Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 1306 Prelude to the Darkness

With the power grid compromised, the only places with any power at all were the various hospitals, police stations, and other emergency services facilities. They had powerful backup generators and several redundancies built into their infrastructure exactly for situations like this. As a result, they stood out as a beacon of hope within the encroaching darkness as people who were unable to reach the emergency shelters began to congregate around the light.

Under normal circumstances, a disaster like this would have caused the hospital staff to be at a loss. They were grossly unequipped to deal with hundreds of thousands of people simultaneously as even large hospitals typically only employed around 1000-1500 personnel, the majority of which consisted of nurses and support personnel. Becoming a Doctor in the modern era required up to a decade of schooling and a strong financial background so there simply weren't enough qualified personnel for the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the crisis.

Had this been a normal incident, the number of casualties would quickly exceed the capacity of even the largest hospitals. There were literally tens of thousands of people with severe burns all over their body and, with the influx of people seeking shelter, it was impossible to treat all of them. They didn't have near enough beds so many patients were simply left to whimper on military-style cots that had been pulled out of storage. The nurses were running around doing their best to help everyone they could but, with new patients arriving every minute, they had reached the breaking point long ago.

It was when things seemed their bleakest that a literal miracle occurred, at least in the eyes of the Doctors, Nurses, hospital employees, and patients themselves...

Coinciding with the appearance of the 'alien fortress', a calming warmth seemed to spread through several hospitals located within the area affected by what some were calling a rogue solar flare. This warmth began to miraculously heal patients who had previously been on the verge of death, their burns and wounds healing at a rate visible to the naked eye. Some of the children even made full recoveries in a few short minutes, stunning everyone that bore witness to the event.

The hospital personnel couldn't make sense of the miracle they were observing but, considering the circumstances, they were extremely grateful for the relief. This eased their burden considerably, even if the 'miracle' didn't seem to extend to every patient. It seemed to have a greater effect on children as many adults were only brought from the brink of death rather than being healed completely. The Doctors couldn't really be choosy in this situation, however, so they did their best to treat as many patients as possible while entrusting the police and military to deal with the ever-increasing influx of people flocking to the hospital...

---

This time of year, sunset for London was around 5:15 PM. Normally, this wouldn't matter all that much as you could easily navigate the city and its surroundings using the various street lights and buildings to light your path. Now, however, the primary light source came from various fires, candles, and flashlights. Even motor vehicles and been affected by the wave of energy so, outside of London, almost every street was cluttered with cars and the debris of several traffic accidents.

Many people had taken the opportunity to riot as some believed this incident was an actual invasion, despite the fortress in the sky having done nothing for several hours. They broke into virtually every store that wasn't well guarded, cleaning the shelves of more than just food and water. Rather, some believed that the police had no way of dealing with everyone so a large number of people had taken the opportunity to steal various electronics, jewelry, and anything else that wasn't secured prior to the incident.

Vahn watched these incidents play out and, while he was bothered by the depravity some people showed during a crisis, what troubled him more was the military's response to the looting and riots. They had come out in force, beating, assaulting, and even shooting anyone they found committing crimes. Emergency sirens had been sounding for hours and a broadcast announcing martial law had already been put in effect so they didn't hesitate to resort to drastic measures, even against young teens and the elderly...

Further adding to Vahn's annoyance, the military had actually tried to assault and arrest Gawain and his unit of Homunculi. This was in spite of the fact that the group was clearly helping people but, as they were not recognized as emergency service or military personnel, the armed soldier didn't care at all. Some had even opened fire on 'non-compliant' Homunculi, resulting in several squads flocking to the area to 'suppress the terrorist group attacking the military'. It was such a ridiculous farce that Vahn just gave the order for Gawain to withdraw, not willing to deal with an incompetent force who placed a higher priority on 'enforcing order' than providing aid to the people...

With the withdrawal of Gawain and the Homunculi, the only Imperial Forces on-site were Vahn and, as a result of her being inside the Hanging Gardens prior to its teleportation, Semiramis. Merlin was definitely around somewhere but, after taking a seat, Vahn noticed the flowery Magus had vanished into thin air.

It was all but guaranteed that Merlin was taking action in the interest of the Empire so, while it did trouble him to lose his Advisor, Vahn didn't question his absence. Rather, he was busy with other things so Merlin's whimsy barely even crossed his mind at the present moment. Instead, his second vessel was back in Antarctica as he poured over the data obtained through CHALDEAS. He had the always calm and composed Sherlock at his side while Olga, Okita, Jeanne, and Gareth were all ready to do anything he asked at a moment's notice.

As Vahn wasn't intending to engage in a massive battle for control of the world, he had the almost too-eager girls sit quietly at the side while Sherlock, surrounded by a complex mechanism comprised of dozens of magnifying glasses that jut out from his coat like the legs of a spider. Using these, he was able to inspect and analyze virtually anything as, rather than only show objects in the immediate surroundings, the lenses showed various locations around the world. So long as Sherlock knew what he was looking for, things like distance had no meaning before the world's greatest detective.

Currently, Sherlock was calmly smoking an ornate curved pipe, his demeanor a perfect mask that made it impossible to know exactly what he was thinking. Fortunately, he was more than willing to inform you about his thought processes as being the 'greatest' was something the gentlemanly detective took great pride in. The downside to this quirk was that, unless you asked him to explain something, he would continue to thoughtfully stare into the distance without even acknowledging your presence...

Vahn understood Sherlock's quirks well and, considering how helpful the man had been, he gave the peculiar detective the respect he deserved. Thus, after noticing Sherlock seemed to lose focus, Vahn asked, "Have you discovered something new, Count Holmes...?"

As if he only just now realized Vahn was sitting in the same room, despite the fact they had multiple conversations prior, Sherlock showed mild surprise before smiling as he answered, "Your Majesty, I have uncovered quite the heinous plot, one so great that it threatens to shake the very foundations of this world."

Though he really wasn't in the mood, Vahn knew it was easier to play along than try to force the answer out of Sherlock. He could only maintain a serious expression on his face as he nodded in understanding before saying, "Please, Count Holmes, enlighten me regarding the specifics of this heinous deed. Time is of the essence and we cannot afford to sit idly as our enemies machinate against us..."

With a thoughtful nod, Sherlock removed the pipe from his mouth as one of the magnifying glasses grew to more than a meter in diameter. This allowed Vahn to see the scene of several cloaked figures sitting around a circular stone table surrounded by ten thrones, each covered in a combination of [Primordial Runes] and [Divine Words]. Two of the thrones were empty but, based on the feeling the remaining members gave off, Vahn estimated that their weakest member was more than twice as strong as Lorelei.

Without having to be asked, Sherlock explained, "These are mere projections of the actual people but, using the imprint I was able to place one the Heads of the Godwin and Fraga families, I was able to trace the signal and listen in on their discussion. It seems that the actions of the Trambelio family were known to them in advance. Now, they are considering whether or not to awaken an entity they keep referring to as the 'God of Calamity'. One of the members remarked that the release of such a monster would destroy the world, thus my earlier comment."

Vahn could only shake his head in exasperation upon hearing Sherlock's explanation. He was aware of the fact that the most powerful families had already taken measures to secure their legacy and lay low, despite the chaos they themselves were causing. They were completely unaware of the fact that he could summon them through the Throne of Heroes and, in spite of their efforts to escape notice, it was impossible to completely cover their tracks as, with Alaya at his side, Vahn could reveal their Strings of Fate at his leisure...

Now that things had reached this point, it was obvious that the most powerful and corrupt families didn't care if they ended up bring the world to ruin as, in their minds, they could simply rebuild after things had settled down. They knew he was no longer playing their games so, in order to avoid the same fate as the Barthomeloi, they had hidden away their legacy while preparing for an all-out war on the Surface. He was already aware of the fact they had contacted various organizations in their control, riling them up to vehemently oppose the Empire's rise.

It really was one of the greatest farces as, from the moment he decided to take action, there was no war to fight. He didn't have to conquer the world as, with Alaya and ORT on his side, he was already in control. They just didn't realize this as, from the perspective of almost everyone currently in power, they used humanity as a metric to determine their status and authority. Vahn, however, was focused more on the planet itself and, even if the majority of humanity ended up dying, they would simply reincarnate into another world. He would do what he could to protect as many people as possible but, from the very beginning, Vahn knew that most humans living in the current era would never be able to adapt to the coming changes...

After thanking Sherlock for the information, Vahn allowed the latter to return to his data collection as, back in the Hanging Gardens, he pulled out the [Grace of the Root]. He had put a lot of thought into the 'best' wish he could make using the tiny chalice so, with darkness now spreading across the city, it was time to finalize his decision. He knew there was no real reason behind protecting every single person as, the greater the number of survivors, the more troublesome things would become in the interim.

Understanding this, Vahn decided to take advantage of a quirk in the structure of the Root System itself. He knew there were a functionally infinite number of worlds and, while they may exist in very different dimensions of space and time, they were still connected through the Root System itself. This was something he could use to his advantage so, after cementing his resolve, Vahn held up the [Grace of the Root] and said, "From now until the emergence of Angra Mainyu, transfer everyone with neutral or good karma to a parallel world at the moment they were fated to die. Make sure the world they are sent to is one where they can thrive and prosper. For those that have longed for other worlds, make sure they are sent to a world that matches their innermost desires..."

In response to his request, the tiny golden chalice began to glow with an intense light as a synthetic voice mechanically stated, "It is impossible to extend the length of time to ten years. The fate of the world and its inhabitants is in constant flux. Your wish will only be valid for 1,000 days before it is no longer in effect. Please confirm your understanding and intent."

Vahn was somewhat amused as, from his shoulder, Alaya was staring hard at the glowing chalice as the voice it used was none other than Akasha's. As the Administrator of the Root System, Akasha had absolute authority within the experimental field, at least when conditions were met. Vahn being able to manifest an item that acted on the authority of Akasha was something incomprehensible and, as a result, the real Akasha was watching with intrigue as the system worked in overtime to collect data...

Without minding the fact he had triggered the interest of Akasha and her Superiors further, Vahn gave a curt nod in response to the voice before stating confidently, "One-thousand days is plenty. Proceed...!"

Immediately after Vahn expressed his intent, the small golden chalice glowed so brightly that, even with his adaptive eyes, Vahn was forced to squint. Fortunately, this only lasted for a few seconds and, after the synthetic voice answered, "Your wish has been granted.", it faded away entirely...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The real 'special' forces...!','A version of Sherlock that is full of himself...how rare~','Not what I would wish for but it works xD...')

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