CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43 – GIVE

Chapter 43 – Give

"In minutes..." Jack muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, his face stiff with disbelief. "He wiped them all out in less than three minutes..."

Even saying the words aloud felt absurd. Jack had fought monsters firsthand—had bled, strained, and nearly died to cut through even a handful of them. He knew exactly how relentless those creatures were, how their numbers alone could drown even the most skilled fighter. And yet, Sommeil had done the impossible, erasing a sea of enemies as if they were no more than dust in the wind. No human—no creature on Earth—should’ve been capable of such a feat.

"Hm, interesting. He isn’t half bad," Lune mused as she floated lazily around Jack’s shoulder, her tone calm but her eyes sharp, following Sommeil’s movements.

Jack blinked, his throat dry. "How did he...?"

"Hmm... it seems he used his Main Chronical," Lune replied, her voice carrying a faint note of curiosity. "Quite a strong one at that... and very interesting."

Jack’s lips parted as he prepared to ask her more, but the chance never came.

A silhouette emerged before him, as if the man had simply stepped out of the shadows. Jack had already sensed the presence and didn’t flinch, but Evelyn stiffened at the sudden intrusion.

"Fuuh..." Sommeil exhaled, dragging a hand across his sweat-slicked brow. "I’m really rusty, huh? Took longer than I thought to clean the area." He looked up, his gaze locking onto a sniper stationed on a nearby rooftop. Sommeil lifted his hand and waved casually. "Everything’s good now! The area’s all clear!"

"..."

Jack tilted his head upward, catching a glimpse of the sniper. The soldier’s face was pale, his expression frozen in shock, as though he had just witnessed something his mind couldn’t even begin to rationalize. Several long seconds passed before the man suddenly jolted, spinning on his heel and sprinting away in blind panic.

Sommeil chuckled, dabbing at the corner of his eye with exaggerated theatrics. "Ah, I love that look—pure joy, raw emotion. My fans... they bring me to tears, even after all these years." His gaze slid back to Jack and Evelyn. "Anyway, shouldn’t you two be heading back for treatment?"

Jack didn’t answer. He simply stared, silent.

Sommeil tilted his head, looking around. "I’d like to meet the commander of this army... hmm, I wonder where he’s hiding."

"Let’s go," Jack said at last, his voice firm as he turned to Evelyn. "We need treatment, just like he said."

"But—"

Jack didn’t give her a chance to argue. He started limping toward the bunker without another word, his body screaming with every step.

"I can finally heal you..." Lune whispered, her small voice trembling with eagerness. She fluttered around him like a restless flame. "My heart is about to leap out of my chest. Just the sight of you covered in blood—it suffocates me, Jack. I can’t bear it much longer."

Evelyn’s lips tightened into a thin line. She cast one more wary glance at Sommeil, then hurried after Jack.

Sommeil sighed theatrically as he watched them go. "And there they go. Guess I should tag along too. The general’s probably tucked away inside the bunker, trembling in some corner."

His steps were unhurried as he followed behind.

Evelyn leaned close to Jack, her voice low. "That man isn’t good. Don’t fall for his tricks. I don’t know what he’s planning, but I can feel it—he’s dangerous."

"I know," Jack muttered without slowing. His gaze stayed forward, sharp and calculating. "He’s working for his clan. Whatever Eternal Night wants, they’ll use this chaos as fuel. They’ll twist the disaster to strengthen their grip, to plant their roots deeper. Sommeil’s presence here is proof enough that the gears are already turning."

Inside, Jack’s thoughts spun faster than his tongue. ’Politics. Power struggles. Clans moving like predators in the dark. The world of Chronists can’t be so different from the mundane world. It’s always the same—people hungry for power, clawing for it, bleeding for it. The scale changes, but the nature never does.’

The two of them finally reached the massive gates of the bunker. The silence was shattered by a harsh bark:

"STOP RIGHT THERE! DON’T MOVE!"

Dozens of laser sights lit their bodies in an instant—tiny red dots crawling across their chests, necks, and heads. Yet Jack and Evelyn remained unnervingly calm.

"Whoa, easy there!" Sommeil exclaimed, lifting his hands high in mock surrender. "No need to get trigger-happy, friends! We’re not here to cause trouble. Just three humble Chronists who saved your skins by clearing out the swarm."

"STATE YOUR NAMES!" the commanding voice roared after a tense silence.

"Sommeil of Eternal Night," he said smoothly.

"Jack Blackwood."

"Evelyn Philips."

The soldiers muttered among themselves, their nerves visible even at a distance.

"D-Did he just say Eternal Night?"

"As in... the famous clan?"

"I-I think he did..."

"There’s no way... what would someone like him be doing here? Weren’t reinforcements supposed to take days to arrive?"

The name had dropped like a thunderclap. Eternal Night wasn’t just another clan—it was legend, an untouchable force whispered about like a myth. The soldiers were rattled, their discipline cracking as disbelief and awe overtook them.

But soon, attention shifted to Jack and Evelyn.

"I saw those two fighting... they were killing monsters."

"Yeah, me too!"

"I’ll never forget it. They were drawing all the aggro away from us. I thought we were dead for sure."

A murmur spread, soldiers recalling the bloody chaos. Many still carried the weight of terror from the swarm, their minds haunted by the memory of monsters vanishing suddenly into thin air, as if swallowed by the earth itself.

Sommeil, unfazed by their muttering, stepped forward, ignoring the red dots dancing across his chest. "I’d like to speak with your commanding officer. I am a Chronist of Eternal Night."

The air thickened. Fear, confusion, and unease pressed heavily on the crowd. Nobody moved, nobody breathed too loudly. Then, finally, a man pushed through the ranks. His uniform was distinct, his presence commanding.

General Herman.

He halted several paces away, his eyes narrowing as they locked onto the trio. His voice carried no tremor, but the tension in his stance betrayed him.

"How can we confirm that you three aren’t our enemies?"

Silence followed. The question was strange, almost naïve in this context. Nobody answered right away.

At last, Jack exhaled, dragging a hand through his blood-matted hair. "Are you really asking that, sir?"

Herman’s brows drew together. "Hm?"

"I think your men saw enough of what we can do," Jack said, his tone flat and cold. "You don’t have the luxury of doubt here. Whether you trust us or not, you’ll believe what we say. Because you don’t have another choice."

’Even if we wanted to, we could cut down a good number of his soldiers before they blink. And Sommeil could probably wipe them all out in an instant.’

"I see," Herman murmured, his jaw tightening.

"You’re wound up, old man," Sommeil said with a grin as he strolled forward. "All that tension’s bad for your blood pressure."

"..." Herman’s eyes narrowed but he said nothing.

Sommeil stopped right in front of him, resting a hand on the general’s shoulder as if they were old friends. "Anyway, your city’s in ashes. Ruined beyond recognition. But I can help." His smile widened, his voice velvet smooth. "I’m strong enough to rid the city of every monster and hand control back to you on a silver platter."

Herman’s face hardened. He didn’t bother asking how. Something about Sommeil’s presence told him the man wasn’t bluffing. This was a world beyond his comprehension, and trying to peer into it would only bring headaches.

"What do you want in return?"

"Oh, nothing too heavy," Sommeil said cheerfully. His eyes gleamed, the smile on his lips not reaching them. "Just one small thing. I want this city to become part of Eternal Night’s domain."