Dark Currents

In an unremarkable valley somewhere in Northern Europe, a shepherd slowly made his way inside. He looked around to make sure no one was there, then quickly crouched and crept up to a large boulder. Feeling around, he pressed a button hidden inside it. The stone opened, revealing an elevator, and the man slowly stepped in.

As the elevator descended, the scene at the deepest reaches underground gradually came into view.

Deep underground lay a vast complex of military bases. Countless aircraft of all sizes stood neatly parked beside the runways, while personnel of every kind came and went by the hangars, making the final preparations for loading.

Four gray-black floating battleships stood quietly at the edge of the platform. Unlike the Hyperion's rounded design, these ships had sharply angular forms, their armor plating made up of triangles and quadrilaterals.

"Did you get the intel?" A woman in a Russian-style military uniform, with waist-length golden curls, asked as she watched the shepherd approach.

"I did, Lady Cocolia." The shepherd knelt on one knee and respectfully presented an envelope. "All the detailed information is in here."

"Good. You did well." The woman smiled as she accepted the envelope. "The Xuanyuan Sword is ours..."

"Hurry up, hurry up! We're all getting ready to leave for the airport. Why are you taking so long?" Kiana stood with her hands on her hips in front of the very late Sheng Jiu.

"Damn you... Forget it. Open your eyes and see for yourself what I've been doing!" Sheng Jiu swept the hair away from the left side of his face, revealing a thick bandage.

"...I... You..." Kiana's face flushed, then paled. She quickly grabbed the suitcase from Sheng Jiu to hide her embarrassment. "L-Let's go!"

The group rode the bus the academy had arranged for them to the airport. Along the way, Sheng Jiu clutched a tiny blue crystal pendant, murmuring something under his breath.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Kiana asked, watching Sheng Jiu mutter to himself.

"Praying for us," Sheng Jiu said with a solemn expression. "May we get through this trip safely."

"Pfft, what a weirdo..." Kiana pursed her lips and turned to look out the window. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small object flying toward her.

"Ah!" Kiana caught the pendant. "What's this?"

Sheng Jiu turned toward the window and casually scratched the bandage on his head. "It's a good-luck charm. You can borrow it. Remember to give it back when we return." Then, in a barely audible voice, he murmured, "Come back alive..."

To his surprise, Kiana heard those quiet words. Her face turned faintly red as she carefully put the pendant around her neck.

The bus was filled with cheerful chatter. Sheng Jiu discussed the legends of the Nine Nether with Fu Hua, while Himeko, Kiana, and the others played cards. No one brought up how difficult the mission ahead would be. They all treated it like an ordinary suppression mission...

"So the Xuanyuan Sword, said to be very likely one of the Divine Keys, was also buried beneath the Nine Nether as a burial offering for Ji Lin?" Sheng Jiu asked Fu Hua as he examined the scroll in his hands.

Fu Hua adjusted his glasses and replied with certainty, "That's right. I agree with your assessment, Sheng Jiu. What's more, the Xuanyuan Sword may be a Primordial Divine Key. Based on the information we've obtained so far, it seems to have appeared out of nowhere. It may have formed entirely on its own, making it an extremely rare case among the Divine Keys we know of."