In the end, none of the forty colossal ships had been lost. Some received moderate damage to their hulls, but the high compartmentalization and the rugged engineering of the war vessels prevented them from going down.
As the fleet escaped the vast blot of black water, it continued moving south without ever slowing down. In fact, the reactors were sent into a controlled overload to enhance the speed of the convoy even further and quickly increase the distance between it and the latent danger.
As the battered ships cut the waves, thousands of crewmates were assigned to repair brigades that started patching up the torn sections of the hulls. None of them paid any attention to the fact that the fleet was still in transit, hinting that this precarious type of work was not new to them.
The rows of cannons were checked and reloaded. New missiles and torpedoes were slotted into the empty nests. The wounded were moved to infirmaries, and the dead were given burials at sea. Despite the frightening scope of the battle, not too many humans had lost their lives.
Things could have been different if the Awakened of the House of Night had not acted so swiftly.
A few days later, Sunny was resting in the officer's lounge of the scarred battleship as he chatted with Master Naeve. Since there were no other Ascended stationed on the vessel, the two sometimes kept each other company.
"...So, anyway, the giant just whacked the creepy skull with his hammer. Boom! Let me tell you, at that moment, I was glad that my pants were already wet. I don't know if that thing died or not, but it did not bother us after that."
The scion of the great clan looked at him with an amused expression.
"The dark sea of the Forgotten Shore has to be a Great Titan then, at least."
Sunny shrugged.
"That is what I think, as well. But who can say for sure? That whole place is weird."
He hesitated for a moment, and then asked:
"Do you think that it is connected to the black water? What is that thing, anyway?"
Naeve's expression dimmed a little.
"Well… no one really knows. We have stumbled on the Black Water many times, both in the real world and in the Dream Realm. It is one of the more prominent hazards in the Stormsea. Some think that it is a type of Nightmare Creature, some think that it is a powerful Terror that had been torn into numerous pieces, thousands of years ago. Some even think that is the blood of an ancient, long-dead Titan."
He shook his head and sighed.
"In any case, everyone agrees that it is best to avoid it. The Black Water is not really sentient, so hiding from it is not too hard. It's just that this convoy is too damn large. There are too many souls, too many Awakened. Their scent attracted it, as well as all the abominations that dwell within it. Luckily, most of them were not too powerful, this time."
The handsome Master thought for a bit.
"I don't think that the Black Water is the same as the dark sea of the Forgotten Shore, though. They seem similar on the surface, but that sea of yours is much more vast and powerful. It is a miracle that you and your friends managed to seal it, as mere Sleepers."
Sunny glanced at Naeve with a somber expression.
"It was not a miracle. Countless thousands of young men and women had died on the Forgotten Shore across two decades to uncover the secrets that eventually allowed us to seal the Dark Sea. Many of them would have been pillars of humanity by now, if they had survived. We just finished what they had started."
The First Lord and his cohort, the members of the Dream Army… even Gunlaug and his lieutenants. If not for their contributions, Nephis and Sunny would have never been able to lay siege to the Crimson Spire and conquer it.
The scion of the House of Night sighed.
"Most problems can be solved if you throw enough bodies at them. Hopefully, the Antarctica campaign will be different."
It had to be, considering that no amount of bodies would be enough to bury a problem of that magnitude.
Sunny grimaced.
"How long before we reach it, anyway?"
Naeve shifted slightly and smiled.
"Conditions are good. If all goes well, a week at most."
Then, he leaned forward and added:
"Oh, by the way… I just received the news. The government is going to be announcing the voluntary mobilization in the next couple of days. The Second Evacuation Army will already be starting to form by the time you guys make landfall."
Sunny gave him a dubious look.
"That's great. I doubt that it will arrive to reinforce us any time soon, though. Things like that take a lot of time… not to mention that the best and the brightest that the government has to offer are already aboard these ships. With the Legacy clans remaining on the sidelines, the reinforcements are not going to change much."
The Nightwalker shrugged.
"I wouldn't be so sure that the Legacy clans won't join in the fun."
Sunny frowned.
"I've been told that neither Song nor Valor are interested in participating in the campaign. And while you guys are helping out, the House of Night is not going to send its land troops, either."
Naeve lingered for a moment.
"My clan is most useful at sea. As for the other two — indeed, they have only sent token forces to the First Army. They are acting reluctant… for now."
He shook his head.
"However, don't let their act fool you. The Legacies are definitely going to join the fight. They might not come in the first wave, or even the second… but they will come."
Sunny looked at him, unconvinced.
"What makes you say that?"
The handsome Master simply smiled.
"Have you ever met a Legacy that could resist joining a glorious fight?"
He leaned back and let out a laugh.
"Especially when there are countless treasures, advancements, and spoils of all kinds to be made in the fight…"
Sunny's expression darkened.
Legacies were known to pursue power and opportunity, indeed. If the two remaining great clans did really join the Antarctica campaign, the army would be relieved of a large part of its burden.
However, with what he knew about the conflict between Song and Valor...
Would they be joining the struggle against the Chain of Nightmares to help humanity, or would they be joining it simply because Antarctica could become the most convenient battlefield for their own private war?