Shadow Slave

Master Jet studied the map for a few moments, and then traced a line across the ocean that lay between the four continents. Then, she suddenly asked:

"Do you know a lot about seafaring, Sunny?"

He slowly shook his head.

"As much as the next guy, I guess."

She smiled.

"Understandable. In truth, navigating the oceans is not an easy task. If it was, we could have just used the Pacific or the Atlantic to transport food from South America. But trying to sail them is pure suicide, for now."

Soul Reaper leaned back and took a sip of coffee.

"Most of our planet is covered by water, and most of that water is infested with dreadful Nightmare Creatures. That is because most Gates open underwater. And since we have very few methods of battling them below the sea — and very little reason to — we just leave those Gates be. Humanity might still hold four and a half continents, but we have surrendered all of Earth's oceans to the enemy."

She sighed, then dejectedly shook her head.

"Still, no civilization can exist without efficient transportation, and shipping cargo across water has been the mainstay of transportation since the dawn of time. So, we maintain a presence in the Indian ocean. Navigating it is not easy, however, because there are unspeakable and uncountable horrors dwelling in the depths."

Sunny hesitated for a moment, then asked with a bit of curiosity:

"Wouldn't it be easier to ship stuff through space, then?"

Soul Reaper grimaced.

"It is not cost-efficient. Getting to orbit requires considerable resource commitment, more so with heavy cargo, and resources are something we desperately lack. Plus… space is rife with its own dangers."

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

"What dangers?"

She simply shrugged.

"That… is above even my pay grade. So I don't know. Suffice it to say that simply maintaining a scattering of satellites that support the network and the Obel Scale is already a dire challenge. Whether you like it or now, water is the only way."

He frowned.

"So how do we manage to make use of the ocean if it's so dangerous?"

Master Jet smiled.

"Ah, well. The answer is pretty simple… House of Night."

Sunny blinked a couple of times.

"The Great Clan?"

She nodded.

"The representatives of the House of Night excel in guiding ships through turbulent waters. They are not called Nightwalkers just to honor the clan founder, after all. To move across the ocean, convoys that consist of massive, heavily armored ships employ the services of Nightwalker navigators…"

Sunny leaned back, thinking. He knew a bit about the third and the least prominent Great Clan, but not too much.

Unlike Valor and Song, which resembled most Legacy clans and had originated from a single family, House of Night was born from an alliance of several prominent clans. They resided in a dire region of the Dream Realm known as Stormsea, and controlled one of the three Great Citadels — which, as far as he knew, resembled a giant ship and was most likely left behind by one of the seven daemons.

Sunny also knew that the House of Night did not possess a Sovereign of their own. Anvil of Valor and Ki Song ruled their families, but Asterion was seemingly not related and had nothing to do with the third Great Clan.

It was not clear why the other two powers did not consume the weaker one. Now that Sunny learned of the pivotal role Nightwalkers played in sustaining human civilization, he guessed that they simply offered too much utility to be pressured into submission.

Alternatively, the nature of the region they controlled might have simply been too hazardous for either Valor or Song to invade, or their existence created a bit of much-needed balance and deterrence between the two dominant Great Clans.

…What was clear, however, was that the House of Night was deeply connected to Storm God. There were just too many coincidences between their powers and the deity of depths, oceans, darkness, stars, travel, guidance, and disaster.

Did… did Nightwalkers bear the lineage of Storm God?

'That would certainly explain a lot…'

Master Jet, meanwhile, continued:

"The scions of the House of Night allow naval convoys to reach their destinations, which is both a blessing and a curse. The problem with that situation is that while there are more Nightwalkers than there are descendants of the other two Great Clans, their number is still limited. And so, the number of convoys we can operate simultaneously is limited, as well."

She sighed.

"We can only evacuate people across water. By our calculations, it will take at least two years to evacuate the population of Antarctica that way. That is even if we commit the bulk of our navy to the operation. However…"

Her voice grew dim.

"The chain reaction is going to start in a few months, at most. It won't be too severe at the beginning, but quickly ramp up, drowning the entire archipelago in Nightmare Creatures."

Sunny remained silent for a bit, then asked:

"So what is going to happen?"

Master Jet finished her coffee and offered him a smile.

"Well… the government is going to transfer a very substantial part of its forces to Antarctica. Pretty much everyone who can be spared without leaving the rest of humanity completely defenseless will be transferred to the expeditionary force. They will try to stall the Nightmare Creatures for as long as possible to allow as many people as we can save to escape. Oh, also... I will be on one of the first ships myself."

Sunny looked away, not knowing what to say. Master Jet herself had judged that many of those who were going to take part in the evacuation would not be coming back.

Still, she was Soul Reaper Jet, was she not? Surely, she of all people was going to be okay…

Master Jet sighed, then looked around once again. Then, she said calmly:

"Of course, that will never be enough. In a couple of months, the government will announce a voluntary mobilization, both among the Awakened and among mundane humans. Many people will answer the call, while most will not. As I've said, the loss of Antarctica is not a world-ending event. Dying there is not really worth it."

Sunny gritted his teeth.

"So why are you going? With your position, I am sure that you could have chosen to stay behind. Did you let the propaganda get to your head? Honor, duty, and sacrifice… do you actually believe in that crap?"

Soul Reaper laughed.

"No. I am as cynical as you, Sunny. However, I have my own reasons."

She lingered for a few moments, and then added in a suddenly serious tone:

"...And I think that you might understand my reasoning very well. We've known each other for a while, Sunny, and I always shied away from giving you the recruitment speech. However, times have changed. So, tomorrow, when the representative of Valor tries to invite you into their great and illustrious clan, I want you to refuse."

She leaned forward, looked him in the eyes, and added:

"Instead, I want you to leave everything behind, enlist… and come with me."