Jack returned to the outskirt of Sapphire City.
The air here was not as bad as the one in the city. But, it felt dull compared to the primordial fresh air of the prehistoric jungle
It was home though. Or as close as he had, to one. He was still in his invisible spectral form. No point for drawing attention.
His priorities were straightforward. First, check on the mercenaries he'd been lumped with. The expedition had been a disaster. But most of the team-mates should have been safe.
He glided through the city's edge. Bypassing guards and citizens alike. His main destination was the mine. But, on the way, he would have to pass through The Mercenary Union HQ. He had better check that place first.
The HQ was a sprawling, multi-story building. It was made of reinforced concrete and iron. Bristling with antennas and exhaust pipes.
He passed through the walls as if they were mist. Observing the chatters and footsteps inside. He needed to find his team. The main lounge? Infirmary?
He actually found them in front of the infirmary. Clustered around a table. Looking like they'd collectively just buried a beloved dog.
Old Sam was there. Nursing a bandaged head. Big Bill sat beside him. His rugged face etched with fatigue and something heavy.
Bill's brother, Danny, was slumped in a chair. His left sleeve ending in a messy, recently bandaged stump. The girl they'd pulled from the raptors' clutches sat quietly next to him. Looking haunted but physically intact.
O.J. and Will were also present. Their faces were clouded by a grim quiet. Physically, most seemed to be fine. The missing hand for Danny was rough, but treatable. There were plenty Steamrune Engineer with mechanical arms.
Jack hovered nearby. Invisible, listening. Their conversation was fragmented. Replaying events, counting losses. The talk inevitably turned to him.
"...and Jack." Old Sam mumbled. Holding his head. "Just... disappeared. No trace."
Big Bill sighed. A heavy sound. "Figured he was gone the moment the Lady Gemrose brought those mercenaries back. And he wasn't there. The original space crack had gone. If he is still alive..."
"He won't be able to return." O.J said grimly. "I have a feeling he will return though. But... Don't take it to seriously. Cyborg's feeling is not that accurate. But, he was seriously capable."
"Yeah." Will added. "Didn't think anyone could take on those cave ghoul things like he did. But... that realm..."
They were depressed. They thought he was dead. It was almost amusing. He hadn't made friends. Not really. But he had fought alongside them.
They were not bad. He had seen Old Sam decisively joined them into the space crack to look for Bill's brother. He had watched Big Bill shield the others from harm with his mechanical hammer.
The others also showed their nature during the mission. They were decent people.
He had gathered what he needed here. They were alive. That was sufficient. He would see them later in his human incarnation.
But now, while he was still here in that invisible form, he had better check Big Boss Lodegrey's workplace. Who knows what he could learn there? Rare runes? Knowledge about high level Steamrune Engineering?
Security around his office would likely be tight. But that meant little to a specter like him.
He drifted away from the common room. Through corridors humming with the low thrum of the building's steam pipes.
He felt the faint magical wards on Lodegrey's office door. It was complex. But still useless to his spectral form. He slipped through the wall easily. As if it wasn't there.
Inside, Big Boss Lodegrey was sitting behind his heavy, wood-block desk. Across from him sat a young man. Perhaps seventeen or eighteen. Dressed in expensive advanced armor, covered by common mercenary cloak.
Jack immediately recognized him. He was the teenager that had been targeted by the cultists.
Jack drifted silently to a corner of the room. Near the ceiling. Listening. Their voices were low, serious.
"... We suffered heavy losses, Sixth Prince." Lodegrey rumbled in grim look. "Nearly forty dead. Almost everyone else wounded. Mine 34 is a complete write-off. We need explanation."
The teenage called the Sixth Prince ran a hand through his hair. Looking troubled. "It was meant to be secure. A temporary relocation. A way for me to avoid the trouble in the capital city." He explained.
"Your location was leaked, wasn't it?" Lodegrey prompted.
"Yes." The Prince confirmed grimly. "A calculated, vicious political move. Likely by one of my own royal brothers."
Jack filed that away. Royal family drama. Always messy.
Lodegrey leaned forward. "This Eternal Soul Cult. They were after you, specifically. Not just some random target practice?"
"Yes." The Prince confirmed. "It was because of my bloodline. The Elrush royal bloodline. It's... sought after by them. They believe it's necessary to activate something. The Eternal Flame."
Lodegrey's brow furrowed. "Eternal Flame? What is that? Some kind of artifact?"
"They believe it's a source of infinite energy. Something that allow them to gain eternal life." The Prince explained. "It was a primordial fire, supposedly. Legends say it can only be ignited or controlled by drawing upon specific bloodlines."
He took a deep breath and continued. "Ours is one they target. They have been tracking us for centuries. Kidnapping or killing those they find outside the capital. They seem to need the blood for rituals to locate or activate these 'Flames'."
Jack's spectral form stiffened slightly. Eternal Flame? Primordial fire? This was sounding familiar.
Lodegrey rubbed his chin. "And the... space crack? To that primeval world? Was that their doing too?"
The Prince hesitated for a moment. "I'm not sure. But it's highly probable. The Eternal Soul Cult doesn't just seek our blood. They seek the Eternal Flames themselves."
He paused. And continued. "They have maps, prophecies, twisted lore. The appearance of such a crack, leading to a realm like that... they would see it as a potential location for a dormant Eternal Flame. They must have used some powerful, forbidden magic to tear open a path, hoping to find it. Our arrival there was likely an unfortunate coincidence for them, or perhaps they hoped to trap me inside."
"So they were looking for the Flame in that world?" Lodegrey concluded.
"Exactly." The Prince said. "And I'm pretty sure... they would have been prepared to fight anyone who found it first. Especially if it was brought back here."
"But we didn't bring anything back." Lodegrey pointed out. "Just dead dinosaurs and wounded mercenaries."
"Precisely." the Prince agreed. "Since the Flame wasn't retrieved, their immediate objective in that realm failed. They wouldn't waste resources attacking us back here unless we had what they wanted. They'll retreat into the shadows now, regroup, and search for another potential source."
Jack's non-existent heart hammered. He now knew why it sounded familiar.
The Divine Primordial Fire. The energy source in the volcano chamber. The thing that had changed his draugr form. Evolving him into the hulking, deadly Black Buto.
That wasn't just some random magical things. It was the Eternal Flame. Or at least an Eternal Flame.
The cult wanted it? They could tear reality to find it? Damn. His own evolution was tied to something that powerful?
The Prince continued. His tone shifting. "Speaking of resources, President Lodegrey... The political fallout from this is going to be immense. My brother is already maneuvering. He'll spin this as my incompetence, and yours. A waste of lives and guild funds. We need to control the narrative. The official report must emphasize the unexpected dimensional rift, the cult's involvement as an outside factor, the heroism of the mercenaries who fought back..."
They were talking politics now. The details of cover-stories. Managing public perception. Countering the Prince's brother's machinations.
Jack had heard enough. He had the 'big secret'. The Eternal Flame wasn't just a source of power he'd accidentally absorbed and evolved from.
It was a target for a dangerous cult. And probably also the target of the royal family. His connection to it was potentially a massive complication.
He didn't need to hear about political theatre. He needed to process this new information.
Jack left the room. Floating back to the secluded spring where he had placed his teleportation anchor.
It was done almost absent-mindedly. He did it while still thinking about the implication of the information he got. And planning what he could do to find more Eternal Flames.
It was when he was back to the secluded ring did he awaken from his stupor. Jack shook his invisible head and recovered. He decided to just let it flow naturally.
If he could find more flames, good for him. If he couldn't, not a problem. If the cultists knew he gained power from the Eternal Flame, not a big deal. If they targeted him, he didn't mind to exterminate them.
For now, it was time for Jack Night, the human, to return.
He used his [Mysterious Mirror World] to enter his Mirror Space. And shifted into his human form. The Steamrune Engineer. Jack Night.