Rise Of Pandora

Rise Of Pandora : XLIII. The Immortal Man

"Sometimes suffering is just fucking suffering."

-Pontus

III. Stoic

A silence swept the room. Each person in the room glared at the other, each face more perplexed than the last. However, the silence did not linger for too long. Alastor broke it. He appeared defeated, his faith wavering.

"We've confirmed the existence of the Hephaestus Serpent. All five of us. Even now it does not feel real to me. It was large, larger than anything alive probably. Its eye, just one, looked like it—" Alastor stopped to collect his breath.

His heart was pounding the longer he thought about that sea beast. "To believe any animal really exists in those waters is unbelievable in itself. Us not being able to do more than damage it is even more concerning. And I say this out of honesty not defeat. To make our situation worse we do not even know just how many Deathknights and Shadowbirds are out there, and now there is this whole story about deities and Pandora along with the civil unrest in the empire. We are losing control here."

As Alastor continued on, Baccus reared his head upwards and glanced at the three men in the back. The clothing they wore was familiar to him. Their faces too were familiar to him the longer he stared. He recognized the three individuals. He did not question there being here yet, however.

Atlas nodded slowly in agreement with his hands clasped underneath his chin. He turned away and peered at the fire. The reflection of the fire danced upon his two lavender irises, leaving a vivid aggregate of colorations streaking across them so fluently. The more he stared into the fire, the more his aura began to imitate the arbitrary undulations and motions the flames upon the wood made.

"We are losing control. It is true. But we are not here to lament. We came together to speak upon what we can be done and what is in our power to change the tide. The Leviathan, you mentioned earlier, could be injured, yes? Then it is not as invincible as you feared. And yes, as you said, we are unsure of how many Shadowbirds and Deathknights are, so we will not surrender to mere speculation. You see, sometimes the answers rest within our own words, but we at times concede our judgment to them when we fear. Together we will find the answers so please everyone find a place to sit."

Atlas looked up at the three men who began walking nearer to the warm couches. His eyes lit up.

"These three are noblemen who came a long way from Kaoacien and they will be joining us today in our discussion. I have welcomed them into our home because they wish to take shelter and learn under my tutelage. This is their fourth day within our home. They are to be trusted, truly they are some of our last few powerful allies that we can genuinely trust."

Atlas introduced them swiftly and bluntly, relaying their status and their reason for being with the room with haste. 

"This man here is Sundahl Booras," Atlas said while pointing to the 

Atlas's expression became slightly perturbed.

He turned to Baccus and asked, "And Gaijin will return again, yes?"

Baccus nodded slowly before diverting his attention back to the floor. There was a growing concern weighing on the young man's mind.

Atlas took in a warm swirl of air and exhaled. Still, he appeared composed. He sat down with Baccus and instructed the three men to do the same.

"Here is what we will do. Strike concern from your minds, there is no need for it now. Also, until we have agreed upon measures and procedures, no one will leave this home. We will go around the room, each person here will have an opportunity to speak. First, each person will speak on what it is they know regarding the ongoing catastrophes. I will not accept any answer that ism i88jjjj short from useful.