The wind was now ruthless.
When they first started moving, the wind was placid, hardly discernible among the dense, stifling dust that could choke you were you not careful. Now, however, it howled sharply, sliding in-between the fractured towers and driving the abnormal amount of dust — along with what seemed like grit, straight towards the party.
Ciel tried his best to shield his eyes and nostrils, but the gusts of wind came from every direction, making it impossible to properly safeguard his orifices and causing his sight and breathing to slowly diminish over time.
Klarissa's voice suddenly cut through the noise:
"Everyone, masks on, now!"
Hurriedly, one of the soldiers Ciel wasn't introduced to — fairly short, but well built, with short, dark brown hair — reached for his heavy-duty backpack, dragging out five gas-masks and handing one to each member of the team, including Ciel.
"Put it on! Don't breathe in the unfiltered air, the particles here will cause you to lose your senses for good," he warned Ciel.
He fumbled with the mask — admittedly surprised with how this expedition was turning out, before finally fitting it over his face, the seals clicking with a hiss as the air ultimately turned cold and sterile.
"Why did the weather… change so suddenly?" Ciel asked, raising his voice over the wind.
Klarissa glanced at him without breaking stride, while the others ignored him — as if they were not permitted to acknowledge Ciel's existence unless she explicitly allowed that.
"As I said before, we're in the Tempest Depth's, The 5th Strata," she stated at last. "Every layer of Eclypse mirrors an equivalent resonance— The 5th Strata corresponds to the 5th Resonance, Excitement — the air element."
"What about before? There was barely any wind," Ciel inquired.
Klarissa adjusted the strap of her mask and responded without looking at him.
"Because we were still within the outer edges. Every Strata has safe zones, which is where we were before."
Her voice was oddly calm despite the strong wind charging towards her.
"The center is... different — the wind here isn't strong because of some natural phenomenon. It's because the closer we get to the center, the closer we get to the Strata's Key."
Ciel's gaze lingered on her back, her white coat fluttering violently in the storm.
"Key?" he asked. "What exactly does a Key do?"
Klarissa slowed down just enough in order for her head to turn slightly — not enough to face him, but enough for Ciel to see irritation on her face.
"You ask a lot of questions for someone who was about to be shot dead two hours ago," she said. "You're my assistant, not a scholar. Your job is to follow, observe, and do whatever I order you to."
Ciel kept silent, letting the wind fill the space between them. His mask whistled hesitantly — the breath a reminder that she was in control here. Still, he couldn't help himself.
"I just figured," he started, voice low, "if I'm supposed to help, I should at least understand what we're walking toward."
Everyone suddenly stared at him, seemingly in disbelief that someone could be so stupid they'd dare try negotiating with their Chief.
Klarissa stopped walking. The storm howling around her, seemingly trying to punish her for confronting it — she sighed, yet didn't so much as sway when faced with it. Instead, she slowly turned to face Ciel, her white coat swirling with the wind.
For a moment, no one there had the courage to take a breath. Eventually, she started moving towards the fool who tried compromising with her one step at a time, as if wanting to show Ciel he wasn't worth rushing towards.
"You've got nerve," she said, her voice sweet and smooth. "I could just leave you here."
Ciel blinked, trying to grasp what she meant as Klarissa took one more step toward him. "If I decide you're a liability, I'll just take your mask off, remove your restraints and walk away. You'll last maybe… three minutes before the wind burns through your lungs and you start suffocating."
She leaned slightly closer, her gaze fixated on him. "So before you even consider bargaining with me, remember that I don't need you."
Ciel didn't respond, lowering his head enough to prove that he understood. He recalled Lyra warning him about dying before she was cut off, and he didn't plan to risk his life just so he could fish for information.
Then, all of a sudden — a sharp, deafening sound cut through the air. The soldier who captured Ciel came to a halt, hastily checking what seemed to be a scanner.
"Reporting. Multiple Aberrants, closing in fast!"
"Name and rank," Klarissa demanded instantly.
The soldier checked his scanner again. "Vesperts — Howlers or higher!"
Before Ciel could even understand what that meant, the wind around them shifted. It wailed, bending unnaturally as inhumane shapes began emerging from the storm of dust — tall, distorted figures with lenghty limbs covered in fur started clawing at the air, their faces the repulsing mixture of bat and human Ciel saw earlier.
Klarissa already started adapting to the situation. "Get in formation — now!
The team moved in perfect harmony — the brown-haired soldier bracing his rifle, while the one who captured Ciel raised his right hand, mobilizing a glowing blue barrier that seemed to slow down whatever Vespert dared enter.
Ciel took a couple of steps back, trying to move as further away as his restraints allowed him, watching the monster rush forward.
One of the Vesperts lunged straight at Klarissa, going through the blue barrier. However, she didn't even flinch. Her left hand lit scarlet and met the creature mid-leap — driving her palm through its chest. The monster ignited from the inside and exploded into a cluster of ash.
Another came from behind, and this time she started moving so fast Ciel could barely track her movements. Her left hand now glowed purple as tens of compressed air blades erupted around her — shredding every monster in her surroundings.
Ciel barely had time to process what he saw before another Vespert breached through and lunged straight at him. It shrieked — a chilling, ear-shattering sound — as it swung its jugged claws toward his head. He ducked instinctively, feeling the creature tear the side of his hood. The Vespert swung again, and this time Ciel fumbled backward, tumbling hard on the black crystal ground.
Before the monster could strike again, a shining beam of yellow light sliced through its torso, dropping it mid-charge as a gloved hand appeared before him.
"You okay?" a young woman's voice asked, calm, but slightly breathless.
Ciel looked up and recognized her as one of the soldiers. She appeared younger than Klarissa, probably in her early twenties. Her auburn hair was arranged in a ponytail, and even though she wore a mask, Ciel could sense the inherent gentleness in her expression.
He grabbed her hand, letting her pull him to his feet. "Yeah… thanks."
"My name's Abelia," she said, still scanning the battlefield. "You should stay close to me until the Chief finishes exterminating the Aberrants."
Ciel glanced past Abelia. Klarissa, who was slaughtering the monsters, darted from Vespert to Vespert, incinerating any Aberrant that dared approach her.
Abelia followed his gaze. "She's amazing, isn't she? And this isn't even close to her full power — she's a Quint."
Ciel blinked. "A what?"
Abelia smiled awkwardly.
"Oh, right...you don't remember much. A Quint Resonant is someone who's stabilized with five resonances. Although she's never had to use more than two ever since I met her."
Ciel turned his gaze back toward battlefield, Klarissa's glowing figure dazzling through the haze. In mere moments, the battle ended — whatever left of the Vesperts now turned to ashes and carried off by the wind. Klarissa lowered her arm, the red and violet glow gradually vanishing as she graciously exhaled.
Ciel nodded several times, finally coming to a conclusion.
'I must not leave their side.'