Sealed Artifact

After class ended, Lynch went back to reading his notes in the office, trying to make sense of them.

He'd been reading all morning, and his head was throbbing.

He'd thought the mission to eliminate the cult would begin any moment, but there still hadn't been any news.

He ate lunch, then went back to reading the books Instructor Skuton had given him.

He kept at it until two in the afternoon. When his mind had become nothing but a jumble of words, he finally heard fireworks outside.

Lynch sprang to his feet and rushed straight into Dunn's office.

"Let's go!"

Dunn stood up without needing any explanation.

But just as he reached the office door, he suddenly stopped.

"Lynch, this is your first mission. I have to remind you that it's dangerous. You're not a combatant, just a civilian employee. All you have is a revolver. It's powerful against ordinary people, but to some Beyonders, it's just a toy. So don't act rashly. Stay behind me and follow my orders."

Dunn was clearly worried Lynch might rush in recklessly.

Lynch thought Dunn was overthinking it. Why would he do something without using his head?

If he hadn't been caught up in this mess, he wouldn't have gone on the mission at all.

"I understand!"

Lynch promised solemnly, and only then did Dunn nod in satisfaction.

"Get Leonard, Old Neil, and Fry. Have Kenley take Old Neil's watch. Oh, and apply for Sealed Artifact 2-0718."

Lynch's eyes lit up. He'd been here for so long, and this was his first time seeing a Sealed Artifact!

But the captain was telling him to apply for one. Wasn't he worried Lynch would drain it dry and leave him with nothing but a pile of artifacts that had already bonded with someone else?

Lynch had been tempted to try, but he soon learned the idea was absurd.

Leonard was the one who went through Chanis Gate. Lynch couldn't get in at all.

And when Leonard came back with the artifact, Lynch didn't dare let the Stone of Myriad Phenomena absorb it. He didn't want anyone discovering his secret.

He still had some sense!

"What does this artifact do?"

Lynch looked curiously at the Sealed Artifact in Leonard's hands.

It was a cup filled with water. The water looked crystal clear, no different from ordinary water.

"Water of Concealment. If we each drink some, we won't be visible for a while. But one of us has to carry the cup, and it can't be more than ten meters away from anyone who drank the water. If it gets farther away, we have to return within five minutes. Otherwise, something bad will happen."

Something bad?

What exactly?

Lynch was just about to ask when Leonard began explaining on his own.

"There's no telling what the bad thing will be. It's like the misfortune that comes with whatever you happen to be doing. It could be minor or severe. Someone was walking once and suddenly fell into the Spirit World, where the creatures there devoured him."

That was a little terrifying.

He wondered how much energy the artifact held. He really wanted to absorb it and see.

Lynch forced himself to look away from it, then turned back to Leonard.

"If the cup can't go too far away, how do we break our connection to it once we don't need to stay hidden anymore?"

Lynch asked curiously.

Leonard gave a rueful smile.

"We have to spit the water back into it."

Spit it back?

"Once the water reaches your stomach, you'll understand. It's easy enough to spit out, but it takes some getting over the mental hurdle when you drink it."

Lynch: ...

So someone drank the water, spat it back out, and then they'd have to pick it up and drink it again?

Ugh!

He really wished they could switch to a different Sealed Artifact!

But Dunn clearly thought this artifact was better suited to them. So the five of them sat in the Nighthawks' carriage, listened as their informant gave them the address, and started drinking the water one mouthful at a time as the carriage moved.

Lynch forced himself to take a sip. It didn't seem to have any taste, and he didn't feel like throwing up...

Ugh!

He still wanted to throw up. He just couldn't get past it mentally.

The water seemed to sit right at the back of his throat, as if it could come back up at any moment. He could only keep forcing the feeling down.

This was awful.

At least he wasn't the only one. Everyone except Dunn seemed to have trouble with it, making retching faces now and then.

As they gagged, Lynch saw the others disappear one by one. The only thing he could still see was the cup in Old Neil's hands.

"For now, we can only communicate by sound. Then I'll draw them into a dream. Once everyone's in the dream, we'll spit the water back out."

As Dunn finished speaking, he finally made a retching sound himself.

Lynch couldn't help laughing.

So the captain wasn't completely unaffected after all!

"All right, we're almost there. We'll jump off when we get close. I've told the coachman to keep going and not wait for us."

Dunn continued.

Lynch nodded, then quickly remembered that Dunn couldn't see him.

"Understood," he said.

The carriage went on for a little while longer before Dunn spoke again.

"Let's go, jump off. Old Neil first, then Leonard, Fry, Lynch, and me last. Remember to call out before you jump."

Soon, Lynch heard Old Neil's voice.

"Jumping!"

Leonard called out next.

As soon as Fry's voice disappeared, Lynch hurried to the side of the carriage, called out to Dunn, and jumped down.

They moved quickly and didn't waste much time.

Lynch glanced around and soon spotted the cup in Fry's hands. He hurried after him.

"Is everyone here?"

Dunn asked. Lynch quickly said he was there. After all, he knew the others were all Beyonders, while he was the only ordinary person. Dunn was asking because he was worried Lynch hadn't kept up.

"Good. Fry, let go. I've got the cup now. I need to carry it."

After Dunn said that, Lynch saw the cup change hands.

"That abandoned factory up ahead. The informant said this is where Upton came, and he hasn't left since. A lot of people have also been arriving here one after another."

Lynch quickly pointed ahead.

Only after pointing did he remember that nobody could see him. He hurriedly lowered his hand, embarrassed.

Fortunately, his description had been clear enough.

There was only one abandoned factory in front of them.

"Ah, the threat of fear, the hope of crimson.

At least one thing is true: this life flies by."

Lynch couldn't help yawning.

The quiet settled in. He saw one of the people patrolling around the abandoned factory yawn, lean against a nearby pillar, and fall asleep.

"Let's move. We're in a dream."

Dunn reminded them.

Lynch sighed.

Captain, you can stop saying that. The Stone of Myriad Phenomena has already reminded me with its energy.