CHAPTER 62: | CHAPTER 062 | ABOARD AN AIRSHIP

Aboard an airship drifting across the blue skies, Damien gazed upon the desolate landscape of the New World, empty and cold. He lounged beside the platform’s railings, observing the flattened mountains and empty grasslands through the perception granted by his current circumstances.

"The black towers are everywhere." No matter the direction he turned his sable-tinted eyes towards, the looming obelisks from Heaven’s Fall endured and protruded from blurred lines of the boundless horizon. "I wonder how many are in North America alone."

The mysteries of the black towers remained unanswered for over a decade since Heaven’s Fall. Some should have tried destroying it or exploring its interior. Yet, no information about testing the black towers was available on the Federal Web.

As though these structures had become a part of the New World, the new normal. Akin to towering mountains and curving valleys. The black towers were but another facet of the world.

"What’s got your mind, Damien?" Leaning on the metallic railings of the airship, a crimson-haired vampire gazed towards the black-suited young man with raised eyebrows. Hecate noticed her senior’s dazed expression, so she couldn’t help but inquire about his state.

Damien turned his obsidian-like eyes towards his junior, whose velvet irises stared directly at him. "Nothing much... Just curious about the black towers scattered throughout the New World. A single one was enough to oppress an entire city. Seeing dozens does not feel good."

"The black towers, huh? Thousands of them are also scattered throughout the south. From what I heard, the Clan already gave up trying to handle these structures." Hecate looked at the looming towers dispersed throughout the desolate landscape of the New World.

"What about humanity? Did they also give up regarding the black towers?" Damien questioned, wanting to know the position of humankind about these structures. Hecate glanced at him for a moment before answering. "I heard they experimented with the black towers but stopped."

"Looks like they discovered something that halted them from doing so, like the Clan. It’s no good trying to investigate the black towers, but are you interested in the ancient structures, Damien?" Hecate calmly asked, noticing the tinge of curiosity in her senior’s tone.

"Interest..." Damien muttered under his breath and continued. "I was a human from Heaven’s Fall. I had an ordinary life, preparing for a simple world. I didn’t have much of an affection for my old life. But it was normal. I was but a human. Until Heaven’s Fall."

"Those giant black towers descended from the skies, their landing bringing about an explosion that resembled a nuclear blast. I was there when one of them descended into New York. A brilliant flash blinded me, and I found myself in an intersection of a far future."

"Humanity has accepted the new normal brought about by Heaven’s Fall. But I haven’t and would not. I must find out the truth about what happened and why." Determination blazed behind the sable-tinted eyes of Damien. He hadn’t forgotten his dream.

"I didn’t expect you to be a former human, Damien. No wonder you seem highly adaptable despite being an intelligent Aberrant. After all, one would expect you to be a blank slate. No one would have expected the first intelligent Aberrant to already have an identity."

Hecate placed her fingers below her pale chin as she added. "If you want to know more about the black towers, the Clan might provide you with a good lead. Our species has been interacting with those structures for hundreds of years. There might be clues to the truth from them."

"The Clan..." Damien furrowed his eyebrows and realized that there was some truth in the words of his junior. The vampires were a species much more experienced than humanity regarding the subjects related to the black towers and Heaven’s Fall.

But interacting or even confronting the vampires came with consequences. With this in mind, the black-suited young man decided to throw the subject to the back of his head. The future him should tackle the matter after completing their assignment.

"Thank you for the suggestion, Hecate. I appreciate it." Damien smiled at his junior, who merely nodded in satisfaction. Hecate was about to walk away and return to their private quarters within the airship, but was halted by Damien’s hand grasping her shoulders.

"Anything more you need, Damien?" The crimson-haired girl inquired, wondering why her senior had stopped her from returning to their quarters. Damien looked at the never-ending horizon and asked. "You know... I’ve been curious about this for a long time."

"What do you think happened to the planes, Hecate? It would have been much faster than drifting with an airship." Airships have replaced airplanes as a means of long-distance transportation across the blue skies.

During his time on the ground, he hadn’t questioned the change within the aerial transportation industries. He didn’t consider it something he should be curious and concerned about. Now that he was drifting across the skies in an airship, it was difficult to not question the change.

"Airplanes... I heard about those vehicles before. I don’t know why they were abandoned, but electromagnetic storms are roaming through the heavens. Could be the reason why airships replaced them." Hecate waved her hand as she tilted her head and barely answered his question.

"Electromagnetic storms, hm? That explains why. It would be dangerous for planes to fly in these storms. It would risk them falling." Now that he thought about it. What happened to the rest of the world after Heaven’s Fall? Damien promptly furrowed his eyebrows.

’The New World consisted only of the North and South Americas. Beyond that... there is no information about Africa, Europe, or Asia. I haven’t even heard of them since my awakening.’ Damien couldn’t help but sigh in an exasperated manner.

"The monotonous journey towards the northern fringes isn’t doing me any good." He took a deep breath and calmed his body. "At any rate, what do you want for lunch, Hecate? I’ll bring it to our private quarters."

---

In the northern fringes of the New World was the region of Nunavut. It was a desolate mountainous region untouched yet defiled by the calamities that beset the current era. Amongst its few towns was the fortified colony of Cambridge Bay

"Sir Devon, I heard about Jaegers from Block 7 assisting us in our investigation against the cult of the Abominable." Standing beside a black-suited man was a young soldier who was part of the colony’s local garrison. He was vigorous and full of fiery ambition.

The black-suited man glanced at the soldier and calmly responded. "Not only will they be assisting us in our investigation. They will also be the judges of the cult. Whether or not the results warrant the elimination of the cult depends on us."

"They must come from the central regions of the New World, right? I’m curious about the people living there. They wouldn’t have to worry about the cold that could freeze or starve you to death." The soldiers remarked, envious of those who didn’t reside in the northern fringes.

"Each and every region of the New World has its own problems, young man. In the central lands are abominations that sometimes cause the ruin of a bustling and growing city. Vampires also cause chaos, while brigands and bandits intensify it."

"It contains most of the New World’s human population. When there are people, there is wanton suffering and death. At any rate, I want your local garrisons to be ready. The Jaegers of Block 7 differ from the usual divisions of the SIGIL." Devon warned the young soldier and added.

"Consider them the jury, judges, and executioners. You must not provoke their hostility; otherwise, the fortified colony of Cambridge Bay could be no more." Hearing the words of the black-suited man, the young soldier felt chills down his spine and saluted. "I shall do so, Sir!"

The young soldier ran to the garrison building of the fortified town, leaving the black-suited man behind. Devon was also a Jaeger, a member of Block 5, also known as the intelligence division of the SIGIL. Operatives of the Division were scattered throughout the New World.

Most of the time, they were digging for intelligence and barely returned to the SIGIL Headquarters in Staten Island, New York. The current circumstance was different.

Instead of waiting for Jaegers of other divisions to investigate, the higher-ups ordered him to immediately start the investigation. But handling the situation of the Abominable Cult required precise measures. Or else, it could explode in the faces of the higher echelons.

They also needed more information. However, the disappearances of several villages worsened the state of affairs of the assignment. Due to this, Block 7 has been mobilized. An old but recently growing division belonging to the seventh Paragon.

From the rumors scattered throughout the SIGIL, each member of the seventh Division was hand-picked by the strongest of humanity herself. It was difficult to conceal Devon’s interest in the matter. After all, it would be the first time members of the fifth and seventh Divisions met personally.

"Damien, an intelligence Aberrant capable of crushing an entire criminal syndicate on his own within the duration of half an hour. On the other hand, Hecate is the same. I heard about a crater replacing the estate of the Winston Family in New Janus."

"Although not much evidence was left behind as the seventh Paragon cleaned up the scene. Information regarding the city is also becoming difficult to find. It has become a black spot in the intelligence network of Block 5." Devon raised his eyebrows and stared at the empty and cold skies of the northern fringes.

"I look forward to meeting them."