In Between The Ends

Chapter Fifty

     The following morning yielded similar results to the day before: there was nothing to be found in the outer buildings of the Children of Light settlement, which had been fairly obvious from the beginning and yet still disappointing. Some of the outer crew had gone hunting or fishing, fading into the tree line along the banks of the lake, though never straying far from the view of the village and sticking together in pairs.

The rest joined the interior team, scouring through the long hallways and debris-filled rooms of the temple, dismissing the fact that it seemed to be just as empty as the rest. The general worry was that if there had been something here worthwhile, it had either been consumed by time or by the elements; the water filled lower levels their biggest concern.

But still Armin persisted; Mikasa figured their commander would happily tear the temple down brick by brick if it offered him what they sought after. That's not to say everyone else had given up, though. They were all pressing on with a grim sort of determination made up of many different parts: belief in the cause, a thirst to prove themselves, dedication to the team, fear of failure. She could even say that a few of them moved with an air of having been born for this very purpose, not that she had any idea what that possibly could mean for them.

Mikasa supposed, with a rueful half smile, that Armin -as usual – had been right all along. All there was left to do was try.

By midday it was so muggy that you could almost drink the air right out of the sky. They were all sweating profusely, even with the sun tucked behind a thick layer of clouds. Mikasa joined Armin and Oz to dig through the chapel again as the others wandered aimlessly through the same floor in their second pass through. Today they were focused on less obvious places, like peaking at the underside of pews, testing for weak spots in floor and walls, even going as far as to hoist themselves up the room's many pillars, hoping for something to give.

"I know you keep coming back to this room because it makes sense for something to be here, but it might be time to join up with the others in the East wing."
Mikasa said between gulps of water from the platform below the mural where she sat with Armin. He was staring down at his canteen as though it had wronged him in some way, his normally gentle face twisted up into a grimace.

"This was their holiest of places; I was sure that if they had possessed any kind of relic, it would be here."

"I don't disagree with you on that. I would have thought It'd be here, to. I also agree that they must have kept some sort of records or even a library after what you found it the mountains, but we've looked everywhere."

Pouring a small amount of water into her cupped palm, she wiped it across her face and down the back of her neck, washing away the sweat that had built up there before taking another long gulp. She had to give this place credit: the water was spectacular.

"Falco mentioned an idea he and Connie were cooking up about the basement when I saw him earlier. He said if we dug a channel out from the foundations and came up with a way to puncture the wall, we could drain enough water to get a team down there. I doubt anything would have survived that long completely submerged, but there is always a chance."

"That would take time." He mumbled, clearly frustrated. "No one would want to stay here that long."

Mikasa laughed dryly. "I wouldn't underestimate them; they seem almost as determined as you are, now. Have a little faith, we will see this through."

"Too much faith and not enough proof seems to be all I have these days." He replied, though his expression had eased a little at her comforting words.

"Sometimes that's enough."

The two of them jumped when a loud honking cut through the quiet of the chapel, the pair looking over at Oz as he sheepishly tucked his handkerchief back into his pants pocket.