of crates.
"Ouch... I should've used imaginary energy to cushion my fall."
After rolling on the ground before getting up, Felicity dusted herself off and raised her head, her eyes meeting a pair of stunned azure-blue ones.
"Who are you?"
The girl's gaze sharpened instantly, her body drifting backward as lightly as a fluttering butterfly.
A scythe nearly taller than herself materialized in her hands, and she glared warily at Felicity, resembling a bristling kitten.
"My name is Felicity, an Emanator of Abundance."
Felicity glanced around, brushed off the dust clinging to her clothes, then introduced herself to the butterfly-like girl.
"I've never seen you before, nor heard of any 'Emanator of Abundance.' You'd better explain yourself."
Though she got the answer she sought, the girl's wariness didn't diminish in the slightest.
A stranger who fell from the "sky," landing in a place already corrupted by the Fragmentum—Seele didn't find the seemingly fragile girl before her trustworthy in the least.
Observing Seele's expression, Felicity suddenly raised an eyebrow.
"Of course, I don't mind. But before that, could you answer one question for me?"
She took a few steps closer, suddenly reaching out to grasp Seele's free hand, shaking it firmly up and down with a bright smile.
"...Fine."
Seele hadn't wanted to shake hands with Felicity, but she disliked killing innocents even more. The scythe that had been raised ultimately halted just at Felicity's neck before being quickly withdrawn.
"What is this place?"
Felicity's smile remained unchanged.
"...This is the Underworld, located beneath Belobog."
Hearing Felicity's question, Seele's expression darkened instantly, a shadow of gloom passing over her face, her tone tinged with irritation:
"Is life on the surface so carefree that you upper-world folks have even forgotten the existence of the underground!?"
"Hmm~ Underground, forgotten."
Felicity blinked and quickly obtained the information she wanted from the girl's words.
So, an underground civilization truly only exists in imagination.
"Now it's your turn to explain! Speak! Where are you from, and what's your purpose!?"
Seele wouldn't give Felicity any more time to think. The scythe she had just lowered was raised again, and her hand slipped out of Felicity's grasp.
Felicity glanced regretfully at Seele's slender, soft hand before reluctantly raising her own hands.
"Alright, alright, I'll talk. I come from a civilization beyond this world, searching for something called a 'Stellaron'—"
"What kind of nonsense is all this?"
Felicity's words were abruptly cut off by Seele, who frowned and glared at her impatiently.
"Anyway, you're coming with me. I'll let Boss Oleg question you himself. Behave."
She really wasn't suited for interrogating others, so she simply stopped pressing further.
"Boss Oleg?"
"The leader of Wildfire… Wait, why am I telling you this? Just follow quietly, and don't try any tricks."
Seele instinctively replied but suddenly caught herself. She shot Felicity a fierce glare, twirled the scythe in her hand, and settled it firmly on her shoulder.
Carrying the scythe, she seemed to be demonstrating at Felicity.
"Oh~"
Felicity nodded cheerfully and followed Seele's lead.
What a straightforward girl.