Chapter 28 – The Vessel's Dusk
"I have called you all out here today… to brief you on what's next to come…"
Jack's voice echoed across the shadowed hall like a decree from the heavens. The air was thick with incense and the faint hum of mystical energy. Dozens of cloaked figures stood in a wide, circular chamber dimly lit by glowing orbs embedded into the stone walls. Jack stood elevated on a stone pavement at the center of the hall—his arms outstretched like a preacher at a pulpit.
Among the gathered were Spike, Bill, Astrid, and Roi—faces still marked with soot and wear from their mission.
"You are all well aware of the presence of Vance's new vessel, currently secured in the dungeon," Jack declared. "Brought in almost two days ago by our faithful brethren."
He gestured to the four operatives. The crowd murmured with reverence.
"Though we lost one of ours… Jarvis Crest by name. He was a valuable brother among us." His voice momentarily faltered—but only for a breath. "But… we move on."
"Tch," Spike clicked her tongue, jaw clenched.
"His name will surely live on—amongst his wife and unborn son," Jack added, emotion masked by zeal. "But we don't let something like that shift us from our goal."
Heads nodded across the hall, some solemnly, others eagerly. Spike glanced at Bill.
"Really?" she whispered.
"Well… what choice do we got?" Bill whispered back, arms crossed defensively.
She sighed hard. Roi smirked, catching the moment.
"Some beef you got against Jack, huh?" he teased.
Jack raised his voice, hands wide open. "You all realize this is a huge turning point in our lives. We have spread the goodness of Vance across the continents for generations. And those who refuse his blessing… are cleansed."
The crowd roared with approval.
"Why would anyone deny this world its redeemer?" Jack shouted. A thunder of voices cheered in return.
"We finally have the last piece Lord Vance needs to enter our realm. Just a day away from the ceremony. Everyone will be present. I see now why Lord Vance chose the vessel… He's strong-willed. Determined. Just like Vance himself."
A fire lit in Jack's eyes. "Ohhh, am I going to rejoice when the time comes!"
"Woohoo! Can't wait either!" Roi shouted, pumping a fist beside a grinning Astrid.
"Vance deserves this," Astrid said quietly, as if in prayer. "He saved us all. Showed us the light."
Jack lowered his voice again. "He too suffered. Killed by one of our own for the greater good… Only to be reborn with a spirit unlike any other. Burdened with his future as Vance's vessel."
The chamber quieted as Jack's voice grew solemn.
"Before honor… comes pain. Before light… the thorns. Right!?"
"YES!" The crowd cried.
"This is the start of a new era. The era of Vance. This time, the same mistake won't be made twice."
With a bow of his head, he concluded, "Now go. Prepare yourselves for dusk tomorrow."
Jack stepped down from the stone platform, the glowing orbs casting a divine shimmer over his white robes.
Spike remained rooted as the room slowly emptied, her gaze hollow.
"Spike!?" Bill called. She didn't respond. "Spike." The third time.
"Yeah?" she muttered.
"You kinda spaced out there."
"Oh… just tired."
"You haven't rested since the other day, have you?"
"Heh… my bad," she mumbled, already walking away as followers congratulated her team for capturing Frank.
---
Later, she lay on her bed, the faint glow of the orb-lit walls bathing the room in warm orange. Her jacket hung on a rack, boots at its base. Beside her was a table, her chained scythes gleaming faintly.
Wearing just a netted singlet over a visible bra and her worn jeans, Spike stared at the ceiling.
"He got killed by one of ours for the greater good... Burdened to be Vance's vessel…"
Tch.
The afternoon sun peered through the slits of the window. Outside, the city stirred. Drones hovered past, hanging posters reading: HE HAS COME FOR US ALL.
Spike stood, picked up her tablet, and tapped it. The screen flickered—revealing Frank, bound, sitting cross-legged in the dungeon.
"Hey... why don't you come over here and unlock these cuffs," Frank said with a smirk. "I promise—I do promise—that I'll just walk out. No harm intended."
She stared, silent.
"No one says no to faaaaccee," he said with a cheeky grin.
Tch. She swiped the feed away, tied up her hair, grabbed her jacket, and stepped out.
---
Children and citizens greeted her warmly as she walked through the cobbled street where magic and technology intertwined. Shops lined with glowing sigils stood beside metal-clad cafes. Neon signs in ancient runes buzzed overhead while carriages hovered gently above tracks powered by mana engines.
"Good afternoon, Spike!" a child beamed.
"How do you do, little lady?"
"How's your day going, Spike!?"
She waved, smiling slightly, passing under a crystalline archway. A guard spotted her.
"Spike? Oh—oh uh..." he fumbled, tapping his card. The door slid open with a hiss.
Descending the orb-lit stairway, time seemed to slow. One… two minutes passed. She reached the clearance zone.
"Miss Spike. Fancy meeting you here," a guard greeted as the next gate slid open. She made her way to the cells.
"Pleeaaase—I believe in Vance now!" a ragged man banged against his bars.
Spike's eyes scanned the row of captives until she saw Frank, reclining like he was on a beach.
"Hey, got a boyfriend?" he asked a female guard before perking up. "Spike! Glad you're here."
"Open it," Spike ordered.
The gate slid open. Frank's grin widened.
"Here to free me?" he quipped.
She entered, silent.
"Mute as always, I see." Frank leaned back.
"You know I need a shower, right? Been a day and a half."
Spike remained still.
"We didn't get to meet properly. Name's Frank."
"Do you even know what's about to happen to you?" Spike asked.
"Why should I care? Not like I can escape."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, I don't give a shit what you're gonna do."
Spike raised an eyebrow.
"We're actually talking for once. That's new."
"What's wrong with you…?" Spike wondered aloud.
"I was just a normal guy… until fate played its hand. Now I got Jack breathing down my neck and cultists calling me a vessel. I just hope… someone finds me. Someone I know."
"You're one confusing fellow," she said.
"Oh, I know. That's 'cause you were on the losing side. Two versus one didn't seem fair, did it?"
"Sure didn't."
"Then again, your comeback was five versus one. Overkill much?"
"Why do you talk that way?"
"What way?"
"You're captured. Bound. Yet you talk like this is a casual date. Like you're not broken. I beat you up, idiot."
Frank looked at her with tired eyes. "Why the hell would I fight back? I'm tired, alright!?"
She blinked. Silence.
"I came to this world knowing what I was. What I'd become. So leave me be."
"Don't say that…" she snapped.
"Vance is going to liberate this world."
"Through me, right?"
She froze.
"Yeah. Overheard pretty lady talking about it."
The words from earlier—He has passed through worse—echoed.
"Tch. Good luck in your stupidity," she growled, walking away.
"Hey," Frank called. She paused.
"Was gonna ask anyway… at least release me from these cuffs."
She snorted. "Pfft."
As she walked off, her thoughts spiraled.
What the hell's wrong with him? He's gotta be crazy… or maybe he really is.